I was so inspired by all my blogger friends that I thought that I should begin one of my own. What I forgot is I already did start one this past May and then forgot about it :) Oh, well.

It's been awhile since my last update e-mail, so here's a post to bring you up to speed on our lives:

As for the kids, they are doing great. Gabrielle has begun 2nd grade and has claimed that she is bored in class. She reads like a wiz and is very intelligent and "lippy". She gets that from her dad.

Ethan is now in kindergarten and is not happy that he actually has to do work and not just play. He wears a uniform now like his sister and has truly taken on the middle child role. He is a sports lover and eats like a horse.

Jaden is the interesting child. He is very stubborn and strong willed, but loving nonetheless. He lives for Dora and eats very little. He has no interest in potty-training and will tell you off if you get in his way of doing something he is determined to do.

As for the adults...this year has not been the greatest. As you well know, the building industry has slowed down immensely and that in turn has affected our income immensely. Ironic how, even though we (specifically Jonathon) teach others what to do with their money by the way of biblical principles and follow those principles in our own life, when there is no money there, there is no money there.

Since we can't sell our kids, we put our house on the market, but another fact that you well know is that that market stinks too. So after a few showings in 6 months and no real takers, this month our contract with our realtor expired. We are now looking at other options and trying to figure out what to do.

Jonathon has had a few job leads. One being a government position. To supplement income, he is also working at the YMCA...free membership and he's buffing up too. He continues to look for jobs, but he is at home more than I am and has taken like a pro to the stay-at-home parent role.

(He's much better at it than I am !)

I have had two jobs since April/May. One working as a barista at Starbucks and the other working at South Biscyane. Between the two, I was working at least 50 hours a week, but loving both and the challenge they bring. It eventually caught up with me though. When I tried to decrease my hours at Starbucks, they gave me a hard time (among LOTS of other issues with the people I work with) so I gave them my "two weeks" last Tuesday. It is a relief, but of course the loss of that job is a loss of that income.

Needless to say, we are a bit stressed out at this point of our lives, but God is good. My kids are healthy, we have vehicles to drive us to our jobs, clothes on our back, food to eat, and a great family that helps us in many ways. Anyway, didn't write this to ask for a pity party, just wanted to let you know what is the latest in the Bray home.

Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!