A pleasant suprise!

I know I said I wouldn't be posting again until after we had survived a half-dozen Christmas parties - but Zig and I snapped some awesome pictures and I wanted to share them as soon as possible!

During play-time each day, I work with Brookie to be able to hold her own toys! Up until now, she has just looked at things and squealed with delight at how funny they were, but within the last few days, she has started grabbing onto toys and, of course, putting them straight into her mouth! I took some of the hanging toys from the play-mat and gave them to her - and she loved them! Her favorite is definitely the turtle that rattles! She has had him in her hand most of her waking minutes of the last day or so! It's so funny - if I walk away from her for a minute, I know she's OK because its only a few seconds until I hear turtle rattling away! It reminds me of those adorable jingle bell shoes that little girls wear once they start walking! We've GOT to have them in a few months! Aunt Meggie - be on the lookout for those!

Our big girl is now a 'high-chair-sitter-inner' as well! In preparation for our Christmas party with Kathy, I knew that Miss Marlee has been sitting in her chair to eat! I brought Brooke's upstairs for Marlee to use while she's here, and ended up putting Beamer in it to test it out! She loved it! She squealed and smacked her hands on the tray! So last night, we lowered it as far as it would go, and wheeled her into the living room to eat her cereal like a big girl in the high chair! How cute! She sat in it this morning to eat her breakfast cereal too... She loves it!

I said to Zig last night...

"Hunny, our BABY is already sitting in a high chair...before we know it she'll be walking and talking!" What a strange thought!

I can hardly believe it, but Beam is still sleeping right now from a goofy-timed afternoon nap! It's so unbelievable since she slept until 10:30 this morning! She must be a sleeper like her Daddy...or maybe this teething thing is wearing her out!

OK - for real this time - Enjoy the last few pictures until this site turns into Christmas overload!

Merry Christmas everyone! Think snow!

Finally...a few minutes!

As Christmas quickly approaches, and the hustle and bustle of family and friends is right around the corner, I figured I had better try to find a few minutes to update our blog of the latest and greatest at the Wray household!

We've been enjoying Brooke more and more each day!

She's growing like a weed and really starting to come into her own little personality!

She's developing a very obvious preference for her Mom and Dad...which could present problems in the future!

She has started giggling - although it doesn't happen nearly as often as I wish it would!

Brooke has also crossed over into 'big girl' world as she has been sleeping very soundly - the whole way through the night - in her crib! I have to say, I think I had more trouble not having her beside me than she did! She is sleeping from around 10pm until nearly 10am each day! It's wonderful...and I'm pretty sure I'm as spoiled as she it! I consider myself very lucky to have a sleeper like her already!

In the land of eating for a 3 month-old, Brooke has had a few rough days over the last couple of weeks! She can't make up her mind how much milk she would like to drink, and she still is having trouble with spitting up! After we changed her bottles, the spitting slowed down quite a bit, but now, she seems to be back to her old tricks! She's extra fussy, irritable, and wants to eat all the time! We've tried upping the formula, but she just spits more!

Zig and I considered starting to introduce baby food, since she no longer seemed satisfied with JUST formula!

After a phone call to my sister for a little 'Mommy advice,' we tried giving her cereal this morning with her breakfast bottle! Aunt Meggie...so far, so good! She's napping like she usually does each morning and she took the cereal like a champ this morning! We'll see how it throws off her feeding schedule for the entire day... I've said it before and I'll say it again - this child is one HUGE experiment! I'm so thankful for all of the Mommies around me to help! It's big sigh of relief every now and again...

And speaking of Mommy time, we had playdate #2 yesterday at Leah's house yesterday! We added another Mommy and Baby to our mix - Kristen and Wyatt! I so enjoyed being with these girls and exchanging stories and the woes of Mommy-Hood! The fact that we are all teachers only adds to the funny stories that we can tell! I really hope that we can keep this tradition going - Kristen and Michelle are headed back to school soon, and Leah and I will head back at the beginning of next school year - but hopefully these kids will grow up knowing each other, and loving the fact that their Mommies get together all the time! 2 boys and 2 girls - I wonder if we have any couples in our future!??

We're looking forward to visiting with all of our families in the next few days! The line-up is one for the record books: This Saturday is our party with my Grandma Shirley and the Richard cousins.
Sunday, I'll be singing in the Cantata at church, then coming home to host a party with John, Kathy, Scub, Stephanie and the girls...I can't wait to roast my very first ham!
Meg, Jason, and Josh will be here through Christmas Eve, so we are having our Christmas with the kids, Nana and Pap on Monday evening.
Tuesday should be our only day without a party - but then Christmas Eve hits!
We'll will start at Pappy Fred's with my family, then head to Belletown with the Wray's, then back to Burnham to Gram Joyce's with the Hertzlers! Whew...
All of this, of course, depends on Brooke and how she's doing with all of the commotion - we have no idea what to expect...


I think that's it for now...
Enjoy a few pictures...
Expect a post shortly after Christmas...if we survive!

TV time with Daddy!

A hodge-podge of 'stuff'...

#1 - The winning Christmas Card picture

#2 - Brooke and Marlee's play date last week

#3 - Brooke's nap time - always includes Bear and Burpie

#4 - Our pink bear snowsuit! Don't you just want to squeeze her??

A few shots of playtime in our new pj's last night - with the end result being Brooke's first time sleeping ALL NIGHT in her crib! Hooray!

Sorry folks, this is about all I have time for today!

More to come soon - hopefully before Christmas!

3 Months!

Our little booger is 3 months old today!

It's been 3 months since she was born - 3 months since the first time we saw her face - 3 months since we've become a family! And these have been the most trying - yet the best - 3 months of my life!

Brooke has had a few exciting days since we've last blogged!

On Sunday, December 7, surrounded by family and friends, Brooke Mackenzie was dedicated into our church family! What an amazing experience as a Mother! I have watched dozens of families dedicate their children in the classic ceremony in our church, but standing in the front of the church with my husband, holding our daughter, I actually listened to the words of the pastor...

Zig and I promised to raise our daughter in a loving home with parents who know God...

We promised to love her and always be there for her...

And we listened as our church family promised to help her grow into a loving, sensitive, young lady who loves the Lord...

As Brooke's grandparents cried and cried, Brooke was carried around the congregation in celebration of this new life that we have all been blessed with. We are already so proud to be Brooke's parents!

After church, we all (Brooke, me, Zig, Grammy Kathy, Aunt Meggie, Uncle Jason, Joshua, Nana, and Pap) headed back to my Mom and Dad's for a wonderful "hot chwicken soup" lunch and some wonderful visiting! Zig and I were so happy to have all our family together for this special day! The whole day was perfect...

Grammy Kathy was planning to stay over night with us, so when we got home, she offered to watch Brooke so that Zig and I could get out of the house together and do some Christmas shopping! As we were leaving, we realized that this was the very first time that we've been alone together since Brooke was born! We've been out with Brandon and Manda, and we've been away separately, but never together...alone! It was a little strange, but we definitely appreciate the opportunity to get out and spend some time together!

We ended the evening with a casual pizza supper with Grammy and Great Aunt Kim, who came to visit with us!

A tub, a bottle, and bowl of cereal later, Brooke was fast asleep, Grammy was fast asleep in the "Grammy Suite," and Mommy and Daddy were fast asleep... What a day!

Brooke at her dedication - with one of my favorite "church people" Judy!

Don't you LOVE her red dress and red shoes to match!!?? ME TOO!!

I have a few pictures to post from a fun afternoon with Miss Marlee on Monday - but the princess is starting to wake up! I can hear her scrooching in her crib!

More to come soon!

Play Date #1!!

What a wonderful afternoon we had!

Brooke is fast asleep on the couch beside me, zonked out from the afternoon of PLAY with her newest friends!

Big Boy Caleb, Brand New Baby Doll Malaina, and their Mommies, Leah and Michelle, all came to Burnham for our very first play date with the kids! The only things missing were the Tostitos and Salsa bowl (which were conveniently in the cabinet - I just forgot to get them out!)!

I've posted before about these three little ones all being born 7-ish weeks apart! Caleb came in July, Brooke in September, and Malaina in November! I love the fact that they are all so close in age!

All three of us Mommies are still off from school right now, so we're enjoying being together as much as possible!

We shared lots of Mommy stories! It's incredible...the fact that we have these children means we are all going through almost the exact same thing - day in and day out! Everything from feeding schedules, poop troubles, and sleeping woes, to the lovely struggles as married couples turned Moms and Dads... Thank goodness we have each other and all of the other Mommy friends in our lives to be there for us!

My favorite part of today was just watching these beautiful children that we created! Caleb - the most vocal of the bunch, had so much to say about his day, his Mom, his Dad, and the rest of the world! It all sounded like squeals and giggles to us, but he sure is a wise man already! Miss Malaina didn't say much... She only opened her little peepers a few times, but when she did, she told us a few stories and sang a song or two before going right back to sleep in her Mommy's arms! Brooke did an awful lot of fussing for my liking! She's normally so pleasant... We encouraged the kids to "share"...our attention, the blanket... but Brooke wasn't handling this so well. It was definitely nap time for all 3 kids - and before we knew it, Leah and Michelle were packing up the troops and headed home!

We've already scheduled our next play date for 2 weeks from now! Leah and I are taking the whole year of school off, and we're working on Michelle to do the same! I can only hope that these play dates continue - not just for us as friends, but for these kids!

It's so important to me that Brooke grow up to be a nice little girl, with lots of friends who care about her. Having these play dates and such good friends like Michelle and Leah is my way of giving her a great start towards being a good person who enjoys the company of others!

So girls, (and Caleb), we can't wait for our next play date! Hopefully by then, Caleb will be speaking full sentences and Malaina will be sleeping through the night!! (Hmmm...high expectations, girls!) So much to look forward to!

Still Thankful...

Meg caught this awesome picture! I just wish she could giggle along with that smile!

Quiet time with Pappy Ray!

Sorry for the delay in posting! Grammy Kathy is close to having a canary and she's definitely going through Brooke withdrawal - so I've finally found a minute, while the princess is sleeping, to say a quick hello! (Grammy Kathy - Did you see that I updated the Walmart site, too?)

It seems that Thanksgiving came and went quicker this year than ever before!

Brooke and I spent 3 awesome days at my Mom and Dad's while Aunt Meggie, Uncle Jason, and cousin Joshua were home for the holiday! I basically camped out at their house from the minute Brooke and I were ready each morning, to about a half hour before her last feeding each night!

This is the first year since Meg and Jason have been together that I've had my sister for Thanksgiving - and I loved every second of it! I'm very selfish when it comes to my sister - I can't get enough of our 'girl time' which has now truly changed into 'Mommy time' with our kiddies! I love being able to hand Brooke off to her Aunt while I chase Joshua around the house! It's a great change of pace for both of us...and I love it so much!

Sunday, we spent the day in Belletown with entire Wray clan - I swear, someone really ought to video tape these Thanksgiving get-togethers! I'm not kidding when I say that the table gets bigger each year and it stretches from one end of the living room, through the dining room, and all the way to the end of the kitchen! I didn't do a head-count, but as I count right now, I'm coming up with 35 people! Can you imagine!? It's incredible! Zig isn't really as close to all of his 'Wray cousins' as I am to my own, but it's great to be with all of them for the holidays and we're already looking forward to seeing them all again on Christmas Eve.

My sister wrote in her blog about how she really had our Gram on her mind this Thanksgiving - and I couldn't agree with her more. This is the first Thanksgiving without her, even though we haven't spent a Thanksgiving with the real Gram in a few years.

I had to laugh as we sat down at my Mom's table for our Friday-night-after-Thanksgiving meal! My Gram always made homemade waffles to drench in the leftover turkey, gravy, and filling balls - and my Mom does a fantastic job keeping this tradition alive! This happens to be my most favorite meal in the entire world - BUT there was always a catch! Something you might not know about me is that I'm a PANCAKE FANATIC! I've always loved pancakes - my Mom used to make a batch of pancakes every single Sunday morning before church...I've even won pancake eating competitions! No joke... So having homemade waffles ( a close cousin to the pancake ) for supper is a special treat - At Grandma Mary's house, however, I wasn't allowed to have any waffles with syrup until I hate 2 waffles with gravy and turkey! I always cleaned my plate of turkey waffles quickly in order to have that syrup! My sister laughed on Friday as I was done with my 'turkey waffle' before anyone else had even put the gravy on their plates! I was ready for my syrup! I couldn't help but think of Gram...she would be so proud! :) And MAN, those angels up there are awfully glad that THEY have Gram for Thanksgiving - I can guarantee that no one in Heaven was hungry this year!

This is also the first holiday without Zig's Dad...

This was the first time we sat at the enormous Wray family table where Shanty wasn't at the end with us. He always sat on the very end, with Zoe on his lap... We miss him and we've talked about how we wish he was here to see Brooke and Marlee... We know he sees them though, and he's loving them and Zoe Joy from Heaven. On the way to Belletown, we got a sneak peak at Shanty's headstone which is now engraved with all three of the girls' names as his grandchildren! It's so cool...

Zig and I have so much to be thankful for each and every day... This year especially...

We have a beautiful daughter to show for the love we have shared for 11 years...a love that has stood the test of distance and time... and a love that will last forever through the eyes of our little girl!

Our new trick - she loves to hold my hands and sit up, then stand up! I love the look on her face when she does it! She's so proud of herself!
Daddy's eyes!