Baileytown

Finally!

2009-08-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I've posted but the last couple of months have been very busy and filled with changes. Shortly after my last post our cat Gordon took a turn for the worse. He'd been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in April. He seemed to be responding well to the medication but then developed high blood pressure and then his kidneys began to fail. And while he fought a brave fight, he was just too old and became too frail to fight anymore. It was a very difficult decision but we knew it was best to let him go. We decided we didn't want him to be alone in his final moments so we all went with him to the vet and while Shane waited in the waiting area with Christian, I went with him into the exam room. As Christian requested, he was wrapped snugly in Christian's favorite Superman blanket. Gordon loved to curl up on it and nap on Christian's bed. As the vet began the process I held him in my arms and sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the Itsy Bitsy Spider to him until he drifted off and took his last breath. Afterward, Shane and Christian came into the room to see him one more time and give him one final pet. A very sad and emotional experience for all of us but I think it helped Christian to understand and accept that he was really gone. He was very brave and handled it exceptionally well. Gordon was a part of our family for a very long time and we miss him terribly.

Christian & Gordon - 2009

In the week afterward it was very hard for me to come home to an empty house. I knew it wouldn't be long before we'd have a furry friend in our family again. Shane and I talked about maybe getting a puppy but ultimately decided Christian was still a bit too young for the responsibility of a dog. We liked the idea of getting another cat from a rescue shelter. So I started looking around at a few places. The weekend rolled around and Christian and I headed out again to the local shelters. One of the places we went back to was a place I had visited earlier in the week. And while there were lots of wonderful kitties there, Christian was particularly drawn to two little black ones. We learned that they were bonded brothers and they would only adopt them as a pair. We also learned that they were miracle kitties who had survived contracting distemper from their mother during birth. This is usually fatal but somehow these little guys had the will to live. We decided it was meant to be and brought them home with us that night. Their shelter names were Mac and Toby and Christian thought that if we changed them they might be confused so they remain Mac and Toby. They've adjusted well to their new home and we have all fallen completely in love with them. We are sure that Gordon would be happy knowing that his paws were so big to fill we had to get two furry friends!

Mac and Toby

Grandma GoGo Goes to Washington

2009-06-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

Christian had a week break between the end of the school and the beginning of summer camp and Grandma GoGo came out to hang out with us and we had a blast. Christian loves his Grandma and was very excited to spend a week with her. We did a lot of sight-seeing downtown -- the monuments and the Smithsonian. We also spent one of our days at the zoo and another at Luray Caverns. We loved the caverns -- very interesting place. I'm including some pictures from our week. We miss you Grandma GoGo!

Trip to the Zoo

Down in the Caverns

Luray, VA

Resting on the way to the Lincoln Memorial

In front of the reflecting pool

Christian, Grandma and Abe

Washington Monument

On the Metro

Happy Birthday Granddad!

2009-05-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law’s birthday is today. When Christian and I were talking about it a few days ago he wanted to know if we were going to visit him to celebrate. When I told him that we wouldn’t be able to go on his actual birthday since it was in the middle of the week but that we’d visit him over the weekend instead, he was very disappointed. I suggested that we could call him and wish him a happy birthday to which he replied, “I know, maybe we could send him something over the computer so he could really see me”. I told him I thought that was a great idea.

Most members of our family already know about the close relationship Christian has with his Granddad but for those who don’t, these two have a pretty special bond that started the very day that Christian was born and has not wavered since. From the time Christian was just weeks old, Eddie was our best babysitter. He would drop whatever he was doing to stay with him if we needed to be away for something. He never shied away from a single dirty diaper, didn’t mind the spit up on his shirt and cleaned up many a “projectile” without complaint. He took him for walks in the stroller, fed him, read to him and held him for hours on end. And, as Christian grew so did the bond. As soon as Christian began to walk, Granddad would take him by the hand and help him along. He would take him outside and they’d walk up and down the sidewalk “practicing” and Granddad would talk to him, point things out and tell him what they were. They were two peas in a pod.

As Christian got bigger, those practice walks were replaced with trips to the park, rides up and down the boardwalk in the bike buggy, endless pushes on the tree swing and lessons in boxing techniques (much to my dismay). When I asked Christian what things he liked doing best with his Granddad he said, "building sand castles at the beach, playing cards and playing hide & seek". And when I asked why he loved his Granddad he said, “because he gives me Bertucci buns and treats, gives me money for my piggy bank and lets me watch cartoons whenever I want”. To which I replied, “well, you know that your Granddaddy loves you very much don’t you?” and Christian responded, “oh yes, I know that he loves me all the way to the moon and back”.

As Christian gets older it's fun to watch their relationship evolve and change. I'm sure Christian will soon be tossing the football back and forth with you, going fishing and helping you work in the yard. He learns so much from you and looks up to you. He is an incredibly lucky little boy to have a Granddad who loves him so much and cherishes every moment you get to spend together. You are a very important part of this little boy's life and every day that Christian has you in his life is a gift.

So for your birthday here is a special message from your little buddy, so you can "really see him". Happy Birthday Eddie -- we all love you very much.

Gone But Not Forgotten

2009-05-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've been very neglectful of my blog the past several weeks. Life has thrown a few loops our way lately so I've been a bit preoccupied and not in the right frame of mind to blog. But, the dust is settling and all is well so I'm hoping to get a new post with pictures up this coming week. I'll be back in action soon.

Christian Turns Six!

2009-03-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

In Christian's very own words, "It was the best birthday party ever"! He and all his friends had a blast. And now, our baby is six years old.

He's such a great kid. He loves to watch Tom and Jerry cartoons, Scooby Doo, Star Wars and Harry Potter. His reading choices these days are any Magic Tree House books, The Legend of Mackinaw Island, Dr. Seuss and books about any of the Presidents and the Revolutionary War. When he grows up he either wants to be a scientist or the President.

He loves to build with Tinker Toys, Legos and Lincoln Logs, play swords and guns, and dress up in costumes. I've actually got him signed up for a week-long drama camp over spring break in a few weeks and he can hardly wait.

Some of his current favorite foods are rice, chicken sandwiches, Trix cereal, Bertucci buns, french style green beans and ice cream (wonder where he gets that one from?) He loves to play board games and Go Fish and he's pretty good at them too.

He's a green stripe belt in Tae Kwon Do and he's becoming a very good swimmer. He's shown some interest in football, soccer and baseball so we may look into those in the fall.

He's a very independent and outgoing kid -- not shy and good at making new friends. He's thoughtful and sensitive and has a goofy sense of humor.

And, although he's getting bigger he still loves to sit with mommy and read, snuggle in bed with us on Saturday and Sunday mornings and give hugs and kisses. The world is a much busier, sometimes frustrating, crazy, sweet place with him in it! Happy Birthday Budder Bear -- we love you.

Making a wish

Blowing out the candle

Whispering the wish in my ear

Christian and Megan

Christian and friends

Crazy Kid

Goof balls

Birthday Boy

We survived a Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party!

Four Score and

2009-03-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

six years ago our baby boy was born. We're getting ready to celebrate his big day tomorrow complete with presents, cake and a bash at Chuck E Cheese! Today he had his pre-celebration at school with birthday donuts and special Transformers birthday napkins. I'll be doing a birthday post sometime next week. Stay tuned.

I Got Tagged...

2009-02-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

THE RULES:
1- Post the rules on your blog
2- List 6 random things about yourself.
3- Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4- Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
5- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I hate driving in D.C. because I always get lost! Whenever I go downtown I always take the metro or a cab.

2. One of my favorite things to eat is peanut butter and radish sandwiches. I use to eat them with my Dad when I was a kid. The trick is to slice the radishes really thin and layer them real thick and use lots of peanut butter. Sweet and crunchy -- Yummy!

3. I have one leg slightly longer than the other as a result of breaking my leg when I was 10.

4. I'm really good at ironing. I can press a shirt as well as any professional dry cleaner. I find it very theraputic when I have the time.

5. My feet are not ticklish.

6. When Shane and I first started dating one of our favorite things to do was tandem biking. We still have our tandem hanging up in the garage. Maybe when we have more free time we'll dust it off and take it out for a spin.

Unfortunately I have no fellow bloggers to tag that have not already been tagged!

The Next American Idol!

2009-02-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is a pretty long video because he sings the whole song but it's pretty funny. Using the flag as a prop was his idea. He's such a patriotic boy!

Date Night

2009-02-17T08:14:00.001-08:00

Shane and I actually had a date night this past Saturday and celebrated Valentine's Day. We very rarely go out but Christian's martial arts school had a special Ninja Night. For a small fee, from 6-10 p.m. they had special crafts and activities, a pizza party and a movie. He had a blast and we got a night out. We saw the movie Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood and we both really liked it. If you're looking for a good movie to see, I highly recommend it.

Amazing Koala

2009-02-11T13:39:00.001-08:00

I saw this news story this morning about a koala being rescued from the devastating bushfires in Australia. I was so touched by this story I just had to post these pictures. Amazing!

CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with a koala injured in a bushfire at Mirboo North. Photo / AP

Sam the koala is being treated in a wildlife shelter after being saved from a burned-out forest. Photo / AP

Reward Chart! Please Help!

2009-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

We're reinstituting the responsibility/reward chart at our house again. We used one once quite a while ago with success and we're hoping it will work again. The morning routine has really become a problem for us and I'm going crazy having to ask Christian ten times to go brush his teeth!

I'll tell him it's time to get dressed so off he'll go to his room and when I go check on him ten minutes later I find him sitting on the floor in his underwear looking through a book!!! I tell you, it's driving me mad! So, starting tomorrow morning the chart will be back on the wall and not only will there be rewards, there will also be consequences! If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears!

Let it Snow!

2009-01-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

We finally got some snow and Christian was thrilled. He absolutely loves to play in it and he really likes getting a day off from school because of it. Shane stayed home with him and they had a blast. Here a couple videos of their snowy adventures. For those of my Michigan family, I realize that the snow on the sledding hill is a bit pitiful by U.P. standards but here in our neck of the woods you take what you can get!

Getting this snowfall made me feel a bit homesick. I remember how I felt on those mornings finding out that school was cancelled because of a blizzard. In Sault Ste. Marie, they closed our schools because we got 5 feet of snow, not 3 inches!!!! But we would all ( I had 5 brothers and sisters) get bundled up in the morning after breakfast and all the kids in the neighborhood would play outside -- usually all day long -- building snow forts. We would have so much snow that we could really tunnel into the huge snow banks created by the snow plows that plowed out our driveways and we could hollow out spaces big enough for a couple of us to crawl into and sit down. And, these tunnels and forts would last for a while because it was so cold and we could play in them for a days on end.

Ah, the cold, that is a whole other story too. When I was a kid it was no big deal for the temperature to drop below zero. As a matter of fact we welcomed the freezing temperatures because that meant it was cold enough to build our own ice rink in the yard. My dad would help us section off a large rectangular space in the yard and then we would use shovels to pack that space down really flat and smooth. This would create a wall around the perimeter a few inches high and then we could flood it with water from the hose. Before long all that water would freeze and we'd have our very own ice rink. I learned how to skate on one of those homemade rinks. I started out with double runner skates and I'd hold onto the back of an old kitchen chair for balance and push it around the ice. I took many a tumble but I always had a brother or sister close by to help me back up and eventually I got the hang of it. Gosh, it's been years since I've been on ice skates. What a great place to grow up!

If any of my brothers or sisters are reading this post, I love you and I miss you and I remember! :0)

Christian's Day Yesterday

2009-01-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of how Christian looked this morning after getting dressed for school. He was very excited to be wearing the new corduroy sport coat his Grandma Bailey bought for him over the weekend. I cannot believe how much this boy loves to dress up and wear ties! This weekend he asked if we could go shopping for a blue suit!

And, this is what he looked like when I picked him up from school in the evening! He was so excited about losing another tooth and I have to say that this awkward toothless smile is so darned cute I can hardly stand it!

Our little man is growing up so fast!

Longjohns

2009-01-14T11:57:00.001-08:00

One of Christian's favorite Christmas gifts this year was pair of red longjohn pj's from Uncle Ted and Aunt Connie. He loves the button flap in the rear-end! My little redneck boy!

Special Shout Out to Grandma GoGo

2009-01-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Christian still loves to get dressed up for school and this morning he wanted to wear the new shirt and tie set he got for Christmas from Grandma GoGo. This kid cracks me up.

Just when you thought you were having a bad day!

2009-01-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477385,00.html

First Date of the New Year!

2009-01-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Christian and his girlfriend Megan had another "date" over the holiday break and once again had a blast. Christian was so happy that she was coming over he even sang his "Megan Song". Here is a video of it.

These two have been friends since their first year of pre-school together when they were both 3 years old. It's very sweet to watch them play together and listen to how they interact -- sort of like an old married couple some times. I'm sure that in a year or two it will all be different when boys become "stinky" to girls and girls become "icky" to boys. But until then it's fun when they get together and Megan will definitely be the little girl I remind Christian about when he's older. Here are some pictures from their afternoon play date.

Dancing in the kitchen

Climbing on the furniture and

Jumping on the sofa cushions

And a popsicle break while pretending to take a walk in the rain.

Oh to be 5 years old again! Do you remember your first love when you were that young?

Halfway there!

2008-12-29T12:35:00.001-08:00

Yep! I'm 45 years old today and since I've always thought 90 would be a good "final" age, today is my halfway point. Good God, how did I ever get this old? I still feel like that 21 year old scared small-town girl who packed up all her belongings in her 1984 black Dodge Shadow and drove halfway cross country to try to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I made it in the "big city" -- spent years creating a life. Over the last 20+ years I've worked hard, made friends, gone to school, done some traveling, learned what love is, experienced loss, come to really realize the importance of family, gotten married, had a baby and created a family. Whew, I've been busy! I feel so fortunate to have had these first 45 years and I'm looking forward to the next 45! Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

A very proud builder of his first gingerbread house! Notice the halloween pumpkin in the background -- a little holiday confusion at the Bailey house? Have a great weekend.

Holiday Preparations

2008-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well, Thanksgiving was a blur but we had a very nice one. Christian was really into the whole "first Thanksgiving story" this year from reading books at school about it. And, he loves the fact that he is an Indian and not a pilgrim. Truely, he is a card carrying member of the Chippewa tribe as am I, but that's a whole other story. I knew when I bought this Indian costume at the Goodwill store a while back it would come in handy! I'll let the video speak for itself. It's a bit long by blog standards but very cute!

And although I'm sure Christian had a great time visiting with all his family at our Thanksgiving celebration I am pretty certain he was most excited about seeing his cousins Connor and Josh. He loves hanging out with them and they are so good about being tolerant of his youth, exuberance and excitablity. They are the closest things he's got to brothers and he loves them.

Now its all about getting ready for Christmas! Almost all the shopping is done which I'm very happy about. The cards have been mailed, the tree has been decorated and the stockings have been hung.

Our little tree

Stockings to be filled

The reason for the season

Even Gordon's getting excited

We're taking our annual drive through the Lights on the Bay display this weekend. And next weekend I'll try to get some wrapping done and start my annual baking. So far the holiday season is off to a great start. I know the economy is not so great and we certainly couldn't spend as much money as we've done in the past but we have so many other things to be thankful for. I'm going to try to get another blog in before the 25th but if for some reason I don't, Happy Holidays everyone!

Fall leaves and then some...

2008-11-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

To all those people who say they love living in the Northern Virginia area because you get to experience all four seasons, I say, "wanna come to my house and help rake leaves"????? OMG, they are out of control. It seems like we've been raking non-stop for the last two weeks and we've just finally made a serious dent. I didn't think they were ever going to end and we actually quit counting at 100 bags full. And, I'm sad to say that there are still some left on the trees. We have them piled up along our fenceline and behind the screen porch not to mention the 20+ bags out in front of the house along the curb waiting for this Wednesday's pick up.

But for Christian and his buddy J.R. who lives across the street, they were a blast to play in! A few more years though and Christian won't think they're nearly as much fun when he becomes part of the clean up crew!

All I've got to say now is "think snow". I'll take a few hours of shoveling over days and days of raking any time.

Future Olympian!

2008-11-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

Future Michael Phelps???? Never say never and a mommy can dream can't she? This kid sure does like the water and even practices his strokes and holding his breath under water when he's taking his bath. Shane snapped this picture of him last night.

He loves his swimming class and got to be the coach's helper this past Saturday demonstrating for the new kids the strokes they were going to practice. He thought that was pretty cool.

Everybody into the pool!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:48:00.001-07:00

Last night was pumpkin carving night at our house. Christian did most of the "goo scooping" and then I carved the face to his specifications. He was adamant that we have a vampire pumpkin this year with fangs.

He was very happy with the finished product and he's uber excited to go to the neighbor's Halloween party tonight and then on to trick-or-treating. Looks like we're going to have decent weather too -- I'm very happy about that.

I also had to include this picture I took of Christian with his friend Will at a neighborhood Halloween festival we went to on Sunday. Christian knew exactly who this guy was when he saw him since they've been learning all about the election at school. And even thought Christian says he is voting for Barack Obama he still wanted to get his picture taken with John McCain. So, no matter who you decide to vote for, you still have to admit this picture is pretty funny!

Have a great Halloween and a great weekend!

School Picture Day!

2008-10-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were a kid how excited you were for school picture day? Well, today is the day for Christian and he was ready and raring to go this morning. He didn't want to eat breakfast or even watch any cartoons. He just wanted to get dressed and get to school.

Last night we got all his clothes ready. I let him choose his own shirt, tie and belt. He was so proud of his handsome self! This kid loves to wear a shirt and tie! Shane kids him and calls him Alex P. Keaton!

I'm sure it won't last forever. Soon he'll be wearing ripped up baggy old jeans and a t-shirt and wanting to let his hair grow -- I'm just going to enjoy this phase while it lasts.

Happy Friday -- have a great weekend! :0)

Busy Weekend!

2008-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe my first blog was almost a year ago and it was all about our day at Cox's Farm. We made our annual trek there again this past Saturday and it was a blast as usual. We've been going there with Christian since he was two years old and we always look forward to it. This year they added a new corn maze called the "Kornundrum" and it was Christian's favorite thing this time. We walked through it no less than five times!!! It's a great place to visit so if you get the chance to go I highly recommend it. They have tons to do and see -- we were there for over five hours!!!!! I'll let the pictures and videos do the talking....

Scary Monster!

Farmer Brown

Family Picture

Hatching

King of the hill

The Hayride

Hanging with the corn cob in the Kornundrum

Milking a cow

Riding a horse

Welcome Baby Ella!

2008-09-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Shane's niece Crystal and her husband Todd had their first child a few weeks ago -- a beautiful baby girl named Ella Marie. We finally got to meet her this past Sunday at a small get together at Shane's folk's house. Christian loved her. He wanted to hold her and touch her and watch her while she was sleeping. What is it about little kids being so drawn to babies? Even when we're out and about somewhere -- if he sees a baby he makes a beeline for it and asks, "can I look at your baby?" I know, I know, maybe we should have given him a sibling but alas it is much too late for that now. He'll just have to enjoy his cousins!

Captain Bailey!

2008-09-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

We were on vacation the last two weeks of August. We went to Michigan for a week and visited with my family. One of the highlights of the trip was Christian getting to go into the cockpit of our airplane and sit in the Captain's seat and wear his hat. That's a pretty big deal when you're five and he loved it!

We had a great time in Michigan and for the most part had some pretty great weather. We spent several afternoon's at Aunt Mikki's pool and for the first time Christian swam without "swimmies".

We also spent a day on Mackinaw Island. Our weather was perfect. We took the ferry over at about 10:00 a.m. and the first thing we did was visit Fort Mackinaw. It's a really neat place so if you ever get the opportunity to visit you should. We had a picnic lunch in the park afterwards and then just walked around the island a bit before taking the ferry back to our car.

Riding on the ferry boat to the Island

Hanging out the soldiers

Learning about the rifles

The cannon was really loud!

Dressed like a little soldier

Another highlight of the trip was the bonfire at my brother Ted's place. Christian loved the bonfire because he got to play with his cousin Connor, roast marshmallows and eat smores and ride on Uncle Ted's 4-wheeler. I'm really disappointed in myself that I didn't take more pictures, especially since all of my siblings were there and it would have been great to get a picture of all of us together. I guess I was just having too much fun sitting around the fire and gabbing to think about getting the camera out.

Christian and Connor playing with their cowboy pistols

I did get a picture of the old high school gang when they stopped by my mom's to visit before we left. It's hard to believe we were ever in our teens and in high school but not hard to believe we're still friends. There's just something about growing up in a small town.

Julie, me, Mindy and Donna

We all loved visiting our Michigan family and like always, the time went by way too fast. Christian did not want to leave and can't wait to go back. He really wants to go in the winter so he can play in the snow so we may have to plan a Christmas visit soon.

Now, summer is over and school started back yesterday. We're looking forward to fall and all the fun it brings -- Cox's Farm, pumpkin carving, Halloween, raking leaves (not sure how fun that is!) -- hope your summer was as fun as ours.

Visit from the Tooth Fairy!

2008-08-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Christian lost his first tooth yesterday while he was at school! And, it happened to be the very first tooth he got when he was 4 months old! He was so excited about it and actually anxious to go to bed last night so he could put it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. She arrived without fail and he found $2 under his pillow this morning.

Arrrrrrgh!

2008-07-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took Christian on a Pirate Adventure and he had a blast. It's located in Annapolis, MD so it's not too far away. It was most definitely worth the trip. The kid's get to dress up in pirate gear and go for a ride on a "pirate ship" on the Chesapeake Bay in search of sunken treasure. Here are some of the pictures.

Summertime and The Living is Easy!

2008-07-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

A 10 ft. inflatable pool with filter - $45.99

Chemicals to keep the water clean all summer - $28.79
Miscellanious pool supplies including skimmer and vacuum - $69.99

And grass seed to use in the fall to re-grow the grass in the dead patch where the pool was - $19.95

Watching Christian cannonball and play in it all summer - Priceless!!!!

We bought this pool the second week of June because Christian was going to be off school for a week and I was going to be home with him. The weather report for the week was calling for extremely hot (90 degrees +) and humid conditions. I knew I'd go crazy being cooped up in the house with him all week and I also knew I'd be miserable if we had to be outside in that nasty heat all day long so Shane and I thought it would be worth the investment to get this little pool. We figured that even if we only used it that one week it would be worth it! Well, we used it that week and we've been using it consistently ever since. Shane and I even get in it! It's actually fairly easy to maintain and keep clean and the filter does a pretty good job although it's pretty slow. But, if we know we're going to use it in the evening when we get home we just turn it on in the morning before we leave and it is ready to go when we get home. Christian has even had a few pool playdates and everyone seems to have a blast. Cowabunga Dude!

My Dad

2008-06-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well, another Father's Day has come and gone. As many of you who have lost a parent or close family member know, the grief over this loss is something that you just simply learn to live with. The saddness subsides and you put it away in place where it can be managed and you go on. Well, many of you also know that no matter how much time has passed or how far away you've managed to push that saddness that sometimes it just surfaces for some reason. It could be almost anything that triggers it; a news story on T.V., a song you hear on the radio, a found photo you've not seen in a long time or a special date or occasion. And even though I've successfully navigated the previous seven Father's Days, this most recent Father's Day was a trigger for me. And while I can usually shake these bouts off in a few hours or at most, a day, I just can't seem to put it away this time. Since Sunday my mind has been racing with thoughts of my Dad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a blubbering mess of grief and saddness unable to function. I'm just acutely aware of how very much I miss him and all the little things I loved so very much about him.

So, I thought maybe if I blogged about it a bit and got some of it out, I'd be able to put it back in it's rightful place and carry on. So, here goes...

My Dad never set any world records, made millions of dollars, traveled the globe, made any great discovery or even graduated from college. He was a small town guy who never had a desire to be anything more than he was. And, it wasn't that he didn't set his goals high, in fact it was quite the opposite. The goals he set for himself were quite high and he met and exceeded every single one of them. At the ripe old age of 19 when he found out he was going to have a child he decided he was going to be a faithful husband and a father who would provide for and love this baby. And he did. He was a faithful and loving husband to my Mom until the day he died. And not only did he love and provide for that first baby, he did the same for the next five that followed. Pretty awesome goals for a nineteen year old kid!

He had a strong work ethic and was a loyal employee. He showed up for work every day, worked hard and did his job because he knew that people were counting on him. In fact, it was from work that the ambulance picked him up and took him to the emergency room on the day he died. Although, he had been having smaller heart attacks throughout the two days preceeding his death, he managed to wash, shave and dress in his uniform and go to work that day. Pretty determined man I'd say. Another goal achieved.

He treated my Mom with respect and kindness and told her every day that loved her before he kissed her good-bye on his way to work. They took care of each other and worked as a team. And after 20+ years of raising kids and being busy with so many things other than than themselves realized that even after all those years had passed and all six of us left our home that they actually still loved each other and had fun together. He knew he needed her and decided early on that he would foster their relationship and that regardless of the problems and mistakes that come about in every relationship that his love for her would be stronger than any of those silly things. His promise from the very beginning was to make this woman happy. Check off another one of those goals as achieved.

He had six separate goals for each one of his children. He understood that we were all different people and knew we'd all make different choices. Some of which he didn't always agree with but supported us anyway. One of the truly wonderful things about my Dad was that although we knew he always had an opinion he never gave it unless we asked for it. He was not judgemental. He taught us right from wrong and on those occasions when we did go wrong, to accept and take responsiblity. To learn from the mistakes, don't make them again and move on. He knew he had six little ones to guide into being decent, hardworking, compassionate people. My siblings and I all have our own different lives, we know how to love and we're all good people and most remarkable is we all like and care for each other. He, along with my Mom taught us how important we were to each other. They taught us the importance of family. Goal achieved x6!

My Dad wasn't perfect. I'm sure he drank way too much beer and smoked way too many cigarettes. He never went to church, he swore too much (even made up his own swear words), he drove way too slow and he'd never take my Mom on a vacation. He didn't see any reason to be anywhere other than home. But he loved me. He was always the first one to say "I love you babe" when we'd talk on the phone after I moved to Virginia. When I'd come home to visit he'd hug me so hard I thought I'd break in two and then he'd get so emotional he'd have to go hang out in his garage/workshop until he'd composed himself. Whenever I'd have a relationship end and be nursing a broken heart, I knew I could always call him for a healthy dose of "he was no good anyway", or "you deserve a much better guy than that goofball". No matter what went wrong, it was always their fault. And, let's face it, every girl needs at least one man in her life who thinks she is perfect just the way she is, that she is always right, and that she is the smartest most beautiful girl in the whole world. Thanks Dad!

You know I'm in no hurry to get to heaven. I've got way too much to still do in this life. But when it is my time I know I won't be afraid. It will be so nice to see your smiling face there to greet me and to give me one of those big hugs I miss so much. I love you Daddy and I miss you very much. Happy Father's Day!

When the Thought of You Catches Up With Me

It can happen any moment
Without reason or rhyme
It might be right around the corner
Or it'll come up from behind
A picture that I thought would fade
That I still clearly see
When the thought of you catches up with me
It can happen on a Sunday drive
The sky above a shade of blue
Headin' down some lonesome highway
Then you come into view
Mile after mile goes by
But you're all I see
When the thought of you catches up with me
When the thought of you comes to mind
It'll carry me away to a better place in time
It can happen in the dead of night
Or any day of the week
Sometimes you'll come find me
When I'm in bed asleep
And I'll have that dream about you
And I sure love what I see
When the thought of you catches up with me
When the thought of you catches up with me
When the thought of you catches up with me
*Lyrics by David Ball

Weekend Playdate!

2008-06-03T10:36:00.001-07:00

Christian had a playdate with his "girlfriend" Megan on Sunday and they had such a blast that I had to blog about it. But first, a bit of history on this duo. Christian and Megan have been going to preschool together for the last two years and have been an "item" since very early on. Within the first few weeks of starting school together Christian has referred to Megan as his girlfriend and told us on several occasions that he is going to marry her. His devotion has never wavered.

The afternoon started with a game of dress-up. You know it's serious when he lets her wear his all time favorite Knight's costume!

Next on the afternoon's agenda was a trip to Lake Accotink park. We'd hoped to take them on a canoe ride but they were having a boat regatta and not doing any boat rentals on Sunday. The place was packed though and they had a bunch of other fun stuff to do. The favorite activity for these two was the water shower archway. I didn't think we'd ever get them out of it.

But the playground eventually sounded fun so off we went...

and would you believe it, there were two swings open at the same time so we commenced to swinging. For any of you who know Christian well, you know that he will swing until the cows come home as long as someone pushes him. Megan seemed to be loving it too.

Eventually they got hungry so we headed home where they dined in the front yard and then ran through the sprinkler for a while.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cruising the neighborhood in Christian's Jeep. I think it was Megan's first "car date" and was definitely the highlight. Christian even let her drive a few times.

Springtime!

2008-05-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

Our weather is finally getting nice after an unusually cold springtime around here. So, the last few weekends we've been getting out and taking Christian "exploring". We're very fortunate to live very close (withing walking distance) to an awesome park in Fairfax county called Lake Accotink. In addition to a playground, mini-golf and an old time carousel it has some great hiking trails that go all around the lake. You can also rent three different kinds of boats; row boats, canoes and pedal boats. One weekend we spent a Saturday afternoon just hiking along the trails. We brought a snack and stopped along the way and took a break.

Christian, like most boys is very fond of sticks and rocks and...

bugs!!!! He was facinated by these piles of caterpillars climbing on the trees so I let him take a few pictures.

We also met a very interesting older woman hiking who stopped to talk to Christian about the caterpillars. She asked him if he like turtles and when he told her he did, she told him he should go down near the water's edge and look for them on the fallen logs in the water. She said there are usually lots of them sunning themselves in the afternoon. We ventured down near the water in a few different spots but no turtles to be found.

This past weekend we headed back to the lake and this time we rented a row boat and went for an adventure on the water.

We saw some geese. This one in particular seemed to be following us wherever we would row. I told Christian he was probably hoping we'd toss him some food.

We also saw this awesome crane. We tried to get as close as we could but this is as far as we got before he flew away.

We also finally saw some of those turtles that lady told us about and there were a bunch of them. They're pretty far away in this picture but there are seven of them here.

Christian loved being out in the boat. We weren't too sure if it would freak him out or not but he thought it was great. Next time he says he wants to get one of the pedal boats so he can sit in the middle and steer. Maybe this weekend if the weather is good.

Mission Complete & Five Things I'm Thankful For

2008-05-05T07:44:00.001-07:00

We did it!!! I have to say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We completed the entire walk -- 26.2 miles the first day and 13.1 the second. Saturday morning started early. We arrived at our starting point at about 6:00 a.m., dropped off our gear and had something to eat.

The sun just coming up on Saturday morning

We met up with Cyndi shortly before the opening ceremony. We milled around a bit taking it all in. There were so many people! The number of walkers, we were told, was 3,500! Amazing!!!

Melissa, Cyndi and me just before the opening ceremony

The route officially opened at 7:30 and we were off and walking. The weather was turning out to be perfect. The sun was out and there was a nice cool breeze and not a rain cloud in sight. We were very happy about that.

All 3,500 of us just getting started

Feeling good at mile 1!

We kept moving along mile after mile taking it all in. Staying inspired by reading messages other walkers were wearing on their shirts about friends and loved ones struggling with this disease and those who have already been taken by it. We talked to one man who we saw walking alone with an 8x10 photo strapped to his back of lovely young blonde woman. As we walked up next to him Cyndi asked him who he was walking for. He told us he was walking for his fiance who had been diagnosed last July and lost her fight within 2 months. I asked what her name was and he told us her name was Karen. We assured him that we would be thinking about Karen as we walked too and he thanked us. A bit further along Melissa noticed a picture with a note worn by another walker. Her note read "Mom, I'd walk 1,000 miles if it meant I could spend just one more day with you". We saw many other pictures and notes like this throughout the walk and it helped us to realize how important what we were doing was. It really helped to keep us going.

Another thing that helped keep us going were the people along the route cheering us on, the cars riding by honking their horns and calling out to us with encouraging words. Several times throughout the route Cyndi's husband Dan, Melissa's fiance Ben, her sister Alli and Alli's boyfriend Gerome met up with us to cheer us on, bring us goodies and just talk to us for a short while. These visits were so awesome and they helped keep us going too when we knew they were going to be waiting for us at the next stop. I actually had some surprise visitors at mile 21 coming into Glen Echo Park. When we came around the corner just as we were entering the park there was my husband Shane and my son Christian. I had no idea they were going to be there and it was such a wonderful surprise.

Mommy and her little cheerleader!

Seeing them put a little spring in my step and helped to keep me going for the next 5 miles -- most of which was uphill. Although we were exhausted and sore we made it through the first day and arrived at the Wellness Village at around 7:00 p.m. Dan, Ben and Alli were there to welcome us and to take this picture of us.

The end of day 1 -- we finally made it!

We pitched our tent, had some dinner, showered and hit the sack. I never thought sleeping on the ground would feel so good but it was just nice to be off my feet. The next morning came bright and early at 6:00. We got dressed in our Day 2 walking clothes and then headed off to eat breakfast. It was fantastic -- scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, oatmeal, bagels... I definitely had a full belly. After we took down our tent and got our gear loaded back on the trucks we hit the road again. And, although we were heading back to where we started this was going to be a much shorter route thank goodness! For the next 13 miles we talked and laughed and encouraged each other to keep on going. And the encouragement of the crew was simply amazing. They kept our spirits high, our water bottles full and made us laugh along the way. Another thing I need to mention is the people who lived in the houses all along our route. So many of them came out to sit on their porches with their morning coffee to wave and clap and tell us thank you. Others set up tables or sat in chairs on the sidewalks handing out bottles of water, cookies, bagles, candy, popsicles, many of them with their children helping as well. I was overwhelmed by their kindness.

We finally got to the 12 mile mark -- only one more mile to go and we knew we were going to make it. I cannot tell you how good it felt. And then we saw the finish line and the crowds of people cheering and high fiving us and then seeing our friends and family at the end really was emotional for all of us. So emotional in fact that I didn't take one single picture of finish line moment!!!!! I know that others did, so when I get one I'll post it so you all can see how wrecked we looked! This was truly one of the best things I've ever done. The DC Walk alone raised 8.1 million dollars and I'm so glad I was a part of it. This money is going to help so many people and even save lives and that my friends is a "good thing"!

And, finally, I'll close this very long post with a list of the 5 Things I'm Thankful For:

5. The Port-O-Potty - when you're walking for miles and trying to stay hydrated, seeing a long row of these beauties off in the distance is like seeing an oasis off in the distance -- can you say ahhhhhhhhh!

4. Hand Sanitizer - see #5, enough said.

3. The Peanut Butter & Jelly graham cracker sandwich - I had never heard of them before this walk and I've got to say they are a little piece of heaven. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in history to have walked almost 40 miles in two days and still gained weight!

4. Gatorade - dehydration is not your friend!

1. And, the #1 thing I'm grateful for is Body Glide - an anti friction and chafing balm because blisters are not your friend either! I came away from this experience completely blister free because I used this.

To all those who contributed, thank you, thank you, thank you. Because of your generosity so many people will be helped, newly diagnosed, survivors, and their friends and family. You have done a wonderful thing and for that I'm am truly grateful. You were all with me every single mile of the way!

Update on the Avon Walk Training & Preparation

2008-04-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the Walk is less than a week away now and I'm feeling a bit nervous and anxious. My walking partner Melissa and I did a final endurance walk on Friday -- 22 miles in about eight hours! I have to admit we were feeling a bit beat up by the end of it but after a hot shower and a good nights rest we both bounced back pretty well by Saturday.

Thanks to many of you, I've exceeded my fundraising goal so a big "thank you" to all. Below is a picture of some the words of encouragement that a few of you sent along with your contributions -- thank you for those also.

If you'd still like to make a contribution, it is certainly not too late. Just click on the link below to go directly to my "personal page" to contribute.

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk2008/WashingtonDC?px=3855872&pg=personal&fr_id=1430

This week I'll spend some time packing my gear -- hoping not to forget anything but I'm feeling pretty well-prepared. Not much left to do but hope for good weather. It would really stink to have to walk 40 miles in the rain! I'll do an "after the Walk" post as soon as I get a chance. Stay tuned.

Catch Up Post -- Beware -- Long Post!!!!

2008-04-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

The first and most important thing to update on is that Christian celebrated his 5th birthday on March 14! Wow, how fast those five years went by. As most of you who are parents know, birthday celebrations aren't only a day anymore. The celebration seems to go on and on...

The festivities began with a bowling party with 19 of his closest friends! And while the bowling alley customer service left much to be desired, the kids never noticed and all seemed to have a blast! I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed and felt a bit stressed early on, but after a beer or two I was having a great time (it was a bowling alley after all -- isn't beer drinking mandatory!)

Christian loved his Star Wars cake and I have to say, it tasted as good as it looked.

Christian was very happy that along with many of his friends from his current school that some of his friends from his previous school were able to come too. It was really nice to see everyone.

After bowling and cake all the kids got to play in the little arcade at the bowling alley and mostly just run around. And, as luck would have it, that weekend there was some kind of Junior Achievement event going on at the bowling alley too and they had a professional dee jay there playing "rockin" music the whole time. Really helped the party atmosphere. I don't think Christian's feet touched the ground the entire time we were there!

And the evening ended earlier than usual with the birthday boy falling fast asleep well before 7:30 and sleeping straight through until 8:00 the next morning!

Grandma GoGo arrived the day before the actual birthday for a week long visit. On the actual birthday "day" we just had a mini celebration at home and opened presents from Mom & Dad and Grandma GoGo. We bought a mini strawberry cake -- Christian's favorite -- and surprised him with it after dinner.

Mommy with the birthday boy!

During GGG's visit we went to the park a few times since the weather was so nice. This picture was taken on one of our walks to the park. Christian loves his Grandma GoGo!

The final phase of the birthday celebration was the Saturday after. Shane, Grandma Bailey, Granddad, Grandma GoGo, Christian and I all went to Red Robin for a family birthday dinner. Christian loved it -- very kid friendly place -- and was surprised after dinner when several of the servers came over with an ice cream sundae complete with birthday candle and sang a rockin version of Happy Birthday to him! He really had a great 5th birthday. I don't know what we'll do to top it next year!

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Then, before we knew it, it was Easter weekend. It really came up fast this year. The Easter Bunny was very good to Christian this year. He got lots of candy and little goodies but he also got his very first "car". It's a jeep and I have to say it is one sweet ride.

So, there you have it, I think I'm pretty much caught up. Life is good in BaileyTown! Hope it's good in your town too!

Playing Catch Up

2008-03-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since my last post but the last few weeks have been quite busy with Christian's birthday, my Mom (Grandma GoGo) visiting from Michigan for a week and then Easter. I've got a lot to blog about so as soon as I find a good block of time I'll get an update out.

Also, I've been pretty busy training to do the Avon 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. I committed a few weeks ago to participating so on May 3-4 in Washington, D.C., I'll be walking almost 40 miles (26.2 the first day and 13.1 the second day) to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.

So far my longest training walk has been 14 miles and I'm hoping to do a 16 mile walk this Saturday. If anyone is interested in supporting my efforts you can go to my Personal Page at avonwalk.org and click on "Make a Donation" and follow the easy instructions to make a contribution.

And, a drumroll please....I passed the 1000 mark for hits on my blog! Now if I could just get more of you to comment and let me know that you've been by that would be a "good thing"! Thanks for stopping by!

With Age Comes Responsibility

2008-03-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

As part of Christian's martial arts training he now has to complete a daily chart of chores/responsibilities, checking off those tasks he does over the course of the day. He turns this chart in to his instructor at the end of each month and can earn things like uniform patches, medals, trophies...even new uniforms! One of the items listed on his chart is to make his own bed. I have to tell you that that one caused me a bit of alarm because while I am all for him doing more around the house, I am a bit anal-retentive about how a proper bed should be made! So, after taking a deep breath, we started the first day of the month with he and I making the bed together and that worked out quite well. Until this morning, when he announced to me after breakfast that he wanted to try to do it by himself. After another deep breath, I agreed it would be a good thing for him to try this on his own. I had to leave the room though since I knew that if I spotted a crease or wrinkle I wouldn't be able to control the urge to offer my help. In my mind I comforted myself with the thought that I could always make adjustments afterward when he wasn't looking. Well, imagine my surprise when he announced that he was finished and I went into his room to find a beautifully made bed and one very proud almost five year old boy! He was so proud of himself in fact that he asked me to take his picture with him next to the bed that he worked so hard to make. The following pictures speak for themselves.

A mother let go a little bit today and a little boy grew up just a little bit more too -- but, I'm afraid I'll have to draw the line when he asks if he can do his own laundry!!!

Christian Earns His First Belt in Tae Kwon Do

2008-03-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Christian took his test for his White Belt in Tae Kwon Do and passed with flying colors. He did an awesome job and was very proud of his accomplishment. He had to do three different attention stances, the sparring stance, the front snap kick, the high block, tiger crawls, the Korean words for uniform, instructor, practice area/school, and count 1-5 in Korean. It was a very proud moment for Shane and me and we hope this is the first of many belts for him.

With his teacher Instructor Mike

Grandma and Granddad were on hand to watch him test and get his belt

At home and very proud!

Monkey

2008-02-19T12:19:00.001-08:00

He can do the monkey bars all by himself now!!! He's so proud of himself!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T07:23:00.001-08:00

The "Valentine's Fairy" visited our house last night and left some fun surprises for Christian. Some art supplies -- Color Wonder paper and markers, some paints and his very own stapler!!! He was very excited about that! And chocolate -- M&Ms, yummy!

He also got quite possibly the world's biggest Valentine's balloon! Happy Heart Day to everyone!

I Got Tagged

2008-02-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

I got tagged me for a meme a while back so better late than never.
Here is how it works: Post two wish lists: 5 material wishes and 5 spiritual or more meaningful wishes. Invite five other bloggers to play along.

5 Material Wishes
1. Definitely professional landscaping that includes a new front sidewalk and driveway (is that considered two wishes?)
2. An addition on our house that includes a family room with lots of storage and a master bedroom suite with a full bath and walk-in closets.
3. A full week of vacation alone with my husband somewhere romantic!
4. To complete all the renovations needed at our beach place with an unlimited budget!
5.Buy/build my mother a new house of her choosing in Michigan.

5 Meaningful Wishes
1. Spend one more day with my Dad so I could talk to him about all the things I wish I had before we lost him and introduce him to Christian.
2. Visit my family in Michigan more often.
3. Find the time to get more exercise and be in better shape.
4. To be good mom to Christian so he grows up to be a happy, kind, compassionate and confident person.
5. To be a better wife/partner to Shane and cherish our relationship.

Since I don't know 5 other bloggers who haven't already been tagged I'll tag the only blogger I know who we haven't yet heard from -- Ruhiyyih!

Karate Kid!

2008-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

Or rather Taekwondo Kid! He loves his classes and is having a great time. And, as you can see he has got the fighting stance down! Bullies beware!

On Monday we had the day off so Christian and I joined a few of his school mates at a local bowling alley. And while he enjoyed the bowling, he was much more interested in riding on the motorcycle in the arcade! I had a hard time getting him off of it when it was time to leave. Check out those cool bowling shoes!

Happy Friday!

Broken Computer

2008-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

My posts are fewer and farther between since my computer went on the fritz. Shane and I are "sharing" one computer these days and for those of you who know my husband, trying to get computer time is like trying to wrestle the honey jar away from the Bear!!! He is working on fixing mine and I'm very hopeful it won't be much longer.

I've also been a bit under the weather with a nasty cold but I'm feeling a bit better every day.

I did get word from Cousin Jennifer that Flat Stanley should be home from California soon so stay tuned for an update on his exploits!

Hope everyone is well.

Fun Stuff in 2008

2008-01-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on New Year's Day at Grandma and Granddad's. These are Christian's pals Hootie and Star, his Aunt Kathie and Uncle Danny's "kids". Christian loves to play with them when we visit and they think he's pretty fun too.

One of the things we did during our holiday break was take Christian to the Air & Space Museum in Chantilly. What a great place. We had a blast looking at all the airplanes, rockets and the space shuttle.

And Christian thought the kid size space suit was pretty cool.

But I think his favorite thing was the display of old Star Wars action figures. They even had an old Star Wars lunch box on display. Does anyone remember having one of those? I was actually more of a Partridge Family kind of girl but that's a whole other blog!

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Our weather a few weekends ago was really nice so we decided to take a trip out to Gravelly Point Park (I think that's what it's called) out by Reagan National Airport. It's a very cool place because when the planes fly over to come in for a landing they get really close to the ground and fly right over top of you. I took a few pictures of the planes while Shane and Christian ran around and played some catch. We had a great time.

My Baby!

2008-01-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's just before 7:00 a.m. this morning. I've finished showering, drying my hair and attemping to hide the lines on my face and dark circles under my eyes with make-up. I walk out of the bathroom and it is still dark and very quiet in my house. The sun has not yet come up. Shane is sound asleep on the couch -- his bed away from home on the nights the little visitor invades our space as has happened on this night. Shane calls him the "heat seeking missile" because the more Shane scoots over to the side of the bed the closer Christian burrows himself into him. Eventually Shane always ends up on the couch.

Since Shane is on the couch in the living room I don't go turn on the television for the traffic and weather as is my usual routine. I peek into our bedroom and see that Christian is still fast asleep in our bed. I crawl into our nice warm bed next to him and with my head propped up in my hand I lean down and kiss the back of his head. His hair smells like a mixture of J&J baby shampoo and Old Spice shaving foam. I gave him some of Shane's shaving foam in a cup during his bath last night so he could "shave." Just as my senses are registering how sweet he smells he rolls toward me and somehow manages to curl himself up perfectly in the crook of my arm just like when he was a baby. And I lay there in the quiet, dark room and I feel his warm breath on my cheek and suddenly I'm back in the middle of one of those many nights of mid-night wakings after he's nursed and fallen back to sleep in my arms.

This perfect little creature God has given me to love and care for. I lay there with my eyes closed feeling his warm breath and his little body rising and falling with each one and for those few precious moments I get to live that all over again. For those few precious moments my little boy is my little baby again. But nothing lasts forever and eventually he stirs and rolls away back into his own little space with his head safely back on his froggy pillow. Many times on many different occasions people said to me "enjoy this moment because he'll only be a baby once." But this morning I got to experience one of God's little everyday miracles and I got to enjoy it one more time.

1st Christmas - 9 months old

Our Merry Christmas!

2008-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Our holidays were wonderful. I was off work from the 21st through the new year. On the Friday before Christmas I took Christian to school in the morning and came home and began my baking. I got the dough made for the sugar cookies and gingerbread men and baked up the snickerdoodles before Christian got home for the day.

After he got home we got busy with our rolling pins and had a blast decorating the cookies!

I pretty much baked non-stop Friday and Saturday and got it all done.

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Christmas Eve finally arrived and Christian was so excited.

He put out the cookies for Santa...

And the stockings were hung by the chimney...

The tree pre-Santa...

Before bed we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"...

And even Gordon had visions of sugarplums while waiting for Santa!

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Santa arrived on schedule and it was so much fun to experience the excitement of a four year old on Christmas morning. Grandma and Grandad made the drive from Stevensville in the morning to watch Christian open his presents. He loved everything he got but I think the highligts were his Superman bathrobe and his karate uniform! Mommy and Daddy signed him up for lessons and wrapped up his uniform to surprise him.

The tree post-Santa...

The stockings filled with their bounty...

After we got everything unwrapped we all had a nice breakfast and played with some of Christian's new toys for awhile. Then, we managed to pull ourselves together and headed off to Uncle Skip and Aunt Colleen's for Christmas dinner with the rest of the Bailey clan. It was great to see everyone. Christian loves to see all his Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

With Aunt Colleen, Uncle Skip and Cousin Taylor

We had a great Christmas and we hope you all did too. I'll do a separate post about New Year's and some fun stuff we did while we were off work and school.

Counting Down to Christmas Day!

2007-12-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost here and Christian is bouncing off the walls with anticipation. We've been counting the days off on the advent calendar since Dec. 1st but as it gets closer you can feel the excitement building. Grandma GoGo's gifts have all arrived and are under the tree. Their arrival took the excitement level up a notch or two. He only has a half day of school tomorrow. His school is having a holiday puppet show and then Shane and I are picking him up at noon.

All week long he has been doing all kinds of seasonal projects at school. They are all so cute and will be put away in the memory box.

After we pick him up tomorrow we'll be heading home to do our Christmas baking. Christian is very excited to help me decorate the gingerbread men and the sugar cookies. In addition to those cookies I'll also be baking snickerdoodles, thumbprint shortbreads with raspberry jam, Reese cup tarts, peanut blossoms with hershey kisses, rice krispy treats, coconut macaroons, chocolate fudge and maybe peppermint patties if I'm feeling adventurous. I love to bake for the holidays. It always gets me into the spirit of the season.

All my shopping is done -- only the wrapping left to do. Our spare bedroom looks a bit like Santa's workshop filled with shopping bags, boxes, rolls of gift wrap, bags of bows....

I'll blog more later about the baking and preparation over the weekend. Hope your holiday spirit is in full swing!!!

Kudos to Gordon

2007-12-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

I think it's high time to pay some respect to our cat Gordon, especially after what he did last night. But, first, let me start by telling you that Gordon came to live with me about 12 years ago when I was single and living alone. I've described him as being the world's best house cat. Aside from the occasional hairball, he has never caused any harm. He has never clawed up a single piece of furniture -- the only thing he ever scratches is his scratching post -- and he barely sheds. He has the most docile temperment, even after we brought home that "little human creature" almost five years ago and threw a real wrench into his existence. He has adjusted and even grown quite fond of the little rugrat.

Well, this morning was much the same as always. I woke up around 6ish and groggily walked down the hallway toward the kitchen for my morning cup of coffee. It was still pretty dark at that time but I could clearly see Gordon laying at the end of the hallway stretched out on the floor and what looked like a small hairball laying close by. I walked past him, not really looking down, and went straight to the kitchen and grabbed the roll of paper towel and headed back to clean up the mess. I turned on the dining room light, turned around and imagine my surprise to find not a hairball but a small, dead mouse!!! Eeeeeeeek!!!! I immediately hollered for Shane because, although I don't flinch at cleaning up a hairball, there was no way on God's green earth I was touching that thing! Christian freaked out a bit at first, but only because he thought it was still alive. Shane had it "cleaned up" quickly. I have to tell you that Gordon was very proud of himself. As Shane put it, "even after 12 years of domesticated bliss, he still has that feline killer instinct!" He protected his family. Way to go Gordon. I'd much rather have a dead mouse to clean up than a live one living in my house somewhere. Give that kitty some catnip!

Lights on the Bay

2007-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to visit Grandma and Grandad.

They live on Kent Island, not too far from Annanpolis right on the Chesapeake Bay. Every year they have a holiday light display at Sandy Point Park that you can drive through so we decided to check it out. As soon as it got dark we piled in the car and headed out. What an awesome surprise to pull up to the entrance and be greeted by none other than Santa Claus himself! Christian was thrilled.

He came right up to Christian's window and gave him a candy cane and reminded him to be a good boy and stay on Santa's "good list"!

It was hard to get really great pictures out of the car window and because there were lots folks driving through and we had to keep things moving along pretty quickly.

It was fun though so if you find yourselves near Annapolis, MD before the holidays I highly recommend it. Just the thing to help get you into that holiday spirit!

Real vs. Artificial - Which Do You Choose?

2007-12-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have very fond childhood memories of picking out our Christmas tree every year. We NEVER had an artificial tree. We would make our annual trip to the local tree lot or on a couple of occasions we even went to a local tree farm and chopped one down! It was great fun with all us kids (I'm one of six) running around saying, "how about this one Mom?" or "this one looks good", or "Oh, look at this one!" Eventually we would all come to a general consensus and decide on one special tree to call our own. How lovely it will look in our living room.

But then came the trick of tying in onto the roof of the car! The first Christmas miracle was managing to secure it without scratching the #%&* out the roof of your car. Remember how happy Dad was about that? And by now we were all complaining about how freaking cold we were. Let me tell you, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan can be a pretty bone chilling place this time of year. Don't believe me, just go check out the weather channel and see what the temperature is in good ol' Sault Ste Siberia today! Probably hovering somewhere around 15 degrees farenheit I bet! And that doesn't take into consideration the wind chill!

But, we'd eventually get it home safe and sound and we'd all be warmer and happier and looking forward to decorating it. We would be so excited to unpack all the familiar ornaments we hadn't seen in a year. So many of them had special meaning and stories surrounding them. Many of them were even handmade by us throughout the years and of course Mom loved those ones the most -- still does I'm sure. We'd have the Christmas music playing (Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Rose Mary Clooney, Burl Ives) while we were unpacking everything and hanging up our Santa faces (we didn't have stockings -- long story). Just imagine the energy in the room!

While we were going through boxes, it was always Dad's job to put the lights on the tree first. Like I said, imagine the energy in the room, of six excited, loud, rambunctous children ranging in age from 4 to 12 and one thirty-something man trying to string lights around a tree without falling off the ladder, stepping into a box of ornaments or stepping onto a kid for that matter. It almost makes me belly laugh now just thinking about it!

Eventually the lights would be finished and Dad would high tail it outa there and head to the sanctuary of his garage/workshop for some peace and quiet and a well-deserved beer or two and leave Mother in charge of the rest. We'd hang up so many ornaments there was not a single bare space left. Then, as was tradition in our family, we would put so much silver tinsel on the tree you could barely see any of the ornaments. And then, the moment of truth, we'd turn off all the lights and and oooh and aaah over how beautiful it looked. And from that day until the morning of December 25th the excitement in the air was palpable. We'd trudge through the next few weeks like time was standing still and the actual day would never get here. But eventually, it always did.

As you can see from the pictures, the Bailey family decorated their tree on Sunday night. No trip to the tree lot or tree farm, no scratches on the hood of the car, and no freezing our butts off. We just opened the box and put that thing together and it was still a blast going through all the boxes of ornaments, hanging up the stockings and listening to Christmas carols. The excitement is still there with Christian asking "how many more days until Christmas Mommy?"

There may come a time when he asks if we can get a "real" tree and if he does I'm sure I'll say "of course" but for now this beauty in a box works just fine and Santa comes to our house without fail. And, putting up the tree no matter what kind will always take me back to our house on Superior Street with all my brothers and sisters and my Mom and Dad and make me feel like a little kid again. I hope your tree trimming takes you back too.

Too Busy to Blog!

2007-11-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Whew! Tis the season to be really busy at work and home. I've got pics from Thanksgiving and our trip to the mall to see Santa but I've just not had enough time to pull it all together. Next week looks a bit quieter so I'll be back in business soon. Have a great weekend!

Christian Swimming

2007-11-20T13:18:00.001-08:00

Look at him go!!!

I Got Tagged!

2007-11-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

So, here are my 7 random things...

1. My favorite candy of all time are tootsie rolls. If given the opportunity, I'll eat them until I get a belly ache. I have no self-control.

2. I broke my leg while sledding when I was 10 years old. It happened on Dec. 26th and it was a brand new sled I got for Christmas. The incident upset my dad so much that he cut that plastic sled to pieces and threw it in the trash.

3. I can sing the McDonald's "Big Mac" song backwards. When I was a kid they had a promotion that if you came into the restaurant and sang it backwards word for word you'd win a free one so I practiced until I got it down and I've never forgotten it.

4. I'm a card-carrying member of the tribe of Chippewa Indians.

5. I wear a size 6.5, D width shoe so my feet are almost as wide as they are long. Kind of stinks since Fred Flintstone feet don't look so hot in strappy sandals.

6. I once worked for a White House Chief of Staff for a very brief time -- long story!

7. When I was a kid my dad nicknamed me "Radar" after the character Radar O'Reilly from the show Mash because I wore silver wire framed glasses. My dad gave everyone nicknames!

Chef Christian

2007-11-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

Nothing says lovin like a batch of rice krispy treats, or in this case cocoa krispy treats! My little helper and I whipped up a batch on Saturday after we got home from swimming lessons. Christian had his very first swimming lesson on his own (not a mommy & me class) on Saturday and I wasn't quite sure how he'd handle it but he had a fantastic time. I've actually got some great video snippets of him swimming but unfortunately I kept getting error messages when I tried to upload them. If I can figure out the problem I'll post them at a later date.

He was a great helper counting out the cups of krispies and the marshmallows but I think eating the marshmallows was his very favorite part!!! The melted marshmallows looked, in his own words, "disgusting". I guess they are gooey and slimey looking but the end products was delicious. We sent half the batch on the road with Shane and his dad for their trip to Ocean City to close down the beach house for the season.

Now what should I do?

Kiss the cook!

Can we eat them now?

Ruffy!

2007-11-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

Some pictures from this morning of Christian with his new friend "Ruffy". Shane won him out of a vending machine game yesterday and brought him home for Christian last night just as I was tucking him in bed. He slept with him in a headlock all night last night, ate breakfast with him, had to have him sitting on the sink while he brushed his teeth... I've never seen a child get so excited about a stuffed toy.

No New Pics!

2007-11-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

I forgot my camera at my in-laws on Sunday so I have no new pictures to share. I thought I'd just post a few of my favorites from this past summer. I should be getting my camera back this evening.

With cousins Connor & Josh at the beach

With baby cousin Connor in Michigan

Climbing the tire tunnel at the playground on our trip to Michigan

Crazy Hair Day at school!

In the ocean with Daddy

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-11-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

Is is time to go yet?

With some of his trick or treat buddies!

Sorting through and inspecting the bounty!

Having a healthy breakfast the next morning to counter all the candy goodness from the night before!

We had a blast trick or treating in our neighborhood and Christian loved hanging out with all the other kids.

Pumpkin Carving

2007-10-31T07:28:00.001-07:00

Last night when we got home Christian's friend Michelle met us when we were pulling into our driveway wanting to know if he could play for awhile before it got dark. Since we had plans to carve our pumpkin we invited her to join us. They had a blast digging out the "gunk" from inside.

When Michelle's dad and little sister Jasmine arrived to let Michelle know it was time to come home we were just finishing up. Here is a picture of the finished project.

Christian (aka Mr. GooleyGong) also got a little surprise in the mail yesterday -- a Halloween card from Aunt Mikki, Uncle Gary, Jack and Olivia. He loves getting mail!!!!

We're looking forward to trick or treating tonight. Our weather is supposed to be perfect. We'll fill you in and share our pictures in our next post.

Flat Stanley -- California or Bust!

2007-10-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Christian and I finally read Flat Stanley. In the story, Flat Stanley gets mailed to California to visit relatives. Christian knows that we also have relatives in California because we've talked often about going to visit them some day. So, when I suggested we make our own Flat Stanley to mail to our relatives in California his response was, "that's a great idea Mommy!" So, last night we set about creating our very own little traveler.

Red shirt, blue pants, black shoes...

Our finished fellow and our inspiration...

Getting a good nights sleep before his big trip...

Almost packed and ready to go...

Our friendly neighborhood postman.

Very soon Flat Stanley will arrive in Hollywood. He'll be visiting his cousins Jennifer, Peter and Autry. We're sure he'll have a great time and we'll be sure to let you all know how his trip turns out!

Happy Birthday Madeline/Visiting the Hughes Family/Welcome Baby Paul!

2007-10-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Christian's friend Madeline's Birthday party and they had a great time!

Christian and Madeline outside the moonbounce

Playing Party Games

Taking a whack at the "indestructable" pinata!

Two wild and crazy guys!

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After the birthday party, Christian and I headed over to Ed, Kristin, Grace and Eddie's to drop off Eddie's way over due birthday present and visit for a while. When we arrived we found them all in their back yard painting Halloween costumes and carving pumpkins. It wasn't long before Christian joined in on the action and helped Grace clean out one of the pumpkins.

After the pumpkin fun we all walked over to the neighborhood playground. The kids had a great time playing and especially enjoyed climbing onto the roof of one of the play houses.

We were pleasantly surprised when we got to the park and ran into our friends Rich, his daughter CC and their dog Larry. Rich's wife is my good friend Elizabeth and they live in the same neighborhood.

CC, Rich and Larry

Rich and Elizabeth were just blessed with a new addition to their family two weeks ago when they adopted their son Paul. Baby Paul was just getting ready to eat when they were heading out to the park so he stayed home with Mom. After we left the playground and got back to Ed and Kristin's I found I had a message on my cell phone. It was a message from Elizabeth inviting us over to meet the baby so we said our good byes and headed over for a quick visit. Baby Paul is beautiful and Christian loved him.

What a busy day we had. We left our house at 10:45 a.m. and didn't get home until after 5:00 p.m. Christian was conked out in the car 5 minutes after we left Rich and Elizabeth's house. It's a good thing that Sunday's are days of rest!!!!!!

Reading is Fun!

2007-10-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Christian's new Scholastic book order arrived at school yesterday and he was very excited about it. Especially the Scooby Doo Halloween one. We read it three times before bed last night!!! I'm most excited about Flat Stanley. It's actually a pretty long story so after reading Scooby three times we didn't have time to read it last night but it's definitely on tonight's reading list. The other five books are beginning readers that he is reading to us. Last night he read The Pet and Hop In! to me while I fixed dinner.

He also brought a book home from school to read to us. These are the phonics books he learns from at school and once he can read it all by himself, his teacher sends it home for him to read to us. I always get very excited when I pick him up and see his special book bag hanging on the hook for us to take home.

He also brought home this picture he worked on with his teacher Miss Amy. It's of a castle complete with a moat and a slide that goes over the moat. I think this combination of things is from his trip to Cox's farm with all the great slides and the Halloween party and his Aunt and Uncles's house.

I took this picture this morning before he left for school so his Grandma Bailey could see how nice he looks in the new rain coat she bought him. It fits perfectly and he loves that the hood has a little hidden compartment snapped up around the collar.

Shane is working late tonight so I told Christian that we could stop and get a Happy Meal on the way home and put on our pjs when we get home and then spend the evening playing board games, which he loves. Our weather is so rainy it's a perfect night for it. I also plan on surprising him with a new pair of Spiderman pjs complete with the web/wings under the arms. They are exactly like his old pair that he has outgrown and actually wore for the last time a few nights ago. When we were taking them off in the morning, I explained to him that they were just getting too short and tight and were too uncomfortable. It made him very sad but when I told him that we'd be sending them to his cousin Connor in Michigan that made him feel a bit better.

Weekend? What Weekend??????

2007-10-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Our weekend started out Saturday morning with Christian's last soccer practice/game of the fall season.

Action shot!

Water Break!

And since it was the end of the season all the parents formed a tunnel for the kids to run at the end of the game...
and the kids had such a great time they just kept running around and going through it again and again.

SATURDAY, ACT II

From the soccer field we headed to Aunt Colleen, Uncle Skip and Cousin Taylor's for the annual Halloween party. They always go all out for the kids and this year was no exception.

They live in a beautiful "castle" in the woods in Mt. Airy, Maryland and Christian loves to go visit them. I think he actually thinks he's in a fairy tale when he's there.

His costume this year was Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. Thanks to his Daddy he's a huge fan and has seen all six movies many times.

Christian with Aunt Colleen

This year's festivities included a treasure hunt for mini pumpkins filled with candy!

And a hayride. Christian loves Uncle Skips tractor! This year when I went out to get Christian on the hayride I asked him if he was ready to go and he replied "yes mommy and this year I don't want you to go with me." Ouch! Just typing this almost brings tears to my eyes. I guess I need to expect these things. I of course replied bravely "okay buddy, I know you're a big enough boy now and can go by yourself. Just don't stand up or jump around and listen to Uncle Skip and remember I'll be waiting right here for you when you get back." I think his eyes began to glaze over and he zoned me out right around the "just don't stand up" comment.

Even Pookie the dog got into the swing of things this year! Arghhh!

Hanging out with Cousin Jessica...

and Cousin Taylor.

Needless to say, Christian fell fast asleep on the way home and slept for almost two hours! Sunday morning he actually let us sleep until a little after 8:00 which is pretty late for him. We had a time for real breakfast so I cooked up some scrambled eggs, toast and bacon for Shane and me and toast, yogurt and fruit cocktail for Christian. I keep trying to get that boy to eat new things and occasionally I can get him to eat a bite or two of scrambled eggs but bacon...never!!! He looks at me like I've got a horn growing out of my head if I even ask him if he'd like to try a bite!

On Sunday afternoon we headed out to Leesburg, Virginia for a birthday party for the son of one of Shane's co-workers, Shaun and his wife LeeAnn. Their son Gavin was celebrating his first birthday and Christian had a blast.

LeeAnn had a treasure hunt for the kids too and...

Christian was happy to help Gavin open his gifts.

And Christian loved these crazy Where's Waldo/Harry Potter glasses that were in his goody bag. When I put him to bed tonight he asked if he could sleep with them!

It was a busy weekend but filled with fun!

My First Blog

2007-10-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Adventures at the Pumpkin Patch!

The weather this past weekend was so beautiful we decided to make our annual trek to Cox's Farm. It's a huge pumpkin patch in Reston, Virginia that's filled with fun stuff for kids. Christian loves the slides, farm animals and hay ride. We've gone every year since Christian was born and always have a great time. As Christian gets older he enjoys it even more and becomes more adventurous.

He not only wasn't scared of the pony rides, he actually told them that the pony was too small and asked to ride the "big horse"! Yee Haw!
And, he milked the cow! Last year the "yuck factor" won out and he wouldn't go near old Bessie!

Mommy's little Cow Poke!