adventures in parenting: volume 6 trillion

Bria and I have been having a lot of fun these days. What with her roseola last weekend, it's been a right party 'round here. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the infectious rash covering nearly her entire body. I tell ya, there's nothing that will make you miss and appreciate your husband like having a sick child. But I also have a new appreciation for how happy and fun Bria is when she is healthy. And lastly, I'd like to thank modern medicine for making infant tylenol so readily available-- particularly the cherry flavor, for which Bria now signs for more.

Maybing biting SHOULD be socially acceptable

Bria has picked up a new habit of getting close to things she knows she can't touch or play with (like my mom's diet coke cans) and saying "no-no" while shaking her finger and her head. It's probably the most adorable thing ever, but I don't know where she picked it up. She does say "no-no" almost exactly as I say it, but I never wag my finger at her. Maybe it is an innate action. Babies are born knowing that finger wagging means NO. But it does make me happy that she understands what she is and is not allowed to play with. Granted, she does bite me sometimes when I say No, but I have high hopes she will soon connect that "no biting!" means "no biting!" (Sadly, she does bite out of joy sometimes, and then I feel bad telling her not to bite, because it makes her cry.)
Today she came into the bathroom while I was putting on makeup and I looked over at her. She was perfectly poised with one of my mom's half-full, open coke cans, ready to tip it into her mouth. She was looking at me out of the corner of her eye, just waiting for me to see her. As soon as I looked at her, she ran away laughing. Apparently I have a sneaky little girl on my hands.

My Daughter, the Model

Back when I was a young Beehive in Denver, my family became close friends with one of my Beehive advisers, Crystalyn. She then moved with my family to London for a year. She now has a cute family in Salt Lake, and we see each other everyone once in a while. When Bria was born, she offered her services as a professional photographer, and we finally got together just after Bria's birthday. My prints are ready, but my scanner is in storage, so I decided to download a proof or two to share the cuteness that is Bria.

This basically sums up the relationship between Bria and my parents' dog, Scout. The other day, Bria tried to put sunglasses on him, and today, when identifying body parts, she wanted to poke Scout's no (nose).

And this is a classic Bria face. It's so cute I can't even stand it.

I can't wait to get the prints! Thank you, Crystalyn!

4th of July and Logan

On the Fourth we went to my aunt's annual breakfast. My brother, Scott, came through for the night on his drive back home to California. That basically constitutes the extent of our celebrations. It was a pretty low-key day. I did see one firework out the window while we were watching a movie-- that was pretty exciting.



Yesterday we went up to Logan to hang out with my sister Whitney. We went to the pool and just hung out all day. We had so much fun, and Bria loved her first time at the pool.


Bria slept almost the entire drive to and from Logan, thank goodness. After a long day at the pool, she was completely wiped out on the way home. I've only been to Logan a couple times, and I think I've only driven at night. The drive is so beautiful!

And good thing I covered Bria in sunblock because I woke up this morning with quite the sunburn. Why do I always think I won't get burned? Apparently I'll never learn. But at least I know enough to cover Bria. We're excited to take Sam to the pool when he visits next week.

Twenty Seven

Today Sam turns twenty seven. Happy birthday, Sam! Bria and I are sad to be away from him on his birthday, but he has plenty of family to celebrate him today. I sent him a package earlier this week, and Bria and I watched him open his presents on video chat this morning.

I thought of making a list of 27 things I love about Sam, but I can hear that Bria just woke up from her nap, so my time has been cut short. So here are the top 14.

SAM . . .
is an awesome Dad. He loves nothing more than to play with Bria.
encourages me to explore my talents, interests, and skills.
helps me calm down when I get stressed.
listens to me when I need to vent.
always cleans the bathroom. I've cleaned it probably five times since we've been married.
supports me as I decide what I want to do with my life: school, career, staying home, etc.
is hilarious.
does little things to show me he loves me.
has a lot of faith and spiritual strength.
is dedicated to having a fun, loving family.
likes zombies.
praises my cooking and makes me feel like a culinary genius.
is very creative.
is an awesome, loving, caring, and kind husband: the best friend I've ever had.


Here are some pictures of Bria for Sam, because I know how much he misses seeing her every day.



Bria loves playing in Scout (the dog)'s bed. You can guess how excited that makes me. But I will admit that it's cute, so I took a picture of it.

Happy birthday, Sam!