Merry Christmas Gray Family

GRAY   
FAMILY ‘08
After five years of growing as a couple, The Gray family underwent a year of
unprecedented change. It was a time of transition and loss, as Molly the beagle moved
on after 18 years, and a time of unequalled celebration, with the arrival of TWINS!
Matthew and Sarah joined us on June 20th, and we know life is changed forever.
The theme of “Change” was present in more than just politics in 2008. While the last few years
were comparatively stable, with both Louis and Kristine holding the same jobs, living in the same
home, and even keeping the same cars, we exit the year finding ourselves in the new role of par-
ents, to not just one, but two, children. Matthew and Sarah started their lives at a mere 5 pounds
and 4 pounds, 3 ounces, respectively, and have brought incredible happiness into our lives which
far outweighs their diminutive size.
Their debut also rearranged practically every element of our schedule, from sleep to meals, to
even leaving the house. Kristine took a leave of absence from her teaching job in May, and since
then, has been spending practically every waking hour helping the twins progress - but somehow
still managed to continue her progress toward a Master’s in History at San Jose State. And after a
generous four-week paternity leave, Louis headed back to work at BlueArc, where he is wrapping
up his eighth full year - a surprising length of time in the always-morphing Silicon Valley.  
BUT THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN BABIES. RIGHT?
Before Matthew and Sarah came into our lives, we knew they had time to squeeze in one last va-
cation as a twosome. Keeping with tradition set the prior two years, we headed to sunny Arizona
to see the Oakland A’s at Spring Training, taking an extra day or two to drive from Phoenix to
Tucson to see the A’s play on the road. Driving with the top down on the rental convertible, Louis
and Kristine, she a fit five months pregnant, almost got sunburned before even seeing an inning
of ball. But somehow they survived the four games in four days. What didn’t survive the trip was
Louis’ laptop, which got crushed when he moronically stowed it in an area marked unsafe, and
then raised the convertible’s roof, smashing the poor Mac to bits. It was a down moment after a
fun week and repairing it cost more than the trip itself.
Oops.
www.louisgray.com                                         408 646-2759! www.thegrayeffect.com
from the
H A P P Y
H O L I D A Y S
DOUBLE THE FAMILY. DOUBLE THE FUN... AND WORK TOO!
          
At the time, Kristine, only partially kidding, said she felt a real sense of loss, as the ever-present
laptop was practically part of the family. In fact, it was the laptop, and way too much typing on
said device, that took much of Louis’ time this year, both at work and at home. His blog, at
http://www.louisgray.com, initially started in 2006 to talk tech in a personal way, became a lot
more visible, as he found more of a stride, posting more frequently and engaging with thought
leaders throughout Silicon Valley.
Meanwhile, outside of geek land, and in the real world, as new life was on its way to our family,
one of the more stable elements, our beagle, Molly, found it was time to move on. After a rich life
that saw her spoiled ahead of all other hound dogs, including more than 13 years under Kris-
tine’s care, she left us on June 5th, missing the twins’ arrival by just over two weeks. Her loss was
devastating for the family, and we still find ourselves expecting her to be in familiar places, greet-
ing us at the door and looking for food.
The twins have more than made up for Molly’s loss, and we’ve managed to cope with the extra
work needed, gaining plenty of help from friends and family who have been generous with their
time. And since their small start, the twins have tripled in size at the six-month mark, with Mat-
thew weighing in at 15 pounds, and Sarah at nearly 12. They manage to keep us on our toes, and
we will have fun chronicling their growth as they move from infants to toddlers and beyond. Kris-
tine has even set up a blog to watch their advancement, at http://www.thegrayeffect.com.
Blogging. Everybody is doing it.
Now, if you don’t mind, I think I hear a baby crying. Wonder which one?           
— Louis and Kristine Gray
         
www.louisgray.com                                         408 646-2759! www.thegrayeffect.com