The Real Bray Family Blog

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-01T15:10:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Each year gets more exciting as the kids grow. Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning at our house.

Santa!

2011-12-24T07:25:00.000-05:00

This year we visited Santa at Beatrix's school's Holiday Pancake Breakfast. It was a great event that had crafts for children, a basket raffle, a breakfast and (of course) a visit from Santa and his wife. Nana and Mima joined us for the event. We ended up winning four of the raffle baskets - a baking basket, a princess basket, a beer basket and a wine basket! (Thanks to Nana and Mima for all of the tickets.)
Beatrix wasn't feeling especially brave that day (Stranger Danger) so she let Tilly sit by herself on Mrs. Clauses knee and although she was able to tell Santa what she'd like for Christmas we were not able to get her ti sit on his knee.

Growing so fast!

2011-12-20T16:20:00.003-05:00

Beatrix's ballet class

2011-12-20T16:11:00.000-05:00

Beatrix's ballet class has been a mystery to us because the teacher does not allow parents to attend classes. Beatrix has also taken a "mum's the word" approach to the whole thing. For Christmas, the school allowed parents to attend a class and we were extremely excited to do so! It was fairly distracting for the dancers to have their families in class but they still did very well paying attention to their teacher, Miss Sarah, and her young helper, Miss Amelia. The ballet class is actually a creative movement class and deals more with stretching and movement instead of typical ballet moves. The have exercises and "routines that they must practice each week. It was nice to see Beatrix in that kind of environment and she seems to really enjoy her class.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-22T11:47:00.000-05:00

Every holiday seems to get more exciting as the kids get older and Halloween was no exception. Bebe decided in September that she would like to be a pumpkin on Halloween and come October 31^st she was. She trick-or-treated with daddy in his old neighborhood (Derby) and her Mima (Brian's mom, Pam) while Tilly and I (she was dressed up as a Flower Gnome) handed out candy at her house. The neighborhood is packed with children so Tilly and I had lots of fun seeing all the costumes. Bebe was very energetic and polite while trick or treating, and was a little disappointed when she found out she wouldn't get to go again until next year. Another bonus this year was Halloween at her school! The parents were aloud to stay at the beginning of class to take pictures of the adorable kids.

Ballet

2011-11-21T20:17:00.000-05:00

Bebe is always dancing around the house whenever we put on Lady Gaga. We were hoping to enroll her in a dance class taught by Lady Gaga, but since she doesn't teach any toddler dance classes in the Buffalo area, we enrolled her in a ballet class up the street instead. Here are a few pictures of her in her leotard. She isn't allowed to wear a tutu (too distracting for the kids) and we're not allowed to watch the class, so this is all we have for now. We will be able to sit in on a class in the near future so hopefully we'll get some better pictures then.

First Day of School!

2011-11-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

We decided in August that Bebe should start school this year! She loves to learn but is stubborn when it comes to us teaching her. We have enrolled her at Amherst Nursery School. It is about a 15 minute drive but well worth it - Beatrix loves school. She even gets to take Spanish classes there as well.

New Blog Post!

2011-11-21T20:09:00.000-05:00

There has been quite a bit going on over the past few months (our memory card reader was also broken) and it's a great time to get caught up on blog posts!
So, without further ado, here are some pictures from the past few months and some posts to follow!

Baking with mom!

2011-11-21T20:07:00.000-05:00

I've always enjoyed baking and over the summer I really loved making pies! "Helping" me bake has also become one of Beatrix's favorite things to do as well. My pie dough recipe is more than enough for a double pie crust so Beatrix gets to enjoy making her own pie using the leftover dough.

Second Place is a nice place to be!

2011-08-18T07:29:00.001-04:00

About 2 months ago, Brian drove his friend Maria Whyte (candidate for Erie County Clerk) to several summer festivals so she could meet some voters. At the Rediscover Amherst Street Festival, she entered a Blueberry Pie in the Best Pie in Black Rock contest and won first prize. This was the third time in the past four years she was awarded first place in this contest. Although I have never been a pie baker, this inspired me to try baking a pie.

The first pie I tried baking was a Pineapple Pie because Brian mentioned he tried one at a summer festival and it tasted delicious. Although my first attempt didn't turn out well, I kept trying until I found the best recipe for pie crust and filling. I found a recipe for the perfect pie crust online, which is wonderfully titled The Perfect Pie Crust. For the filling, I tried a borrowed ideas from several other pineapple pie recipes until I eventually came up with a very good sweet pineapple filling.

After perfecting my recipe, and having my husband and several friends try it and attest to its deliciousness, I decided to enter it into The Erie County Fair Pie Baking Contest. It was also a great way to visit the fair because Brian was able to take the day off from work and join me and the kids. I did not think I would win because I thought a Pineapple Pie was not a likely winner for a pie contest. To my surprise, however, I was awarded second place! We were thrilled and it was a great way to start our visit to the fair. Happy Baking everyone and enjoy the fairs and festivals this summer!

This is a picture on my Pineapple Pie.

Happy Birthday Matilda

2011-08-13T14:28:00.002-04:00

Time flies when you're having fun! Our little Tilly is celebrating her first birthday today.

Also congrats to Tilly who officially started walking today.

Happy Birthday Bebe!

2011-08-03T13:53:00.000-04:00

August 2nd we celebrated Bebe's 3rd Birthday. We just had a small family dinner as both girls will have a joint party mid-August.

Happy Birthday Bebe!

Bebe's favorite show and best friends are The Backyardigans, this cake is Pablo the penguin.

Vacation!

2011-07-31T14:14:00.000-04:00

Towards the end of May, we took Bebe's and Tilly's grandmas to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. We spent a wonderful week in a house we rented at Arrowhead Lake, a quaint gated community. The weather wasn't extremely great but we still had a nice time.

We spent a lot of our trip just hanging around the house and spending time as a family. It was great for the girls to get some time with their grandma's (and a nice break for us).

One rainy day was spent visiting a General Store, a pretzel factory and a chocolate shop. It was a very wet and yummy time.

We spent an afternoon in a town named Jim Thorpe and the scenery was amazing.

Big Sister Bebe

2011-04-03T16:07:00.003-04:00

We have not posted anything about Beatrix lately so we thought we would tell you what a wonderful big sister she has been. Bebe is always happy to have her little sister around and sometimes even requests her presence. She gets Tilly items "she wants" and is almost always happy to share her toys with her. She enjoys feeding her and "playing" with her. She also encourages her baby sister and often says things like, "Come on Tilly! You can crawl! You can do it!", "Say Mama" and "Say Dada". We are very proud of our little girl for everything she does, but especially for being a wonderful big sister.

Talking Tilly

2011-04-03T16:01:00.003-04:00

The first words, yes words, have been spoken. "Dada" was first followed 2 days later by "baba". We're both really excited to have another chatty little girl.

Tilly is 6 months old!

2011-02-15T19:42:00.003-05:00

Time flies when you're having fun and we are having tons of fun! Tilly has been rolling over for almost 6 weeks now and is currently enjoying scooting around backwards and spinning in circles on the hardwood floor. She hasn't started crawling yet but she's started pulling her legs under her so it should happen anytime now. Happy 6 months Tilly!!!!

Turkey Trot - 2010

2010-12-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

Last year, Brian and his brother Eric ran in the Turkey Trot.
This year, Brian and his brother Eric ran the Turkey Trot...and Cathryn walked it.
Brian's chip time was 35:35, better than his 2009 time of 39:04.
Eric's chip time was 35:29, better than his 2009 time of 36:04.
Cathryn's chip time was 1:19:02. Her goal was to be under 1:20, so she did awesome.

3 MONTHS OLD!!

2010-11-14T12:25:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it's already been 3 months since we welcomed Matilda Poppy to the world! She is a very wonderful baby and it's been a joy having her in our family.

Enjoy some pics from the past 3 months!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T05:29:00.000-04:00

Rumor had it that Brian's mom's neighborhood in Derby is the place to be on Halloween and, boy o'boy, it was a wonderfully true rumor. Due to the lack of children trick-or-treating in our neighborhood last year, we decided to spend Tilly's 1st Halloween there. Beatrix was very excited about going trick-or-treating for the 1st time (mom and dad were excited too). Of course, due to the excitement, I forgot the camera so you'll just have to enjoy the pictures I took the day before.

Beatrix went as "Shaun the Sheep" (1st homemade costume:)

Bebe chose the shapes for her pumpkin...

...this is Brian's pumpkin...

...and this is my pumpkin (I call him "the Home Alone").

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

More pics!

2010-10-30T17:07:00.002-04:00

The Great Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-18T12:27:00.004-04:00

Another trip to The Great Pumpkin Farm! This year Bebe was big enough to enjoy the rides:)

More Tilly Pics!

2010-09-17T18:08:00.002-04:00

Matilda is now 5 weeks old! Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Pics!

2010-08-23T18:43:00.003-04:00

It's a girl!

2010-08-15T18:02:00.001-04:00

We'd like to introduce you to our new edition: Matilda Poppy Bray! Born on Friday, August 13 at 4:13pm, weighing in at a hefty 9lbs 4.7oz and measuring 20.5 inches long (the height will balance out her weight:). Mom and dad are doing great and big sister Beatrix is "excited baby sister out the tummy".

Waiting for the party to get started.

Alive 15 minutes before being called chubby.

Meeting her Mima.

With her dada.

Sisters!

Hanging out with her mama.

Getting ready to leave.

"Check out my dress. I look hawt, bitches."

In the car.

Honorary mention to Nanna who stopped by but we didn't take a picture. Maybe we'll photoshop that later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEATRIX!!

2010-08-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to our little princess who turns 2 today! My how time flies.
We had a very small party on Saturday to celebrate and we plan on having Bebe's favorite, Mac and Cheese with more cake and ice cream to celebrate today. Thanks to Mima, Jimmy, Nana and Heino for coming over to help us celebrate and thank you so much for all the wonderful presents.

Road Trip!

2010-07-21T14:50:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we took a little road trip to Presque Isle in Erie, PA. We left early Saturday morning and returned late Sunday evening. But this wasn't any old road trip, we had an agenda for the weekend! It was going to be Beatrix's first trip to the beach and our first trip away from home as a family (Beatrix and I went away last August but Brian didn't join us so it doesn't count). There was also a half marathon that Brian planned on participating in on Sunday.

Our first trip to the beach was okay. We had a nice picnic and played in the sand (which was 3/4 sand and 1/4 pebbles). Brian and Bebe changed into swim suits and played in the very dirty waves (pic to follow). We then went to the hotel and eventually found a playground that was near a nice looking beach. We decided that since dinner was approaching, we would save the nice looking beach for after the race on Sunday. We ate dinner was at a local hotdog/ice cream place and the food was quite greasy and yummy. We went to kill some time at the mall after dinner and Beatrix got to build her first bear at the Build a Bear Workshop. We then returned to the hotel and had an early night so Brian could prepare for his race.

Brian's race stats: 146 out of 998 total, 11 out of 37 in his age group. He says it was a good race and he's happy with his time, especially because it was a really hot day.

After the race we went back to the hotel to clean up and pack up. Bebe ended up crashing in the car so we hung out at the hotel for a little while before heading out to brunch at Bob Evans. (It was very good.) We then headed to the nice beach that we discovered the day before (Beach 11 on Presque Isle). The beach was wonderful: the water was clean and warm, and the sand was fun! We spent almost 2hrs on the beach and I think we would have liked to have stayed longer but time was working against us (eg, the dogs were waiting). We stopped for ice cream on our way out and then enjoyed a nice quiet (Beatrix slept most of the ride sleeping) ride home.

All in all it was a great trip, we wish we would have found the cleaner beach sooner but next time we'll ready:

Enjoy our trip pics.

Seaweed, seaweed everywhere!

Bebe Pics

2010-05-28T17:41:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since we've put up pictures of Bebe so without further ado.

Cleveland Rocks!

2010-05-17T19:40:00.009-04:00

On May 15th, Brian and I set out for our first night as a couple away from Beatrix. Actually, Bebe and I went to my step-mother's cottage last August without Brian, but this was my first night away from her and our first outing alone since she was born. We headed to Cleveland for a weekend getaway just the two of us (thanks Nana for Bebe-sitting).

Why Cleveland you ask? Well, for the past 6 months Brian has been training for a half-Marathon (read about his running journey at http://brianhastheruns.blogspot.com) and it just so happens that weekend, the Cleveland Marathon was taking place. Below are some pics of Brian and Cleveland, for a complete (and I mean complete) synopsis of our little trip visit the blog post on his running blog about it.

All in all we had a nice trip and Brian did extremely well with his race. He ended up finishing with a gun time of 1:42:43 and a chip time of 1:41:55. His goal was a chip time of 1:45. His pace was 7:46/mile and he was 380 out of 4741 running the half-marathon, 72 out of 374 men between 30-34 running. GREAT JOB BRIAN!

Exciting News!

2010-02-15T19:49:00.006-05:00

We will be adding a new addition to the family in mid to late August!

Our scanner is currently sick so here is a picture of of a picture of our first sonogram.

Fetus Bray @ 12 weeks.

It's been awhile!

2010-02-15T19:37:00.005-05:00

It's been awhile since we've posted anything so I thought I'd post some pics from the last 6 weeks. Enjoy!

Just an FYI, Beatrix is now over 18 months old, she weighs 23lbs and is 31 1/4inches tall.

First Trip Sledding

2010-01-01T15:42:00.004-05:00

We decided since there was still some snow on the ground, Beatrix may like to try out the sled she received from her Mima for Christmas.

5 Years of Lynus

2009-12-24T13:55:00.000-05:00

We got Lynus five years ago - on December 18, 2004. We purchased him for $200 from the world's shadiest backyard breeder in Lockport (or one of those other places in Niagara County that isn't Niagara Falls). We originally wanted to purchase a chocolate lab and name him "Charlie Brown," but he only had yellow labs. We stayed with the Peanuts theme and named him Lynus (with a "Y" instead of an "I" because that's how we roll).

Lynus as a baby

Lynus with the baby

Beatrix's Christmas Photo

2009-12-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

Beatrix is coloring

2009-12-13T10:04:00.003-05:00

Beatrix Coloring
Originally uploaded by Brian Bray

She can't stay in the lines at all!

Beatrix hanging out on a chair

2009-12-12T18:07:00.004-05:00

Beatrix on a Chair
Originally uploaded by Brian Bray

Family Visit

2009-12-06T10:28:00.001-05:00

Christmas Music

2009-11-29T10:13:00.003-05:00

Cathryn's Favorite Christmas Album:
A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Brian's Favorite Christmas Album:
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

Best Christmas Song For The Whole Family:
Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance! by Sufjan Stevens

Best Christmas Song For Children:
I Hate Christmas by Oscar the Grouch

Best Christmas Song For Parents:
Christmastime by the Smashing Pumpkins

Turkey Trot

2009-11-27T10:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my brother and I ran the Turkey Trot. I hadn't run in the Turkey Trot since 2000 and was unsure how my time would be.

My gun time was 0:40:25 for a pace of 0:08:08.
Of course if you've run in the race, you know the gun time is useless. You spend the first 45 seconds after the gun standing there waiting for your group to start. Instead, I'm posting my chip time as my official result. My chip time was 39:04 for a pace of 7:51:32.

In 1999, my chip time was 36:03 for a pace of 7:15. In 2000, my chip time was 41:48 for a pace of 8:22.

So, the difference between age 21 (with only school and a 30-hour/week part time job and a full head of hair) and age 31 (with a full-time job, wife, baby, political commitments, and a slowly receding hair line) is three minutes and one second. Go me.

Oh, and Eric ran a 36:04 this year.

Pictures!

2009-10-20T16:20:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile sine we've posted any pictures so here you go!

They Grow Up So Quickly

2009-08-23T18:24:00.003-04:00

My first smoke.

Cathryn Turned Thirty

2009-08-23T16:22:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, Cathryn celebrated her 30th birthday. We stayed in, ate steak and cupcakes, and watched the season premier of Project Runway. We'll be having dinner with Cathryn's mom on Friday and Brian's mom a week after that to celebrate as well. Being a functional adult = Celebrating birthdays multiple times.)

As an extension of the birthday festivities, we were planning on spending the day at the fair on Saturday. The rain, however, dictated that we only spend an hour and a half at the fair. We got to see all the weird vendors though, so that was good enough for us. (And seriously, what is with all the hot tub salesmen at the fair? There is like 50.)

"Egg-celent Cupcakes"

"Chicken Feed Cupcakes"

"Chicken Cupcakes"

Beatrix Birthday Pictures

2009-08-16T18:49:00.003-04:00

Here are pictures of Beatrix's birthday party. In case you missed it, you can still send us presents. We are currently accepting cash or gift certificates to the Seneca Niagara Casino. ;)

Garden Update

2009-08-16T18:17:00.003-04:00

Remember our garden that sucked? If you don't, you can jog your memory here.

We thought we would share with you an update. While it still isn't something you'd find on Gardening Gone Wild, it still is much approved. We credit this with the 40 days and 40 nights of rain that was June and July...but our hard-work probably had something to do with it as well.

Easy Come / Easy Go

2009-08-16T11:55:00.004-04:00

We celebrated our 5th Anniversary last night. (Our anniversary was actually Aug. 5, but this was the only time we were able to procure a babysitter.) We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe - Niagara Falls USA and gambled at the Seneca Niagara Casino.

Some interesting things:

Cathryn was up $50 within 5 minutes. She lost it minutes later and was down $20.

In order to get free drinks at the bar, Brian played the video poker at the bar. He ended up winning $65. He had lost $40 previously.

Cathryn was jumping machine to machine while Brian liked to play the same machine longer. She came up to Brian 3 minutes after leaving his vicinity with a ticket saying she was up $135.

Brian was up $33 and was ready to leave because Cathryn was up $100 and it was smart to leave at that point. In order to be up an even $30, he decided to play the quarter machines instead of the nickels just for the fun of it. Five spins later, he was up another $40.

We ended the night up $170 and decided to leave before we lost it. We were excited. We were planning on ways to spend it on the way home.

This is us at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Our puppy Hankaroo woke us up at 5:00 AM. He spent 30 minutes going potty before we called him in. He had to go back out soon afterwards. Cathryn went to check up on him and saw he was having trouble going potty. She then put him on his leash and tried in the front of the house. She discovered he was peeing blood.

We took him to the emergency vet clinic. They ran a urine analysis and took an x-ray. He has a severe urinary tract infection. Luckily, he did not have any stones. (If he did, we would be having a very serious discussion which neither of us wants to have.) He now has to take anti-biotics for the next couple of weeks. Our bill was $365.

So, after celebrating our anniversary and going to the emergency vet clinic, we are down about $200 for the weekend. But, hey, it could be worse.

Beatrix and Lynus: Still in Love

2009-08-15T08:47:00.005-04:00

A Trip To The Zoo

2009-08-14T09:32:00.005-04:00

Beatrix and I recently took a trip to the Zoo, thank you Mima for the wonderful gift of Zoo Passes!

CSA Update

2009-08-13T16:53:00.008-04:00

Awhile back we did a post on our CSA Share. The shares have been going well so I thought I'd do a post on our fruits and veggies this week, they're very beautiful and photogenic. Enjoy.

5lbs of peaches and 2lbs of mixed plums, nectarines and apricots

A bunch of dandelion leaves, 6 ears of corn and 4 tomatoes (Beatrix adores tomatoes and was happy I didn't wait to cut one up for her)

Beets and extra extra large zucchini

Menu:
The dandelion greens, some of those giant zucchini and a little of Bebe's leftover tomato were used in omelets for dinner last night. The greens were a little bitter so I'm not sure if I'll use them like that again.
I haven't decided how to use the rest of the zucchini but I think our grill will be involved.
I've never had much interest in beets so they be going home with my mom (she loves beets and has said that the ones from Promised Land are "wonderful").
The tomatoes will be put to good use filling up Bebe's tummy and the corn will just be loaded with salt and butter (can't wait).
The peaches are unfortunately not ripe yet so we won't be enjoying those for a few days but the plums are ripe, tender and almost gone!

Chairs

2009-08-10T08:17:00.005-04:00

Beatrix has a new fascination with chairs. The fascination most likely started when she realized she can get in and out of them BY-HERSELF! Here are some pics from the last year of Beatrix in chairs.

Happy 5th Anniversary To Us

2009-08-06T08:45:00.005-04:00

We celebrated our 5th Anniversary yesterday.

To celebrate, we had waffles for dinner. (August 5 may or may not be National Waffle Day as well - but it's not like you need an excuse to eat waffles.)

We also watched the movie Saved! We watched Saved! on our Wedding day while waiting for a limo to take us to the Little White Wedding Chapel to tie the knot and then take us to the County Clerk's office. (I'm sure we'll be quoting the movie to one another for the next week or so..."Save the heathens, Hillary Fay"..."Watch me. Watch me walkin' away. Watch me walkin' away from Jesus!")

Yeah, we are boring people.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEATRIX!!

2009-08-03T08:32:00.006-04:00

It's been a whole year already!

Our little princess has turned 1, my word how time flies. Normally Brian and I would uploads oodles of photos and go into great detail of our day and Bebe's party. But...we're exhausted and pictures are scarce so I'll leave you photo's of the cake and cupcakes and tell you that we had a big party with some good friends and our amazing family.

Thank you so much to everyone that helped us celebrate our Bebe's birthday. You are all wonderful and generous people and we are fortunate to have you in our lives.

There were some shutterbugs at the party so I'll post some photos as soon as I get some.

Play Time!

2009-07-21T08:38:00.003-04:00

Baby-Shower Cupcakes

2009-07-18T16:41:00.002-04:00

Cathryn made cupcakes for her friend's baby-shower. Pretty insane, no?

More Pics!

2009-07-13T15:09:00.006-04:00

You can never have too many pictures of Beatrix!

Beatrix's New Bathing Suit

2009-07-08T19:50:00.000-04:00

Beatrix Birthday Invitation

2009-07-07T22:37:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: This is actually an older version of the invitation. Party begins at 3:00 PM and Dinner starts at 5:00 PM.

(Not so) Lazy Sunday

2009-07-06T06:40:00.003-04:00

I love Icrecream
Originally uploaded by brianchristopherbray

Yesterday (Sunday), we took Beatrix to the Hoyt Lake portion of Delaware Park. We walked around the lake - Beatrix was out like a light half-way through. Not wanting to interrupt her sleep to put her back in the car, we decided to visit the Japanese Garden. (The funniest thing was that there were two Asian couples at the Japanese Garden...like the rest of the park isn't good enough for them?!? J/K)
Wanting to rest, we decided to sit down at a picnic table at the Japanese Garden. Being the fussy sleeper she is, Beatrix woke up five minutes after we stopped.
We decided we wanted to get some ice-cream because we were feeling so summery and Beatrix had never gone out for icecream before. Brian opened up his brand-new, GPS-enabled BlackBerry and found out that Anderson's was the closest Ice-Cream place. Brian got a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone, while Cathryn and Beatrix went halfsies on a vanilla cone.
The home-made spaghetti we were planning to make for dinner didn't seem to fit our mood anymore. We drove to Wegman's and picked up hot-dogs and potato-salad. (The potato-salad from Dash's is much, much better btw.) After dinner, we played in the game-room until it was time for Beatrix to go to bed.

Cupcakes!

2009-07-05T16:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, July 4th, we celebrated my brother Chris's 33rd birthday with my family at my mom's house in Fort Erie, ON. These are the cupcakes I brought to dinner.
Happy Birthday Chris!

Beatrix's First Steps

2009-07-03T08:39:00.002-04:00

Beatrix has started walking. This video shows her walking for the second, third, fourth and fifth time.

Homemade Pasta

2009-06-29T16:36:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month Brian received a pasta maker for his birthday, yesterday he decided to try it out.

Rolling the dough that was made by hand

The finished pasta, he used the fettuccine cutting blade for the first attempt

Cooked pasta

The final product, homemade pasta served with homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade meatballs.

Very yummy! Tasted just as good and maybe even a little better than store bought.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

2009-06-22T05:35:00.005-04:00

We'd like to wish everyone a Happy Fathers Day!

Fathers Day was a lot more low key than our Mothers Day celebration. We stayed home all day and enjoyed time with one another, although Brian's mom stopped by which is always nice.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Cheese and Spinach (from our CSA) omelet with homemade bread

Beatrix playing in a dog crate

Brian wearing the shirt Beatrix gave him for Fathers Day

CSA Update

2009-06-18T19:06:00.003-04:00

This week was the first week of our fruit share from our Promised Land CSA. The only fruit that came this week was strawberries.

On the vegetable front, we got spinach,

lettuce,

bok choy,

mustard greens,

and radishes.

We've been eating much healthier these past two weeks. Spinach really isn't that bad...who knew? We've been trying new recipes and liking them. We are excited to be able to start giving Beatrix organic fruit this week as well...

Lynus Laying Down

2009-06-17T17:56:00.004-04:00

Lynus Laying Down
Originally uploaded by brianchristopherbray

Here is a picture of Lynus being all Cute Overload. We've also been trying to take a cute picture of Hankaroo, but he has been busy barking at the dog three houses down.

Beatrix Does Tricks (Like A Doggy)

2009-06-15T18:11:00.002-04:00

Watch as Beatrix goes up and down on cue. Next week we plan on teaching her to roll over and beg for a doggy treat.

Allentown Art Festival Loot

2009-06-15T08:40:00.002-04:00

We visited the Allentown Art Festival this past Saturday. The biggest lesson we learned on this outing was that baby-strollers and large crowds do not mix. Next time we go anywhere with a large crowd, I will be towing Beatrix around in a baby-carrier.

We purchased two pieces of art. The first thing we bought was a Diane Dengel print (signed by the artist). We already own one Diane Dengel print which hangs in our dining-room. We plan on having this framed and hung in Beatrix's room.

The second piece we bought really isn't too "artsy" - it really is more the type of thing one buys in a mall rather than an Art Festival. It is sweet, however, and will go nicely in our Country Kitchen.

Hanging Out In The Front Yard

2009-06-14T11:49:00.002-04:00

Beatrix in the Yard in Sepia
Originally uploaded by brianchristopherbray

This was picture is too cute not to share. This was taken in our front yard this morning by Brian while Cathryn was out running errands.

Crawling

2009-06-13T22:33:00.001-04:00

Sepia Crawling
Originally uploaded by brianchristopherbray

This is just a cute picture we took today.
We also started a flickr profile and we are testing out their "Blog This" feature. You can look us up under the user-name brianchristopherbray.

Loot From An Estate Sale

2009-06-13T11:03:00.007-04:00

One of the benefits of living where we do is we are in eye-sight of Buffalo Wholesale Antiques. When an Estate Sale is held there, we usually make a point to walk down. There was one today, and we bought some stuff when we walked down.

This is a picture we bought for five dollars. It will eventually be hung above the computer desk.

This is an antique Royal Daulton Bunnykins plate we bought for three dollars. As you can see here, the seller under-priced the item. Bunnykins, for our American readers, is much more popular in England and Canada. This will eventually be displayed with our other Bunnykin items that Cathryn kept from her childhood.

This is a stuffed elephant we bought for one dollar. This will eventually be eaten by the dogs when we forget to shut the baby-gate to the playroom.

Happy Birthday Brian!!!

2009-06-11T07:54:00.009-04:00

Breakfast and Lunch

Since Brian is going to be at work on his birthday, I tried to do a few little things to help make his day special. I started yesterday by making english muffins for his breakfast and bread for his sandwich (from scratch without the bread-maker). Brian loves that kind of stuff home-made (instead of store-bought), so I knew it was something he'd enjoy.

The english muffins were good, I'll probably tweak the recipe the next time I try them, and the bread was delicious (even Bebe thought so).

Dinner

I decided to make Brian his favorite meal for his birthday dinner: Black and Blue burgers and french fries. To make that little bit more special, I made the hamburger buns myself and the french fries were made from scratch and cooked in our home frier.

Cupcakes!

The orginal plan for these particular cupcakes was to tell Brian that I had ruined dinner but, thankfully, I had bought these really neat T.V. dinners to try, (I know T.V. dinners for your birthday = sad birthday boy). But when he came down stairs after getting changed he'd have this in front of him:

Haha funny, fooled you! My plan was spoiled by the early arrival of the birthday boy who decided to leave work early. Here are some more cupcake photos.

Bonus Pictures

Brian's Birthday (Event #1)

2009-06-07T21:24:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, we celebrated my (Brian's) birthday (which is June 11, if you are keeping track) by going to my Mom's house. Here are some pictures:

This is my Grandma and Grandpa with Bebe.

This is my nephew Liam, my brother Eric with my daughter Beatrix and me.

This is the gift I received from Eric, a Riley Martin mug and a copy of The Coming of Tan.

I ate too much cheese and crackers. They used trick candles on my cake. Birthday's haven't really changed that much since I was a kid.

The Old Aud

2009-06-06T17:45:00.002-04:00

Like everyone else in Buffalo, we took pictures of the Memorial Auditorium being demolished. Here are some of the pictures we took while on our waterfront outing.

Beatrix Goes To The Waterfront

2009-06-06T17:32:00.004-04:00

We took Beatrix to the Erie Basin Marina and the Erie Canal Harbor on Saturday for the first time. Here are some pictures of the outing.

The Backyard

2009-06-05T13:17:00.003-04:00

Brian worked on the front yard last weekend and today I worked on the backyard.

Community Supported Agriculture

2009-06-04T20:47:00.008-04:00

Early this year, Brian and I decided that we were going to participate in something called Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA"). Wikipedia defines CSA as "a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit, sometimes dairy products and meat". We were intrigued by the idea of joining a CSA so we set out to find the right farm for us. After searching far and wide (really just surfing the internet for a 5 minutes between watching youtube videos of kittens in a shoebox) we decided on a farm just outside of Ellicottville called Native Offerings. We chose to participate in the summer vegetable and fruit share and if all goes well, we may consider other shares in the future.

Last week we were informed that it was time to start the summer shares!!! I've been excited and nervous all week. Excited for all the fresh veggies we were going to be able to eat (fruit starts in another week or two) and nervous for the fact that I'm going to have to learn how to prepare new vegetables; thankfully, I have the internet to help me find new recipes.

Anyway without further ado, our first share (it's small because it's early in the season...they should get a little larger as the season grows).

We received:
2 bunches of Rapini (a.k.a. broccoli raab)
1 bunch of Radishes
1 bunch of Thmye
1 1/4 lbs of Spinach

I've decided that the radishes should be a great addition to our salads and that I'll freeze 1 bunch of rapini. The other bunch of rapini is going in a pasta dish called Broccoli Raab with Orechetti Pasta and Sausage. I'm not quite sure what to do with the thyme but I have about a week before it goes bad so I have some time (sorry had too). The spinach will probably be sauteed with garlic and olive oil but I'm not positive yet.

Happy Eating!

ZOMG CUTE!!!

2009-06-02T19:43:00.001-04:00

Jackie Chan Chilli

2009-05-31T17:30:00.005-04:00

Tonight for dinner, we had Jackie Chan Chili. It really is more like a curry, but Jackie Chan Curry doesn't sound nearly as cool as Jackie Chan Chili (and neither sounds as good as it tastes).

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 tsp peanut oil
2 shallots
Minced 3 cloves garlic
Minced 2 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced lemongrass
4 cups chicken broth
4 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp Asian chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese five spice
3 cups black beans, drained
Rinsed 1.5 lbs ground beef

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a pot at medium-high heat. Put the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and beef in the pot and brown for two minutes. Pour in the broth.
2. Once the mixture is boiling, add in the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Asian chili sauce, sesame oil and Chinese five spice. Stir in the beans and simmer on medium-high for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Garden

2009-05-31T15:33:00.004-04:00

In the fall of 2007, we decided we wanted a garden in the front. We went to the greenhouse and bought some plants. We treated the planting instructions as "guidelines" that could be ignored with minimal difference. Those plants died during the spring of 2008.

This year, we decided to retry this gardening thing. We dug out the front garden as deep as a shallow grave. We bought some plants and refilled it with brand new top-soil. We covered with mulch. Look at the results:

Okay, it is boring. It resembles a garden you might find at a municipal 9-hole golf-course. However, except for the bushes, all the plants are annuals and we'll get to replant next year; we hope our confidence grows (no pun intended) after this year and we'll try something more daring next year.

Stuff Beatrix Likes - Dancing to MGMT

2009-05-29T19:29:00.002-04:00

Here is Beatrix dancing to her second favorite band MGMT. (Her favorite band is Handsome Furs.) The song is Electric Feel.

Beatrix's First Word

2009-05-27T22:46:00.007-04:00

Beatrix said her first word today. We are defining "first word" to mean any word one verbally says in which the speaker comprehends the meaning of for the first time and is recognized within the English Dictionary. This would disqualify any babble she may have said that happened to be a word because she did not comprehend the meaning of. This would also disqualify and baby sign-language she has done in the past.

Beatrix was playing independently with the baby-gate near the stairs for approximately ten minutes. Cathryn then played a home video on the computer which was five feet away from Beatrix. Beatrix immediately turned around when she heard the video, said "momma, momma" and started crawling towards Cathryn's feet. Because this is the first time we can document beyond a reasonable doubt that both conditions were met (saying the word verbally and knowing the meaning of what she was referring to), we are declaring that on May 27, 2009, Beatrix said her first word. We suspect, however, that she probably knew she was saying at other times(including here). We are declaring it today, however, because the previous times she likely said it was less definitive she knew what she was referring to.

Beatrix Looking For Her Momma

2009-05-27T06:53:00.002-04:00

More Bad News

2009-05-23T19:54:00.003-04:00

We went to see Terminator Salvation at the Elmwood Regal on Saturday afternoon. After the movie, we returned to find the driver-side window of our Chevy Aveo smashed. When we inspected the evidence, we deduced someone was trying to break into our car and steal the Satellite Radio. They did not take it, however, as the door was now stuck shut (due to broken glass obstructing the handle) and our car-alarm brought attention to the scene before the burglar had time to devise a Plan B.

We contacted our car-insurance company and the deductible will be $500. So one day after our Zune broke, we got hit again. Hopefully I will have some good news next week to report to make up for these past few painful days.

After dealing with the car, we decided to treat ourselves to comfort food. First we split a Chicken-Finger Sub from Bob and John's. We then got dessert from Dolci.

My First Photo ID

2009-05-23T13:03:00.003-04:00

I have my first photo ID and it even complies with the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requirements.

Our Zune is Broken

2009-05-22T23:11:00.004-04:00

So our 80-gig Zune is broken; it is no longer recharging. When I checked out the Microsoft website, I found out the warranty expired five months ago and it would cost $160 to fix it. A new 120-gig Zune is $250 at Best Buy, so getting it fixed isn't exactly a good offer.

I am a pretty vindictive consumer who will stop shopping at a store or buying from a company if I feel wronged by them. In this particular instance, I feel wronged. The Zune is almost always indoors, is less than two years old and is used less than an hour a day; the battery malfunctioning is clearly the result of the product being poor. I definitely do not want to buy another Zune because of this.

The only other major model of MP3 player, which would make it the obvious choice for our next music player, is the I-Pod. I-Pods, however, are made by Apple and I hate Apple. I hate their annoying commercials with Justin Long. I hate their smug users. I hate dealing with people who don't use PC file formats because their Apple Computer can't open them. (The background music in some of their I-Pod commercials, however, is usually quite good.)

So we are at an impasse. I am half-tempted to record everything I have on mix-tapes and use a Walkman (not really). Either way, it'll take a little while to save up to buy a new one. I guess I will be humming to myself while on the treadmill for the time being.

Beatrix Feeding Herself

2009-05-21T22:00:00.018-04:00

Tonight we allowed Beatrix to feed herself with a spoon for the first time. As you can tell from the pictures, it was a great success!

Okay, it really wasn't a "success". We had about as much successful as we did the first time we tried to feed her cereal, hardly any. We did not record Beatrix's first attempt at self-feeding with a spoon on video because when we previously tried to document her first attempts at other milestones, it didn't go very well (see here). Beatrix feeding herself with a spoon didn't go any better, so at least it wasn't because she was camera-shy (Real World Season 55 - here she comes...the bitchy one who takes the country bumpkin under her wing and shows her the ways of the world). One bonus of not video-recording was we didn't have to do any uncomfortable color commentary while being mildly frustrated she wasn't being successful at either scooping for or putting the spoon in her mouth.

Anyways, this is what she actually looked like for about the 15 minutes she tried.

Time for more Pics!

2009-05-20T10:33:00.003-04:00

Our Shows Will Be Back!!!

2009-05-18T18:07:00.004-04:00

Our two favorite shows were renewed for next year: Chuck and Dollhouse. This is big news considering we watch only five scripted television shows, the others being Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock and Heroes (though I doubt we will continue to watch Heroes next year).

Both Chuck and Dollhouse were on the bubble this year and their renewal was not guaranteed. Dollhouse, in fact, is the lowest rated show to ever get renewed. So when these shows return, please watch them!

Save The Date - 8/2/09

2009-05-17T19:06:00.005-04:00

After going back and forth on the matter, we have decided that we are going to hold a party this August to celebrate Beatrix's first birthday. I know this is pretty early to start getting ready, but we plan ahead in the Real Bray household. Part of the reason for us deciding to do so is that Beatrix won't have any religious holidays/milestones to celebrate, so it seems unfair we should deprive her of a large celebration until later in life. (The baby books we read recommend having large parties at milestone birthdays, such as 5 and 10, and having smaller parties for non-milestone birthdays.) Another reason is we want her to build a closer relationship with her cousins that are around the same age.

The theme of the party will be puppies, although our dogs will be ~~in jail~~ on vacation that week at a ~~Kennel~~ relaxing spa. We plan on making this a child centric event...so expect lots of different foods that feature peanut-butter as the main ingredient. We also plan on distributing gift-bags to the children who attend and have games for them to play. Sports will definitely not be on the TV if we have anything to say about it (though I doubt we will.)

We have yet to decide if we want this to be a family-only party or a friends and family party. If anybody has any insight on this, please let us know. If you are a family member (or possibly a friend if we opt to go that route), please look for an invitation toward the end of June.

Susan's Birthday Dinner

2009-05-16T06:27:00.006-04:00

Last Friday, we took Cathryn's mom ("Susan") out to dinner for her birthday. (Her birthday was actually over a week ago, but she was on vacation at the time.) We decided to try a new place for the occasion, Vino's, an inexpensive Italian restaurant on Elmwood near Amherst.

Vino's is a smaller restaurant and a bit off the beaten track. I only knew of it because I had designed an invitation for a political fundraiser held there a few months prior and heard good things from those who attended. It was recommended that we get reservations, which was sound advice given that there are only approximately twelve tables at the restaurant.

A chalkboard with the menu written on it lines the back of the restaurant and is its most striking feature. A handsome bar lines the side wall of the restaurant with an extensive wine and liquor collection sitting behind. A collection of deserts sits on the side portion of the bar. There are tea-light candles and a single flower at each table. The restaurant manages to be both cozy and fancy at the same time.

Both the waitress and hostess were very good with Beatrix. They had a high-chair for her to sit on and placed some cloths over the vent so Beatrix did not get too cold. They even didn't say when Beatrix started repeatedly saying "nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnAH." (That is a long N sound followed by a thudding ah.) They wisely recommended that we rip off the paper from her portion of the table because she was playing with it, and gave us a napkin for her to play with instead.

We ordered Bruschetta as an appetizer. It was served a bit colder that we would have preferred, but was still very good. (Beatrix may not have been as big of a fan however; when we gave her a few small pieces to try, she gave us her stink-face.) All our meals came with a small salad, which they serve with their house-dressing. The salad was nothing to write home about and we were not fond of the lemony salad dressing. Susan ordered Ravioli, which she referred to as being "...the best ravioli she ever had." (Susan is from England, though, so it's not like she is the world's expert on ravioli or anything.) Cathryn ordered Pasta with Garlic and Oil in which she greatly enjoyed. I ordered (what else???) Spaghetti and Meatball. My meal was excellent, however I do believe both my sauce and meatballs are slightly better. For desert, Cathryn and Susan shared a piece of Triple-Chocolate cake, which they both greatly enjoyed. Both Susan and I had a cup of coffee after our meals, which we both found to be excellent. Overall, we found the food to be very, very good - though it still could be improved upon.

The best part of the meal was the price - $45.60 (or something like that). We ended up giving a $9.40 tip because the service was so excellent (especially with Beatrix) and were so impressed with our dining experience. We definitely plan to go back soon.

Beatrix on the Push Walker

2009-05-15T21:55:00.002-04:00

Beatrix has moved up from an activity walker to a push walker. In no time, she'll actually be walking. Before then, we hope to train the dogs to accept a walking Beatrix without feeling the need to lick her silly.

Stuff Brian Likes - Buffalo in Spring Edition

2009-05-10T18:17:00.002-04:00

Sweetness_7 Cafe - An absolutely awesome West Side coffee shop. You feel a thousand times cooler than you actually are when you go there.

Five Points Bakery - A bakery that focuses on sustainable agriculture (that is a long way of saying Hippy Bakery). The baked goods are so good however you don't mind having to wait behind some chick with dreadlocks and Birkenstocks to get it. Bonus - It is next to Urban Roots Community Gardening Center so you can check out gardening stuff while you are in the area.

Jenny's Clayhouse is where Beatrix made Cathryn's Mother's Day Gift...with much help from the Clayhouse staff. (They are not so good at spellchecking their website however.)

Shickluna Bikes & Darts just tuned up Brian's bicycle and, despite making the brakes so tight he almost wiped out the first time he tried them, did a splendid job.

Hertel Farmer's Market & Deli is a great place to get fresh produce. It is located near the corner of Hertel and Delaware - just within walking distance for us!

Johnny's Meats is another North Buffalo mainstay for meats, eggs and twice-baked potatoes. We heart it.

Mother's Day Bruch 2009 (Part II - People and the Place)

2009-05-10T13:34:00.003-04:00

For Mother's Day, The Real Bray Family invited over Brian's mom (or Mema to Beatrix) and her husband Jimmy, and Cathryn's mom (or Nanna to Beatrix). (We also invited over some other family members who were unable to attend). Here is what it looked like.

Mother's Day Brunch 2009 (Part 1) - The Food

2009-05-10T13:16:00.002-04:00

On the menu for the 1st Annual Real Bray Family Mother's Day Bruch was:

Fruit Salad (not pictured, prepared by Brian's mom Pamela)

Scotch Eggs (Hard boiled eggs wrapped with sausage and coated with bread-crumbs)

French Toast Casserole (Recipe from Teresa of Buffalo Locavore fame)

Chocolate Raspberry Butterfly Cupcakes (Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry filling in the shape of a butterfly)

This is Why You're Fat

2009-05-10T09:44:00.004-04:00

"This Is Why You're Fat" is one of our favorite websites. We recently made a dessert that was so over-the-top that we felt it belonged on the website. It is a "Basketful of Kisses": a German Chocolate Layer Cake with Milk-Chocolate Frosting (decorated to resemble a basket) and topped off with "Special Dark" and "Filled with Caramel" Hershey Kisses. We took a picture of it and sent it to the makers of "This Is Why You're Fat".

We'll post a link if we get on. Enjoy.

Nine month checkup.

2009-05-05T18:02:00.005-04:00

And again we have perfection! A little heavier this time but the doctor was not concerned about it. Beatrix weighed in at 20lbs 3.5oz and is 27.5 inches high. Beatrix was very relieved that she did not have to receive any vaccines at this visit and she was not to concerned about the finger prick for her anemia test, which was normal. The doctor was pleased with Bebe's development and is thrilled that she is well ahead of the game. Our next visit is not until after her first birthday!

Enjoy some more pics!!

Beatrix Petting Lynus

2009-04-27T15:25:00.001-04:00

Stuff Beatrix likes - Standing at the Bottom of the Stairs

2009-04-26T13:36:00.007-04:00

One of Beatrix's current favorite things is to stand at the bottom of our stair case and hang onto the gate. She is now able to get from one end of the bottom stair to the other and is also able to stand 1 handed and for quite some time. Enjoy the pics!

Beatrix Dancing Easter Morning

2009-04-20T10:38:00.006-04:00

My how she has grown!

2009-04-17T08:57:00.004-04:00

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-12T10:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from Easter morning at the Bray household.

Easter Traditions

2009-04-01T14:51:00.003-04:00

Growing up on Easter morning, Cathryn's family had a scavenger hunt based on clues. Under her bed when she awoke was a clue written on a piece of paper that led her to a place in her house along with a couple pieces of chocolate. She would place the pieces of chocolate into a basket and go to where her clue indicated. At arrival, she would find a couple more pieces of chocolate and a clue to another place. This would continue and eventually she would arrive at her final destination where there would be more chocolate, as well as clothes, toys, games, etc.

Brian's family too had a scavenger hunt on Easter. It was a free-for-all in comparison to Cathryn's. Each boy would look for their basket filled with chocolate in every hiding spot in the house until it was found. In addition to the scavenger hunt for chocolate, there was also a simultaneous hunt for decorated hard-boiled eggs. Other than bragging rights, there was no prize for finding eggs.

It seems that each family has different holiday traditions. Sometimes it has been an area of contention for us because each one of us wants our child to have identical traditions that we had growing up. That said, one of the exciting things about starting a family is initiating family traditions that our daughter (and, eventually, other child) will have to remember.

For Easter, we are starting a couple new traditions:

1. The weekend before Easter, we are going to take both of our mothers to the Broadway Market to see the Easter Bunny, followed by brunch. This year, we are going to eat at Betty's.
2. Every year (per child), we are going to take a plain basket and decorate it until it is Easter Basket-quality. As she grows older, we are going to weave in some folklore into the tradition by saying the prettier the basket, the more chocolate the Easter Bunny gives.
3. We are going to paint eggs the Saturday before Easter. Each child will paint 6 eggs, and initial each and number each sequentially 1 to 6. The child will wake up Sunday morning with the egg they numbered 1 under their bed with a clue. They will follow the clue, finding their egg and another clue at each spot. At their seventh spot (the first being under their bed) they will find their hand-decorated basket with chocolates and toys.

Beatrix's First Trip To The Playground

2009-03-31T18:02:00.001-04:00