Briana is so Beautiful!

I had read an issue of Parents magazine where a mom had bought a bathing suit and took pictures of her little girl in it every year to show how much she had grown. I latter heard a fellow mom describe how she wanted to do a picture each year but use her wedding dress instead. So, for about a year now I have wanted to do this with both Briana and Alyssa. My friend and brilliant photographer took these beautiful shots of Briana in my wedding dress. We did try Alyssa lying down on the dress but she didn't like the feel of the fabric on her head and would not sit still for the photos. I'll try her again in a few months.

Alyssa

We had another Doctor's appt for my baby girl. Following in her big sister's foot steps she wieghed in at 16lbs 6oz and is now 27 inches. William is currently 24lbs making him only 8 pounds heavier than his baby sister. I know she will outweigh him soon.

Alyssa is eating like a big girl now!

We tried solid food with Alyssa tonight for the very first time, rice cereal. She looked like she was going to gag as I put the first spoonful in her mouth. She managed to get through the bowl of cereal but seemed to suffer most of the time. I did expect her to do a little better because both Briana and William took to eating solids as if they had been eating them all along. This little girl is going to need some work!

Baking with Daddy!

Apple season is here and with it comes Alan's famous apple pies. This year Briana really wanted to help bake pies with daddy. She is very helpful in the kitchen and will often ask to help whenever someone is in the there.

California Adventure

My nephews are 6 and 8 this year and to celebrate we all went to California adventure. This was also Alyssa's very first visit to the magic kingdom. I don't think she even knew where she was. We spent a few hours at Disneyland before meeting the rest of the family over at California Adventure. It was nice to spend some time over there becuase we were able to experience some new rides. As always we had a great time!

I'm so behind . .

I just realized that I haven't posted a thing for September and the month is half way over. I do have a few things in draft form, however finding the time to blog is getting more difficult. Briana started school last week and surprisingly a small change like can be disruptive to your schedule. Now that Alyssa is three months old I decided to finally sign up for the gym and get into the shape I was before my three babies. :) Factor in our recent camping trip and the fact that I only have three more months to finish my 2008 digital family album it's no wonder I haven't been on the computer lately. I also signed up for a consignment sale on October 2nd and getting ready for it has been very time consuming!! Hopefully all will be back on track very soon.

Chick Hicks

he's mean!!! I have often written about my little boy's obsession with certain movies. (Toy Story, Cars, Bee Movie just to name a few) So, he has a small collection of cars from the movie Cars that he plays with frequently. I recently purchased the Dinoco Blue pack which features Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks painted blue. So, anyway I often will hear William playing with his cars and talking for them. One of his favorite lines to say is, Chick Hicks, he's mean!! So the other day I was taking pictures of Alyssa when William insisted that I take one of Chick Hicks for him. So, since I already have the picture, I mine as well share the story behind it as well!

Camping in Lake Silverwood

We decided to venture out on our second camping trip since Alyssa's arrival in May. In order to stay close to home we ended up at Lake Silver Wood. The kids had so much fun splashing in the water and playing outdoors. Alyssa and I hung out on the sidelines. On a side note, when I was taking these pictures Briana splashed me with lake water. Not only was I upset about having lake water all over me, I later found out that she splashed the camera lens causing the photos we have taken since the trip to be blurry in one section.

Briana's 1st Day of School

Briana started her first day of preschool today. She will be attending on Tues/Thurs from 9-12 to give her a taste of what will come next year in Kinder. I was surprised to find that I had mixed feelings about her finally starting pre-K. Briana was the baby I use to leave at the Kindercare to go and work a full day. We did this for two years and so I thought letting her go to a part time pre-school would be like nothing. I didn't realize how much I have changed from my working mom days. As a working mom you justify why you leave your baby behind and you do everything in your power to silence the voice that tells you how fast they grow and you should really be at home. In addition you are so busy raising your child, managing your household and going to work that you have little time for anything else.

After William I did listen to my inner voice and stayed home with my children full time. Now fast forward two and a half years and Briana is setting off for her first real school experience and I find myself mourning her babyhood. It went by so fast. I have enjoyed the last two years and I have grown so close to my oldest daughter in the process. There are so many more experiences that I have enjoyed that I would have definitely missed as a working mom. Now that this change is in front of me I find myself struggling to embrace it. I know it's another big step for Briana. Even though I have been with her everyday these past few years it seemed to sneak up out of no where. I often times ponder the whole process of having a newborn baby who is so dependent on you for every little thing and how in 18 short years (or so) you have a completely independent adult who is leaving your home. I know from talking to moms of adults that it happens in a blink of an eye. To me this is a major step toward 18 year old Briana, a person I would love to meet and get to know some day . . . I just wish there was a way to slow down time and enjoy them just a little more just how they are today.

So here she is, so excited and so I too will be excited for her. I find having children allows you to re-live your own experiences but from a different prospective. I love you so much big girl!

My Nephews Turn 6 and 8!

It's so hard to believe that my nephews are already 6 and 8, as well as a first grader and a third grader. Labor Day weekend was also a time to celebrate both birthdays for the boys. We had presents, pizza, cake and lots of fun. It was after this particular party that William's love for dinosaurs grew. Now he asks for a dinosaur every time we go shopping and every time he sees one on TV.

My nephew, Joseph, also received a Darth Vader costume for his birthday and absolutely loved it. Both William and Briana could not stop talking about it. Add in the fact that the boys have the Lego Star Wars video game and all the kids love to watch the movie . . .we have a little Star Wars obsession going on!!