Brenna, you're 2!!!! You are so much fun right now. You are so talkative these days and love to sing songs, and color, and give big hugs.
Recently we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and you saw a picture of Aunt Mandy from her senior picture collection where she had a red feather boa wrapped around her and you said "Aunt Mandy and Elmo!" It was so cute.
You like for Daddy to give you a list of silly options so you can say "NOOOOO" For example, Brenna does a cow say "Ribbit?" "NOOOO" "Does a cow say, ruff ruff? "NOOOOO"
You like to lay all of your baby dolls out on the floor and they each have to have their own blanket while you cover than and tell them to "Go to sleep, Jacob", "Go to sleep, Emma" "Lay down, Colton" This must be what your teacher says at preschool to your classmates.
We just started a Mommy and Me dance class and you love to wear your leotard and tutu. We even wore it to the dentist office and all of the girls that worked there just thought you were the cutest thing in the world. You told everyone that "I'm 2" and that we were "going to Dance Class"
You know shapes: Square, Rectangle, Triangle, Heart, Diamond
You can differentiate between colors.
You like to say "Draw a Picture" or "Make a Dolphin/Cow/Dog/Cat" etc referring to playdough cooking cutters.
You have just recently learned that your full name is Brenna Bloom Epstein.
You go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We go to Dance Class on Mondays, and storytime at the Library on Fridays.
You swim like a fish! You love it so so much and everyone stares and can't get over what an amazing swimmer you are.
You now know that the pacy is only for "the car and the crib." And you tell me that while in the car.
You love all your grandparents and they are all basking in your sunshine. Whenever I ask you who you're going to see, the answer is almost always Grammy.
You also love to see pictures of Nick and Alex.
You give me big bear hugs when I carry you from the bath to your bed to get dressed.
We love you so much!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Brenna!
Brenna turned 2 on August 29th and we had a big "Pancakes and Pajamas" party at the house. I got the idea from a friend and it was so much fun! The party started at 9:30am and we had a buffet of pancakes with all the topings for the kids and a little spread of breakfast goodies for the adults.
It was perfect for Brenna because:
1) She loves pancakes! And by love, I mean the first thing she does every morning is get out the syrup out of the pantry and say "Pancakes!"
2) Having a breakfast party in the beginning of the day is perfect for 2 year olds who still nap in the afternoon
3) It's a relatively cheap party idea. You can feed a lot of people on pancakes and other breakfast items without spending a portion of your kid's college fund.
4) Any occasion to serve coffee and mimosas is always very much appreciated by adults.
My friend Brooke put together this beautiful collage which I think captured the party perfectly.
I had so much fun planning this party. My mom helped me make decorations and Brett made an awesome toddler size wooden picnic table so that all the kids could sit together on the patio. For favors, I gave everyone aprons that I got at the dollar store.
The Kids Eating:
Our Giving Tree. Where guests hung a buck or two in leui of gifts:
Family :-)
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It was perfect for Brenna because:
1) She loves pancakes! And by love, I mean the first thing she does every morning is get out the syrup out of the pantry and say "Pancakes!"
2) Having a breakfast party in the beginning of the day is perfect for 2 year olds who still nap in the afternoon
3) It's a relatively cheap party idea. You can feed a lot of people on pancakes and other breakfast items without spending a portion of your kid's college fund.
4) Any occasion to serve coffee and mimosas is always very much appreciated by adults.
My friend Brooke put together this beautiful collage which I think captured the party perfectly.
I had so much fun planning this party. My mom helped me make decorations and Brett made an awesome toddler size wooden picnic table so that all the kids could sit together on the patio. For favors, I gave everyone aprons that I got at the dollar store.
The Etsy-Inspired Birthday Banner I made:
Party Poms that Mom and I made:
The Kids Eating:
Our Giving Tree. Where guests hung a buck or two in leui of gifts:
Family :-)
Yum!
Guests
Shari, Colleen, and Ben
Maren working a puzzle and Molly stuck in a bucket
Brenna and Ry Ry being silly
Ayrial was so sweet. She walked around and had everyone at the party sign a giant card for Brenna.
Brenna's adorable PJ outfit and new broom.
Jeff and Jackie
Trey, Audrey, and Jalyn
These 2 are still going
My favorite memory from the party: Brenna was the last one to get up from the table. She LOVES pancakes!
Oooh, pretty
So glad Molly Moo could come all the way from Georgia.
A bunch of egg-heads:
Brenna's new kitchen from Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Cookie.
The Birthday card from Ayrial
Enjoying real cake (vs the pancake) the next day at Grandma and Grandpa's.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tybee Island and Hilton Head Island Vacation 2010
August was quite a month for our family hence the lack of posting. For starters, we went on a wonderful week-long vacation to Tybee Island, GA and Hilton Head Island, SC.
For starters, we hit up Tybee Island which is the island community off of Savannah, GA. We chose Tybee because we wanted to spend our vacation with the Lubers and Tybee was a mutually-driveable location and since we both have almost 2 year olds at this point, we decided a lazy beach town was just what we needed. We rented a really nice 3 bedroom Condo in the Brass Rail Community which was just steps from the beach. It was perfect because Brett and I had a room, Mark and Jill had a room, and the girls bunked together in the 3rd bedroom. I was a little nervous for how that would go, but they both did awesome. They were both in pack and plays but hopefully next year, they will be able to utilize the twin beds.
Each morning we would pack up all of our beach gear and stroll across the street to the beach. The beach was a lot different then our beaches in Florida so it was a nice change to have such long stretches of the hard/compact sand. It made pulling the wagon a lot easier and this way if the girls took off running, we didn't have to worry about them reaching the water before we could get to them.
Waiting on Baby Boy Luber to join us next year.
No vacation would be complete without a drippy, messy ice cream cone.
My favorite pic from all of vacation! She just laid there and laughed, loving the water.
So tired, couldn't even make it back to the room before passing out.
My beach beauty!
Her hair is so blond and her skin so tan.
Ring around the rosy time!
After the beach, we'd head back for lunch and naps. Swimming or exploring the island took place in the afternoon followed by dinner and bedtime for the girls while the adults made dinner for us and either played Wii or just hung out and chatted. Unfortuantely, Brett had to work a lot in the evening so next year, no work allowed.
It was so fun to see the girls play together. They would chase each other around the condo and giggle and fight over toys and sing songs...it was so cute. Brenna was a bit of a bully at times to Molly but for the most part they really got along great and I know they will always be the best of buds.
After 4 nights in Tybee Island, we departed and met up with Brett's family at Hilton Head Island, where they have a yearly time-share at the Marriott Barony Beach Club. We stayed 2 nights at Hilton Head and went to the beach and pool and Brett and I even got to go out to a movie just the two of us thanks to Mandy for babysitting. Brenna LOVED playing with her cousins. Even though Nick is 4 1/2, they really got along so well. Nick is such a good older cousin. He shared his toys and would "catch" Brenna when she would swim to him in the pool. Being that Alex and Brenna are only 6 months apart, I'm sure next year, the two of them will pal around together. This year, Alex was very attached to Mandy and Stephen and Brenna seemed more on par with Nick's level of play...but again, I'm sure that will be completely different next year.
One memorable moment from Hilton Head is how well Brenna swims. We had several families come up to us and ask, 1) How old is she? and 2) How in the world did she learn to swim like that? She could seriously swim an Olympic Size length pool and she holds her breath for a really long time before she flips for air. And she wants to keep going and going and going. Here's a video of her in action but it really doesn't do justice to just how much she LOVES swimming. The girls is obsessed.
For starters, we hit up Tybee Island which is the island community off of Savannah, GA. We chose Tybee because we wanted to spend our vacation with the Lubers and Tybee was a mutually-driveable location and since we both have almost 2 year olds at this point, we decided a lazy beach town was just what we needed. We rented a really nice 3 bedroom Condo in the Brass Rail Community which was just steps from the beach. It was perfect because Brett and I had a room, Mark and Jill had a room, and the girls bunked together in the 3rd bedroom. I was a little nervous for how that would go, but they both did awesome. They were both in pack and plays but hopefully next year, they will be able to utilize the twin beds.
Each morning we would pack up all of our beach gear and stroll across the street to the beach. The beach was a lot different then our beaches in Florida so it was a nice change to have such long stretches of the hard/compact sand. It made pulling the wagon a lot easier and this way if the girls took off running, we didn't have to worry about them reaching the water before we could get to them.
Waiting on Baby Boy Luber to join us next year.
No vacation would be complete without a drippy, messy ice cream cone.
My favorite pic from all of vacation! She just laid there and laughed, loving the water.
So tired, couldn't even make it back to the room before passing out.
My beach beauty!
Her hair is so blond and her skin so tan.
Ring around the rosy time!
After the beach, we'd head back for lunch and naps. Swimming or exploring the island took place in the afternoon followed by dinner and bedtime for the girls while the adults made dinner for us and either played Wii or just hung out and chatted. Unfortuantely, Brett had to work a lot in the evening so next year, no work allowed.
It was so fun to see the girls play together. They would chase each other around the condo and giggle and fight over toys and sing songs...it was so cute. Brenna was a bit of a bully at times to Molly but for the most part they really got along great and I know they will always be the best of buds.
After 4 nights in Tybee Island, we departed and met up with Brett's family at Hilton Head Island, where they have a yearly time-share at the Marriott Barony Beach Club. We stayed 2 nights at Hilton Head and went to the beach and pool and Brett and I even got to go out to a movie just the two of us thanks to Mandy for babysitting. Brenna LOVED playing with her cousins. Even though Nick is 4 1/2, they really got along so well. Nick is such a good older cousin. He shared his toys and would "catch" Brenna when she would swim to him in the pool. Being that Alex and Brenna are only 6 months apart, I'm sure next year, the two of them will pal around together. This year, Alex was very attached to Mandy and Stephen and Brenna seemed more on par with Nick's level of play...but again, I'm sure that will be completely different next year.
One memorable moment from Hilton Head is how well Brenna swims. We had several families come up to us and ask, 1) How old is she? and 2) How in the world did she learn to swim like that? She could seriously swim an Olympic Size length pool and she holds her breath for a really long time before she flips for air. And she wants to keep going and going and going. Here's a video of her in action but it really doesn't do justice to just how much she LOVES swimming. The girls is obsessed.
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