Self sufficient

Bria was playing quietly, intently, by herself. Here's a short clip of her imagination at work entertaining her (while NOVA runs in the background - clearly that is not entertaining.)

Bria-isms

Upon seeing this photo in my news feed...

Bria: "Is that a mommy?"

Mom: "No, it's a man."

Bria: (closer inspection) "But he has boobs!"

(Justin says that should say beewbs. By the way, this is the story behind that pic: http://bit.ly/15Pru0z)

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After watching Bria get ice cream on her face, then bend down to rub her face on the blanket wrapped around her...

Dad: "Don't wipe your face on the blanket!"

Bria: "I was wiping the blanket on my face!"

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Sleeping Beauty

There's something really wonderful about the way children can feel free to sleep anywhere. This may be the biggest bummer about growing up!

Pre-school

Bria is going to pre-school at the Corcoran School while Mommy works for a few months. She LOVES it! The school is very high tech, with a computer lab, library, and a playground she has been wanting to try out since they first started building the school. Mommy and Daddy can check in on Bria anytime during the day by logging onto a computer and viewing one of the many cameras throughout the school. It looks like she is having a really great time, and she is learning a lot.

Bria and one of her teachers working on a dry-erase worksheet where she finds the one that's different. She didn't notice Mommy standing in the door watching. She was really good at it!

Christmas Cards

Bria and Daddy putting together the Christmas cards.

Sunscreen and carpet cleaning

"Mommy, I have to tell you something," Bria said, emerging from the hallway.

I could see that she was covered in some sort of white cream, but she looked so apologetic, it was all I could do keep a straight face as she climbed onto my lap.

"I put on sunscreen so I could go outside," she said.

Her shirt was white with sunscreen, and she had it on her cheeks, legs (she was not wearing pants), and hands. We talked about maybe bringing it to Mom next time so that she could put the sunscreen on for her. Then we looked out the window -- at the first blizzard of the year in North Dakota -- and talked about why we wouldn't be going outside today, definitely not dressed in our t-shirt.

I went to the kitchen to get her a washcloth and changed her clothes, then we got busy with snack time and playing with puzzles and reading books. Soon the sunscreen was totally forgotten about.

A few hours later I was fixing supper and had to use the washroom -- apparently the first time I had been down the hall since the incident -- and found what Bria had really meant when she said she had to tell me something! The carpet in the hallway was no longer green. Instead it was solid white in several large areas, completely covered in sunscreen. The empty bottle lay on the floor nearby.

I pulled out the carpet cleaner, and Bria came into the hall.

"I made the mess, I'll clean it up," she said.

And she did.

The Wrong Sort of Bees: The Topic of Giving

The Wrong Sort of Bees: The Topic of Giving: Like many parents, we work hard to instill a sense of the world in our children, and to teach them to do what they can to make a difference....