bray, party of four

Coming to an end.....

2009-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family. I just wanted to let you know that I probably won't be blogging anymore. We are trying to update our facebook account more frequently and I don't have time to do it with our blog too. With my new 2nd grade teaching position, it has just taken up alot more of my time. Please continue to read on our facebook and see current pictures and stuff. Thanks.

Some random and then the wedding..

2009-06-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

So much has happened these past few weeks so I will keep it brief and just highlight a few things. First, London got into some lipstick of mine and chose to paint her face with it. Silly girl!!
This is just one Sunday morning and the girls were in good moods so I thought I would try and get some pictures in. They really do love eachother.

Of course they love their daddy too!!

And mommy!!

Here's our Pops with 3 of his angels....

Lastly, my little brother got married on Saturday. It really was beautiful. He has a gorgeous new bride they we all love very much. Here's just a few pictures from that day. I hope to post more later...

A party, a bounce house, birdhouses, a dance recital, and a big girl bed...

2009-06-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

We start off with a birthday party for London on Thursday night. A storm knocked out our power for almost 24 hours so we had to quickly move her party to Lance's parents house.
Our wonderful friends let us borrow their bounce house!!

Our sweet girl eating her brownie sundae!!

Pandamonium started when we began the gift-opening portion!!

Here's London in her new swim suit.

While I was working the Rascal Flatts concert Saturday, Lance took the girls, Dylan and Trinity to a birthday party where they got these bird houses. After getting back home they painted them!!

On Sunday, we went to Trinity's dance recital. She was fantastic! I think I teared up twice from being so proud of her. Great job Trinity!! Now Cali is an aspiring dancer!!

Last but not least, we moved London into her big girl bed. She was very excited and stayed in it for her nap. (We were worried!!) Here she is with it. Sorry it is a blurry picture, but she only let me do it once and wouldn't come back for a better shot. (Thanks to the Cunningham's for giving us this adorable toddler bed!!!)

***If you read my blog, I would love to hear your comments! Just click on the comments link**

My baby is 2!!

2009-06-10T16:06:00.001-07:00

Malery London Bray. Born at 11:27 am weighing 8 lbs and 5 ozs on June 10th, 2007. Perfect in every way!!
Silly sisters.

1st birthday

2nd birthday. I made dinner and had a little chocolate cake for her today. Stay tuned for pictures from her actual brownie sundae party tomorrow!!

We love you London!!

Flower girl....

2009-06-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

The girls and I were in Lubbock this last weekend to go to my cousins wedding. Cali was the flower girl and really loved getting alot of attention. Here's London on the way there. Just chillin'!
Here's Cali in her dress all ready to go. You can't tell in this picture but I had actually curled all her hair. She was so pretty!

Here's both flower girls together. Cali and Jayden.

After many times, we finally got a good one of both of us.

Here's London playing with Kelton and Jayden on the boys bunkbed. She kept getting up there and then yelling for help down. It was cute.

It really was a great trip. Cali got great practice for my brother's wedding in a few weeks! Well, maybe minus the speeding ticket I got on the way home. Bummer!

Cookouts and more cookouts!!!

2009-06-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

We had 2 cookouts that we went to on Saturday. So fun! Being outside for the whole day was a little tiring but the girls loved it. We went to a friends house that used to be in out homegroup a few years ago. They have huge trees that shaded their entire yard!! (So jealous) It was great food too.

Then we went to our second cookout for my MOPS group. It was a lot of fun as well. They had lots of bounce houses so the girls really got a work out. We kept my niece, Keziah, for the evening so she tagged along with us. Really good Saturday.

Last day of school!!!

2009-05-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

I am super-pumped for the last day of school! I little sad because I wont be going back to Kindergarten and a little scarey to learn a new grade. But exciting too! I am glad I will get to be home with my girls for the next two months! We have lots planned. Well, I am off to drink a little coffee and get the girls dressed for the sitters.

New job position....

2009-05-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that I will be teaching 2nd grade next year!! I will still be doing the part-time with my sister too. Really we are so excited about this transition. I have taught Kindergarten for the last 6 years and was just ready for a change. What am I going to do with students that actually come in reading and not having accidents? I am looking forward to this new adventure in my career.

All about the man.......

2009-05-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a big one for Lance. Thursday he graduated with his Masters in Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University. He had the biggest smile on his face the whole day!

Saturday we had the bridal shower for my brother and his future bride. Here are the 3 sisters.

Here we added our mom plus her mom as well.

Saturday night we had a huge surprise party for Lance's 30th!! He had no clue! Here is the awesome cake Sherri (our super talented sis-in-law!) made for this luau-themed occasion.

To say the least, it was a great weekend. The girls and I are so lucky to have such a great man in our lives! Congratulations on all your accomplishments babe!

We are done........

2009-05-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

My little London is really growing up! She has gone 1 whole week without her pacifer (or passi)!! We are very excited to be done with that. It was a little rough but she didn't have the hours of crying like I thought she would. I am so glad. She will be 2 in about a month and won't be considered a baby anymore. She is a vivacious toddler!!

Let's talk about May

2009-04-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

May 1st - Field Day at school
3rd - Homegroup at our house
5th - Cinco de Mayo and huge celebration at school
8th - Mother's Day Tea (tons of things to do with kids to get ready for this event!)
9th - Trinity has a birthday party
14th - Lance's Graduation from DBU with his Masters in Educational Leadership!!
16th - Brittany's (future sister-in-law) bridal shower at 10:00 am
16th - The Oaks clean-up outreach at 12:00 pm
17th - Homegroup at our house
20th - Lance's 30th Birthday!!
21st - Kindergarten Graduation 7:00 pm
21st - Premiere of So You Think You Can Dance party at my house 9:00 pm
22nd - Brittany (Horne) has a birthday
24th - Homegroup at our house
27th - Awards Day at school
29th - Last Day of School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
31st - Homegroup at our house

Let's just take it one event at a time. Whew! Thank you Jesus for the strength to make it through this crazy month!!

Easter and more........

2009-04-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

We really had a great long Easter weekend together. We spent alot of time together as a family and that was great! The girls had 3 egg hunts over the course of the weekend and loved every one. Here we are on our way to the 2nd one. The girls were a little silly.....

Here are the girls and Trinity at the starting line waiting for the word "go"!

Sunday morning we got dressed and headed to church. I had to serve in the nursery for the first service so the girls hung out with me for a little while. I actually got a picture of them together.

After chruch, we had lunch at Grammy and Pop's house. Here's another attempt at trying to get a good picture.... They were all very pretty though.

The girls refused to do any more picture taking when we tried to get a family one. Oh well!

Lastly, I have to tell what happened last night. For about a month we have struggled with keeping Cali in her bed at night. We are constantly up and down and putting her back in her room. Last night she was in our room 7 (yes SEVEN) times. We are really determined to try and not make a habit of her getting in bed with us! She would cry and we would take her back to her room over and over again. When it became almost every hour, I was asking if she was sick or if she was hurting somewhere but she never would tell me anything so I assumed she was fine and just kept getting up. Well, this morning I was holding her and realized she had started running a low fever. I also realized that she had a bandaid over her ear. Sometime during the night, she had pulled her chair over to the stove, climbed onto the top of it, and reached into the cabinet above where I keep our bandaids and had gotten one. She then told me her ear was hurting and she thought the bandaid would help it. Oh man did my heart hurt!! She never would tell me it was hurting so I just thought she kept getting up because she didn't want to sleep in her bed. After going to the Dr. this morning, she has double ear infections that are pretty severe. Lance and I both felt so bad and even worse that she tried to make it go away with a bandaid!!!

sick girl

2009-04-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I blogged last. We have just been busy and London has been sick this week. She gets congested so easily and does not like it. We have to give her regular breathing treatments when she gets like this. Fortunately, she likes to do them. She likes to hold the mask herself now and we just sing songs the whole time. Usually the whole family joins in and we have a good time. Here is the picture of her this morning......

We went to one of our favorite places to eat, Chuys, with some friends and family. My brother is dumb for ruining this picture.

Family Vacation......

2009-03-22T14:03:00.001-07:00

We headed to Panama City Beach for Spring Break with all of my family and a few friends. We really had the best time! I had no idea that Florida had such gorgeous beaches!! Of course the girls totally loved it! All day every day they were close to the water and playing in the white sand. The water was ice cold but beautiful to look at.
We stayed in these 3 bedroom, 3 bath condos on the beach. They were really nice and big for all of us to be comfortable in for the week. We will definitely take more family trips here!!

dejavu........

2009-02-26T06:57:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, I had my dad watch London for me for a little bit. When I came back to get her, this is what I found.

What's interesting is that I feel like I have seen this before........

London and Papa love those naps together. I wonder if this is going to continue as she gets older?

random things....

2009-02-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here's Cali looking so cute while we were at a friends house.

I thought this one was sweet from last night with the girls reading with daddy before bedtime. Priceless!!

This was tonight's dinner. I bet you can guess what it was..... London didn't want her picture taken, hence the crying!!

This is Cali's favorite meal. I had actually gotten home from work earlier than Lance and the girls so I had time to get it all made before they came home. (Lance had made a pit-stop at the park for a few minutes. ) When Cali came in and saw what was on the table she began thanking me over and over. It was so sweet and worth every effort! Too bad she doesn't do that everyday with what I make her to eat.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-14T14:09:00.001-08:00

We have really had a wonderful day so far. We had a birthday party for one of the girls friends this morning. Then we headed to Old Navy and found the best deals. We bought 14 things for the girls (mostly shirts) and only spent $24. You do the math! The most I paid was $3 for a sweater for our niece Keziah!! I was on a high when I left there. Then, we ate Chick-fil-a. Yum! Came home for the girls nap (and a quick one myself!) I watched a cute love movie on lifetime while Lance went to the movies with some of his friends. When he came home he had beautiful roses and a very sweet card just for me. So sweet!! Now we are getting ready to have dinner with friends and all of our kids. Then after the girls go to bed, I have planned a nice fruit dessert with chocolate fondu.. I am so blessed to have the best husband in the world!

God is GOOD......

2009-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Ok so we have a big praise report to share. Wednesday morning we get up and we have 1/2 inch of water in our closet and all in the garage. We knew we had a leak somewhere but wasn't sure exactly where it was coming from. We called a plumber and they tell us we need to replace our hot water heater! Yuck! So needless to say, we were sad. We were thankful because we weren't expecting to get any money back on our tax return but it turns out that we are and it would cover the cost to replace it. The only thing is that we have been planning a trip to Florida for Spring Break with my family and some friends. Plus, we also are trying to go to Georgia this summer and wanted to use part of our refund money for that as well. Anyways, we knew we had to stay positive because we have never had to replace anything in our house since we have owned it and felt very fortunate for that. So last night when we got home we had a check in the mail from an excess we paid into escrow for our house this last year and it was for half of the cost of the hot water heater!! We were so excited and know that it was a blessing. What are the odds that we would get it the exact same day that we had paid so much for something!! So, we should still be able to go on both our trips that we had wanted now. GOD IS GOOD!!

My sweetie...

2009-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

At my MOPS group on Friday, we all made these candy bouquets for our husbands. I think it turned out pretty cute. Lance and the girls loved eating it! Just thought I would share a picture of it.

Also, yesterday, Lance and I took off from work to spend the whole day together. We did it this way so that we didn't have to pay an extra day to our sitter. Anyways, we went to breakfast at Breadwinner's in Dallas. It was so good. Lance had breakfast tacos and I had banana bread french toast. YUM! They also have some of the best coffee. Then, we headed to the Allen Outlets for some shopping. We ended up only buying the girls some clothes. Across the street from the Outlets is a TJ Maxx so we went there. Then Lance got obsessed with finding an olympic shirt and made us go to another TJ Maxx to see if they had it in his size. (They didn't!) We were pretty hungry after digging through racks and racks of clothes so we went to this local hamburger place called The Hamburger House. It was good food and a cozy environment. Lastly we headed to Cedar Hill for more shopping. We still just found more clothes for the girls. It is so hard to pass up the cutest spring outfits for only $5 each!! We got the girls matching ones. When they wear them I will have to post a picture. It was a nice day. We decided we would rather give eachother some time together any day over presents. So, Happy early Valentines babe!!!! It was a wonderful day.

Crazy days....

2009-02-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Man these last two weekends have been so crazy! I had three showers and parties last weekend and then my mom, my sister and I went to Houston this weekend for a Kindergarten conference. We left Friday after school and got back late Saturday night. I worked in the nursery at church Sunday morning and then went to the store to get things for our Super Bowl party. We to that at 5:30 then back home by 9:00 to put girls to bed and get ready for work the next day. Then yesterday at school was our 100th day so lots of fun things going on. I really didn't sit more than 3 min. all day. I was so tired last night and so glad that I have off til Thursday. Okay well that is it. I will post something more interesting later this week.

The Letter C....

2009-01-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

C

My friend/sister-in-love Misty gave me the letter C. I am supposed to write 10 things that I love that start with this letter. If you want to do this too, just leave me a comment and I will pick a letter for you. So, here we go.

coffee - I am really loving coffee these days. It helps me wake up and go to work or just to be at home with my little girls.

cooking - I don't totally love cooking, but we are really trying to eat healthier and we just can't do it eating out. So, it has been more fun lately to make meals that we feel good about eating.

crafts - I do love doing crafts. I don't get to do them as much as I would like at home but at school with my kindergartners, we do them alot!

chocolate - Oh how I love chocolate!!! It is so hard not to eat it all the time, but I like Jello's sugar free/fat free pudding. It actually still tastes like chocolate pudding.

clothes - I really love clothes! My husband and I both do. Hopefully it will be a little more fun shopping for them once we have lost the weight we are wanting to.

cell phones - Ok so I know this one sounds a little cheesy, but I am so glad that I have a cell phone to call or text people any time I need to. What did we do without them??

Cali - Yes this is my oldest daughters name and I LOVE her. We love watching her grow up and making more decisions for herself. She really is such a blessing to us.

cold watermelon - Love it! I really can't wait until it starts getting warmer and I can buy them all the time.

couch potato - Sometimes it is so nice to just veg out and watch tv.

camera - I am so glad I get to take pictures of my family all the time. The girls are just getting so big and I want to keep these memories forever. Yeah for cameras!

All done. Misty, this was a hard letter.

My little brother....

2009-01-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well, my little brother got engaged this weekend. It was so much fun to be on the male side of this special event. He was so nervous and excited. He really did an amazing job planning the whole thing. My new sister-in-law, Brittany, is from Minnesota. So, 2 weeks ago he secretly flew there to meet her parents in person and ask for their blessing. For the proposal he made a scrap book of all of the dates that they have been on and gave it to her. On the last page was the picture of him and her parents and a letter from them to her. So sweet! Then they both cried as he asked her to marry him. We are so happy to add another family member. She is a wonderful woman and we are so excited for them.

picnic lunch...

2009-01-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today has been a gorgeous day!! It is 77 degrees outside and was perfect for the girls to eat their lunch out in our backyard. They had grilled cheese sandwiches with some grapes. They were so excited to sit in their play house that has a little table. So fun!!

Lately...

2009-01-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We haven't really done too much just sort of our same old things. Lance working, me with the girls and working some. We did have a special person have a birthday this last weekend. GRAMMY. She means so much to all of us, especially the girls. They truly adore her and get so happy when she is around. Love you Grammy!!

Lance started his FINAL class last night. It stinks because it is at DBU and is from 8 - 10:30 at night. But it is the last one and he graduates in May with his masters in School Administration. I am very proud of him and all his hard work these last 5 years. He has gone to school, worked in a new position, and still had plenty of time with me and the girls. He's amazing!

I guess that's it for now. I might have something to post this weekend. We'll see!!

Oh London.....

2009-01-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby girl. Very silly and also determined. We are really getting to see more and more of her personality. She is hilarious!! This first picture is London's new "mean" eyes! She gives them to us when we tell her no or take something away.

She also wants to do everything her big sister does. No more feeding her. She is a big girl and can do it. She's getting better at not making such a huge mess.

This morning I gave the girls a bath. London doesn't like to stay in long so she is normally the first one out and dressed. I was putting a load of laundry on and came in the bathroom to find her back in the tub again. Oh London!

They both are also into screaming at the same time. Cute but tends to get annoying fast!!

She is the sweetest girl and loves to cuddle with me, which is nice. I love the new language she makes up and talks to us like it is normal. She makes us very happy. Yea for London!!

christmas and beyond....

2009-01-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! Christmas just flew by. I am posting a long one about some of our activites we have done these past two weeks. We started off with a trip to Lubbock to see my family. Here's me and Grandma.
Scott, Suzette and Keziah at The Oak's Christmas Eve Service.

My little Cali in her Christmas dress.

Our family. Neither girl would smile at the right time.

My sister, me and my brother. We are a good-looking bunch.

Cali was helping Uncle Dallas pass out the presents.

Christmas morning!! Here's our stockings that "santa" left.

I know Cali looks scared or something but she was totally thrilled to get her princess tent.

Pops was helping London open her gifts.

Her favorite thing was the little $1 toy bottle to feed her babies with.

The Lathrops joined us and Lance's parents at Waffle House.

Mimi and Keziah on Christmas day!

London was helping daddy do the dishes. Yes ladies, I said he does the dishes!!

Lance and Justin took McKenna, Cali and London to Chuck-e-cheese. They had a blast!

London during her nap. Just thought it was a cute picture.

Had some friends over and the girls were all princesses.

New Year's Eve. We went to Cheesecake factory with my brother Dallas and his girlfriend, Brittany. We had a blast.

Not pictured, but forever treasured is a beautiful gold ring my husband got for me for Christmas this year. He really surprised me with it. It was one of those things you think is lovely but you won't actually get it. He did a great job and I love him so much. Thanks Lance.

Hope everyone had a blessed holiday season like we did. We are praying that this new year will be as memorable as the last.

Cali's first......

2008-12-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

HAIRCUT! It was last week when I realized she needed a trim as I was attempting to comb through many,many tangles in her hair. The ends of her hair were so fine and tangled easily in her curls. So, I called our great beautician and she hooked us up. At first Cali did not like it.

Once she was sitting up and saw herself in the mirror, all the tears dried up and she sat fine.

I even got a cheesy smile out of her.

Thank you Aunt Sherri for doing such a great job on all of our hair!! We love you.

Cali even felt so confident with her new hair cut that she thought she might look like Hannah Montana in this nifty wig!!

"Monika".....

2008-12-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

This is what my 3 year old has been calling me lately. Yes it is my name, but so wierd to have her do it all the time. She'll say, "Monika, can you get me a snack?" or "Monika, I have to go potty!" It is cute but I keep correcting her and telling her I want her to call me mommy. Gotta love that girl!!!

christmas activity #2...

2008-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our home group Christmas party. Rather than all of us make a dish, find a silly gift to exchange or steal, or do the same things we have always done, we did something very different this year. We all got sitters for our kids and headed to Las Colinas area to stay the night at my brother-in-laws hotel. We did a little shopping during the day with the Lathrops, went to the hotel to change, we all headed to a mexican restaurant called 7 Salsas, and then came back to the hotel for dessert, coffee, and games. We really had so much fun together. It was a nice relaxing night before all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends that we can do these kind of things together. ( Sidenote: Lance and I are almost completely finished with our Christmas shopping! Yea!!!!!)

Christmas in style...

2008-12-04T06:51:00.001-08:00

This year we have made a pact with our best friends, Justin and Andrea, that we would do more Christmas activities together. It has begun. We have started it off with a Christmas concert. Tuesday night we went to see Michael W. Smith and the Dallas Symphony sing and play Christmas music. It was so much fun. We think we might start doing it every year now.

Here is our group that we went with.

Stay tuned for more activties with the Lathrops......

a fun party..

2008-12-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

Last night we celebrated Cali's best friends 4th birthday. It was such a fun time. I didn't take pictures but thought I would blog about how creative her mommy is. It was a reindeer themed party. So, as we arrive, the house is all decked out in Christmas decor. Then Andrea had little reindeer hats for all the kids to wear. She also had 2 different crafts to make. Each kid made a candy cane reindeer and also a reindeer ornament. It was really cute seeing all the kids around the table with adults closely behind them. She even had all reindeer food. Cookies decorated as reindeer and also reindeer cupcakes. It was so much fun. I was impressed by her creativity. (Not that she has ever let me down at a party she has hosted!!!)

the love of my life....

2008-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Lance and I celebrated our 7th anniversary together. It is amazing how quickly the years seem to fly by. We decided to spend the whole day together. We had paid for an extra day at our sitters so the girls went there during the day. Our day looked like this:

We got up early and did a little jean shopping for Lance;

then watched the new James Bond movie with one of our couple friends;

next, we ran to the grocery store;

we picked up the girls and hung out with them for a little bit;

then, my brother's wonderful girlfriend, Brittany, came and stayed with the girls;

Lance and I headed to Texas de Brazil (a fancy restaurant with a great salad bar and lots of meat);

after totally stuffing ourselves, we headed to Northpart Mall to walk around;

we bought Lance a new wedding band (his first one had 2 places that were broken);

lastly, we grabbed cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory!!!

Our day was absolutely perfect!!

I must say every single year keeps getting better and better. We joke about how our first couple of years were pretty rough (more from Lance's end ;)!!!) We both knew to make it better we would have to change and really listen to eachother. God couldn't have placed a better man in my life. I am so thankful for the leader that he is, the father that he is, the friend that he is to me. So, this blog is for Lance and how great he is to me and our girls! I love you.

a chance to give.....

2008-11-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Melissa, and I go to a MOPS group together. At our last meeting, they discussed everyone putting some things together for Operation Christmas Child. Basically, it is a Christian organization that takes Christmas presents to children in need as well as tell them about the love of Jesus. It really is a wonderful program that I know really ministers to these children in poverty. Melissa and I decided it would be a great thing to start doing with our girls each year. They are both 3 and we want them to learn how to be givers to others in need, especially this time of year. The other night, we took them to the store to pick out some things we could send to another little girl about their age.

The girls totally loved picking things out that they liked so we knew those were the perfect things to put in our box for our special girl. We picked out a baby and an outfit, crayons and a color book, a slinky, some of our favorite hard candy, gum, a tooth brush and tooth paste, a brush, some hair things, and a ball.

We know the girls had such a great time doing this together and we hope to continue to teach them about giving to others in need. We want them to know how rewarding it is. Melissa and I hope that as they get older this will be something that they do on their own initiative. Take some time this season and give to someone in need.

it is finished...

2008-11-15T12:50:00.001-08:00

Here's our tree all finished. I thought this was such a sweet picture with the girls in their matching pj's looking closely at our tree. Really they are the reason we enjoy the holidays so much more. They both get so excited to wake up in the mornings and see it there.

I have to say that it was so much fun putting it up. As Lance was pulling everything out of the attic, I was telling him that I needed to go get a tree skirt. I haven't ever had one and thought I would get one finallly. Anyways, as we are unloading the boxes, Lance pulls one out that I had bought last year after Christmas. I had totally forgot and was so excited that I had one. Then, this gets even better!! I was looking at our ornaments and things and started telling Lance that I was really tired of the same ones we have used for 5 years and that maybe we should get some new ones. Suddenly, Lance started pulling out some bags from the attic that had new ornaments in it. I had forgotten that I had found them after Christmas for a fourth of the price and decided to load up for this year!!!!! Again, I was so excited and totally love our new color scheme. Yea for planning ahead!!!

in the spirit.....

2008-11-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is a Christmas tree you see. Yes I realize it is only November 11th. But, if you know my husband, you know that he is a huge believer in Christmas. He just LOVES this time of year. We had quite a busy weekend with my dad's birthday on Friday night and then a dinner with some old friends from Katy on Saturday night. We got in really late so we ended up skipping church. We had a very nice, relaxing morning. Lance and I were sitting on the couch, drinking our coffee and watching the girls play when he says, "Let's put up our tree." A little hesitant, I agreed. We actually had alot of fun and the girls really enjoyed it too. It is not decorated yet because we had loaned out our lights, so as soon as we get those back, we will finish it. Yeah for Christmas!!!!

thoughtfulness....

2008-11-04T10:28:00.001-08:00

That is what my husband is. He came home last night with these beautiful roses. When asked why, he just said, "I just wanted to!!" So sweet. I sure appreciate his thoughtfulness. The girls and I are so blessed to have such a good man!! (Shout out to the ones that raised him)

a night to remember.....

2008-11-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

Our halloween started off with pictures at Papa and Mimi's house. Here's Cali as a ballerina fairy, Keziah as a lady bug and London is a strawberry. So cute..

Next we have a family picture of my sister and her joker husband, Scott with the little ladybug.

Then, we went to one of our halloween party. Chris and Cara had everyone over for soup, salad, and desserts. She had the kids make their own pizzas shaped like a pumpkin. They they got to frost and decorate a cupcake. The kids had lots of fun and so did the adults. Here is the picture of all the kids together. They are a great looking bunch!!!

These were all the girls that were dressed as a princess of some sort. Cali has the greatest friends!!

Here they are, crowding around a door for candy. They would all yell trick-or-treat before they even rang the door bell. It was really funny.

Our last stop was at Grammy and Pops house to get a quick picture in. It was alot of fun.

another fall festival...

2008-10-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, Cali was a soccer player. A local church had a fall festival with all sorts of things for kids her age to do. Of course we road another pony.

Our friends Paul, Candice, Lola, and Justus are the ones who invited us. Here is Lola dressed as a flower princess and riding her pony.

Next, we were in the petting zoo. Cali and Lola played with bunnies, ducks, goats, and piglets. So cute!

Here is Lola's new little brother as a cow. He is 3 weeks old.

A little game of tic tac toe for some candy.

Toilet paper throw. It was really cute to watch them throw it into the toilet. Cali did get one in too!

Here's the guys with their two darlings.

And of course, the 3 of us.

London was not here because she has a bad cough and I didn't want to aggrevate it more. But we missed her.

temper tantrums...

2008-10-28T12:23:00.001-07:00

Malery London Bray. The baby. Our fit thrower. It is almost humorous how quickly she goes into screaming and crying and laying on the floor when she hears the word "no". She is more passionate it seems than Cali was at this point and I feel we are headed to stronger disciplines with her in years to come. It seems cute now but I am sure later it will be different. Here's the picture of her when we first tell her "no".

Then here's the picture as she is throwing her fit on the floor.

A fun-filled Saturday...

2008-10-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

I woke up really early Saturday morning with the book I have been reading on my mind. It is called The Shack written by William Paul Young. I knew I only had a few chapters left so I decided to make myself a cup of coffee and read before anyone else woke up. The end of this book just moved me to tears and reflection of my heart towards God. It was very refreshing to just cry and read and enjoy the dark quiet morning. It was a great way to start off my Saturday.

Then we went to the Midlothian Fall Festival. We went with some of the girls' friends and their families. It was beautiful weather and such a neat thing to do together. It had lots of local businesses and a little dance show had started just as we got there. It had a little fair food and jump houses for the kids. It was so much fun!

We ended it with Cali getting to ride on a pony for the first time. She loved it!! Especially the pink hair!! Afterwards we went home for naps and lunch. It was relaxing just to lay around for a few hours.

Lastly, Lance and I actually got to go out on a date. It has been pretty rare that we are out alone without any kids. My wonderful brother actually kept our girls for us. We went shopping and then out to dinner at Olive Garden. I have been begging Lance to take me there for a while. But, most importantly, we got some time to have really good converstation. It was so nice to have 4 hours of uninterruped time with my hubby and be out of the house too. We had a wonderful time and vowed to not go so long in between dates!! It really was a nice Saturday.

Acting like a teenageer again.....

2008-10-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, some girlfriends and I went to Houston to see on tour the show So You Think You Can Dance. Alishia and I drove to Kansas City last year to see them so we decided to take another road trip again this year. It really was so much fun!! Andrea, Alishia, Brittany, and I got to Houston about 1 p.m. We checked in at the hotel, grabbed lunch, then did a little shopping. After that we hung out at the hotel about an hour before we got ready and headed to dinner. Our show started at 7:30 and we wanted to get there early to find out where we could go afterwards to get pictures and autographs from the dancers. The show itselft was so much fun and we were all screaming like the 10 year olds next to us!!! As soon as it was over we made a mad dash to the area where we were to meet the dancers. Of course, Alishia is the one that was really running and screaming the most!! It was truly the funniest thing watching a 28 year old run beside 10 and 11 year olds to be first in line. We just made fools of ourselves and enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice not to have any other responsibilities other than enjoying ourselves!! Enjoy the pics. (of course you won't really appreciate them unless you watch the show! (: )

My cali turns 3!!

2008-10-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well, my little one turned 3 on Sunday. We had her party on Saturday with friends and family. It was so much fun to see her just running around playing with her friends. We grilled out at Getzendaner Park in Waxahachie. It ended up being a beautiful day. Shout out to Sherri for making such an AMAZING cake! Lance and I are so blessed to have a child like Cali. She has brought us so much joy ever since she changed our lives 3 years ago. Often we look at eachother and say how much we love our girls. So, Happy Birthday Cali!!

A few updates....

2008-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

This picture is of my newest niece, Keziah. She is almost 2 months old and is so precious. I thought I would update you all on a couple of things I have blogged about. First, London is all better. After a trip to the dr. office, she did have double pink eye and she also had a sinus and ear infection. So, we got an oral antibiotic that helped alot. Within like 12 hours her eyes looked almost normal.

Secondly, Cali is fully potty-trained. She is only wearing pull-ups at night but I think we can maybe cut them out soon because she always wakes up dry. We are so excited and praise her often for doing so good now. I knew it when she asked to go potty while we were at a furniture store and she went poo-poo. The fact that she didn't get freaked out that we weren't at home. Yeah!!!!!

Lastly, I had my first week with my sister as my co-worker. I think it went very well and we are both excited to finish out the year. So, all is good in the Bray household for now.

Getting crafty!!

2008-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well I am learning to do things a little bit more crafty like all my sister-in-loves (Misty with her mad scrapbooking skills; Sherri with some sewing, picture-taking, and cake-decorating skills; and of course there's Jennifer that can sew,knit, or make anything!!). They are always doing the neatest things. So, a couple of weeks ago I had found these decorated cardboard letters that are Cali's initials for just $1. So, I thought I would just hang them the way they were until today when I got an idea. I was at the dollar tree and found these white frames that these letters would fit in. So, after I got home, I pulled out some scrapbooking paper that was sitting unused and cut a background for my letters. I added a touch of ribbon and string and now I have them looking much nicer than I could have thought. I feel pretty proud of myself and even prouder that I only did it for $6. Yeah me!!! So, here they are for my precious Cali Payton Bray.

Pink Eye

2008-09-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

My poor baby London has pink eye. I first noticed it on Saturday and was hoping maybe it was allergies or something, but it's definitely pink eye. Until last night it was just her left eye but now it has spread to her right one too. It's so sad because this morning when she woke up her eyes were stuck shut from the yellow gunk. :( I know you thinking why haven't I taken her to the dr. yet but we waited because her 15 month check-up is tomorrow. We did try and get her in today, but my dr. isn't there on Mondays and they wouldn't do the check-up without her there and we are cheap and didn't want to pay two $40 co-pays. But she goes tomorrow and will get so drops to clear it up. I did look on-line for maybe some home remedies but they were like put milk soaked bread on your eye and other wierd stuff like that. London would flip if I tried to do that. So hopefully she'll get better soon. The girls did get to stay home with daddy today because I had to work. London couldn't go to the sitter so he called in. I know they had so much fun spending some extra time with him. Here's a picture of her red eyes.

Great news!!!!

2008-09-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you may know that I am doing a job share at my school. Me and another teacher have done it the last two years. We trade off working days each week. It has been such a blessing with our girls being so young still. Well, last Thursday she told me she was moving to California because her husband got hired to be a youth pastor there. I was excited for her but was totally bummed thinking I was going to have to work full-time again. Anyways, as I was talking to my sister about this, she said she might be interested in maybe working with me (she had just resigned in July because she wanted to stay home with her new baby). Anyways, this week my teacher friend told our principal and told her about my sister. I called my principal yesterday and just asked her what her thoughts were about everything and really I was thinking she would want me to work full-time. But she didn't, she asked about my sister and said to have her call her so they could talk. So, this morning my sister came to the school at 9:00 a.m. to talk to her. Then at 9:10 a.m. my sister came in my classroom and said she just got hired!!!!!! I was so excited and totally believe this was God's hand in all of our lives! Only His timing is this perfect. So that is my great news!!

Rockin' out

2008-09-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we were priviliged to have a date night with Michael and Sherri (Lance's brother). We have made it a tradition to go see Counting Crows when they come through Dallas together. We had a great dinner at one of our favorite places, Blue Mesa and then off to our concert. Augustana and Maroon 5 also played, so that was cool. Michael got us great seats that were closer than we have ever been! Here's a few pics of our mellow rockin' out band.

A little something for me...

2008-09-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

This morning a friend of mine, Melissa, and I went to visit a MOPS group (Mothers of Pre-schoolers). At first we were both a little hesitant, but ended up really enjoying it. Cali and her little friend Sophie went to the 3's class and learned about things that God made. They each came home with a baggie of dirt, rocks, and nuts that they had found. So cute...... London did good too just playing. Melissa and I enjoyed a nice quiet cup of coffee and uninterrupted conversation with other moms. It was wonderful. We met some really nice ladies that were encouraging and in the same walk of life that we are. So, if you want to try a MOPS group for yourself you can look on-line for the one nearest you.

On our way.....

2008-09-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

With encouragement from family, we have started a blog to see what happens with us. I thought I would just start with what has been happening the last two days. Our little Cali has proved to be a little harder at potty training than we thought! We have been really trying since June and she's done okay. She has been scared to go poopoo in her potty and had many accidents until recently. With encouragement from candy, she has gone in her potty the last two days. We are very proud of her and hope this continues. With London still in diapers, it would be sooooo nice to only buy for one child. Here's Cali celebrating with a big smile!!