A quick update

A quick update..........."The Boy" is still showing up at our doorstep daily courting Chloe. He will now talk to her.....that was a big step for him. She had to tell him that she can't go out with him because she can't date until she is 16 so I don't think he will come back??? we will see.

Chris and I have finally gotten a little sleep.

The boy that Olivia has loved FOREVER likes her back!! That was cause for a lot of screaming and jumping the day she found out.

Ava has decided that I am not as mean as she thought and is going to stay a "Bray" for which we are all thankful.

Elle got to go to the zoo with her class today and I was the parent chaperone...we had a great time!! She and I are also having the best time reading "The BFG" together.....It is such a fun book.

So the other day we went for a family walk and as we began Chloe got a little annoyed at us (Chris and I)....so she went ahead of us and then as we walked back I could hear her playing the piano in the house. I said to Chris "What do you bet that in her angst she is writing a song? (that is how she gets out her frustrations). Well she did write a song, and I like it, so I made her record it for me. If it is any indication she writes 1 or 2 songs a week.....hmmm she must be a teenager having a lot of angst. Just kidding....she writes when she is happy also!!

Ok,.....I don't know what happened but the video and audio are off, I will post this one but then have her redo it tomorrow. So weird, I don't know what happened. It cut off the end of the song also so a re-record will be better.

A Miracle

It is 4 in the morning and I should be sleeping but I wanted to take just a min to give a little update. It has been quite the week!! I think since last Friday we have gone non-stop from early morning to 2 or 3 am every day and I am worn thin. We found a house! It has been a whirl wind event because our plan was to not even look at houses until ours was on the market. Well here we are with a contract on a house and ours just went up for sale yesterday......are we crazy? Yes, but it was a situation we just couldn't change.

Here is the story, 2 years ago our dream home was built. We found it, looked through it and loved it but we couldn't afford it. It met all the criteria that we had set for a house that we would want to raise our family in. It had a walkout basement (a rarity in Oklahoma) with lots of kid play space, It backed up to a pond (we currently have a pond 40 ft from our back door that the girls fish, catch frogs and play in all summer) a great kitchen, and was in a great neighborhood. So we watched it.......I have no idea why but we watched it. Some nice family purchased it, began living their life in it and every few months we would drive by it and just look. Chris would often come home from work and say "I went by the house today" I knew exactly what house he meant and I would think "why do we do this?"



Well, last week "Our house" went into foreclosure (meaning the house we love). Oklahoma has not been hit in this whole housing mess so a foreclosure here is very rare. Chris called the day it went into foreclosure and started checking into how low they would go! They only opened it up for bids for 4 days. We decided to bid, so low it was laughable, but Chris said "What the heck, who knows". Well we put our bid in against 2 real estate investment firms who were offering cash and we forgot about it.....really we did. We knew that our offer was so far below acceptable that no one in their right mind would accept it so we put the offer in and the next day moved on never thinking for a minute they would accept. Well, here we are a week later with a contract on the home that has never left our minds for 2 and 1/2 years. I am still shell shocked because I feel as though we robbed the bank. We have had many prayers of thanks over what is really a miracle!!

Yesterday Ava came in to the living room and said Mom, you always pray for a long time. "I said we have so many blessings right now I have lots to say to Heavenly Father" Me too Mom, I am going to pray for a long time. She stayed in this position forever!!! (Notice her new purse that never leaves her side, even in prayer!)

So after signing contracts on Sunday we had 4 days to get our house ready to go on the market and after living here for 9 years it has been a huge job. We have painted every base board cleaned every corner, cleaned every window and basically emptied and staged the house. I can pretty much guarantee that no one has a cleaner house than us right now!! I looked like a homeless woman all week as hair and makeup and clean clothes were never an option.

We are tired and happy and full of faith and thanks!!

These pictures were taken at 2am....Chris is out washing the windows while I was planting flowers....yes I was planting flowers in the middle of the night.

As I went to go to bed last night I looked at my hands and they say it all.....paint, caulk and dirt caked in under every nail (most of them broken).

From 4, down to 3, and back again

Today was a very busy day, I have been painting the baseboards and touching everything up to put the house on the market next week. Well, Ava came and asked me to put Peter Pan on for her to watch. When I went into the bedroom there was a little mess as she had gone through all the videos and DVD's to choose the one she wanted. I said, "Ok Ava I will put the video on after you have cleaned up this little mess." "No Mom", she wailed "I can't". "Yes you can sweetie, I will be in the other room, come and get me when you are done and I will put the movie on for you." "Noooooo, I can't Mom" she cried as I left the room. "I caaaaaaan't" she continued to wail and cry.

Well, about 5 min later she showed up with her Dora coat on, her new purse that she got for her birthday, and her blankie. "Mom, I am not going to be part of this family anymore". "Oh really" I inquired "why?" "Because you are really really mean to me Mommy and I am not going to be your daughter anymore!" "Ok so who's family are you going to be in?" I asked. "I am going to be in Grandma Gayle's family" (Grandma Gayle is our neighbor that we love).
"Oh Ava", I said, "I am going to miss you so much, will you come back to visit?" Yes Mom I will visit you sometimes, but you can't be mean to me." "Ok, I love you sweetie bye bye." She took off running.

Here she is as she runs off to join another family!

She is racing around the corner.

going full speed!!

Well, grandma Gayle wasn't home so about 3 min later she came back........ "Ok Mom, if you can be really nice I will be in your family again." "I would love to have you back in the family, but not until you clean up your little mess." That didn't go over too well but she finally realized that I wasn't giving in and got the videos cleaned up.....she is a little stinker, a very scrumptious stinker.

3 min later she is back with a big smile on her face!

Garage Sale

Saturday we bit the bullet and had the yearly, despised, garage sale. I do not enjoy them. To me it is so much work but as we prepare to move it is a necessity as we have so much stuff that I don't want to take with me to a new house. It was really funny to me because there were several things that I had visions of people fighting over and then there is the junk that I put out but fully intended to have to throw away at the end of the day. What actually sold? THE JUNK, and the stuff that I was sure we would have soccer moms getting into fist fights in my driveway over is still there and being picked up by the salvation army truck.....go figure. I have decided that I must have no taste or I have way overvalued my junk.

I also laugh at how every year I get on my high horse and say things like "I am pricing this table at $5.00 per item and I will not go down!!! Then by noon I am acting like a shop keeper at an open air market "I'll take $2 dollars for every thing on that table.....Ok $1.00 is fine, if you buy 3 I'll go down to .50 cents." Next year I am buying a bull horn so I can be heard more effectively.

Bottom line is it is done, but this week as we were cleaning out more rooms to get ready to sell the house, Chris said "Gale I think we are going to need to have another garage sale!" Arrrrrrhhhhh! he is right

Ava gave complementary rides to all the children who came to the sale! She is so happy!

Chris, of course, handled all the money

Hmmm, Chloe doesn't look too happy about having to help at the garage sale.

The oven in the far corner, that doesn't work sold and the dishwasher that works great didn't. hmm

Strange mating rituals

This past week we have been plagued by a neighbor boy who is smitten with Chloe. He is in 8th grade and rides her bus but she has never spoken to him. Well about a week ago he randomly came to our house with a friend and was doorbell ditching us. He would ring the bell, and run away. He did this 7 or 8 times and in between ringing our doorbell he would just sit with his friends on our neighbor's lawn across the street and just stare at our house. This happened several days in a row. Then on Saturday afternoon he shows up with 3 friends and is ringing our doorbell and then again sitting out on our neighbors lawn just staring at our house. He was there for hours. Whenever Chloe went out he would run away. I am utterly confused by this behavior. What is he hoping to attain especially when he runs away everytime she comes out? This is definitely a new generation because I have never seen anything like it.

The boys sitting on the neighbor's lawn across the street

So later in the afternoon I had asked Chloe to sit down and record the new song she had written...as she began she looked up and he was on our neighbors lawn with a garbage bag on his head dancing. I will post the video because I think it is funny. It is a little hard to see. Oh the joys of having a teenager.

She finally went out and forced him to talk to her. His friend told Chloe "he wants to ask you out but he is scared because you have a reputation in the school as "the say NO girl". Yup she sure does. She said "I am not dating until I am 16. I think she was flattered though.

What an actress!

This year is the Centennial year for the state of Oklahoma so in recognition of this all the schools are putting on the play "Oklahoma". Olivia has been talking about it all year and how badly she wants one of the main parts. The 5th grade also did another play earlier in the year and she got the main part so I warned her early that she would probably not get a main part in Oklahoma because they would want to give other kids the opportunity. Well, despite what I said Olivia, in true Olivia form, had the entire script memorized and all the songs down for the auditions. All the other girls were reading the script as they auditioned but not Olivia, she never does anything half hearted, she put her all into it. As the casting call drew closer she had prepared herself. "Mom, if I don't get a part I will just be happy for the girls that get it and not be a sore looser." Well, yesterday I was going crazy all day as they announced the cast. When I went to pick her up I knew immediately that the news was bad, her face just showed it. She got in the car and broke down. Tears were streaming down her face as she told me how heart broken she was about not getting a part in the play. I was heart broken for her. I just ached to see her so sad as I knew how much it meant to her. I comforted her as best I could until...................................she started screaming "I GOT the part of Laurie!!!!" That little trickster. "Why did you do that to me? That was so mean!" I asked. Oh Mom, I just wanted to see how good an actress I was. She is so funny. So she got the lead in the play and I am really not surprised as I know first hand that SHE CAN ACT. We are proud of you Olivia!

My little sponge cake!

The presents are all wrapped, balloons and streamers hung and I can't go to bed without posting for my birthday girl.
Ava the day you came into the world was a mixture of happy and sad all rolled up in one and more than anything it was a time of faith building. I still remember when they put you in my arms, you crinkled one side of your face up and I saw that huge dimple and I fell in love. But just as quickly they grabbed you from me and started to work on you all the while telling me it was nothing and not to worry. Suddenly you were whisked from the room and the doctor said, "she is just having a little trouble breathing, don't worry we will have her back to you in no time." With each new visit from the doctor we knew something was very wrong and after several hours of you gone and not knowing what was going on we were in panic mode. Your Daddy and I sat in that room and prayed with all our hearts for you and cried a lot. We knew we were in trouble when the doctor finally came in carrying X-Rays and and asked if before we spoke she could have a prayer with us (we are in the south...that is pretty normal here). She said a lovely prayer and then began to explain the problem. Your lungs had collapsed and you had several large air pockets around your heart. They said everything should be OK but we would need to immediately get you to a larger hospital where they could perform the necessary surgery. I was struggling with immense fear as only a few months earlier my friends sister in-law had just had their baby die after the exact same problem and surgery you were about to have so I was very very concerned. We looked at the X-rays with the doctor and could see that it was very bad and we prepared for surgery and a long hospital stay for you. The only way for your lungs to expand was to insert a chest tube and create a vacuum in your chest so that they could expand again.

They told us that it would be about 45min before the ambulance would arrive to take you so we were given a little time to see you in the ICU. Daddy had called Bro Farnsworth and within 20 or 30 min he was there. Daddy and Karl gave you a beautiful priesthood blessing and the peace that fell over all of us there was profound and difficult to describe. I held your little hand and sang to you as we waited for the Neonatologist and ambulance to arrive. Then a miracle occurred. The Neonatologist came in as all the preparations for your journey were being finalized. He looked at the X-rays and then began to listen to your chest. He kept on looking at the X-rays then listening...this went on and on and he looked so puzzled, baffled and completely confused. Everyone was waiting as he took his time with you and we wondered what was going on. After what felt like 30 min of him listening to your chest he asked for more X-rays. WHY?? I couldn't figure this out. He came over to us and said...."We may not need to transfer her, I don't know how this has happened, I have never seen it happen before, but some how her lungs have expanded on their own. I need to confirm this by X-ray but if that is the case, she will be fine." He repeated "This is definitely a first"

Ava you were fine, you were in the ICU for several days and put on pure oxygen to reduce the air pockets but I was able to sit by you every day and sing and talk to you as you recovered. I was not at all baffled by the new diagnosis. After that beautiful priesthood blessing by a father who is very close to his Father in Heaven I was at peace.

Now...... you are full of spit and vinegar and we can barely keep you from exerting every last breath in those lungs as you scream, cry, laugh and sometimes wear us out but OH OH OH I love you. It is near impossible for me to pass by you without scooping you up and kissing every last bit of you. After you joined our family we would often ask "Was there ever not an Ava?" We could hardly imagine that we didn't always have you as you were such an integral part of our family. You are precious and I hope all that moxie you have will be put to great use as you fulfill Heavenly Fathers purpose for you on this earth. Happy Birthday my sweet love, my little sponge cake!

Sweet Cheese!

I just have to put a note about this in here so I never forget how funny this is. It all started with Chris and his idiosyncrasies that I LOVE. Things like finding funny songs or crazy things that just make life fun and funny. He is the master of finding humor in life. So he thinks Dolly Parton music is funny, the way she talks in soft whispers in her songs and some of them are so cheesy. So on Easter Sunday he breaks out a Dolly song called "He's Alive" The song is really the story of the death and Resurrection of Christ and is really good storytelling. Chris puts it on as we are headed to church and the girls are really enjoying it. Well at the end of the song Dolly yells out "Sweeeeeet Jesus" it is slightly irreverent but very Dollyesque. So we open the door to go into church and as we are in the parking lot Ava yells out, in front of the Bushmans no less, "Sweeeeeet Jesus". I grab her (as everyone is laughing their heads off) and in desperation to stop her from yelling it out in primary I tell her "no honey, it is sweet cheese". Well, now that is her mantra. when anything is good or she is happy she exuberantly says "sweeeeeet cheeeeese" and it is cracking me up!!

Rejuvenaton

We just finished one of my favorite weekends of the year (there are 2). I love it because it is a wonderful mandatory sit down and take a big long drink of spiritual rejuvenation. I look forward to it for 6 months and as soon as it ends I begin looking forward to the next one in 6 months. I think our lives are so busy that this weekend is just for us and our family and we take full advantage. It was our church's semiannual worldwide conference. This is televised so we stay home the whole weekend and listen to our church leaders. It is beyond great and really no words can describe the things that we felt and heard. Spiritual things are often hard to describe in words but it was a very special time and I am so much better for having heard it. There are 2 sessions on Saturday that are 2 hours each and 2 more on Sunday. On Saturday we got all our chores done and then sat and enjoyed the first session. We all gather in our bedroom and get cozy and we make sure we have great snacks, appetizers and food. Our only stipulation is that our kids are in the room with us the whole time but they can do what they want. They had a great time all day making beautiful jewelry as we watched. They sat and listened for all four hours and made all kinds of beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. As soon as the second session was over they packaged them up in really cute packages and went out door to door and sold their wares. Then on Sat night while daddy went to the priesthood session all us girls went to see Nim's Island. What a fun day.

A few friends joined us

This picture is proof that they do watch as they make their jewelry...look at Elle watching the TV

A few of their beautiful creations


Today was much like yesterday in that we watched the two sessions had great food and just had family time. The girls made more jewelry as we watched and then after it was all over we all went for a walk together. Just a great, relaxing, happy family weekend. We never got out of our PJ's!

Here is Elle with her newly covered beloved blankie!

April Fool

No matter how hard I try I just can't get it right. I have made at least one of my girls cry every single April Fools day. The worst was when Chloe was in 2nd grade. I made her lunch and sent her off to school...unbeknownst to her the lunch consisted of 1 whole onion, a potato and a tomato. At lunch I was hiding in the wings waiting with a hot lunch from Chic-Fil-A for her. I just knew she would open the lunch pull the funny stuff out, laugh and then I would come forward with her yummy lunch. No, she opened that lunch and burst into tears, hysterical tears. I ran to her quickly but she never really calmed down and told me that I had humiliated her and all her friends had seen the onion and potato and she was sooo embarrassed. Each year I have done milder jokes like rigging the kitchen sprayer so they get doused when they turn on the water, tears again. So yesterday I woke up and thought, "I am going easy on them, Salt in their juice". So I served them whole wheat waffles and gave them each a glass of juice. Olivia dove in to her breakfast and then took a drink....shocked face, spit out and laughter....yeah, I did it! Then Elle came in, began eating and then she took a drink, shocked face.....silence......more silence. So Chris and I joyfully yell, "April Fools"! Big alligator tears and then she ran into the laundry room and wouldn't come out. That's it, I am done with April fools. I just can't seem to get it right or maybe I just need to toughen up my girls. Funny thing Elle had no problem being in on giving the juice to Chloe later and she was right in line to rig the sprayer up to douse Dad. I wonder who I will make cry next year?

By the way, Chloe and Olivia rigged the sprayer on me when they left for piano lessons and I got drenched, ha ha.....maybe I should have cried!