3 Words

This whole month so far has been all about celebrations - weddings, baby showers, Father's Day, birthdays. Gosh I am tired. I am just about celebrated out. June is always a crazy busy month for me. And Doug's brother Wes's birthday was yesterday, so "Happy Birthday Wes!".

Now I am ready to return back to normalcy.

Here are my two "3 Words" photos for this Sunday...

A Great Day

My first birthday as a mom - check! It was a such a nice day. Doug worked from home and my mom (who is so sweet) came over mid-morning to watch Briana so Doug and I could have lunch out alone - just him and me. So nice! She also brought me beautiful orange roses. She is the best!

I received phone calls from my dad, sister and my sister-in-law (unfortunately I missed my sis-in-law's call, but I am kind of glad because she sang "Happy Birthday" to my voicemail and I loved it! Girl - you rock!) I also received flowers from my friend Deb (my childhood friend) and they were so beautiful. Another lifetime friend of mine, Jennifer, sent me an adorable key chain that I can put a picture of Briana in. Doug and Briana gave me an amazing necklace and matching earrings. Thanks to all my friends who sent cards and e-mails and posted sweet comments on my blog.

My mom left after Briana's nap and then Doug, Bri and I went out for a quiet dinner. When we got home, I blew out the candles on my cake. It was the perfect ending to a great day.

Me and my Bri.

Briana helping me blow out the candles on my cake.

Aren't we cool? :)

I'm The Birthday Girl!

It's my birthday. I am 35 years old today, and I guess I am now "officially" in my mid-30's. There are times that I still feel like I am in my early 20's, and then I run after Briana all day and totally remember I am in my 30's!

I said it last year. I don't need any presents because I received the best gift I could ever be given - my daughter. Like in this picture, all I need is a big hug and a kiss from Briana (and Doug of course) and my day will be perfect. Life is so good, and I appreciate every second of it.

Weekend Recap

What a pair! And what a weekend! It was definitely a weekend of celebration. I am going to start with Father's Day. I woke up with Briana in the morning so Doug could sleep in a little. Briana and I ate breakfast (French toast - yum!). It was Briana's first French toast breakfast and it was a big thumbs up. We woke up Doug around 9:30AM and brought him his cards and presents to open as we all sat on the bed. Briana and I gave him a new watch and a double 5X7 frame with a picture of Briana on one side and a drawing that we made him together on the other. He said the picture frame was one of his favorite things! Then Doug got his French toast breakfast - per his request.

The three of us went out for dinner at Aspens Steak House Restaurant that evening, and Briana dined on gourmet mac n cheese while Doug ate prime rib and I had the fillet. Delicious! Briana was on her best behavior for daddy's big night!

My two favorite people.

Briana and Daddy.

Pucker up!

Clowning around.

Briana's French toast breakfast.

And on Saturday afternoon/evening, we celebrated Father's Day and birthdays at my parents' house. I received so many nice goodies from my family. And the fathers and father-to-be scored as well in the loot department! My dad ordered two Juniors cheesecakes for dessert - they were sinfully good.

Briana helping me open my gifts. I never open gifts by myself anymore.

Briana looking for comfort in Grandma when Mommy told her no to something (don't remember what now).

Gift to Doug from my parents - a "Briana's Daddy" ball cap! So cute!

Briana helping Grandpa open his Father's Day gift.

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

The Weekend

We had a very busy weekend! Saturday afternoon, Doug, Briana and I went over to my parents' house to have a Father's Day/Birthday celebration (my sister's birthday and my birthday are this week). Then Sunday, Doug, Briana and I did a little relaxing, then a little shopping and then dined out for Father's Day. Lots to write about, but no time right now. I will write all about the weekend in a day or so! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

And I want to say a big "Happy Birthday" to my sis today!

Doug's First Father's Day and 3 Words (With Video)

It is Doug's first "official" Father's Day! Last year, we had pictures of our beautiful Briana, but she was not home with us yet. Now she is with us and is a full blown "daddy's girl". She calls Doug "Da Da" and runs and leaps into his arms when he comes home from work. She smiles from ear to ear when she sees her "Da Da." They have become quite good wrestling partners - as well as partners in crime. :)

I want to say a big "Happy Father's Day" to all the fathers and fathers-to-be out there including my dad, Doug's dad and my brother-in-law Andy. And a special "Happy Father's Day" to the first time daddies out there!

Enjoy this video of Doug and his little girl...

Briana Meets Olivia and Parker

A few weeks ago, Briana and I went to go visit my friend Julie and her kids Olivia and Parker. Julie is my long time friend from high school (her dad is the one who called me "The Giggler"). I have been wanting to post this play date but I was waiting until Julie got back from her vacation in Vegas so she could see it (the bum - LOL!) and then I went to FL, so I am behind on this one. Briana had a blast with Olivia (who is 5) and Parker (who is 9). It has taken years, but finally our little girls got to play together! It was a little surreal!

Here are a few shots of Briana and Olivia in Olivia's super cool Barbie car.

The girls together.

Olivia giving me her silly face.

Olivia showing Briana the ropes.

This is a shot of Briana ready to go see her new friends!

Some Facts About Me

I have been tagged three times - gosh do I feel the love! There is a tag explosion going on!

First I was tagged by Lisa (Half Gaelic, Half Garlic!) and Tracy to do basically the same meme - just the number of people to tag was different. So here it goes the first tag...

(The rules: Posted here at the beginning. The player answers all questions. The player then chooses six people you want to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blog and leaving a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.)

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Hmmm, that would be 1998. I turned 25 that year. Doug and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I was working as an administrative assistant to a Senior VP and the Leasing Director at a small real estate company. Doug and I were traveling places and just enjoying life as a married couple. We had no desire to have kids anytime soon (it wasn’t until we were married 4 years that I got the itch).

2) What are five things on my to-do list today (not in any particular order)?

Get Briana up and feed her breakfast. Go to a doctor’s appointment. Iron clothes (which I absolutely hate and do very rarely). Make dinner. Give Bri a bath tonight.

3) What snacks do I enjoy?

Popcorn, chips and salsa, red grapes, pretzels and when I have had a really bad day – peanut M&M’s.

4) Where are some places I've lived?

I am pretty boring in this department. Miami, FL (where I was born), Acworth, GA, Marietta, GA, Canton, GA and I am really thinking my next move will be out of Georgia…

5) What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

Buy a private island and either live there or vacation there all the time. Pay off all my debt and the debt of my family. Donate money to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Donate money to Half The Sky and Love Without Boundaries. And then of course, spoil Doug, Briana and myself rotten!

Now I'm supposed to tag 6 bloggers by leaving a comment at their blog, but I am just going to tag everyone here and you can do it if you like!
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Secondly, I was tagged by Bella's mama to write 10 random things about myself.

1. I really miss purses. Since Briana came along, I always carry a diaper bag. I actually have two diaper bags that I love - a Petunia Pickle Bottom and a Vera Bradley. But I still miss my purses. When Bri gets older, I get my purses back and I can't wait.

2. One of my oldest friend's dad used to call me "The Giggler" when I was in high school. I wonder why he would call me that? (Those who know me will totally get this one.)

3. I am addicted to the show "Lost". I love it.

4. I didn't think I would miss my personal space as much as I do. I didn't realized how much I enjoyed it until I didn't have it anymore.

5. I love being a SAHM. So challenging, but so rewarding.

6. I enjoy visiting Florida, but I wouldn't live there again. I would miss the changing of the seasons too much.

7. I love rainy days. I am currently living in hot, drought land and I am not happy about it.

8. Swimsuit season makes me queasy. I still go swimming but dislike being in a swimsuit.

9. I am still crazy in love with my husband.

10. And this is an important one...I used to be very oversensitive when it came to dealing with snippy, rude people with crappy, know-it-all attitudes. I used to blame myself thinking "what did I do to make this person behave or act a certain way toward me." And I found myself letting people get away with treating me poorly because I thought that "maybe it's me" and kept my mouth shut. But now I get it. I know that it is not me. I always go out of my way to be nice and kind to people. I try to make people comfortable around me. I like to smile - that is my personality and I actually pride myself on it. So now when someone has a crappy or negative attitude around me or toward me, I know it is his/her problem, not mine. Most likely a flaw in his/her character. And now when I am pushed to a limit, I speak my mind - I don't keep it to myself. Then I just walk away from him/her and move on - knowing that I strive to be the best person I can be. These type of people are just sad, but they do make me a stronger person.

Florida Trip - The Drama (Wedding/After)

When Doug decided to leave the wedding with Briana, she had a massive meltdown outside the reception. She clung onto me and screamed "Mama" over and over. I strapped her in her stoller and Doug rolled her away. I could hear her screaming down the pier and my heart was breaking. But by the time I got back to the hotel room around 10:30, Briana was sleeping - Doug did a fab job calming her down and getting her to sleep. Unfortunately as I climbed into bed, Briana heard me and woke up about midnight. She decided to stay awake until 4 AM. We tried everything to get her to sleep, but nothing worked - she was up. She finally fell asleep between me and Doug at 4 and slept to 8. I was up at 7 trying to finish packing. So Doug and I had to travel home on three hours sleep. Nice. I was the one who convinced Doug to come to cocktail hour and the reception for a few minutes (there were a number of people asking me to bring Bri so I caved) and now I know it was a bad idea. Bri would have been better off just spending time with daddy for the night. Well, lesson learned...

I guess it isn't a wedding if there isn't some drama, right?

Florida Trip - The Wedding

Here is the reason we were in Florida - Jen and Andy's wedding. Jen is my cousin on my mom's side of the family. The bride was beautiful and the groom was so handsome. The night before the wedding, there was a rehearsal dinner that we were invited to. Briana did really well and had a good time - and ate about a pound of food. The only time she got fussy was during a photo montage that we watched during the dinner and she got a little bored, so Doug had to take her outside a few times. Here are a few pictures of Briana in her dress that evening - I love this dress so much!

I decided not to take Briana to the wedding ceremony because she would have never survived it without making noise. Doug stayed at the hotel with Briana and I went to the ceremony. The ceremony was so beautiful. Happy tears..

After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour and then the reception. Since the reception was right at the hotel, Doug brought Briana by to say hi so he could get a glimpse of the bride. He only stayed at the reception for about 15 minutes because it was Bri's bedtime and she was going to get fussy. Luckily, I was able to dance one dance with my baby girl before she left.

Here are Jen and Andy entering the reception. You think they are glad they're married?!

And even though this is a shot of our backs, this is me dancing with baby girl.

The next day - home!