Bridget and Brianna

Florida!!!!

2012-01-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

We had not visited my mom's side of the family since Bridget was almost 2. So, most of them had not met Brianna. We figured it was time to go for a visit and my sweet Uncle Jay and Aunt Patty were gracious enough to let us stay with them for close to a week! We had a wonderful time getting to see everyone and the weather was great, too! The girls immediately connected to Uncle Jay, Aunt Patty, Bradley, and Jacob! No surprise, though, because they are amazing with kids!! We were so thankful to have the chance to visit with them and for our girls to get to know them better. They were so helpful with watching them for us, feeding them, taking them to the park. Our girls were so smitten with them that it got to the point where Bridget and Brianna were refusing to go to me or Brian and only wanted to be with Uncle Jay or Aunt Patty! It was super cute and sweet! We are so glad we made the trip down there. Bridget rode in the car with me, Rolan, Nonni, and Boppo while Brian and Brianna flew down on the plane.

Having fun in the hot tub!

The girls were fascinated by all the lizards.

Can't wait for pool time this summer!

All the girls hung out while the guys took the kids to play putt putt. Unfortunately, brian got a call on Thursday that Grandaddy was going to need emergency heart surgery on Friday. So, he took a flight home to NC and was able to spend the night with his Dad before the surgery and be there with him. Thank God, everything went well and Grandaddy is home recovering nicely! Everyone missed Brian being there for the last few days, but we are thankful he was able to go home to be with his Dad. Nonni ended up flying home with Brianna while the rest of us drove back

Great-Grandma and Boppo kept the girls for us while the adults had some fun!

Getting some Boppo love!

Bridget and Uncle Jay - 2 peas in a pod!

Bridget was acting a little hyper at the restaurant that evening and she had everyone cracking up when she made the statement, "I'm calm during the day, but I get wild at night!" Let's hope that statement is not true of her as a teenager!! :)

We all went bowling and Rolan did great!

Uncle Jay was Bridget's buddy for bowling - she had so much fun!

When she wasn't bowling, she was organizing the bowling balls!

Towards the end they dropped the ramp and rolled the ball themselves!

As you can see, Rolan won the 1st game!

The Nolff Family reunion!

2012-01-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

My mom is the oldest of 7 kids and they were all under one roof together for the first time in a long time!! My Uncle Glenn and Aunt Deniz hosted a fun night of food and games and we all had a great time catching up! Their dog, Jack, was a hit especially with sweet Brianna!

Me and my Grandma! Doesn't she look fabulous?!

Me and Doug!

Tickles by Dougie!!

All my Uncles are so great with kids - I mean look at this picture - he's a natural!

Rolan trying to sneak some wine. :)

Here is Grandma with all her grandkids who could make it - I think we were missing 4 grandkids.

And here are all Grandma's kids and grandkids.

Here Grandma is with all her kids.

Sweet Grandma!

Nonni and Boppo and the girls

Brianna loved Jack! And he was so sweet with her.

She loved Uncle Glenn, too! Brianna just loves people - she connected with everyone so easily - it was so sweet to see!

They understood each other :)

A visit to the Kissimmee Petting Zoo in Florida

2012-01-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Ellen treated us to a day at the most awesome petting zoo! It was a super fun day filled with seeing (and touching and feeding) all sorts of cool animals. It was way better than a zoo b/c the animals were so close and active and we had a guide with us the whole time telling all about the different animals. We got to see a water buffalo, an ostrich, and a zorse (the offspring of a zebra and a horse)! There were tons of peacocks in the trees all around us and the whole place was set up like a little village. So cute!

Brianna loves animals and has no fear - she was in heaven!

Rolan loves animals too!

Bridget likes the thought of animals, but is not too excited about touching them or smelling them or walking around in their poop - I don't see farming or vet school in her future...

Nonni did a great job catching animals for the girls to look at!

Aunt Ellen showing Brianna a chicken.

Rolan caught the coolest chicken - he was a great animal catcher!

The preferred mode of transportation!

Ducks!

The pony rides were a big hit!

Sweet Rolana and Brianna on the train ride!

Nonni got to milk a cow!! Brianna thought it was cool, but...

Bridget had had enough of the animals!!! :)

feeding the cow

petting baby chicks!

It was a great day and we are so thankful to Aunt Ellen for taking us to see the animals!

Christmas Day

2012-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

This year we decided not to get a Christmas tree b/c Brianna is so active, so the Christmas presents shot doesn't look so warm and Christmassy, but that's ok, b/c Santa came anyway!! Bridget's big Santa gift was Barbie doll house furniture, Brianna got a puppy dog that walks and barks, and Rolan got an ipod.

As usual, no facial expressions or excitement from Bridget...

...but what Bridget didn't express, Brianna made up for in her excitement!!

Uncle Dale was there for it all, His big gift to them was cardboard building blocks! He tirelessly put them all together that morning and the blocks are a huge hit with the girls!!

Brianna loved the singing Elmo doll from Uncle Dale!

Sister love!

Bridget was so proud of picking out such perfect gifts for Rolan and Daddy - soccer ball towel for Rolan and football towel for Daddy - they thought it was pretty cool too!

Thanks for helping make our Christmas mornings so special, Uncle Dale!

Opening Bridget's gift to Brianna - she picked out a little baby doll that came with a rocking horse and a puppy dog - Brianna loves it!!

We went to Aunt Nanette's for lunch/dinner with the Harrell family! Here are all the cousins minus Brianna who was napping.

Present time!

Bubby with Daddy!

Bubby playing with her new MagnaDoodle from Elli! We had a great, relaxing time hanging out with family. The kids all get along so well. Its a joy to see them together!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

As always, we spent Christmas Eve with the Sambricks!

Nonni made some delicious pizzas, among other yummy stuff!

I love this picture of Bridget and Nonni!!!

Bridget and Max, Dane and Katie's new puppy! So cute!

Bridget with silly Boppo!

Uummm, yeah, this was the best family shot we got - good try, but...oh well!

The girls!

Opening presents!

Stoic Bridget rarely cracks a smile or gets excited about things like presents, but she was caught in a rare moment of weakness when she opened the Barbie sports car from Aunt Kelly!!! :)

Rolan got some cool clothes, gift cards, gum/candy, and a Wii!!!!!

Bridget picked out all her gifts to everyone this year - this was the gift she picked for Doug! Ha Ha!!

Brianna got a Baby Alive doll from Aunt Kelly! She loves it!

This year, instead of going to our church's Christmas Eve service, we held "church" around the table at Nonni and Boppo's house. It was such a sweet time of reading the Christmas story, sharing how God has worked in our lives over the past year, and praying together. Love our family!

Fun before Christmas!

2012-01-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Bridget is a typical big sister in that she loves to play "mommy" with Brianna - here is Brianna the way Bridget dressed her up like a baby!

One of Bridget's favorite pastimes is building forts out of blankets, pillows, just about anything she can find. Here she is in a particularly well crafted fort which stayed up for about 2 days! What is it about children loving to be in small spaces? I totally remember loving that as a kid - so fun!!

sweet, silly Brianna! She loves hats so much that she will turn just about anything into one!

Mrs. Martha came for a visit and brought gifts for the girls. Here is Bridget holding hers (Mrs. Martha wouldn't let them open their gifts until Christmas, so they were just holding them, shaking them, etc. trying to figure out what was inside!)

Hmmm, what could it be?!

Live Nativity and Christmas Lights tour!

2011-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

We went to see the live Nativity at Hope Lutheran with the Copleys. It was a nice warm evening and Rolan and Brianna really got into seeing the sheep!

Looking at baby Jesus!

Rolan petting the sheep!

enjoying hot chocolate and cookies!

This was the coolest house - the lights were set to music on the radio! So fun!

Nonni and Boppo!

2011-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Nonni and Boppo wanted a picture of them with the kids to send out as a Christmas card - here is what they got!

Pure sweetness! Our girls adore their Nonni and Boppo and would rather be with them than us!!

We went out to eat afterward - Brianna was not too happy about having to sit in her highchair.

Bridget wanted to take our picture with the statue.

Brithday Party for Jesus!

2011-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Open Door Baptist church held a Birthday Party for Jesus and it was super fun! We have been to their Falls Festivals, too, and I am always impressed with how they make the celebrations fun but also so centered on the Gospel - they do a great job of reaching kids and we are so thankful that they are so close by! Our friends, Hannah and Emma (in the pics above and below), Kayla and Colten, Anna and Maddie, and Amelia and Daniela also went so all the kids had a blast!

Sweet friends!

Brianna - always keeping up with the big girls!

Craft time!

Brianna was in a funk that day - she was acting very fiesty and made some interesting faces! Her poor friend Daniela had to receive the brunt of it as she was trying to play with Brianna and Brianna kept saying "no!"

The kids got to hear a missionary to Turkey talk about her experience and the kids learned how to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus in Turkish!

Poor Daniela!

The balloon made her happy for a little while!

Bridget had a fun pretending to be a reindeer!

There was an excellent production of the story of Jesus' birth - Brianna loved seeing the sheep.

They were both captivated!

Bridget's Dance Recital

2011-12-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Bridget's dance recital started at 7:30, so we figured it would be best to bring Brianna in her pjs - she is the cutest! :)

Love those lips!

So beautiful!

Bridget now takes dance from Miss Cason, a high school student at our church, who does a fabulous job! She has a little girls class which is just Bridget and Lily Ave (above) and a big girls class. The big girls did most of the performing, but the little girls did a cute number. The rest of the time, they had to hide behind a present - they spent most of the night knocking the present over and giggling - hopefully they didn't take away too much from the big girls' show! :)

We were super duper proud of Bridget - she was definitely anxious and nervous about getting on the big stage and dancing in front of everyone, but we had a good talk/laugh in the car before the dance and she went out there with confidence and did her best!! She even smiled a few times and seemed to be having so much fun! Praise God!

twirling!

oops!

The whole crew - such sweet girls!

Christmas fun!

2011-12-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

Bridget was a wise man in her preschool Christmas program. She was so proud of this and so happy that Sawyer (he is holding the red bag and has been her crush since she was 2) was also a wise man! She did a great job - we can't believe that this is her last year of preschool! :(

We went out to eat at Andy's afterward and I tried to get some good pics of the girls in their pretty outfits - but this is all I got!

On the way to see Santa at our bank! Bridget kept asking me to remind her of what she wanted to ask Santa for in case she forgot! She didn't forget, but I forgot to ask Santa for what Bubby wanted and Bridget is so concerned - we decided to write a letter to him for her instead - whew!

Santa!!

Pretty baby!

A Christmas Carol!

2011-12-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Brian, Bridget, Uncle Dale, Uncle Tad, Gabby, Uncle Dales' parents, and I all went to see the Christmas Carol! It was awesome!! The girls sat through the 2 1/2 hour show very well and then we all walked around downtown to see the ice skating rink and the Christmas tree. Then we had dinner at Chicken and Honey - mmm!

Bridget's favorite spot!

Beautiful girls!

So fancy!

Having fun in the city!

We took a shortcut b/t a couple of buildings and Bridget called it a secret pathway!

Tea Time!

2011-12-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

We visited the Wake Forest Tea Room with Kaitlyn and Susan and had a wonderful girly time!

The girls exchanged presents and ate too many sugar cubes!

Sweet friends! We had dinner with them and had to get a picture in front of the tree (since we don't have one!)

Together!

2011-12-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Bridget made this sweet gingerbread house at school!

Brianna is becoming a craft junkie like her big sissy b/c she wants to do everything Bridget does!! Bridget is very sweet with her and shows her how to do all the crafts - painting is obviously my least favorite b/c of the mess, but dot paints are not so bad!

Aunt Kelly came and spent the day with us - Bridget adores her and it is always fun to have Aunt Kelly around!

We celebrated my birthday at Nonni and Boppo's house.

Brianna loves Uncle Dane and Katie's new dog, Max. He is the sweetest dog!!

Bridget still loves Lion King!

Crazy how much we look alike, right?!

What I love most about this time of year is all the togetherness of family and friends! My extroverted self is so filled up with joy at all the social events and time spent catching up with friends and family. I feel like I am more intentional about spending quality time with the kids, too. They really are so much fun when I stop worrying about getting the dishes in the dishwasher or folding the laundry. This time of year also helps me remember to be more intentional about spending time with God in His Word and in prayer - some sweet times can be had if I just slow down!

Brianna loves hats, so I just had to buy this for her when we were at Michael's - she wore it the entire day! She was so proud when people made a fuss over her when we were out and about. When I get her dressed in the morning and ask her what she wants to wear, she always points to her head and says "hat"!

Thanksgiving at Granny and Grandaddy's

2011-12-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Gabby and Bridget have developed a really special bond lately. We have been privileged to see Tad and Gabby more and we realized how well the girls get along. Though they are 2 years apart, they really interact well and can play together for hours. Its awesome that they get to have each other so close by! Granny was sweet enough to cook a Thanksgiving meal for us on Saturday and it was delicious! We really enjoyed our time there. The kids played outside and the big kids got to shoot guns at cans!! Rolan loved it and was actually a pretty good shot!

The girls had a blast playing in the leaves!

Brianna loves animals and she has no fear so she was really trying to climb in the gate to play with the horsies!

The norses tried to eat her hair several times - maybe they thought it was hay?!

Bridget has gotten much braver and fed the horses from her hand several times!! So proud of her!

Silly girls!

Sweet Brianna!

Getting ready for Christmas!

2011-12-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

We decided not to put up a Christmas tree this year (bah humbug, I know!) but we were worried that Brianna would tear it down and we just did not want to fight that battle this Christmas! So, we put up all our other decorations and when our neighbor, Tracy, called to see if we wanted to help her get her Christmas tree, we were so excited to get in on the experience without having to put one up in our house! It worked out perfectly!

We met Nonni at the mall for some fun and shopping!

On Black Friday, we braved the stores, yes, with the girls! It was not nearly as bad as we thought it might be! Brianna and Bridget enjoyed a Sabret's hotdog outside Dick's while Daddy made his purchaces!

We ate lunch at Moe's and then took pics by the big Christmas tree in the courtyard (since we don't have one this year...)

Uncle Dale bought each of the girls a new ornament and Bridget decorated both of their kiddie trees! So fun!

Silly Daddy!

Like father like daughter!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Katie's parents graciously invited our whole family to celebrate Thanksgiving with them in their home in Wilmington! They were fabulous hosts and we all had a great time! The boys had fun on the motorcycles and four wheelers (we won't mention the little accident Rolan had...he's fine though!)! The dinner and desserts were amazing and the girls had fun. Katie's parents spoiled them with fun presents and candy so they were in Heaven! We have so much to be grateful for and it was so nice to be with family and possible future family!?!

Bridget LOVES her Aunt Kelly!

Me and Doug!

Boppo and some of his girls!

Brian also took Bridget on a ride and she was thrilled!

Nonni and sweet Brianna!

Boppo getting some Brianna love!

Awww1

Yee Haw! Uncle Dane is fired up!

Brianna is in love with puppies and these are some of the cutest puppies ever!

Katie set the table so beautifully!

Everyone enjoying the yummy food!

Relaxing after the big meal - Brianna was completely wiped out b/c she refused to nap at their house! Crazy girl!

Preschool Thanksgiving Party

2011-12-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

silly Bridget - cute turkey!

They made a thanksgiving ring with pices of paper that the kids wrote on what they were thankful for - so sweet! Their class always ends the day by praying in a circle. Each kid takes a turn praying as they go around the circle - it is really cool to hear their sweet hearts praying to Jesus!

another cute turkey!

Brianna loved being at school and Bridget loved mothering her while she was there!

Rolan out on the town

2011-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Rolan has had his fair share of fun with invites to 3 highschool parties so far! He loves to dance and hang out with his buddies, so we are glad that he gets to enjoy these moments while he is here!

Check out the limo! This was for a sweet 16 bday party - crazy, right?!

The boys ready to go to Teen night at The Pit dance club

Dancing the night away at his buddy's bday party.

Rolan with his cousin Sandra

Heidi and Rolan

The boys!

while we were out...

2011-12-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

While Brian and I were on our get-away, Uncle Dale took Bridget to see the Raleigh Christmas parade and to eat at Chick-fil-a - she had a great time being spoiled and returned home with a new Tangled doll, the Grinch movie, and fun stuff for Bubby (Brianna). Thanks, Uncle Dale!

At Bridget's school, the children are assigned a job to do each day, and so Bridget now thinks it is normal to do chores (yay! thanks school!) She decided that she likes to wipe the table off after we eat and she is very good at it!

Silly Brianna!

Brianna loves the play area at the mall - she is my active child and has no fear. She keeps up with the big kids pretty well!

Precious!!

My Bday!

2011-12-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

My amazing, thoughtful, sweet hubby spoiled me rotten for my 33rd bday! He planned a fabulous trip to the Homestead in Virginia and arranged for the wonderful grandparents to keep the kids while we were gone. We had the most incredible time together - full of fun, romance, yummy food, relaxation, and great conversation! We started off with hot stone massages and then a nice dinner. The next day was spent exploring the grounds, bowling, horseback riding, going on a hayride, biking, and fancy meals. Our last day we took a beautiful, scenic gorge hike and had an enjoyable ride home. I am so in love with my sweet man - thank you for all the effort you put into making my bday so special!!

the hayride was so much fun but freezing!!!

The Homestead was amazing - we loved relaxing by the fire on the cozy furniture sipping a glass of wine - I miss it!!!

We stuffed ourselves at each meal - the food was so good

We had such a memorable experience and hope to visit again soon!

Random Fun!

2011-12-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Brianna is using so many new words and one of her new favorites is "Hide!" as she shuts herself in a closet or cabinet and then peeks out and says "pee-a-oo!".

Movie time with the Copleys!

Our beautiful Bridget!

Uh oh - No Brianna didn't get into my make up - her sweet sister put the "butterfly" on her face with eyeshadow she got from Taylor's fashion party. Bridget, the ever creative, came up with a new and improved method of wearing eye shadow! Hopefully she will tone it down when she is old enough to really wear make up!

Luckily, Mauricio excaped the make-up session

Bridget with her butterfly effect!

Aaah - more butterfly effect - her friends just can't resist!

Wow - where have ice cream cones been all my life?

Beautiful Brianna!

A sweet visit with Mrs. Martha! We sure do miss her!

I took Bridget to see the Fancy Nancy and Ariel ballet downtown - put on by a local ballet studio. Bridget chose to go to McDonalds since Chick-fil-a was closed. We had a fabulous date together - I love hanging out with my sweet Bridget!!

Sidewalk chalk is a favorite medium at our house - here is Bridget with one of her creations.

Daddy's Bday Party!

2011-12-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, Brian is now 44!! He is definitely the most handsome 44 year old man I know!! :) Bridget was so excited to celebrate her Daddy's bday and she really wanted to plan out a special football bday for him. So, we bought decorations and put them up together andshe was so pleased with herself! For dinner, Daddy got filet mignon, fries, and salad - the rest of us got chicken chili.

Bridget knew that Daddy would want a pinata at his bday and that He would want it filled with Reece Cups - so that is what we did! We all had fun trying to hit it and finally Brian ended up breaking it!

Uncle Dane takes a shot

Aunt Kelly trying to find the pinata

Daddy wearing the pinata!

Present time!

Nonni and Brianna

Bridget colored a cool football card for Daddy and included one of their favorite bedtime books (Herbert the Friendly Dragon) in his present, which, of course, made Daddy cry!

Granny made her famous carrot cake and Daddy blew out his candle!

Daddy loves his girls and we love him! Happy bday sweetie, hope there are many more to celebrate!

Halloween Fun!

2011-12-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

Bridget joined a group of kids from Grace Community Church to go trick-or-treating at the Heritage Retirement home. It was so much fun and a great teaching moment as well. All the residents made a big fuss over "the princess" and she would NOT even crack a smile for them!! They kept telling her to look at them and to smile - I finally had to threaten her just to get her to smile. She is so shy with people she doesn't know!

We went to the Fall Festival at Open door Baptist Church, as we have for the past 2 years. They have so many fun activities and do such a great presentation of the Gospel at the end of the night. We enjoyed the hayride, face painting, games, and of course, the bouncy places. Brianna had so much fun bouncing (the above picture is blurry but shows the joy on her face!) that she could've stayed there all night!

She sat so still to get her face painted!

Friends!

Halloween night was a wipe out - tons of rain and freezing! So, we braved the elements for a few houses, but then invited everyone back to our place for indoor trick-or-treating! The moms got candy and stood behind the doors to each bedroom and the kids went around knocking on the bedroom doors to get their candy. It was organized or not-so-organized chaos, but totally fun! Then we had hot chocolate and dessert.

The ladybug wants to fly!

Hillridge Farm!

2011-12-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Bridget's preschool trip to Hillridge was canceled due to rain, so we headed out there ourselves one beautiful afternoon. The weather was gorgeous and since we went after naps, the place was nearly deserted so no waiting in lines! It was perfect!

We played in the corn pit 3 times - it was definitely the favorite activity of the day!

Hayride!

Little kids always think they can pick up the biggest pumpkins - what's crazy is that Brianna probably could - she is one strong, tough toddler!

"I think I like this one, mom!"

This was the best shot of several attempts - Brianna will need to work on smiing on cue...

Such a sweet sissy - she loves helping with Brianna whenever she has a chance!

Train ride - choo choo!

The slide was awesome!! We went down at least 5 times - the sliding down was great, but the climb up was killer, especially holding a 25 pound baby! Oh well - totally worth it!

Birthday Parties!

2011-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Bridget's friend, Anna, turned five and had a super cute Alice in Wonderland tea party!

I love watching little girls interact - its not so different from us big girls (just way cuter!)

I absolutely love the centerpieces - I was almost inspired to make one...

the sweet birthday princess!

Presents!

Bridget's friend, Taylor, also turned 5, and she had a fabulous fashion show party - complete with glam stations, red carpet, mc, and more1 So much fun!!

All glammed up! Bridget loved being pampered and talked about it for days!

The sweet bday girl!

Its still ok to eat pizza even when you're a fashionista, right?!

Sister Love!

2011-12-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

I love when they wear matching clothes!

Having a picnic with the wooden food and using the Twister mat as the tablecloth! It is so heart warming to see them enjoying the same activity together - Its fun to dream of the friends they will be growing up!

Spaced out watching the boob tube - sometimes spacing out needs to occur in order to keep everyone sane! :)

So, the tree in our front yard died right before we came home with Bridget and the tree in the picture above is the one that spontaneously grew in its place. It is a wonderful shade tree and has become a great climbing tree also! The girls love to climb all around it and I love these couple shots from them enjoying our one tree! (that's townhome living for ya!)

The playground!!

Brianna LOVES wearing hats - its a good thing she looks pretty cute in them!

My big girl!

This was the day we had professional pics taken - they turned out so well! Love these sweater dresses!

Lil' sis giving Big sis a push. Brianna wants to do everything her sissy does and, while it leads to some arguments, overall it is really good peer pressure! Briann is still definitely her own person, though, and has her own ideas about what she wants to do - poor Bridget gets so frustrated when Brianna doesn't always follow her idea for play. I guess its a good thing that Brianna can stand up for herself!

Camping - Part 1

2011-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

We had a great time camping at Falls Lake again! The weather was beautiful, except for the first frigid night (I was the only one wimpy about it, though - Bridget did just fine!) and Tad and Gabby and our friends, the Copleys were also able to come and join in on the fun. Thanks to Nonni for keeping Brianna for us overnight. Brianna came out to enjoy the outdoors during day 2!

Aaah, the lovely water of Falls Lake (yuck!) - the kids didn't seem to mind...

Prince Eric was hoping to find Ariel - I guess a brown haired Ariel is even better! :)

Lots of fun riding bikes!

Bridget showing off

Fun by the campfire

Warming up the next morning by the fire with a bowl of steaming oatmeal - mmm!

Camping - Part 2

2011-12-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun! I think camping is one of Bridget's fondest memories with us b/c she loves to tell stories abotu "when we wnet camping..."

Love!

So glad they were able to come!

Sweet Brianna!

She loves the water - I had to practically hold her to keep her from jumping in!

The kids got soaked everytime they went to the beach area - they just couldn't help getting in even though the water was freezing!

Yay!

Brianna contemplating nature...

Ending the night on a good note...s'mores!!

Halloween Party!

2011-12-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

The Resars hosted the annual Halloween party and it was super fun! Lots of cute costumes, fun activities, and yummy snacks!

Bridget chose to be Cinderella again and Brianna inherited Bridget's ladybug costume. They were adorable!

Brianna loved the corn pit!

Brianna and Macy are only a few days apart - cute!

Bobbing for apples

Cookie decorating is always a hit!

Best friends!

The NC State Fair!

2011-12-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

This year, Daddy and Uncle Dale took off from work so we could all go to the fair together. It was perfect weather and the girls did great (of course having them outnumbered helped!). We all had so much fun! I ate my first fair turkey leg and the girls loaded up on sugar - no one got sick on rides and we didn't have to wait too long in lines. Can't wait till next year!

Getting a little punchy towards the end... :)

Big Brothers are Awesome!

2011-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Rolan and Brianna have the sweetest bond! He is so good with her and sometimes babysits her for us! Bridget loves Rolan, too, but is still cautious with him . It has been amazing how well we have all adjusted to living together - now if we can just get Rolan to pass all of his classes... :) JK - he is doing well - much better than I would do in a Spanish school anyway!! We are proud of him for working hard and we really respect his courage for coming here and doing something really hard but really worthwhile.

Family night at the mall - woo hoo!

We hosted a get-together for all of Rolan's buddies over Fall break. It was a blast and Brianna got in on the action, too!

Pablo is a senior Guatemalan student and he is so sweet with the girls.

Rolan is #2 and is a great soccer player. His team went undefeated and won the championship!!

Free "Favorite Things" Basket!

2011-11-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Family friends of ours, the Kohouts, are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia!! We are super excited for them and want to help them out by passing on their awesome fundraising idea! Here is the link to their blog to check out the Favorite Things baskets and get more details about their adoption. http://www.kohoutfamily.blogspot.com/

Below is what they posted about the "Favorite Things" baskets:

"So whats better than giving funds to help bring our little girl home? The possibility of getting some fun things in return! So for the next few months we will be getting together "baskets" of our favorite things!
For every 5 dollars that you donate towards our adoption, your name will get put on the list. So if you give $5, your name will be put on the list one time, give $20 and your name will be placed on the list 4 times, and so on and so forth. The more entries you have, the better the chances are that this basket will be yours!You can email me at janakohout@hotmail.com, let me know how much you are donating, and then send us a check OR you can use the "donate" button at the top right side of the blog to donate through PayPal.
If you put a link to my blog on your Facebook and tag me, OR post it on twitter and mention @briankohout, we will add your name to the list! Just mention our adoption, how to access our blog, and the opportunity for free stuff! We will add your name for sharing this with your friends!
If you want your name on the list without donating, email me at janakohout@hotmail.com and I will be glad to add you!
You will have the entire month of November to enter! So tell your friends! I will draw a name on November 27th! I will announce who will receive the basket on the blog and contact you by email/facebook. Then I will ship all of these goodies off for you to enjoy!"

Thanks for helping bring their little girl home!!!

Visit with baby Isabella

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Brianna and Isabella in her crib - all Brianna wanted to do was to get in that crib!

Johnny and Luther are such loving big brothers!

Grandma Hai Say loves having a grand daughter!

The Zoo!

2011-11-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo with our good friends, the Resars and the Masseys. It was a great day with perfect weather and the kids were so well-behaved! I just wish it wasn't an hour and a half drive - we would definitely go more often if it was closer! Sadly, the polar bear and a feew other attractiosn were not there, but the real disappointment for Bridget was that there was only a female lion visible - she calls the male lions "mane lions" b/c they have manes and she still laments that she did not get to see a mane lion at the zoo! Lion King is still one of her favorite plays to act out, so she was most excited about seeing a lion like Simba at the zoo. Oh well, we will hope for a mane lion sighting on next year's trip to the zoo!

Brianna is always trying to keep up with the big kids and she usually does a pretty good job!

peeking out from the bee hive

Cameron and Brianna in the helicopter

riding the elephant!

Brian's Camping Trip

2011-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Brian went on his annual camping trip and they had great weather and lots of fun!!

We stayed home and played!!

And decorated for Fall! Bridget LOVES decorating the house for the different seasons and she couldn't wait to get all the Fall stuff out. In this picture, she is wearing a leaf crown that she made all by herself! She is so creative! Some cute things she has said recently: "I want to be a doctore/nurse when I grow up." "Mommy and Daddy, when you get old, I will take care of you - I will stay with you until you die!" "When you're really old, I will pull you around in my wagon and feed you soup." "Mommy, I love you, but you know who I love most of all? God!"

Baby Isabella was born!! Her and Miria are doing great! I took the girls to the hospital to visit her, but so typical of me, I forgot the no children policy, so the girls had to stay in the waiting room with Thammi!

Uncle Dane's Surprise 30th Birthday Party

2011-11-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

So, this happened on August 26th - I'm just a little behind!! :) Katie planned an amazing birthday party for Dane and did a great job of surprising him! It was a cowboys and Indians theme, based on the picture above on his cake. When he was a kid, Dane wanted to wear his cowboy outfit everyday - so cute! Katie had great decorations and food and it was a super fun party! My mom (with a little creative help from me!) made Dane a scrapbook of his childhood - a beautiful keepsake for him!

Me and my cousin, Megan!

Seriously?

2011-11-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, 4-year-old Bridget fits inside a Bojangles bag!

Scary! Uncle Dale took Bridget to the museum for Bug Fest - she had a blast!

This is what happens when uncle Dale babysits! Fun! Uncle Dale has generously offered to babysit many Friday nights for us so we can have date nights. We are so thankful!!

Nonni is also so generous with helping us with the kids and they always have so much fun with her! Nonni bought a doughnut making machine and her and Bridget made doughnuts one Sunday afternoon! Nonni keeps Brianna every Monday for me so that I can meet with my mentor and do couponing - thank you Nonni!!!

Brianna not only enjoyed eating the cupcake, but wearing it was fun, too!

I love this picture b/c it shows how happy the girls are when they are together and when they have their blankies!! Bridget is so thoughtful and always runs upstairs to get Brianna's blankie and paci when Brianna cries.

Spring Hope Pumpkin Festival

2011-11-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

Uncle Dale and his family help to plan and coordinate the Spring Hope Pumpkin Festival each year. This year, he asked our family to ride in the parade! Bridget was so excited to be in a parade and to throw out candy to eveyone. She did a great job of smiling and waving and Brianna did well, too. There was a great fair afterwards with lots of food, fun, music, and shopping.

We had a great time and look forward to next year's festival!

Brianna!

2011-11-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Pure Sweetness!!!

Tearing the cotten off of q-tips!! Great activity for toddlers, right?! Daddy didn't think so! Brianna could not be more opposite from Bridget - we are constantly saying, "Bridget would never have done that" Brianna is an explorer - she gets into everything, climbs on chairs, hides in cabinets, rides her firetruck into the street, constantly runs away from me in public places, the list could go on and on!! But she is so, so, so cute, affectionate, loving, and such a charmer! When she knows I am upset with her, she smiles a big smile, cocks her head to one side, and says "hi, hi" ever so sweetly - I just don't have the heart to be mad anymore!!

peek-a-boo! Brianna is very socially engaging, she loves people and she loves doing things with people. As long as she has a playmate, she is happy! She is learning things so quickly, too - she is into pretend play with baby dolls - feeding them, putting them night-night, giving them hugs and kisses. She loves to pretend to talk on the phone and to play the kitty cat chase game that sissy does with her. she is learning new words everyday, but she still is a screamer/squealer first and foremost!

This girl LOVES veggies!! She will eat anything green unlike her big sis who refuses to let green things touch her plate let alone her mouth!

Impromptu photo shoot

2011-11-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

These girls truly love each other!! Bridget is such a great big sister - so responsible in taking care of and watching over her - she even feeds her! Brianna prefers Bridget to feed her sometimes and will give her the fork and say "heh" for "help" Bridget relishes these moments in which Brianna wants her help. She talks about how she is going to take Bubby to all the places in the world, but first to chick-fil-a and the movies - I mean what's most important here?! :)

Mauricio's First Birthday Party!

2011-11-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

Sweet Mauri turned one!! His party was so much fun - we just love this family!

will you look at that belly?! that's what strawberries will do to you!

what a face! Lili was so smart to have coloring activities for the older girls - Bridget was in Heaven!

Brianna loving the exersaucer - Mauricio is like "aren't you a little big for that thing?"

She has a lip to match her belly! :)

another face - silly Bridget

giving babies chocolate at 9:00 at night is a GREAT idea!!! :)

At least they had fun!

Miria's baby shower!

2011-11-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

Me and Miria - she has 2-year-old twin boys and a little girl, Isabella, on the way!!

Yummy food!

Miria, her husband Thammi, and her mom Hai Say.

Everyone wrote a note or Bible verse to Isabella on a picture frame.

Lots of gifts for the baby and for the boys!

Random Fun

2011-11-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

An outing to Chick-fil-a for free breakfast with friends!

Brianna and Daniela!

Boppo and Brianna - she says his name now and its so cute!

Bridget, Kayla, and Colten enjoying some fun with playdough!

Couch time - sister style!

Brianna sporting Aunt Kelly's shades at the mall!

Frist Day of Preschool and First Soccer Game

2011-11-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

Bridget and Kaitlyn excited to start their upperclassmen preschool year as Shining Stars!! I can't believe kindergarten is next!

Bridget (and Brianna) signing in - Brianna is going to love going to preschool next year. Bridget had a great first day with no tears and since then she has come home with lots to tell me about her day. She is learning so much and just loves her friends and teachers. However, school is still not her favorite thing - in fact, when I tell her about kindergarten, she says, "Mommy, I just want to stay home with you - can you homeschool me?" Ha Ha!!

Rolan's first soccer game!! He is an amazing player and athlete and a great addition to his team. So far, his team is undefeated!! Woo hoo!

Happy to be playing soccer!

Hair Gardens and Backyard Pets

2011-10-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

My apologies to all who may still venture to look at our blog!! I am finally getting an opportunity to post since my sweet husband took the girls to his parents' house for the weekend!! Hopefully I will be able to fill in the last 2 months for you in the next day or two! These pictures are from August. Bridget is not really growing flowers in her hair - our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Kathy, is always bringing cute, girly presents for Bridget (she has 6 grandsons and so she loves to dote on our girls!)This time the gifts were cute flower bows, dress-up jewelry, and a beautiful Easter tea set!

Brianna enjoyed the jewelry!

Brianna is our active child! She loves to climb, jump, dance, spin - anything that invloves movement and she has no fear, which makes an outing to the playground a lot of work for me!

This is Sheba, Bridget's first pet!! She found him/her (who knows?!) on the sidewalk in front of our house and so we set up a cozy little space for it to live. Sheba, you ask! Well, Daddy tells Bridget stories from his childhood at night (she calls them "stories from Daddy's mouth" and often requests, "Daddy, can you tell me a story from your mouth?" so cute!) and one of his stories is about the ponies that he and Uncle Tad got as kids. Well, he named his pony Sheba hence the name Sheba for her snail. Well, poor Sheba only lived for about a week, but Bridget enjoyed having a pet and I enjoyed having a pet that required little to no care! :)

Later, Bridget and her friend, Kayla, came across a baby dove in our front yard that had fallen out of its nest (pictured above).

Isn't it cute?

Daddy rescued him and put him back up in the nest with his brother. It was great fun to check on the birds each day and then to finally see them practicing flying and leaving the nest. It was also neat to talk with Bridget about how God takes care of even the birds - that He planned for Bridget and her friend to find that baby bird who fell and to help him get back to safety - and how He will take even greater care of her! I need to remind myself of those truths, too!

Welcome Rolan!!!!

2011-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know (because I am so late in posting) that we have the privilege of hosting a sweet guy from Guatemala for this school year. Rolan Coc arrived August 12th and is attending St. Thomas More Academy as a 10th grader. He came to us through an organization called Guatemalan Student Support Group, which was actually started by John Bodoh a NC resident! Check out their website when you get a chance - http://gssg-usa.org We all love having Rolan in our home and he is doing so well adjusting to life in the US and to school. He made the soccer team and is working really hard at succeeding in his classes. The girls love him and Bridget prays for him evey night, thanking God for her "brother" :) It has been a sweet time for our family of seeing God's faithful provision for our needs and of learning together how to work and serve together as a family of 5. We are so excited to continue to share life with Rolan!

Time with friends and family

2011-09-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Brianna and Mauricio, who is about to turn one!!!

Our princesses!

Bridget's cousin, Elli, stayed with us for the day. We had so much fun at the pool and doing crafts. Elli is the sweetest girl and such a huge help with the girls. Bridget and Brianna adore her!

Playdate with some of our friends from Guatemala!

Bridget loves being a big sister and one of her big sister responsibilities includes painting Brianna's toe nails! :) So sweet! Bridget's new friend, Maya, was helping out! We met Maya's parents, Bill and Cherie Cummings, through our friends the Crawfords. Bill and Cherie started an amazing ministry to the people of Guatemala City called Lemonade International - check out their website when you get a chance - www.lemonadeinternational.org - God is doing amazing things through this ministry!

Bridget and Amelia

2011-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

We just love our neighbors and the relationships we have developed are such a blessing to our lives! The Grabills are examples of this and one night when the hubbies were out, Paula and I and our same-aged girls decided to have a girls' night at their house. Here are some shots from bubble/pool time on the back porch. Amelia was feeling sad, so Bridget said something funny to distract her and it worked - these are pictures of them cracking up together!

So thankful for their friendship!

Church Potluck

2011-09-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Hubbards hosted a fun potluck for some families at church. We had a blast getting to know church friends better and Bridget and Brianna had a great time playing with the other sweet kiddos.

Brianna loves riding toys - she has great balance and strength and loves to go fast!

Bridget came up with the idea to use the letter tiles as costumes - the kids loved it - the parents did not love putting the letter tiles back together...

sweet Hannah!

Kaylee's birthday party

2011-09-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Kaylee (in the white dress) had a fun princess birthday party. I love seeing all the girls dressed up in their princess costumes!

Brianna had plenty of fun too! She loves music and loves to dance!

Brianna is great on riding toys and has no fear - she is always trying to ride Bridget's scooter and has almost figured out how to push herself. she is a tough cookie, too, she almost never cries when she falls or gets hurt. In fact, at the park one day, she fell and scraped her knee on the concrete and it didn't faze her at all- Bridget noticed the blood and almost started crying for her - and would've covered her with 10 bandaids if we had been at home! :)

Durham Bulls' games and other summer fun

2011-09-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

Bridget loves going to the Bulls' games with her Daddy! It is a favorite date night for them. They eat at Mellow Mushroom before the game and reward themselves with a big bowl of ice cream at the game!

Go Bulls!

Playdate with Amelia! Amelia is our neighbor and her and Bridget always have a ball being silly together! Amelia's mommy, Paula, is from Chile and she just started teaching a Spanish lesson to Bridget and Amelia twice a week!

silly girls!

Sister love!

I love going shopping with my girls - they love to be in the cart together and Bridget is so great at entertaining her "bubby"

Playdate with my sweet friend Miria and her twin boys - she is expecting a little girl in October - yay!!!

Sweet Brianna and her crazy hair! I don't know that I have posted much on her development lately, but she is doing so many things! She has turned out to be a very strong, coordinated little girl who loves to climb, run, jump, basically anything active and anything outdoors! She is our social butterfly and loves to wave hi and bye to everyone. She also squints her eyes at people when she is flirting with them or just trying to get attention. Brianna is very vocal and she can say mama, dada, open, uh oh, Bapo (what she calls my Dad), out, outside, hi, dog, apple, amen, tickle, pee pee, (of course, most of these are approximations of the real words, but she consistently uses these) and she loves trying to imitate whatever we say. She learns so much from Bridget and wants to do everything her big sister does. She understands so much and follows directions (when she wants to!) She is very independent and loves to feed herself and figure things out for herself. She is so different from Bridget in that she will often wander away from me on the playground or wherever we are b/c she wants to explore. Bridget always stayed right by my side, so this is a new experience for me! Brianna is such a smiley baby and she loves to cuddle. She is so affectionate and happy - she is just a joy for us! We still can't believe how fast she is growing up!

Quinceanera

2011-08-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

We were invited to the Quineanera of one of our Liberty Tax employee's daughter. It was so much fun to get to experience part of our girls' culture this way. We all dressed up and hurried to get there on time only to remember that Latinos are never on time! :) We sat at our table for about an hour before other people started showing up and then the party began! It was a night of loud music, dancing, good food, and fancy dresses and cake!

Dancing the night away!

Brianna was so sweet with Bridget - she would lay her head on Bridget's shoulder and say "Ahh" so cute!

Princess Tea Party!

2011-08-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

Bridget wanted to have a Princess tea party for all her little girl friends from her preschool class...so we did!!! It was a beach/ocean/Ariel theme and was sooo much fun!! The girls were so cute in their dresses (thanks to Hannah and Emma for letting Bridget borrow your Ariel dress!) and so well-behaved! We did a couple crafts including glitter glue/sea shell (that we collected from our beach trips)/sea animal magnets which turned out sooo adorable and ocean sticker scenes. We played beach bingo and of course had the tea party all of which was accompanied by Bridget's princess songs cd (thanks Caroline!) I ordered a pull apart fish cupcake cake, had tea cookies and crackers, made PB&J and cheese fish-shaped sandwiches, and Jen brought fruit. Bridget served her friends pink lemonade and iced tea (thanks to Susan and Marcia for the extra tea sets!). Bridget gave each of her friends a seashell she collected from the beach and a wooden fish frame for them to decorate. Overall it was a huge success and so much fun! And sweet Brianna slept through the whole thing - which was completely planned, of course!

The rest of the week...

2011-08-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dale and Daddy took Bridget out for some fun at the park - they had a ball!

Uncle Dale took Bridget mini-golfing one day - so fun!

What a pretty girl!

Love these series of pics b/c it shows how sweet Bridget cares for her little sister. She took the time to show Brianna how to play this game and helped her get the rings on and she was just so sweet and encouraging and clapping for her - such a sweet exchange!

Crazy hair baby! so sad our last week at the beach is over! Bridget is hooked now and she constantly asks if we can move to the beach permanently...we'll have to work on that...

More Beach Fun!

2011-08-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is the view of the condos we stayed at - you can see how long a walk it is from the condo to the beach...and there are no elevators and we were on the 3rd floor...at least we walked off all the food we were consuming!

these pics are from the first night of our 2nd week - so happy to be back at the beach!!

Yay! The beach with Nonni!

Susan, Kaitlyn, and Anna came to visit for a couple of days - it was great having them!

These two are so cute together!

Gotta have the baby pool to stay cool! I think this was the hottest day of our whole trip.

Uncle Dale getting in on the sand castle making!

Uncle Dale and his girls!

Our girls love this guy!

Downtown Beaufort

2011-08-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

For our second beach week, we went with Uncle Dale, again splitting the cost, thanks Uncle Dale! Nonni came with us for the first half of the week and we all had so much fun together. Nonni and Uncle Dale are so great with the kids and it was so nice having them around! Here are some pics from our trip to downtown Beaufort. We saw a horse resting and Brianna wanted to touch him. She LOVES animals - her favorite song is Old McDonald and she fears no living thing! She goes right up to the Great Dane dog who lives next door - meanwhile her older sister is screaming and running in the opposite direction - they are really completely opposite children in just about every way imagineable, but its so much more fun that way! :)

Me and my sweet hubby! Not bad for 12 years of marriage, huh?

I adore these shots of Bridget and Brianna running together - pure delight!

Love our family!

Nonni holding a craft that Bridget made for her - thanks Nonni for bringing the amazing craft box, books, and other fun things! And thanks Uncle Dale for bringing the water guns, beach toys, and books! There is never a lack of fun things to do when Nonni and uncle Dale are around!

The Aquarium

2011-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

would someone please call social services?!

Uh?!

That's more like it! We started off our second beach week with a trip to the NC Aquarium. Susan, Kaitlyn, Anna, and Aunt Nancy met us there. We all loved seeing the sea animals up close - it was pretty awesome! We also went to a live bird show which was really cool.

Will it turn into a Prince?

Bridget got to touch the sting rays!

Miss Crabby!

Bridget loved seeing a real live shark to close!

Sister Time!

2011-08-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

These girls absolutely adore each other and they have so much fun together (most of the time!) Bridget can definitely "over love" Brianna and Brianna now gets into Bridget's things, so we have our moments, but for the most part, Bridget is constantly giving her kisses, sharing things with her, showing her how to do something, encouraging her, making her laugh, chasing her, I could go on and on, I love to hear Bridget pray b/c she always thanks God for her sister and she goes on and on through all the nick-names she has given her, "thank you God for my sister, for my bubble head, for my popcorn head, for my bird nest, for my bubby, for my..." you get the picture! And Brianna just wants to do everything her sissy does - we call her Bridget's tail. I feel like she is learning and doing things at a faster rate just b/c she sess big sissy doing those things and she is a great imitator!

water and chalk go together so well...

Will you look at the fat on this baby?!

Brianna reading on the Elmo couch like her big sister does! Such a big girl!

Time with the Grandparents

2011-08-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

The cousins! These girls had a blast playing together!

They collected the cicada bug skins - gross!

Chillin' out watching a movie together.

We spent a couple nights in Wilson at Granny and Grandaddy's house to celebrate July 4th. We had so much fun!

Look at that hair!!

Bridget's cousin, Elli is 8 years old and super sweet with Bridget and Brianna. She read so many books to Bridget while we were there!

Dang! Don't know what is going on with my camera - I'm sure it is not user error! :) Anyway, we went to Nonni and Boppo's house to celebrate Boppo's birthday. It was a fun night and I loved the girls' outfits!! Just wish the pictures had turned out better - oh well!

They are getting so big!

sweet, curly-headed Brianna!

Aww! Love these pics of Bridget and Boppo!

Durham Museum of Life and Science

2011-08-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my sweet friend, Amy, we scored a buy one get one free pass to the best museum around! We went with some good friends and had a great day!

Brianna loves being mobile now, she is walking pretty well!

What could be better than riding a dinosaur?

Yikes, looks pretty real to me!

Brianna and Cameron toddling around looking for butterflies - too cute!

classic Bridget!

My camera was messing up on the train - this is the best shot we got. Look at all the jewelry Bridget is wearing - such a princesa!

Bridget and her Daddy!

2011-08-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Bridget got crazy (maybe a tad bit bored?!) one morning at the beach and here are the results...

These will definitely be shown at her wedding, which will be at least 40 years from now, b/c as she has recently stated, "I want to live with you guys forever, I'm not going to college or getting married until you guys are dead" Now that's love!! :)

Beach Week #1

2011-08-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yay!! The beach! We had the wonderful opportunity to stay at a condo at Atlantic Beach for a reduced rate, thanks to Uncle Dale, so we decided to stay for 2 weeks! To make the deal even sweeter, our great friends, Dany, Lili, and Mauricio went with us for the first week and we split the cost! :) We had so much fun hanging out on the beach and at the pool and watching the kiddos play together. We took a trip into downtown Beaufort and did some shopping and ice cream eating! And we each took turns keeping the kids to give each other date nights! We took turns cooking dinner and it was great to try each other's cooking. We ate sooo much, but walking to the beach everyday helped burn off the calories - it was like a mile just to get to the beach - longest beach ever - but so worth it! Here are pics from our first week!

The beach here was really shelly near the water's edge and the water was usually pretty rough, so most of our time was spent on higher ground near our awesome superbrella - great purchase for long stays at the beach! - and the kids loved the baby pool the guys drug out there each day. The poor guys were pack mules and we are so appreciative! It is not so relaxing at the beach with little kids, but we still had fun. Brianna loved the sand and the water and just had so much fun!

Mauri and Brianna

Brianna loved digging and filling her bucket.

loving her paci in the pool!

Bridget is so giving with Brianna - here she is sharing her ice cream - she shares everything with her (as long as it is on her terms!)

Sweet sisters!

Bridget and Dany enjoying some relaxing reading time on the couch!

hmm, I wonder if his reading material is better...so cute!

family shot

sweet Mauricio - he is so much fun and into everything - he and Brianna got along so well and he really loved Bridget!

We are so glad we shared beach time with such sweet friends and made such wonderful memories!

Hannah, Emma, and Amelia's Bday!

2011-08-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Emma, Amelia, and Hannah celebrated turning 4 at the North Raleigh School of Gymnastics - so much fun!

Bridget loved the foam pit!

Good buddies!

Sweet girls!

Bridget and Noelle

2011-07-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Noelle is my cousin, Michelle's little girl and her and Bridget are only a month apart. They play so well together so it was a fun day when they came to visit!

Taking time for a couple book breaks

Old MacDonald is Brianna's favorite song and the book I'm holding is an Old MacDonald book, so it is her favorite book - we read it almost everyday!

Funny pic of Brianna - she loves to hold things in her mouth an crawl around with them.

Brianna is a snuggler with people, cushions, blankies, pillows, etc.

Eating popscicles with cousin Frank!

Silly girls!

They enjoyed playing Go Fish together.

That swingset has been there for years and is always a hit with the kids!

Lunch at Aunt Jeri's

2011-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

What a sweet face!! Katie and Aunt Kelly did Brianna's hair and it turned out so pretty! We were headed over to visit with my Mom's Aunt Jeri and her family. She made a great meal and we had so much fun catching up with everyone!

Here is Brianna smelling the flowers - she scrunches up her nose and sniffs - so cute!

Love this outfit from Katie!

Love this pic of Brianna and Katie!!

Bridget and Elissa, my cousin Daneen's little girl. They so generously give us Elissa's hand-me-downs as her and Bridget have the same little body type! Her and Bridget get along so well - wish we lived closer!

Fun in Conshy with Nonni

2011-07-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bridget and Nonni are truly best friends - they click in every way and it is so fun to see them together! Nonni helped us get out and about while we were up North. Here we are at a Quaker strawberry festival. There was a really cool magic/arts show, good food, dancing, and playground fun!

Nonni and her granddaughters!

Bridget giving Brianna "the elbow" - Bridget is sooo sweet with her sissy, but sometimes she has had enough and she gets this mischevious look and pokes Brianna with her elbow - its tough being the big sis!

One day we went to the Please Touch Museum in downtown Philly - it was super fun for both of them - great museum!

Waiting for their turn on the carousel!

This was Brianna's first ride on a carousel and she loved it!

Two cute heads!

Brianna loved this cool boat in the Alice in Wonderland room - it moved up and down when you turned the wheel - she spent lots of time here!

The future architect!

So tired - she fell asleep reading a book!

Trip to Grammy Bridget's

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Here are all of us together - we had such a wonderful visit with Grammy and all our other extended family. We all piled in Grammy's house and had delicious food, lots of laughs, and lots of love! The girls did great on this trip and seemed to enjoy being with everyone and taking part in all the activities.

Brianna really took to Grammy - Grammy let Brianna sleep in a crib in her room and so they quickly became buddies! Poor Grammy had to rock Brianna back to sleep a few nights and woke up early with her, but I think they really enjoyed each other's company!

Toni, Noelle, and Michelle came to visit one day - here are a few pics from that day.

This is just a taste...many more pics to follow from our trip up North...:)

Aunt Betty's surprise 90th Birthday party!

2011-07-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Our family traveled up to Conshohocken, PA (close to Philly) to see our extended family and celebrate Aunt Betty's 90th birthday. Brian was unable to make it as he was biking in the charity ride Tour de Cure, so Nonni rode with me and the kids there and back (thank you sooo much Mom!!) We took the scenic route, which added a couple hours, but there was absolutely no traffic, and the girls did great on both 9 hour trips. Of course, we held Brianna most of the time - its just too long for a baby to be in a car seat! As for the surprise party, it was amazing! Aunt Betty was so surprised and it was sweet to see her reactions and emotions throughout the night. Her children and grandchildren prepared quite the memorable evening for her complete with dinner, DJ, dancing, open bar, karaoke, presents, and they even hired professional ballroom dancers to put on a show. It was so much fun! Thanks to my sweet Aunt Jeri and cousin Daneen for babysitting the girls while I was having fun!

Here we are with my Grammy (Aunt Betty is her older sister).

Dane and I with Grammy - doesn't she look great?!

Kelly and I with Mom - she looks fabulous, right!!! It was so fun to get all dressed up!

Us with cousin Frank.

Our family minus Frankie - we missed you Frankie!

Dane and Katie

Our sweet parents!! They are so young and such a good-looking couple!

Trip to Joe and Nancy's

2011-07-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

Susan and Mikey graciously invited us to spend a long weekend with them at Susan's godparent's house. Joe and Nancy are the sweetest couple! They live on the intercoastal waterway near Beaufort in a beautiful home. We felt so welcomed and taken care of by them - it was the perfect get-away for us. Nancy cooked delicious meals, did our laundry, had 5,000 tea parties with the girls, baked a cake with them, I could go on and on! Joe took Brian and Mikey shrimping. They let us use their boat and their kayakes to take the girls for a ride. They let the girls sleep upstairs in their bedroom with them and woke up at the crack of dawn with them. They had a great baby pool and kid toys to entertain the girls and they gave them popsicles whenever they wanted them - what could be better?! It was such a great time getting to know them and getting to spend time with the Resars.

Anna and Bridget licking the cake batter beaters!

Watching Aunt Nancy ice the cake.

The beautiful creation!

Our littlest daughter has got some BIG hair!!

Sweet sisters!

Naked baby in the sand! This was her first time in the sand and she loved it! She liked sitting in one spot and playing with the toys around her.

Bridget found this dead dragonfly and thought it was the coolest thing. She picked it up and examined it - gross!!

Bridget with the dead dragonfly

Bridget caught a fish by herself for the very first time!!!

Kaitlyn caught 2 fish!!

Kaitlyn and Bridget put on a show for us one night - complete with programs, musical and dance numbers.

Brianna with her life vest - she hated wearing that thing!

Relaxing in the hammock!

Having fun in the kayak. It was a great trip and we are so thankful to have been invited! Thanks Resars and Joe and Nancy!

The pool and a birthday party

2011-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Our pool opened early this year, but it really didn't get warm until towards the end of May. Here are Bridget and Isa having a blast in the chilly water!
Bridget's buddy, Will, from preschool had a super fun Pirate birthday party.

Bridget was not her usual aggressive self with the pinata - she was so self-conscious b/c her crush, Sawyer, was watching! She is so funny about him!

Bridget and Eva are also classmates.

Looking for all the "pink" candy! The grils were so cute - they were collecting all the pink and purple candy and sharing it with each other.

Having fun dressing up in the pirate gear!

The crew!

End of the Year Programs

2011-06-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here are pics from the gymnastics EOY Littel Gym program. Bridget has learned so much and had so much fun - she has really developed a love for dancing and performing.

Silly girls!

Here are pics from the Dance EOY program - they did ballet and tap.

Ta Da! Getting her medal.

Sharing her medal with Brianna - so sweet!

Her flowers from us and Uncle Dale

So proud of her!

Beautiful best friends!

Doting Uncle Dale!

Here are Bridget and Brianna at Bridget Preschool's EOY program. The kids sang a few songs and they did great! Preschoolers are always fun to watch!

Being silly for the camera

They have so much fun together!

No longer a Busy Bee - on to bigger and better things as a Shining Star in the 4-year-old class next year - **sob** - she is growing up too fast! But we are super proud of her!

Happy First Birthday, Brianna!

2011-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Sweet Brianna, appropriately clapping for herself for turning one! We celebrated her birthday with family and friends who we consider part of our family, Dany, Lili, and Mauricio! We ordered a spread of BBQ, fried chicken, cole slaw, potato salad, and hush puppies from Smithfields and I made a fruit tray, baked beans, and cupcakes. I decorated with a flowers theme because sniffing flowers is one of her favorite things to do! Whenever she sees flowers, she wrinkles up her nose and sniffs and points until we bring her close to smell the flower. It was a wonderful time celebrating the miracle of Brianna's life and how she came to our family. We are so thankful for her sweet spirit, for all the extra snuggles and hugs she gives, for all the smiles and laughter she shares, and for her fiesty attitude that shows up now and then!

A few weeks before her birthday, we started singing the Happy birthday song to her and she LOVES it even now. The first time we sang to her, we didn't get much of a reaction, but as you can see, the next time, she was over the shock of all the voices and really got into it!

Sweet Brianna, always sharing!!! She didn't really dive into her cupcake, just sort of daintily dipped her finger in and then offered some to Grandaddy and then to Daddy. That is her personality, though. she always offers what she has in her hand to those closest to her - such a giver!

Here is where she gets into us singing Happy Birthday to her! She still requests the song by saying, "Ha" and bobbing her head back and forth. This girl loves music and loves to move to music! Its so much fun to watch her bob up and down or side to side. And she has a signature head nod that looks like a chicken - its hilarious, trust me! :)

"yay for me!" Brianna is a healthy, happy one-year-old, weighing in at 23 lbs. and 8 oz. (80th %)and measuring 29 inches tall (45th %).

The cousins enjoying the pink cupcakes!

Lili, Dany, and Mauricio!

Mauri and Brianna checking out the flowers in her bedroom - these are the flowers that she most loves to sniff! :) Every morning when she wakes up, she points to them and wants a sniff.

Sweet friends!

We brought out the baby pool and sprinkler for some water fun. Brianna loves the water and is fearless!

Perfect end to a perfect day! Love you baby girl!

Dinner with Friends

2011-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

While we were at a dinner with some friends, it struck me how grown-up Bridget and her buddies are getting - they all sat by themselves at the kiddie tables and they played upstairs by themselves most of the evening. Albeit, they didn't eat all their food and they were quite loud while playing, but it just made me feel a twinge of sadness that this time with our children is going by so quickly! But, we are so thankful to have good friends who have sweet kids to share life with!

Brianna and Daniela again!

Bridget just LOVES Brianna - she can barely stand it - look at that smile!

Daniela's Birthday!

2011-06-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Paula's youngest daughter, Daniela, was born the day after Brianna and they were in the same hospital at the same time! So, Daniela celebrated her birthday on Brianna's actual birthday this year and we celebrated Brianna's the next weekend (more on that to come!) But, I got a picture of Brianna with the Happy Birthday balloon - she just wanted to chew on it, as you can see by the silver ring around her mouth :)

Sweet friends!

A perfect party princess!

"I'll blow the bubbles my self, thank you!"

Paula and sweet Daniela

Brianna started walking this week and she can throw a ball, too!

Daniela is not so sure about Brianna playing with her presents!

Bridget getting in on the action!

"Give me that balloon!!" Brianna is such a sweet baby, but she definitely has that Latina fire to go with it! The party was so much fun and the food was delicious - the theme of the party was Daniela's Diner because she loves food! So cute!

Mother's Day

2011-06-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Me and my sweet girls on Mother's Day! It was a fun day with a yummy breakfast, cute cards, hugs and kisses, time for me to go out with my mom and sister for lunch and shopping, a gift card for 3 massages, and a sweet DVD with pics and videos of the girls set to music (Daddy's idea and put together by Uncle Dale!) So thankful for God blessing me with such a wonderful husband and two amazing daughters!

Sweet blessing #1 in her usual princess style! Everyday when it is time to get dressed she asks; "Mommy, can I be a princess today?" and I have chosen not to fight the clothing battle, so most days she chooses either her Belle or Cinderella dress along with all the accessories and we go to run errands or to church and everyone ohs and aahs over her - she eats it up!

Bridget showing how she feeds herself now!! Bridget has truly lived up to being a princesita as she has requested to be fed by us for so long, but now, for the most part, she is feeding herself - we never thought the day would come!!

Sweet blessing #2 loving this car!

We moved it inside and every chance she gets, she is in it, around it, pushing it, beeping the horn, just having a great time. She is so much fun! And almost one!!! We can't believe it!

This princess LOVES her paci - so cute!

And now, she loves her baby food - praise God! Per doctor's oders when we went for her 1-year-old appointment, we did baby food bootcamp and now Brianna eats 3 meals a day of stage 2 baby food and three 8 ounce bottles of kefir and regular milk per day. More to comeo n her doctor visit later...

Strawberry Picking!

2011-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

We went strawberry picking with Bridget's preschool. As always, it was a fun time. Bridget did much more eating and socializing than picking, but somehow we filled up our basket with yummy strawberries. We went to a park with her school afterwards for lunch and playtime. Other than a particularly bold squirrel who did not want to leave our lunches alone, we had a great time!

I love Bridget's expression - I think she has about 2 strawberries in her bucket and she is acting like it is super heavy - my drama queen!

Delicious!

Even sweet Brianna got a taste!

Bridget, Kaitlyn, and Meredith tired out after all that picking.

Hanging out at the playground.

Camping at Falls Lake

2011-05-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

We planned a camping trip with the Resars, but Kaitlyn got sick so they were not able to spend the night with us. Thankfully, she got to feeling better and they came and spent the day with us the next day. As always, we had a blast! Nonni and Boppo watched Brianna for us and Bridget did a super job being a camper! :) We are still telling stories about our adventures camping together and we hope to build many more camping memories! We had perfect weather, no bugs, yummy food, and, thanks to Uncle Tad, a nice big tent to sleep in!

Making and eating s'mores is one of our favorite camping activities!

Hanging with Simba during breakfast.

Daddy cooks up the best breakfast!

Bridget and Kaitlyn took pictures of each other - they were soooo excited to see one another!

We took a hike with the girls, but Brian drove us part of the way so the girls wouldn't be too worn out. They loved riding in the back of the truck!

Hiking through the woods!

The best part of the camping trip is the beach area - the girls loved the (nasty) water and could've played there all day!

More s'mores - they are so much better when shared with good friends!

The Garden Festival

2011-05-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Gardening is not high on her list of interesting activities! This girl can still sleep anywhere!

We met Katie and the little girl she was babysitting at the neighborhood festival. It was so much fun! There were so many fun things to do including making a pine cone bird feeder. These bird feeders are so cheap and easy to make and the birds love them. We had so much fun watching the birds devour the seeds from ours in our back yard.

The worm table!

Gross!

Bridget made a beautiful butterfly!

Brianna couldn't believe this little piglet was for real! I didn't realize how loud piglets could squeal - that thing was deafening, but so cute!

Bridget getting some sun.

Brianna moving around - she is constantly on the move now and into everything!

Its feeling like Spring!

2011-05-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

LOVE her expression here! "Mom, how do you expect me to smile when I am covered in sticky sunscreen, sweat, and sand?" It was an unusually hot and humid day, but we had fun being outside anyway!!

Love this girl!! She has such happy disposition - pure joy!

It is soooo difficult to get a good picture of 2 almost one-year-olds! Brianna and her best buddy, Daniela, who is one day younger, have lots of fun together!

Easter with the Sambricks

2011-05-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Nonni and Boppo had us all over for Easter dinner. Of course, the girls were loaded up with more Easter gifts - so fun!

Brianna playing with her musical gift from Nonni and Boppo.

Another fun Easter egg hunt!

Brianna loves to "walk" around all the time!

And she loves being with her Nonni!!

Happy hunter!

A giant chocolate Easter bunny from Aunt Kelly - yum!

Brianna and Katie - so sweet!

Nonni got the Resurrection Eggs and Bridget passed eggs out to everyone so we could all participate in reading about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection! It was such a great time to reflect on the amazing grace Jesus has on us, sinners that we are, and to give him thanks for his glorious gift to us of eternal life with him.

Boppo and Brianna - he always makes her laugh!

The dancers putting on a show!