Happy Easter!!!

Things are still pretty crazy here, so I just thought I'd put up a bunch of pics for now. These are from Easter events, my baby shower, park times, and study times....hope you enjoy, and that you had a wonderful Easter Sunday! We love and miss you all!
Here Mommy was trying to get a good picture of Daddy and Hobbes, but at the last second, Hobbes grabbed Daddy's hair...:)
Sitting by the Church's(Kathryn's soon to be in-laws) house, eating the spoils of the Easter egg hunt with new friend Jackson Crapuchetts.
Hobbes caught on to the Easter egg hunt veryy quickly...and after it was over, tried to boost his spoils by going to the other kids' baskets. Ahh...boys.

Look at all those eggs!!! He figured out how to open them by throwing them, and then eating the candy off the ground...gotta give him kudos for creativity!
Here we all are with Kathryn's almost in-laws...they hosted us all for an amazing and delicious Easter spread!
Kathryn and I after the kids' Easter egg hunt...I must admit that Aunt Kathryn partook of Hobbes' findings, too.:)
The table at my baby shower-love the pastels!

Katie Grauke, the other hostess besides Kathryn, and I at my shower.
Hobbes dying eggs...he was so excited he was honestly quivering! He called them balls most of the time, though.
Easter morning picture...the best we could get with a toddler!
The finished eggs- Hobbes probably dyed 6 of them! Mommy didn't even get to finish 1!:(
Hobbes loves Uncle Mike...he wanted to study too, so Mike gave him something to read.
Kathryn and I at my shower.
Swinging on the playset next to our new apartment building!
Dyeing more eggs!
Hobbes' best 'smile' for Easter Sunday!
Enjoy!!!

Craziness:)

Hello, everyone!
Once again I have been negligent in updating the blog ...things seem to always get busier! The past few weeks have been very full- whether it be of seeing friends, eating good food, filling out paperwork or doctor schtuff, the schedule just doesn't stop.
I finally am feeling close to ready to have this baby- not that I haven't wanted to be done with the pregnancy for awhile, but more that I have finally finished some things I felt I needed to get done before the baby arrived. To name a few:
-all paperwork for grad school -related stuff
-taxes (always fun!!!)
-apartment apps
-bios, pics, plane tickets taken care of for Bray's opera stints
-washed car seat, organized what baby clothes I have for Madeline
-haircut/highlights ( 0f course the most important on the list:)
Bray has been working like a madman...he takes any extra hours he can get at the coffee shop,and then when he's not working, he goes and does voice stuff! Although it's tiring, I know it'll pay off, and it's encouraging to see him so motivated and working so hard!
Another piece of good news regarding the voice, is we just found out that Bray was awarded a fellowship award for Santa Barbara. In other words, he will receive travel reimbursement and payment at the end of the summer- very few students are given this for this program, and their reasoning behind the choice of recipients are that they have 'outstanding professional potential' in the opera field. We thank God for all these blessings in the past few months regarding Bray's career- it has truly been encouraging, humbling and exciting!
As far as baby goes, everything seems to be ready, so now it's a matter of timing! We are signing an apartment lease on Friday, so we should be able to move this weekend if we choose to! It has been good that we have been at my parents' house till now, though...my dad had foot surgery on Thursday, and then had a reaction to the medication on Friday! Thankfully,my mom and sister and I were at home when it happened, so we called the ambulance, and he had to be hospitalized for 24 hours. No serious results were found, so he got off that medication, and is slowly but surely on the road to recovery. Please pray that he can go back to work soon...and that the discomfort will subside!
I think that sums it up for now...I finally am focusing on the arrival of this baby, so we shall be sure to fill you in as the day approaches! Love to you all!
Here are a few pics:
Here is Hobbes swinging like a big boy...he only fell twice, and didn't cry...at the park near my house where I grew up!
Trying to take a cute Sunday pic for G.g. and Bop (Bray's parents)...but food was more interesting.:(
Here is a self-portrait of Charity and I at the circus the weekend before I left...miss you Schmenke!
The 2 little boys, crowding G.G....they both had to sit on her lap at the circus!:)
Once again, trying to get a Sunday pic of the cousins...this is the best we could do! It's still pretty cute, though.
Almost got it!
Taking off from Monroe...goodbye to the fam!

Moscow at last!!!

Hello, everyone!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update! I shall try to fill you in from where I left off last time, but it seems like so much has been going on, I don't know where to start! I believe I told you that Hobbes and I were flying up March 5 out of Jackson, and that Bray would be leaving from Monroe, driving the Uhaul all the way to Moscow by himself! After Bray got back from Memphis, where he had competed in the Midsouth Regionals of the National Metropolitan Opera Competitions, and placed 3rd!!!, he was rewarded by getting to drive some more! Wendy and Charity were kind enough to take me to the airport, and it was hard to say goodbye! Hobbes did fairly well on the plane rides, although he had to sit on what's left of his pregnant mother's lap for the entirety of the last 2 legs of the trip. When we reached Spokane, however, he had had enough. There were 2 other babies screaming their heads off in the airport, and Hobbes decided to be the 3rd. On top of that, the airline lost our luggage, including Hobbes' carseat! So, we had to stop by a store to get PJs, etc, and then finally reached Moscow late that night. I must say, traveling by yourself with a toddler is not that fun!:)
Anyhow, Bray decided to be kind of crazy, and on the 1st day, drove all the way past Denver, CO. Thus, he made it from Monroe to Moscow, ~40 hours, in 2 long days. He got in at 3 in the morning on Wednesday, and to welcome him home, a Moscow policeman decided to pull him over for 'pulling out in front of him.' Luckily, he did not get a ticket, but we found the irony humorous.(after some sleep, that is)
My Grandma Garfield had been planning a visit this week, and so we surprised her by not telling her we'd be here. As you can see from the 2 pics, she and Hobbes have taken very well to each other.:) Bray has started back to work at Bucer's, I have already had a successful doctor's appointment, we have seen almost all of our friends at least once, and we are on the waiting list for 2 apartments we love!!! The bad news is that Hobbes decided to catch a stomach flu bug on Saturday, and has been ill all through to today. He took a turn for the better at about 10 tonight, so pray that he recovers completely, and that no one else gets it!
Other than that, we are just trying to complete paperwork for singing contracts, last minute grad school details, insurance, apartments....what doesn't have paperwork nowadays? We truly miss all of our friends and family we left behind, but we promise to send pics of the soon to come baby girl!!! I can't believe she'll be here in 4 weeks! Wow, time has flown!
We love you all, and shall put up more pics as time allows!

No new pics, but new news!!!

Hi, everyone!
I am sorry I have no pics to put up, but I thought that I needed to update everyone on the major news we received this past week. A few weeks ago, Bray received an email from a director in NY about possibly doing a role for the show "Showboat," this summer. He had heard of Bray from the director of this competition that Bray went to last year, and was interested in hearing him. We were naturally very excited, and quickly recorded a few songs and sent them off. Within a week, the director had called and offered him the role, but said the budget people still had to figure out how much they could pay him. We decided that if it was 'worth his while,' Bray would accept.
On Wednesday of this week, the finance lady called and said they would cover travel expenses, give him more money for a month than we normally make, and a furnished apartment for while he was there. Of course we said yes!! The only tricky part, however, is that the show is performing the first week in June, which means Bray will be in NY for the whole month of May. The school year at our current job ends at the end of May, so we knew we would be leaving early. To complicate things further, I am due in April, and we decided we did not want to move everythig possibly a week after I might give birth. Thus, we have chosen to leave the school here now, head to Moscow (as Bray is starting grad school in the fall there), and have the baby there. Then Bray shall head to NY in May, come back for a few weeks after the show is over, and head to Santa Barbara for the summer. It will be tricky, and lots of traveling for Bray, but it'l be worth it!
I hope this is fairly clear to everyone- I know how complicated things in the music business seem, so I did my best to sum things up. Please pray for us, as it is bittersweet leaving so quickly...at least as far as family and friends are concerned. Specifically, please pray that:
-Hobbes and my flight on March 5 goes smoothly, and that the pregnancy remains normal
-Bray's drive across the country with all of our stuff goes safely, and that he does not get too tired
-that we would find appropriate housing in Moscow
-that all the goodbyes go well, and we trust in God's good providence to bring us all together when the time is right
Thanks to all who have been so helpful thus far-this is truly a wonderful opportunity in Bray's calling-these sorts of chances rarely come up for young singers, so we are very thankful that God has opened this door for us. To those of you up north, we look forward to seeing you soon! We shall update as we go along, but for now love to you all!

Happy Birthday Bray!

Well, Bray is now old....just kidding! We had a really nice day yesterday, celebrating with family, eating good food, and just relaxing. I made dinner in the evening, and Wendy made a delicious chocolate truffle cake to finish it off! So here are just a few pics from the end of the day. Love you all!
Daddy looking zoned after lots of food and wine....fun! The boys love to have crazy time- it's hard to catch them at a 'calm' moment!

What Bray calls 'lovin' mama' time....where Hobbes squeezes me as hard as he can! Sometimes it's love that hurts!:)

Last but not least....an updated pregnancy pic, mainly for my mom, but here I am(and Madeline, too) with about 7ish weeks to go! I can't wait!

Such a BIG boy!!!

Hello, everyone!
Hope you had a great Valentine's Day...just thought I would give a quick update on what we've been doing/are about to do. Tomorrow is Bray's 26th (can you believe it?) birthday, so we are in Monroe to celebrate. We went and found him a very classy chocolate brown, pinstripe suit for 1 present from his parents, and he doesn't know it yet, but he's getting a very nice drill gun from my parents and me, too. In 2 weeks he goes to Memphis to compete in the next level of the Met finals, so we've been busy preparing for that....and I have a little less than 8 weeks to go! Whoa! As to what Hobbes has been doing, well I think the pictures speak for themselves.:)
Here are Hobbes' and Bray, 'riding' cousin Archer's trike...and having a blast! (ignore the wrong date on the picture)

Here is Hobbes, proving to Mom that he can still eat like a baby...or should I say a boy?

Here he is making Valentine's for all the relatives...our first time finger painting! Whoa, messy!!!

And the aftermath...most of the paint was on the table-good thing it's washable!

Balls have always been, and so far always are, our favorite pasttime! Miss you all!

Way to go Bray!!!

Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I posted....things never seem to slow down. We have been very busy beginning potty training, competing in vocal competitions and going to the doctor. As nothing has been incredibly exciting or Kodak moment worthy, I shall just sum up what's been happening, and try to put up pics as they are taken.

We began potty training about a week ago, and I must say it is the most time-consuming part of baby/toddlerhood so far. It has not yet been a negative experience, though, so we shall continue on until we have it under control. Here are 2 pics of Hobbes in his ' big boy pants.' :)

Bray has also been insanely busy, not only with teaching,but with filling out grad school applications and preparing for vocal competitions. Yesterday Bray and I went to Cleveland, MS to compete in the National Metropolitan Opera Competition, the Southern Mississippi District Division. Bray did amazing, and won! So, he is on to Memphis, TN on March 3 to compete in the regionals. If he wins there, he gets to go to NY to compete in the finals...so pray he does well, it would be a wonderful opportunity!

I have hit the 10 weeks to go in the pregnancy point, so I am trying to pack as much of the house before the baby comes as I can! We leave in May, so things are nonstop busy! We have our last ultrasound on Thursday, so pray that everything looks peachy-keen! Other than that, I am helping Bray with the vocal polishing for all these competitions, and taking a little boy to the bathroom every hour or so! We miss all of you, and hope this helps you catch up on what we've been doing! Talk to you soon!

Hobbes has to help Mama clean after he has an 'accident,' so I was trying to get a pic of him mopping, but I caught him after the fact....such is life.:)

A few things...

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year's! I know that we sure did...although it seems hard to believe that it's already come and gone. After a full day of opening presents, eating, and monitoring the sharing of toys between 3 excited little boys, we were happy but tired. However, the partying had just begun! 2 days later, my parents and sisters arrived, and we had a wonderful week of shopping for wedding dresses ( Kathryn found one!) beauty salon visits (haircut for Carolyn, microdermabrasion for my mom) and of course football for the boys, we were sad to see them head back home on Wednesday morning. It seems strange to think that the next time we see them will be at Kathryn's wedding!
Hobbes loved seeing the other side of the fam again, and I can tell he misses the attention and playmates! Anyhow, things are slowly returning to the normal craziness. Bray starts work again on Monday, but I am helping with piano stuff for some auditions and the upcoming Pastor's conference in Monroe. Also, Charity's 16th birthday is this week, so maybe we can do something fun. I believe I mentioned that Bray has been accepted into Santa Barbara's music academy for this upcoming summer, so we shall begin preparations for moving and figuring out the next year within this month. We also have some competitions starting in February, and going through May, so I do not foresee any down time before then! Not to mention a little girl is due to arrive within 3 short months!!! I hope that this gives you a quick overview of what's been going on....and we shall be in touch! Miss you all! Hanging out outside with Daddy...eatin food and playing football(which he can now say!)
The 3 sisters and Hobbes visiting a beautiful old home in Vicksburg, MS.
The boys-waitin on the bench while the women shop.

Christmas dinner table before the madness happened...at Wendy and Steve's.

Kathryn has more pictures, so hopefully I can bum some off her and put them up for all to see!

Merry Christmas...Eve!!!

Here are just a few random pics from Christmas events so far...the ones of Hobbes dressed up are from this morning, and the others are from the past few weeks....I shall be sure to put some up after all the craziness of opening presents, but for now, Merry Christmas!!!!

Hobbes being busy

Mom-I'm working...no picture right now!

Archer, I'm catching up to you!Phew...still so many leaves to push!
I'm a big boy- I work with all the guys.
No, Mom, I don't want a picture-I'm checking the mail.


Mom-we're having boy time right now with Uncle Matt. Hmm....I wonder what I should do next...
If I put the ball up here, it won't roll away!

More Hobbes' time coming soon...