Bailey Family

I sent out a picture with an update to most of the family and friends (out of town). I'm still working on getting Christmas organized and I've never been good about post office stuff, so some of the cards got put in the mail on Christmas Eve! (My brother who is in Chile - his package is still sitting on my craft table...) So, the picture that is at the top of the page is our family picture that went out. If you visit this regularly, you don't really need an update! I'll post Christmas pictures later. So, Jacob (my brother that lives across town - and recently 'divorced' from his roommate, our other brother Jared who just got married), wrote his own version of a family newsletter for the Edwards family. Here is the part about me, Rob, and the kids: kaitlyn- currently known as the milkdud, also known as porkchop, chubber, milker, and all other names referring to baby porker's seems to get along with most people. she likes to mimic others and make alot of faces...

Some funny things Seth has said recently Seth eats a poptart EVERY morning. So, when I decided to make grits one morning, I asked if he wanted to eat those like us. "Ok, I'll have grits and poptart." I asked him how he was going to eat both (little tummy - lots of food). He replied cooly, "Separately." And he did have both (the grits then the poptart). Carolyn has an addiction to this little square of silky material mom sewed together when she was a baby. She used to have many, then several, now two (although today we only know where one is - in the washing machine). So, irresponsibly, she always asks me where it is (like I'm supposed to keep up with it. She's three. If she's got a crutch on something to sleep with, that's her job to keep up with it. I keep up with Natalie's pacifier and that's it. So, when she asked recently, Seth told her (in an allusion to Dora the Explorer), "She's not your map." Seth lost a little yel...

I told Seth to go do something with a handout he got from church (b/c ultimately everything ends up on the computer desk in a pile). He was explaining it to me. It's a handout from the lesson about tithing. 9 pennies were glued to the "Mine" side of the paper and 1 penny was glued to the "Heavenly Father's" side of the paper. He told me that he was to give 1 to the Bishop and he got to keep the other 9. Then he asked, "How does the Bishop give the money to Heavenly Father? Does he just throw it?" :) (I did explain that the Bishop was instructed how to use it and that Heavenly Father really didn't need the money for where He is but He needs it to help here where we are.) Seth asks good questions I think. The Bailey Book award for the week (yeah, I know I'm not consistent with these): One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia Defelice, pictures by Andrea u'ren It's a story about this loney old couple who are poor and find a 'magical...

Seth on some boxes at the Lights at the Zoo A typical dinner at the Bailey house - Natalie (and the photographer) in winter clothing, Rob in summer clothing and more dishes than people (esp silverware b/c the kids can't use the same fork/spoon for everything - each item must have it's own piece of silverware)! But the crowning event of each evening is having the opportunity to dine with a princess and a pirate (or sometimes a mouse)! A cool picture of jellyfish I took at the zoo. Natalie really wants to touch the ornaments - esp the pink ball. The kids playing together nicely...it doesn't happen much, but it's nice when it does. The babies love to crawl all over Seth (or anyone who will sit on the ground long enough).

Seth in TBall - I never sent a picture. (I should have put the one of him at shortstop playing in the dirt b/c that's what he did most of the season.) He wanted to play football next, but I told him they didn't offer it for his age - only soccer, tball, and basketball. OK, basketball then, he told me. They even sent me a flyer for winter basketball starting in January. I threw it away. I've had enough sports for right now...maybe in the spring or summer I'll feel like it again - plus, basketball takes coordination I just don't think a 5 year old is capable of having! Nope, there is no rain in that picture. It looks sideways no matter which way you turn it. I cooked that....we just forgot to take a picture until we had eaten most of it! :) Memere (sorta pronounced Mem-may) with the kids. The babies are starting to recognize their grandparents - well, the ones in SC at least.

This is Seth reciting his part for the primary program. (I hope it is audible. Rob unplugged something Saturday and I'm not sure which hole to plug it back in, so I don't have sound on the computer to listen right now!) Carolyn saying the pledge of allegience (since Seth got coverage on that, she has to also): I just read my brother's weekly missionary email from chile... this has got to be quote of the week: "And even though her dog, victor, sat on my foot and left a mucas blood combination behind we will continue teaching Elena. " hahaha! That is so gross and funny...poor Will. (Try reading that outloud...I couldn't make it through it without laughing when reading it to Carolyn, who didn't find it as funny as I did.)

Let me edit my previous post with a new posting. My husband is currently in the garage cutting off his cast. I thought he was going to use wire cutters, but I hear a small motor...like a power tool. I told him I was going to call his mother and tell on him, but that seemed to have little effect - sorry Rachel - I guess that wore off some time ago. Hmm...I hope he doesn't cut his leg off. Should I check on him? I don't always listen to my doctors (when I don't see that it's important), so everytime I talk to him about just wearing the thing for three weeks and not messing with it, he gives me a little reminder that I'm like the pot calling the kettle black. (I have never removed a medical device without permission though.) Good, the motor sound stopped. I hope "Mickey" doesn't come out. (We have heard a scratchy sound in our walls the past weeks and yesterday as I was coming home from some shopping I walked to the backdoor, then backed up and went aroun...

Rob has been having lots of foot pain for quite a while now. It comes and goes and hurts when he is on his feet a lot, but since two doctors have failed to find anything, he just lives with it. The most recent doctor found nothing on the xray, so he scheduled an MRI. The results were in today - Rob has a stress fracture, so for the next three weeks (up until Thanksgiving) he's in a cast (from the tops of his toes to the top of his shin). It's blue; the kids and I have signed it...take a look:

We left as soon as Rob got off work last Thursday. We drove as far as we could and stayed in a place just below the border of Ohio (in WV). Thursday I saw deer eating on the side of the interstate. The fall colors were so much more vibrant the farther north we got. I tried to get some pictures, but my camera just did not do it justice. (The pictures are a little darker than it was outside b/c I took them while Rob was driving 70mph up the interestate, so I had to use a fast shutter speed to keep them from blurring.) Here's one taken Friday: Friday The scenery just got better and better. We left the hotel we stayed at over night and drove on to Richfield to visit Grandpa Venus. Then continued on to Chardon, OH. Friday night we celebrated Pepe Bailey's 70th birthday. Seth loved playing with all the younger Bailey cousins. Carolyn wanted to stay near me, but was happy. Natalie was passed around and would go in the nursery with the kids when we needed her to go in. Kai...

I have been so busy, I haven't had time to write about what we've been up to, so here's a condensed version of the end of october: FAIR We went to the fair for 'lunch at the fair'. You can go in, (pay), stay until 2 pm, and leave getting your admission money back if you're out by 2. So, we did. Seth had time to ride only 3 rides. Carolyn didn't get to ride what she wanted. Her height required an adult and Rob had already gone back to work. (I had to stay with the twins.) She enjoyed the 'elephant donut' though! FARM BIRTHDAY PARTY The next day, a friend had a birthday party at a 'farm', so we went - petted animals, went on a hay ride, ate hotdogs, and roasted marshamallows. (Hayden is in black - she's the birthday girl, Ashley in green, Seth, and Jackson on the right. The big gap between the girls and boys did not stay. Seth was actually holding Ashley's hand at one point...in a little kid friend kind of way! Although I'm surprise...

ARRRR! (I have to 'tear up' the pants he says to make him look like a pirate.) Isn't she pretty? (She's sleeping beauty.) Funny, as she wiggled into her bed and under her covers, she said (as is common for her) "Snuggle" and then "I like to snuggle in my bed." And she does...she sleeps in more than all the others. Yea. After three years of living here, the smaller bedroom finally has a valance and shade. This is the twins' room. And these are the twins. I just put this picture b/c I thought they were cute in their comfy little thermal outfits. (Kaitlyn won't fit in hers much longer, and it will be passed down to Natalie.) So, I've been sewing up a storm. My scrapbooks are over a year behind, but I've finally gotten around to other projects I've been wanting to do - including the curtains for the babies' room, Halloween costumes, and one more that I'll begin tonight. Check out the young women values quilt on the ...

Seth likes to say the pledge and hold the flag (we do this at the beginning of 'schooltime' each day, so here he is saying it on his own. Yes, he is wearing two shirts, one on top the other. I don't know why he did this, but it didn't look too bad, so it wasn't worth the battle. Carolyn wore a sunday dress today, 'glass slippers' (her church shoes) with no socks/hose. At least I can still be completely in charge of what the other two wear!

I've been wanting to post something inciteful about how I felt after watching conference this past week and the women's conference the weekend before, but I haven't had time to sit down and think quietly. Yes, sit down, but too much noise to ponder. I will get to it later, but I wanted to post something funny. Carolyn and Seth have been using glue sticks in crafts lately. Carolyn also loves chapstick. You can probably see where this is going... Sometimes when she asks for one, she gets confused and calls it the other. So far, she has not confused their purposes, only their names. However, if you call one day and I say Carolyn's mouth is glued shut, you can be assured that I did not do it! :) (Although I may have considered it before!) Rob would never let me though. He prefers duct tape! HAHA (I'm joking again by the way.) OK, and here's the picture of the invisible tooth (put your imagination hat on Mom and start imagining you see it)! OK, I must go put out a fi...

Beth caught me before I had really gotten dressed this morning. I like this picture better. Also, although none of the 5 attempts came out right, I plan to modify and retry 4 of them. And I have 7 other "advanced preparation" experiments planned. Denny's will have nothing on my hash browns when I'm done!

I love him, so that title is meant jokingly (not as a threat!) Rob loves hashbrowns (well, meat and potatoes of any kind). So, this morning as part of his Sunday big breakfast, he wanted hashbrowns. We have tried making them about 2-3 different ways many different times. Today, he started searching online for 'the perfect way' to make them. Everyone has a different 'secret' as to how to make them, so he did an experiment this morning: he tried 5 different ways! (Hence the title!) Note-he has about 4-5 more, but they require advance preparation, like the night before kind of preparation. Too much work, I'll stick to grits and eggs with biscuits and leave the hashbrowns to Denny's! (I have my own little continual trials in the kitchen. I recently accomplished Mom's banana pudding...still working on the pound cake. We'll try yesterday's attempt for dessert tonight.)