The Bray Bunch

Dreaming......

2010-01-14T09:23:00.007-05:00

Of a vacation. I have never in my LIFE been so cold as I have been the last few weekends (that I can remember ...my dad swears it was 8 degrees in AL one year when I was little) Anyways, I have the travel bug something bad and have been surfing the interweb all morning looking at dreamy places that I would love to visit, or in some cases, re-visit.

1. First up, Costa Smeralda, Northern Sardinia (near Porto Cervo) - the first stop on our honeymoon 5 and a half years ago. Costa Smeralda is Italian for "emerald coast" and is a tiny port town built by Prince Karim Aga Khan in the 1960s as an exclusive holiday village for the rich and famous with high end fashion boutiques, expensive restaurants, and luxury hotels. This place is seriously paradise. The food is incomparable, the locals are super friendly, we had the most amazing massages EVER at our hotel, the Costa Smeralda Cervo Resort and (the best part) a private beach overlooking the Mediterranean. Our favorite place to eat was this little local restaurant, Il Peperoni. Sardinian cuisine is simple and straightforward, made with only the freshest ingredients. The exception being this famous Sardinian specialty (warning - not for those with a weak stomach.)

2. L.A.: (or anywhere in CA basically!) I've only been once and am dying to go back. I think we spent 5 days there and there was never a moment where I thought "oh, I'm bored..." There is so much to do - the parks, the beaches, the dining, the shopping .... oh L.A. I puffy heart love you :-) A close second is San Francisco, where Chris and I got engaged. So romantic, so beautiful, so much wine to drink ;-)

3. Vegas, Baby! Fingers crossed I will make my pretty little way to WPPI this year. Prrrrrrrrobably not, but....a girl can dream, right?

4. I'll be going here in a couple of weeks for another one of these. woot! so excited :-)

5. Last but not least, I'll settle for this, which is where hubby and I will be this weekend celebrating Valentine's Day :-)

Our Christmas

2010-01-02T13:26:00.005-05:00

was cozy and fun! We have a tradition of hosting Christmas Eve dinner at our house every year. This year I made a simple but hearty menu for fifteen that included roasted leg of lamb, parmesan risotto, minted carrots, baked brie en croute, roasted pototoes and the BEST home-made bread pudding you've ever had in your life. Chris and I then rounded out the night with my favorite tradition: sipping champagne and playing Santa. Our kids are such night-owls though, we had to stay up until 2:00 am to safely bring out the goods. Christmas this year wasn't huge, and I am totally OK with that. I put a lot of thought into what we bought for each boy, made a list, checked it twice and ordered 90% of it online :-) The older I get (and the more kids I have) the more "actual" shopping gives me major anxiety! They seemed pleased with their gifts, and it was really fun that Owen was actually excited for Santa to come this year and understood what was going on. All he wanted was a garbage truck for Christmas (the kid has always had a weird penchant for garbage cans, gargage trucks) and he got it. And that was all he played with :-) I don't think he even noticed that he HAD other gifts to open until about an hour later. Jack's big gift was a scooter that makes sparks when you hit the brakes. But his favorite gift was the practical joke set he got. What was I thinking?! We then hopped from my parents' house (where we had smoked salmon, cheese grits and mimosas, my fave!) to my in-laws where we ate AGAIN, home for naps, then back over to my rents for the best steaks I've ever had in my life. We went home sleepy and full, the perfect ending to the perfect day. And the perfect way to round out a wonderful year!

(taken with the Shake It Photo iPhone app)

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas...

2009-12-20T13:25:00.005-05:00

Well, by now our Christmas cards have hopefully arrived to all! Next year, I will definitely fore-go the square cards since they involved gnashing my teeth during the design process, multiple trips to the post office and a million dollars in postage, ha ha. Seriously though, I love sending/receiving Christmas cards almost as much as opening presents on Christmas morning. I get really excited every day when I see my mail man :-) This year my mantra has been a low-key, no stress, keep it fun, who cares if the house is messy, style Christmas. I decided that instead of attempting to do our own family photos like a crazy person (aka = me last year), we would hire another photographer to do them for us so that we could enjoy the whole experience. It was also a treat for me to get to experience first-hand the process that my clients go through (waiting to see our proofs nearly killed me, lol) One of my high school friends' husband, Cory Callahan, is a super-talented photographer and so fun to work with. Here are a few shots from our session(s) (we got rained out on attempt #1.)

Merry Christmas to all! I sincerely hope you have a wonderful holiday, filled with lots of love and fun, and maybe even a little cold weather (fingers crossed!)
XOXO,
Sarah

10 years ago today .....

2009-12-11T10:00:00.005-05:00

I was holding my precious newborn baby boy. It is so hard to believe that Jack is ten today. My heart swells with love for him more than ever before. He is so very special to me and is one of the best things in my life. When I think of how much he has changed me I have to thank God for the miracle of Jack's life. A (very) free-spirited but ambitious freshman in college, I certainly never expected to get pregnant at 18. I still remember very vividly the moment I found out. I was ~~scared~~ terrified. I took 2 tests to be absolutely sure and just remember the room spinning and a million thoughts running through my mind. I was in a relationship, but not married, was living in a college dorm, was a full-time student, didn't have a job and was an hour and half away from my family. But, underneath that flurry of emotions, there was a stronger current of peace, joy and excitement. I always knew that I wanted to be a mother and instantly I felt a love for this baby that I had never before experienced. I won't say that becoming a mom at such a young age has been easy, especially with all of the heartache we went through when John (Jack's dad) and I divorced 3 years later and I found myself a very young single mom. I know I missed out on a lot of things - experiences, opportunities ..... but I truly believe that God had (has) a very important purpose for Jack's life and that He protected us through all of our hard times and blessed us with tremendous love. I am so thankful that He chose me to be Jack's mother. I have always felt that this was my highest calling in life and NEVER regretted or even second guessed my decision to keep my child. My life is so blessed, so rich, so happy and fun because he is in it. I cannot imagine a day, let alone 10 years or a lifetime without my precious son. I am also thankful for the many wonderful people in Jack's life - Chris, for loving him as his own son, John, for giving me (one of) the most precious gifts *can't forget about my other sweet and precious boy!*, my parents for being SO supportive, encouraging and loving. For never judging me and loving Jack more than your own kids. Only kidding. Sort of :-) The world is a brighter place with Jack in it. Happy Birthday sweet boy, I love you more than words can ever say! XOXO, Mom.

*before watching the slideshow, scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit pause on my playlist, there is music on the slideshow and it will make you go crazy if you try to listen to both of them at the same time :-)

Wild Things....

2009-10-16T10:21:00.004-04:00

OK, so maybe I'm a little psycho obsessed with Where The Wild Things Are...... This was one of my favorite books a child and I'm so happy that O&J now love it too. Nothing cuter than hearing Owen say "I lub ya so.... I'll EAT YA UP!" :-) I've always had somewhat of a wild imagination....I actually had 2 imaginary friends growing up, Jennifer and Allison (I could tell you exactly what they looked like and how they acted to this day!) and, at the risk of everyone thinking I'm a little nutso, I definitely still live in somewhat of a tilted reality now. I think maybe I just see things a little differently than most people. That's probably one big reason why I love photography so much! in a world full of mundane moments, and difficult moments and heart wrenching crap that we all have to go through, I get to create a sort of fantasy-land where everything is magical and golden and blissful and OK. I know that is a little cheesy and weird, so .... sorry :-) Also, I've come to the conclusion that I was just not created for a desk job. My heart literally sings when I get the shot I'm after (here I go with the cheese again.) Anyways, I am super excited to go see the Wild Things movie this weekend. It will be O's first "real" movie-going experience, and I'm honestly not quite sure how he'll deal, which is why Chris and I are tag-teaming so at least one of us (+ Jack) will get to enjoy the movie. I'm such a sap, the movie trailer made me teary eyed. Oh! and Owen is going to be Max for Halloween :-) I'm just waiting for my Etsy lady to finish his costume and I'll post some pics. I desperately tried talking Jack into being one of the wild things, but he is insisting on being a bounty hunter (??!!) instead. Maybe Chris and I will rock these grown up Wild Things costumes (hehe, yah right!) I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's embracing their inner Wild Thing this weekend - check out all this cool stuff from UO!

Sunshine Boy

2009-10-15T16:26:00.002-04:00

That is what I call Owen (and Jack when he was little.) It was so touching to me today when I was editing these pictures and I asked Owen "who is that little boy?" and his reply was "it's a sunshine boy." This little sunshine boy melts his mama's heart!

See more here

The Bray Bunch

2009-10-13T11:52:00.007-04:00

Well, here we are :-) All 4 of us in our finest attempt thus far at a family photo! Photos taken by Emily of Campbell Photography. Since I don't have a little girl (yet) I can't really say that it would be a different experience, but I think you can tell by the look on my boys' faces what it was like, haha! Thanks Emily for capturing such wonderful pictures for us!!

PS - YES, we were H-O-T. But, ya know, it is actually supposed to be fall, so we were trying to look the part. I'm still making good on all my bribery & cajoling :-)

31 years ago today....

2009-09-25T12:47:00.009-04:00

**WARNING** This is a super, duper long post! If you are short on time, or don't think my husband is as awesome as I do, you can just scroll down for the pics :)

31 years ago today, my dear husband was born :) We were talking about this last night (not to go off on a tangent, but every year on my birthday, my mom calls me and says "xx years ago today, I was giving birth to a beautiful baby girl!", so I always jokingly do that with my kids, the husband, etc.) anyways, I was expressing how neat it was to think that 31 years ago, my mother-in-law was giving birth to MY husband. It's crazy to think that the wheels were put into motion so long ago and that our own beautiful children are here because of that wonderful day :) Not to brag, but I think that I have THE most wonderful husband in the whole world (not saying he's perfect, but he puts up with me, which says A LOT). I feel so blessed that I have been able to spend the last 6.5 years of my life with him (5 of those as his wife) and that I get to wake up to him every morning (well, except when he's out of town, which is quite often). I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this, but the card I got for him so perfectly sums up how I feel about Chris. It says "It gets me every time. Seeing you with the kids. Watching you around the house. Feeling your kiss on my cheek. I've got a heart full of these little everyday moments that remind me I'm married to a man who's anything but ordinary. Only you can make being dependable look sexy and tenderness feel like incredible strenght. I love that you're my husband, my partner and my friend. I love that you're you." A little cheesy, yes. But it's SO him. So, as a tribute to my beloved spouse, I thought I would post some pics of us/him through the years and list the top 31 reasons why I love him so. Happy, Happy Birthday Honey - we love you SO much and are so thankful for you. Hurry home so we can celebrate!!

XOXO

31 things I love about Chris:

1. He is really funny. Like make-me-pee-in-my-pants funny. Though granted, most of the time I am either the butt or the recipient of the joke, he's still pretty dang funny!

2. He gives Owen a bath and does pajama duty nearly every single night so that I can have a break.

3. He is the smartest person I know. He laughs when I tell him that and when I brag to people that he was invited to be in MENSA in high school. But he is genius-smart.

4. He says he "doesn't even notice" when the house is a mess :)

5. He works really, really, really hard and long hours to provide for our family.

6. He is 100% supportive of my dreams and my business and gives me honest feedback and genuine praise.

7. He has great hair. I hope all our kids get his hair!

8. I think I can count on 1 hand the number of times he has ever raised his voice to me (and um, I can pretty honestly say I probably provoked it, hehe)

9. He hardly ever complains about anything.

10. He puts up with all of my whining and complaining :)

11. He had Jack take vows with us when we got married.

12. He will watch my silly girly/reality TV shows with me and actually get into them (I'm pretty sure he can tell you the difference between Blair Waldorf, Marissa Cooper and Brooke Davis)

13. He pushes me to be a better person and think more deeply.

14. He is a great teacher - he can even make physics sound interesting.

15. He bought me a puppy when I lost a pregnancy 3 years ago.

16. He wants to have a house full of crazy cute little kids!

17. He has the BEST mother in the whole world (besides mine, of course)

18. He never says no when I tell him I need a girl's night out, or to go for a drive to be alone and clear my head.

19. He has the theme songs for Mighty Machines, Bob the Builder and Caillou all memorized and can sing them to Owen verbatim.

20. He can spend an entire day playing Legos with Jack.

21. He has the most amazing blue eyes :)

22. He bought me my first "real" camera.

23. He thinks my airhead moments are cute (I'll have to tell you all the "Wafrica" story another time)

24. He can fix a computer/TV/thingamijiggy like nobody's business.

25. He always gives people the benefit of the doubt.

26. I can trust him completely, 100%.

27. He coached me through natural childbirth and was my biggest cheerleader.

28. He values my opinions, even when I sometimes feel like no one else does.

29. He sold his rowing machine to pay for our first date :)

30. He makes me feel beautiful, valued and appreciated.

31. He is a wonderful husband, father, friend, brother, and person!

PS - please forgive the picture quality (some of the older ones had to be scanned in)

100th blog post and a little Jack for ya.....

2009-09-09T13:33:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone in the blogosphere had a lovely Labor Day weekend! Ours was quite relaxing - didn't do much.... a little farmer's market, a little bike riding, a little swimming, sleeping in, ate some ribs. In my opinion, it was just perfect :) I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and was starting to feel just a wee bit burned out on work, mothering, etc. etc. so it felt really good to just breathe, recharge my batteries and now I feel inspired to get back to work and be creative - yippee! This holiday season is going to be super crazy busy - I have holiday mini sessions coming up (see the photo blog), a couple of weddings, plus regular holiday client sessions! Crazy how the holidays start in Sept/Oct. for us photographers! Anywho, I wanted to squeeze in a little photoshoot with my eldest while I still had time. Although it is INSANELY hot in Florida this time of year, it's one of my favorite times for taking pictures. There's something about the way the light starts to slant (at least that's what my mom used to say) that makes you feel like it's officially the end of summer and fall is around the corner. The afternoons are long and lazy and sun-drenched. The hour before sunset is most magical to me, it's like the light just melts and turns to liquid gold. Mr. J is not a fan of having his picture taken, and to make matters worse - I not only photographed him, but I STYLED him for this shoot. He hated the clothes, but how super ~~cute~~ hip does he look in his skinny jeans & fedora? I know he thinks it's lame to have his photo taken, but I treasure these photographs so....he is turning into a little man right before my eyes and I REALLY see that in these images. On another note - this officially marks my 100th blog post! Wahoo! SO -Leave me some blog lovin and make my day :)

My First....

2009-08-26T21:18:00.003-04:00

Stop motion animation! This has been a week for birthdays - and videos :) My BFF is celebrating her birthday next week and I made this special invitation for her party. It was SO much fun to make - I'm totally hooked on stop motion videos now! I can't wait to make another one. Again - there is music - so pause my playlist at the bottom of the blog before watching the video. The music totally makes the video, so it's a must :) Happy Hump Day friends!!

Happy Birthday Mister!

2009-08-24T13:51:00.006-04:00

Well, as I'm writing this post, I have a lump in my throat and a tiny tear in my eye. My baby boy turns two today! I'm not sure why I am so much more emotional this year than I was last year, but I just can't stop looking at him and thinking " he is SO big". He has changed so much this year and has gone from a baby to a toddler, to a little boy. I adore this little man with all my heart and soul.

Dear Owen,

I can't believe you are two today! It seems like just a few short months ago that I met you for the very first time :) You were so tiny and snuggly and perfect in every way. I love watching you grow up and seeing how you change. You are the funniest, happiest child I have ever known. You have me rolling on the floor laughing all the time with your funny words and faces. You are a spot of sunshine in my life every single day. I love seeing your cute face and hearing you call for me every morning "Mommy, where ARRRREEE YOUUUU? Ya in the office? Ya in the bathroom"? I love how you like to run, run, run as fast as you can everywhere you go. I love the outfits you pick out for yourself, like the red bandana shirt with the frog boots and lumberjack hat. I love how you are so affectionate and hug and kiss me and tell me you love me all the time. I love that you adore your big brother and want to do everything just like him. I love that you always want to go to work with Daddy and dress like him :) I especially love that you love Jesus and always want to see him and talk to him. You have a big personality and an even bigger heart for such a little boy. I am so proud of you and it makes my heart want to burst when I think of how blessed I am to be your mommy. I love you!

PS - if you want to watch the slideshow, there is music - so hit pause on the playlist on the very bottom of the blog.

Have a colorful day!

2009-08-18T10:51:00.003-04:00

With less than one week left before school starts, the munchkins and I are looking for some last minute (cheapy) things to do. For Christmas, my mom gave me the cutest little book: The "Mama's Little Book of Tricks".

This book has the cutest, most *clever* ideas for entertaining your little ones while making you look like a rock-star mama (which is something we all want, right!?) I cannot tell you how many times I have dug into this nifty little book for ideas on: how to make grocery shopping easier, how to get your kids to eat veggies, how to put a cup of water upside down on your head without spilling a drop, how to whistle with an acorn top, identify nine different kinds of bugs....the list goes on and on. And I look super cool to my kiddos :)
I just had to buy a load of school supplies for Jack and was trying to organize a drawer for them when came across this random, misfit pile of unwanted crayons. I remembered a project from the book that I actually used to make with my best friend when I was a youngster. Perfect! Currently, two of Owen's favorite things are: 1.) coloring and 2.) breaking things. So I gave him a big, fat bowl of naked crayons and he sat there & broke them up for me (which kept him occupied for a good 15 minutes). Here are step-by-step instructions (with pics, natch) for making recycled crayon cookies (and NO, you don't eat them!)

Step 1.) Gather together all your gnarly, broken crayons. Step 2.)Strip Em Down, Get Em Naked....

Step 3.) Gather together supplies: muffin tin (I used a mini muffin tin and a regular one to make 2 different sizes), Pam cooking spray and tin foil.

Step 4: Heat the oven to 300 degrees...

Step 5.) Break (or cut) the crayons into little bits and niblets. Line the muffin tins with foil, spray them with Pam and fill with crayon bits.

Step 6.) Heat them for 10-20 minutes in the oven or until the crayons have completely liquified.

Step 7.) Let them cool completely (about 10 minutes), pull foil out of muffin tins and unwrap. Voila...... pyschadelic, cool looking recycled crayon cookes :)

These are especially fun to color with because of all the different colors! These may be making their way into the gift bags at a very special 2-year old's birthday party this week :)

This Kid

2009-07-30T10:14:00.003-04:00

Cracks me up!

He is seriously funny! He's very animated and his vocabulary just blows my mind. Well, that and the fact that he says almost everything with this really funny accent - think loud, mouth pulled back, froggy sounding voice. He also loves to scream (well, I say scream, it's actually this incredibly loud, un-human sounding shreik/squeal) in the car, at home, at a restaurant, basically anywyere. When I call him out on it, he just laughs and laughs and laughs. Come to think of it, he spends a good deal of time laughing at me too. Hmmmm. Oh Mister, how I love you!

Sassy Pants is Three.

2009-07-28T18:28:00.003-04:00

Don't ask me how that happened, cause I can't tell you! My first ever blog post was right after Banana's first birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! Hannah is such a beautiful, sweet, funny and loving child, I am so very proud that she's my neice :) I love her so much! Even if she thinks she's too old to pose for me anymore, hehe. Here are some pics from her princess party last month.

Happy 4th, Er, 5th of July!

2009-07-05T13:18:00.005-04:00

We've had two late nights in a row, trying to squeeze in as much Independence Day fun as possible! Fireworks were a big hit with Owen this year (he was terrified last year). Here are some pics of the little man enjoying a snow cone that was bigger than he was!
We are off to the beach this week, so posting may be non-existant. I am going to try to fall off the grid as much as possible, even going so far as to (temporarily) delete my Facebook and Twitter apps from my iphone (gasp!). Hopefully I can survive without my daily dose of social networking. Just kidding, I am beyond looking forward to relaxing on the beach, digging into a good book, playing with my kiddos and spending time with good friends. I'll be sure to update *with pictures* when I get back. As for now, I'm off to bake an apple pie for {yet another} celebration/cookout today. Have a great week friends!

Bonus Pic of our new kitten (well really she is JACK'S kitten) Eevee. I'm afraid the poor darling was named after a Pokemon.

I just got back from the Windy City...

2009-07-04T08:55:00.018-04:00

Well, by "just" I really mean about 2 weeks ago (gosh, has it really already been 2 weeks?!). As I'm sure I mentioned in my previous posts about 100 times, I went to Chicago for a day of mentorship with Marianne Drenthe of Marmalade Photography. What an amazing day! It was all I hoped it would be and more. Mare filled my head with so my knowledge, I am still buzzing with ideas and information! I was also fortunate enough to have my BFF come along for the ride and we spent the rest of the time sight-seeing and eating (LOTS of eating). Can I just say that Chicago should be called (if it's not already) the beef capital of the world? I'm not even kidding you - we had beef at least once every day! I already miss Chicago and can't wait to go back!

Jaclyn's Famous Oprah popcorn...

My delicious cupcake from Sarah's Bakery

My Travel Buddy

Yours Truly

Best Pizza Ever.

Best Steak Ever. We were told Johhny Depp was there the same night as us (but also told that was a joke). When we got home, I read that he WAS there (though I'm not sure if it was the same night) and that he left a $4,000 tip!

On our way up 94 stories to the top of the Hancock Observatory

Doing the el cheeso "window washer" picture that we were told we just HAD to do!

Here was my take on it after Jaclyn told me to do something interesting. She died laughing at my "cheerleader" pose :)

That is my shadow! Clearly my camerea is as big (or bigger) than my head!

This is what happens when we got totally bored after coming in around 9 pm every night...

Clearly, I am not as flexible as Jaclyn, but I do look like I have some mad ninja kung-fu skills here.

Cheers to Chicago! We were sad to go :(

This is how Jaclyn felt about our 2.5 hour flight delay!

I'll be posting some of my pics from the mentorship later today on my photoblog. So be sure to check it out:
http://www.sarahbrayphoto.blogspot.com

One Lucky Lady

2009-07-03T12:15:00.004-04:00

Will be sporting a Chic Camera Strap Slipcover :) And that lucky lady happens to be..............................

JESSICA!

Congrats my friend! Hop on over to Heather's Etsy Shop and pick out your fave Chic Camera Strap Slipcover!

Whoa Life, Slow Down!

2009-06-25T12:38:00.004-04:00

Geez, I have had the craziest past couple of weeks (and it's still going!). I just got back from Chicago, where I had the MOST amazing time. More details to come (with pics, I promise), but it was definitely a weekend full of enlightenment (Marmalade Mentorship), Fun and EATING. This weekend is also a biggie for us. Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary (can't believe it), Saturday is my ~~29th~~ 25th birthday :) And then Sunday, my beautiful, precious neice is turning 3 years old. Lots of fun planned.....LOTS! Anywho, without further ado.....
The winner of the thriftbooks giveaway is (drumroll):
Mama Cobb, who said:
"Sooo am I aloud to enter? :) I'm just getting back into books and like you I'm terrible at returning them. Just paid a $20 fine to the library! Eek!"
LOL, yes Ms. Cobb, you are allowed to enter and Wi-hin! Congrats Mama - I'll email ya with the deets.
Now, for a super, duper fantashtic and fun giveaway!

This week, I am giving away a Chic Camera Strap Slipcover from one of my new fave Etsy Sellers, Heather!

These slipcovers are a total upgrade from the boring ole regular strap that comes with your camera. Not only are they totally stylish, but comfy as well. Each strap cover is padded and comes with a lens cap pocket - genius!
Check out her Etsy Shop by clicking here, as she has lots more designs to choose from. To enter to win this giveaway, leave a comment below. Winner will be annouced one week from today. Happy Early Weekend, hope it's a fun one!

Penny-Wise Weekender

2009-06-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

And you thought I was only going to post once this week, didn't you? Hahaha, I'm on a roll! Actually - this next post could be considered kind of Part II to my last post (it would have been crazy long if it was all one post). Since I'm sure all you sweet bloggies love a good deal as much as I do, I decided to give you one! every other week. with really cool stuff :) Actually, it's better than a good deal - it's FREE STUFF :)

Penny-Wise Weekender

Every other Friday, I will blog a post about fun and creative ways to save money, do-it-yourself projects & tutorials and super cool cheap and chic deals (yay!) I will also be doing a GIVEAWAY with each penny-wise post! Please feel free to email me with ideas or if you want me to spotlight your company or product (great FREE exposure and an awesome way to help out other small businesses).

The Details

Winners will be picked at random using random.org and announced on the next penny-wise post (along with that week's giveaway). You may enter to win each giveaway up to 2 times by: 1.)leaving a comment on that post; 2.)becoming a follower of this blog (post a second comment letting me know you added yourself) and 3.) linking to the giveaway on your blog, facebook, etc. (leave a 3rd comment with a link to your site).

Now for the fun stuff..........

Penny-Wise Weekend 6-12-09

One of the things I love most about summer is diving into a really great book! The only problem is I get SO into them that I finish them in a few days. OK, well there's 2 other problems actually - the bookstore is dang expensive and I am TERRIBLE about returning books to the Library!

Enter THRIFTBOOKS - an online bookstore that sells books for mere pennies (literally). Example - I just finished reading Water for Elephants (great book by the way) - Thrift Books has it on sale for $1.98! And they have a whole section of $0.01 books!

So, this weekend, I am giving away a $10.00 gift card to Thrift Books. Imagine all the books you could get for $10.00! Yay! :)

To enter to win the giveaway up to 3 times, see the info. listed above.

Happy Weekend Friends

XOXO

When Life Gives You Rice ..... Make It Do :)

2009-06-12T14:13:00.004-04:00

Several nights ago, as I was making dinner, I *accidentally* made waaaaay too much rice. I mean, we are talking like almost 8 cups here people (don't ask) :) So, after dinner I was stuck with the dilemma of what to do with ALL this starchy goodness! Since we are trying to be thrifty, I didn't feel like I could just throw it away, but it was a lot, I mean a LOT, of rice. I ended up finding an awesome rice pudding recipe that calls for already cooked rice and a few other ingredients I already had on hand- presto! Our family loves rice pudding, so it wasn't long till it was gone, gone, gone. Anyways, this little experiment got me thinking of all the ways we could be creative with what we've got and save money. While browsing my fave blogs, I came across this little gem: http://makeitdo.wordpress.com/ This blog asks the question "Can a downturn in the economy actually mean an upturn in our resourcefulness, our creativity, and our outlook on life? This blog explores how happiness can come from simple things, and how good old fashioned hard work and resourcefulness might just be making a welcome comeback….You never know what life will bring you, and lately it’s giving a lot of us lemons. “Make it Do” is about turning lemons into lemonade." So, my dears, I want to ask you: what are some ways that you find yourself being more resourceful/creative in this economy??? I would love to hear your input!!
Oh! And just in case life (or the Chinese Food delivery man) gives you more rice than you know what to do with, Here is the recipe I found for yummy rice pudding (minus the raisins)!

Cupcakes!

2009-06-04T20:51:00.008-04:00

Don't have much time for a lengthy blog post today, but wanted to share these yummy pics I found while doing two of my favorite things: party planning and browsing Flickr ..... (I'm multi-talented like that!) You can thank me later when you're working out hehe! OK, now I'm off to pour a bag of sugar down my throat (i kid, i kid). Happy Saturday everyone!

gold covered twinkies, anyone?
these almost look too pretty to eat (though of course i still would!) i love the embossed fondant.

more delectible beauties...

how cute would these be at a little boy's birthday?

just for fun! i'm sure these are yummy, but i can only imagine what your teeth/lips/mouth would look like afterwards :)

1. cream cheese cupake

5 & 6 car cupcakes

Uh Oh! Gettin' Crafty....

2009-05-31T09:26:00.008-04:00

So, I am by no means an expert crafter lol! But, sites like this definitely inspire me to do more. I really do enjoy it and though I don't have the time to do scrapbooking *though I sometimes wish I did*, I find doing little fun projects like this really rewarding! I got the basic idea from this article out of Better Homes and Gardens. I had some cute paper on-hand from an album I was going to make for my photography bizz, so I ended up making a slightly fancier version for my mom for Mother's Day (I think she loved it!) with pictures of all of her grandbabies and some of their artwork on the back. It was super easy (well, minus the clean-up part - I LOATHE paper scraps) and took about an hour! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy :)

Easter Pictures? Late Schmate ......

2009-05-22T12:51:00.007-04:00

OK, so I know these are WAY late, but whatever. Here are some cute pics from Easter (you're welcome mom!) We went to brunch with my sis and her crew (my parents were moving my grandparents here from MS) after church and let the sprouts run around and get crazy (cause I'm sure the baskets full of refined sugar had nothing to do with that). Fun was had by all :)

These are the sweetest little kisses

How excited does my child look to be in a picture with me? Haha, he looks TERRIFIED!

Weee! Not pictured - my apparent allergic reaction to grass, ugh.

My sis and her presh. little fam:

"Aunt Buggie" and Hen - so adorable!

Ummmm, Baby Gap models anyone??

SO seeeerious :)

I just about died when I saw this picture - how much do they look like twins?

Then, they decided *to quote Hannah* to "get naked and go in the fountain" ha!

A rare display of affection between Jack and Hannah

How cute is that little ruffled tushy?!

And lastly, a Harris-grandchildren pile-on. Oh what fun! :)

Family Tree

2009-05-19T18:12:00.004-04:00

Wanted to share this album with you guys! It's called Family Tree by Frances England. You may have heard some of her songs on my website (she is SO super nice to let me use her music). Her songs all have the funnest lyrics and a cool, indie vibe to them (she has another album too, called Fascinating Creatures)- so you can definitely enjoy the tunes while your kiddos sing along. Check out her website: http://www.francesengland.com/. Enjoy! :)

Beach Bums

2009-05-07T19:19:00.003-04:00

Chris and I went to a wedding in Siesta Key two weekends ago and it was a-may-hazing! It was just a short little trip (drove down Sat. morning, drove home Sunday afternoon) but still a nice little getaway. We hit the beach first thing with our books and some frozen lemonade. The water was actually not all that bad and was BEAUTIFUL. You would think all of these mini-vacas would leave me feeling relaxed, but what they do is just leave me wanting MORE!!!! I am so ready to just veg at the beach for a good solid week (or two).......

Yes, we are NERDZZZZ who take pictures of ourselves {Chris will be disapointed to read this since he's convinced we really are cool}

Told ya so....total.cheesey.nerds :P

Take 1.

Take 2. Haha!
And, OMG - who even knew that it was possible to get such an angle......

He is going to kill me, but how could I not post these .... ??????

I tried to replicate it but couldn't get it quite right.

But here's a lovely close up shot of my huge face anyways :)

...and another. No clue what I was doing, but I do think it's kinda cool that you can see the clouds in my sunglasses!

Oh! And how could I forget - read a great book - Water for Elephants. Definitely recommend it, it's a good, quick read!

We did manage to clean ourselves up for the wedding at the Ritz, which was stunning (I love using that word lol).

Told you I was diggin yellow lately!

OK, well I'm off to continue daydreaming about the beach. Have a lovely weekend friends :)

Sorry about that....

2009-05-05T11:20:00.005-04:00

Whoa, so I guess I've been a pretty lazy bloggie lately. That's what happens when I blink my eyes and a whole week has passed :P Not to mention, I have been having a really hard time finding inspiration this week, blah. I feel like I have all this creativity stewing just beneath the surface but can't access it because I'm too busy cleaning up goldfish off the floor for the 9,789,783,898-th time (in one day), driving here, driving there, trying to cook up nutritious, delicious meals for the fam....well, you get the idea, sometimes LIFE just gets in the way :) Not that I would trade my day job for anything in the world, but sometimes we artsy folk just need a respite from the grind to clear our head and find inspiration. Fortunately, I have a husband who tries really hard to understand this and gives me lots of little pockets of time to myself to just be "me" not mommy or wife or daughter, friend, hired photog. etc. However, his latest, greatest act of kindness has me literally jumping and down with excitement (I know you're probably picturing that in your head right now). So, I didn't win the free seat to the Marmalade Photography workshop in Chicago (although supposedly I was veryvery close). BUT - little did I know that Marianne (photographic genius from Marmalade) and Chris were conspiring behind my back to figure out a way that I could somehow still go. Chris thankfully ended up spilling the beans, which was very fortunate, because I ended up booking a wedding for that very same weekend. Instead of attending the workshop, I am now scheduled to attend a 1:1 mentoring session the following weekend with Mare in CHICAGO!! I'm so excited I just about can't stand it! SO, that's what's new with me ~ what's new with you?? Just in case you are also in need of some inspiration today, here are some beauties I found this week that will brighten up your Tuesday!

I've been quite taken with yellow lately. It makes me so happy!

Perfect for a day at the beach (where I will hopefully be spending mucho time SOON)

For rainy afternoons ....

Just because. These little critters are too cute to resist. They totally make my day :)

Pillow

Candle Holders, Dress and Bags

Key to my Heart Print

Wellies

Animal Prints

Project 365

2009-04-21T11:03:00.014-04:00

What is Project 365 you may ask? Put simply, it involves taking a picture every day for one year and posting it online for the world to see! I joined the Project 365 group on Flickr, and am excited to get started. I like the idea of flexing my photographic muscle to explore areas outside of my comfort zone (photographically speaking anyways). I'm hoping that finding inspiration in every day things will not only make me a better photographer, but help me to see the beauty in things I might have otherwise missed if I weren't purposefully seeking them out. So, here's my very first Project 365 pic. - Day 1. I bought this chair at a garage sale this morning with my mom for a whopping $5.00! I almost walked right past it until she pointed it out to me and I instantly fell in love with it's presence and shape. I probably would have been tempted to pay $500.00, so it's a good thing the price tag closely matched what was in my wallet ;P

This summer I have big plans for an interior makeover, and this chair is perfect. I would love to have it reuppholstered in something like this:

I love this charcoal gray trellis fabric! How dreamy would it be to have a whole bed covered in it????

VOTE FOR MEEEEEE!

2009-04-17T20:14:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends!
Tonight I am writing to you for a *BIG,BIG,BIG* favor! I am one of seventeen finalists chosen to compete for a seat at Marmalade Photography's "See The Light" workshop in Chicago, June 13-14. Marmalade Photography is the business of Marianne Drenthe, an incredibly talented, successful and well-known children's photographer in Chicago. To view some of her work, visit her website: www.marmaladephotography.com. She offers photographers aspiring to grow their business and master their craft the chance to learn from her brilliance at her workshops (www.seethelightworkshop.com) The 1st round of this contest involved submitting a picture of ourselves and listing 3 unique things about us and why we should be chosen to win this opportunity. The second round involves spreading the word about our photography bizz, and having other photogs. vote for us!!! So, here's where I need your help! If you are a photographer (small, big, huge, large, etc.) please, please, please click on this link (http://seethelightworkshop.com/blog) and vote for me!! Just click on my picture (the second one) and submit your vote. Only votes from photographers count, so make sure to link to your website, portfolio, flickr gallery, blog, etc. (you do not have to be a professional photographer!) In Marmalade's own words:
Here’s the rules for this leg of the contest:
click on the photograph of the person you want to vote for, your email will pop open and in the subject header the name of the person you vote for should be filled in
one entry per IP address
only photographers may vote - this requirement is outlined once you click on the image of the person you are voting for.
a portfolio link to prove your identity as a photog is a must have for the email you send as a vote!
contestants get out there & pimp yourselves!!
voting ends on Monday, April 20th at 12 noon
Even if you are not a photographer, please forward this to anyone and everyone you can think of to get the word out!! If I win, I will be giving away TWO FREE PORTRAIT SESSIONS!!!
Thank you so much for all of your continued support!!!
Sincerely,
Sarah
PS - I apologize if you receive this email more than once - in my desperation, I'm sending it out to everyone I know from every email account I have!!! :) :) :)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T19:48:00.007-04:00

2009-04-11T19:22:00.005-04:00

So, since I know my last post left with you burning questions in your mind {ha, ha}, here is what I was working on this week:

applique'd t-shirts for Owen:

a handy, dandy camera strap slipcover for myself:

And {much more exciting} some confectionary delights for Easter:

My first attempt at cake pops

Hmmm, I may have to rename mine as "ugly pops" but they sure do taste good!

Some more "sophisticated" goodies for the grownups.

aaaaand, finally....these little guys are still a work in progress, I'll show off the finished product tomorrow.

Any Guesses?

2009-04-11T09:22:00.004-04:00

As to what I've been doing this week?

Here's a hint ~ I've been inspired by this:

http://bakerella.com

and, this:

http://birdandtwine.blogspot.com
(thanks kaki, for the link!)

Happy {Almost} Easter Friends!!

Saturday, in the park ....

2009-04-04T19:23:00.006-04:00

You'd think it was the Fourth of July. Seriously....it was like 100 degrees outside today! Hello?! Isn't it supposed to be SPRINGTIME? Oh well, what am I complaining about...even though it was h-o-t, it was a gorgeous day! Chris and I took the Oboski to the park, bought him some new duds (because you can only wear so many hand-me-downs) and made him model for us :)

lucky for us, he lets us pay him in ice cream :)

little things.

2009-04-02T15:01:00.007-04:00

make me happy. Like a little bouquet of flowers from my yard, sitting on my sunny kitchen windowsill :)

and Owen's hair after a nap :) (click picture to enlarge)

birdmania

2009-04-02T14:21:00.013-04:00

I took Owen to the park the other day to see the birds (herons, cranes ~ not entirely sure). There are hundreds of them in the trees time of year. He loved them so much (the feeling was not mutual) they really are beautiful (minus the carpet of poo covering the grass) - if you have time, it's definitely worth stopping by to check it out. I love this park, it's so pretty, lush and green! I am doing an engagement session there next month, very exciting stuff :)

My Little Picasso's Evil Twin.

2009-04-02T13:43:00.009-04:00

You may remember a few posts back, me bragging on Owen's artistic flair. I have to giggle while I'm writing this because he just surprises me EVERYday with something - whether it's finding new and exciting ways to get into trouble, or sweet little words he picks up on (Chris taught him how to call me "hooooooneeeeey"). Anyways, the other day he created this masterpeice for me:

Pretty, huh? Yep, except THIS is where he colored it!
AND, then noteventhirtysecondslater, he comes running in to show me this:
glitter. all over the rug. all over the dining room chairs. all over him (in his hair, in his MOUTH) on his clothes.......
oh my. He certainly makes sure my life is never boring :)

Alchemy

2009-03-25T15:39:00.005-04:00

Ohmydeargoodness. Just when I thought I couldn't get any more addicted to Etsy, I go and explore this "alchemy" section, where you can request custom items! I have been obsessing over this cute little dress from www.modcloth.com for the last couple of weeks:

Only problem is, it's been sold out for weeks :( So - I posted a request on alchemy and I had SEVEN bids by the end of the day. The best part is - I posted how much I wanted to pay (which was considerably less than the dress above) and they bid LOWER than that - sweet! The only thing better than that would be if I could sew a straight line myself. Which I can't - believe me, I've tried. Anywho, I think I've finally narrowed it down to one chickadee to make this dress for me. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Sweet Surprise!

2009-03-12T10:12:00.004-04:00

Owen and I have come down with a case of the sickies this week = not fun! On Monday I started feeling a little under the weather, so I went to Starbucks to pick up a Chai Tea Latte (cause that ALWAYS makes me feel better!) and the girl there gave Owen and Jack chocolate cupcakes! I'm guessing she probably felt sorry for me :P Anyways, she wrapped them up in these cute little boxes and wrote cute little notes on them! It was definitely the highlight of our Monday :) The boys couldn't wait to dig in and it kept them occupied for about 10 minutes while I enjoyed my tea!

Aahhhh, bliss. I usually love to read the little messages on my cup. This one was a little confusing and depressing though. HOWEVER - I definitely plan to do exactly what it says on the sleeve. All week. :)

Hope you:

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2009-03-11T15:53:00.015-04:00

We went to the St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday! It was a gorgeous {but hot} day. Jack was in the parade, marching with his Martial Arts School and Granny and Grandpa were in it too, with their square dancing group, Whirl & Twirl. This wasn't Owen's first parade, but probably the first one he was really old enough to enjoy. He loved the horses and the fire trucks! He had a little meltdown towards the end, but it was quickly remedied with chocolate candy (his newest and favorite word at the moment = "chock-it caneeee"). Who wouldn't feel better after a little chocolate, right? ;)

Owen loved it!This is what I like to call "Parade Face" - just taking it all in. Looks like Chris has a bit of parade face in the second pic. too ;)

Check out the teeth on this horse! Owen LOVED the firetrucks!

Jack was in the parade with his "XMA" team

This is how he spent the last 15 minutes or so....

I tried to get Granny (Chris' mom) to take a nice little family pic. after the parade and these were the best we got:

decent of me, bad of everyone else.......

or........good (OK, better) of everyone else, TERRIBLE of me lol!

Sigh.....why is it SO hard to get a family picture where everyone is smiling????

It was a great day!

What did you do today?

2009-03-01T21:17:00.003-05:00

here's what we did....

What can I say? We were bored, it was raining. We had a few too many sharpies laying around ;)

My Little Picasso

2009-02-24T22:08:00.006-05:00

My father-in-law's 75th birthday is tomorrow and (as I mentioned in my previous post) Granny's friend Vivien is also in town for a visit. SO, I thought it would be nice for Owen to make them some little gifts (and crack open that finger paint Daddy bought!). As my fellow Floridians know, we've been having somewhat of a cool snap lately, so my original plan to let him paint in the buff was nixed (but how cute would that have been????) Instead I let him wear one of Jack's old tie-dyed t-shirts as a smock. He looked so cute, with his wild hair, paint on his face....he reminded me of one of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan (with whom ALL of my parents' grandchildren are currently obsessed!). Anyways, Owen wasn't thrilled with the paint at first, but I managed to get two or three pieces of "art" out of him before he realized that squishing the paint in his hands was just way more fun. The finger paint (Crayola brand) was really wierd, it was kind of a jelly-like consistency and not super easy to paint with. This is my second attempt at finger painting with Oboe and I just can't seem to find any that is just right. Any suggestions? Well, I leave you with some cute pictures of my little artist:

Boiled Eggs and Toast Soldiers

2009-02-23T13:03:00.006-05:00

I am self-professed Anglophile, and so I LOVE that Chris' family hails from Merry England! Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely proud of my G.R.I.T.S. heritage, but I really love trying to incorporate some of their family traditions into our own. Granny Owen's childhood friend, Vivien, is in town, staying with my in-laws. So, to celebrate, I thought I would try to make Owen some boiled eggs and toast fingers for breakfast yesterday, since that was Daddy's favorite breakfast as a little laddy (and we have really cute little egg cups). Sadly, I do not know how to "soft" boil an egg, so when I went to "gently tap" the top of the eggshell off, all I heard was "thud". So, I ended up having to hack the top off of the egg with a knife, yep....it was solid through and through. So, we had HARD boiled eggs and toast fingers instead. But they were yummy! Oh well!

Yes, I know...

2009-02-22T07:24:00.002-05:00

I am a complete nerd for putting Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" on my playlist :P
Rock on Hannah Montana! JK - I can't stand Hannah Montana, but I do like this song!

Bray's Alabama Charmer :)

2009-02-13T09:34:00.008-05:00

That is Bama's "full name" aka - the name on his AKC registration. Oh, this dog, this dog, this dog. I really LOVE Bama, he is such a big, brown, drooly, loveable lump of sugar.

His very favorite thing to do is play "ball" in the back yard:

This - is "ball". Quite nasty.

At least to some people.

Such a big handsome boy (with a freakishly large tongue!) It's hard to believe that it was three years ago that Chris brought him home, looking like this:

He looked like a little chocolate kiss, so small and snuggly. And sadly, just what I needed after losing a pregnancy. Bama was there for me to love on and take care of, I had to wake up with him in the middle of the night, clean up his poop - he definitely helped fill the void I was feeling :) That's why he is so much more than just a dog to me, well our whole family really. We love him like a true member of our family, not just a pet. Now, don't get me wrong, his butt goes straight to his crate when he takes a big ole dump on my sisal rug (like this MORNING!!) but I wouldn't trade him for ANYTHING. He protects my babies (he used to sit outside Owen's door when he was first born) and me - for such a gentle giant, he packs a MEAN bark - I'm sure our mailman thinks we have a 200 lb. Rottweiler :) He's a playmate for Owen and Jack who's always ready to play, can take any amount of hitting, ear pulling, eye poking, etc. and a companion for me - he somehow always knows when I'm feeling down and comes and loves on me. He's a big dog, with a big heart (even though he convinced himself long ago that he's a tiny 100 lb. lap dog) who was and is the BEST Valentine's Day gift EVER!

Funny Face

2009-02-12T13:25:00.007-05:00

It looked like we were going to have some rain this morning so I took Obe-Wan outside to play earlier than usual. Lucky for me, he just adores his "playground" of curb-side finds and craigslist treasures :) Our backyard is definitely starting to resemble some kind of hillbilly home daycare, but you know what - I don't care! I don't really remember having toys like these when I was little. My parents shelled out for this awesome wooden swingset with a playhouse and a sandbox (which I ALWAYS wanted) that was full of mulch (less messy than sand, i guess). So the kid in me occassionally likes to indulge in the silly things that I wasn't always allowed to have as a kid (velcro shoes, character undies) for my own kiddos (don't worry I don't currently own velcro shoes OR character undies). I know it probably won't be long until Owen outgrows these monstrous, neon, plastic blights on my patio, so I snapped a few shots of him this morning doing what he does best!

My Funny Face little boy

He Loves to swing!

He also loves his playhouse! He'll poke his head out the window and say "He-llloooo"!

About to go down the slide....

His "cozy coupe" circa 1970-ish

Apparently, his car broke down and he had to fix it. In two places. :)

Now THIS is a new, amazing trick that he' s just learned!

How sweet is this picture? I have one very similar that I took of Jack when he was about 7:

Okay, maybe their not THAT similar, but they both make me smile :)

Let me get this off my chest.....

2009-02-06T12:47:00.005-05:00

Literally. Owen and I are on day 4 of operation "no more boobies". So far, he's doing much better than me, even though he's still asking for them and sticking his hand down my shirt constantly! It has been much harder (physically, emotionally, psychologically) than I expected or remembered it to be. I'll be honest, I love breastfeeding! I know that totally freaks some people out, but I think it is one of the most healthy, special, intimate and rewarding things a woman can ever do. Fortunately, I've never had any real issues and both of my boys loved it too. It just feels like such a natural extension of your pregnancy, to still have your baby attached to you in some way. I really don't know why I'm blogging about this (sorry if it offends anyone, that is certainly not my intention) but the physical pain I'm in, coupled with the knowledge that it could very easily be relieved by nursing my precious baby boy, which I long to do (even though I am 100% committed to weaning him now) is like a constant reminder. Plus, I guess my hormones are all out of whack because I just feel like a mess right now. I feel like my baby is no longer a baby and it makes me teary eyed to acknowledge that those close moments we had when I was breastfeeding him are over. I know there are definitely other ways to bond with your children, but I just feel like I need to validate our sense of loss somewhat, cause I think it's kind of a big deal. So, I guess that's why I'm blogging about it - to "get it off my chest" (haha) and onto paper so to speak (who knew blogging could be as therapeutic as writing?) Thanks for letting me rant, or vent, moan, groan, etc. Hopefully the 'mones will be back to normal soon and I can stop being such a sappy, weepy emotional mess.

good-bye old friend

Yippee!

2009-01-19T18:05:00.010-05:00

Finally some pics of ME with my babies :) The fabulous Emily Anderson and I met up today to swap shoots, me with my kiddos and her with her little bunch (who are all super duper adorable by the way). She is also a photographer, so I have a feeling she, like me, is mysteriously missing from most of her family photos. She did a great job and I am SO happy with the way the pics turned out! You can view more of Emily's work here: http://www.campbellphotography.wordpress.com/. Here are some of my faves:

And here's one that I snuck in of my little man. Love him so much!!! :)

To see a few that I snapped of Emily and her kiddies, go to her blog: http://www.andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Emily :)

A man after my own heart

2009-01-15T17:06:00.006-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE my coffee...have to have it every morning (2 or 3 cups). I have since high school when my mom used to bring me up a cup of black coffee while I was getting dressed every morning. Till one day when I literally overdoses on caffiene (seriously) and got the shakes and everything (waaaay worse than a hangover). Ever since then, I haven't been able to drink my coffee black, but...I digress. Anyways, Owen is the type of child who wants to do everything that the grown-ups and big kids are doing, so it's no surprise that he's kind of fascinated by my morning ritual. I've let him have a sip or two here or there and he loves it (even though Chris gets mad at me!). Well, I still wasn't prepared for what I saw when I walked in the living room this afternoon. I had to answer the phone (which was in my bedroom) and when I came out, this is what I saw:

Bu-sted!
LOL!

Totally thinks it's no big deal ...... Woman, WHY have you been keeping this from me for so long???

And he's very proud of himself for drinking out of a "mommy" cup

When I tried to take it away from him, he yelled "noooooo" and ran to his chair! I think we have a little addict on our hands!

I think he was suspicious that Bama was going to try to get the good stuff away from him too :)

Checking to make sure it's still there after I chased him out of the living room:

Just so everyone knows I did NOT make this up and there really was coffee still in the cup (and yes, that really is coffee. And yes, I drink it a lighter shade of pale)

PS - sorry for the crappy pictures. In my mad rush to capture the moment, I didn't have time to mess with the controls on my camera, so I quickly switched over to the dreaded green box - and then saved them at a rather low resolution to quickly upload them to blogger!!

Oh, and just in case any one was wondering...yes that is a bowl of beans I was having for lunch :D

Picture catch up!

2009-01-09T17:06:00.006-05:00

Since I don't have time to post seperate entries for the last (*cough*several*cough) weeks, I present to you: the (end of the) year in photos:

Chris thought it was about time Owen learned how to shave:

Chris' mom made this sweater for Owen (and a matching one for Jack) - it has little owls on it!

helping Daddy with the tree
I love this face!! These are from our last trip (of the year) to the beach:
mmmm, eating sand.....
Probably one of my all-time favorite pictures of Owen!

Eek!

2009-01-09T17:04:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted to this blog since OCTOBER!!!! What a slacker I am! No, really it's because I've been a busy little bird with my photography endeavors and raising two ca-razy little monsters :) My new years resolution though (or one of them at least) is to post more regularly. We have lots of exciting stuff coming up and I can't wait to share it all on my blog! Ah, it's good to be back :)

The Sweetest Pumpkin in the Patch!

2008-10-22T16:57:00.002-04:00

My buddy and me.........

2008-10-16T09:10:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I spent the morning at the Maitland Art Center for a photo shoot. Katie and Hannah came to help me watch Owen while I worked, and so afterwards, the four of us explored the grounds and snapped some shots. The funniest moment of the day came when Hannah was looking through a stone medallion into a neighboring courtyard. I asked her if she saw any jungle animals in there and she told me very matter-of-factly that she saw a giraffe. Well I thought that was pretty cute, so I asked her "what kind of sound does a giraffe make?" Without hesitation, she scrunched up her nose, made a tight "o" with her mouth and started making a sniffing sound! Owen, as usual, just followed Hannah around as her audience/side-kick. They had fun, I'm so glad they're buddies!

This is such a typical Owen face!

Eight going on Sixteen.....

2008-10-07T10:46:00.004-04:00

Yes, that is my EIGHT (almost nine) year old in the driver's seat! Don't worry, he was just pretending, but boy did he think he was cool. Of course, if Jack pretends to drive the car, then Owen has to pretend to drive the car, so we spent a good 30 minutes in our driveway going nowhere. My crazy boys, love em!!!

First Haircut

2008-09-17T12:17:00.008-04:00

Owen is such a big boy now! On Saturday, we had to take him for his first haircut (the "oh she's so adorable comments were tolerable when he was 4 months old, but not one year old!). Our precious babe was born with so much hair, it looked like he had a black helmet on! Even though it almost all fell out and came back in much lighter, he still has tons of hair, and it was looooong around the ears (even though I previously trimmed it when he was 6 months 0ld) and in the back. So, Chris and I took him to Big League, where I take Jack to have his hair cut. All in all, he did pretty well! He didn't fuss at all, but he did not want to sit still and I think it was a little bit of a challenge for the woman cutting his hair, but she did a great job! Here are some before and after pics from that day (as well as some from earlier that day @ Lake Eola park). They even gave Owen a certificate stating that he has "officially graduated from baby-hood". Awwwwww! Sorry for the pic overload ;p

He's a c-o-o-l rider

SO serious ;)

Check out those sideburns!

This... is a new one - a fish face?

Having so much fun at the park

What a sweet boy!!

Jack and Marianne feeding the swans

Baby's 1st haircut :(

So far, so good, he seems to be enjoying himself

In fact, maybe this is kind of fun!

Don't get carried away mom...

Thank you SO much for taking me to get my hair cut mommy!

Now I really look like a BIG boy!

PS - I DO realize I sound like a total nerd narrating pictures in a baby voice, hahaha!

Baby Cayden

2008-09-16T07:44:00.006-04:00

Ahhh, I got my fill of tiny, cuddly, newborn-baby sweetness last week! Chris' neice, Alycia, gave birth to her baby boy, Cayden Lee, on Thursday, 9/11. I have a great deal of respect and fondness for Alycia (and Cayden) because she is only 17. Having once been a teen-age mommy myself, I know not only the many challenges she will face, but also those amazing, sweet moments that are beyond anything else I believe we can experience in this world. Cayden is a beatiful and precious baby and Alycia and Bobby are doting parents, totally in love with him! I had the privelage of visiting them in the hospital the day after he was born and taking some photos. Gosh, it seems like just yesterday, my little boy was that tiny and now he's a big one-year-old. You know what that means.....time to start trying for #3?! :) Congratulations to Bobby and Alycia on the birth of their beautiful baby boy!

Takin Care of Business

2008-09-09T20:51:00.005-04:00

These pictures were too cute and funny not to post. The shirt that Owen is wearing actually used to be Jack's when he was little (except he wore it when he was 6 months old) and with nothing else on but his diaper and socks, Chris and I couldn't help but think of Risky Business. It was my idea to add the sunglasses, which, sadly, ended up making him look more like Stevie Wonder than Tom Cruise :)

Flunky Monkey

2008-09-03T20:59:00.004-04:00

My very good girlfriend, Jaclyn, invited Chris and I out to celebrate her birthday last weekend. I was super excited because, well, let's be honest, I don't get to go out and do "grown-up" things all that often right now ;) So, we dropped the kiddos off at my parents house for the night and head to Funky Monkey, a new-ish restaurant on Mills. I've heard rave things about this place - how cool the atmosphere is, how great the food is, what an up and coming hot-spot it is...you get the idea. OKAY - first of all, we drove right past the place like seriously 3 times. THEN, after we finally spot the tee-niny little yellow building next to a gas station, we notice that there is only valet parking. Well, Chris doesn't have any cash, so we park across the street, down nearly two blocks. I shimmy my rear-end across Mills in my (now infamous **see high school reunion post below**) black peep-toe heels and we finally make into the restaurant about 30 minutes late. All is well...... Jaclyn looks beatiful, all her friends and family are there, hugs ensue, drinks are ordered...... As we're nibbling on our garlic edamame, Chris points out how strange and annoying it is that there is a GIANT flat-screen TV right in front of his face, playing the food network (with no sound, natch). Since we are there for a semi-private party, Chris calls the manager/owner over and politely asks him if he would mind turning it off since no one seems to be watching (there were all of 3 other tables occupied that night). So, here's his response (insert jerky, tight-wad tone of voice here) "No, I will not turn the television off, it's part of our atmosphere and well, I just won't turn it off, no, it's staying on." And, with that, he turns his little caboose around and heads back to the...well, I don't know where he went, but he went "off" somewhere. So, another guy from our table goes back to ask him, yet again, if he could PLEASE turn the television off since NO ONE else is watching it and it actually does not suit the urban-chic atmosphere at all. More snarkiness is exchanged on the part of the manager/owner but eventually the waitress comes over and flicks off the TV. So, we have a very nice dinner (well, the food was at best pretty good) and go along our merry little way to continue the birthday celebration elsewhere. Unfortunately, Jaclyn was sick and had to go home early to try and recuperate. Yes, I said try to recuperate. She was nestled all cozy in her bed until she got a very disturbing phone call from our friend Amanda. Apparently, Mr. Manager/Owner had the nerve to call Amanda the next morning and accuse our party of stealing their remote control! Not only did he accuse her of grand-theft-remote, but he threatened to call her boss and tattle on her!! (Amanda works for a liquor distribution company that sells to Flunky Monkey). So, Amanda calls Jaclyn, who promptly calls her dad (who was also at dinner) who promptly calls Mr. Monkey to give him a peice of his mind (we figure our table spent approx. $1000 collectively). Somewhere over the course of their conversation, Jaclyn's 88 year old grandmother pipes in and says "remote control? I have a remote control in my purse"....... How it got there, nobody knows, but Jaclyn and Grandma had to drive to Flunky Monkey to return the remote control and end this nonsense once and for all! So, I promised I would blog about it to let all my faithful readers (haha) know that if I had to give this restaurant a review, it would be a bad one. If it weren't for jerky-pants, I probably would have recommended it and seen most everything in a better light. Here is the restaurants website in case any of you are curious: http://www.funkymonkeywine.com/ . If you feel so inclined, check it out for yourself and if you experience service as bad as we did, drop them a line and let them know.

Well, at least Jaclyn sent me really cute picture of us to commemorate the evening! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACLYN!!!

Happy Birthday Owen!

2008-08-25T21:09:00.015-04:00

Well, it happened. My BABY boy turned one yesterday! Chris and I were marveling tonight at how much he seems to have changed over the last month. He has started walking, talking, he's gotten 4 new teeth, is eating all table food now and is starting Mother's Day Out this week. While a part of me feels sad that he's no longer such a tiny baby, I mostly feel overjoyed at what an amazing little boy he is becoming. He is a WILD CHILD! He is so full of energy and and joy that you can't help but smile every time you look at him and laugh when he's being Mr. Mischief. At the same time though, he is such a loveable child, always giving hugs and kisses, even to the dog and his stuffed animals. I feel so blessed to have two such amazing children!! We had Owen's birthday party on Saturday and he had a BALL! He had so much fun with the other babies, he genuinely seemed to know that the party was for him and he relished being the center of attention. Although he wasn't a big fan of the smash cake, his face lit up like a light bulb when we all sang "Happy Birthday" to him. In fact, he liked it so much, we sang it to him twice!! He got some very lovely gifts from all of his friends and we are so grateful that they all were able to come to his party despite all the rain. Here are some pictures from the big day!

Special birthday outfit

The theme of his party was "Under the Big Top"

"Aunt" Jessica and "Uncle" Damon
Cousin Hannah
Pretty Ella
"Aunt" Nikki and "Aunt" Christy
The Birthday Boy!
Lily and her Daddy
Owen with Tutu Now, what is going on here??
All smiles when we sang "Happy Birthday!"
But what exactly am I supposed to do with this??

Hmmm......
I don't think I like this very much!

Nope, not at all

He liked it a little better with a fork The final damage

Ella liked the cupcakes!

post smash-cake bath

Opening his gifts
He's mommy's little present!
He had a cupcake later and I think he got a total sugar rush!

He was CA-RAZY!

Walking tall like a BIG ONE YEAR OLD boy!!

Birthday Slideshow

2008-08-21T22:42:00.006-04:00

Baby O turns one this weekend! Stay tuned for full birthday party coverage, but I wanted to go ahead and post the slideshow I put together for my darling, sweet, beautiful boy

Tattoos and Memories and Dead Skin on Trial.......

2008-08-04T10:17:00.012-04:00

Wow. I am fresh off the heels of my ten year high school reunion WEEKEND. It was a blast, we had so much fun and everything turned out so perfectly! It was quite an eventful three days - Thurs. my friend Kaki and I (one of my best hs friends and still a great friend!) got pedicures and had wine before heading to Bahama Breeze (Altamonte Springs was SO our old stomping grounds) to meet up with the rest of the planning committee girls to kick off the weekend. Friday night, our good (and extremely generous) friend Chase had the whole class (and Mr. Miller!) over to his house for drinks. It was surreal to see people that I had not seen since graduation! Saturday we had a family get together at Wekiva Springs and got to see everyone's precious babes. Then, Saturday night was the big night. All of the hard work and planning definitely paid off! It was held at the Winter Park Country Club, where we had all of our homecoming dances, and it brought back so many memories. Of course this time there was some major alcohol consumption, which resulted in some quite surprising secret revelations, random hookups and ca-razy dance moves, including yours truly, who managed to bust her ass on the dance floor (here's where I'm blushing) haha. I guess that's what happens when you don't wear heels for a year and then get out there like you're miss thang in 3 inch stillettos!
This was certainly a weekend I will not forgot anytime soon!!

Me, Aleisha and Nikki

O-Wood hallway - James, me, Brandi, Kaki, Nikki, Allison, Aleisha, Kristie

Kaki, Allison and Me at Prom - Junior year

Kaki, Nikki and Me
Christy, Aleisha, Sarah, Missi, me and Nikki - 10 year reunion

Owen and Ella - future rams :) Fore more pictures than you could ever probably ever want to see, clck here: http://sarahbrayphoto.com/index2.php?v=v1 - password is "rams" (without quotations) and below for the high school slideshow. You may want to disable my playlist so you can hear the accompanying music - otherwise it's a little chaotic. Enjoy!

Mr. Mishchief

2008-07-09T19:45:00.006-04:00

Well, the title to this post prettty much says it all. As Owen cruises towards his first birthday (can't believe it!) he is literally into everything! He is all over the house exploring things and places and making me chase him around like a mad woman! We have so much fun watching him discover the world around him and he makes us laugh every day! Here are some pics from his latest adventures :)
Some of these are a little blurry since he's always on the go!

he loves to climb into boxes!

Avocadoes are great,Mommy!
Even Bama likes them!
Busted!
Daddy, take me with you!!
He loves to get in Bama's crate and bang on the floor

You don't really need this, do you Mommy?
"Helping" me unload the dishwasher

We joyfully announce the birth of.....

2008-07-06T10:49:00.003-04:00

our two new blog "babies"! I've decided to start a new blog, dedicated solely to my photography endeavors.....

http://www.sarahbrayphoto.blogspot.com/

and.....

Jack has started his very own blog:

http://www.jackpow.blogspot.com

Winter Garden

2008-07-06T10:19:00.007-04:00

Yet another photography post ;) Our class took a field trip to downtown Winter Garden and Trailer City last weekend. In my 23 years as an Orlando resident, I had no clue that this little gem of a town even existed!! It is such a charming little area, it reminds me of Mayberry with it's shops and restaurants, much like I imagine downtown WP was waaaaay back in the day. In fact, I liked it SO much, I made Chris venture out there again this weekend so we could go to the Farmer's Market and explore all the places I didn't have a chance to before. Here are some of my photos from the assignment:
PS - landscape photos are not really my "thing", so bear with me while I learn the ropes!

Our trip to the beach

2008-06-11T10:11:00.011-04:00

Some friends of ours were kind enough to let us use their beach condo for the weekend and it was an absolute dream! I cannot tell you how much I just needed some time away from home and a mini-vacation. We let Jack bring his friend Judson, so it was more "fun" than "relaxing" with the three boys to look after, but we had a really great time. This was Owen's first time going to the beach and while he wasn't quite sure about the ocean and the (HUGE) waves, he LOVED the dry sand - he would pick it up and let it fall through his hands with this look of wonder and amazement! He also enjoyed squishing in the wet sand and playing in the tidal pool with his big brother. Jack and Judson boogie boarded and body surfed their little hearts out and I admit, I got in on the action too, it was so much fun, I felt like I was 8 years old again! :) I can't wait to go back - I could live at the beach! Here are a WHOLE BUNCH of pictures from our trip!

Best Buds Jack and Judson

Who knew 8 year old boys could eat SO much??

They found a jellyfish...

At J.B.'s

Yeah, we're not sure what's up with the peace sign either

Body surfing

Jack P. - future pro surfer ;)

They had so much fun with this boat!

Owen totally thought he was one of the big boys

Checkin out the ocean with Daddy

Hmmm, not quite sure.....

This is a little better!

Ahhh, sand. At least he didn't try to eat it.

Beach bums

They love each other so much!!

Seriously? Does it get any better than this? I am so blessed! :)

Princess Hannah

2008-06-11T09:40:00.005-04:00

Wow, it's hard to believe my little niece Hannah will be 2 this month! My very first blog post was of her first birthday, how time flies! Hannah is my kindred spirit, we are very much alike in many, many ways (namely our common hatred of the "m stuff" people like to put on their hamburgers and in their chicken salad - yuck!) so it was my pleasure to dress her up like a princess and photograph her for her second birthday party invitation! As the mother of two very boyish boys, I have major girl envy, so I also must thank my dear sister for letting me live vicariously through her and relive my childhood in all it's pink, glittery, princess-y glory :) Below are some of my favorite pictures of the day, as well as the final invitation.

YUMMM!!

2008-05-16T13:17:00.006-04:00

Here is my final project for my photo II class. The assignment was to do a photo essay that "told a story." That was pretty much the only objective our teacher gave us, so I kinda had a hard time coming up with ideas. I got the inspiration for my photo essay from one of my very favorite blogs: http://www.bakerella.blogspot.com/ - she has the yummiest recipes on her blog and fab photos to go along with them! I call this peice "Life Cycle of A Cupcake...from conception to death". Deep...I know :)

Fort Christmas

2008-05-16T10:14:00.006-04:00

I just completed my photo II class last night and will be starting photo III next month. I feel like I am learning so much and it is has just reinforced my love for photography and the notion that I want to do this for a living! We took a field trip out to Fort Christmas last Saturday. It was the first time I had ever been there and I quite enjoyed myself. We happened to be there on "Old Timers Day" which was kind of cool, there was a Bluegrass band and BBQ and of course, lots of Old Timers :) It was amazing to see the pioneer homes and learn about the families who lived there. If you've never been to Fort Christmas, I would highly recommend going. I took dozens of pictures, but will just post a few of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

My Very Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-16T09:21:00.005-04:00

Happy late Mother's Day to all you Mamas!! I had a great day and felt very loved :) I was fortunate enough to spend time with all the special "mothers" in my life...my mom, my mother in law and my sister as well as my sweet husband and two amazing little loves!

Oh Baby!

2008-05-05T11:51:00.002-04:00

Goodness I love this boy!

Owen's Big Adventure

2008-05-05T11:19:00.005-04:00

Well, this weekend I got an early Mother's Day gift.....a new bike and a baby trailer for Owen. Biking is something that Jack and I have always loved to do together, but we were stuck with the dilemma of what to do with baby brother. Now that that problem has been solved, we are really looking forward to spending that time together again! After our bike ride, we went swimming and Owen got in the pool for the first time. He LOVED it! I should have known my children would have a natural draw to and love for the water. I cannot wait to take him in the ocean this summer! He had his first dunk under the water, courtesy of his dad, and much to our surprise - he didn't cry - he didn't even seem to mind at all! All that biking and swimming gave him quite an appetite and tuckered him out, he slept great last night!

First Bike Ride

Jack doing his "watering" the garden

Jack being silly

Handsome!

Owen's first time in the pool!

Yes I am still nursing him :)

"initiation"

Air drying

Crashed

Bath Time!

2008-04-23T11:21:00.001-04:00

Are you afraid of Momsters?

2008-03-31T15:50:00.004-04:00

"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."- G.K. Chesterton

Before I became a mother, I never knew that "mothering" bore just about as much controversy as politics, religion and sex.....combined.

natural child-birth vs. medicated delivery

breast vs. bottle

co-sleeping vs. crib sleeping

cloth diapering vs. disposable diapering

cry it out vs. non-cry it out (for lack of a better term)

home-made baby food vs. store-bought baby food

a baby born inside/outside of marriage

The list goes on.....

I have friends on both sides of the spectrum, and as a second-time mom, have been on both "sides" myself. I prepared for and acheived a natural birth with Owen, free of any pain medication. Was it hard? Heck yeah! It was super intense and at times I really thought I couldn't do it. But I did. And it was so worth it! I breastfed Jack for 16 months and plan to do the same with Owen, if not longer. Is it hard? Of course! I've had to endure engorged ta-tas, mastitis, clogged ducts, the uncomfortable-ness of nursing in public around people who are offended by the fact that I am feeding my child (which blows my mind!), and teething (need I say more?). I also cloth diaper Owen. Is it difficult? Honestly...sometimes it is. Sometimes I am behind on laundry and find myself reaching for my stash of 'sposies that are supposed to be reserved for the Y and the church nursery, cause it's easier. But I choose to use cloth diapers because for us....it's the right thing. I can't throw away 10 disposable diapers a day and feel okay about that.

However, I've also: had an epidural (with Jack), tried to give formula (neither boy will touch it with a ten-foot pole), used disposable diapers and store-bought babyfood, let each boy sleep in the bed with us, and made them sleep in their own beds (even when they didn't want to sometimes), let Owen cry it out, but I've also rushed to his side at the slightest whimper, had a baby out of wed-lock and one conceived in a happy, healthy marriage.

If I had a dollar for everytime someone has asked me "do you ever think about what your life would be like had you not become pregnant at 18", I would truly be a wealthy woman. But, to answer that honestly..... No..... I try not to let my mind go there. ever. I'm afraid to see what and who I would have become if I had chosen not to keep my baby. My boys are my life, my world....they are everything to me. I can say with 100% conviction that I'm a better person because of Jack and Owen. I've had friends (some close and some not so close) look down their noses at me because I've never had a "career" or because I can't drop everything and go out partying whenever I feel like it, or because they have big, exciting lives while I'm just "mom". It hurts. It sucks. But would I change anything? Nope. I am eternally grateful to have what I've been given.

My motivation behind this post, and my dedication of this post is to: "Momsters".... those moms who insult, discourage, innappropriately question or put down the mothering practices of others, simply because that isn't how they do it. I have a dear friend who is experiencing this right now, and let me tell you - I don't think I've ever seen a more nurturing, thoughtful, caring mother than her. So, I don't understand it and it makes me mad that people put her down for what she does.

So....Momsters - this one's for you. Feed your babies pork-rinds, be doped up morphine, codeine, whatever, when you have your baby "delivered", diaper them with cashmere or newspaper....I don't care. But for those of us who put our heart and soul into mothering our babies....leave us alone!

Cry It Out.......

2008-03-27T21:44:00.005-04:00

So, Owen is now 7 months old and for the past 3 months has STOPPED sleeping through the night. What's a mama to do? I've got another child to tend to and just can't go night after night after night on 4 (broken) hours of sleep **sigh**, so.....here we are......we've resorted to "Cry.It.Out." We are on day 4 and it has only gotten marginally easier. I must confess, I am not a die-hard fan of this method. I modified my "version" to stay in his room where he can see me and quitly talk to him and ocassionally pat his booty. Still, I am a total wimp when it comes to hearing my baby cry, so this has been especially hard for me emotionally. Now, mind you, Owen doesn't so much cry as YELL at me to COMEGETHIMRIGHTNOW!!! I know I'm doing the right thing in the long run by helping establish healthy sleep habits and teach him how to deal with things on his own.

Kah-Kah-Kah-Katie!

2008-03-17T13:07:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of my beautiful sister! She was kind enough to pose as my model for yet another photo assignment. I'm not sure if she checks my blog or not, but if she does, I hope she knows I LOVE HER and she is the best sister in the world! She is a beautiful person inside and out and such a wonderful mama to Hannah. Oh, and Katie...if you do read this....I put the diamond is forever song on here just for you! :)

Owen's Baptism

2008-03-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

Owen Christopher Marshall (whew, what a long name!) was baptized on Sunday, March 3rd, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church by Dr. David Swanson. Family who attended: Tutu and Papa, Granny and Grandpa, Grandpa Jim, Great-Granny, Uncle Marshall, Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris and Hannah, and Uncle Mike. Owen did great...he stole the show, smiling and pinching David's nose. He wore a christening gown that was made by his great-great grandmother and worn by 4 generations of Owen men before him (including Daddy!) it was very special, and we are very honored that our little Owen was able to wear it! All in all, it was a very special day, which concluded with a wonderful brunch at Tutu and Papa's house.

My Model

2008-03-06T09:18:00.003-05:00

I feel like I am always posting pictures of Owen on our blog, and rarely pictures of Jack! My big guy isn't so fond of having his picture taken, or insists on making goofy faces all the time. However, I did convince (read:pay) him to be my "assistant" for my latest photography assignment the other day, and he did a smash-up job as my "model"! :) Here are some pictures of the most handsome 8 year old boy I've ever seen!

When Daddy Does Baby Food

2008-02-18T10:39:00.005-05:00

Normally, my night-time ritual is feeding O, bathing him, nursing him, putting him to sleep. I'm rather neat and methodical in how I do this in order to save time on clean-up. However, sometimes Daddy wants to participate and have some fun with his baby boy. The following is the result of such interaction (with blueberries!) Daddy + Baby + Food = Big Silly Mess!

2008-02-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

So, some of these pictures were for an assignment I did for my photography class. I love the ones of Owen, even if he is a little crusty from his cold! Jack didn't enjoy "modeling" for me quite as much ;) but was a pretty good sport and enjoyed getting dirty!

Kisses for Brother!

I know I'm a bad Mommy! We just let him have a taste - he loved it!! (of course)
Playing in the backyard with Harry Elephante
His face in this picture cracks me up! If only you all could hear his little "hehe" laugh that he does!
PEAS!

La Noche

2008-01-09T13:25:00.001-05:00

These are from early December when Jack and Chris went to the Christmas campout at La Noche with Jack's boyscout den!

Jack and Evan

Why roast just one marshmallow when you can roast 3 at a time?
Do you think I would've let him this close to the fire if I had been there?
Fishing

He came home SO dirty!

These are from early December when Jack and Chris went to the Christmas campout at La Noche with Jack's boyscout den!

More Christmas Pictures

2008-01-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning/afternoon/night. The boys really enjoyed opening their presents! Jack got a basketball hoop from Santa and has been out back shooting hoops every day since Christmas! Owen got lots of fun little toys and is very interested in all of them. We had a great day! (These are in reverse order - sorry!)

A big day for Owen - his first Christmas!

Santa Papa and Santa Baby

Owen's big toy - his big boy super saucer Daddy and Owen
My Santa Baby!
Hannah Banana in her Tutu from her favorite Aunt Sissy :)
Jack and his presents from Tutu and Papa - golf clubs!

After Santa came
Jack and Bama trying to wake Chris up so we can open presents!
Bama gets a special treat too!
You think Jack likes his basketball hoop from Santa?
My sweet boys having fun

Jack and Hannah think they hear sleigh bells!

Mr. too cool for school
Milk and cookies for Santa
Tutu and Papa and all the grandchildren (making such lovely faces)
Our grown-up tradition: champagne at midnight on Christmas Eve!

Happy Birthday Jack!

2008-01-08T08:34:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my baby turned 8! It seems like just yesterday he was 4 months old like Owen. Jack had a great birthday this year. We celebrated at home with family and cake (though my creation ended up looking more like a giant Homer Simpson Doughnut) and then again at Downtown Disney and the Rainforest Cafe with some buddies. He got lots of Legos (of course) and other neat toys!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

We hope you all have a wonderful and happy Christmas! We feel very blessed to have two beautiful, healthy, smart and wonderful little boys...God has been very good to us!

Good for a Christmas Laugh!

2007-12-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1118837234
copy and paste the link to watch us get "elfed"!

Light Green

2007-11-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

Being the mother of two young children has caused me to stop and take a fresh look at the world around me and think about what kind of a place it will be when my boys grow up. I am by no means an eco-freak, but I find myself gradually getting greener. There are so many things we can (easily) do to cut down on waste, and make life better and healthier for our children. Just a few ideas I would encourage anyone to try are: using re-usable grocery bags instead of plastic or paper (I just ordered some - yay!), recycling (we are trying to get better at doing this - it is very important to Jack, he always reminds us of our need to recycle), using cold water in the wash, line drying when possible, and for the mommies reading this - cloth diapering. Yes, I know it SOUNDS crazy, but it's actually really fun! We started cloth diapering O about 3 weeks ago and love it! There are some really cute diapees out there, and think about it - if you were a baby, what would you rather have on your bottom - plastic and paper, or soft cotton and fleece? Even if you only used cloth diapers just once a day, you would use approximately 1,000 less disposable diapers over the course of 3 years!! One baby wearing 5 disposable diapers a day (and that's a conservative number) uses 5,745 diapers in their lifetime! Multiply that times the number of babies born in the US every day and the number is astronomical! Disposable diapers are not biodegradable AT ALL, and actually require huge amounts of water to create the paper pulp with which they are manufactured (for those who could argue that cloth diapers are less eco-friendly due to the amount of water it takes to wash them). Below are some of my favorite "green" links to blogs and shopping sites: http://www.atoygarden.com/ http://journeytocrunchville.wordpress.com/ http://hautenature.blogspot.com/ http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com/ http://www.diaperpin.com/
http://likemerchantships.blogspot.com/ And because I am totally shameless when it comes to bombarding people with pictures of my ADORABLE children, here are some pictures of Owen from this past weekend.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

What a great night! We went to a huge block party in our neighborhood that was lots of fun! Jack went dressed as a gangster, tommy gun and all. He insisted I paint a goatee on his face - I guess that's his impression of what a gangster is "supposed" to look like. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, he ran around so much we hardly saw him. He got TONS of candy that I am having a really hard time staying away from today! Owen enjoyed his first official holiday as well. He went dressed as a monkey, although many people mistook him for a bear (hello...check out the tail). Either way, he was the CUTEST kiddo there! Besides Jack of course ;)

Look how red Jack's face is!
Jack's pumpkin "Harvey"

Happy Halloween!!

My little monkey
Jack the gangster
Posing with "Harvey"
Taking it all in

My Sunshine Boy!

2007-10-30T12:36:00.000-04:00

Owen and I have been enjoying some outdoor playtime! He loves to watch the wind blow through the leaves in the trees. He will just smile and coo, it's such a sweet sound! Some of these were taken in our backyard, on the playquilt that was mine when I was a baby! The others were in Central Park (on Park Ave.) during the car show. He is wearing a little daygown that was my little brother Marshall's when he was a baby. The pouty face is from when someone revved their engine really loud and it scared poor Owen. His face is just priceless!

The world from Owen's point of view

2 months old and SO handsome!

Hanging out with his Daddy

Look at that face!My sweet sunny boy "talking" to the trees

Jack and Owen at the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

October is here and that means Halloween! Every year, Jack and I go to the pumpkin patch and he gets to pick out his own special pumpkin. This year of course, Owen got to be a part of the tradition as well and even got his own little pumpkin, chosen with the help of his big brother of course! Here are some pictures of my two little (well one not-so-little-anymore) pumpkins:

Just Jack

2007-10-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Fall is a really busy time of year for us. Not only is it the beginning of the school year, but also the start of the fall season of baseball and boyscouts. Jack has moved up to Cub Scouts this year (from Tiger Scout last year), and is a Wolf Scout (2nd grade). His den usually takes 3-4 camping trips a year, and they are a lot of fun! Unfortunately, Owen and I are going to have to miss the first one this year as he is still too small to go camping, but he actually went last May

when I was 5 months pregnant! This fall season marks Jack's 3rd time playing baseball for WPLL. He gets better and better each year and has moved up to the rookies division. He played catcher for the first time last weekend and was really good, although he didn't really enjoy it all that much.

Silly Pictures

2007-10-01T14:01:00.000-04:00

Bama trying very hard to get my attention while I was taking Owen's picture

Jack and his ginormous teeth!
Chris and Jack showing off their smoothie 'staches

Hannah says "Why not use my bowl of lasagna as a hat/telephone?"

For those of you who know our family well, you know that most of us are quite silly and have a rather odd sense of humor. This often shows up in our pictures since I almost always have my camera with me these days (thanks Chris!). While I believe it is genetic for most of us (at least on the "Harmon" side of the family), Chris has adapted quite well. Apparently the dog has also inherited this characteristic :) Life with a house full of boys is never dull and they have very interesting ways of letting me know I am loved and appreciated! :)

One Month Old!

2007-10-01T13:46:00.000-04:00

First time in the swing from Aunt Katie & Uncle Chris
Fast asleep in Mama's arms

Tummy Time

Baby O is one month old! It has gone by very fast... he has already changed so much. I love watching him notice new things every day, and we are starting to get some of our first real smiles, it's wonderful! He had his one month check-up today and has gained 4 lbs. and grown 2.5 inches...he's really starting to chub up...I love it!!

My Boys

2007-09-17T10:08:00.000-04:00

I am the luckiest mom in the world....

Here are all of my boys....actually sitting still...and looking at the camera...and smiling...

I absolutely love this picture!

Look at Jack's face in this picture, it cracks me up!

These are not the very best pictures of Owen, but they are so sweet of him and Jack that I just had to post them. These were taken after Jack's first baseball game of the season (he's playing fall ball this year). His team, the FL Marlins, won 11-3, although Jack was "drafted" to the other team as they didn't have enough players. He was a good sport about it. He is so sweaty in these pictures but he wanted to hold and kiss Owen and it was just so sweet to watch how gentle and attentive and caring he was. The last picture is Jack goofing off with Bama. You would think after almost two years, the novelty of this dog would have worn off some...oh no! Chris and Jack are still IN LOVE with the dog! :) I think we have as many pictures of Bama as we do of Owen and Jack. He is a good boy!

Owen and Hannah

2007-09-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

These are from a couple of weeks ago. Hannah is so sweet with Owen. She was giving him "a love" this day when Tutu and I took her and Owen to Babies R Us. Owen is going to adore her when he gets a little bigger and Hannah will get a little taste for the hero worship she has lavished on her cousin Jack!

Mr. Smiley Face!

2007-09-16T09:11:00.000-04:00

Bath Time!!

2007-09-08T11:04:00.000-04:00

Owen's first "real" bath! Now that his umbilical cord has fallen off and Owen is completely healed from his little "surgery" down below, we have started giving him baths in his little tub (why is it that everything baby related is "little"? LOL). He LOVES it! He really hated the sponge baths we gave him the first week and half because he would get cold, but he just calms right down when we put him in his tub and would probably sit in there forever just as content as could be!

I think he looks just like Chris in this picture....maybe it's the hair?? :)

Owen Christopher Marshall Bray

2007-09-05T09:36:00.000-04:00

Our sweet little Owen was born on August 24th at 1:20 PM. He weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz., and was 20 inches long. Labor was short and sweet. I was induced 4 days after my due date and labored for about 5 and half hours. Chris and I studied the Bradley method of Natural Childbirth for months before Owen was born and I am very pleased to report that I was able to labor and deliver with no pain medication! It was awesome...I wish I could go back and relive that day. I am actually now considering becoming a Bradley Method teacher for couples interested in having a Natural Childbirth experience utilizing this method. Owen is such a sweet baby and a GOOD baby! He hardly ever cries, only during the occasional diaper change or when he wakes up hungry! He has already established somewhat of a sleep pattern for himself at night, usually waking around 1 and again at 4 to eat. Jack is loving being a big brother, he just adores Owen. I am working hard to make sure he knows he is still loved as much always and hopefully soon will be able to spend some time together just the two of us! Chris is settling into new Daddy-hood like a pro. It is so sweet to watch him with his newborn son, they just stare at each other and Owen even smiles at him! I am doing great, had a super easy recovery (thanks again to the NCB) and feel better than I have in months! I was a little worried before Owen was born that I would have a hard time loving him as much as I love Jack (I just didn't think that was possible!), but amazingly, it seems God has just doubled the amount of love I have to give and I cannot imagine my life without Owen now. He is such a blessing. I feel so honored to have the privelage of raising two sweet boys who will one day be great men! They are amazing!

Owen's final hours in the belly!
And his first moments in the world!

He has the most perfect little toes! :)
His Daddy loves him so much!

So does his big brother Jack!

Baby Shower

2007-08-11T09:26:00.001-04:00

The "Dirty Diaper" Game

Sweet Big Brother Jack
Owen got so many great presents!
Sweet friends Nikki and Jaclyn

Number One Big Brother!
Jack is Super-Excited about Owen!
Tutu and Hannah Banana
Jack loving every minute of this! Christy with a tray full of diapers

On July 22 we had a really fun baby shower hosted by Katie and Chris, and our friends Christy, Damon and Jessica. It was a lot of fun and great to see everyone all together. We got just about everything we could ever need or want for Owen, now all we need is the baby!!

A Day at the Park

2007-08-10T12:56:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I took Jack to the park to feed the swans and play on the playground! He had a great time! We saw a very interesting bird with a long, snake-like neck that could swim underwater for minutes at a time and then always come back up with a fish in it's mouth! Grandma told us it's called an Anhinga. Jack really enjoyed feeding the black swans and of course some squirells got in on the action too. Afterwards, I think he set a world record for swinging - almost an hour straight! We were both pooped by the time we left!

My Bump!

2007-07-16T08:17:00.000-04:00

As you can see, Owen is getting quite big! He moves and kicks all the time, I think he is trying to find a way out! According to the Doctor, he is about 5 lbs. and 18.5 inches right now. Jack is so excited about being a big brother and is so sweet...he is always kissing my belly and talking to Owen, telling him how much he loves his baby brother! I can't wait to see them together for the first time. I love my boys so much!!

Ultrasound Pictures of Owen

2007-07-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

These are the baby pictures we have so far of Baby "O". Everyone thinks from his 4D profile shot that he looks like Jack! We can't wait to see him face to face next month - only 5 more weeks!

Hannah's 1st Birthday

2007-07-12T07:50:00.001-04:00

I can't believe my precious niece Hannah is a year old! She celebrated the big day poolside at a birthday party given by her Mommy and Daddy. She had her very own "smash cake" and got lots of neat presents! Check out her bejeweled pacifier, compliments of her favorite Aunt Sissy!