27th January 2009, 06:20 pm
12th January 2009, 12:00 am
originally posted at
http://baylessnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/photo-shoot.html
It’s not too often my whole family is together, so when it happens we like to capture it with a professional photo shoot. These are some shots my brother Charles took of us when we were having our individual family shoot.
He also captured these of Benjamin whichI thought turned out awesome. Thanks bro!
11th January 2009, 10:20 pm
originally posted at
http://baylessnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/christmas-party.html
My grandparents hosted their traditional Christmas party for the whole family on Sun the 22nd. It was a packed house just like years past, but this time toddlers were taking over the place (i guess that’s what happens when you welcome 5 more great grandchildren in a 12 month period). I always enjoy these gatherings because they are so casual and and it’s usually the only time I get to see many of my relatives.
All the traditions I remember growing up are still in tact, including the mandatory talent display in exchange for cold hard cash from Grandpa Great as well as the family gift exchange. I was thrilled to get my cousin Emily since it meant I could buy something hip and cool and
we also enjoyed shopping for my cousin Raphe, who despite being a San Diego local, loves the Philadelphia Eagles (and what a year to be a fan right?!)
I wonder where his loyalities will lie during the playoffs? hmmm….
My brother James, playing and singing his own rendition of O Holy Night. Very cool. Bet you didn’t know he was in a band did you? : )
It’s been great having kids because they’ve gotten Jordan and I out of having to to do individual talents for a few years now. We didn’t give Sam any warning that he was going to be our family’s talent, but he didn’t seem to mind when it was our turn and we plopped him on a chair in the middle of the room, handed him a children’s book we found lying on the floor and asked him to read it to the packed house. One of the few things Sam’s not shy about is showing off his stellar reading skills so he happily obliged.
Other talents included my brother William singing in Russian, Charles impersonating Mindy’s Jazzercise moves, Aunt Lorraine & Cousin Emily impersonating Katie Couric and Sarah Palin, Gary and Rebekah’s family singing Jingle Bells, Eric and Harmony’s 1 year daughter Skye dancing, well bouncing to Brittany Spears (or was it Justin Timberlake?), my Uncle Jay reading “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and my Aunt Riki and cousin Alesha (both with Downs syndrome) gracing us with their sweet spirits in song and dance.
This is our talent.
7th January 2009, 06:20 pm
originally posted at
http://chevon.baylessfamily.org/?p=91
This time Miles joined in on the fun! We had another sunny day after two days of snow so we suited up and headed out! Miles did really well and didn’t even fuss when he sat in the snow, like Savanna did when she was a baby. Miles just hung out in the swing while I helped Savanna with her sled. It was close to nap time and for awhile there I thought he would just fall asleep! I get so down in the winter time, I hate the cold and being shut up in the house, today was really fun and I need to remember that just because I have a three year old and a baby doesn’t mean we have to be shut-in’s all winter. In fact, I think it’s quite the opposite, now I have a great excuse to be a kid again and enjoy winter! 
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=342
We got together with the entire family since Jordan and Amanda came to visit from Pennsylvania. This time was extra interesting getting everyone to look at the camera and be happy. That’s because this year there were seven children to keep amused during this forty-five minute photo shoot. In the end, we basically had to photoshop some people in from other pictures to get one where everyone was happy and facing forward.
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=339
A few days after Christmas, I got a little laugh from Brendan. He was sitting behind the fridge and leaning out to see me. After a few times, he would start to giggle every time he peeked around the corner. Oh, and Brendan picked Christmas day to start crawling. A few days after Christmas, I removed our tree skirt, the train that goes around the bottom of the tree, and raised all the ornaments to a few feet off the ground.
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=334
I am still a scrapbooker at heart, so I will scrapbook Christmas for you all to see. But, here are a few pictures of the cousins all together, on both sides of the family. There is also one of Brendan and me.
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=331
This year my mom joined us at the Christmas Eve dinner at Nana and Grandad’s house. There was so much good food…everyone was stuffed and ready to sleep by nightfall. We played one of Jonny’s crazy games about a haunted house and Jonathan couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home. He REALLY wanted to play it again. Brendan and Miles got in on the fun of the food with our new “Net Binkies.” You can place a piece of food inside the net and the baby can suck on it. It was SO nice to not have to worry that Brendan was going to choke. Lindsey was glad they enjoyed it, but the whole idea just grossed her out.
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=327
As is our tradition, we went to the Lindon City party to see Santa come on a fire engine. Brendan went from bewildered, to upset, to wondering why we were all calling his name so that we could get a picture on Santa’s lap. The picture shown here is the happiest he got. Both kids asked Santa for a bakugan shooter, and Marissa put in a good word for an easy bake oven to show up either at Grandma or Nana’s. Afterwards, we got a picture of everyone on the fire engine. We had lots of good pizza while there.
6th January 2009, 03:40 pm
originally posted at
http://myfoibles.com/?p=324
Marissa’s kindergarten class had a Christmas program just before the break. Our favorite part was when one song said, “Thirty-two feet and eight little tails of white…” because at this point all the kids turned around and shook their little white tails. Marissa was very proud to be in a program and actually stand on the stage. You can see Marissa on the far left.
