Bailey Family

In no particular order, here are some hints to the crossword puzzle to clues that I've been asked about....answers to come in a few days (along with a Florida post...which I am going to get to). Perhaps I should have done that rather than wasting time playing with photoshop today...but don't some of the pictures look cool? :)

I made three different Christmas newsletters for an Enrichment thing before Thanksgiving, so I used all three this year, and sent one to each person on our list. (If you weren't on the list, it's b/c you didn't send me your address!)  So, for those who didn't get one, or for those who were jealous of a different newsletter, here's all three. You'll probably have to click the crossword and open it up in a new window to make it big enough to read (or I can send you the file if you want). The crossword and "I spy" versions got the collage picture (which walmart cropped wrong), and the poem had a bunch of little pictures in black/white all along the sides, but I didn't feel like turing the publisher doc into a jpg, so you just get the poem on here.   (I'll post florida pictures, etc. later...when I'm finish finding places for all the new toys!) THE CROSSWORD THE COLLAGE THE POEM Gave some hugs Got in trouble Baked some ...

I have an opinion about a few things, so I thought I'd share (I know you really all love to hear my opinion!) Woolite Rug Stick: "Freshens" up the carpet nicely. Doesn't get rid of those dark dots (wear and tear spots) all over light carpet.  (in other words, my carpet still looks like crap) Space Bags (those things you fill and then vacuum out all the air): GREAT! I put all my maternity clothes in an XL one (originally in a big plastic tub) and the halloween stuff (originally in a rolling under the bed box) in two L sized bags. Cloth Diapers (Thirsties diaper covers and BumGenius 3.0): I used regular prefolds under the diaper covers, and for Natalie, who has sensitive skin, it ended in diaper rash. However, the bumgenius worked great - just like a disposable (no rash). Kaitlyn can wear either (I prefer the covers on her b/c her fat little butt filled up the BG just a little too much!) Cloth diapers in general: I liked them, but b/c of Natalie...

examining her PB&J:  "Did you use my favorite jelly?" (it's homemade jelly from homegrown grapes or muscadines or something from a lady at church) Carolyn: "I want yogurt" [has a grilled cheese and just finished half a PB&J]  Me: "No, I just mopped and I don't feel like messes yet."  Carolyn:  "When will you be ready for messes?" Carolyn (praying): "please bless lunch or breakfast or supper or whatever this is."

Engaged: Sealed: Reception:

Although I said a few more!   I had Seth use the sponge to provide privacy for this picture... In case you want to know how this happened: I was cleaning up the toy shelves in the girls room (getting rid of some toys before Christmas). My phone rang. I went to find it and answered it. While talking, I walked into the kitchen to check on dinner, and about a minute and half later, the older two were yelling to me that the babies had done something. (Carolyn, not in the bath, came into the kitchen to make sure I got the message...) I have them leave the door unlocked so that I can get in with the others quickly when needed...perhaps we'll be buying some of those annoying doorknob thingies to keep babies out. (I hate those things!)

Carolyn is 'fixing' my hair and spraying it with her spray bottle: "Everytime your hair gets wet it's black. and when it's not wet it's grey." (no it's not!) She left to paint her nails and then returned: "Mom, can't you see how fun fingernail paint is?" (showing me her freshly painted nails and I'm assuming attempting to convince me to let her paint mine...ok, ok, you can paint them!) "You can always have style." she tells me while she's doing it. (Where did this kid come from??)

I'm pretty sure she made up this joke herself. (I'm not sure what she means by "wet" in the punchline?)

I'm having trouble focusing on what I'm supposed to be doing right now (my lesson for relief society on Sunday), so I'm posting something really quick for a break. The video is of the twins (mostly Kaitlyn) singing. She can sing (yes, I mean she knows about half the words to the songs) "I am a child of God" and "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" and at least the "go" part of "The wheels on the bus" (meaning she knows, "round and round" or "swish swish swish" or "beep beep beep")...oh, and "Once there was a snowman" and I think she can fake a few others. She was making noises in a singsong voice last Sunday while we were singing hymns...I think I have another little music lover! (yea!)  I apologize for my "singing" (which was more like talking)...I only sing in groups; I don't do duets, but Kaitlyn doesn't do solos, so she needed a partner that could help her with the words. :) I ho...

Here's a quick picture review of our Thanksgiving weekend at Mom and Dad's house...I hope mom and Kristen got better pictures than me, b/c I don't have very many! Our newest game...the Wii. Ok, I give in. It really is fun. Yes, even anti-video game Beth played. (and Grammy!) Rob did his Black Friday homework, and at midnight, some of us went out for our first round of shopping! The second round started before the sun came up. Community Bathtime! (don't worry - the bubbles cover everything) :) Grammy and Granddaddaddy got to hold and kiss 4 grandkids. Granddaddy loves "baby head" (you know - the way their head/hair smell right out of the bathtub with baby lotion on 'em)...Grammy had to reapply the baby lotion about 5 times a day! We played late night board games. (Granddaddy had taken some nighttime tylenol cold stuff and was long asleep by this game. I had some the night before...I was out by 8!) The babies got rocked, held, or lied down with to sleep ever...

Our dishwasher broke. So, here are the 'hidden blessings': 1. We're going to mom's for Thanksgiving (so we won't need it for several days and we won't have 12 people's worth of dishes to do here). 2. My kitchen has actually been cleaner without it! (yes, I'm sure this will wear off soon.) After doing 2 days worth of dishes by hand (I had tried to wash the first day's worth in the dishwasher before realizing it was broken the second day)...I decided it was better to hand wash after each meal rather than once a day...so cleaner kitchen all day long. 3. Natalie can't turn off the natural air circulating throughout the house like she can the 'heated dry', so no more dripping dishes when I expect to find dry dishes. 4. Ok, that's all I can think of...and we are going to get it fixed - but it takes less time to wash the dishes than to deal with getting it fixed this week! Jewelry Thieves! (They were so cute...and Drisella (Carolyn...

After the loss of my blender lid, the dumping and scattering of important files, and the unmonitored use of scotch tape, I decided to take matters into my own hands! Natalie's already started working on the masking tape. Does anyone know how to get into that space under the cabinet (behind the toe kick area)? I think my blender lid got lost through an opening in the cabinet where two meet in the corner, and then slid under the floor of the cabinet. Rob says we can't get to it, but that blender's only a year old and I WANT MY LID BACK!  (how hard would it have been for the builders to put a board up to cover the cabinet front to cover the opening before putting another cabinet in front of it??)

I feel like all day long I say, "GIRLS!" Sometimes they're cute: (playing hair salon I think?) Sometimes they're sweet: But mostly these days, they're a pain! Either I was not paying attention or not warned...twins are hard! (Yeah, Libbi's probably saying, "no kidding!") They like to take their clothes off: (That would be her long sleeved onesie around her waist - yes, the neck hole of the shirt is around her waist!) My other children were so much easier to transition from cribs to beds: And they NEVER escaped from a gated area!! (yeah, that was naptime...I was trying to paper maché at the time) Funny story. So, I wanted to take a shower after the gym one day last week and not have to wait until naptime. They've been destructive a lot, but thanks to that, most of the stuff they mess with is now up high.  I put Carolyn in charge (haha), and took a very fast shower. After I got dressed I came out to find Nat...

This is quite impressive for me...streamers aren't my thing - where's mom when you need her? oops, one fell. I was going to post lots of pictures of the party, ....but I was too busy handling all the kids and I had Rob cooking or entertaining Carolyn and her friend, so I have very few pictures! Here are the cakes. (Cakes are homemade, frosting is bought -except the white - Rob made buttercream homemade frosting for me to write with) Didn't notice the cat's whiskers weren't symmetrical - I was doodling that while the guests were arriving! Ugh, that's going to bug me in the scrapbook. Yes, I washed every piece on that cake before putting it on! We played zingo (bingo), musical chairs, dinosaur stomp (try to pop each other's balloon tied to the ankle and protect your own...that would have been a cute picture, oh well), and a treasure hunt (12 clues - mostly dinosaur and some kitty, although Carolyn and her friend had no interest in participatin...

He was 5... And now he's 6! The only thing he asked for was a skateboard...so we got it (with rules to wear all pads and helmet!) And some cool batman pajamas - with a cape! (and some gym pants, not pictured) We're doing his party in November to combine it with Carolyn's birthday.