Brantz Baby On Board

Chores Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 15:07:00 +0000

A few months ago Sammy asked me while we were driving in the car if she could have a baby brother. She begged and pleaded for another baby in our family and since I'm so quick on my feet I suggested a fish instead. She quickly gave up on the brother and became obsessed with getting a fish.

I drew out a chores calendar and every day she brushed her teeth or helped pick up she added a sticker to the calendar. The deal with that once she had completed the month she could get a fish. But, before a recent work trip we were passing by the pet store and I caved.

After she filled the hand drawn calendar, I suggested we get her an actual chores calendar and we went online and picked one out. Being the rule following, determined girl that she is, she was ecstatic about the calendar and apparently had shared with her class that it was coming and when it did, she would bring it in to class. The days that she waited she was so worried her calendar wouldn't arrive before the weekend and she insisted the Dave send her teacher this note she wrote:

Luckily the calendar arrived later that day and I took it in for her to proudly show all her friends at school.

Full of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 20:36:00 +0000

We recently were sent the link to the photos that were taken of Carina's class. As we scrolled through kids with half smiles and barely looking at the camera, we then got to Carina's two photos:

I mean seriously, could she be any cuter? She is at an especially cute phase right now with a hilarious, high pitched voice that she uses to chatter non-stop. She loves to dance, sing and follow after her big sister. She really is a delight to be around and is always making us all laugh. You can tell the happiness and love she exudes by her pictures.

And...those teeth! Soon I am going to post a photo of her Daddy and Grammy to show exactly where those teeth came from! They will most definitely require braces but I believe they add to her big personality.

Kindergarten!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:45:00 +0000

Today was Samantha's first day of elementary school at Columbine Elementary. She is carrying on a family tradition because this is the same school her Dad and Tia Molly went to as well. She has been anxiously awaiting her first day of kindergarten and the anticipation has been building these last few weeks before school.

We drove to Dave's parents house and from there walked over to Columbine with Sammy's entourage of me, Dave, Carina, Grammy, Pops, Sara and Michael. Good thing she has a few people who love her right? We took some photos, she played at the playground and then she lined up and they took them into class. I waited until she walked away before I cried, but just for a moment. We are so proud of her and what a kind, smart, fun, little girl she is.

The program at Columbine is a bi-literacy program and half of her class is English as a second language. She has her core curriculum in English with the other English speakers and then the class is mixed with Spanish and English speakers for homeroom, arts, music, etc. We are all excited for her to begin learning Spanish.

She was worn out at the end of the day. She is a very focused child to begin with and a full day of undivided attention is going to be a lot for her, but when Grammy picked her up she exclaimed "It was so much fun!". Our little baby is growing up, hard to believe 5 years ago we were doing this. We have all come a long way.

You can see all the photos we took from her first day here.

My Baby in a Big Girl Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Last week Carina got her very own big girl bed. She has slept in there without a problem for the past week. She is such an easy going kid and she just rolls with the punches. I have been impressed at how easy transitions are for her.

I will admit to feeling pretty emotional about taking the crib down. And, I've been going through all her baby stuff to give away. There are many parts of this next phase of our kids' lives that I'm excited about...no more diapers, getting sleep, traveling, camping, movie nights, etc. But we all know I love babies and it is sad knowing we are past that time now for our family.

This video is pretty cute, you can see how excited we all are as the bed is unveiled!

Camping

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 03:04:00 +0000

We don't take advantage enough of all the beauty in Colorado but last weekend we got away from Boulder and took the girls camping. We went off the Peak to Peak highway to Rainbow Lakes. Dave and the girls went early in the afternoon to set up camp and I met them later along with Sammy's old friend Drew Hyde from school and his family. The kids loved sleeping in the tent, roasting marshmallows, going on adventure hikes and playing hide and go seek in the woods. It is always nice to get away and was a fun, family adventure for us all.

Five?! Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 03:03:00 +0000

Her new desk from Grammy and Pops

I have been feeling quite emotional about Samantha turning five. Maybe it has to do with the fact that she will be starting kindergarten next month, or how thoughtful and grown up her conversations are these days. Or perhaps it was when I was looking for clothes in the toddler section at Target when I realized I needed to be looking in the little girl section for her now. When I said the other day "I can't believe my baby girl is turning five", she looked at me with a perturbed face and replied "I'm NOT a baby Mom!".

I was smitten with Samantha from the start, and she has taught me so much about myself and continues to be a joy to everyone around her. She is a sensitive, perceptive kid with a wise soul. She likes rules and order and she is very excited about school and getting started with her studies. She is incredibly kind and has learned to combat her shyness and makes fast friends with boys and girls alike.

We are celebrating this year with a pool party (no train!) at Sammy's request. I'll be spending my day remembering the day I became a mother - the hardest and luckiest day of my life. We love you Samantha Lee - Happy Fifth Birthday!

No So Terrible Twos

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:04:00 +0000

By guest blogger David Brantz

Summer is here and Carina Jean is quickly approaching 2.5 years old. Time flies doesn't it? I realized that she should be well into her terrible twos the other day when Carina painfully asked "WHYYYY?!?" (tears in her eyes) in response to my statement, "No, you cannot just have pickles for dinner." :)

Of course, there are a few "WHYYYY?!?" moments now and then, but it is usually over minor things like pickle diet. Tantrums typically end quickly with Carina self-imposing a time out in her room, and overall our smiley Carina is such a sweet and wonderful two year old. She loves to follow her big sis around playing, dancing and laughing together. She is a joy to parent, and the melodic tune of phrases like "thank yooou" or "hi daaddyyyyy" are the cherries on top each day!

Pig Green Red Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:02:00 +0000

by guest blogger David Brantz

A few days ago, Samantha asked me to “write some words down for her to read.” It was great to see this unprovoked interest in reading, but she is so young (kindergarten doesn't start until this fall) and my expectations were low. I randomly wrote the word “PIG” with the pen. Sammy calmly looked at the paper, and to my amazement, sounded it out “puh-ih-guh…..PIG!” I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so big. It was truly amazing – Sammy could read!

Next I wrote “GREEN” (she did need a little help sounding out the hard “EE”), then “RED” and “DOG.” Each word was calmly sounded out and correctly read aloud! We celebrated with a big hug and I could see the sense of pride and accomplishment radiating out of Samantha’s smile. It was one of those moments when you love to be a parent! Sammy has always been an intelligent child, but this was an unexpected surprise that truly warmed my heart.

P.S. My mom keeps reminding me that both Molly and I didn’t start reading until 1^stgrade, so the smart genes must come from Carly’s side of the family. :-)

Carina's Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:32:00 +0000

Last week I took Carina in for her two year check up. This kid has so much personality, it always cracks me up to see how much she draws people in. She chatted with the nurse, stood right up on the scale and showed off how she can count. After Doctor Cohen checked her out, she told him thank you and blew him a kiss. Then, the nurse returned to give her a shot - Carina was very brave and only shed a few tears. Then said thank you to the nurse as we left.

She is a perfect little peanut. Thankfully she has her father's metabolism because as I say, she eats more than any of us and still doesn't even weigh 25 lbs. Her stats are shown below.

Height: 33 inches - 25 percentile
Weight: 24 3/4 lbs - 19 percentile
Head: 19 1/2 inches - 75 percentile

Cousins!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 22:56:00 +0000

by guest blogger David Brantz

One of the things I love about my family is the close relationships that I have with many of my cousins, especially those that are closest to me in age. I have many fond memories of playing together when we were young, sharing holidays/weddings/etc., and growing up through each stage of our lives. The same goes for Carly and her cousins too. We both feel that the cousin bond is special.

For the last 10 days our niece, Lucy Auld, has been visiting Colorado while my sister and brother-in-law are on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. My parents get tons of credit for taking on primary babysitting duty, but Carly and I did take Lucy for a few nights (with the girls’ help, of course). And, even when they weren't all sleeping at the same house, the three girls all got a healthy dose of play time during the day.

It has been a real treat to see the cousin bond grow between these girls. They are starting to become individuals together. I smile big watching them scamper down the hall to go play “monster” or to take a “cousins bath” -their favorite. Samantha (4 ½ years) is the careful nurturing big cousin/sister, with Carina (2 years) and (Lucy 1 ¼ years) both just one step behind.

We’ve loved having Lucy in Boulder, and we hope the cousins will get many more chances to grow their family bond!

Ski Day #1

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:33:00 +0000

By Guest Blogger: David Brantz

On Friday, Samantha had her very first ski day at Eldora Mountain. She is enrolled in a great program for 4-6 year olds called “Eldorables” that meets once a week for 5 weeks. It is an introductory class that teaches kids the basics with a big focus on fun and comfort. Needless to say, I was worried about how Sammy would do (especially on her first day), and my worries were magnified when we arrived on Friday morning to find subfreezing temps, wind, and blowing snow.

The ski school staff helped us get Sammy into her ski boots and skis, and Sammy’s teacher, Daniel, tried to calm my fears by assuring me that it was only half as windy as it had been on the first day of the prior session. Of course, in the end I had nothing to fear. Daniel did a great job of making the class fun for the kids, and Sammy (as usual) was very diligent about following her teacher’s directions. After two hours out in the wind and snow, Sammy could walk up the bunny hill in her ski boots, put on her skis by herself, ski downhill, and take her skis off by herself to start the hike back up to the top. She was so brave and only got a little cold on her fingers by the end. After the lesson, we warmed up with some hot chocolate in the lodge and Sammy told me all about the kids in her class.

I couldn't have planned a better first ski day experience for my little girl.

Look Who's Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:13:00 +0000

Very hard to believe that it was just two years ago when my incredible baby, little Carini was born. I always say that with Samantha, she never had that mischievous look in her eyes that some kids have when you know they are up to something. With Carina, I'm familiar with that sparkle in her eyes because I see it every morning when I look at the mirror. Carina from the start has been bursting with this personality and dazzle that is hard to describe.

Because of her big blue eyes, and blonde hair, people mistakenly think she looks like me. However, while she may have many of my personality traits, she is a little version of her Daddy with lighter features. With those adorable dimples and crooked teeth, she could win anyone over with her infectious smile.

Carina is a tough little peanut. She is always in the lower end of weight and has the tiniest little body yet, she truly eats more than anyone else in our house. She has incredible strength and can pull herself up in a pull up on the dining room table or the railing on a door. After she falls she hops right back up and says "I'm okayyyy!" and you can usually see her with a fat lip, a bruised knee or a bump on her head because of her wild acrobatics off the bed, couch or wherever she can find a challenge. She loves music and has some impressive dance moves when the right moment hits. Definitely has her Grammy's dancing blood.

I've talked a lot about how vocal she is, my favorite two things she does these days happen at bedtime. Every night after reading books, I sing to her the same three songs: You are My Sunshine, Love You Forever, and Skiddle a Rinky Dink. About a month ago she started to sing along with me There is nothing more endearing than hearing her belt out "Skiddle a Rinky Doooooo, I loooove youuuuuu". Then I lay her in her crib and say "I love you Carina" and as I walk out, I hear her say "I love you too Mommy". Melts my heart every time.

Every child is a gift and Carina is such a special one to us. She is a bright ray of sunshine in every one of my days. Happy second birthday to my baby girl, Carina Jean Brantz.

So Much to Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0000

I know I've been in yet another blogging slump. Dave has agreed to help contribute to the blog which I am really looking forward to and I am going to try and make more of a commitment as well. We will see if we can keep this thing going a bit longer.

Since I last wrote the big highlights have been:

Our friends Ashley and Don and their son Mason were living with Ashley's parents for 3 months and we spent all our time together! Carina has a special place in her heart for Ashley and when they weren't around she would constantly ask "Where's my Ash?" We all miss them terribly since they moved the long trek to Denver.
Dave and I got into what I would say was our biggest ever marital disagreement for months about where Samantha would attend elementary school next year. Long story but after many arguments, school tours and advice from others, we decided and feel good about her attending Columbine, the same school Dave went to as a kid.
We spent Thanksgiving in Florida visiting Tia Molly, Uncle Brian and Baby Lucy in Florida. The girls love Lucy and play very well with her. We then had a fun, packed holiday season celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas and the new year.
Our incredible Broncos season came to a much too early end with Samantha yelling at me during the game that I needed to "Calm down!"
I went to Mexico on my company kick off event. I am incredibly happy at my job and have the best coworkers. We had an amazing time until everyone was wiped out by a horrible norovirus which caused about 80% of the company to be violently ill.

I have a few more weeks until my crazy travel schedule kicks in again. I make myself so anxious leading up to travel times and I hate thinking about being gone so much. Then the trips happen, Dave is super dad with the HUGE help of super Grandma and Grammy and everyone is just fine.

Best Buds

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:11:00 +0000

The girls have entered a new phase where they truly play with each other. Being an only child for 15 years I have very little experience with this sibling experience but it amazes me every day. They really play for hours together; playing make believe, jumping on the bed, dancing, wrestling, hugging, coloring and debating on which show to watch.

Of course they have their battles as well. They both know how to push the other's buttons. I've seen Carina grab something important of Samantha's and run like the wind (it is pretty hilarious). And of course Samantha can be a bossy older sister and Carina is not always receptive. I know they will have their moments throughout the years but I hope they will always love each other and recognize what a special friend they have in each other.

Travel Times

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 05:06:00 +0000

I had a crazy couple of months of travel for work, I was gone for at least some of four of six weeks in a row which was pretty intense. I was in Boston, New York City, San Francisco and San Francisco again. Now I am back at home with no plans of travel until January which is great.

Work travel like that is confusing because as a guilty person by nature I have guilt no matter what is happening. When I'm traveling and enjoying myself - eating out, going out with coworkers, feeling the thrill of speaking in front of others I feel guilty that I am missing out on my time with Dave and the girls and all that is going on in their lives. It's one of those no-win scenarios of life.

I was at a birthday party in the midst of all my travel and one of the moms said to me, "Oh my, you work full time and you travel? That must be so terrible for you, and so difficult leaving them." I didn't want to tell of the reasons why I enjoy it too.

I do think there is something to be said to owning the enjoyment. It is great to travel without kids, to go to interesting places and do work that is fulfilling. It is also gratifying to doing that and being a huge part of the girls' lives and showing them how to be a successful woman who works. I'm going to focus on the enjoyment rather than the guilt and see if I can't turn things around. Plus, my next trip will be with the entire family in tow, I'll enjoy that too for completely different reasons. As the french proverb states: "Gratitude is the memory of the heart" and I'm planning to keep it all very close to mine.

Chatty Carina

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:34:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write for months about Carina and her speech. Primarily because it is another way she differs so much from Samantha. It has also been a great lesson for me about how different kids can be while neither being "right" or "wrong". Sammy, as we all know, was a late talker, she did communicate though with a wide variety of signs but she didn't do a lot of trying to communicate with words until she could really do it perfectly.

Carina on the other hand tries to say just about everything. You ask her if she can say book, baby, dog, cow, etc. and she will attempt it almost always. I loved when my Papa and Grandma Modina were visiting and Carina could say "Papa and Grandma Mo". She babbles away constantly and once you get the hang of her dialect, much of it is understandable.

It is frustrating for us, and more so for her when she is trying, really, really trying, to convey something but can't quite get it across. The other day she wanted to brush her teeth and was saying repeatedly what sounded like "stay stoooo". I could see her getting more upset as she continued to say it more, and more, louder and louder when I finally understood she was asking about her "step stool". (Note to Aunt Diane, those step stools are big hits around our house!).

Recently, Carina has started to string two and three words together now too, my favorites are her latest "Look at me, look at me!" or "I need that!" - such a character already.

Carina's First Day of School!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Pretty girl ready for her first day.

Monday began Carina's preschool career at the Journey School where Sammy has gone for the past year and a half. She will go twice a week to give Grandma and Grammy a little extra relief and to give Carina some extra play time. She is very familiar with the school itself after taking Sammy to class each week.

In my opinion, it is very special how the Journey School is set up in that the students and teachers stay with each other year to year as they progress through. Of course some new students will be added but they do a great job at providing a stable environment for the kids and helping to develop friendships. It is fun to think of these kids being together for the next four years until kindergarten.

I lingered in her class for about half an hour as she got comfortable and checked out her new scene and then I quietly left without making a fuss. According to her teacher, she smiled all day (shocker!), was very active and ate well for lunch! When asked if she had fun she enthusiastically said yes! More on all her talking in my next blog post..what a difference there is between these two girls of ours.

Sisters heading to school

Heading into school like she owns the place!

The Month in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:34:00 +0000

Once again I have been terribly neglectful of the blog. I've considered giving up on it all together but I really want to have record of Carina's first few years so I'm going to attempt to make it awhile longer. I have a lot of catching up to do and a handful of posts that are written in my head but I'll condense them into one longer post.

Since I last wrote, we had Sammy's birthday party. It poured rain all afternoon but let up just in time for the Vern the conductor to bring the train out. Aunt Patty and Jordan came from Omaha and Patty brought Samantha the most adorable conductor outfit which she wore proudly.

After the party, Aunt Patty, Jordan, Grammy and Sammy went up to Aspen to visit Grandma Jean and Grandpa Allen. They had a fantastic time and Carina enjoyed having a few days being the center of attention.

Carina's shag hair was getting a bit out of control so I took her in for her first haircut, which like most things, she smiled all the way through.

The first weekend of August, we had dinner club so the girls spent the night with Grammy and Pops. When we picked them up the next morning, we had an official bike rider on our hands! Pops had taught Samantha the last tricks to give her the confidence and she was off! Nowadays, she spends hours circling the block. We are so proud of her!

We also were lucky enough to have two visits with Baby Lucy. Carina has come around and rather than being jealous gave Lucy lots of love and hugs. Sammy is a great big cousin and the three girls had a great time together.

And lastly, we went to Oklahoma last weekend to celebrate the marriage of my Grandma to Bud Barnes. All the grandkids were bridesmaids in red and the great grandkids were flower girls. We had a really nice visit and I couldn't be happier that my Grandma is so happy and in love.

Quite an eventful month for the Brantz family. Hope you all are enjoying your summer. The girls both start school on Monday so I'll report how Carina does as she starts preschool soon!

Much Needed Vacation!

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 23:04:00 +0000

Dave and I just returned from an incredible 8 day vacation without the kids. We went on a dive trip to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands with a group of great friends and then we stopped back through Florida for the wedding of Dave's cousin Dan in Palm Beach.

We have never left both kids for so long and my parents were on full time duty with Dave's parents in Florida visiting Molly, Brian and Lucy. I was feeling very anxious about leaving, the toll it would take on my parents and about how Samantha and Carina would do being apart from us for so long.

It was a long travel day getting to the resort but once we had some time to settle in, we had the best time. I had forgotten how much I enjoy scuba diving and it was great to have time alone with Dave to remember why we like each other so much. After morning dives, we lay on the beach, floated in the water, enjoyed fruity rum drinks, read and laughed with our friends. It was one of those vacations that I didn't realize until we were doing it, how much I needed it.

And, of course the girls did great and my mom (and even my dad and sister too) were rock stars with the kids. Carina went to her own class at Sammy's school during the week which she absolutely loved. I was a bit nervous on one of our last days as Sammy gave us the cold shoulder and looked away during our Skype conversation, but I think her birthday served as the perfect distraction to any animosity she had when we got home. Everyone survived just fine - remind me to do it more often!

Officially Four

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 21:52:00 +0000

As I put Samantha to bed last night we discussed her birthday and she asked me if tomorrow was going to be her birthday "officially". To which I replied yes. So, happy official birthday to my sweet Samantha.

I have been describing Samantha lately as a four year old in a 65 year old mind. She talks in a proper way with a truly impressive vocabulary. She is extremely nurturing and often worried about her friends at school and always about her baby sister that they are being a little too reckless. She is extremely focused and in her ballet class, at school or at pottery is always the most attentive to teachers and excels at following rules. She has a heart of gold and I am often taken aback by her genuine concern for others, her sweet disposition and her incredible manners.

For some time she has been requesting a pedal bike for her birthday. She is an impressive Strider but she was ready to move on to greater things. She was delighted to see her purple and pink (her very favorite colors), princess, pedal bike. And, of course she chose to wear a princess dress and crown for her birthday day. We are celebrating with the train in the park with a big party this Friday. Happy birthday to my sweet, kind, incredibly smart and beautiful Sammy Lee. We are so proud to be your parents!

Closer to Fine

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:58:00 +0000

Sunday night I went to the Indigo Girls concert at Chautauqua auditorium. It is a rustic, intimate venue and is historic Boulder which I love. I went with two friends that went to law school with Dave and before the concert, we enjoyed a beautiful evening on the lawn with a picnic dinner with wine.

Indigo Girls always make me think of my best friend Ryan, she and I were obsessed with the Indigo Girls in college. We spent many a night smoking cigarettes, writing poetry and listening to emotional music about life and mapping out our astrological charts. When I listen to their music I feel 19 again and have a strange feeling of wanting to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time.

As a Christmas gift in 1997, Ryan got us both tickets to see the Indigo Girls. Unfortunately about an hour before we were set to leave, Ryan was unable to find the tickets. We literally ripped apart the entire house we lived in and Ryan was sobbing. We even went to the music store to try and repurchase the tickets but it was sold out. To make up for our heart ache over the lost tickets, we got tickets to the Lilith Fair that summer to see Indigo Girls along with other “all women” shows which prompted my Dad to have a very awkward conversation about whether or not I was a lesbian. With all the time I spent with Ryan, my tongue piercing and affinity for the Indigo Girls, his coworker deemed me as a “definite lesbian”.

I think my favorite Indigo Girls song is The Wood and I was so happy to hear them play it on Sunday. It seems to have summed up not only my college years but the last few years as well. The end of the song says:

And even I have got to laugh at me

No one gets to miss the storm of what will be

Just holding on for the ride

The wood is tired and the wood is old

We'll make it fine if the weather holds

But if the weather holds we'll have missed the point

And, that's where I need to go…

Changing the Tide

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:06:00 +0000

I'll admit I was feeling nervous as this week approached. This is the dreaded week of the year for me and was an especially hard one for me last year as I got laid off from my job. Rather than getting horrible news this year, I found out that I was promoted at work. Yay!

My new job has been a blessing in more ways than I can explain. I have an incredible group of friends now that I didn't have last year. I have been given a purpose to build and grow a business and marketing group that I frankly wasn't aware existed or was possible for me.

My blog is certainly suffering because I'm so busy with work. I consistently think about giving up this blog but want to do my best to keep it alive for another year. Just know that things with the Brantz Family and babies are well. Better than ever, in fact.

Dinner Club - Our Turn

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:49:00 +0000

Dinner club had taken a bit of a hiatus but we brought it back on Saturday at our house. We prepared a Mexican fiesta complete with homemade salsa, guacamole, tortilla soup, chicken enchiladas, black bean salad, spanish rice and tres leches cake. If I do say so myself, it was delicious and it was so fun to get the group back together. We had our guys vs. girls charades face off once again and the ladies won, second year in a row.

Not What I Was Expecting

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:39:00 +0000

I woke up on Wednesday to Samantha wishing me happy birthday, was serenaded by my Grandma and then went to wake up Carina. It smelled awful in her room and I quickly realized she had thrown up all over her crib at some point in the night. Not only did she have vomit all over her crib but it was caked into her hair and pajamas.

My mom arrived and helped me clean Carina up and everyone seemed alright as I left for work. Lucky for me I have an amazing and kind group of people that I work with. I had flowers and cards on my desk when I arrived which was incredibly thoughtful and we all went to lunch to celebrate my birthday. Have I mentioned how much I love my job and the people I work with?

I had plans to go with Dave, the girls, my parents and in-laws to dinner but shortly after naps it was Samantha's round of vomiting. We called off dinner and instead I spent my evening cleaning up and looking after Sammy. Wasn't exactly the day I was expecting but it was still filled with so much joy and I was humbled by all the kind wishes of my friends.

A few weeks ago I attended the funeral of a co-worker of mine from Return Path. This strong, sassy, hilarious and vibrant woman had battled cancer for nearly a decade and was a single mother to a young daughter. I was struck after her death by all the inspiring words on her Facebook page. There was an outpouring of love where everyone (me included) described the impact she had made on our lives. I was very empty though knowing that we missed our chance to tell her. Rather than dwelling on the moments I have missed with people close to my heart, I decided on my birthday that my resolution this year is to let everyone know on their birthdays what they mean to me and how glad I am that they were born.

Series of Three

noreply@blogger.com (Carly Brantz) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Madeline - Easter 1994

Samantha - Easter 2009

Carina - Easter 2012