picnic, park, play

The Saturday before I jetted off to NYC, we took a picnic to the park for dinner. Bria loves the park, and she is a pretty good balance of adventurous/cautious. I rarely have to intervene or rescue her, which means I like taking her to the park as well. I only wish she would go down slides. She is terrified of them, but she always climbs to the top, then feels stranded, and I have to come get her. Oh well.

It's good for me to see these pictures, because ever since I got back from NYC, she's been kind of a grumpy handful.

And, of course, Bria is always in heaven if her dad is there to play with her.

And then there's the sand. What is so appealing about sand? And how does it always manage to wiggle its way into every nook, cranny, and crevice? I'll never understand how so much sand gets in her diaper.

The Big Apple

On Thanksgiving, my mom surprised all my sisters and me with the promise of an all-expense-paid trip to New York City. We spent the next several months planning, and we finally went during the second week of May. I was in desperate need of a vacation, and it definitely lived up to all the hype.

We packed in tons of fun things over three full days and enjoyed plenty of staying up late, laughing, deeps talks, shopping, and eating. (seriously, some of the best food I have ever eaten.)

We hit up the MOMA (including the current exhibit of people staring at each other, which elicited a variety of reactions from my sisters and mom)
Central Park!

Times Square (plus Tony award winning In The Heights on Broadway)
Eating lunch in Grand Central station
And take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
I definitely didn't take enough pictures, but I think it was just because I was having too much fun to take out my camera. It was so fun to play with my sisters and mom without the distractions of kids, husbands, work, and everyday life. Thanks, Mom!

natural beauty

One of the most common questions I get about Bria is if I curl her hair.
Are you kidding me? She's lucky if I brush her hair, let alone curl it. (my mom is probably horrified by that admission. she fixed my hair perfectly every. single. day. of my childhood. Sorry, Mom.)

Bria's hair is curliest after her naps.

And sometimes it is just plain out of control. (Hmm . . . this sounds awfully familiar.)
I adore Bria's curls. They are certainly an extension of her energy. I'm certain Bria will love her hair's . . . personality . . . some day.

Bria's Birthday Rundown

For Bria's birthday, we celebrated for several days. On Friday, Bria and I metroed in to meet Sam as he got off work, and we headed straight for the zoo. It was slightly disappointing because very few animals were out, but Bria still had a great time. (we told her the animals were sleeping.) I think her favorites were the turtles.

For her actual birthday, we had a laid back Sunday. I made special birthday snickerdoodles, and pretty much let Bria call the shots for the day.
And one of those shots included eating ice cream right before bed.
Throughout the week after her birthday, she opened several presents from friends and family, including this one from her godparents:
And on Saturday, we had a party with a couple friends.
Now I know how ridiculous it is to try to get a bunch of kids age 1 -6 to take a group picture.
One of Bria's favorite presents was a Dora the Explorer tent from her cousins Max and Mallory. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that she cries every time we put it away.
On Sunday, one week after her birthday, we went outside to blow bubbles (yet another gift!). Bria loves bubbles maybe even more than she loves me. She's still trying to get a hang of it (she usually puts her mouth right on the wand), and she asks for them every day.
It was the perfect week-long birthday celebration for our little two year-old.