Life of the Baileys

Chaos

2009-11-15T23:21:00.000-08:00

Time flies by when there is ALWAYS something going on...As many might already know we are expecting our 2nd child. We are truly excited but I on the other hand are ready for the rest of the six months to hurry by. Since we have found out that I am expecting all I do is stay sick. Sick enough to get hospitalized. On top of this Ryan is Always gone for work. He has switched departments within the company to the Maintenance Away department. He likes it but it is a hard job, lots of labor, and many long days(but hey we are use to this already!!). By the time the baby is due which by the way is May 9th (Mothers day!!) he will be done with the training and it will be time for a move! Ha, we have heard that many times before!! Apparently Ryan says I need to take this seriously since this is going to really happen (I will believe it when I see it, since I have heard this many times before!). Reagan is doing well, adjusting to the fact the World won't revolve around her but of course this week while Ryan is gone she develops Tonsillitis! As Ryan says, I was playing "doctor" and not taking her to the doctors because I did Not want to drag her little bum in the office with ALL these other sick nasty kids when all she had was a cough, but of course after 4 days of NO sleep for either one of us and NO school for her, I had enough. I was proved WRONG. She is the best little thing, but dear lord a daddy's girl if there is ever one...Reagan says Jump and Ryan says "how high honey?". For instance this morning she woke at 5am and wanted a sippy cup that was left in the car, I was not going out in the cold to get it when she had other perfectly good cups. But no, Daddy comes down & runs outside in his boxers to get!! Seriously, if we have another girl, I will shoot myself! By the way, we do not find out the sex till Christmas Eve, I will keep you posted....I better run, I am working and trying to catch up on homework. I promise I will Attempt to post better, but till then there will always be chaos!!

Trust in the Lord.....

2009-08-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at work while there is an actual down time(mind you it is almost 3 in the morning!). I have been working on bills and finishing up some school work. I have just a moment and I wanted to update the blog.

Life has been very stressful lately but nothing new in the Life of the Bailey's. Our house is still for sale and our contract is running out on the house we wanted(Sept. 1st to be exact). Now Ryan and I are debating to keep the house on the market and look for another house OR take the house off the market and finish the basement or do something to give us more room. My plan is to take the house off the market because Ryan has informed me that most likely we will be moving within 15 months(out of the Roanoke area). But we know how that goes!!! Anyways, with that and everyday living life has been stressful. I have to keep telling myself to Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord......it is def. easier said than done but honestly when life throws you curve balls I rather cuss and throw a tantrum then Trust in God. I know it is HORRIBLE to feel that way but I am human(and it is easier).

The preacher here at a church we are visiting(Church of the Holy Spirit) had the best message the other week about Trusting in God. It was very uplifting to hear the message and to understand the ability God has whether we understand or not. When finances, life, relationships, etc. get me down I know without a doubt God is in control and with his guidance everything will be O.K.

We are here, I promise!

2009-07-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? There just isn't enough time in the day to do all that "I" want to do! With attempting to sale our home and having a contract on another home, going to school year round, being a FULL time mom, working FULL time, and being a devoted wife:O) I will try to be better at keeping everyone posted on our crazy life we call NoRmAl!! Here are a few pictures of our Summer so Far, enjoy!

Six Years of Bliss...

2009-01-29T07:16:00.001-08:00

I am trying to update! Sorry this was back in Jan.!! I know this is extremly late but we had so much fun on our 6th anniversary I had to share pictures! I can't believe in 5 months we will be married for 7 years! Where does the time go!

Christmas 2008 and Ringing in the New Year

2009-01-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Reagan singing her heart away!

Final Outcome-not bad!

Christmas Eve Dinner

All excited-working with Daddy!

Making a the Ginger Bread House

Heading to Dickens of a Christmas

In Awful Arthur's(at the bar mind you)

Christmas went by too fast...it seems like every year it goes by a little bit faster. We had a wonderful December doing all the holiday festivities. First we went to our Annual Christmas Play at our church which was extremely nice(if I was able to see it all). We decided to take Reagan with us because we thought she would enjoy seeing all the characters, especially Baby Jesus. Well mid-way through the production she needed to pee and when I told her she was going to get a spanking(since this was the 2nd time and it had only been a minute After we sat down) she decided to kick and scream down the aisle while she was dead weight and me dragging her by her arms. Oh the joys of motherhood!

Reagan had her first school performance....she did Great! Her class of three year olds sang Jingle Bells, Holly Jolly Christmas, and many more! She is a performer like her father. We weren't sure what the play was going to be because she kept talking about her being an angel and her friend Audrey being baby Jesus's mama, Mary. But come to find out they sang but her teacher Mrs. Smith read them a book in class and they picked who they were going to be. With a three year old you are always having to piece together the puzzle!

The following week-end we went to Dickens of a Christmas downtown. It was so much fun! Our friends Stacy, Tim, and their three children went with us and it was def. a memorable night. We started of the evening watching the Roanoke Christmas parade while the guys went and got us a table at Awful Arthur's(seafood restaurant). After the kids were tired of watching the parade(it seemed to Never Stop) we went to find the guys. We could not find the anywhere in the dining room. Come to find out they were waiting for us in the bar area beside the pool tables!!! Apparently that was the only seating available!?! I was a little peeved to say the least, since I really didn't want my three year old in a bar eating dinner. But as my good friend Stacy told me, "If it was any other night it would be a lot different". So I calmed down to apologize to Ryan for being rude. While Ryan and I are talking to Stacy, Tim is asking where Caleb went(this is their oldest son who is 7). We thought he went to the bathroom but as we turned around we ALL noticed he was learning how to play pool with a man tattoos all over him and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth...priceless. We got through dinner and lets say the kids actually had a blast! Reagan and Emmie rode on a arcade game as a bike...they thought they were so cool! We then went outside in the FREEZING cold to go on a carriage ride and get our picture taken with Santa Clause. The picture turned out really well even though Ryan had a lovely Dip in his mouth so All I could see is the lovely bulge on his cheek! Reagan sat down on my lap with Santa beside me and he asked her what she wanted. She simply stated "A pink TV", he looked at me and said, "A TV?" and Reagan looked at him and said, "Yes, pink"! It was hilarious. Finally we got to the carriage ride and it was the icing on the cake! We all pile in(8 of us) and it was very nice and windy! As we are coming around the last turn before our ride is finished this nice looking(to put it nicely) comes right beside our carriage and acts like she is "hot stuff" and gets her picture taken. Well, WE ALL think she isn't all that but our nice carriage ride person hollers out loud with OUR LITTLE Children sitting there, "That skank a$$ Ho isn't all that!!". We all looked at each other in shock and started laughing, we didn't know what else to do...at least the kids didn't ask what that meant!! Even though it was freezing outside we all had a blast with many laughs!

The rest of the month flew by with decorating our ginger bread house(which is a daddy and Reagan project) to baking our famous Butter Cookies. We had a very relaxing Christmas this year with everyone coming over to our house on Christmas day. It was very nice because we were able to stay in our P.J.'s all day long!. Reagan was priceless when she came down the stairs and saw her Pink TV, chenille chair with stool, and all the other famous toys from Santa. She sat and her stool and starting looking through a book before we even started opening gifts. She said,"she wanted to watch her TV, read, and relax". Of course she finally got up and started unwrapping.

New Years was extremely relaxing...we ended up grilling out on my brother-in-laws new Green Egg(if anyone has seen this you would know why it is called a Green Egg!) We had a lot of fun with them and our friends Willie, Robin, and their little boy. We stayed up eating sweets and playing on Ryan's new Wii. How the years have changed with New Years Eve when children are in the picture! Wouldn't change it for the world!

We are truly blessed to have such an awesome God and wonderful family who loves and supports us. We love being home for the holidays near the ones we love. We miss our extended families over seas but know we will see them soon!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and blessed New Year!

Here are two lovely recipes I wanted to share. The first one is a tradition my mother started when I was little. I have had these cookies every Christmas since I could remember! After you eat these you will not go back to sugar cookies! The second is a new recipe that will be a tradition from now on. I made it with our breakfast casserole and it was a hit! Enjoy!

Butter Cookies

Ingredients
1cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2cups confectioners sugar
2 1/2cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cream tarter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Cream butter, add sugar gradually, cream until fluffy. Add unbeaten egg and vanilla. Beat well, sift together dry ingredients. Blend into creamed mixture. Divide dough. Chill dough. Roll on well floured pastry cloth to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Bake about 6 minutes at 400'; cool on wire racks. Half recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.

French Toast Casserole

INGREDIENTS
12 day-old French bread
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS
Arrange bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Ryan is OLD

2008-12-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

With all the excitement around I meant to mention Ryan's 30th Surprise party! He was def. Surprised. I had planned for months and months. If it wasn't for my good friend Stacy I wouldn't have been able to pull it off so well. I had roughly 30 people show up at Cornbeef and Company and it was all decorated in a Golf Theme. We had an awesome time with good food and friends. Than the next day Ryan played golf with 6 of his good buddies. Needless to say it took longer than expected but they had a blast in the 30 degree weather! I can not believe I have been with him for over 11yrs! Time flies when you are having fun!!

Decorating like the Griswolds!!!

2008-11-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

I starting decorating the week of Thanksgiving since Thanksgiving was late this year. I love to decorate our house with all the pretty garland and lights. It makes it feel so homey around the holidays. I call it tastefully done. Well, my husband on the other hand likes to decorate like Clark Griswold. I finally gave him the thumbs up this year to do Whatever he would like outside. He even likes me to come out and sing "Joy to the World" and then make that god awful sound that Clark's mother-in-law made with her tongue like a cat call. Then magically the lights come on. We have BLUE lights this year, I mean, are we K-Mart? I can not stand tackiness, that is one thing I cringe at but my husband thinks it is wonderful! I am posting a few pictures but this is not done! He wants to get on the roof and put lights(Blue, mind you) done the chimney! Why, Why, Why did I say it was OK? I will post more pictures later when the final lights are hung by the chimney with care, ha....

Thanksgiving with a New Addition

2008-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

My brother and his wife finally had their baby! Reagan is the big cousin instead of the baby. His name is Evan Bernard Lee and weighed 8lbs and 20inch long! Katie was induced on Wednesday the 26th at 5:30am but did not end up having him till that evening by C-Section at 10:30pm. He was sunny side up and was a little too big for her to have normally. I was very proud of all of them! They got to take him home on Saturday morning at 9am and he is doing Great! Reagan says she loves him just a little bit, not much, just a little bit, ha! She also says he has mermaid hair (his hair is an auburn color). What a girl comment!

Our Home Away From Home~Charleston

2008-11-30T19:26:00.000-08:00

We packed up and headed to Charleston, SC for the Citadel Homecoming on a Wednesday and did not come back till Sunday night. That is def. our second Home. Ryan would do anything in the world to work at the Norfolk Southern Hub down there, but as many know it is where ALL the retirees go when they have put 20yrs into the company! Ryan spent 4yrs of his life at the Citadel and absolutely loves the city. I have came very fond of it myself and Reagan did not want to leave! We did many Citadel events since it was Homecoming week-end. Reagan wanted a Cheerleader outfit and if I say so myself she looked adorable. On Wednesday we stayed at our friends Beach House on Isle of Palms(Gorgeous!) and then the rest of the week we stayed at the Lodge Alley Inn in the middle of downtown Charleston. A nice surprise was one of my old friends from high school lives nearby in Savanna and drove up to visit a friend and have dinner with Ryan, Reagan, and I. Our lives have became so similar since we have gotten married that it is pretty scary. Her husband is a 2005 Citadel Grad and an officer in the military. She is going through many situations I had to go through. He is deployed now and they have only been married for a few months. She is a strong woman and I know will be a wonderful Army Wife! It was extremely enjoyable to catch up with her and to see how her family has been doing. It is amazing how many years can go by and you can start off where you left it! The trip and the people were def. worth it!! Enjoy the Pictures.....

Catolicous

2008-10-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

After the curlers came out........

Getting her Kitty Face on.....

Isn't she Catolicous! Here Kitty Kitty.....

Trick or Treat, Give me something good to eat! That is what my lovely three year old says to everyone who she greets with her bag wide open! Wonder who taught her that! She had a blast this year trick or treating with her friends and family! We def. got double dips this year. Our church had Trunk or Treat the night before and then of course on Halloween we had even more fun going to our friends house and treating with them around the block. Here are a few pictures of the Miss Pris getting ready. I had put sponge rollers in her hair to make it extremely curler. She left them in all day and ran errands with me. She did not like people looking at her with them in, she said it was "embarrassing"! Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween!

ER Visit

2008-10-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well today was a very interesting day to say the least! It started off pretty good with Reagan and I going to church. Ryan had a train ride up to Bluefield, WV. So it was just the two of us. We ate lunch with the family and then came home to take our afternoon nap before I had to come into work. Well I was lazy after laying in the bed for two hours(Reagan is over naps and likes to watch a movie while I lay there). I was running late and while I was scooting her out the door with my hands full of books, food, overnight bag, etc. The worst thing could have had happened!

I slammed the door. To my horror, her little fingers were in the door where the hinges are. I shut the door on my three year old daughters fingers!! She lost her breath and then started to scream in pain! I was shocked, threw everything down and picked her up to see if they were broken. They were blue and bloody where the door also cut her. She could not stop crying! I cleaned them off the best I could and threw everything in the car and proceeded to my moms(since this is where we were going anyhow). I needed someone to help me calm her down so I know whether or not I needed to take her to the emergency room. My mom was a big help and finally was able to get her to calm down and she fell asleep on my lap. We decided to take her to the ER to be on the safe side. She was favoring that hand and wouldn't move them. Thankfully a girl I knew was working on the Pediatric side and got us in and out within 2hrs! That included 4 X-rays! The doctor didn't see any breaks but since they are so swollen he wasn't 100% sure. If Reagan still favors them in a few days we need to go back and redo an x-ray. But thankfully she let them bandage the little fingers up. She looks like she has a cast on! She thinks she is like her best friend Emmy(Emmy was in a bad car accident this week and has a cast on her leg).

When it was all done and said with she wanted chicken nuggets with dip and to watch her movie. I got her all settled and she told me it was "OK that I smashed her fingers, but Do Not Do it again!". I love that child to death! I feel horrible that I did such a stupid thing, I def. will double check that door before I shut it again. I wish I had the ability to forgive the way she does. she is a trooper! I will post pictures later, I still had to come into work after I got her settled, she is with her Nina and Pop Pops sleeping away!

Rain

2008-10-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

My three year old daughter asked the other day why it was raining? I merely stated that God wanted it to rain. It is funny how you don't plan anything and it becomes a gorgeous day outside. And the one day you plan to go to the Pumpkin patch at the exact time it decides to down pour. But thankfully my daughter has the ability to understand that we can do it another day because God wanted to feed the grass and plants! I wish I had the ability to understand situations like a three year old can. Till this day if something doesn't go perfectly I get a little bent out of shape. Ok, a lot. So, today I learned from daughter not to sweat the small stuff. We can always do it tomorrow!

Sleep

2008-10-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sleep, who needs it right? I constantly do not have enough sleep. I try to catch up but once you lose it, you def. can not gain it back. Take for instance these past two days. I had to work Wednesday night and Thursday night. I got up at 8am on Wednesday and took a two hour nap before going to work. I worked a 12hr shift and then proceeded to pick up Reagan and take her to Maw Maws. I then came home and slept 4hrs before going back and picking her up. After that I went back into work for another 12hr shift. Today(Friday) I have only gotten a cat nap(literally) of a few minutes since Reagan is running around the house. Ryan ended up having to work a Sat Check and didn't get home till 6am this morning. As the good wife:O), I let him sleep. So now, can you see why I am always tired?!?!

Yes, Ryan is up now and has offered several times for me to go to bed. But I hate sleeping the day away if it is my day off. Also, he and I only get TWO FULL days together(if that). I rather be a little sleepy than not have my family time. Reagan absolutely loves when her daddy is off. She def. has him wrapped around his finger. It is quite comical what she can get him to do! So whether I am sleepy or not I will make the sacrifice to stay awake and catch up another day!

Fall

2008-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love fall. It is my favorite time of the year. If I had it my way, my husband and I would have gotten married in the fall. But we can thank the Army for that. Waking up and smelling the wonderful smell of the leaves changing and the crisp air in the early morning. Aw, it is wonderful!

With fall brings the holidays and with the holidays brings a whole new meaning of stress. Stress with who is doing Thanksgiving, what presents to by for Reagan, and on and on. Don't get me wrong, in the Bailey household if there wasn't any stress there would be no Baileys!

Take for instance...we just got back from Florida due to Ryan's grandmother passing away. It was a stressful event in itself due to the fact we got a call late Thursday night and had to leave the next day on a 14hr trip with a 3yr old. We left at 2:30pm in the afternoon and didn't arrive in Florida till 4:30am in the morning! I started helping his Ant and mother cook for 100 people for after the funeral. Well come Sunday night and day Reagan started vomiting and running a 104.1 fever with a horrible cough(she has had croup for the post month!). We get through the funeral and dinner and head home on Tuesday evening at 9:30pm. On our way out she is throwing up from coughing so hard(3 times to be exact!). Our car smelt so lovely! It had the aroma of Vick's vapor rub, vomit, and pee(she accidentally over flowed the pull up while she slept!). Then we are finally an hour from home and I am trying to sleep and I wake up to screams of "get it out, get it out", and Reagan crying. While we stopped at Cracker Barrel(One of our favorites to eat at on trips) she wanted to buy a pet hamster that rolls around on the floor. Well, needless to say she decided to put it in her hair as it was moving its legs and it got tangled into a nice big rats nest. We had to cut it out and now she has a lovely big Bald spot!

See why there is Always stress? Now my husband and I are sick, as well as all the family in Florida and Roanoke. But the good news is Reagan is much better! Go figure!

I promise I will try to get better at this whole blog thing. It is hard to update every week. With being a full time mom, worker, student, etc. There isn't enough hours in the day! But I can give it my best shot!

1st Day of School and Ballet

2008-09-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well Reagan is officially a Big Girl! She started school this past Wednesday as well as her First Day of Ballet! I took Ballet, tap, and Jazz for over 12yrs and it makes me feel sooooo Old to have my daughter taking at the same studio as I did with the Same Teacher! She absolutely Loved it! She learned how to skip! This year at school she is going three days instead of one and she is with her best friend Bryce! Bryce had coffee waiting for her when she came into the class. I am sure her mother and I are going to get many letters home from the Teacher this year! Reagan informed me when we left that she didn't like her new teacher but liked her old one! Funny how children remember things! Here are a few pictures of our babay girl, hard to believe she is growing up right in front of our eyes!

Weight Watchers is the way to go...

2008-09-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done Weight Watchers? If so you know first hand how amazing it is! I am a true believer and follower of the weight watchers point system. Over a year ago I joined to lose the left over weight of having Reagan. And a year later I had lost 30lbs! I was amazed at how easy it was and I was able to eat all the foods I love! So, if you are interested look at their wonderful website @ http://www.weightwatchers.com/. On their website you can find over a thousand recipes and much more to help you with your goal. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have and still do!

Life's a Beach

2008-08-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

It has been almost a year since I last post. Time flies! But this is All new to me-I promise I will add pictures.
We just got back from the beach, and let me tell you it was well worth it! Ryan and I haven't taken a full vacation since we have gotten married(Almost 6yrs!). This was also our 1st(official) vacation as a family with little bit. We went to Hilton Head Island and stayed at the Yacht Club Villas. We went with another family(Stacy and Tim Divers) who we became friends with through my work. They were so much fun to be with. They have three children, Caleb(8), Grayson(5), and Emmie(who will turn 4 in Oct.). Reagan was thrilled to wake up everyday to 3 playmates! Ryan was able to play golf with Tim twice and Stacy and I took the kids to the Ocean EVERYDAY and shopped! Our families meshed wonderfully together, it was nice to lay back and relax with a family who you can be yourself with!
Reagan starts school next week as well as her First Ballet class! I am so excited for her to start dance-I hope she enjoys it as much as I did! She is going to preschool three days this year instead of one. She is def. in need of it. She gets bored when there isn't much going on. She is like my brother in that aspect. She has to be busy! I started back to school, I had only two weeks off from summer session till fall. But it was nice not to have to study or worry about homework!
This Fall and winter is going to be extremly Busy! Reagan turns Three and Ryan turns the Big 3-0! We are planning a big party for Reagan as usual and then Ryan and I are going to Vegas in Feb. for his birthday but who knows I might have something planned before that ! ;)
All in all life is going pretty good-just Busy!

Where have we been?

2007-12-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

It has been almost two years since we were torn away from the Army. I say torn, because it was not by choice that we left. We were told to leave and not look back. Till this day we miss everything about daily life that to us, was the norm. To us the civilian world is the odd one. Seeing someone in a uniform brings back so many memories. We took for granted all the blessings we had in the Army.
Don't get me wrong with my husband being medically discharged he was able to see his first born, be there when she got deathly sick, witnessed her 1st birthday, etc. I would never wish for him not to be there for those memorable moments. He wouldn't either. But he left his men when they needed him and there was nothing to say but I am sorry. I will never forget the day he came home after he sent his platoon on the plane to go to a war zone and he was unable to follow. Nor will I ever forget the time he had to fly to Philadelphia to represent his Birgrade for a soldier who didn't mind dying for his country. He wanted to be in that war zone more than anyone could every imagine. He felt like less than a man and there was nothing I could do but comfort him. The roles reversed and I had to be the strong one. I had to tell him like he had told me so many times before that everything was going to be O.K.
We loved the Army life. We loved having our friends as family. Walking into a house without knocking was like walking into a house I called home. We met so many wonderful and exciting people that we will carry with us till the day we die. But I won't lie it still hurts. It hurts seeing people moving over seas or hearing about all the achievements and adventures their going through that we should be doing. I am so happy for them, I want the best for each one of our friends(family). It is just human to be jealous of what we wish we could have but know we will never be able to get it back.
Don't let me fool you, we have made a wonderful life together outside the Army life. It took awhile especially to adjust(let me tell you that having to pay a house payment out of our own pocket stinks!). Ryan works for the Railroad and loves his job. It is ran so much like the Army that they call all the management-Officers. With this job we move every two years. Which we actually love and look forward to. I am Finally getting to do what I want to do. I have 7 classes left to officially be a Registered Nurse. I love working at the hospital but I do not like working nights. But you do what you have to do when you have child.
All in all we have a fortunate life. But our past is who makes us who we are and we can Never forget the Army. Looking back we would still do anything to stay in. I could be talking about us moving and me doing everything on my own while he gets ready to redeploy but that isn't our life anymore. Our life is in the hands of the Railroad-God has lead us here and he knows where the tracks will take us from here.....