Eating Adventures

Bria had a great birthday on Saturday. I made a strawberry cream cake and Sam made Bria her own individual chocolate cake. She didn't really know what to do with it. She kept pointing at it and poking it until I finally gave her a spoon. She had never actually eaten with a spoon before, but then she ended up eating about a third of the cake with the spoon before she abandoned the project altogether. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of her after she ate the cake! She was incredibly messy and cute-- with frosting all the way on the back of her head. I think she loved it.


Today I decided to let her feed herself dinner with a spoon from a bowl-- just to see if she could work it out. It went pretty well at first, but then . . . well . . . she was clearly loving the curry.

She started to get grumpy at the end because she was done and wanted to get out.

So we threw her right in the tub, and she emerged with this new hairstyle:

Happy Birthday, Bria!

Today our dear, darling Bria turns ONE! I am in shock that it has already been a whole year since she was born. This has been such a crazy year-- by far and away the hardest in my life. But Bria is, also, by far and away, the single best thing in my life. Nearly every day I tell anyone who will listen how I could never have imagined having such a wonderful baby. How I could never have guessed how much I would love a little baby. How I never could have dreamed of such a cute and beautiful little baby. Call me biased, but I truly think Bria is the best human on the planet. Example: Bria's new thing is to wave to me and blow kisses to me when I put her down to sleep. When I rock her, when I set her down, and as I walk out the door, she enthusiastically, but groggily, alternates between waving and blowing kisses. And she'll point out the door (across the hall to where Sam is working) and wave. It nearly makes my heart explode every time.

Happy birthday, Bria!

One day old:





One year old:Here is a video that Sam made to celebrate Bria's birthday. It is viewed better in high quality, so press the HQ button below the video. Enjoy!

Easter (and then some)

Sometimes Bria is so cute I can't contain myself.

Case in point (Easter):P.S. Don't worry. The Reese's candy was not for her. It was for me and Sam. I don't feed my baby peanut butter. :)

Sam got outside before I did and decided to give Bria this toy (he insists she picked it up on her own-- like I believe that):

Bria also found a kit-kat during the easter egg hunt. Let's just say that was one messy clean-up (please note the chocolate squishing between her fingers. she had a death grip on that candy). She is obsessed with chocolate (ummm . . . not that I have ever given it to her . . .)

We had my family birthday dinner on Easter and this is my mom in the middle of making my cake. Oh. My. Word. I can't even explain the deliciousness to you.

I was making dinner and decided to not worry about Bria escaping from Bria Land. I turned around and found this:

Also, we had boiled eggs but never got around to dying them, so I did it all by myself today when I was feeling bored and stir-crazy.


We had dyed eggs with our friends Matt and Elisa a few weeks before and still had two left that were too pretty to eat, so I let Bria play with them while I dyed the others. She kind of loved it. Plus, those eggs had been dyed using silk ties. You use 100% silk ties, wrap them tightly around raw eggs, then wrap them again in plain fabric (we used muslin), then boil them in water with a little vinegar for 20-30 minutes. The dye-- including the pattern-- from the tie transfers onto the egg. It is amazing and so fun.

And lastly, we have a new nephew! Luke Turner Mangum was born today. Congratulations Don and Jean-- we can't wait to meet him! (and welcome to the world, Luke!)

Less than two weeks until Bria is one!

I have a bunch of pictures I wanted to put up, not with any real stories. We are, however, in the real countdown to Bria's birthday! April is the birthday month for my family. So far we've already had my nephew Stone, my nephew Hunter, and me. Next we'll have my brother, Scott, then Bria and my niece Lindsay. Also, Bria has really taken off with her walking. We still prop her up when we want her to show off, but she now takes several steps at a time. On Saturday she took eleven steps, and we even caught it on our video camera. Sam promises to put it up soon.

Showing off her standing skill:
I don't even know where this face came from, but I kind of can't get over how adorable it is:

My sister Lindsay has a little toy walker at their house, and Bria loved it!

Bria likes to play X-Box with Sam.

Bria is a yogi. She practices downward facing dog everyday. When I do downward facing dog, my head doesn't touch the ground. Impressive, Bria.

Bria loves my water bottle. If she's having a rough time in her car seat, I pass it back to her, and it entertains her for the rest of the drive. I can usually hear her laughing back there with it, since she thinks it is hilarious to drink out of anything other than her bottle. But she does love to drink water. And she won't drink juice! Strange.

Sam and I went on a date to P.F. Chang's for my birthday. My sister Whitney watched Bria for us. It was awesome to get out just the two of us.


Sam and Bria made my birthday a wonderful day. The highlight may have been the Dairy Queen ice cream cake. We get one every year. I don't know what it is about that cake, but I think it is absolutely amazing. Luckily we got a huge one, so I've been having a little piece every night since. I will be so sad when it is all gone. So this is me and Bria on my birthday. The big 2-4.

Just another picture of Bria that I thought was so cute.

The End of Bria Land?

I know everyone has been concerned about the recent rumor that Bria Land could be closing. Today I would like to address those concerns and hopefully restore some peace to your hearts. Due to the current economic state, it should come as no surprise that areas of Bria Land have fallen into disrepair.

Also, some of Bria Land's inmates, er, occupants, have grown stronger, weakening The Bria Wall. There have been frequent break-outs.

The occupant caught red-handed:

However, desperate times call for desperate measures. In order to secure the Bria Border, a heavy stroller was placed against The Bria Wall today. This was a major breakthrough for our community. Today will go down in the books as a day of triumph! While the mayor of Bria Land (Ms. Mangum) previously only showered during the nap of Bria Land's Chief Occupant, the stroller-reinforced barrier allowed our mayor to accomplish the unprecedented task of showering while The Occupant was awake. Yes, this did cause some anxiety for our mayor. In an interview, she said, "I was just thinking about the future, you know? You can't be too prepared these days. Sometime in Bria Land's future, Our Occupant will only nap once in the afternoon. And, as a staunch supporter of personal hygiene, I thought now was a good time to learn to shower while The Occupant was awake." Well said, Mayor Mangum.

So, rest at ease, citizens. While Bria Land may becoming somewhat out-dated, and The Occupant may be roaming the wide world of Apartment Seven much more frequently these days, the life of Bria Land is not yet coming to a close.

The occupant, enjoying her usual breakfast of strawberries:

Mayor Mangum and The Occupant:

Milestones

Sam and I had a little bet going on regarding Bria's first step-- and it looks like Sam won. Bria took her first step yesterday! I didn't think she would do it until after her first birthday, but she surprised us yesterday by taking a single step several times. It's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen-- we'll try to get it on video soon.


Also, my sister Amy emailed me the other day about a really cool 5K Run/Walk going on in Palo Alto, CA at the beginning of May. I know a bunch of you who live out there, so I thought I would post the info here. Pass along the info to anyone you know in the area! Here is the email my sister received from her friend Heather, who is organizing it.

Friends!

I am very excited to finally announce a project that has been in the works for the past month or so. My friend Jesica Deputy and I are going on an expedition to Zambia this summer with an incredible organization called Mothers Without Borders. With a child orphaned from AIDS every 14 seconds, there are millions of African children in need of help and love. Mothers Without Borders gives us the opportunity to teach some of these children in community schools, tutor them in reading, English and math, play games, and offer comfort and hope. We will be helping construct homes for orphans at the Mothers Without Borders Children’s Village and plant family gardens for widows caring for orphans in a nearby village.

That's where we need your help! In an effort to raise awareness and help many feel a part of these children's lives, we have planned a 5K run/walk. Everyone is invited, so please help us spread the word! Post us on your blogs, forward this email to friends and co-workers, pass it along! If you are not the athletic type and don't want to participate in the run, there is a VERY simple way to donate online on our website along with details on what even small amounts can do to change lives. Here are the details for the race:

Zoom for Zambia 5K Run/Walk

Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.

The Baylands, Palo Alto

Please visit the website at http://zoomforzambia.blogspot.com/ for all details and links for online registration and donations.