My Grandpa is Famous

originally posted at http://myfoibles.com/?p=349


My Grandpa Stone told us a few weeks ago that he and my grandma had visited the Harley Davidson store.  He was quite surprised when they reached the second floor to see a picture of he and his family on their farm back in 1939.  He had no idea they had gotten this photo.  So, of course we got together as a family and met my grandpa down there.  He told us all about growing up on a farm, what all the buildings in the picture were, and how it felt to have the government tell them they had thirty days to get off their land so they could build Geneva Steel.  42 families had to leave for this steel plant to be built.  Right next to my grandpa is him in the photo on the wall at age 17.  Afterwards we all ate at Marley’s.  Sliders are awesome!  The kids had a wonderful time seeing all of the motorcycles as well.

Tiny Dancer

originally posted at http://chevon.baylessfamily.org/?p=107


Savanna started taking a dance class in January and she just loves it. She loves to dress up in her clothes and, as you can see, strike a pose. I took ballet for about four years when I was a little girl and these pictures of Savanna look so much like I did back then. She is such a beautiful sweetheart, I am very lucky.

James and Miles

originally posted at http://chevon.baylessfamily.org/?p=104


How cute is this? James was playing guitar for his boy this morning and Miles just loved it! He seems to really respond to music and I think he especially liked hearing his dad play, and I think James enjoyed the audience.

How do I look?

originally posted at http://chevon.baylessfamily.org/?p=112


A couple of days ago we had a nice sunny day with temperatures in the near 40’s and I couldn’t help it, spring fever hit! I took the kids outside and soaked up the rays! We got out the sidewalk chalk and decorated the driveway. When we were done, Savanna took it upon herself to decorate her own face. I thought she looked very lovely!

Savanna turns 3!

originally posted at http://chevon.baylessfamily.org/?p=97


January 17th was Savannas’ 3rd birthday, I can’t believe it! Since her birthday is so close to Christmas, we didn’t really get her any presents but decided to take her out for a special day. My mom watched Miles, and James and I took Savanna to Red Robin for lunch and to the Bean Museum. She chose both of these places on her own. We went to the museum last summer before Miles was born and she just loved it! After the mueseum we went back home and had ice cream cake from Cold Stone (sooo yummy!) with my Mom and Charles and Trish. On Sunday Savanna had her birthday dinner at Nana’s house. She requested a tower cake with gummy bears and worms, which is what James requested for his birthday dinner! We had great time!

Photo Shoot

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!

Christmas Party

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.

Snow Day Part 2!

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!

Bayless Family Photos

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.

Peek a Boo

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.