Thursday, May 15, 2008
Puddin' face...
We made pudding for the kiddos the other night, and it was Madeline's 1st time eating it...we think she liked it! She was devouring everything-including the bowl! Hobbes thought it was pretty funny, and often had to stop eating so he could watch her.
Monday, May 12, 2008
For Gege-2nd take
This is the official video message..he liked being able to talk to the camera and then watch it afterwards!
For Gege-1st take
This is the more 'realistic' toddler version, but we thought it was funny, so we decided to post both takes!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day...
We had a simple, very windy, yet very wonderful Mother's Day today! My mom took a break by...slaving away on a beautiful dinner for us, and then both kiddos konked out, so we relaxed, Kathryn and I went to the mall, and then we went home. Bray was really sweet and ordered me flowers (tulips!) that came while he was in California, and then took care of the kiddos tonight while I went running/coffee time with Helen.
A pic of Bray and me...since he wasn't here last Mother's Day, having him here was the best present!
Trying to get a cute pic of Madeline and I-but the wind took over. (Madeline's dress is a dress I bought before I was even pregnant, and I thought for sure that meant I would never have a girl.-Wilkins are still male-dominant.:) But God is good, and gave me a gorgeous daughter that can now wear the dress! I thought it fitting she wear it for the first time on Mother's Day!)
Like Father, like son. And so cute. I mean handsome.
Painted toes! I had to explain to Hobbes that it was just for girls...and that he and Daddy could play tackle football when he came home.:)
Happy Mother's Day, all you mothers! (and Mom, thanks for putting up with me for 24 years-I know it was harder than you let on! I love you!)
A pic of Bray and me...since he wasn't here last Mother's Day, having him here was the best present!
Trying to get a cute pic of Madeline and I-but the wind took over. (Madeline's dress is a dress I bought before I was even pregnant, and I thought for sure that meant I would never have a girl.-Wilkins are still male-dominant.:) But God is good, and gave me a gorgeous daughter that can now wear the dress! I thought it fitting she wear it for the first time on Mother's Day!)
Like Father, like son. And so cute. I mean handsome.
Painted toes! I had to explain to Hobbes that it was just for girls...and that he and Daddy could play tackle football when he came home.:)Happy Mother's Day, all you mothers! (and Mom, thanks for putting up with me for 24 years-I know it was harder than you let on! I love you!)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Afternoon in the Park
Last weekend, Bray needed to go to Spokane to get a tux fitting, so we all headed up to have a fun afternoon at River Square Park. Unfortunately, the big red wagon slide was closed, but we walked all over, and I even saw some parts of the park that I've never seen before! It was a gorgeous day, and although the kiddos got tired at points, they had a fun time!
Family pic with the stone blocks...
This would've been really cute, but those of you who know Hobbes should recognize this face...oh well, now we have it documented, right?
Riding the carousel with mom- he kept telling the horse to go "up and down..."
Pointing at the ducks in the river.
I took this picture by leaning over the railing, and pointing the camera back at them-they were looking down at the 'crashing' river, and Hobbes kept sticking his head through-made me a bit nervous, but he is a boy!
He even spotted a lone duck on a little 'rock' island...good eye!
Family pic with the stone blocks...
This would've been really cute, but those of you who know Hobbes should recognize this face...oh well, now we have it documented, right?
Riding the carousel with mom- he kept telling the horse to go "up and down..."
Pointing at the ducks in the river.
I took this picture by leaning over the railing, and pointing the camera back at them-they were looking down at the 'crashing' river, and Hobbes kept sticking his head through-made me a bit nervous, but he is a boy!
He even spotted a lone duck on a little 'rock' island...good eye!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Bray's Photo Shoot with Mr. Lamoreaux
It seems like it's been awhile since I've updated everyone on Bray's 'career happenin's.' It's truly hard to keep all of his 'gigs' straight, and once we've finished one, it's easy to be done with it, and move on to the next. Thus I apologize for my lack of communication-exciting things have been happening, and we know you all (sorry, yall-gotta keep the Southern lingo going) have supported us throughout, and want to keep up with what is going on.
In order to prevent myself from writing a 10-page post, I shall list the things that have happened recently, and upcoming events, and try to keep it as clear as possible (if you aren't in this business, it's often hard to understand the 'game' it really is).
Beginning of March: asked to be in the Seattle Opera Young Artist's Program- of course, yes!
March 14: Winners of the Coeur d'Alene Symphony concert;it was fun to hear Bray with a full orchestra behind him...a first for me!
April 11&12: Lotte Lenya Competition in Rochester, NY-Bray takes 3rd place! WOOHOO!
April 26: Gala in Coeur d'Alene-Sang for Fundraiser with some wonderful singers; Carolyn and I managed to sneak in and listen!:)
May 9: Concert/fundraiser performance with Warren Jones, Eugene Chan and Christopher Herbert (Martha Stewart's nephew!) in Santa Barbara
June 21: Gala in Seattle for a Metropolitan Opera National Council fundraiser!
June 22: Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara begins! (fun vacation time for me and the kids...we'll be right by the beach!)
It's funny, but I think Bray and I are starting to feel like we're moving into the grown-up/professional world. For some people, it's buying their first house, or their first car, but for us, it means buying Bray his first 'brand-new' tux, getting new professional headshots done, and hopefully, setting up a website soon.
God has truly blessed us this year, and opened important doors-although it is still a bit scary, as it's truly moving into the unknown, I feel like it's the right step, and trust that God will bless us through it.
So, today Bray had headshots with the wonderful, funny Mr. LaMoreaux- and these are just a few of my favorites-isn't he good-looking? ( I get to say that.)
Miss you all, and we thank you for your support and prayers!
I thought Wendy would love this one...it's the 'pure-joy-Bray-smile.'
Love this one...
My absolute favorite-and probably the one we'll use the most.
In order to prevent myself from writing a 10-page post, I shall list the things that have happened recently, and upcoming events, and try to keep it as clear as possible (if you aren't in this business, it's often hard to understand the 'game' it really is).
Beginning of March: asked to be in the Seattle Opera Young Artist's Program- of course, yes!
March 14: Winners of the Coeur d'Alene Symphony concert;it was fun to hear Bray with a full orchestra behind him...a first for me!
April 11&12: Lotte Lenya Competition in Rochester, NY-Bray takes 3rd place! WOOHOO!
April 26: Gala in Coeur d'Alene-Sang for Fundraiser with some wonderful singers; Carolyn and I managed to sneak in and listen!:)
May 9: Concert/fundraiser performance with Warren Jones, Eugene Chan and Christopher Herbert (Martha Stewart's nephew!) in Santa Barbara
June 21: Gala in Seattle for a Metropolitan Opera National Council fundraiser!
June 22: Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara begins! (fun vacation time for me and the kids...we'll be right by the beach!)
It's funny, but I think Bray and I are starting to feel like we're moving into the grown-up/professional world. For some people, it's buying their first house, or their first car, but for us, it means buying Bray his first 'brand-new' tux, getting new professional headshots done, and hopefully, setting up a website soon.
God has truly blessed us this year, and opened important doors-although it is still a bit scary, as it's truly moving into the unknown, I feel like it's the right step, and trust that God will bless us through it.
So, today Bray had headshots with the wonderful, funny Mr. LaMoreaux- and these are just a few of my favorites-isn't he good-looking? ( I get to say that.)
Miss you all, and we thank you for your support and prayers!
I thought Wendy would love this one...it's the 'pure-joy-Bray-smile.'
Love this one...
My absolute favorite-and probably the one we'll use the most.
Ode to Archer and Jaiken
Until recently, Hobbes has not shown a huge interest in drawing, coloring, etc. He prefers to build things, to line up every single one of his cars in a perfect symmetrical line, and then take one car at a time and drive it out in front of the line...you get my drift.
Madeline seems to be the one with more of an artistic inclination, but you never know. She received these very cool, Crayola paints on her birthday, and they have plastic holders on them, so as to prevent messes. She has painted a little with them, but then starts to suck on the brush part, so we have to take it away. Hobbes, however, has taken to these like wildfire, and has whipped out more paintings and creations in a week than over the entire course of his nearly 3 years of life.
Because of his lack of artistic desire, he has never written on walls, etc, and thus this has not been a huge concern for us. However, the other day, Hobbes was playing quietly in his room, and Bray and I were cleaning. All of a sudden we heard the patter of little feet running and pushing his mower out into the living room. As soon as he turned the corner, we saw an underoo-clad boy with multi-colored legs, and pure, orange feet. We both just stood with our mouths open for a moment, and then quickly ran to the room to see the damage.
Below is what we found (I had to take pictures): Hobbes' work of art-which he dedicates to his cousins, Archer and Jaiken-seasoned artists of their day.
Thank heavens for Crayola's "washable" power...it just took over an hour of scrubbing to get it all out!
Madeline seems to be the one with more of an artistic inclination, but you never know. She received these very cool, Crayola paints on her birthday, and they have plastic holders on them, so as to prevent messes. She has painted a little with them, but then starts to suck on the brush part, so we have to take it away. Hobbes, however, has taken to these like wildfire, and has whipped out more paintings and creations in a week than over the entire course of his nearly 3 years of life.
Because of his lack of artistic desire, he has never written on walls, etc, and thus this has not been a huge concern for us. However, the other day, Hobbes was playing quietly in his room, and Bray and I were cleaning. All of a sudden we heard the patter of little feet running and pushing his mower out into the living room. As soon as he turned the corner, we saw an underoo-clad boy with multi-colored legs, and pure, orange feet. We both just stood with our mouths open for a moment, and then quickly ran to the room to see the damage.
Below is what we found (I had to take pictures): Hobbes' work of art-which he dedicates to his cousins, Archer and Jaiken-seasoned artists of their day.
Thank heavens for Crayola's "washable" power...it just took over an hour of scrubbing to get it all out!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sanctification comes in many forms...
"What's that smell?" I asked Bray, as I came in our apartment door this evening. I had been rehearsing for a violin recital that I am playing piano for next week, and thus had left Bray with the bedtime routine. He looked up at me with a somewhat cynical expression and said, "Oh, it could be anything, really." This of course sparked my curiosity, and I said, "What do you mean, anything?"
He paused before beginning the saga that is now this story: "Well, there's the sweet, little girl; good, kind Daddy, and then Satan."
"Satan?" I said, thinking that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know what had happened.
"I was giving the little girl a bath, and Hobbes was playing sweetly with his cars in his room. After a little bit, Hobbes comes into the bathroom, covered in white. With one hand, he was hitting himself on his stomach and legs, creating puffs of white in the air, and in the other hand, he held an upside-down bottle of baby powder."
"See, Daddy? It's funn! See the whipe?" (he can't say white very well)
Bray quickly got Madeline out of the tub, and then followed the trail of white into their bedroom, where the entire rest of the contents of the bottle of powder was strewn about the room, covering it like a blanket of snow.
After dealing with Hobbes in a disciplinary fashion, Bray began vacuuming up the powder. As he vacuumed, the powder conducted a bit of electricity, and Bray would get little shocks from the blue sparks. Madeline thought this was funny for awhile, but then decided to go and see what her brother was up to now.
As Bray turned off the vacuum, he thought he heard some splashing. He thought this was a bit odd, as the tub was empty, and neither child had access to water. Tentatively, he walked out into the kitchen to see what the source of the splashing was.
Madeline was crawling on the kitchen floor, and splashing her hands in a pool of sticky liquid. Next to the sink, Bray found Hobbes, standing on a chair, which he had pulled over from the table, attempting to drink the juice out of the crushed pineapple can that was left out from dinner. The only problem was Hobbes didn't really get any of the juice in his mouth; thus the cause of the sticky pool that the newly-bathed Madeline was splashing in.
After wiping off both kids as best he could, Bray put them promptly to bed, and managed to clean up the kitchen floor before I got home.
The lingering smell of baby powder and pineapple juice hung in the air.
"So that's why it smells funny..." I thought of saying, but thankfully, my better judgment came through, and instead I gave Bray a hug and a kiss, and thanked him for taking 'sanctification' so well.
I love you, Bray!
He paused before beginning the saga that is now this story: "Well, there's the sweet, little girl; good, kind Daddy, and then Satan."
"Satan?" I said, thinking that I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know what had happened.
"I was giving the little girl a bath, and Hobbes was playing sweetly with his cars in his room. After a little bit, Hobbes comes into the bathroom, covered in white. With one hand, he was hitting himself on his stomach and legs, creating puffs of white in the air, and in the other hand, he held an upside-down bottle of baby powder."
"See, Daddy? It's funn! See the whipe?" (he can't say white very well)
Bray quickly got Madeline out of the tub, and then followed the trail of white into their bedroom, where the entire rest of the contents of the bottle of powder was strewn about the room, covering it like a blanket of snow.
After dealing with Hobbes in a disciplinary fashion, Bray began vacuuming up the powder. As he vacuumed, the powder conducted a bit of electricity, and Bray would get little shocks from the blue sparks. Madeline thought this was funny for awhile, but then decided to go and see what her brother was up to now.
As Bray turned off the vacuum, he thought he heard some splashing. He thought this was a bit odd, as the tub was empty, and neither child had access to water. Tentatively, he walked out into the kitchen to see what the source of the splashing was.
Madeline was crawling on the kitchen floor, and splashing her hands in a pool of sticky liquid. Next to the sink, Bray found Hobbes, standing on a chair, which he had pulled over from the table, attempting to drink the juice out of the crushed pineapple can that was left out from dinner. The only problem was Hobbes didn't really get any of the juice in his mouth; thus the cause of the sticky pool that the newly-bathed Madeline was splashing in.
After wiping off both kids as best he could, Bray put them promptly to bed, and managed to clean up the kitchen floor before I got home.
The lingering smell of baby powder and pineapple juice hung in the air.
"So that's why it smells funny..." I thought of saying, but thankfully, my better judgment came through, and instead I gave Bray a hug and a kiss, and thanked him for taking 'sanctification' so well.
I love you, Bray!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Crazy Boy!!!
Hobbes was insanely hyper one night, and I caught it on video for Gege and Bop! Love you!
Cupcake makes it into the hair...
Carolyn taught Madeline how to put the cake in her hair....Madeline is still doing that now...hmmmm:)
Partying it up!
Birthday breakfast-chocolate chip waffles! YUM!
Daddy needed to go to Walmart, so Madeline got a pink phone with a feather pink case...
Feeding Daddy her birthday lunch at Winger's...
They had TV's-with sports playing, surprise!- at the restaurant, so Hobbes was a little distracted!
Madeline decided french fries were pretty yummy.
Hobbes waiting for the food to come, eating the popcorn, and watching baseball. What more could a guy want?
I think Hobbes enjoyed the arcade more than Madeline-he loved driving the cars....
Daddy had to help a little!
A pic, at the end of the day, with the beautiful birthday girl!
A good finish to a great day- one of her birthday cupcakes!
She couldn't quite fit the whole thing in her mouth-but she tried! And thought it was pretty funny, too!
Daddy needed to go to Walmart, so Madeline got a pink phone with a feather pink case...
Feeding Daddy her birthday lunch at Winger's...
They had TV's-with sports playing, surprise!- at the restaurant, so Hobbes was a little distracted!
Madeline decided french fries were pretty yummy.
Hobbes waiting for the food to come, eating the popcorn, and watching baseball. What more could a guy want?
I think Hobbes enjoyed the arcade more than Madeline-he loved driving the cars....
Daddy had to help a little!
A pic, at the end of the day, with the beautiful birthday girl!
A good finish to a great day- one of her birthday cupcakes!
She couldn't quite fit the whole thing in her mouth-but she tried! And thought it was pretty funny, too!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Happy 1st Birthday, Darling Girl!
Yesterday was Madeline's 1st birthday- I cannot believe it's been a year! It has gone by insanely fast...and so many changes! We celebrated her birthday, along with my dad's, on Sunday, and it was a lot of fun! (Kathryn is sending me some pics from her nice camera, which I will post)We had some friends come, including Rachel Ryan (a favorite babysitter), the Churches, Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Jordan. She got a lot of loot, including a near-complete-very chic-summer wardrobe!:) Hobbes gave her her first baby doll, and she proceeded to crawl around with it, and 'kiss' it, which for her, is slobbering, open-mouthed all over her forehead.
Then yesterday, on her actual day, we all went out for lunch, played at the arcade (Madeline helped me do "dance-dance-revolution," walked around outside, and just hung out together. It was a really nice day, and I think both kids enjoyed all the fun!
PS-I think I forgot to mention that Madeline is walking!
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Polka Dot Party!
Here are some of the party pics that Kathryn took-thanks Doots!
Hobbes kept 'accidentally' driving his scooter right up to where the cupcakes were...
...and then he'd show us how he could balance standing on his scooter-and also be within grasp of the cupcakes! (he's smarter than you think!)
You could barely see her behind the pile of presents!
The polka dot cupcakes.:)
My dad's birthday dessert-cherry cheesecake- and Madeline's birthday cupcake.
Really, Hobbes blew it out for her-but the image is nice,right?
A very cute pic with Aunt Kathryn!
Escaping with Hobbes' mower...she can really take off with this thing! Her dress was so poofy, it looked really cute when she would walk in it!
Hobbes kept 'accidentally' driving his scooter right up to where the cupcakes were...
...and then he'd show us how he could balance standing on his scooter-and also be within grasp of the cupcakes! (he's smarter than you think!)
You could barely see her behind the pile of presents!
The polka dot cupcakes.:)
My dad's birthday dessert-cherry cheesecake- and Madeline's birthday cupcake.
Really, Hobbes blew it out for her-but the image is nice,right?
A very cute pic with Aunt Kathryn!
Escaping with Hobbes' mower...she can really take off with this thing! Her dress was so poofy, it looked really cute when she would walk in it!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
A quick, yet major update...
I realized, that with all the festivities of Easter, I had not yet posted our news. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the Seattle Opera Young Artist Director had asked Bray to come and sing for them. We combined this with our Spring Break-Portland trip, and things went very well. We hadn't heard anything, and we didn't really know what to expect. On Good Friday, Bray received a call from the Dean of the SO (Seattle Opera), offering him a position in their program next year. We have accepted, and will thus be heading to Seattle after our summer in Santa Barbara!
This is a huge blessing-we had been talking about auditioning for Seattle after grad school, but to have them seek us out, is extremely good, to put it mildly.
For those of you who do not know what this type of program entails, I will try to briefly explain. Most opera companies have a young artist program attached to them. These programs are the equivalent of a really good internship with a law firm, or residency for medical school,etc.. They are the grooming process, the finishing touches on the singer's overall package. And, most companies won't take you if you haven't done one of these programs.
They will be performing full operas, as well as 1 act operas, taking languages, coachings, networking, auditioning, and working with reknowned professionals. Basically, he will be performing and singing full time-which, for Bray, is like breathing fresh air.
I am thrilled, and somewhat nervous (this means 2 moves this summer! I think we should just live at The Container Store) but very happy and thankful that it is still close to family, there's a good church and school, and of course, good shopping!
Please pray and thank God for this opportunity with us!
This is a huge blessing-we had been talking about auditioning for Seattle after grad school, but to have them seek us out, is extremely good, to put it mildly.
For those of you who do not know what this type of program entails, I will try to briefly explain. Most opera companies have a young artist program attached to them. These programs are the equivalent of a really good internship with a law firm, or residency for medical school,etc.. They are the grooming process, the finishing touches on the singer's overall package. And, most companies won't take you if you haven't done one of these programs.
They will be performing full operas, as well as 1 act operas, taking languages, coachings, networking, auditioning, and working with reknowned professionals. Basically, he will be performing and singing full time-which, for Bray, is like breathing fresh air.
I am thrilled, and somewhat nervous (this means 2 moves this summer! I think we should just live at The Container Store) but very happy and thankful that it is still close to family, there's a good church and school, and of course, good shopping!
Please pray and thank God for this opportunity with us!
I love my husband!
The past few weeks have been more than insane-which is saying a lot for us! They have been a 'good' insane, but I have felt a bit pushed to the limit. Yesterday, in between classes, Bray came home with 2 big bouquets of tulips. If you don't know me very well, I love spring, I love yellow, and more than anything, I adore tulips! It made me so happy, I just had to share how sweet he is. And, to top it all off, it was a gorgeously sunny day yesterday! God gives us just what we need- and more!
Spring IS coming...I think
The snow has finally melted...for the 2nd time this year!!! and so I took advantage of a snowless-almost sunny-yet still cold - day to take the kiddos outside. Hobbes loved having Madeline in a 'big kid' swing- he always makes sure she does what he does. If he has juice, he finds a cup of juice for Madeline. If he's playing in their room with toys, he comes out to get her, and says "Come on, Aline, come play-toys, in the room." Perhaps he thinks that if they're always together, we won't know who's the culprit at the time of discipline.;)
My almost 1-year old little girl!
Swinging together.
He's probably telling her to hold on.
Now he's probably telling me to push him high.
FUNNY STORY:
Madeline's hair is getting 'long' in the back. I really dislike it when little girls get what I call a 'mini-mullet.' This is when the top takes forever to grow in, but the back grows long, and is left long. I have been tempted to trim it, but Bray's not quite sure. So the other night, right before her bath, I tried doing mini-pigtails. Although they looked pretty funny, I thought they were cute! And it gave me a glimpse of what she'll look like when I can finally do her hair!
My little crazy girl!
The back view of the pigtails.
My almost 1-year old little girl!
Swinging together.
He's probably telling her to hold on.
Now he's probably telling me to push him high.FUNNY STORY:
Madeline's hair is getting 'long' in the back. I really dislike it when little girls get what I call a 'mini-mullet.' This is when the top takes forever to grow in, but the back grows long, and is left long. I have been tempted to trim it, but Bray's not quite sure. So the other night, right before her bath, I tried doing mini-pigtails. Although they looked pretty funny, I thought they were cute! And it gave me a glimpse of what she'll look like when I can finally do her hair!
My little crazy girl!
The back view of the pigtails.
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