A Final Visit to Richmond

At the end of May, Bria and I made one final trek down to Richmond to visit my friend Jenna. They just finished medical school and moved for residency, so I wanted to say a final farewell. Jenna and I have been friends since we were 13, and it was nice to be able to see each other every couple of months while we both lived in Virginia.
We stopped by the great children's museum in Richmond, and the girls had a blast. Of course Bria just wanted to sit and color, much to the chagrin of Siena.But we successfully steered Bria away from the crayons after awhile so they could play.
I'm not sure why I was surprised we couldn't get the girls to pose perfectly for this shot.
Apparently they didn't get how funny this could have been.
Although, I can't really blame them, since I couldn't position myself correctly either. Siena was only a couple of months old when we moved here, and this was the first time she and Bria have really, truly played together. It was so fun to watch them interact, and I know Bria loved it (she's still talking about it).

To the beach!

The first weekend in June we decided a trip to the beach was necessary. We packed up some snacks and returned to the Chesapeake. About 45 minutes from our house, the tiny Maryland town seems worlds away from DC. The beach is short and small, but it feels private and secluded-- tucked back in a neighborhood and across the street from an elementary school. (unfortunately you have to pay to enter the beach. we're on the lookout for a nearby beach that's also free.)The water is incredibly shallow, which makes for kid-friendly ocean time. Open water freaks me out, so Sam spent the day wading with Bria. Bria dug in the sand and made friends with other beach-goers. The weather was perfect-- very warm, but not hot, with an occasional light breeze.
After about four hours, we packed up and headed home. Bria fell asleep within minutes, with a chip dangling from her mouth, clutching the bag with a death grip. (seriously, I tried to get the bag of chips from her about 10 times during the drive.)
A perfect, short beach trip was just the trick to rejuvenate us (plus no jellyfish like last year!). I'm hoping we can find time for a couple more quick trips this summer.

Carpe Diem

I don't want to jinx it, but this spring weather has been incredible. We've had weeks of perfect outdoor weather.
I am a complete baby when it comes to heat, so the lingering mid-70s weather is adding new meaning to my life, like a pre-summer gift. "Don't fret; I am still here," it whispers to me. "Lap up these delightful breezes and enjoy your straight hair while you still can." It begins its admonishment: "live in the moment."
And so we try. We eat popsicles. We have lunch and dinner picnics outside. We chalk (Bria has turned it into a verb). We go on family walks. We leave the windows open. We just relish it-- without worrying about the heat that awaits us.

Birthday Weekend Trip

Ever since I went to New York last spring, I was scheming and scheming to get Sam and me back there together. The stars aligned, and we took a weekend trip to the Big Apple last month for my birthday. We left Bria with Sam's brother Marc's family and took the bus from DC. One of the best parts was being able to stay in a friend's apartment while she was out of town. Right by Central Park and less than a block from the subway-- it was incredible.
We were there for less than 48 hours, but we packed in as much as possible. We went to the MOMA (Sam and I both love modern art), which was mostly incredible because I could wander at my own pace and not worry about it being boring for Bria. Amazing!

And we waited in line at the box office to get rush tickets for How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (starring Daniel Radcliffe!). I had no idea how likely it would be for us to get tickets, and we waited for almost two hours, but it was so worth it. Front row tickets for $30! If I stood up, I could have touched Harry Potter's pant leg. Eeek!
Isn't NYC the city that never sleeps? One night after dinner, we wandered around Times Square for a while before I finally said "I'm too tired! Let's go home and go to sleep!" So we did. We realize we are now officially boring and old.And we caught a Mets game. They were playing the Nats!
I cheered once for the Nationals before realizing how out of place I was. From that point on, all jubilation was kept inside.
It was an amazing trip-- definitely my best birthday ever. For more detail about my favorite parts of the trip (uh, that would be the food) see here.

party, party, party

We had a little party for our birthday girl over the weekend. More details and pictures here.

Three

Today is our darling Bria's THIRD birthday. This girl is an absolute firecracker. Since she was a baby, the word that is used most often to describe her is expressive. There is no neutral for Bria: she is elated or devastated (this is both a blessing and curse). She is hilarious and sensitive, nurturing and perceptive, sweet and, let's be honest, quite a bit sassy. tiny baby

I like to joke that she has the appetite of a teenage boy: she eats constantly. Most days she doesn't stop eating from the time she wakes up until after lunch. She needs at least two snacks between lunch and dinner, and often an after-dinner snack too. This girl can eat. Luckily, she's not picky. She prefers salad to sandwiches, broccoli to chicken nuggets, and oranges to cupcakes. Simply put, she is weird. And I love it.

One year

In the last year I have noticed more and more traits that have led to my firm declaration that Bria is an old soul. She loves to sit and color for hours. She prefers to hang out with "the moms" instead of kids, and she gets overstimulated very easily. She likes to be alone, and at a recent Easter party, she wanted to watch from the sidelines rather than participate in the rumpus. Children overwhelm her, and she needs a lot of encouragement and coaching to stay calm and collected in social situations. She loves her friends-- but only one or two at a time. And still, she often needs to be held or taken into another room alone for a couple minutes during play dates so she can "reset."

Two years

Bria also sleeps a ton. I am totally spoiled. She still sleeps 8-8 with a 2 hour nap during the day. If she misses an hour here or there, she makes up for it-- and then some. She will often sleep until 9:30 or 10 and still take a nap and go to bed at 8. It's amazing.
Something not so amazing is her sass. This girl already talks to me like she's 13. I'm not sure where she picked it up, but she thinks she knows everything, and she lets me know it. Like any 3 year-old, we're working on learning boundaries, sharing, being nice, listening, etc. It's an uphill battle every day. Skipping a nap or going to bed late is a recipe for disaster and always results in tantrums, sass, and whining-- which is why I have always been an absolute stickler about bedtimes. (read: I'm no fun.) But, when she gets enough sleep (which means about 14 hours every 24 hour period) she's a gem.

Three years!

She has a wild imagination. She makes up jokes, songs, and stories every day. She loves to sing and talk to her reflection in the mirror. She loves princesses and ballerinas, but she also loves animals and cowgirls and superheroes. Bria frequently walks on tip-toe, talks in falsetto, and speaks with elaborate hand gestures. She is out-of-this-world sweet, hilarious, and incredible.
Happy birthday, Bria!!

Cherry Blossoms

During the winter, the Cherry Blossom Festival was my light at the end of the tunnel. I knew if I could make it through to the end of March, I could make it through anything. And I did it! (I'm not sure what the alternative was, but now it doesn't matter!) The cherry blossoms are exactly what I love about spring: the rebirth of the world in a vibrant explosion of color and life. (Dramatic? Maybe. But I really hate winter.)

The weather wasn't exactly ideal when the blossoms were at their peak (unlike last year), but it was still nice enough for the three of us to take a stroll one day. Sam has been working nights, so it's fun to be able to make outings during the day with him.
After an extensive walk through the Smithsonian gardens, we decided to skip the tidal basin (we were either lazy or just tired of dealing with the antics of a grumpy almost 3 year-old. or both). But on request of Bria, we did stop by the Washington Monument, where we were almost blown away by the enthusiastic spring winds.
Ah, spring. How I love you. (please don't get too hot too quickly?)