Parties!

Brianna has been busy with school and ballet among other very important things. One of those is parties! She went to a birthday party last weekend that was held at the N. Albany Fire Station. It was pretty cool... there were real firefighters there who showed us all around the Department. Brianna got to ride on a Fire Truck and spray the fire hose.

Brianna and Sarah the Birthday Girl

Brianna got to sit in the front seat. They took a ride around the neighborhood, all the kids had a great time. Practicing putting out a fire!

We all know there is a little rivalry between Policemen and Firemen and I have to say Brianna was a little skeptical of the Fire suit and a Fireman coming in to our house to put out a fire. I am positive she believes that her Dad is the biggest Hero of them all. The party was fun and Brianna really did have a good time, but that night after tucking her into bed she just could not go to sleep. Fire is something that truly scares her, she has worried about our house catching on fire before and most nights before we leave her room for the night she asks if I am cooking anything. She has had several tough nights worrying and thinking about fire and what to do if we ever had a fire. That night was no exception. She came out and said "I just can't get my brain to stop thinking about our house catching on fire" I reassured her and comforted her, then she said "I'm just not used to a fireman crawling in our house with that mask on" She was remembering what they had said at the party and the suit they put on telling kids not to be scared that they would be there to help. Obviously the efforts to desensitize and educate backfired for my poor daughter :)

Today Brianna was transformed into the Princess of the Sea, Ariel the Little Mermaid. She had a Halloween Party to go to and was just so excied to wear her costume.

My little blond beauty turned into a Mermaid with RED hair! She loved it :)
The kids had a great time playing games and doing crafts. They wraped themselves up into mummy's and made mummy hot dogs and spider web pizza. Fun was had by all!




And yes, if you were wondering the red hairspray did wash out of her hair. It only took 3 good shampoo's and about 30 minutes in the shower. Now there is just a little tinge of pink in a few spots! I'm sure it will all be gone soon. The price you pay for a complete transformation!

Hugs and Kisses

A few weeks ago Brian was outside doing yard work. Both Brice and Brianna love to help with what ever they can. Brian was blowing the leaves with the leaf blower and trying to clear everything up & make it look nice so that 15 minutes later it could all fall again! Brice had come inside to take his nap and I was inside doing my dreaded chores... the worst cleaning the bathrooms. A typical day, nothing out of the ordinary. We had dinner, read books, brushed teeth, Brianna took her vitamins, put chap stick on and we headed down to tuck the kids to bed. We gave our hugs and kisses telling the kids how much we love them and appreciate all of the hard work they did that day and tucked them in "nice an a cozy" as Brice would say.

When we came back down to the living room, Brian told me a story that made my heart melt. As he and Brianna were outside working, they came to the water meter. Brianna inquisitively asked Brian what it was. Now, Brian went into this big long speech about what exactly a water meter is, and then went into the fact that we pay for water. He told her that when we water the grass, do dishes, take showers, brush our teeth, flush the toilet, etc. that it costs us money. Mind you this is during our Country's good old economic crisis... so I'm sure he babbled more than he normally would have about how much things cost. He said that Brianna was silent, just listening to him go on and on while they continued to work. Once he was done talking about it, she paused for a minuted and said "Daddy, it sure is a good thing that hugs and kisses are free, because I like to have a lot of them."

It was one of those moments that really puts life into perspective for you. We have a great life, filled with love and happiness. Everyone is healthy and we can lean on one another to get us through any little bump in the road. That is of course as long as we have "Hugs and Kisses"

Traditions - "Pumpkin Patch"

As a mother there are many things I want to instill in my children and many things that I want them to experience. For me, one of those important things is establishing Family Traditions. I think that it is all the little things you do that make the greatest impact. We eat together at the dinner table and talk about our day and upcoming events, just as I did as a little girl. We have a set routine at night. We get together with extended family frequently to celebrate birthdays, special events and just to see one another. But, my favorite traditions are blossoming right now... The holiday season is upon us and for me that means many things, the first we did earlier this week. The Pumpkin Patch!

Brianna was 9 months old her first Halloween. I had a garden at our Millersburg house and grew our own pumpkins. As you can see in the picture, it was less than perfect... all warty and mis-shapen. She was a cute little tiger for Halloween.

Brianna's second Halloween she was 1 year 8 months. We made our first trip to the pumpkin patch. She had a blast and picked out the perfect pumpkin. Not to mention all of the fun things to do at the pumpkin patch! One of my greatest memories was on our way home she sang every word to "Twinkle Twinkle" both Brian and I just looked at eachother in amazement. This little girl we had created, so inocent so pure was learning and growing before our eyes! She was a Chicken for Halloween.











Brianna's 3rd Halloween we went to the same pumpkin patch and once again had a blast. As you can see it was hard to choose just a few pumpkins. Brianna was Cinderella for Halloween. While at the pumpkin patch I couldn't help but think about our new son arriving and being a part of all of this the following year. Brice was born just 10 days after Halloween!














Brianna's 4th Halloween & Brice's 1st Halloween proved to be a great experience. She was thrilled to boss him around and show him what it was all about. Brianna was Tinkerbell and Brice was a Horse.

It is funny because every year when this time rolls around, I think about the year before and how much fun we had. I always hope that we will have as much fun as the year before, and that my family will appreciate my efforts to continue these traditions. Without a doubt this year was a blast! The kids are old enough to really tell you how they feel and I could just tell by the sparkle in their eyes that they were excited and having a blast. We went to a different pumpkin patch this year and it proved to be a great change. We rode on haybales pulled by a tractor out to a few acres of pumpkins. There were so many to choose from...

Brice made sure to inspect each one and helped carry them to the tractor, car and porch when we got home. Brianna tromped around the patch with me in search of the perfect pumpkin. We finally found exactly what we came for...

Perfect pumpkins, a tractor ride, playing on hay bales and memories that I hope will last a lifetime.

Washington

Last weekend we took a short trip up to Washington to visit Brian's family. It was a great trip! We originally went up for one of his cousins' wedding, which was very nice. It was wonderful to see so many family members that we just don't get to see that often. Brianna said that Candice (the Bride) looked like a princess & she did.

We spent the weekend with Brian's cousin and her family, who are the best Host's anyone could ask for. The girls went and had pedicures done, the kids all played together and had a blast and Brian and John went to a Seahawks game on Sunday before we headed home! It was a wonderful time that we wish could have lasted longer & happen more often.

This is at the Reception. I just love Brice's smile, you can tell he is saying CHEEEEEEESE! Brianna and Ben were glued to each other the entire trip.

Brianna and her cousin's Ben and Cameron played Twister, Monopoly and much much more. What silly kids!

Brian and John just before catching the Train to Seattle for the Seahawks game. Brian said that the Stadium was AMAZING & that he has never been anywhere that was as loud as those Seahawk Fan's are. He had a blast!

Brice was feeling festive in John's Throwback helmet. We watched the game from the house.

Brianna and Ben are best buds & great Cousin's. Ben is so patient with her and was quite the gentleman. I just wish we got together more often, twice a year just isn't enough.