The Big 2

Yesterday our little baby turned TWO years old!
Two years ago, our little munchkin was just a little blob who looked like this:

And now she is a wild child, bursting with personality.
Although these have been the hardest two years of my life, they have also been far and away the best two years of my life. Happy birthday to our sweet, darling girl!

Richmond

The day after Whitney left, Bria and I drove down to Richmond to visit Jenna and Baby Siena for a little sleepover. Jenna and I have been friends since high school, and it's fun to be within driving distance of each other. Bria absolutely adored Siena, whom she lovingly called "sa-hannah." Whenever Siena would cry, Bria would get right up next to her, with a concerned look, and say "s'ok, baby! s'ok, baby!"
(and, of course, Bria wouldn't smile for a picture.)

Since Jenna's husband, Nick, was away for a month for a medical school rotation, it was a great time for us to catch up on all our girl talk from the last couple months. I think I made Jenna stay up later than she wanted, but she was very hospitable (even though she was sick!). We took the girls to the park, and I had about a 1 minute taste of what it would be like to have two kids, as I held Siena while pushing Bria on the swing. And Siena was so adorable, I almost stole her and brought her home with me.

(photo by Jenna)

But then Bria threw a fit because I wouldn't let her run into the street, and I remembered that having one child is good too. Aaaahh, the joy of a two-year-old (almost!).

All in all, it was a lovely little jaunt. A nice day break from our routine. Thanks, Jenna and Siena!

Whee-Whee Comes to Visit!

My birthday last week was officially my best birthday ever. Sam and I had some fun things planned for my big 2-5 celebration, but the best birthday present came the day before. My sister Whitney surprised me with a visit! She and Sam had been conspiring since December, and I had no idea she was coming. She showed up the day before my birthday and stayed for six days. We had so much fun with Whee-whee! (Bria used to call her that, but, sadly, she recently learned to say Whitney.)

The first night, Whitney and I took the metro in trying to find some frozen yogurt, but everything was closed. Kind of a bummer, but at least Whitney got to experience the metro.

For my birthday on Saturday, we went into DC for the Japanese street festival. It was pretty much too crowded to do anything, but we still had fun wandering around and eating the expensive festival food.
We even made a pit-stop outside the White House on our way.

That night, my dear friend Ashley babysat Bria while Sam, Whitney, and I went out on the town. We at dinner at Paolo's in Georgetown (delicious!) and then found the frozen yogurt we missed out on the night before. It was such a fun night!

On Sunday we walked around the various memorials and monuments and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.




The rest of the time was spent lounging, talking, and playing. We had so much fun!
Thanks, Whitney (and Sam and Mom and Dad!) for making this the best birthday ever!

Cherry Blossoms

A couple weeks ago was the peak blossoms of the Cherry Blossom Festival, so on a Friday afternoon, Bria and I rode into DC to meet Sam for a jaunt around the tidal basin. It was more than a little crowded. I think there were more people than blossoms. Of course I didn't take any real pictures of the blossoms, but you're here for pictures of Bria, right?
We sat out a blanket and snacked on some brie, baguettes, strawberries, and apples, and just soaked in the beautiful weather and the gorgeous trees. The blossoms were breathtaking.
Bria was in heaven running around for so long.
She even found a big group of people playing a game of making faces, and she joined in from afar:
And then, in typical Bria fashion, she decided it was time for the Naked Dance.(Do you like the background of that picture? Why photograph cherry blossoms when you can photograph outhouses?)

Bria currently detests all clothing, so she ran around for a while like this. At least she kept her pants and diaper on.

easter sunday

We had a great Easter this year. It was nice to have a relaxing day together, and then have a big family dinner with Sam's brothers' families and Sam's parents, who were in town for the weekend.
We started out with a traditional Easter egg hunt around our apartment, which thrilled Bria to no end. I had told her about the Easter bunny early in the week before, and for the rest of the week, all I ever heard was "a bunny come? candy? a bunny come?" Several times I tried to explain the real meaning of Easter, but that was a little difficult to explain to an almost-two-year-old. (But I tried!)
So, first thing Bria said to me on Sunday, when I went into her room to retrieve her from her crib was, "a bunny come?!" All morning she was literally shaking with excitement.

In true Bria fashion, she was too excited to look at the camera:

and too excited to take the candy out of her mouth for a picture:

a bunny come!

After the egg hunt, Bria got the special treatment. The last couple Sundays, Sam has given her a manicure while I get ready for church. To say Bria loves it would be an understatement. She is obsessed with showing people her fingernails and her toenails. She adores having painted nails.

I blew her hair dry for the first time, which Bria thought was so fun, since she always "helps" me do my hair.

That evening, as if going to her cousins' house wasn't exciting enough, Bria got to jump on the trampoline for the first time. She keeps telling me about the jump-a-ween.

And of course, she loved seeing her grandparents.What a lovely holiday!

Bria's Professional Portfolio

Bria has officially forayed into the world of photography. A couple weeks ago, I finally let her press the button on our camera, and now several times a day, she says, "pitcher mama?" (to be clear, I know it's picture, but she pronounces it pitcher.) And she has taken a couple pictures of herself, but mostly, she likes to take pictures of me ("pitcher mama" means take a picture of mama) and I usually oblige. I'm not going to lie, I don't love having a camera and computer full of pictures of me, but, hey, if it makes Bria happy, then I'm on board.

Her first self portrait:
I always hold the camera steady, and then she presses the buttons.
Which also means that all those pictures on my camera and computer of just me make it look like I am obsessed with taking my own picture (since my arm is extended). This doesn't help me like them more.

But usually, I can get her to pose for at least one with me (with her not pushing the button):

But more often than not, there are just a bunch of pictures that look like this:


Flattering, I know.