Florida Trip - Water, Water Everywhere

While we were in Florida, Doug, Briana and I did manage to do several water activities - hit the beach (with my parents), swam at the hotel swimming pool and ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean.

The first morning we were in the sunshine state, we went to the beach. Briana put her feet in the ocean for the first time - and hated it. She hated the sand and water on her feet. Right after we got a few shots of her walking into the ocean, she decided that she want to be held and refused to put her feet back in the water. So much for a beach vacation right now. But there was a playground on the beach, so we did manage to get her in the sand again because getting to slide down the slide was totally worth suffering in the sand for. She also really loved the baby swings!

The second morning we were in FL, we went to the hotel pool. It was so beautiful and Briana really enjoyed it. We met another couple at the pool who also had a daughter adopted from China and she was four years old (and so cute). We talked for about 10 minutes. It is amazing the bond you feel with people that you don't even know because you went through the same experience. It is absolutely amazing.

And right after swimming, we headed to a restaurant that overlooks the ocean. Of course, Briana had to wear her new visor. After eating delicious seafood (Briana ate mac n cheese), we fed the koi in the little pond in front of the restaurant and then we fed the large tarpins. They almost jump out of the water to get the jumbo shrimp. It was so cool!

Florida Trip - Meeting Ethan

The first night we were in Florida, we went to visit my dad's side of the family. My cousin Michelle and her husband Gary have a three year old son named Ethan. They adopted Ethan from Russia in 2006. Gosh is he a cutie! We have been dying for the kids to meet and they finally did! I put Briana in a pretty dress and we were ready to go! (For some reason, Briana had her hand in her mouth when I took the picture of her - she didn't want to cooperate for a photo.)

We all dined on pizza and salad (Briana loves her pizza!) and let the kids play. Ethan and Bri got along great. My mom bought the kids cute little visors and put their names on them. I changed Briana into her pj's because I had a feeling she would fall asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel. Michelle put Ethan in his pj's too, so they had a pajama party! When it was time to leave, both Ethan and Briana cried. Ethan wanted Briana to spend the night and Briana didn't want to leave either. They both had too much fun! It was so great to see the kids together! Here are a few pics!

 

3 Words

Doug and I saw this beautiful face on June 6, 2007. It was a magical day that we will never forget! This is our sweet Briana Adelle Ai-Juan.

Referral Day Anniversary

It has been an entire year since Doug and I first laid eyes on our beautiful Briana. The day was absolutely magical. We couldn't stop staring at her pictures. It was one of the best days of our lives. Click here to see the introduction of Briana, here to see our referral day video and here to read the recap of referral day. For this special day, I took a few pictures of Briana with her referral picture. Gosh - she still has those beautiful eyes, pouty lips and long fingers. Happy Referral Day Anniversary to us!

22 Months Old

Baby girl is 22 months old today. She will be 2 in two months. Where has the time gone?

Florida - Day 1

Here are Doug and Briana on the way to Florida! We bought Briana her own seat (actually we used SkyMiles for all of us - sweet!) and brought her car seat (thanks for the advice Randi!). Briana did awesome both ways. She only got a little fussy on the way there for a few minutes because I got up to go to the restroom and she was just about to fall asleep. Which she did by the way. And she slept the whole flight home. NICE! Doug and I were worried about how she would do on the plane, but she was a champ!

Here is the view from our hotel room. Beautiful ocean view!

We went to Florida for a wedding, so it really wasn't a vacation. I consider a vacation being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. We had to be certain places to be at certain times - visiting family, etc. - so things were scheduled. But the wedding was beautiful, as was the wedding couple. There will be more posts to come!!!

Last Day Of Music Class

Before I get into all the hubbub of the Florida trip, I want to post a few pictures of Briana's last music class before summer vacation. Briana loves music class, and she is going to miss it. We have gone every Wednesday morning since September. It is going to be strange getting up tomorrow and not going to class. I can't believe how much Briana has changed since we first started. When we first went, Bri wasn't even walking yet. She kind of watched everyone else in amazement. Now she is a full blown participant. She loves all the singing, dancing and playing instruments. I want to thank Lisa S. for introducing us to this class. It has been wonderful!

Here are a few pics!

Home Again, Home Again

We are back home, but we are very tired. Florida was fun (as you can see above), but Briana (and Doug and I) are very glad to be home. Traveling with a child that is almost two is a lot of work! I have lots to talk about and tons of pics, but I can't do it right now because I am pooped. I will post all about the trip in the next few days.

And I am going to try to catch up on blogs too. I have only been gone a couple of days and my bloglines is a mile long. Gosh you all write a lot!