This Week So Far

Briana and I went over to Randi and Jack's house on Tuesday morning for a play date - Kathy and Chani also joined us. Briana had a blast at Randi's and had so much fun with Jack and Chani. New flash...Briana's first crush is on Jack. He is an older man - four to be exact. You should have heard the giggles coming from Briana in his presence. It was hilarious! (She is not even two yet - should I be worried? LOL!)

Briana and Jack sharing a swing.


Briana and Jack on the teeter-totter.


Chani enjoying bubbles.


Briana and Chani having some fun.

And here is a picture of me and Doug on Saturday night about to go on our date! We went to a delicious fondue restaurant for dinner. We wanted to have a long meal so we could eat slow, taste every bite and enjoy some adult conversation. It was such a nice evening.


Here is a picture of my other baby. I still love taking pictures of her!

And my roses have exploded! I have four rose bushes in my backyard. I trimmed them all way back in the fall and this spring they are enormous! My biggest is a Chicago Peace. When the buds are little, they bloom in fushia pink, but when they are large, they are a peach color. Really weird! I also have a red bush, yellow bush and purple bush. I love my roses!



Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

21 Months Old and Kisses For Cannoli

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! And, Briana is 21 months old today! It doesn't seem possible, does it?

Our anniversary night was fantastic! We had a great evening - and Briana had a great time with grandma and grandpa too!

And on Friday night, Doug, Briana and I went to an Italian restaurant. She was being so cute that I whipped out my camera and shot a few minutes of it. Enjoy!

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary

Doug and I have been married 11 years today. We've had lots of ups and downs in our marriage, yet we have loved and supported each other through all of it. And we finally did it - we finally have our child with us and we are parents. It is a wonderful feeling. Our lives are complete. I married the greatest guy (he is my rock), and I am the luckiest girl in the world. Love you Dougie!!

In honor of 11 years together, I am posting my three words picture today.

Doug and I are going out on the town alone tonight, and I am so excited. Two dates in three weeks - I better not get used to this!

Out Of Town Guest

Over the weekend, Doug's friend/business partner Khalid came into town visit and meet Briana. We had a fun time and the guys actually got a lot of work done. This is the first house guest we have had since Briana has been with us, and I wondered how she would do. She was kind of shy at first, but then she did really well. I think Briana has a new buddy!

I love the shirt Briana is wearing. It says, "I've got daddy wrapped around my little finger." Ain't that the truth!

Icebreaker...Legos. Brings people together.

Having fun playing Legos...

Then they watched a movie. I can't remember which one but it was of the Disney variety.

A fun weekend was had by all!

9 Months and Feeling Better

We have had Briana in our lives for 9 months now. I can't believe how much she has changed and grown. She gets more beautiful every day!

In China...

Today...

And I did wake up feeling much better today. Thank you for all of your kind comments on my last post. You all rock!

And yes, I put a funny wig on Briana the other day. That is how I pass the time during the day - snort! No, she saw the wig in my closet and of course had to try it on. She is such a hoot. :)

Why?

I am in a mood today - and not a good one. I have pictures ready to go of the fun weekend Doug, Briana and I had with Doug's friend, but I don't feel like posting happy pictures right now when I am feeling so over everything. I have a list of "why's" going through my head right now...

Why do I let other people's actions tick me off so badly?

Why do I fret over things until I feel sick over it?

Why do I have so many sticky spots all over my house?

Why are there days that I cannot wait for Briana to take her nap?

Why does Bri feel the need to grab for every single item in a Hallmark store?

Why does a 20 month old make me more tired than I have ever been in my whole life?

Why do I miss "sleeping in" so much?

Why is it when someone asks me to compromise, it is more than likely me being asked to "give in"?

Why did my single, 40-something, never been married, elementary school teacher, next door neighbor (who used to be a friendly acquaintance) decide to just stop talking to or acknowledging me and Doug as soon as we brought Briana home from China for absolutely no reason at all?

Why am I still having a hard time adjusting to my house looking like a bomb of toys hit it at times?

Why do people drive like idiots?

Why do I hate unloading the dishwasher so much?

Why does my cat make me feel like she is unbelievably attention deprived?

Why is this venting not really making me feel better?

I am hoping when I wake up tomorrow it will be a better day. A day that has me not so frustrated and annoyed.

Three Words

We have had a busy week, but not a crazy busy one. We have had a few moments to just "chill out." Here is Bri laying on my bed and holding her "dolly". This is the doll that she sleeps with. I actually have a backup doll in case anything ever happens to this one. Briana LOVES this doll. I mean LOVES this doll. I am constantly washing it because Briana is usually slobbering on the dolly, kissing the dolly or spilling something on it. She really likes the bear sitting next to her too. I call it "Dougie bear." Cute, huh? I have had that bear since Doug and I got married. Doesn't Briana look relaxed here?

And a very big moment happened to me. I was giving Briana a bath at 7:45PM on Saturday night. We were giggling and having fun as she was playing and being silly in the tub. We were also giving each other kisses. After about the 5th kiss, she looks in my eyes and says "I wuv you" to me for the first time. Oh my gosh. My heart stopped at that moment. I tell her I love her everytime she goes to sleep and when she wakes up in the morning. And now, she finally said it to me. Wow - I am so in love with this child.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday!

Just Checking In

It's been a few days since I posted, hasn't it? I have been busy but not doing anything out of the ordinary. Lots of errands, music class, grocery shopping, etc. Briana and I did go out to lunch with Kathy and Chani yesterday and of course we had to go on a Hobby Lobby run. I actually had a lot of self control. I only spent $30. Not too bad! I did manage to snap a few pics of the girls at the store...

Briana not cooperating for a photo...

Miss Chani

And I did manage to get a little ponytail on Briana's head the other day. I didn't last long, but it was cute!

Doug and I actually have company in town right now. Doug's friend is staying with us until Sunday evening. The boys are doing a little work together right now, so I thought I would write this quick blog post. Briana took a 15 minute cat nap this morning in the car, and she is not in the mood for a nap now. Ugh. I am just letting her babble in her crib, and I guess I will fish her out of there in a minute.

And before signing off, I just want to mention that "Love Without Boundaries" is having its 5th annual "Born in my Heart" auction on eBay right now and it runs through April 29. Proceeds from items sold go to help orphaned children in China, by providing medical care, nutrition, education and foster care. Take a look - they have some really neat items!

See you Sunday for my three word post.

The Weekend

Saturday night, Doug, Briana and I went over to my parents' house to celebrate Passover (my dad is Jewish for those who don't know). Briana had her first taste of Matzah and it was a big thumbs up! And my sister snapped this nice photo of the three of us. Most of my pictures are of Briana, me and Briana or Doug and Briana. And when the three of us pose for a photo, Briana is usually looking another way. But she finally looked forward in this one!

Then on Sunday, it was yard work day. It was gorgeous and in the 60's. Briana helped mommy and daddy mulch the front yard. We waited for years for a child to pounce around behind us while we were doing yard work and yesterday was the day.

Briana following daddy around...

Loading up the wheelbarrow.

The house all manicured and mulched!

We put Briana to work!

3 Words and Mall Day With Daddy

First, let me say that Doug hates going to the mall. Hates it. But there is a mall that is not too far away from where we live that has a carousel. I posted about it back in November when I first took Briana on it. Doug has really been wanting to see her ride it. So, he took the day off work to take his girls to the mall. I am dedicating my three words (a little early) to Briana's ride on the carousel.

Here is Briana all ready to go to the mall!

As we walked around the mall, I ran into an agent that I worked with at my former place of employment. We hugged and she was so excited to meet Briana. She hasn't been at the office the last two times I visited, so I am so glad we finally bumped into each other. Ironically, we were able to talk about the big news that literally just happened (Wednesday). My former office and another office located just down the street have merged. In the process, my former broker was let go and three out of four of my former co-workers (staff) got the ax. If I had remained there, I probably would have gotten my walking papers too, especially being a part-time employee. It makes me sad because this is most likely due to the housing market being so crappy right now. I guess the company is focusing on consolidating and downsizing where it can. I noticed that both times I visited the office, there was very little activity going on. Especially the second time I visited, it was like a ghost town. Staff girls - if you are reading this, know I am thinking of you and I am so sorry to hear the news.

After I got done chatting with the agent, Doug and I decided to get some lunch. The carousel is located in the food court, so Briana was anxious to get on the ride, but we wanted her to eat first. As she nibbled on chicken nuggets, she intently watched the carousel go around.

And Briana has mastered the art of "dipping". She loves to dip her nuggets in bbq sauce...

Mmmm, those are good!

Doug and Briana waiting to get on the ride.

Round and round they went!

Briana liked it so much, she cried when it stopped. So I took her around for one more spin. I managed to coax her off the second time by asking her if she wanted a little ice cream. Worked like a charm. A little bribery goes a long way...

After some ice cream, the mall has an indoor playground that Briana had a ball playing on. She learned to go up the slide and down without any help today. "Sigh."

It really was a fun day! Thanks for hanging with us daddy! (Enjoy the little video of Briana going up and down the slide!)

And lastly, I want to say Happy Passover to all my Jewish friends and family!!! Have a great weekend everyone!