Brenna, All About You At 3!!

Happy Birthday, Brenna!  You are 3 years old today!!!  What a year it's been.  You have definitely grown up so much this year.  And we have hit so many milestones.  I'm so proud of you how well you've done in so many different areas. 

For starters, the Pacy Fairy came and you completely said goodbye to your pacies that you loved so much.  By 2 1/2 you were Pacy Free and you really handled it so well.  Only a few tears at the very beginning.  I thought this transition would be much tougher than it was.  The Pacy Fairy left you a letter and a little bear and you still talk about them and know who gave them to you.  The dentist could really tell a difference too.

Then you found out you were going to be a big sister.  You insisted from the very beginning that you would be getting a little sister and if we even mentioned the possibility that it could be a baby brother, you would break down in tears.  Well you were right, you are getting a baby sister and she will be here soon!  I know you will be a big helper once she arrives...just as long as she doesn't take your stuff because you will tell me "Mommy, I don't want to share."  This could be a problem....

Our next big step was getting your big girl bed.  Bye-Bye Crib.  You loved your crib and slept really well in it...never once did you climb out, couldn't quite figure out how some of your friends could climb in and out...you needed a little boost.  You've done beautifully in your bed. It took about a week where we had to reverse the lock so you couldn't run out when you wanted to, and you were not happy about that but it wasn't long before you slept in your bed all night by yourself.

Lastly, you are 100% potty trained!  Yay!!!  This was a lot easier than I anticipated (for once something was easier)...you did a great job.  We introduced the idea around 2 and you weren't quite ready but a few months in and you pee pee'd on the potty like a champ.  It took another 2 months to conquer #2 but overall you caught on so fast and you rarely have any accidents.  Even at night, you will call for mommy if you have to go.  We really lucked out here, thanks for throwing us a bone in this department, boo boo!

You still go to Holy Spirit Lutheran Preschool and just started in the 3 year old class.  Now you go to school on Tues,Wed, and Thursday.  Mommy works while you are at school so we can play together during the times you are home. On Monday we have dance class and on Fridays we go to storytime at the library.  Our days are filled with fun activities with some TV time and book time sprinkled in there too. 

Your favorite shows right now are Dora the Explorer and anything Princess related.  You like many different books (we are at the library a lot swapping our books and DVD's).  Mommy has to read the princess ones because "you're a girl" and Daddy reads the other ones.  You like to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  You have such a cute high and squeaky voice. 

You are a really big helper in the kitchen. You like to make smoothies with Daddy and bake cookies with Grandma Joann. 

You like to talk like a grown-up.  You get in this moods where you are the mommy or the teacher and talk to daddy and me like we are the kids.  You might say "Mommy, did you drop that toy on the floor (even if I didn't), you can't do that mommy, you're making a mess, you need to clean it up.  And tell my baby you're sorry, you stepped on her foot (even if I didn't) and you hurt her. Tell her you are sorry, Mommy, alwight?  Alwight, Mommy?  Did you hear me?  I'm talking to you"

As you can tell, you talk A LOT!  You can have a conversation about anything and it's fun teaching you things and watching you learn and retain.

Personal space:  This is big for you with your friends.  You don't like running hugs from friends and you don't want anyone to grab your hand without asking first.  You are affectionate but you just don't like to be caught off guard.  You need to feel like you have control in the situation.

We love you sooooo much!!!!  I can't wait to see what year 3 brings! 

Brenna's Favorite Things: Dance Class and Merry-Go-Round!

Two of Brenna's favorite activities right now at amost 2 1/2, is surely dance class, which is every Monday morning and riding the new Merry-Go-Round at Downtown at the Gardens.  Here she is strutting her cute stuff at dance...

Her favorite part of class is when you get to hop like a frog on the colored spots.  She also loves when it's time to clean up the spots and she tries to pick up as many as possible and rush them back to Ms. Jessica.

And if we pass Downtown at the Gardens without stopping at the Merry-Go-Round, I will surely hear about it for hours on end.  I estimate that in 3 months the carousel has been there, we have probably ridden at least 40 times.  But look at how happy it makes her.  Thank God, Brett's coworker gave us a bunch of free passes or I'd have spent a fortune by now.

We recently went to Trey's 2nd birthday.  You can read all about it on my other blog (Click here).  It was really something.  Here are a just a few pics of Brenna from the party. 

This one was taken by Brooke.  She's so talented.  Not only are her pictures gorgeous but I admire her for how it seems like she never gets burnt out.  It takes A LOT of time to edit these and she is always posting new pics of Maren and Maren's friends for everyone to enjoy.  Some of my all time favorite pics of Brenna have been taken by either Brooke or my friend Lauren.  It's great to have friends who are great photogs!

Professional Photos - Holidays 2010

I live for Christmas cards.  I love getting them in the mail.  I especially love the ones with a nice coordinating and sometimes awkward family photo so I can see how everyone's families have grown and changed in a year's time.  The more perfect the families appear, the funnier I find the picture.  That goes for my own family pictures as well.  I love displaying the cards I receive and when I go to someone's house during the Holidays, I almost always look through their pile of cards even if I have no idea who the families are. I love it!

And yes I totally get that it's a little narcissistic to get the family all dressed up in coordinating outfits and get professional photographs done each year but I don't care.  Call me vain, roll your eyes at what is the adorableness of Brenna's Ralph Lauren ensemble (Thank you, Aunt Schecky) but as long as I have the littlest of strength left in my body in the month of December, I will schlept my family out to the beach or some grassy knoll and get a picture taken.   Because for that one second, it appears that we have it all together and I find that delightful and amusing.  I probably have residual snot in my hair and I may be bribing my kid with a lollipop or the empty threat of NEVER RIDING THE MERRY-GO-ROUND AGAIN, but you will never know that by the looks of our photo. :-)

My very good friend and photog, Lauren Donovan, of Lauren Donovan Photography took these pics.  Kudos to you Lauren.  I love them!!!  Thank you for your patience and beautiful work!

Christmas 2010

For some reason, I've been really burnt out with the blogging lately so I took a nice long break to just enjoy the moments themselves without hopping to the computer to record them right away.  I hope I can get back into it on a semi-regular basis because I know that I will love to look back and read all about our lives "when".  I also do this because I hope Brenna and any other future kids will also look back and see a glimpse into what life was like when they were little.   So without further adieu, here is our Christmas 2010 Recap!

We had such a nice Christmas this year.  We started out by baking cookies for Santa...

Pouring some milk for him and leaving some carrots for the reindeer.

Before bedtime, we needed to taste for quality-assurance.

In the middle of the night, Santa arrived and even left snowy footprints.

Brenna woke up around 5am and I brought her in our room past all the presents (which luckily she didn't even notice) and we all slept a few more hours in our bed.  Brett and I got up and started breakfast before Brenna came stumbling out.  She was half-asleep so didn't have a huge reaction to everything but she did enjoy playing with all her new toys and discovering new ones all throughout the morning. 

Daddy and Brenna playing with Mr. Potato Head in her new Monkey Tent.

Dress Up Time

One of my favorite memories was skyping with the grandparents and Brenna showing them all the goodies Santa brought her.


Christmas Eve at the Bloom House

Grammy fixing Brenna's hair....there's always a lot of this going on.

Our 24 hour playdate with Marina

Brenna's pal Marina's mommy, Keri (who has become one of my great friends) is a labor and delivery nurse who works 12 hour shifts from 7pm to 7am.  I am tired just thinking about how hard she works and the hours in which she does it.  Marina's dad is a firefighter who works 24 hour shifts.  So every once in a while when these shifts overlap, and when her grandparents are unavailable, Marina needs a 24 hour playdate with a pal and Brenna and I were happy to host :-)

Brenna had been giving me a lot of grief over the past week so I was a little nervous about how having 2 would be, but honestly Brenna was so much better behaved with Marina here.  They didn't fight at all.  They had so much fun playing and after having Marina for 24 hours, I think I might venture to say she's the easiest of everyone in the playgroup. 

Marina is like a little monkey and can climb in and out of Brenna's crib in 2 seconds.  She loved taking all of Brenna's stuffed animals, throwing them in the crib, then climbing in the crib, throwing them out, and climbing out.  She did this over and over again to Brenna's amuzement and delight.  Brenna just kept looking at her climb in and out and wanted so badly to be able to do it too.  She kept saying to me "I want to do it all myself...Momma help."  And I'd help her get in the crib with Marina.

We took the girls to the carousel at Downtown at the Gardens where we met up with Ella Kate and the girls had so much fun running around and playing. 

Marina didn't want to ride the animals.

Next was the wishing well/fish pond.

Round 2 Carousel Ride

After lunch, we were driving home and the girls were both looking really tired.  Just as Brenna nodded off, Marina yelled "WAKE UP!!!!" At which point Brenna woke up and thought that was hysterical and they had a shouting/giggling match for 5 minutes yelling "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP" back and forth before Marina fell asleep. 

After perfect naps by both girls, we went to the park and then ended the night looking at Christmas lights.  Everytime we'd see a Santa, Marina and Brenna would go "HO, HO, HO"

In the morning, we made breakfast and played for a little while before Marina went home.

Later that day, Brenna woke up from her nap and said "Where's Rina?"  I want to go play with Rina." She obviously had fun with her buddy.