What a Deal!

Mommy and Daddy are trying to discuss something and Ella interrupts us with, "If you turn on the TV and let us watch something, you guys can talk".

Now, THAT'S a deal!

Gotta be ME

Back story.... There's this GREAT hiphop children's musician, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, who does this awesome song called "Gotta be me". As the title of the song implies, it's about not bowing to peer pressure -- the lyrics go something like, "Who ya gotta be?" and the response is, "I gotta be ME!" This is one of our favorite songs and when we hear it on the radio we turn it up and sing as loud as we can. We also talk about it a lot with Katie and Ella -- how no matter what, you gotta be who you are.... it's a wonderful lesson for kids, right? Quite possibly, for all of us...

The rest of the story... One night we were trying to get the kids in bed for the night and Ella was being especially fussy... cranky, nothing was right... completely giving us the business. Bill said something to the effect of, "Ella, why are you so fussy?" Her reply? "Dad, I gotta be me!"

Ella's New 'Do

Ella had in mind exactly what kind of hair-do she wanted... "Mom, I want it in twisty piggytails." It took me several trys, but I got it! As you can see from the look on her face, she is VERY happy with the results.

I added a couple of scrunchies with ribbons and it was PERFECT!

Tinkling the Ivories

Katie has taken an interest in the piano recently... she 'practices' just about every day and is actually pecking out some really pretty tunes. She seems to get lost in the music and enjoys playing. As someone who loves playing the piano, I sort of hope her interest continues.

July 4th Festivities

I'm just now getting caught up on blogging and finally made it to the July 4th Festivities! We had another wonderful Lake Barcroft Parade this year. Instead of the stroller, the girls decorated their bikes for the parade. Mom and dad had to do a bit of pushing/guiding and there was a little walking by the girls (there are some big hills in our neighborhood!), but for the most part they did a great job riding the parade route. The parade ended at the beach and we all had lemon aid and cookies -- nothing beats this neighborhood!!!

Ella decorating her bike.


Katie and Mommy working on hers.

The whole family, including Mimi, was in on the decorating fun.

Riding up Fiddlers Green, guided by the sound of the bass drum...

And, here's the (nearly) World Famous Lake Barcroft Band kicking off the parade.

Ella in front of a group of Lincolns, celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday!

Katie getting ready to roll.

Daddy and Katie taking a little break from riding.

PS: Notice the SAME red & blue dresses (now shirts!) the girls have on... check out last year's July 4th blog and you'll see that they've worn them for 4 years now -- Aunt Bonnie keeps telling me I should let Old Navy know how much wear we've gotten out of these dresses - we could be their next ad campaign!
http://thebriggirls.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-4th-celebrations.html

Later that evening we headed to the Pentagon parking lot to see the fireworks on the Mall -- it was a great view and not too loud and we were home in a jiff -- perfect ending to a GREAT day! Happy Independence Day America!!!

Going Away Play Date

The mom's in Terumi's neighborhood had a little going away play date for Anna Yuki. All the kids had fun playing dress up and basically ram-sacking Ms Kristen's house. Each kid decorated a scrapbook page with photos and notes for Anna Yuki so that she could remember all her friends. It was a really cute idea, but I think it made it real for Anna Yuki (and Katie & Ella) that they might not see one another for a long, long time. It was a bittersweet day...

Ella is in the black witch's hat. Katie is next to her in the princess crown and princess dress. Anna is just above Ella holding a stick with a pom-pon on the end.

Petting Zoo Fun

Before Ms Terumi and Anna Yuki left, we tried to pack our days with as many fun things as possible. One day we loaded the girls up and took them to a nearby petting zoo. The girls had the most fun riding the pony and the 25 cent merry-go-round. Katie and Ella weren't too fond of the other animals and I can't say I blame them -- they were quite smelly!

Ella decided to take a turn behind the camera... Here's her shot of me and Ms Terumi...
and one of Anna Yuki.

Ella really enjoyed riding the pony...

as did Katie.

Ella was very brave and let the pony eat out of her hand! I was impressed because I know how afraid she was. That kid's bravery constantly amazes me -- so often I have seen her face her fears head-on. I'm so proud of her for that!

The girls take a ride on the (pretend) rhino!

And the final bit of fun was on the merry-go-round.

Speaking of Cookies

The other night I began reading a book the girls had picked out for their bedtime story. It's called, "Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons". It's a GREAT book, by the way -- beautiful illustrations and a cute 'cookie' inspired definitions, such as "FAIR means, You get a bite, I get a bite..." Back to MY story... I lie down between the girls' beds and begin reading, "... Cookies...", I say, but before I can say another word, Ella interrupts. She says, "Speaking of cookies... can we have one for a bedtime snack?" ...As if she had the whole thing planned... :-)

Hangin' Out at the Mall

One thing I love about living in (okay, near) DC is that "hangin' out at the Mall" takes on a whole new meaning. Bill saw that Buckwheat Zydeco was playing at DC's Jazz Fest, so we loaded up the girls and headed downtown. Unfortunately, it was a warm day and the girls weren't agreeable to sitting in the sun and just listening to music for very long, so we took a stroll down the Mall and...

Rode the carousal...

checked out the flower garden...

had an ice cream...

and checked out the Washington Monument up close.

Ella decided to take a turn behind the camera. Here's Mommy & Katie...

and then Daddy & Katie in front of the Washington Monument.

Then Katie took a turn behind the camera...

Daddy & Ella

Family photo sans Katie.

Later, we found a shady spot by a giant water fountain. The girls decided to put on their swim goggles so the water wouldn't get in their eyes.

Daddy's Retirement Ceremony

Lt Col Brigman's last day in uniform. We are all smiling because it means no more deployments and more time with Daddy! Hooray!!!

Lots of family and friends came for Daddy's ceremony and big party. In this picture are: Pop (Daddy's daddy), Granny (Daddy's daddy's mommy), Uncle Andy (Daddy's little brother), Mommy, Ella, Katie (on right with bow on top of head), Aunt Bonnie (Daddy's little sister), and Mimi (Daddy's mommy).

Little Gym's "Big Show"

The girls have been taking a beginner's gymnastics class at Little Gym with their best friend, Anna Yuki. The final day of class was their "Big Show".

Katie, Anna, and Ella getting ready for the show to start. You can tell how excited they are!

After their big entrance, waiting for the rest of their classmates.

Monkeying around on the low bar. Katie upside-down.

Ella's turn.

Katie on the high bar -- a huge achievement because she was VERY afraid!
Ella (below) actually did a flip on the high bar, but my camera wasn't fast enough to catch it.

The class getting their medals for a job well done!

Ella, Anna, and Katie showing off their medals.

Princess Dresses or Christening Gowns?

I was going through some things and found the girls' christening gowns -- Gowns that my mother made for them when they were 8 months old. The girls saw them too and, of course, just HAD to try them on. Much to my amazement, those gowns actually FIT Katie and Ella! They are still a little long, but with princess shoes, they are just the right length.

Katie at 8 months in her Christening gown.

Katie at 4-and-a-half in her Princess dress.


Katie giving me a princess smile and pose.



Katie (left) and Ella doing their 'princess' pose together.

Ella at 4-and-a-half giving me her 'princess' pose in her princess dress.

Ella at 8 months giving me her 'happy baby princess' pose.

Ella (with Momma) and Katie (with Daddy) and GiGi at their Baptism. You'll notice Ella's red face. She cried off and on all through the ceremony. It was later that I found the pin that was accidentally left in the dress -- poor baby!