Loving Brianna: Powdergate and Why I Love Fridays

I'm am so incredibly blessed to be able to have the opportunity to work a four day work week. Monday through Thursday I am able to work a little extra so that I can use that time to have a three day weekend EVERY weekend. It is perfect for me, especially since Brianna was born. Going back into the office following my maternity leave was so unbelievably hard for me so for a month or two I worked a five day work week because I didn't feel like I could stay away from Brianna any longer than my regular 7am to 3pm day. I quickly realized having a free day every week to run errands, schedule doctor or hair appointments, and not make the hour commute into the office was something I really needed in my life. For over two years now, Fridays are my favorite. Friday is my day that I usually get some uninterrupted one on one time with Brianna. Sure, there is typically some cleaning and laundry that is accomplished but it is the day that I get to pretend I'm living my dream of being a stay at home wife and mother.

When Tara started really struggling with childcare options throughout her pregnancy I was quick to volunteer to watch Graham on Fridays. I loved her baby boy long before he was born and looked at it as a chance to spend some quality time with him every week. Tara has always been there for me and she would come up every Friday night to have dinner, hang out and play some cards when Bri was super young which meant the world to me it because I was able to put Brianna down to bed and not have to miss any time with her and still could have a fun night. Now, after having a fun day with Brianna and Graham on Fridays, Tara comes up after she gets off work and we have dinner and hang out. It is the best.

(In this picture Brianna is wearing her favorite PJs. They have a little cape so we call her SUPER BRI when she wears them. Superheroes can be girls too... especially curly headed cute ones.)

Well that was a VERY long back story that leads into the eventful Friday evening we had last night. Brianna and Graham were both little angel babies all day long. Brianna was her normal crazy self and Graham was sweet and happy. He is such a laid back baby and I spent most of the day cleaning so he would just hang out in whatever room I was in. I began working on Brianna's room and Graham was playing in Brianna's crib kicking his little legs like crazy and "talking" to me. Brianna was in the living room dressed as sleeping beauty and coloring and would peek her head in occasionally to make sure Graham and I weren't having too much fun without her. I was organizing all Brianna'a hair products and random things like cotton swabs and thermometer covers. Michael got home from work and said hello then jumped into the shower. I saw Tara walking up the front path so I picked Graham up and walked into the living room so he could greet his Mommy.

Tara opened the door and had a horrified look on her face. I freaked out and though something terrible had happened on her drive from work. She calmly took Graham from me and said "turn around". When I looked down I saw this:

Brianna had somehow gotten a bottle of baby powder out of her bedroom when I was straightening up. When Tara walked in the front door Brianna was standing in the middle of the living room SQUEEZING the baby powder over her head!!! As soon as I saw her I screamed... Michael came running out of the bathroom, thankfully clothed since Tara was there, and thought someone got hurt. By then, we all started cracking up laughing. Michael grabbed Bri and took the two above pictures before putting her in the shower while I went to town cleaning up the layer of baby powder on every surface in my just cleaned living room and vacuumed up the remainder.

At least we now know what Brianna wold look like as a blond... and truthfully I'm thankful these things don't happen more often in our house.

When visiting the Lee house on a Friday you are much more likely to see this...