Random Stuff

Just a few little things that have been poking around with no particular place to assign them. First off, Finn has been thriving this year in school, and has had so much fun with his teachers. A few weeks ago, he got to bring home Corduroy for the weekend, and let him be a part of our family for a few days.

Finn took him almost everywhere, and loved him to death. He was a good visitor. Finn also got to participate in his classes talent show, by reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear.

The talent show was a little chaotic, to say the least, and Finn was one of the few kids who actually had a prepared talent, and wasn't too shy to perform it. He did a great job.

We've had a lot of rain lately, which makes for a lot of cloudy days. I snapped this pic during one of them, as it made our street look particularly majestic.

My friend Beth had her baby, and I got to go and visit with her, and see him. Little Wyatt is pretty adorable.

And lastly, I took the girls for haircuts, and even though their styles aren't drastically different, the end result looks a lot more polished.

 

I forgot to get Danyn's before shot because she went first, so the sink is all I have. Not to be outdone, Finn rocked a sweet mohawk to school the other day.

The only reason his hair can even do that is because of a rather disastrous haircut he got from a place called Cookie Cutters. They're supposed to specialize in kid haircuts, but they tried to give my four year old a hipster do. No, just no. So we had Sonia fix it as best she could, but mostly it just needs a lot of time to grow out.

And there you go, all caught up on the Baylys crazy.

He Makes 36 Look Good

Teag recently celebrated his 36th birthday, the day after we got back from Vancouver. We didn't go too crazy that day, given our trip, but that night we ate Chinese food, and I baked his favorite cake; yellow, with chocolate frosting. He got several pilot autobiographies (of course).

As well as a movie, and a shirt that I thought was particularly awesome. Probably because I picked it out without him knowing.

Then we all got to sing Happy Birthday, and watch him blow out candles.

We absolutely love this guy, and couldn't ask for a better father/husband. He's incredibly smart (just ask Maisie, and her math homework), he's selfless, he's got one of the best smiles ever, and he can always make us laugh. He's also amazingly strong, and capable. He deals with a lot, and is able to handle things with more insight and patience than I ever could. He's kind of our family glue, and we'd all fall apart without him. We love you Teag!

Vancouver

Teag had a trip to Vancouver in the Pilatus scheduled for the end of February, and as I've never been anywhere internationally, he asked if I could tag along. We couldn't make the babysitting work for me to be there the whole time, so I found a cheap commercial flight, and left the next afternoon. Kind of a bummer, because I ended up with a pretty significant flight delay that meant instead of arriving in Vancouver by 6:00 p.m., I didn't get there until 10:00. Better than being stuck in San Francisco though, which would have been the alternative. Anyway, we've had a couple of unexpected stresses come up in our lives, and the thought of getting away alone together sounded too lovely to pass up. The weather was downright chilly, so it wasn't exactly ideal outdoor weather, but we did what we could.

Our first morning we spent exploring Granville Island, including the huge public market, where we discovered a new fruit that is quite weird and delicious. It's called a Goldenberry, and looks like a yellow cherry tomato. Rather tart, but a fun new discovery.

We walked along the shoreline as well, where we saw some cool totem poles, and a sea plane base.

If you look in the middle on the left side, you can see a sea plane flying just above the water. Teag hopes that will be him one day. I think we both wanted to walk around more, but with the sun hiding behind the clouds, we were too cold for much walking. So we had dinner, and went and saw a movie, which is something we haven't been able to do for far too long.

The next day we went hiking through a forest that looked like it could have doubled for Endor. Although "hike" is a pretty loose term when there's barely any grade.

We ate fresh fish and chips in a little fishing village afterwards, and then headed back to our hotel, where the weather took a turn for the worse. What started as rain turned to snow, then back to rain. We decided to see another movie. Might as well take advantage of a kid-free night! Then we had an amazing and cozy dinner. I wanted to include this other pic, as it just seems so random. There were a few of these carvings outside a shop we passed often on our way to somewhere else.

This trip wouldn't have been possible without the help of our family. Nate and Elle took Finn for the lions share of the time we were gone, just adding him in with their boys. It seemed like he had a really great time, and we appreciated how willing they were to take him.

My Mom & Dad watched the girls, and I know I never have anything to worry about when they're with Grandma and Grandpa. I tried to text my mom to see how things were, and she told me she was too busy playing a game with them, and I was bugging her. So grateful for family who are willing to jump in and help with this sort of thing. It really means a lot. I also wanted to get this last picture included, as I realized we don't really have any pictures of Teag with the Pilatus. He's been flying it for years, but as he's the one who's always doing the flying, he's never got any pictures.

That's one handsome aviator, right there. I'm glad for the chance we had to get away, and I'm glad for the memories we're able to make as a couple. Sometimes life can be pretty sweet.

Zumbathon!

Natalie and I attended another Zumbathon with Lindsey Taylor, this time on behalf of Operation Underground Railroad. It was spectacular! Seriously, one of the most fun Zumba events I've been to.

We got VIP tickets, per our usual, and got spots right up near the front. I like to be in the front, because it's much easier to follow, and I feel like you're more a part of the action.

Lindsey is a lot of fun, and she's really easy to follow. She has great music selections, and great choreography as well.

And here's the crazy part! I got called up on stage! I will admit I was worried I'd be way out of my league, but I did pretty well, and it was such a rush!

After doing Zumba for as many years as I have, I'm definitely starting to feel more confident in my abilities, but I never would have imagined it would lead to me being up there with a ZES. It was exciting, and I was glad for the opportunity. I love having Natalie as my Zumba buddy, we've had some really fun memories from events. Looking forward to the next one!

Danyn is Double Digits

Danyn had her 10th birthday this year! She's getting old. I think we need to get her a job.

This was her hair after Grandma did it up with a curling iron while Teag and I were out of town. It's crazy how a new hairstyle can make her look so much older. She had a good birthday this year, getting lots of things she wanted.

That included jewelry, a couple of books, a watch, and some markers and coloring books. She also decided to buck tradition and have special birthday ice cream instead of a cake, so we went to Coldstone to get her whatever flavor combination she so desired. We even brought a candle for her to blow out, and sang Happy Birthday.

And check out this amazing Valentine's Day box she created! She did have a little help from us, but she did quite a bit of the work, and it looks awesome.

Danyn is still a pretty adventurous kid. She is very kind to those around her, and a rather sensitive soul. She enjoys singing, and has joined both the Ward Choir, as well as a choir at her school. We're proud of the girl she's becoming, and look forward to seeing her continue to grow and mature. Love you Dany!

Maisie is a Teenager!

Maisie's 13th birthday happened to fall the day we planned to fly home from California. We didn't want her to feel neglected though, so we packed a few of her presents to open that morning. She got a new sweater to wear, a new phone case, and some jewelry.

Once we got home, we made her a birthday dinner, and cake, and she got to open a few more presents. A fuzzy blanket (purple of course).

And a new comforter set. Teag thought it was super weird that anyone would want a comforter set for their birthday, but Maisie loves it, and it has inspired her to make her bed most days, which is pretty freaking awesome.

Then it was time for cake!

She's getting a whole lot more candles on her cake these days! We're really proud of our Miss Maisie. She's handled her first year of Junior High well, though it's been a bit of an adjustment to what she was used to. She had a part in her school's production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and took on all the extra time needed to be a part of that.

It wasn't an easy experience, and there was a lot of learning that took place, but I think she's stronger because of it. She also ran to be on next years Senate team. She's branching out and trying new things, and it's fun to see her grow and find her niche. We love our Maisie!