Update on life

I haven't updated FOREVER! So much has happened that I won't go through it all. My theory with blogs is that if you try to update and go back through all the important things and write about them all, then blogging becomes a job. But if I just write down my thoughts and add a few pictures whenever I have time, then it's no big deal. Life is too busy and hectic to add another chore. But an update is overdue :)

My family does a newsletter every so often where we just exchange emails of what has been happening. This post is that letter updating what has been going on for us:

Life at the Bailey home is crazy as ever. I was just telling my mom today how summer was supposed to be relaxing and full of vacations, etc. But summers are probably the busiest time of the year! We both are working and I took a summer class and our church callings... everything just kept us so busy, that our summer has just flown by!

Thinking of that, I don't know if I told you all about Dave's new church calling. He is the new executive secretary in our ward. Basically that means he is the bishop's secretary and is keeps up his schedule and meetings, etc. He is busy every Sunday and Tuesday and sometimes other days of the week. It hasn't been too bad yet and I hope it is no busier than he has been already. I am the Relief Society Meetings Coordinator... long name for activity planner. I have a committee of 13 and we plan each month's activity. I don't choose the topic or all of the activity. The presidency gives me the idea of what they want to do according to the month's topic and I just plan out the details. I like it so far, but my old committee had been in for a year and were burnt out, so my new committee should be better... hopefully.

School is taking FOREVER! I had planned on being completely done by August 9th, but due to work beefing up my hours, I had to slow down drastically. Work wants me 5 hours a day and one class on top of that adds another 2 hours of homework a day and having a child to tend to constantly, planning out dinner and housecleaning, and my church calling... I just couldn't keep up. So I dropped all but one class and might have to take it that slow on my last 3 classes. It sucks to drag it out, but I already have the job I would want if I had my Master's degree, so at this point it is not a matter of NEEDING it, I just will need the Master's degree in case I ever switch employers. The work and debt people go through for a piece of paper that says you've done it is crazy.

Peyton is just adorable. :) She picks up new words, songs, phrases everyday. Her newest obsession is chocolate milk. She asks for it all day. If we try to give her plain milk, she yells, "No, I want chocolate milk!" She's not dumb--no sliding things past her! She loves to sing lately too. We sing all sorts of primary songs all day long. It's cute. This is no lie, the other day she sang:

"I am a Child of God,

and he has sent me here,

has given me CHOCOLATE MILK

and parents kind and dear..."

Yep, chocolate milk comes before a good earthly home in her eyes :) Besides that, the news for her is that she loves playing with friends. I love our little neighborhood. Every evening, we sit a blanket out on our front lawn, and within ten minutes, every neighbor within 5 houses of us is sitting there with us while our kids run around playing. It is so nice. It knocks out any last energy she had left for the day and makes putting her to bed a lot easier. :) She loves playing with friends and gets so excited to see them.

That is about it for us. We had fun at Lake Powell. Dave planned on fishing the whole time, but ended up getting in the water to cool off. His cast got a little wet, so he decided cutting it off would be better than letting it rot in a hot cast all weekend. It was probably a good idea, but I still wasn't 100% pleased. I should have known it would happen though. I don't think it is a big deal though. When he got it recasted, the x-rays looked so good that the doctor just wanted to put him in a walking boot. He told the doctor that last time they did that, he hardly wore it (not good, but honest). So they recasted it. Since we've been home though, he's just put his boot back on. Hopefully no harm was done.

Lake Powell was a blast. I am still sore from wake-boarding. Going in and out of the wake isn't a challenge anymore, so Dave is going to teach me how to switch feet and then jump. :) We are going back with my family probably on Labor Day in September. :) Peyton loved Lake Powell--the water, the sand, the boat--she liked it all! She didn't fight us too much on the life jacket either. Dave and Tyson and JD had fun cat-fishing. They caught quite a few and had a good time together. I am so glad that they have so much fun when they are together. I guess I worried a little that my city-slicker husband wouldn't fit in with the country-boys, but they all laugh and joke the whole time they are together. I love those boys. :)

The rest of the summer sounds busy and fun. I have my class to finish up, my cousin Natalie's wedding, our anniversary and a camping trip we have planned up Cedar Mountain, a trip to the Bailey's for a week for Dave's physical therapy, my friend Lyndsi's wedding, then...school starts again. So much to do, and so little time!

Life is good. Hope this was a good update for everyone.

Love you all,

JaRelle