All About the Brays

Fall 2011

2012-01-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

I finally got a new camera and had my computer worked on so hopefully I can keep you updated more often.
Payton is in Pre-K and Presley is in the older 2's class at Little Hearts. They absolutely LOVE school. They learn so much and I do too. Each day is a new one and we just keep trucking. Mallory will have to hit the ground running!
I have about 5 more weeks. We are so excited and ready for her arrival. Continue praying for a healthy baby and everything to go smoothly. We take it for granted how blessed we are. Everyday I hear of a sick sweet baby or complications. I get caught up in being uncomfortable or what I think is miserable. I thank God for wonderful healthy children.
Payton played soccer last Fall and we will start back up this Spring. She is ready and it is so fun to watch her. Presley would love to be out there, but she is a great cheerleader for her sister. Micah will coach again. It has been a super fun family experience. Payton is also in dance. We like it, but I don't think it is our absolute favorite. Her recital is in June. The costumes are pretty cute though and will be fun for dress up!
What this year will bring......Payton turned 5 (she can ride her bike without training wheels) this is truly the next best thing to slice bread, a precious new baby girl, Presley will turn 3, soccer, swimming, a Destin family vacation & Payton starts Kindergarten!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful week with family. I just love Thanksgiving. We spent time with Micah's family at Circle B and then my parents came and visited for the weekend. A sweet surprise. They brought my 2 nephews with them. Payton & Presley had so much fun getting to finish out their weekend with more cousin time. Bedtime was a little emotional tonight. I had to explain when we will be all together again for the Holidays.
We put our tree up & Micah got all the lights outside done. It really is starting to feel like the Christmas Countdown! Yeah! The girls are so excited for Santa and can't wait to give him their wish lists. So FUN! It's all so magical this year.
Thanks Dad for painting Mallory's room. We can't wait to get the nursery finished and ready for another sweet baby girl.

Fall Retake

2011-10-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

I could not pass up sharing this picture. The girl's sweet little faces are priceless. We had school pictures last week, but the wind was crazy. They will be getting a retake this week.
Ohh yea - It's another GIRL. Precious Mallory Claire will be here in February!

Not much time for Blogging these days........

2011-08-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

We are super excited to say that we have a baby on the way. I fortunately made it through the first trimester. I am due in February. It's hard to believe Payton will be 5 in January, I will have the baby in February and then Presley will be 3 March 1st. Time has just flown by.
I don't have pictures to post today, but we have had a great summer. Maybe a little too busy. We took the girls to Sea World, took swim lessons & can swim now, participated in VBS, spent time at Circle B Ranch with Micah's family, had cousins come and stay with us, the girls went to their cousin's too, friends came to visit & we went with my family to Arkansas. My dad rented a house boat for 5 days. OMG! So perfect & relaxing. We had the most amazing time.
Payton starts soccer in September and we had our first Dance class yesterday. Poor Presley just needs to be 3. She and I get some alone time though which is super special. Doesn't happen very much.
We are so blessed. School starts the last week of August. We are all ready!

Spring Photos

2011-05-16T13:57:00.001-07:00

What we are doing these days!

2011-04-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I need a new camera so there aren't many pictures taken these days. Presley is talking up a storm. I mean literally I am trying to teach her to whisper. I need to start writing down a few conversations so that I can share. She makes us laugh and smile all day. Anything Payton can do she can too....of course. I love the way the girls love each other. It is so what I prayed for with girls. The sister love they share melts my heart. Every morning when I go to get Presley she looks in Payton's room and says " Payton still sleeping" "Yes Payton is still sleeping" "Payton wake up in a little bit" " Yes in a little bit" And then when Payton comes down the stairs Presley's eyes just glow.
Payton is miss independant. I can't believe how grown up she is becoming. She loves school and I love that so much. I can remember playing school daily as a child. She reminds me so much of me now as she gets older. I love peeking in on her at school. She is always envolved in whatever she knows will make her teacher happy. The sweetest of them all is that she prays every night before she goes to bed. A couple of weeks ago she prayed and thanked God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. I can thank our most wonderful Bible teacher for that. Thanks Ms. D! When Payton comes home from school and tells me her Bible stories it always reminds me as a parent what my job is. I love our little school. It is such a thrill to my soul.
We have so much to be thankful for. Our life is great and we are enjoying every moment of it!

Spring Break - Las Vegas!

2011-03-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

We started Spring Break at the Ranch with all the Bray family. There is always fun to be had. All five grand kids play so well with one another. Their ages are perfect for that. All you need are boots, jeans & t-shirts and you are good to go. Nothing is sweeter than waking up to 2 precious girls asking Daddy for a ride on the Mule or 4-Wheeler. The girls love the outdoors. It was beautiful weather and so relaxing. The end of Spring Break Micah and I went to Vegas. Some sweet friends of ours joined us. It was such a great trip. We were a little cold though. A cool front came in and the wind was pretty brutal. I am glad we had checked the weather and took a hat. We started off having a big breakfast and then we were brave and road the roller coaster in the NYNY Hotel. I was glad I did it first b/c after looking at it everyday I don't think I would have got on that thing. Everybody needs a good laugh every now and then. Great anticipation...... We shopped, ate great different foods and went to Mystere (a cirque du soleil). Just phenomenal. A great experience. The different hotels were just amazing. The architecture is awesome and it was so breath taking to see the mountains. The tops still had some snow on them. Downtown Vegas was so old school, but in a neat way. We had a wonderful time. Thanks Brit and Phil for tagging along. We enjoyed a great time with the two of you!

HaPpY BirThDaY PrEsLEy!

2011-03-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to begin. Our little Presley Susanne is 2. Over night it seems. Presley is such our little spit fire, but so precious and cuddly. She talks non-stop and always wants to be right in the middle of everything. She will be occupied and the minute she hears the washer starting she runs to the laundry room and pushes her stool right up to the washer. She loves to watch everything I do. If I am cooking she wants to help. She loves to dress up, pull out all of our shoes and wear sunglasses. I can't forget about carrying her purse and pushing her stroller all at the same time. I am breathless. I can't tell you how many times I hear, " I do it Mommy." She truly keeps me going. I love this sweet child more than anything in the world.
What an amazing bundle of joy we have. We are so blessed with two wonderful little girls. I thank God everyday for these little miracles.
Happy Birthday Presley!

Wonderful Whirlwind Weekend!

2011-02-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

We finally were able to escape.....About 2 weeks ago our family was hit hard with the FLU. Yuck! Presley started first, then myself & just when a week was going to pass and clear us all up.....Payton threw up! We were all on tamiflu and the girls were on antibiotics for strep also. We had planned to have the girls family bday party and I had planned a weekend to go home and see my folks. We had to cancel the party and the cake. Bummer! No presents, no fun! All we needed was trash cans, toilets & bleach. Sooooo, after I got all the meds and clearance from the dr. I called my Mom and said PLEASE can we come visit! We were all well and enjoyed our weekend. I took the girls to see my high school BFF and college roommate! We spent the night and were able to catch up on so much! Thank you Laura for the sweet dresses for the girls. Can't wait to see ya'll again soon and go out on the lake. I also took the girls to our niece's basketball game. Madi played such a great game and the girls really enjoyed watching all the excitement. Spending time with wonderful Grandparents is always refreshing and comforting. I hated that I had forgot my camera.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T19:46:00.001-08:00

What a great few days....I think we have been celebrating Valentine's Day since last Thursday. Fun, fun! We had Vday parties at school last Thursday (always super fun), that night I had a swap party (have to explain this), Saturday we had a birthday party that was Vday themed (so sweet) and then last night at Church we had our Valentine's Banquet. They were all a huge hit and so much fun.
To elaborate about the swap party......SO you brought about 10 items from your home that you didn't want anymore. When you arrived at the hostess's home she arranged everything accordingly in one room and then you drew a number. We all brought sweet snacks to munch on...so yummy! The hostess had tables set up in her living room for us to make our families Vday cards. I mean loads of fun stuff. Scrapbook paper, ribbon, stickers/stamps, glitter letters, fun scissors and so on.....amazing! We went in order with which ever number we drew. You got to go pick 2 items at a time that you wanted. It was great. It was all private if you wanted and no pressure. We just SWAPED! I love my new treasures in my home. Thank you Ashley for such a great evening!
Today was just beautiful weather. We spent a lot of time outside. When Micah got home we took the girls on the Nature Walk in the neighborhood. it is so pleasant and peaceful. The girls loved all their Vday cards and gifts. They received mail and packages today. Super exciting...of course!
I must add...Micah gave me the sweetest card this year. It made me tear up. I love you, Babe! You are so special to me.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Fun!

2011-02-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow at school the girls will have their Valentine's Day party. While Presley was napping Payton and I put together their party favor boxes and she wrote her name on all her friend's Valentines. She did such a great job. We of course had so much fun doing it! When Presley woke up before I knew it she was just about into all of it. I let her have a few pieces of candy and tried to get some shots of her. Just about impossible these days.
I took Payton to see Tangled tonight at the movies. I would just glance over at her eating her popcorn and acting so grown up. It was a special evening for us. She loved it until the end. She gets so emotional over things that most Moms would cry about. She was sensitive that Rapunzel found her real Mother! So sweet. Presley cried when we left. She wanted to go to the movies with us. Instead Daddy bathed her and watched Barney. Thanks Dad!
We are continuing to have pretty cold weather. The girls stay bundled up and so do I. There is just a draft everywhere. In the 50's would be great! We enjoy each moment and thank God everyday for our wonderful life! We are happy to be back at school this week. Routine is good!

I could not help but to post this!

No Snowman.......just FUN!

2011-02-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

Mr. Sun, Please shine down on ME!

2011-02-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

We have been iced in for 3 days. It snowed over night Monday night and has just stayed yucky ice. We haven't even made it to 20 degrees this week yet. Maybe Friday? We also might get some fun snow Friday that we can actually play in. Yeah! The girls have enjoyed staying in PJ's and being lazy. So, have I! We have been playing lots of games, dressing lots of Barbies, playing play doh & coloring and cutting all kinds of great art work. It is pretty yucky and cold outside, but the family time this week has been nice and much needed! I also have been able to get laundry caught up and everything cleaned up. I was getting behind with some traveling we had been doing. Here a few pictures of the girls...hopefully we have snowman pictures to come soon!!!!!

Winter WonderLand!

2011-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Each year for their parties I do come up with a theme and a plan, but I wouldn't say I am a pro at it. I thought a "winter wonderland" party would be fun since it is still so cold.....hopefully we might get the opportunity to make another real snowman this year!:) We made snowmen shaped sandwiches, cupcakes with white icing and blue sprinkles & ice cream, of course fruit, chips, candy & box drinks. The napkins and plates had snowmen and snowflakes on them. We hung tourquios, hot pink & silver snowflakes on the mantle and light fixture and added a few decorative snowman around the house...it was cold outside....just perfect! For a craft all the sweet kidos put together their very own snowman. It was so fun and I do believe that they had a great time. Happy 4th Birthday Payton!

Fun one Morning!

2011-01-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

It has been real cold the last week or so. We haven't been able to play outside, but one morning I thought I will bundle them up for just a quick ride in their new Jeep. They loved it. It doesn't take much to entertain these two. They need a backpack, a pair of rain boots and most likely their camo pop guns and probably barbies and princess figurines. Too Funny!

HaPpY BirThDay PayToN!!!!

2011-01-09T18:59:00.000-08:00

Payton Goldie is 4 today! I can hardly believe it. I was going through all kinds of good stuff about now trying to meet this sweet baby girl......
Payton is always full of spunk. Either she is hot or cold and she can turn it off and on pretty quick. We love her sweet smile and her tender little heart. She is so loving and gentle most of the time. Payton loves to get in the covers in our bed and watch a movie....it is so sweet to hear her say,"You want to snuggle?" Sweet sweet! She is such a sweet big sister to Presley. I love to watch them interact. She enjoys her friends and school so much. She always wants to know what we are doing the next day. So every night at bedtime we preview the next day. She likes structure. We read every night before bed and right now we are reading The Mitten. She loves it. Some of her favorites are: The Big Red Barn, Corduroy, The Mitten & Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She loves to read. Of course her favorite toys are Barbies, Babies, their accessories, her purse & lip gloss, and she loves to go outside and swing and pretend. I love watching her through the window. She is just talking up a storm. She makes me smile! Payton can write her name, she knows her colors & shapes and can count to 20. She does a pretty good job recognizing letters too. She definitely is one of our pride and joys. We love you Payton. Happy Birthday!
Last night Payton and I made cupcakes and she did such a great job helping and not making a big mess. Today it snowed and we kind of pre planned to just come home after church and I would make spaghetti and meat balls with a spinach salad. One of Payton's favorites. I had a baby shower today so when I got home Payton wanted to go to McDonald's and eat & play. We thought, yea we can do that. We had almost the whole place to ourselves. Tonight we let the girls play a little longer.....they are too funny. Payton always tries to be the little Mommy, but some how Presley can already dictate the outcome. Pretty funny! We had a great family day.

They figure a way to always have FUN!

2011-01-03T19:03:00.001-08:00

Sweet Children

2011-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we were able to get a lot done around the house. I put up all the Christmas decorations and Micah worked his tail off outside. We have a lot of trees and bushes at our new house. A lot of it needed to be trimmed up and cut back. Everything looks so fresh and clean now. Payton helped Micah tie everything up and she would even drag branches to the street. It was so cute. Presley stayed inside with me mostly and made me laugh. She loves to carry a purse around now like Payton and keys and she likes her glass to be on top of her head. They are such the fashion models......Everyday they make me smile & laugh. Payton is really growing up. We have been teaching and working on our morning routines and night time routines. Well she wants to do it all herself "because she is a big girl.....she is almost 4!" I guess I'm doing something right? Presley is catching right along too, but she has a different twist to it.....ummmmmm.....She likes to do it her own way. She runs from us a lot and laughs, she tells us NO a lot, bless her sweet heart she already is way to honest about misbehaving, but of course we love our SWEET MESS! Do those two words even go together? Somebody has to make the family laugh, right and keep us on our toes?
News Years day was great. We had 5 families over and all enjoyed each others company. We had a big fish fry. Everybody chipped in a brought something. It made it so nice and relaxing. The kids played so well together. The weather was noce so they were able to play outside a lot. The guys were able to watch the TCU game...go FROGS! And the girls ran off to the movies to see Little Fockers. So funny! And the rest is history. All children were accounted for and went home with their families when we returned. The house was still in order too. Love days like this!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

This year we started Christmas morning in a way I hope to never again experience. Presley was running fever, didn't sleep well & was fussy. Which is not her usual. I called the on call number at their pedi and they said take her in to the ER. Fortunately we have a hospital here so after we opened presents from Santa Daddy took her to the ER. She got a shot and she has double ear infections. Yuck....this seems to occur quite frequently with her constant allergy drip. Poor Baby!
On the WAY EXCITING NOTE......Santa came to our house!!!!! He brought a Jeep to drive, scooter, doll house toys, clothes, books, candy, doll car seat carriers and OMG.....sparkly lip gloss! This apparently is the next best thing to sliced bread. Amazing what just hits the spot for little ones. I just love it! Our sweet children are so blessed. Our parents, aunts & uncles spoil them rotten. We have a garage full and our toy boxes seem to be over flowing again. Thank you all for such an amazing Christmas Season! We love each & everyone of you. Our friends & church family are so dear to us. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and send special wishes to 2011! Make it a GREAT year.

Leading up to Christmas Morning.......

2010-12-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

The second weekend in December we head to my Aunt's house for our Christmas Sing-along! Such a neat tradition. I just love it. As a child I could not wait for the sing-along and now my kids get to enjoy it like I did. We all bring yummy appetizers, sing Christmas carols, Santa makes a visit and we listen to a Christmas story...read by my Mom. It is just great.
We have had two wonderful Christmas' already. Last weekend my brother's and their families as well as my parents came to our house for our Christmas celebration. It was loads of fun. We made reindeer plaques with the kids hands and foot prints. They turned out adorable, we ate, went and saw Rudolph at the live theater and of course had a fantastic visit from Santa...... The kids loved all their new toys and so do I! It is always so special to me to have my family over. We don't all get to be together very often so it is exciting when we all get to continue making memories with one another.
This past week we headed to Micah's parent's Ranch for Christmas with the Brays! Micah's brother's family was there from PA. So we were so excited to see them. His sister's family came as well. We were all there. So exciting! We were so lucky that Santa came and visited us as well.....man we all must have been amazing children this year! After opening our gifts we headed to Palestine for the Polar Express train ride. What a great idea! We rode to the N. Pole and Santa road back with us to the train station. We all got hot chocolate and sang Christmas carols. Santa handed out bells.....the whole works! It was such a great experience for the girls.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

2010-12-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well we are blowing and going these days. We have enjoyed getting to travel together on the weekends as a family. The girls and I have tagged along quite a bit with Deer Season this year. It has been loads of fun and the girls eat it up......their Daddy is so proud! I do enjoy it.....anything that we can all do together. The house is all lit up and decorated. The girls are so excited about all the lights in the neighborhood. Each year just gets better. Payton is all game and we love the suspense. We can't wait for Santa to come and ohh man......he is watching! Even Mommy! I love this time of year, the hustle & bustle, the weather and of course all the great yummy food! I can't complain about a thing. Life doesn't get much better than this.
The girl's Christmas Program was last night. They did such a fantastic job. Presley rang her bells and Payton sang her heart out. They were both full of smiles. They are such a joy!

Got Packpack?

2010-11-09T19:48:00.001-08:00

October Add In-

2010-11-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

At school this year we had a Costume Parade. It was so neat. All the kids came to school in their costumes and we marched around the building and outside. All the kids waved and parents took pictures and said their goodbyes. It was perfect. Short and Sweet!
Also Halloween night we hosted a Youth/Small Group party here at our house. It was fantastic. There were about 50 people here. Fun, fun! All the kids had the best time trick or treating. Payton ran with her buddies, Lawson & Lincoln (Her husbands) and Presley enjoyed her wagon ride with her BFF Elly. We couldn't have asked for a better evening.
The same week of Halloween I kept sweet Elly for her mama. I got the girls to pose some with their cute Halloween shirts on. I can't help but to post this and LAUGH!

October Pictures

2010-11-08T20:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

The month of October came and went. I mean I really don't know how it is already November. Micah and I took customers to the A&M / Arkansas game one weekend, I had a small dinner party for some sweet friends from Payton's school & we exchanged some great recipes and I was able to speng some time with my parents in Spring. We had lots of FUN and can't complain.
Micah's whole family was here one weekend. All thirteen of us. Yeah! It was a great weekend. The kids played their little hearts out. We were so glad to have everyone at our home.
Halloween weekend we had my cousin and her family here.
We were so glad to have a house full. What's a full house without a little chaos.....
I made the girls costumes this year. It was super fun and of course they looked adorable. They were 50's girls with poodle skirts. I didn't even think to ask Payton what she might want to be for Halloween.....oops. One day she told me that she was going to be a mermaid....I was like no, you are going to be a 50's girl. Then I thought she doesn't even know what that means.....anyways from that point on she would say I am going to wear a poodle skirt to people who asked. It was cute. Presley was so excited that she was wearing a puppy that she pulled his tail off. She is such a fun mess!
Pictures to come.....blogger is down.

Picture Update

2010-10-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Book Fair

2010-09-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Micah took the girls to the Book Fair. The elementry school that the girls will got to is right around the corner from us. So perfect. They had their Book Fair last night and Super Heros came and painted faces. They got a book about turtles and got an ice cream sunday. Yummy!

FuN with FrIeNdS!

2010-09-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Midlothian's Homecoming & Parade. We joined our sweet friends and let the kids enjoy "small town life". All the schools closed at 12:45. I thought this was really neat. It was a great experience. The kids loved it! Sarah brought push-ups for the kids and of course we had snacks. It was hot, but full of school spirit.
Yesterday we went and picked up a sweet little girl from church, Camdyn to come over and play. I believe we are entering a new stage in life with Payton. Moms don't have to be around all the time to entertain or change diapers or even remind to go potty. She is getting so big. She is enjoying school so much and trying to be so responsible. How can this be? Camdyn and Payton played so well and really had a good time. It was really the first time to have a true playmate over to play. Fun, fun!

First Day

2010-09-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

The girls were not very excited about taking pictures this morning, but they both had a great day. Payton seemed so grown up and she helped me with the backpacks. I can't believe Presley is 18 months. It just seemed like yesterday that Payton was walking into the toddler room.

Meet the Teacher

2010-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I had "meet the teacher". It was a great day. I have been ready for school to start for about 2 weeks now. Of course we are always busy. Whether it is doing laundry, cooking dinner, swinging the girls outside or just changing a diaper....I was just ready for school busy. Every year I get so excited about who will be in my class. Each little student becomes so special to me. Whether it is their beautiful smile or the way they color in the lines....I LOVE Little Hearts School! This ministry truly makes me a better wife, mother and friend.
Payton has Ms. Pam. I know she will do so well this year. I just can't believe how much she has grown up. She is so excited about school and seeing all her friends. I can't wait to see how much she just blossoms this year. Pam will do such a great job with Payton. I can only imagine what her year will be like. Oh, I just love this child!
Presley has Ms. Amy. What a true blessing. Payton had Ms. Amy 2 years ago. She is such a precious teacher as well. She will definitely have her hands full with Miss Pris.....I wouldn't change her for nothing!

Bray Family Vacation

2010-09-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

I was waiting to post these pictures because my sister n laws and I wanted all pictures from each camera. We all seemed to have our cameras at different times. I am still waiting on one, so there may be more pictures to come. I just couldn't wait any longer. Some of these are priceless! We had the most amazing time. I can't wait for next summer to come. The kids played great and the adults did too...ha ha! What a memorable week.

Boston Vacation

2010-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Micah and I went to Boston for a long weekend. Ahh, the weather was so cool and just beautiful. About 70's during the day and 60's at night. So refreshing. I am ready for Fall. We were able to make a couple Red Sox games and then our friends flew us to Maine. We flew into Portland and went lobster catching. The scenery was just unbelievable. Just beautiful. We then took our lobsters to be cooked/boiled and we ate them for lunch. One of the neatest experiences I do believe.

Celebrating family, fun & traditions.......

2010-08-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our vacation this afternoon. We had such a wonderful week together. We spent 5 days at Circle B Ranch with the Bray families and then headed to the Woodlands Resort for 2 days with Micah's siblings families. Absolutley amazing week. I will be posting more later with pictures. I just love this picture though, so I had to post it.

2010-07-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

There's no place like Home

2010-07-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to be moved in and getting settled. Micah and I have moved a lot. We have moved 4 times in 7 years of marriage. This being our first with sweet kiddos. Wow, the stuff that comes with that. Not only do we love our new home, but we plan to stay here forever as long as it is the good Lord's plan for us. We just love it here!
I have been doing some shopping and crafting a little to make our home special. I have used most of my stuff, but have given some things just a new look. I have painted frames to match the girls rooms and painted all the light fixtures as well. With the help of sweet friends and of course my dear Dad.....our home is taking shape. I will say I am so proud of my shower curtain. I wanted the girls bathroom to blend well with their rooms. So I decided to sew their curtain myself. I just love the way it turned out!
Please enjoy the pictures. There will be more to come.

Sweet little Presley

2010-07-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I took Presley for her 15 month check up. She is actually almost 17 months. With the move and all I am a little behind. She did great.....she performed. I have been telling Micah that she really seems to talk well. The Dr. said most kids her age say about 3 to 5 words. Presley always has something to say and for the most part I understand her. Aonther talker.....I'm in trouble. I wonder were she gets it from? She is in the 93% in both height in weight. No worries there. We are so blessed. God continues to have such a special plan for us. We thank him daily for such beautiful amazing girls.

Thank Heaven for little GIRLS!

2010-07-15T22:25:00.001-07:00

Fun with Friends

2010-07-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Circle B Ranch

2010-07-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We spent the whole weekend at Circle B. Micah's parents built a second home in Buffalo, Tx. It is so nice and peaceful in the country. We all slept so well. Pitch dark and no sounds to be heard. We rode 4-wheelers, the mule, fished and swam. Micah's sister's family joined us too. It is always so much fun for all the kids to be together. In a couple weeks Micah's brother will be in Texas too. We can't wait! The girls had a blast. You can't beat good ole country fun!

Payton Conversation

2010-06-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I wash washing clothes and Payton likes to get the stool and watch the clothes in the washer.....I pulled out a penny from one of Micah's pockets and I was explaining to her that the man on the penny was a President. His name was Abraham Lincoln. She said "No, Mommy that is not Lincoln (which is a great friend of hers from school and Church) and laughed.....it is Jesus!" Priceles..!

Our Family

2010-06-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

A sweet friend of mine emailed me this picture. We had Easter lunch with them. I love this picture. Thank you, Darla.

We are doing GrEaT!

2010-06-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe but we will be moving into our home this next TUESDAY, the 22nd. Yeah! At times it has taken forever and then others it seems like wow it has already been 4 months in this rental. We are so excited and can't wait to make our house a home again.
We had VBS last week. Micah and I helped with games and Payton actually was part of the VBS classes this year. We had a great time and so did she. I catch her talking about the Bible to herself or in the mirror. It is priceless. She says words like "disciples" and "Jesus....peace be still" She is getting to big to fast. I love every moment.
We have entered the back talking world.....yuck. Not fun, but I hear her correct or babies all the time so I guess it is working. They go to time out frequently and she will ask them "are you listening?" Hilarious!!!!!!
Now Presley......HAND FULL!!!! So I guess you can say I am busy busy these days. She still sleeps all the time and is loves her routine. This makes it nice to plan our days and weeks. She has struggled with a lot fear infections from all the pollen here. I can't keep her from going outside though. She loves the cozy coop car. It is so funny to hear her also talk to herself while she plays. Her vocabulary amazes me though. She will try to repeat just about anything. She has "MAMA" down real well. Presley follows us all around and always wants to learn a new trick. Yesterday she got into the foil and had it everywhere. Then next thing I know she has flushed a zip lock baggy down the toilet. She said "note no" (I don't know) She is a cutie too of course and makes us laugh daily. I love her sweet smile. Her dimples are just precious.
What would I do with out these beautiful children. Thank the Lord for such wonderful blessings. Micah and I have been able to have a couple date nights. That has been great.
Hopefully I will have some new pictures soon to post once we get my computer up and running again.
We are good, we are great. We have so many things to be thankful for. Take care for now.

Whirl Wind Weekend

2010-05-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Bray Cousins (Madi, Presley, Payton, Barrett & Chase)

I am going to try and catch everyone up here......
School ended last week for us at Little Hearts. I finished my 4th year. Wow! What a great experience for me. I love the school and the girls do to. It is such a great mix for our family.
We left Friday and headed to Montgomery/Spring to spend time with friends and family. We went to Micah's parents on Friday and spent the day. Barrett our nephew was there and Madi & Chase came over after school. The kids loved playing together and it was so fun watching all of them interact. We are all going to Florida in August. I can't wait. The kids are going to have an absolute blast! The girls and I then headed to Spring and spent a few days with my parents. The girls played at the park and splish splashed in the little pool. I am so glad they enjoy playing outside. Monday my cousin and her kids came over. It is always so great to see Courtney and her kids. Our little ones play like siblings.....play, fight and then get over it. The way it should be. Courtney and I always played that way too! Haha! For lunch, my college roommate and I went to Lupe Tortilla. It was so good. The food was fabulous and it was nice to catch up with each other. Laura and I go way back. I will have to post a picture with my roommates and our kids later. Monday was just a great day! The girls and I headed back yesterday. We missed our Daddy. We have another busy week and then we will spend Memorial weekend with family at the lake. Fun, fun!
Payton is in gymnastics and loves it. She is a little dare devil...where does she get that from??? Presley is growing like crazy. She understands everything we say to her and man does she already have an opinion.....:) They are so fun together and truly enjoy each other. This summer will be loads of fun as they both get a little bigger.
The first two weeks of June Payton will be taking private swim lessons. She loves the water. I hope she will do ok.
We start moving in our new home June 22nd. Yea! Can't wait.
Keep us in your prayers that we will all transition well and that the move goes smoothly. We are very excited and anxious to have a little normalcy around here again.

Closed, done deal!

2010-05-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we closed on our new home. We are so excited and anxious to get moved in. They are leasing the home from us now until June 22nd. This worked out best for them so their children could finish the school year and feel settled. What a wonderful family though. We went by the house Thursday to look at it again. It was awesome....just like we had remembered. She was making homemade bread and sent us home with a loaf. How thoughful!!! It was yummy yummy. She loved her home you could tell and was so happy to hear that we would love it too.
God contiunues to know what is best and has blessed us with what we feel is an amazing home.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Right now it is almost impossible to have time to download pictures plus we are using Micah's laptop instead of my computer for space purposes....
My aunt emailed me this great family picture. Every year we have Easter with my Dad's family the Saturday before. It is fantastic. My grandmother goes all out with food, lots of eggs and of course fun. Unfortunately this year she was in the hospital, but we still had the egg hunt. My Dad turns 60 next week so the only time my brothers and I could all be with him was at Easter. Let me tell you. It is was such a blessing to all be together. Our kids played great and we got to have some good ole bonding time. It was just a great day! We had a wonderful Easter with many friends and family. We love the memories we are making. Life is just FUN! And SPECIAL! Our kids are beyond perfect and life is good.

Our NEW Home!!!!

2010-03-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are so excited! We finally found the perfect home for our family....at least we think so. We will be moving in June. I hope the next 2.5 months will go by super fast. Poor Payton is all kinds of confused about where she is living. We showed her the house today and tonight when we came home to the duplex, she said this is not Payton's house.....we laughed.....not really sure what or how to explain our crazy life these days.

Sooooo, we are FINALLY moving

2010-02-13T18:46:00.001-08:00

Ok, I don't even know how to make this long story short, so here we go......

Back in October our house sold (we thought) for weeks I packed, my parents helped me pack & we packed! The week of closing things just started falling apart at every end of the spectrum you could imagine. I mean I had never even heard of such things fall apart. But they did. God had/has a plan for us. ALWAYS! I have to remind myself this everyday these days. I read Phil 4:6-7. Many many times. So, our house went back on the market. We have been living packed since then. It really hasn't been that bad. Cleaning up after everyone all day long has been hard. What really is a clean house, right? Haha! Fortunately our house has sold and we are closing Friday...Yeah! We have looked at many homes and even made 2 offers. We were denied both. Again God has a plan for us. This has been very hard for me to understand. I want full control of this situation. Apparently the perfect house for the Brays has not come available yet. SO......we finally found a duplex that we can rent for 3 months. What a God sent, right? We also have a POD coming Monday and we will load it up and be moved out by Thursday. We can do it, right? This has been such a lesson for me. I am not sure what God has planned for us, but I know he knows best and I know he will always provide. Please continue to pray for us during this transition. It can be very stressful at times, but then again sometimes you just have to laugh!!!!

snow, snOW, & more SNOW!!!

2010-02-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

My class decorated their Vday bags for their exchange!

My class @ LHS

Payton opening her Valentines with Daddy

Our Valentines treasures......

Just beautiful! Today was good ole FUN! We had our Valentine's parties at school and we played in the snow after long naps. I was so excited that we were able to make a snowman! While Micah and the girls were napping I went to the store and noticed that everyone was out playing in the snow and making snowmen.....Yeah! What an idea. I mean I grew up in Houston I didn't know what to do. :) So when I got home I told Micah we had to make a snowman. We used Presley's cookies for the eyes, a carrot for the nose, and coco puffs for the mouth. Payton loved finding things in the house to use for the snowman. Payton had a ball and Presley watched in her stroller. She wanted out so bad. This was a great family day and wonderful memory for us.

Got Presents?

2010-02-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is an understatement......We had the girls birthday party Saturday at Going Apes. A crazy fun indoor bounce house place!!! The girls and our family were blessed with loads of fun at the party, family coming to town, and SOOO many presents. It is sinful for sure. Almost embarrassing. I wanted to put no gifts please on the invitations, but asked around and most said they would still bring gifts....so what do you do? We had fun and celebrated! The girls are both amazing and growing like crazy.

How does this happen?

2010-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday PaYtOn!

2010-01-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Our Payton is THREE (3)! I can't believe it. She had such a great day Saturday. We had a little cake for her and we took her to Peter Piper Pizza. It was great. There really weren't to many people there and she just had good ole FUN!
On Thursday we made cookies and sent goody bags for her friends at school. They sang happy birthday during lunch. It was really sweet.
Payton is such a wonderful child. Truly a gift from God. Everyday she has an amazing smile and loves life to the fullest. She keeps me going. We are so proud of her. Payton can spell her name, count to 20, ride her new bike, talks literally non stop in full sentences, prays......I could go on and on! We are just so thankful! She is so helpful with Presley and really wants to do most things for herself. She really wants to be big. We love you Payton, Happy Birthday!

Twenty 10!

2010-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We were so fortunate to have Micah's parents here for the New Year! We played cards and had the traditional ham, peas, cabbage and corn bread meal. It was fantastic. Thanks Nana and Big Daddy. It was so nice to be in our PJ's early and just relax with family. Payton almost made the New Year. She came to me at 11:30 and said "Mommy I am ready for bed." She is really growing up. She just played cards with her babies and enjoyed every moment. We are truely blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas!

2010-01-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009 was fantastic. We were home this year. It was perfect. No rushing, no packing and thank goodness no laundry......Don't get me wrong I LOVE spending Christmas with family, but being home this year made all the difference in the world.
So, We did Christmas at Thanksgiving with Micah's family. It was great. Everyone was there and we all spent about a week together. The girls were able to go to the Movie and the guys were able to go Hunting. And of course all the kids played hard and enjoyed opening all their presents. Ooh, I can't forget all the yummy food. The Brays, we can eat!
Christmas morning was the BEST! Payton loved every moment and even asked that night when I put her to bed if Santa was coming again....priceless. Presley loved all her toys. Santa did great! Micah and I filled each others stockings...it was really fun! Santa must have thought I was remarkable. I was shocked and surprised. It made is so much fun! Christmas day we went over to some friends house to have lunch. The kids played in the snow and played their hearts out. The guys fried a turkey and of course the girls put together the rest. The pies were fabulous...I need a piece. Thank you to the Sandlins and Dyers. It was a very Merry Christmas!
On the 26th my family went to Craig's house (my brother). This year I decided to have the kids make ornaments. I thought this would be a great craft and something they could do each year. We filled clear balls with snow and made the face of a snowman on the outside. They turned out so cute. The kids enjoyed it....that's what matters the most to me! No one went without....can't go wrong with a Suehs Christmas either.
We hope you all had the BEST Christmas ever as well. We wished you a Merry Christmas and of course a Happy New Year!

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

2009-12-24T18:17:00.001-08:00

Nothing is better than a white Christmas......as we watched the news Wed. night we knew that we would have SNOW the next day. Yeah! It is cold, but beautiful. It started snowing around 9am and continued through out the day. It finally stuck this evening. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The girls opened 2 gifts tonight. Their jawmies (PJ's) and their ornaments. They have sweet matching jawmies on and Payton got a cat ornament and Presley got a snowman ornament. I do have to explain about Presley's ornament real quick. I bought her the best snow woman ornament about a month ago and I left it at my parents. Bummer.....I could not find anything at Hobby Lobby to replace it, but this snowman. I don't think she really cares this year as much as I do. Payton and I have baked Santa his cookies. Presley went to bed at 6:45. Honestly the girl sleeps her life away. And Payton is watching Mickey Mouse Christmas. I thought I would share some pictures from the evening. Wow, are we blessed.

Full Conversations......

2009-12-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Payton is on a roll. She talks to us non stop. I mean literally she always has something to say. I wonder where she gets this from....:) She has began to coordinate people from TV to people we see in the store. The other day she showed me Caillou. If any of you are familiar with this cartoon, this could be offensive, right? I didn't know what to do. Then, long story short, Micah took us hunting and one of the men at the deer lease was Phil....not to Payton she called him Mr. Hinkle the whole time. I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. She told her teacher today that she couldn't eat her sandwich b/c it had cheese on it. Her teacher tried to take the cheese off, but then this messed up the sandwich...I swear she is already OCD. Priceless. She makes us laugh and she makes us smile.....what else could we ask for but two happy children.

9 months

2009-12-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it! Presley was 9 months yesterday. She literally overnight has become BIG! We are so blessed with 2 absolutely precious little girls. Presley does seem to want to wait on walking early, man she is just as quick as Payton and is just as busy if not busier.....is this possible? :) Fortunately we have found the perfect Pedi for the girls. Since we are still in flu season she doesn't want either girl coming in unless they are sick. So, Presley will not have a 9 month check up and Payton will have her 3 yr check with Presley in March. This seems to make such great since to me. If we are well why go sit with a bunch of sick people.....We enjoy every moment of watching these sweet babies grow up before our eyes. We thank God for such a special family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

We have many things to be thankful for. My Dad is doing fantastic and is well. God always answers our prayers and knows what is the best for us. Thank you God. Our daughters are just perfect in every way. They are so absolutely special to us. Everyday they remind me what true blessings they are to my life. We hope every ones holiday season is filled with love and joy!

Dedication

2009-11-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday was baby dedication for Presley at Church. What an absolute miracle Presley is and we thank God for an amazing little girl.
Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

FUN! This year was a blast. Payton understood the concept of trick or treating. She loved it. Presley did great riding in the stroller. We met up with a bunch of friends and all took the kids trick or treating. Everyone had a great time and got TONS of candy. My parents were able to spend Halloween with us this year. GrandDaddy was a trooper and kept up with Payton the whole time. Payton was a witch, but if you asked her what she was she said, "a wench!" Priceless. And Presley was a pumpkin. So cute!

Presley Update

2009-10-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Presley is growing so fast that I can hardly keep up. She will be 8 months on Nov. 1st. Wow! I can't believe it. I changed pediatricians. I absolutely love our new Dr. Sweet. She will be so perfect for our family. I was a little late with Presley's 6 month check up due to traveling and switching doctors. Anyway she is 96% in height and 86% in weight. Dr. Sweet was so thorough and just so great with Presley. Presley is crawling everywhere and also pulls up on everything. She loves her food and eats pretty well for the most part.
We are all staying so busy and trying to stay well.
I will be posting Fall Festival pictures soon and ohh, by the way we are moving in about 2 weeks. We are very excited to be closer to everything.......Church, school, dr. and many friends.

Upstate NY

2009-10-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Absolutely breath taking................
Last week we took the girls with my parents to visit my Uncle Derrick (Dad's brother)and his family. We had an amazing time. it was very cold and it even snowed on Friday morning. It was just beautiful. I can't even describe it with words. God's creation is just beyond my thinking.
We went to the Apple Festival. Yummy, yummy. They had homemade apple fritters there. OMG! My aunt waited in line for about 30 minutes just to get the tickets to stand in another line for the fritters. Well worth it! They actually slice the apples and then fry them, kind of like a funnel cake with the powdered sugar effect. So GOOD! Micah was able to go to Cooperstown which is where the baseball Hall of Fame is. Payton tagged along with him while I stayed at home with Presley...let's just say he would like to go back without a distraction. :) We also went to this small town, Skaneyatlas (SP?) it had the neatest shops. I had fun, fun shopping here. Oh, an to add Payton broke the door knob off at one of the stores....What do you do? My uncle is truly a great tour guide.....he took us to a great furniture store called Johnny Appleseed. What a neat store! Payton and I got to pick apples here as well. We also road a big baot arounf 1000 Islands. We saw absolutley amazing homes and an unbelievable castle called Boldt(SP?)Castle. Unfortunately we could not go in it. It had already closed for the season. We had dinner with my cousins and their kids. It was so nice to meet and see family. The kids just played great together and enjoyed every moment of it. All I can say is that we had a GREAT family vacation!

Camo Girls & an Update

2009-10-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

This year at school we have had some fun THEME days. Yesterday was camo day. I had Micah take a picture because I thought we all looked pretty cute. Daddy liked it for sure!
We have been super busy lately with what I don't know, but LIFE right? We are enjoying every moment. The girls are growing fast and play so well with eachother. Presley scoot crawls. It is pretty funny, but she gets where she wants pretty quick these days. Payton encourages her. Which I think is great. So far so good.
Continue to pray for everyone to stay well. The girls were sick last week and Micah this week. I usually don't get sick....so I hope it stays that way. The flu seems to be pretty rampit right now. The girls got their shots today. They both did fabulous. Couldn't ask a better Dr. visit.
Much love.......

Family Weekend

2009-09-14T14:09:00.001-07:00

Barrett, Madi, Presley, Chase & Payton

Yummy cake....can I have MORE!

Our little family

Something must be pretty FUNNY

Happy Birthday Barrett

Swinging in the rain

Heading to Montgomery

We spent the weekend in Montgomery with Micah's family. We had a great time. I must fill you in on the whole trip story.....
Micah was in PA last week. I was to pick him up Thursday night. His brother's family was on the same flight heading to Houston. Needless to say they barely made it to DFW by midnight. At this point they canceled their connecting flight, SO..... We had a family sleep over. They all took a cab to our house. I put the pack in play in the office for sweet Barrett and put the blow up mattress in the living room. Zach and Natalie then took a car to San Antonio for a wedding and we took Barrett with us to Montgomery to spend the weekend until Zach and Natalie joined us Sunday. Barrett turns the BIG 1 this month and Nana has birthday too. We celebrated together with cake and ice cream! Yummy!(Somewhat confusing, right?) It was so much FUN! We all enjoy getting to spend time together. We already miss them. We will all be together again at Thanksgiving. Can't wait!

1st DAY of SchooL!

2009-09-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

I added the curtains and rug this year. I love it! Thank you Mrs. Parker!

It was a great day! I began my 4th year at Little Hearts School. It is hard to believe. I have 8 sweet kiddos this year. My class is much younger than usual, but I always enjoy a challenge. :)Right? The girls each had a wonderful day. We of course love their teachers and know it is going to be another amazing year for us all....spiritually, emotionally & academically!
We are ONE Body
"But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it." 1 Corinthians 12:18

I have been CrAftInG!

2009-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Lately I have realized how easy it is to make a lot of the stuff that we all pay a fortune for. So.....I have been crafting. I got my grandmother's sewing machine up and running and off I went.
September 1st one of my great friend's had a sweet baby girl. Basil Anne Brunasso! Ohh, she is precious. I have only seen pictures. I can't wait to get my hands on her. Another heartbreaker.....:)
This is what I have been working on lately.

How can it get BETTER than this?

2009-09-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

we just have FUN!

2009-08-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

More Cousins

2009-08-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Fortunately we have a lot of cousins and we get to see all of them at least once a year. Last week while the girls and I were in Spring I called my cousin Scott and we were able to get the kids together. He and his wife use to babysit me when I was a baby and then I babysat their kids. They are so special to me and wish we could see each other more often. Brooke, their youngest is in the 5th grade this year. I told her next summer I would have to borrow her for a week to help out with the girls. I think we would have a blast together. Blake and Brandon are way to handsome for teenagers. I can only imagine what the girls think!:) They are all wonderful kids.

Daddy's Girlz!

2009-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is ALWAYS FuN!

2009-08-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer has come and gone. We did what we know best.....played hard and had loads of fun. The girls and I spent each week with play dates and weekends full of family fun.
Payton and Presley have done fantastic with each other. I could not be happier with the wonderful transition that our family had with adding our precious baby girl. Payton is so sweet to Presley and tells me, "Mommy, I love her!" Yeah!
We started summer with our trip to PA to see Aunt Nat and Uncle Zach and of course we can't forget "B"! We miss them so much. We will see them again in about 3 weeks. Can't wait! Our Church VBS was a huge success! Micah and I were in charge of the games!( Micah loved every moment)We made many trips to Spring and Montgomery to see family. My girls are true road warriors! We spent the 4th of July with extended family and celebrated it to the fullness with food and fireworks! Then we celebrated our 6 year wedding Anniversary. Amazing how fast time flies by when you have so much fun with each other......:)Micah and I were able to take an adult trip as well with some of our favorite people. We went to AR and stayed on an amazing house boat. Thank you, thank you to the Dyers! (I don't care who you are that is funny!)We have enjoyed baseball games, swimming, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, lots of Barney and Dora, airplane rides, family and friends......ohh, and potty training.....Could there be a better SuMmEr?!

RoomMates!

2009-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is sort of a funny title, but I have been thinking of my college roommates lately......being that college kids are about to go back to school.
What fun we had! I know that I was so blessed with Courtney and Laura. We laughed and cried together and truly took care of each other. It was fun, fun times.
Courtney is also my cousin and just had her baby girl. The fun story is that she is 4 months older than me. Payton is 4 months older than Parker and now Presley is 4 months older than Darby. I love knowing that I can count on her anytime!
Laura and I don't get to see each other very much, but man we can pick right up where we left off.
I miss those days sometimes of fighting about who would take the trash out or who got the mail.....what fun we had together, Thanks girls! I love you.

Always FUN when COUSINS come

2009-08-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Last week Micah's sister and her 2 kiddos came to visit. The kids had such a great time playing together. Payton just loves her Madi and Chase! And they love her too pieces. It is so funny how the older ones let the little ones boss them around. We already miss them and today Payton even asked where they were. We took the kids to the Zoo and swimming. It was loads of fun!

Rangers Game

2009-07-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

It looks like Payton is crying, but she was just being silly!

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture. It was so sweet. Payton was all over her Daddy!

Last night we took Payton to the Rangers game. It was so much fun. We ate lots of junk food and really enjoyed being with Payton. The weather was nice and she loved all the chanting. I love baseball, so I was glad to see that Payton enjoyed the game as much as we did.

6 Wonderful Years

2009-07-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 19th was our Anniversary. We had such a great weekend. We saw family and friends and were also able to have dinner alone Friday night and Saturday night. Yeah!
Micah is such a special man. I love him dearly and couldn't imagine our lives without the other. Every year we look back and realize how each year always gets better. We have 2 beautiful daughters that are the light of our life. Our Faith and our relationship with God seems to continue to grow. What an amazing Father we have. All of our many blessing we give thanks to him.
Most of all there is something about your husband becoming a DADDY! Micah is a wonderful Daddy to our girls. He is always available to help and he enjoys every moment of it. I love him unconditionally. More everyday...........

4th of July

2009-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! We had a great 4th. We went to Spring to spend the weekend with my family. Saturday morning we went to the Memorial area and watched a fabulous parade. Payton loved it. My Aunt has a great party every year. We cooked out and then head to the high school for an amazing firework show. The community had put together great festivities!

Swimming

2009-07-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Dyers joined us at the Jameson's house to swim. Presley and Elly are so cute intheir bathing suits.

Jon holding Presely. This was Payton's first bathing suit and swim hat.

This weekend we spent a lot of time swimming. Payton just loves the water. Fortunately some sweet friends of ours invited us over for a great time in their pool. It has been so hot lately that if we are not in the water outside, we are not outside. Payton loves to play outside, but she has even noticed that it is extremely hot. I will open the back door and she says, "Mommy, is it hot?" I usually have to tell her "yes." Then she says, "I want to stay inside." Her speech has just taken off. Full sentences all the time now. I love it!

I have to share a few funny stories.
Today Payton was watching TV and she came to me and told me that she wanted to ride the school bus to school. I just died laughing and said hopefully one day. She said ok Mommy!
Potty Training is improving, but we are still working on it. She truly is doing very well though. Today Payton is running around bottomless with her pj top and her backpack! She even wears it when she is using the potty.

Result.......

2009-07-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Presley is 15.8 lbs & 25.5 inches long. She is 90% in both weight and height.

4 Months

2009-07-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Presley is growing so fast. She was 4 months on the 1st. I take her tomorrow for her check-up. She is such a good baby. Presley has come to life for sure. She loves Payton and looks for her when we are all together. Today Payton pulled her chair up next to Presely while she was in her swing and they just talked and played together. It was so sweet. I don't want to rush her at all, but I know Payton and Presley are going to enjoy each other. She coos and goos at us with a great big smile. It is so rewarding! I also started Presely on cereal yesterday. She is not sure of it yet, but seems to want food. She is doing a lot better with it than Payton. I really think I had to skip this with her. :)
Payton is potting training.....It is continuing to improve daily and is going great.Yeah!

Splish Splash FUN

2009-06-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today we met a bunch of friends in Arlington at an awesome swim park. Payton loved it. She swam her heart out. It was such a great day. They have life guards and the water is shallow for all the little ones. I could manage Presley in her stroller and make sure Payton was safe. This was a plus for all of us.

Life with PAYTON.........

2009-06-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so what would my life be without Payton? She is full force all day everyday! What else can I say she keeps me going. With all this said. She is so strong willed it is unreal. Some say this could turn into a great thing one day. I hope so for her benefit. Anyways.....potty training has been a disaster since she turned 2. I have tried a couple of times and failed completely. Needless to say after asking around and just trying to be patient I realized it MUST be her idea TOTALLY! After a week of her pooping in her diaper and taking it off immediately and bringing it to me to show me how yucky it is I thought maybe this is it!!!!!Yeah! So today we have stayed home and played all day in just Panties. She has added her rain boots to complete the outfit....whatever! She has done fantastic! Only one half way accident while trying to make it while pooping. Payton also wants to do it all herself. She climbs up on the potty herself as well. Forget the small portable potty. Why would she want to use it.......:) I even caught her trying to go like a boy. FANTASTIC! So I had to demonstrate a little......again what would life be without our PAYTON!!!!!! No life.

Playdate

2009-06-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, it is already extremely HOT, but summer is always full of FUN! Payton is really enjoying this summer. Presley enjoys anything as long as she can get in a nap....:)
This week we had some friends over on Tuesday. It was a great day and lots of fun for everyone.

More PA pics

2009-06-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

FUN in Washington, PA

2009-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

What a fun trip!!!! We went to see Micah's brother and his sweet family last week. Transportation........AIRPLANE! Call me crazy! Yes, we took Payton and Presley on an airplane. Payton absolutely loved it. Presley slept most the time. The ride there was easier than on the way home, but we made it. Micah's parents joined us as well. We all just had good ole family time. We went to the zoo....fantastic! Payton just took it all in and sang "I like to move it" the whole time since she loves Madagascar. It was so cute. We ate lots of great food, which I came home with some great new recipes. Thanks Nat! Natalie and I were able to have dinner alone, which was nice. And we also went out to eat with our husbands to a nice seafood restaurant. Thanks Nana & Big Daddy! (3 kids under 3) There is a famous candy and ice cream shop there. We of course had to try it out.
The kids kept us all entertained. I already miss Barrett's belly laugh. He is so sweet. When he is tired he would just twist his curl on the top of his head. Just precious. We are so glad that we took the trip and miss you guys!

Fun w/ the girls!

2009-06-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Senior Sunday

2009-05-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today at church was Senior Sunday. We have tables set up for the graduating seniors. They decorate a poster board with pictures and we have snacks. Our Youth Minister gave the lesson on Graduating from High School, but not your FAITH!
This really made me think.......8 years ago this was me and now I have 2 precious children that are on the count down. SCAREY! We had 2 amazing Seniors graduating. I am so proud of them. Long story short, Micah and I were invited to the Senior Blessing dinner for them tonight. Everyone goes around and tells a story and or gives their blessing as they move on with their lives. As everyone spoke my mind was going 90 to nothing. I just remember being so happy, but so scared. Both seniors impress me with their faith. They are always letting their light shine for the Lord. Micah and I always talk about how hard it is in the real world. Honestly though I received such meaningful advise. The parents talked about that graduating and going off to college is what they had raised them for. To succeed!!!! I thought this was a fantastic way to look at it. Also, how you want your children to build their own faith so that they are ready to be on their own....Wow! Such excellent advise. We can't do it for them forever. It is a team effort. Keep your family in line together to make it work. This may seemed so rambled, but it was such a great night and I am so glad to be a part of their lives. Good Luck......Brittany & Patrick!

Catch-Up!

2009-05-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy lately. I can't complain though.....I love being busy. Little Hearts School ended for us last Thursday. Again, I can't believe another year has passed. Payton had a great year and Presley enjoyed her last month in the nursery with Honey. Payton can spell her name, count to 10 and even knows all her colors. Blue is her favorite for right now. She just amazes Micah and I. Everyday it seems that she has learned something new. Presley will be 3 months tomorrow. She is sleeping 10 hours at night and is turning over. She is just like her sister.....NOSEY! She wants to know what is going on.
We spent last week with my parents. The week went by fast, but it is always nice to go home and just relax. We went to the lake and Payton rode the tube with Micah. She literally played in the water all day. We worked in the yard a lot while we were there and Payton climbed a tree and rode her heart out on her new set of wheels.....her tricycle.
I love being a MOM! I don't think it gets much better than this.

2 months

2009-05-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Payton - 2 months

Presley - 2 months

Do they look alike?

The Girls!

2009-05-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

What a FANTASTIC weekend! Friday morning I took the girls to the park and met up with a bunch of our friends and their kiddos. We had a great time swinging on the tire swings and playing in the sand. We went home and took naps then heading to Walmart. We bought Payton a sand box and a tricycle! She loves her new, "bike!"
Saturday Micah gave me my present. He got me a new cell phone. I needed a new one real bad and I also wanted to change my number. He did a great job of picking out a real fun one! Saturday night we headed to Weatherford. A friend of ours had a big crawfish boil and had a bunch of us out there. It was such an amazing time. All the kids got along, the weather was perfect and there was tons of food. What more could you ask for.
Sunday we went to Church and then had friends over for lunch.
We just had a great family weekend and I enjoyed being reminded how blessed I am to be my two little girl's MOMMY!
Micah and I are both blessed with wonderful Moms. We just thank them for being such wonderful examples to us. Now that I am a Mother I realize how hard it is at times to be a GOOD Mom. As we all know it takes everything we have to do it all right all the time. I am so blessed to be encouraged by my Mom's friends and my friends. That is what it is all about....... ENCOURAGEMENT!

8 Weeks!

2009-04-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Presley is such a sweet baby. She is growing so fast. I don't know if it is because she is wearing 3 months clothes or if it is that I am so busy with both girls all day everyday. Either way...I love it! Presley is sleeping through the night now. WOW! What a difference in makes. She wants to be so active already. I put little toys on her car seat this weekend and she just loves them. The girls just melt my heart. Presley already hears and recognizes Payton's voice. What can I say they are just the sweetest thangs ever!

Country Critters

2009-04-26T12:05:00.001-07:00

Sweet Cousins

2009-04-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Corbin and Payton were singing. They love to use the golf clubs as microphones.

Ohh, they love Cowboy.....our dog!

Sweet little faces!

Father's Day Breakfast

2009-04-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our Father's Day breakfast at Little Hearts School. We had such a great turn out. Payton was so happy to be with her Daddy.

Easter Continued -

2009-04-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Payton and Presley also got Easter bags from GrandMommy and GrandDaddy. Which Payton calls Namaw and Da right now. It is actually really cute! They were filled with many goodies. Payton loves her glitter baton (sp?). Thanks GrandMommy.
Our Church had an egg hunt this afternoon as well. Payton loved every moment of it. They hid her age group eggs on the playground. She had a blast with all her little buddies. Presley hung out with Daddy. She was asleep in the stroller. She will be a trooper next year. I just love all these fun memories!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Payton loved hitting the pinata! This was her first time.

Of course Payton found the ladder to climb while they were hanging the pinata. :)

There were 16 of the 21 great grandchildren here!

Payton, Brycen, Cameron & Presley, Corbin - My brother's kids with the girls!

The girls had matching Easter dresses. So fun!

What an Easter! It all started last Tuesday. Payton had her Easter party at school and hunted eggs on the playground. They made the cutest Easter crafts. Her teacher comes up with the coolest stuff. They made a carrot. She used Cheetos for the orange part. I mean what kid doesn't like cheetos? So cute!
Then Nana and Big Daddy came to visit us Wed. - Friday. Of course they brought the girls both Easter baskets. Payton's favorite so far are the markers for the bath tub. Good job...Nana! Presley received the BEST gift of all.....a can of FORMULA!
Then Saturday we headed to my Grandmother's. Every year we have a huge egg hunt for the great grandchildren. Presley was number 21. It is so cool and such a great family tradition. The kids just love it!
This morning the Easter Bunny visited our house.......Payton cracked us up. At first she just wants to hunt her favorite colors. Then she catches on theat there is candy inside.
What can I say we are exhausted! Happy Easter!

2009-04-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that I am posting everyday. I think our life is so crazy right now that maybe this is all I have time for. :)
Sunday Payton was reading the paper with Micah. It was so cute. I had to take a picture.
Today some friends of mine and I tried getting the kids pictures taken with bluebonnets. I didn't attempt Presley, but I got a few of Payton. I also tried to take a picture of the girls together at home. I am realizing this is very hard to do.
Enjoy!

I must EXPLAIN!

2009-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, the house was a disaster....Payton had wet through her diaper that morning and all over her bed. I was very proud of Micah. He stripped the bed and even washed all her sheets and PJ's.
To add in. Payton thought this was great because she was able to jump on the box springs. :) She was so excited when I got home. We went to her room to discover that her little pig (that is part of a set of 4) was found behind the bed. She kept saying "Mommy I found pig, I found pig!" This made her evening and bath time as well. The pig, cow, duck, and frog are one of her most favorite toys. They are made out of terry clothe for the bath.....but we take them everywhere. The pig was very missed.
I must admit that having 2 children now has made me relax. I use to stay up and clean before kids at night. Then Payton came along and I could still handle it. When I found out I was having Presley I got a house keeper to help out. It is tough keeping a clean house all the time. I always think everything should be picked up. Yesterday it killed me to look at all of Payton's toys in the living room. I took a deep breath and told myself that it was "OK!" And it is......right?

Women's Retreat

2009-04-06T08:44:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we had our Ladies Retreat. Micah was so sweet and kept the girls all by himself. I know he enjoyed it. Payton had a ball with her Daddy. And Presley enjoyed doing her favorite thing during the day......sleeping! The house was a wreck when I got home, but I knew that they had a blast playing. It is always a blessing to be with my Christian friends.

Our Family

2009-04-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of the girls last night after their bathes. Ohh, the smell of clean babies! They were both so cute in pink and had such soft skin.
Today we finally were able to get some what of a family picture (snap shot).

I have a prayer of thanks.....My Dad had his routine colonoscopy Monday. They took some biopsy's which made us some what nervous. Fortunately he went Thursday for his results and he is clear of everything. They took the biopsy b/c their was some inflammation. This was such an answer to our Prayers. I know now that my Dad can logically move on. His poor mind has still had so much stress until now. Thank you for the continued prayers. God is always listening!!!!

1 month!

2009-04-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Can you believe.....
Presley is 1 month today. Time is starting to fly by. We are pretting much back into our routine of going and coming, so I do believe the girls are both going to be 1 and 3 before I know it.:(
Presley weighed 10 lbs and 9 ounces. She gained 3 lbs. No complaints here. She is 21 3/4 inches.
We are still adjusting but for the better. Hopefully I will have some pictures soon!