The Bailey Family

Call me lazy or call me a homebody. I used to feel guilty when family or friends would ask us to do something or go out for an activity and I would turn them down but now I realize just how much I enjoy staying at home. I love my family and I love being at home. Don’t get me wrong, I like going out sometimes. When Celeste and I go on a date together it’s almost required to go out for a change of scenery. But it’s always nice to get back home and have my two boys around.

Noah and David have to be the best boys a father could ask for. They bring so much happiness and joy into my life. Yes, some days can be stressful or frustrating but all that pales in comparison to the fun we have together. I count it a privilege to be their father and be able to teach them all the life stuff. And in between that there are all the hours of play fighting (robots, ninja turtles, dragons - take your pick), wrestling on the beds, playing with Legos and blocks, matchbox cars and doing artwork together.

Seems like the less we rely on all the toys around and more on our imaginations the more fun and exciting times we have together.

David wants to be just like his older brother. He is such a big talker and a parrot of Noah. They are so sweet when one hurts the other one (which actually happens all the time), only to kiss each other and say they are sorry.

So if I ever seem unmotivated to get out of the house and do stuff with you, please don’t take it personally. I just love being at home and with my boys. Most of the love Jesus gives me is through them. When we pray at night, Noah talks about loving Jesus and how He loves us. I hope he never forgets that and also how much I love him too.

3 Comments » Posted by micahbailey / Photos and Children

My house stayed clean all week. It was amazing. The best thing that happened is that Micah’s mom moved into town from Oklahoma City and is watching the boys while Micah and I work. It’s an amazing turn of events. I am celebrating a house picked up every day, the dishes done all but one evening (which we weren’t home for, so I get clearance on that) and the fishtanks cleaned out this weekend.

It may not seem a big deal to you, but I struggle with housework all the time. Cleaning I can do, keeping it that way doesn’t happen. I mostly resigned myself to waiting until the boys are big enough they can do chores. But that’s going to take years. Sometimes I guess it just clicks with me.

Tomorow we start week two of the clean house. I’ll be gone two evenings (ack!) so I’m hoping that doesn’t mean it falls apart. I’m also starting full time with my new job. The new job is fun. It’s doing a lot of odd jobs with the training department, plus a few projects. It’s right up my alley and so far, I love it. I miss being with the boys and can’t wait to be able to quit, but still, if I had to have a job (which I do) I like this one.

I’ll keep you posted on the clean house. Wouldn’t it be nice if my housekeeping genes kicked in all the sudden? I know I’ve got some, buried under there. Anyone related to my grandmother and mom can’t get away without having those genes.

I’m off to read a bit more Pride and Prejudice. I love this book. It’s for sure joining my “often read” book list. I read the Twighlight and New Moon books. I’m waiting on Eclipse from my sister who keeps leaving it at her house. How long do I have to wait?? But Pride and Prejudice is holding me over.

3 Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Uncategorized

He narrowed it down. He wants Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for his birthday. And he wants Spider-Man for Christmas. And you aren’t allowed to mix it up.

No Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Uncategorized

“Hey, Noah, what do you want for your birthday?”

 ”Everything!”

1 Comment » Posted by celestebailey / Children

Hallelujah! We are finally digesting food!! It’s rather exciting. We’re still exhausted as our bodies recoup from four days with no nutrition, but thankfully, we’re on the mend.

 The boys and I started reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder today. Noah first wanted to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, but I really didn’t think of that as a kids book. So we found this one instead. I explained to him that this book didn’t have any pictures, he would have to listen and make up his own pictures in his mind. He said that he would look at the words instead. We settled down for a chapter, with David nursing in my lap. Noah listened very well and interrupted even better. He also added things to the story. At one point, the book was listing the animals found in the Big Woods and says, “Foxes have dens in the hills…” to which Noah added, “And they hop!”

“What hop?” I asked.

“The fox!” I nodded in agreement and continued reading. About three sentences later he jabs excitedly at the book and proclaims, “See? It says hop RIGHT THERE!” Never mind that the part about foxes is on the opposite page, he swears he sees hop over there.

He also kept pointing to letters he saw on the page that were in his name. He really was looking at the words!

He was entirely fascinated with the things they didn’t have. The chapter was peppered with “Did they have computers?” “Did they have cars?” “Did they have Wal-Mart?” We, of course, stopped at every question and explained that they didn’t have any of those things that long ago.

He loved hearing about where their food came from. That Pa hunts was exciting. Noah kept holding up his imaginary rifle to hunt along with Pa. And it was very cool that they had a dog named Jack, just like grandma and papa’s dog is named Jack.

The funniest thing was when we were reading about what the Ingall’s do in the evening. The book says they sit around and tell jokes and stories. For some reason, Noah thought that was hilarious. He kept repeating “jokes and stories” and laughing uproariously. Then, as if a sudden epiphany hit, he turned to me and said, “Hey, I know jokes and stories!”

No Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Children

Micah and I now have Facebooks. My little sis has declared us “computer savvy.” Ha! We were computer savvy when she had to have help with Reader Rabbit…

View Micah’s Facebook

 View Celeste’s Facebook

No Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Uncategorized

We are down and out with the flu. It’s horrid. For three days now. Everyone except David, that is. He’s his usual rambunctious self. It’s hard enough keeping up with a two year old, especially a potty training two year old, without having liquid come out of your body in places it’s not supposed to come out of. The three of us who are sick are laying around the house, trying to concerve the energy we get from the little food we actually digest, and David is happily crawling all over us. All the plans to deep clean my house this long three day weekend are being flushed away.

 I started my full time job this last week (well, I missed 2.5 days being utterly ill). I’m now the training specialist at the Bank of American Fork. It pays well, so hopefully that moves up the plans of being debt free and in a house by a few years. It does kinda suck that I’m working full time, but Micah’s mom is moving out here today (!) to help watch the kids. Micah found her a nice little apartment downtown. Her watching the kids should keep my house a little cleaner and my husband a little saner. And we all like clean and sane.

No Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Work and Children

We bought the easel on Sunday.

The boys were so excited.

They loved it.

On Monday, David drew on himself.

On Tuesday, he drew on his clothes.

On Wednesday, he drew on the rocking chair.

And on Thursday, he drew on the wall.

*sigh* The markers are now on top of the fridge.

2 Comments » Posted by celestebailey / Art and Children

After church yesterday we decided to finally tour the new IKEA store in Draper. It actually opened on May 23rd but for some reason we never got around to seeing it yet. I had never been to one but my brothers have an IKEA in Frisco, Texas.

I knew the store was big but 4 hours after we arrived at the store we were still half way through the second floor. And we started on the second floor. There is a lot to look at and it is an incredible store. I love the look of their designed home furnishings. They have pretty much everything you would need to set up your home with appliances, lighting, furniture, wall hangings, flooring, bathroom, kitchen, dining, bedroom, etc. I also really like the compact design of some of the showrooms. They fit a whole house in under 600 square feet. Amazing.

I know I’m going to get in trouble for saying this but I liken IKEA as the Walmart of design furniture. You can get reasonable quality furnishings for a fraction of the cost that you would normally pay. Now granted, the quality is not as good as a high end store but neither are the prices. It makes well designed furniture accessible to the middle class. Or lower middle class like us.

We didn’t buy anything really nice yet but I had my eye on a few items that I might have to purchase at a later date. We did buy however a really cool easel for 20 bucks. I set it up for the boys as soon as we got home and they love it. One side is a chalk board and the other side is a dry erase board. You can also install a paper roll in the middle and have it drape over one side so they can save their artwork on paper. Noah drew a whole bunch of whales today, accompanied by an elaborate story about how they catch their prey.

1 Comment » Posted by micahbailey / Shopping and Art and Photos and Children

Today I took the boys to the Lehi Legacy Center to swim at the indoor pool. One of the best things about it is that it is mostly indoor. That’s great news for a parent of two of the fairest boys on the planet. This way I don’t have to lather on the sunscreen.

The pool is a one of a kind design with lots of different water features and pool areas. There is a winding covered water slide that is about 3 stories tall. Usually I have someone hold David while I take Noah down the slide but this time I asked Noah if he could go by himself since I had to be with David. He thought he could so I told him that David and I would go first and he could follow. He did great as did David. As we got out of the water, Noah said that he would like to go first this time. I asked him if he was sure and he nodded enthusiastically. Everything went well but I don’t think Noah liked it as well because as we were getting out the second time Noah said, “How about this time you and David go first and I will follow you.” I just smiled and nodded.

I bought the boys their swimsuits at Target earlier this year when we were skiing in Colorado with my family. They work great since they have built in flotations. They like to bump into each other like sumo wrestlers.

There’s also a huge bucket on top of a water playground area that is constantly filled with water. After a few minutes it starts to tip as it fills up to the top with water. It’s pretty exciting getting dumped on by over 100 gallons of water.

We had a great time and after a few hours the boys were worn out and ready for lunch and a nap.

1 Comment » Posted by micahbailey / Photos and Children