Looking Back At Life With Briana In 2011

January

The big word for January was "SNOW." Because we got a lot of it. We enjoyed it thoroughly, but we were also ready for it to go away. The metro Atlanta area basically shut down for a week. In January, Briana also learned to ride her big girl bike. We celebrated Daddy's birthday, played a little Rock Band and Briana went to her first of 15 birthday parties of the year...

February

In February, Briana got a brand new playroom. We also celebrated CNY at several different events - with several different friends. We went to Family Science Night with cousin N, celebrated Valentine's Day, enjoyed winter break and also attended some pretty amazing birthday parties... 

March

It started getting warmer in Georgia in March and we were very happy about spring coming. It was a quiet month - except for our trip to Minnesota when we attended our adoption agency's reunion. Briana was able to spend some time with her China sisters. The rest of March, we enjoyed our time blowing bubbles and warming ourselves in the sun.

April

In April, we enjoyed spring break with several play dates with friends, celebrated Easter and also went to the Renaissance Festival. Doug and I "put our paws up." Briana also attended her very first baseball game and picked strawberries for the first time.

May

May was a very big month for Miss B.  She graduated from preschool, competed in her very first gymnastics competition, went to a wonderful princess party and had her first swim date of the year. We went to the lake for the day for Mother's Day. We also took a great beach vacation to Tybee Island...

 

June

Briana was out of school in June, so that meant camp and lots of fun! She attended horseback riding camp, dance camp and preschool camp over the summer. She started taking swim lessons. We celebrated Bri's referral day anniversary, my birthday and Father's Day (my birthday landed on Father's Day this year). My grandmother had a bit of a health scare in June, but she is doing fine now. We went and visited her a few times over the summer. Of course, we went to another birthday party. And Bri swam, swam, and oh, she swam some more all summer with her friends...

July

It was HOT in July, per usual for Georgia. We sadly got a bit rained out on July 4th, but still made the most of it. We did our annual blueberry picking - except we tried a new place this year. We celebrated our 4 year Briana Day anniversary and Doug and I attended our 20th high school reunion...

August

August was an enormous month for Briana (and me). Miss B started kindergarten and turned 5 all in the same week. Cousin N had a birthday too. It is also when I started battling my all my chronic illnesses (which I am still battling unfortunately) which was probably spurred by stress. I am keeping my chin up about it and continuing to live my life to the fullest, despite not feeling well all the time.  One of Doug's very best friends and his family moved to GA from CA in August! Miss B also competed in her first Boosterthon and I won my neighborhood photo contest!

September

In September, Briana lost her first tooth. And then she lost two more after that. We enjoyed fall break - which included a trip to Babyland General, Anna Ruby Falls and Helen, GA.  We also went to the Pioneer Festival and took Gramma and Papa to the North GA fair with us. It was the month of the Autumn Moon Festival. Briana went to yet another party and played baseball for the first time. She was smacking that ball! Briana started taking PSR (Catholic school) class, horseback riding lessons and Chinese dance class as she continued to take gymnastics...

October

In October, the weather started to cool down and the first signs of fall were really starting to show up. My sister and I went on another photo walk. Bri and I attended another fun birthday party, we went to Disney on Ice and we also made our annual Cagle's Family Farm visit. It is also Halloween of course! I think I had the prettiest Pocahontas around...

November

November was also a very busy month in our household. Briana performed in her first Thanksgiving play and went on her first kindergarten field trip. She went to another awesome birthday party and celebrated Thanksgiving. We took a trip to Chattanooga and visited Ruby Falls, Rock City and rode the North Pole Express. Oh - and we rode on a Pink Pig too...

December

Ahhhh, December finally. After putting this post together, I didn't realize just how busy our year was. Good grief. December is all things Christmas of course. Briana sang Christmas songs with the other kindergartners at her school holiday event. There was also a spa birthday party thrown in the month of December for good measure. One sad moment in December was when Briana had her last gymnastics class. She was not enjoying gymnastics anymore and decided to drop the activity. The month was filled with presents, play dates, cookies and all things Santa. Of course, New Year's Eve lands in December too - when my gal partied like a rock star...

So, that is 2011 in review. And there are a number of moments I didn't get to include but wish I could have. We've enjoyed movies, puppet shows, play dates and quiet days at home. We have cooked, gardened, cleaned and thoroughly enjoyed the play room. Doug, Briana and I have so much to look forward to in the year 2012. Briana wants to start up soccer again and she and I are working on sight words and reading, so hopefully she will be able to read lots of books this summer. This year, Doug and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and Briana will turn six and become a 1st grader (gulp).

I am slowly but surely getting somewhat used to my iMac. I am still behind on blogging Christmas and New Years, but I will get to it in a few days.

I hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. "Cheers" to another amazing year of "Life With Briana."