2013 Fun

So far, 2013 has been a pretty good year! I mentioned in my last post that Brianna's Aunt Erin has been in town visiting from Pittsburgh for almost two weeks and we have had so much fun spending time with her!  She is getting ready to leave to go home and we are really sad.  Brianna and I love Erin so much because she is so laid back, kind and funny.  We really wish she and Conor would just move to Cincinnati!

One of our fun outings with Erin and Grandma Peggy was to Hamilton's Ice Fest.  The weather was in the 50's and sunny so I wanted to do something outdoors and after we learned this little festival was going on we decided it would be perfect.  The problem is... while WE enjoyed the warmish sunny day in the middle of January the ice did not!  The amazing sculptures were dripping and some had even broken or shattered from the warm temperatures and crazy winds.  I didn't take many pictures but here are a couple that I took with my phone.  I thought the Ice Fest was pretty fitting for Brianna since ICE is one of her favorite things on this planet.  

Erin & Brianna

Ice Sculpture of Union Terminal

We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening hanging out at Grandma Peggy's and they introduced Brianna to Madagascar 3 which was pretty cute.  I have never seen any of those movies but Brianna talked about it for the rest of the night.  

This next picture I took while Brianna was playing with Erin one night.  I can't believe how long her hair has gotten.  Look how tight those little curls are!  When I stretch one of those little spirals down her hair reaches half way down her back.  She still hates for it to be touched and will yell "Be easy, Mommy!" when I try to brush it.  This battle is just going to go on and on and on!

Curls!

Last Friday was a busy day for my little girl.  We went to visit Adam and Katie and she got to meet baby J.R. for the first time!  We washed our hands right away and then she went and sat on the couch between Grandma Pam and Katie.  They asked her if she wanted to hold him and she said yes.  They started to lay the baby on Brianna's lap and she got the funniest look on her face!  She didn't know what to do.  

Look how sweet his little face is!!!!

Brianna, J.R. & Katie

Then it was my turn!  I love him so much.  And I love little tiny newborns.  You can cuddle them all day and they don't try to wiggle out of your lap to run around.  And they can't say NO :) Have I said he is sweet?  He is SO sweet! 

J.R. & I

While I was getting those cuddles... Brianna was getting some cuddles of her own... from Henry!

Both Henry and Murphy are so good with Brianna.  I love this picture because Henry's expression cracks me up and she has her little lips puckered for a kiss.  She meant business.  There is another picture and she is grabbing his face so that he can't escape from her kisses!

Henry & Brianna

Next I took about a million pictures of my sweet little nephew.  

This one is my favorite: 

J.R. Brumley- 1 week old

After visiting with the Brumley's a couple hours, Brianna and I headed to Loveland for a play date at Libby's house.  We have been trying to get together for months and between all of our busy schedules, sickness and the holidays it was difficult but we finally got to hang out last Friday! Tara brought baby Graham in her belly (we had no idea he was actually plotting his early arrival), Valerie brought Leah and Nate and Libby invited a friend from Jack's school who has three little ones and of course Julianna and Jack were there being wonderful little hosts.  Brianna and I both had a great time. 

Julianna is still the sweetest little girl.  She still has her Mommy's contagious loving and kind personality and I just love her.  Jack is almost as tall as Brianna and he is five months younger.  And Brianna is tall for her age!  Jack seems much more adventurous than his sister ever was.  Every time Libby would turn around he was climbing something or trying to escape.  He is so funny!  He looks a lot like his Mama!

Julianna

Jack

All of the other kids let me take their picture and Brianna said "NO!"

The last time I saw Valerie's little Leah and Nate was this summer when Valerie had us all over to her house.  They have gotten so big! Poor Nate was just trying to keep up with all of the girls and ended up in a princess dress.  Nate is really going to love these pictures when he gets older. 

Leah & Nate

 I'm sad I didn't get any pictures of Tara and her belly.  Little did I know that would be my last opportunity outside of the hospital.  We were at Libby's on Friday and Tuesday morning Tara's water broke while she was at work so she went to the hospital where they had to jump start her labor four weeks before her due date! I'm going to write another post dedicated to baby Graham soon. 

All of this talk about babies and seeing J.R. has made Brianna love her baby dolls even more.  She has been like a little mommy to them this past week and I just love watching that.  

Brianna & her baby

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  

A Little of Everything

Since my last post we celebrated Christmas, New Year's, AND my first nephew was born!  

Brianna's second Christmas was a lot of fun.  She was excited by the presents and that Santa came but she was pretty overwhelmed.  She was also sick and we had A LOT of separate family celebrations to go to.  It was very fun though and she has many new toys that she is loving to play with.  

Christmas Eve morning was spent with Grandma Peggy where she was spoiled rotten.  We had breakfast and opened gifts and it was a wonderful morning.  She had so many gifts to open she didn't know what to do with herself.  Her Daddy was even the best Daddy and wore her Minnie Mouse earrings that she got from Grandma. We headed home after that to try to let her get a little nap before heading to our next family gathering.

She had a very runny nose and wasn't feeling great so I had Michael call his cousin in advance before going to celebrate with his Dad's family Christmas Eve evening.  They said that it wasn't a problem so I packed some anti-bacterial wipes and off we went.  Michael's Dad's family buys gifts for all of the children that are school age and younger.  It is absolutely insane the number of gifts that are under that tree.  We ate some yummy food and then the kids all ripped into their gifts.  It was madness.  Brianna's favorite toy was a little computer from Great Grandma Rosie.  She sat on the floor and played while all the other gifts were open around her.  After the kids open their gifts the adults played some super fun games and I won one of the prizes.  

When we got home way past Brianna's bedtime she went was in bed for about 20 minutes before the screaming began.  When I went to check on her she was burning up with fever.  I gave her some baby Ibuprofen and held her in the living room until 1am until she finally fell asleep in my arms.  Santa had come after I put her to bed but didn't put all the toys together so I was up until 4am setting everything up.  I have a whole new appreciation for my parents... 

When she woke up she was so excited but again overwhelmed.  I tried to not do too much this year but I started too early and had accumulated a lot more gifts than I realized.  It was perfect though and she was so sweet!  After opening gifts, her stocking and playing with her toys she was ready for a short nap because she still wasn't feeling very well.  As soon as she woke up we rushed to get ready and went to my parent's house to exchange gifts with them and Adam and Katie.  This is my favorite Christmas tradition because it always makes me feel the magic of Christmas just like when I was little.  We went straight to my Aunt Cathy's from there and spent a couple hours and had a late lunch.  Then we drove straight to Hamilton to Michael's Grandpa's house to celebrate with them.  We don't get to see them near enough so I really enjoyed this.  AND all of the great grand kids were there which was so fun.  I love watching them all play together.  It was a wonderful Christmas and so many great memories were made.  

I had to work a few days in between but then we rang in the New Year like an old married couple at home.  By then Brianna was on antibiotics and was feeling better so that was a relief.  Michael didn't even make it until midnight but I was able to Skype with Kimberly even though she ditched me this year and didn't come home. New Year's Eve is up there with Valentine's Day as my least favorite holiday so I wouldn't have rather spent it any other way.  

Now onto my ADORABLE new nephew!!!  He was born this past Sunday January 13th.  Katie was a rock star and gave birth and managed to remain gorgeous the whole time.  I'm pretty sure she was born to make babies.  And cute ones at that.  And I'm so proud of my brother for being such a great supporter and I can tell how much they are in love with their baby boy.  And so am I!  

Take a look at Joseph Raymond Brumley... he weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 inches long.  He is absolutely perfect.  I can't wait to spoil him rotten and watch him and Brianna play for many years to come.  I know she is going to love having cousins as much as I did!  

 Now I'm trying to give Adam and Katie some time to settle in to parenthood before I start bugging them to come visit... it is hard :)  

Aunt Erin is in town for TWO WEEKS to visit so we are going to try to spend as much time with her as we can.  Michael, Brianna and I are all very excited about this!  Here is a little picture that shows the kind of fun we have with Aunt Erin...

In other news... on the way to work today I had a moment where I was definitely feeling my age.  The radio station was explaining a contest where the winner won a trip to see a Justin concert, go backstage and win an iPad!  I was thinking... man... that would be awesome... Justin Timberlake AND an iPad.  Best contest ever.  Then they said Justin Bieber and I was totally bummed.  Nice, huh?  

Okay... I'm going to go look at some pictures of my new nephew and browse Tara's baby registry.  There is ANOTHER baby on the way soon... I can't wait! 

Christmas 2012

I can't believe we are just a few days away from Christmas.  I did pretty good with my shopping this year and outside of two gift cards I need to pick up before Monday I'm completely done.  Thanks to the first annual wrapping extravaganza with Tara I got a good start on wrapping all of the gifts I've purchased.  I gave Tara a hard time about how many gifts she had to wrap last weekend but she got everything done in one night and I'm pretty sure I spent time wrapping for the next three days.  But it is all finished now!  

Okay... so onto the good stuff... Brianna cried when she was put on Santa's lap last week.  She loved every minute except the actual sitting on his lap.  Can't blame a girl.  The train ride afterwards definitely made up for it and she is even more excited every time she sees Santa now so I don't think she was too traumatized.  

She can sing the majority of Jingle Bells and I finally got it on video today!  I will cherish that video for the rest of my life!  She was very sleepy so I put her in her crib to nap and she sat and sang for the longest time. The same thing over and over again.  I finally started recording it and got a good solid two minutes of Jingle Bells.  She throws her little head up when she yells "Hey".  

Brianna will now say "look at me" when she wants our attention... especially when she knows we will laugh.  She has also started asking "what's that?"  I can't believe that game is already beginning.  

She has taken over our television.  Her favorites right now are Chuggington and Polar Express.  She is also obsessed with any movies with dogs in them.  Grandma Peggy is to thank for this one... She asks for "doggy show"and is equally happy with Treasure Buddies, Santa Paws or the one when they are in space.  I don't know really... I can't stand them so I usually use that time to get things done.  For example... we reached a whole new level of parenting today.  I was able to take a shower while she and I were home alone when she was AWAKE.  Since this was the first time I had the door open and could kind of see what she was doing but she let me leave the room. I had her all set up with a snack, drink and Treasure Buddies so she was a happy girl.  She came in twice to make sure I was there but went right back into the living room.  It was amazing.  

After her nap this morning we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center.  We quickly went through the museums and then saw the Rocky Mountain Express Omnimax show.  I was completely prepared for Brianna not to make it through the 45 minute show but she shocked us.  She sat in a seat between us and after the show started every time there was a pause she asked for more.  She loved it.  After about 30 minutes she had reached her limit so Michael and I were passing her back and forth but she did a great job!  I remember Ethan being afraid of the Omnimax and falling asleep in my lap when he was her age.    That brings me to another happy memory... all of the times I've been to the museum with other kids and now I was there with my baby girl.  It was awesome.  We weren't able to do everything we wanted to today so we will be going back soon.  I wish we would have gotten a pass but I couldn't really convince Michael this time since we just got zoo passes!  

We are about to go into the Christmas madness but I really am thankful for this holiday season.  Brianna has loved every minute which has been so much fun to experience through her.  She has loved "Tiny" our Elf on a Shelf.  She loves Santa, trains and presents.  She loves playing with her nativity set and hearing the story of baby Jesus.  She loves the Christmas Tree and the lights that are up when we are driving at night.  I can not wait to see the joy on her face on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I Still Have a Blog? (Brianna 21 Months)

Oh man... when life gets crazy the Brianna updates are the first thing to go.  There have been a TON of changes over the past month! Shoot... after typing that I just checked and it has actually been TWO months since posting.  I suck.

This past week and weekend were pretty crazy.  Last weekend we went ahead and purchased a family pass to the zoo and I'm really excited.  This visit was the first time that Brianna really "got it".  She was soooo excited about every single animal (we skipped the insect and reptile stuff... because they aren't my favorite) and she was upset every time we moved on to the next exhibit.  I had to keep telling her that we were going to see more!!! She would look at me and sign "more" and say "animals!".  She also loved seeing all of the other kids.  We had about thirty different people tell us she looks exactly like Shirley Temple.  We are getting that comment more and more the older she gets.  Someday Brianna may actually get to hear about who that is.  And if she is anything like I was when I was little... she won't like it!  Oh well... she is perfectly BRIANNA to me.  Another funny fact... she still says "Anna" if you ask her what her name is.  She loves to make people laugh and knows how to do it.  She makes silly faces.  When you ask her how she is she says "GOOD!".  Sometimes she'll say it if she overhears someone else asking me how I am.

This month she has learned how to watch television.  This is sounds terrible but its true.  Until now she liked Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney but it would just be on in the background and she would occasionally dance to the music.  Well... I figured out her one true television love is actually a show called Chuggington.  She will sit and watch the entire episode.  She hasn't sat that still ever.  She really prefers to sit in my lap while watching (I try to limit it to one or two episodes a day) but I have Beene able to use that time to get other things done.  Yes... I am admitting that I have and will again use the television to babysit my little girl.  I haven't paid much attention to the concept of the show but have picked up things here and there.  Michael really likes it too so he will sometimes watch half an episode with her (Brianna's attention span is longer than his).  Sunday morning when we were all cuddling on the couch watching Chuggington I asked Michael if he thinks Brianna understands that Chuggington is a place and not a person (train).  Michael looked at me and exclaimed  "it is!?!?!".  Too funny.

SO... also at the zoo Brianna got to combine her love of trains with her love of the zoo.  Every time we had to stop for the train to pass she stopped and got super excited.  Like as excited as I would get if I ran into Ryan Gosling at the zoo. That excited.  We didn't ride the train this time but we will definitely be doing that soon.

In other exciting news, I put up all of our Christmas decorations and tree up this weekend.  I had to do it during nap time so it may be the fastest I've ever accomplished this task.  When she woke up from her nap I had Michael get her out of her room so I could take a video of her seeing the tree and decorations for the first time.  It is priceless.  She was so excited!  There was even clapping!  Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Christmas and this is going to be the best Christmas season yet.

Some other Brianna facts at 21 months (which she will be tomorrow):

• She still loves music and has started singing- her favorites at the moment are Jingle Bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  
• She tells me when she doesn't like  a song I have playing in the car and asks for me to change it.  If we don't find something she likes then I get stuck with that darn Chipmunk Christmas CD playing... UGH
• She yells "GO" when the car stops... I have no idea where she gets that :) 
• She hugs and kisses everything she loves
• She isn't a very good eater these days but still loves her milk... the child would live on snacks and milk if I let her... 
• She still is obsessed with books and they continue to be her favorite "toy"... If she is playing by herself she gets a book out and jibber jabbers like she is reading it.  and the words come out like a song... just like how I read them! I need to get that on video
• The child forgets nothing... seriously. 
• We still have to have a kiki (blanket) everywhere we go
• She still takes a pacifier at nap time and bedtime (i know, I know)
• She can operate my iphone better than her Aunt Kimberly... she can unlock it and scroll through the apps to find hers... she can also flip through pictures and watch videos of herself and laughs
• She will say full sentences occasionally and puts four words together often
• I love her more than life

That is all for now!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Fall TV!!!

Fall is my favorite season, hands down!  I love the crisp cool air, colorful trees, clothes, and scents!  I also love that all of the new Fall TV shows start!  I used to watch a lot of the new shows because I didn't want to miss out... but now with limited time (toddlers are busy) I've found myself waiting to see what's good and going back to watch it.  I also am finding myself watching more sitcoms-- thirty minutes is a much more manageable time commitment-- even though they used to drive me nuts.  I still hate laugh tracks!!!  

New Girl is definitely my favorite new show from last year.  I find it hilarious and it makes me happy!  In an agreement with the bestie... she requested I start watching the new season of Once Upon a Time in return for her tuning in to the new season of New Girl.  Last night I watched the recap of the first season and the first episode of season 2.  Oh man was that confusing!  What did I like???  It was beautiful... the costumes, the scenery, the people.  It felt like I was watching a huge movie production.  It was very creative and I found myself thinking... how do they come up with this stuff?  And there are plenty of love stories... that did pull me in.  What didn't I like??? I'm not sure I can get into fantasy.  I never liked Harry Potter or Twilight.  I don't get into any of the vampire stuff that everyone is talking about.  I do like the Hunger Games but in my mind... that could totally happen.  It is kind of already where our society is heading.  I just don't like "make believe".  But I'm going to continue to watch because I figure it might grow on me.  And it will make the bestie happy... and if the bestie is happy, everyone is happy.  

Grey's Anatomy is back but will never be the same. Why, Grey's, why?  McSteamy was my favorite... and now he is gone... and that makes me so sad!  It was bad enough that he lost Lexi... oh well... I guess they are together now :)  I've decided if Owen and Christina can't work out their issues I may be unable to watch.  I'm sure they will miss me.

Real Housewives of Whatever.  I've been a fan since Bravo was available in the Cincinnati area.  I don't know how much longer I can take it though.  It really stresses me out.  And I want to shake those people sometimes and scream "I'd like to give you some REAL problems!".  How about you donate more of your money to charity instead of all that plastic surgery, spray tans, and hideous clothes.  

I'm excited about Revenge being back on.  But I still have three episodes to catch up on from last season.  See what I mean about no time?  

Brianna has her favorite shows as well... but I'm not really sure how their seasons work... mainly because I don't know that they have seasons.  I have about 15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes on my DVR in addition to a couple Barney (her new favorite), Elmo, and Doc McStuffins (my new favorite) episodes.  These shows hold her attention for maybe five minutes but a lot of times we have them on in the background while she plays and she dances when there is music.  

There is a downside to Fall tv... other than not having enough time... and that would be that Fall and October coincide.  This means that you have to be careful when you turn on the tv... scary movies and shows are all over the place!  This isn't good for a girl that is scared of everything and has night terrors.  They should just make a scary channel that everything scary is on... that way it would be easier to avoid.  Don't see that happening!  I'm kind of obsessed with Dateline and even that scares me!  

What is everyone else watching?  

Almost 19 Months

My Sweet TODDLER

 So in some previous posts I have struggled with the fact that my baby is no longer a baby and is now a toddler.  This past month has made it even more clear that she most definitely is a TODDLER and I have to accept it. 

 My sweet girl, now loves to say NO.  My sweet girl, cries when it is time for night night.  My sweet girl is starting to put THREE words together.  

 This sweet girl asks for help when she needs it.  She loves having a picnic... outside or in the living room, it doesn't matter... it is still fun.   She is showing a lot of interest in the potty so this sweet girl may not be wearing diapers for much longer.

 We couldn't love her more.  She loves her Mommy and Daddy and her Grandmas and Grandpas.  She loves Shirley, who watches her when Mommy is at work.  She loves animals, music and Mickey Mouse.  She loves her binkie and kikis (pacifier and blanket) and her stuffed dog named, JoJo.  She loves her fish tank in her crib and we have trouble in the house when the batteries begin to die.  She loves milk, raisins and tortilla chips.  She loves bath time and brushing her teeth.  She LOVES accessories... bows, bracelets, shoes, lotion, dresses.  

The tantrums are beginning... but she is still 100% sweet and pure and soft hearted.  We love you, Brianna!

Another Gushy Post

I'm in such a "gushy" mood right now.  I'm feeling incredibly blessed, thankful, and happy at the moment.  

I went out of town for a conference this week and had to leave my little family at home to fend for themselves.  Now, I'm going to pat myself on the back for just a second.  I have Brianna on an amazing schedule and I had the house stocked with her necessities before leaving.  Even with all of the preparations made and the excitement of some fun time away from home there were a few tears shed as I left the house.  

Brianna was able to stay in her normal schedule with our neighbor allowing her to play with her toys, go back and forth between houses, and nap in her bed.  Shirley, Michael, Peggy and my mom all called frequently to check in on ME which made me feel loved. They knew no matter what I would be worried about her so I received frequent updates and it was perfect.  

And I was able to enjoy picture updates from Michael and Peggy (MIL) that were proof that she was doing just fine (crazy hair and all): 

So that left me alone... for three night, four days... to relax!!!  I went to Louisville for the Kentucky Rehabilitation Association (KRA) conference.  My work twin was unable to stay with me so I was left in a hotel room by myself.  I drove down Tuesday evening and worked with my Job Placement Division to prepare for our pre-conference that was Wednesday morning.  I'm already on the board but that night they talked me into taking office.  SO that will be interesting in the next two years.  I will have some big shoes to fill!  

My Cozy little room:

The conference itself went great, there were a lot of great sessions and it was fun to hangout and network with other people in our profession statewide. 

And then there is always "The Loot" of course...

In the evenings, after checking in with home, I spent reading, watching a movie or two, got a pedicure (where they also wax eyebrows... which I wasn't sure how I felt about that- but took advantage anyway), did a little window shopping and SLEPT!  

Until this trip I felt like every time I had to go out of town it was really hard to get back into the swing of things again when I returned.  This time has been totally different.  I feel refreshed and so happy to be home.  I'm so excited about spending this weekend with my family... even though the schedule is crazy already.  

I'm so incredibly thankful for a job that allows me to do this and my amazing family and friends which make an amazing support system that allows me to be gone as well.  And I'm also happy to report that Brianna didn't hold a grudge and was more concerned about the necklace I was wearing when I got home than anything.  Nothing can get between my girl and pretty accessories :)