Oh, yeah, and Happy New Year!

I nearly forgot the Happy New Year part to my earlier update (see below).  Brian and I are not particularly sentimental about New Year's Eve.  As it is I don't think we have really "celebrated" the dawning of a new year since the year we were married and I don't think either of us really misses it too terribly much.  

I am just finishing myself a glass of Black Box Shiraz (a Christmas gift from my wonderfully thoughtful mother-in-law) and I am about to empty a pint of B & J's Dublin Mudslide that I started on one night last week.  Jack and Maggie are both sound asleep and Lydia is creeping around the kitchen telling me about the monsters and aliens and strange sounds she keeps hearing in her bedroom that are doing a great job of keeping her awake tonight (and most nights, really;  but I digress...).  I actually cannot blame her much right now though- I can hear all sorts of fireworks (or gunshots?  who knows?  It is New Year's Eve and we do live in the South.) and it can be pretty scary when you are 3 and the only one awake in your bedroom.   Brian is in the bedroom flipping through channels on the TV.  Tonight is Disney Night on the Travel Channel.  5 more days until our own Disney Vacation...

So to everyone, Happy New Year!  May 2009 bring us all a bit of relief from the wild ride the world has been on for most of 2008.   May we all join together to support our new leader (yay!) and may he lead us fearlessly back in the right direction.  

May we all be blessed with good health, laughter, and the love of family and our dear friends.  

Happy New Year!  

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and some Etsy love...

Well another Christmas has come and gone far too quickly.  We had a wonderful time celebrating though and I do believe Santa brought everything everyone had been hoping for.  

maggie asked for a barbie this year- santa listened and brought a "diamond castle barbie", princess alexa actually... she loves this most special gift and unbeknownst to her, she will be getting the rest of the set for her 6th (!) birthday next week.  

lydia also asked that santa bring a barbie and he decided that a disney princess ariel doll would suit little lyddie just fine.  it does and she loves her special doll.  

jack.  jack seemed just a tad overwhelmed by the whole process of christmas morning and the stacks of gifts under the tree.  he received a nice little collection of "boy toys"- new stacking blocks, a fire truck, a set of wooden vehicles.  he still preferred to play with his sisters' new barbies most of the day... 

nana and poppop came down to our house for a yummy breakfast of quiche, monkey bread, and fresh fruit.  we all met up at their house that afternoon for christmas dinner- and more treats under their tree for everyone!

And now, some Etsy love.  Those who know me well can tell you how much I adore the website Etsy.com.  This is an online marketplace for all things handmade, supplies to make your very own handmade things, and vintage items.  Right now my current passion is the handmade soaps- oh, so many to choose from and they have an ability to make you feel as if you have really splurged on yourself.  They are so much better than what you will find in the soap aisle at Kroger.  So much better.  Santa filled my stocking with some beautiful new soaps- Peppermint Honey, Cucumber Mint, Sugar, even Hot Cocoa!  The kids even got some in their stockings- sweet little gingerbread men.  But my favorite Etsy find for the month of December is something else Santa had arranged to put into each of the kids' stockings:  they each got a t-shirt with an image on it printed with leaves.  Maggie's features bright pink and sparkly purple butterflies, Lydia's has a purple and brown owl, and Jack's is a green shirt with a 4-leaf clover.  Lucky little guy!  

maggie and her own little bit of etsy love

Nurse Momma

First of all, I know there are more parents than I care to think in the world who have sick kids.  Not just sick, but really, really ill.  For them the reality of their child's health is a grim prospect, one that they live with on a daily basis, bravely facing doctors, hospitals, medicines, and unknown futures.  I don't mean to begrudge anyone their own reality with this particular blog post.  

That being said, I really just need to whine a little bit.  

My kids have been sick constantly for the past 11 days.  For 11 days now I have been wiping noses, handing out Motrin tablets like they are candy, and taking ear temperatures.  Our latest adventure includes a stomach virus of some sort- a race to the bathroom if the bucket hasn't been cleaned and put back next to my little patient.  Sometimes she makes it, a few times she hasn't.  

Jack has had tonsillitis, thrush, and a double ear infection.  My tour of duty with him included 3 visits in 6 days to our pediatrician.  He is currently on the mend, many thanks to a 2-week course of Diflucan (thrush) and 10 days of Omnicef (ears).  Lydia has had a fever virus/ cold thing going on and missed her Christmas party and program at preschool on Thursday because of it.  Maggie started with what I thought was the same fever virus/ cold thing, but hers morphed into a stomach bug that just doesn't want to give up!  Poor little thing is so hungry right now and can't quite understand the need to let her tummy just rest a little bit.  She also missed her Christmas program on Friday.  Brian has what we think is probably tonsillitis and is miserable as well.  Knock on wood, I have been the healthiest of the bunch- besides a minor little cold and cough- and thank God for that because this is not the week for me to get sick.  

Hopefully (***hopefully;  please God, give me something to hope in!!!***) we will soon be seeing an end of all of this.  I would really love to have everyone in the house well enough to enjoy Christmas.  And I would really love a break!  

It's not forever, it's not forever, it's not forever... 

My favorite ornaments

maggie's first christmas- her handprint 

Some of my most favorite ornaments from our family's collection include those that in their own way commemorate this most precious time in my children's lives.  There are handprints, photos, momentos from the very first year at preschool.  Sure we have the pretty glass balls, cardinals made of felt, the likeness of Santa himself cast in clay or metal... we even have a wonderful collection of ornaments that hang on our tree that are from Brian's childhood- all made each year by his Godmother.  But my favorites and the ones I see myself passing to my children to share with their own children one day are the ones that are so evident of this special time.  

this was a gift from one of maggie's preschool teachers when she was 3- how i just love that cheeky little grin, the big round blue eyes, the little bob haircut with the golden halo

a sweet little picture of our baby buggie- this picture was taken when lydia was 14 months old; we were at disney world on vacation, strolling on the disney boardwalk

these are my all-time favorites!  the handprints made into santa and his beard, here rudolph... lydia brought this home for us on tuesday

our sweet little jack... just a day old in this picture, taken at the hospital.  he was 2 months old on his first christmas and at that stage, this was all we really knew of him- just a sleepy little newborn baby, completely oblivious to all the chaotic joy of the season that surrounded him

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Don't you agree?  Christmas for me is the happiest time of year.  How can it not be when everywhere you turn there are twinkling lights, wonderfully decorated trees, the smiles of hopeful children as they wonder:  Just what will Santa bring me this year? 

Christmastime, despite the obvious, also has great personal significance for me.  Brian and I were engaged just a few days before Christmas in 2000.  Married just a few days after in 2001.  Christmas 2002 saw us wide-eyed with wonderment as we were about to become parents for the very first time- Margaret Claire was born just 2 weeks later on January 7, 2003.  

Maggie and Lydia are very excited for the coming days... Christmas is just 10 days away now and they are really starting to think seriously about their lists.  They are both at an age now where they are starting to "get it" too- not just Santa, but the Angel Trees we have bought gifts for, the birth of Christ, the whole meaning of Christmas really.  

Our tree is ready and it feels a lot like Christmas here at our house.  

one of my favorite ornaments... from 2007 preschool 

maggie's gingerbread star... she made this when she was 3

'Tis the season!

We are decorated here at Casa du Bray!  It's a funny thing that what used to take just 3 hours now takes about 3 days to get accomplished.  It must be a function of how many children currently reside under your roof... 

I'll post pictures of our tree later.  Until then, please enjoy these!  

Deck the Halls!

After celebrating Thanksgiving with a rather tasty feast, we decided to begin decorating our home for Christmas this weekend.  Last night we went to Target to pick out a tree for our front porch (pics of that later...) and we thought it would be fun for Maggie and Lydia to choose a tree and ornaments for their bedroom.  This is what they came up with:  

Not bad, huh?  My favorite has to be the matching fish ornaments they both wanted:  

I love it!  Lots of purple ornaments, an angel tree topper made from a paper plate at kindergarten, and glittery purple garland.  And 2 blue fish.  :)

Take a peek inside my fridge...

You will find so many good things for tomorrow: 

A 17 lb turkey soaking in a buttermilk brine, a dish of butternut squash roasted in molasses and balsamic vinegar, sweet potato patties, green beans that will be made all crispy and good with the help of a frying pan and some pancetta, and 2 (homemade) pumpkin pies.  All I have left to do tomorrow morning is make the stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, roast the turkey, and bake the rolls and bread pudding.  

Are you hungry yet?  

Ice cream for dinner?

Sure!  But only if you get your flu shot first!  

We have a walker AND a climber!

Lots of big things have been happening in Jack's life recently.  Last weekend he seemed to have absolutely no interest whatsoever in walking.  He was perfectly content to scoot around the tile floor, happy as a little clam.  This week he is working on walking!  And climbing!  Walking and climbing!  What fun for me-- the walking part I can handle but I am not thrilled with a baby who climbs because a baby who climbs is one who can get themselves into all sorts of trouble.  Lydia was a climber and once I found her in the middle of the kitchen table.  She still does this.  So far he has managed to get himself up onto the couch a few times, he has climbed up onto the play table in the playroom, and he has climbed up onto Lydia's bed, which once up there he can easily get onto Maggie's bed.  (Lydia sleeps in a toddler bed and she has it pushed flush against Maggie's full size bed because she is worried she will fall out of bed.)

Right now though, Jack is in Dream Land, laying here next to me on my bed.  Snug as a little baby bug should be.  Or is he now a toddler bug?  

Have I said how much I love the Fall yet?

And how could I not when I have this to look at each morning when I open my front door?  

Mums the word...

Oh how I just love the Fall!  Mums, pumpkins, brightly colored leaves creating all sorts of drama against the darkening fall sky.  Warm sweaters, wooly hats, windy days.  

Thanksgiving!  My most favorite holiday!  I love the food, the gathering of family, the cozy-warm fuzzy feeling in my house on the big day.  We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year at our house.  I am excited and I plan to start working on our menu later this week.  The inside cover of the Williams-Sonoma catalog this month has a recipe for roasted turkey brined in buttermilk with a "smoky bacon and biscuit dressing"- sounds yummy to me.  I like to try new recipes each holiday season and this year will be no exception.  

Today I have never been more proud to be an American.

Hope for a change- click here!

Happy Election Day!

Now go vote! 

All caught up now- Halloween!

Well Halloween 2008 has come and gone.  We had a fun night with all our neighbors, although what used to take nearly 2 hours to accomplish is now down to under an hour.  These kids are becoming much more self-sufficient (and fast!) and don't need help from the grown-ups like they once did.  We all met outside in the park at 6:30pm and started to make the rounds- we were a menacing sight I am sure.  A total of 10 kids ranging in age from 5 1/2 to 1 year, all dressed up and ready to collect their candy, their parents, and even a few grandparents!  We had 4 princesses, a ballerina, Tinkerbell, a caterpillar, Batman, a race car driver, and a little orange clownfish named Nemo (this was Jack- the giraffe costume was a no-go as "little" Jack isn't quite so "little" anymore!).  Unfortunately the battery had died in my camera that afternoon and I forgot to charge it before heading out for the evening.  The following pictures were taken that afternoon while I was hanging here at the house with Lydia and Jack.  (***be sure to scroll all the way down as I have actually made 3 posts today-more pictures!  my kids are setting records for good behavior today!***)

lydia was having fun on friday just bouncing her purple balloon through the house

up, up, and away! 

my handsome little monster

jack's new kicks- they arrived just in time for halloween!  

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?

The weekend before last we met some new friends from Alabama at the Memphis Zoo for the day.  Of course I am biased as I count the zoo as a former employer, but what a lovely place to spend the day!  My favorite spot to watch the animals is an exhibit called The Northwest Passage- featuring polar bears, sea lions, black bears, and bald eagles.  It is truly amazing to me how graceful the polar bears are while swimming- just amazing.  

maggie and lydia, entranced by the polar bear

this is chickie, a female orangutan that i used to care for- she still seems as silly as i remember her being

one of the new gorillas! 

riding the carousel with daddy

Our trip to the pumpkin patch- some pictures

About 2 weeks before Halloween we took our kids to a pumpkin farm in Hernando, MS.  We had a great day- it all started out with a yummy breakfast at our house with our friends and then we all headed south to the farm.  The big kids rode ponies, we saw cows, peacocks, and goats, pig races, ate some lunch (including very tasty pumpkin spice donuts!), and then headed out on a hayride to the pumpkin patch.  A few of these pictures are courtesy of our good friend and neighbor, Aneel.  Thanks Neelers! 

This time change thing...

...is for the birds.  I have been reading some on the internets that it is supposed to "help my heart" to get that extra hour of sleep.  The folks that had the nerve to release the findings of their research obviously do not have 3 children ages 5 and under.  Jack has been awake since 4:30 (or is it 5:30?  I have lost track at this point) and Lydia woke soon after.  Jack has been given a cereal bar to snack on and a fresh sippy of milk.  Lydia has been parked on the floor begging me to put on Winnie the Pooh's Halloween show (?).  We have settled on the Blue's Clues Halloween show.  

Thankfully Brian and Maggie are still sleeping.  Thankfully.  

For the birds I tell you.  

Oh and how busy!

Happy Halloween! 

It seems that for the past week or two I have been non-stop!  And sick too, but that is very much beside the point as mommies do not get sick days.  We have had a birthday (see below), friends visit, visits with our pediatrician, a trip to the zoo, a Halloween party (two, actually!), oh so many things to keep us good and busy! 

The kids are very much excited for tonight- Maggie wore her Cinderella dress to school today for her class party and yesterday I dropped Lydia off to preschool dressed as a sweet little bunny rabbit.  I don't think either child has committed to a costume for this evening's festivities, but I do know that Jack will be a giraffe.  And a very cute one at that  ;)  Halloween is a very fun event in our neighborhood- all the families with small children group together and head out.  We had a party for them Wednesday afternoon after school with crafts, games, sandwiches and chili- such a fun afternoon visiting with friends and a great warm up to tonight.  

I'll post pictures later! 

Birthday Cake!

One year ago today, Part II

Jack Patrick Bray

3:01am

9lbs, 14oz/ 21" 

Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy!

One year ago today

Dearest Jack, 

One year ago today I was approximately 38 weeks pregnant with you.  It was Saturday, October 13, and your beloved grandmother had taken your two big sisters for the day so that your father and I could rest.  I had not been sleeping well and if I wasn't sleeping, well, then neither was your father.  I still had a little less than 1 week to go- I had been instructed to be at the hospital the morning of Friday, October 19, for my scheduled c-section.  Little did I know... 

One year ago today your grandmother presented me with a gift when she delivered your sisters back to us that afternoon- a beautiful gold picture frame holding a vintage drawing of a stork with a baby blue sack in his beak.  Just a short time before, for the first time in 3 pregnancies, I looked at my ripe belly and spoke to the person inside:  "It's okay, we are ready.  You can come out now."  Your cradle was waiting, blankets and onesies freshly washed; I was ready.  Little did I know you were such an obedient little guy, anxious to find out what all the riff raff was about out here.  Just a short 6 hours later...

One year ago today the contractions started.  And this time, instead of slowing down and spacing out, they did something different.  They became faster and more intense with each wave.  Phone calls were made to the doctor, to your grandparents, and I, for the first time in 3 pregnancies, looked at my ripe belly and said:  "It's time".  

One year ago today I was in labor.  

But it wasn't until very early the next morning that we would meet you... 

All aboard!

Lydia goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, leaving her available to be my "very special helper" on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  She clearly loves this most important role she plays in my life on these days- and I put her to work doing things for me like help empty the dishwasher, help with grocery shopping, run diapers out to the trash, etc.  

I think she really enjoys this time, when she only has one sibling to compete with for my attention (Jack- and she adores him more than anything).  We play silly games with each other, turn up the music on our iTunes real loud and dance through the house- she always runs to get her Cinderella gown from her closet and dances like the princess she knows she really is.  

On a recent Friday morning she thought perhaps we needed to take a trip together.  While I was getting Jack down for his nap she built our train and off we went!  No particular destination, just the 2 of us enjoying the sights together... Do notice our fellow passengers please, seated in rows 3, 4, and 5- an elephant, a pretty little pink pig, and a little blue fish named Dori.  

Maggie

As I had said previously, Maggie loves to create!  Here are some pictures of her and another of her masterpieces she had worked on a few weekends ago:  

Lydia, the Artiste

Some may know that Maggie is a rather artistic person.  Her preschool teacher when she was 3 described her as a "creative soul".  She loves to create and it is always interesting for me to see the world through her eyes- like when she sees objects in the clouds, makes shadow puppets by the light of her nightlight, or the particular way she will eat her cinnamon toast so that it takes on the shape of a dog or a boot.  

Somebody else's creativity is in overdrive these days we are finding.  It seems Lydia has a fondness for painting and drawing too.  She will get down her water colors, paint brushes, fill herself a bowl of water and just have at it.  Here are some recent pictures of one of her latest creations- she is so proud of her handprints.  

I love it!