Hello Deer

I was finally able to get a few pictures of the deer that live in our neighborhood. We see them from time to time and can sometimes get pretty close to them. Apparently they're bad about getting into people's gardens and flowerbeds, but I kind of like having them around. That is, until we plant flowers or a garden.

You can barely see the third deer just on the other side of the fence.

They spotted me. Apparently I didn't seem very threatening.

Happy Birthday, Allen!

Mmm...this sign looks good enough to eat.

Uh oh! I think I ate Daddy's sign.

Whew, here it is! And still legible too!

Happy birthday, Daddy! I hope you have a great day!!!

Happy Halloween!

We enjoyed our first Halloween as parents by -- you guessed it! -- dressing Natalie up in an adorable monkey costume! We figure we've only got two, maybe three years to choose her costume before she'll have opinions of her own regarding her apparel.

Luckily the rain held out and we were able to participate in our neighborhood's annual Halloween parade and then we headed home to have some chili to warm our bellies before the trick-or-treaters arrived.

Happy Halloween everyone!

The dads and their sweet babies. Andrew and Micah (1 1/2 mo.), Allen and Natalie.


Natalie is "Batty for Daddy!"


Happy Halloween from the Drooly-Monster! Grrrr, scary!!


Natalie and Declan (1 week older than Natalie), all partied out.


I ♥ my little monkey.


Mmmmm....banana.


This scary spider took up residence on our front porch just in time for Halloween.

The Bray Family Monster Mash

OK, so I totally copied this from Rachel, but I had to create my own version with me, Allen, Natalie, and Baxter. I think it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Natalie is a roly poly!

Natalie has just discovered how to roll from her back to her tummy! The only problem is that she isn't really a fan of being on her tummy. I guess that will give her the motivation she needs to learn to roll the other way. Our little girl is getting so big!! She'll be sitting up before we know it!

Ridge to Bridge Marathon

This past weekend, Allen, Natalie, Baxter and I traveled up to North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest so that Allen could run in the 2009 Ridge to Bridge Marathon. We shared a cabin with our friends Jenny and Ryan and their golden retriever, Sadie. Allen and Jenny had a great run and came in at an impressive 3:31, which placed Jenny second in her age group. After the race, we spent the rest of Saturday eating, relaxing, and letting the dogs play in the creek behind the cabin. It was a great getaway weekend and the fall mountain scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We were relieved that Natalie did very well on her first big trip away from home.

Looking good at mile 19.


50 yards from the finish line.


Beautiful scenery at the finish.


Allen and Natalie taking it easy.

2009 Atlanta Dog Jog

I am sad to say that Baxter will miss the 2009 Atlanta Dog Jog this Saturday since we'll be in North Carolina for Allen's marathon. I guess it's only fair to give the other small dogs a shot at taking home medals this year since Baxter has dominated for the last 3 years. I fully expect that Baxter will spend the next 12 months preparing for his 2010 comeback.

For those of you with dogs, I highly recommend attending this event. You can run or walk the 1 or 2-mile race and it supports a great cause. And even if you don't have a dog, it's an entertaining spectator event!

Here are some photos from the last three years:

One of my all time favorite Baxter photos (2006)


Allen and Baxter with their award for first place in the small dog division (2006)


Baxter sporting his gold medal for first place in the small dog division (2007)


Baxter with more bling; second place overall in the female runner division (2008)