Brie and the Grizzly Affair

Allow me to set the stage.

This morning The Man and I took River to the pediatrician to check out a problematic cold that has been sticking around for the last few days or so. Seeing as how tomorrow we are getting on a plane for Thanksgiving break, we wanted to try and knock this thing out beforehand if at all possible.

You know...

Perhaps it was the upcoming holiday rest bit...

Perhaps it was the buzzing waiting room...

Perhaps it was even the significant lack of sleep both The Man and I have been experiencing lately.

But whatever the culprit, Robert and I were quite happy sitting in that doctor's office. Slap Happy that is.

As we waited for River's name to be called, The Man and I began to joke about potential future baby names. The more outrageous the name, the louder we laughed.

The Man: "No babe, sorry but our next son is going to be named Grizzly. Case closed."

Me: "Uhhhh.... no. First of all, we cannot have a son named River...and then a son named Grizzly. Second of all, his nickname would be Griz. Third of all, there is NO WAY we are naming him Grizzly.. that's like naming the poor kid ROCK."

....LITERALLY two seconds later....

[The Nurse emerges]

"WOLFE?" she calls out.

I kid you not, the woman and little boy sitting DIRECTLY across from us get up!!

I could have DIED.

To make matters worse, I was so mortified that I nervously began to laugh as they passed by us...then I nervously began to laugh so hard that I started CRYING! Which only made Robert laugh even harder than he already was.

Moral of the story?

#BrieFail

Halloween 2013

Some of the greatest memories I have from my childhood are wrapped around, and connected to, the different traditions my parent's instilled in our family. Some of those I hope to infuse into my own little family, and others I hope to create myself (along with Robert of course).

This year, Halloween marked the first calendar holiday we had as a family of 3 vs. just a family of 2. It dawned on me...perhaps later than it should have...that now the tradition making portion of life falls heavily on me (and again, Robert of course). Even though River is only 3 months old, I think it is important to start these sort of things even now. Sure, they will probably morph and change over the next few years until we figure out what works best with our tribe, but figuring those things out is part of the fun; part of the adventure.

Last night, we invited a few of our friends, as well as Grammy and Grandpa J, over to our place to enjoy the seminary's annual chili cook-off. It was too...CHILI... (BA DAP BA BAAAA...) for us to care much about casting our vote for "Best Chili," so we just grabbed our grub and ran. Inside the warmth of our apartment, we all enjoyed our feast, as well as some warm apple cider, before the kiddos headed out to Trick-or-Treat. Robert and I hung back to pass out candy because...well...let's face it, taking a 3 month old Trick-or-Treating is basically Robert and I saying "Hey Jack, GIVE. US. YO. CANDY!"

After the kids finished, they returned back to our place to divvy up their loot, enjoy some more cider and cookies, and veg out a bit to "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!"

All in all, super fun night. Will any part of last night turn into an annual tradition? Who knows... but right now it sure is fun figuring it all out.

PS: Yesterday also marked 3 months of life for little River. Here's a video for you son. We LOVE being your parents! Keep growing, keep learning, and keep being awesome.

(Obviously couldn't figure out how to turn the camera off at the end there...)
XO

Snugs

Ode to my Husband

This is my husband.

And he is the MOST.

I love him. I adore him. I learn from him. I'm better because of him.

 And on this Valentine's Day, as I watch him do simple things like fix a cup of coffee, or push up his glasses as he reads, or look up at me and smile, I'm given these little glimpses into my husband's heart, and I get to see just how pure in heart he truly is. My husband, though imperfect and still in transition, understands the heart of God in ways that I only do because of him. And as we are put to one test after another, I see him rise to every occasion leading our little family in what it looks like to extend grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy in a plethora of situations.

Though you are only on loan to me in this lifetime, you are all mine.

My lover and my friend.

The first time we ever hung out--LA Dodgers Game--

The dinner you spent a majority of the night chasing me around :)

 But by the end of this 114 degree hike and weekend, I knew I'd met my husband.

The first meal you ever cooked me.

Where you told me you loved me for the first time.

 When you asked me to marry you.

When we continuously joked about scrapping the entire wedding and just eloping in Vegas.

 But we made it to that day, and it was well beyond worth it.

Oh, AND I got to see you bust your first move!

I love this man.

My forever Valentine.

XO

Snugs

One Last LA Christmas [Tree]

Ok, truth be told, these photos are so close up, because if I zoomed out, our apartment would look like it threw up on itself. There are boxes, and packing materials, items, and nicknacks all over the place! I cannot believe our move to Colorado is coming up so fast! But The Man and I truly are excited.

One thing to know about me is that I LOVE Christmas (who doesn't!?). So imagine my delight when Robert stated that he felt we should decorate one last time before we leave. 

Heart Mellllllllllllting. 

So we ventured out in the pouring down rain crisp Los Angeles December air to the Home Depot to choose our dignified Douglas Fir. 

Once home, our Naughton family tradition commenced 

(we started this last year in our first year of marriage.)

1. Setting up the tree

2. Robert strings the lights (I literally cannot do it for some reason)

3. Begin decorating

Oh... and all the while watching...

...wait for it...

4. This Is Spinal Tap

Yep :)

Enjoy some snaps from our day.

xo.

Thank FILLED

"I will praise the name of God with a song; 

I will magnify Him with Thanksgiving."

-Psalm 69:30

Lord, thank you for this year. Thank you for all the pain, the difficulty, the learning curves, and the joyous shouts. Thank you for my husband; a man that is undeserved, a gift only You could give. Thank you for my family; the family I was born into, the family I have inherited, and the family everlasting. Thank you for my life; my life now, and my life to come.

Below are some snaps from our day together.

xo.

We Do It On The Third

This year our community group decided to get a little crazy, and celebrate our country's independence on July 3rd! 

I know, I know...

We had a delicious BBQ at the beautiful house of Derik and Jennifer, where all the kiddos in the group...including some of the big kiddos...enjoyed a night full of swimming and trampoline jumping.

Here are some snaps from the night.

Daddy Dearest

Father's Day.

I woke up this morning thinking about a memory I had from when I was little. Growing up, for some of my life anyway, we lived in Williamsburg, VA. Yes, Williamsburg- the colonial butter churning capitol of the world. But in so many ways, it was this incredible setting for a beautiful and picturesque childhood. 

Anyway, this memory. 

My dad use to have this old white convertible BMW that he would wash every so often in our driveway. Well, clearly, I wanted to do everything my dad did when I was little, so I would wheel out my red and yellow play-school car (the one you pushed with your feet) and would proceed to wash MY car next to his. I would watch how my dad washed his car, and then I would do the very same to my car.

My dad always did have this great way of leading by example.

As some of you may (or may not) know, I write a column for an online magazine (soon to be print!) called Darling Magazine. Click HERE for a link to an article I wrote about the history of Father's Day

Happy Father's Dad, I love you so very much.

Memorial D[LA]Y

We couldn't have asked for a better Memorial Day here in Los Angeles. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and every where you looked families were enjoying a much needed day off together. 

Seeing as how Los Angeles is one of the most transient cities in the U.S. it is rare that any of our friends are actual native Angelinos. So, we improvised and had our own version of Family Day. We headed out to our beloved Griffith Park, where we spent the afternoon with much of our community group picnicking, sun bathing, and playing a hearty round of Catch Phrase. 

Here are some snaps from our day.