#proudmom

I think I'm going try out being a hashtagger for a while, I think it might be the key to happiness, we'll see I guess.

I'm going to tell you all a secret, brace yourself.  Brisa is strong willed. I know what you're thinking "what?  Brisa?  But she is always so calm cool and collected, you must be thinking of someone else" But it's true guys, shes difficult.  I like to tell myself that I got this child because she needed a mom with extra patience and God said "I know just the woman" and sent her to me.  It's a compliment!  Either that or its because of all those times my mom said "I hope you get a child just like you!" I can only assume this is because she enjoyed raising me so much that she hoped I would be able to experience it someday!

While I sometimes feel sorry for myself, lately I have been feeling like it is the biggest blessing!  I would like to preface this by saying I am not "Braggy mom"  I hate "Braggy mom" what with her organic produce and her kid that learned to walk a week before yours.  You know the type, I am not the type.  But since She is turning 3 in just 8 short days I wanted to brag in a humble, my kid is better than yours, but I wont say that out loud kind of way.

She loves her baby brother and would do anything for him.  Even if it means lying to Mommy.  I used to get mad when I would be telling Carson to not hit me and he was laughing and Brisa was in the background saying "He said sorry mama, it was an accident!"  Now instead of seeing it as a lie, I see it for what it is, her trying to protect her baby brother.  I still explain that she shouldn't make things up, but in a kinder way.

They like to go through the mail together, she opens the envelopes, he rips up the contents.  The dream team.

She is full of ideas.  She's always getting into something or thinking of her next big idea.  She pulls so many stunts that other parents ask me for my latest Brisa stories because apparently other kids don't climb on counters and dump entire bags of flour and sugar and salt out because they were in the mood for some cookie baking and thought they could do it themselves.  Sometimes you just have to embrace the crazy, yes it was a huge mess, and yes it made me crazy, but she didn't mean any harm and it was adorable.

She does know how to read a recipe.

She is so creative!  She loves coloring and doing crafts.  Of course we can only do that kind of thing while Carson is asleep, but I think she would craft all day if she could.  And I think she is really good!

She runs to the coloring table the second we walk in to Old Navy.  She also knows exactly where the bathroom is.  Do I shop there too much?  Nah! 

We play with playhough everyday.  

She runs away sometimes if we put her in her running shoes because she just gets too excited (I know this is why she does it because I asked).  Of course she gets a lecture because running away could get her kidnapped(she's adorable and her curly hair makes her a huge target), but I understand that she isn't trying to be difficult, she's just practicing for track try outs.  A friend of mine actually helped me embrace this particular personality trait.

She' s a natural born athlete.

She is so smart!  Brisa recently learned how to say a few words more clearly and she is pretty proud of herself.  For example: Yellow used to be "lellow"
"Yellow.  I can say yellow!?  I can say yellow!!!"
Candy cane used to be candy candy
"Where's my candy cane?  Hey I said candy cane!!"
She also thinks she can say restaurant and now home cooking is beneath her
"We need to eat at a restranaut, Mommy.  I can say restranaut."

She talks like a little adult!
Me: "Brisa we have to go, Daddy is already waiting for us with Santa, please come down here and get your shoes on"
Pea: "Daddy and Santa are waiting for us?  Oh Crap!"
I just see it as another word she has learned to use (flawlessy) and I tried not to laugh as I told her she wasn't allowed to say it anymore.

She also likes to critique my home making skills:
"Mommy, when you see the clothes you need to hang them up.  You didn't clean them up, you were just sleeping, but you need to clean up, it's your job Mommy!"

"Aww.  Potatoes again, We just had those the other day!  *sigh* you need to try harder Mom"

"Oh no!!  The counters are a mess Moooom!  you hafta clean them up!  Its your job Mama!"

She might have a touch of OCD.  She organizes everything by colors and has a total melt down if you try to put her to bed without cleaning every inch of her room isn't clean.  While its hard sometimes, like when she's asleep in the car as we drive home late and then wakes up during the transfer and we have to clean her room at midnight.  All we want to do is sleep, but her yelling "I can't sleep, my room is a dirty, mess!  We hafta clean it!!" kinda keeps us up.  At least I don't have one of those kids who refuses to clean their room, that sounds rough.  Maybe that will be Carson, who knows.

She also is very in touch with her emotions and is able to tell me exactly how she feels and why.  I love that I can ask her why she is crying and she will give me a whole back story about how daddy told her no, but she wanted to anyway and he said she would get time out, but she didn't stop and then she got time out and it made her sad.

She's got style!  She dresses herself everyday and while sometimes I get nervous people will think I actually dress her in head to toe purple I love that she knows what she likes.  And now I know that she loves purple and that she would appreciate a new pair of purple pants.

Purple lady.

Runway ready

She is the best daughter ever.  Sometimes Chad and I just sit up at night talking about all the funny things Brisa said and did that day.  Like the time she started a vicious pregnancy rumor about me by telling her nursery teachers that I was going to have a baby girl.  Such a prankster.