Life after Living....

I guess it is appropriate that my last post was from the first week of school and tonight I sit here staring at the screen on the last day of school. Clearly we have lived a full, or should I say busy, school year!

We have dropped one off at college, suffered through a broken leg, celebrated a sweet 16, cried over a state tournament loss and much, much more over the last nine months. So as we get ready to ease into another summer I couldn't help but turn to the blog world to document our year.

And of course, I will have to do it in pictures!

This picture was taken the morning we loaded Brendan up for college. Maybe this was not one of my finest moments as I watched the younger two hug their big brother and send him off....an hour down the road but still not under our roof! God created our children so close in age that they really don't know how to exist apart from the three all together so this was going to be a challenge for them and for Brian and I.

About two weeks later, Koby and I went over to see Brendan be sworn in for his ROTC commitment to the Air Force. Just as Brian was transitioning out of the Air Force Brendan was committing to serve. Talk about life coming full circle!

In the fall we went over to see Brendan march in Alabama's homecoming parade. Part of his ROTC duty was to be on the Saber team and his team marched in the parade. It was so much fun to see him do this and this upcoming year he will be the leader of this part of his detachment.

The first semester was hard for us all, but by the second semester he had settled in and we had as well! Dorm life was no picnic, but he and Ellie both survived their experience with new roommates, community showers and budgeting their "bama bucks" to last a whole semester - as opposed to eating cafeteria food on their UNLIMITED meal plan! All in all, I am thankful for the Lord's provision and protection as Brendan made it through his Freshman year of college! But most of all, I am thankful to have him home for the summer!!

I mentioned earlier we survived a broken leg because in the opening game of the season Koby hurt his knee. After he came out, he went back in to the game and had a big catch so we really thought he was OK. He complained about it for a few days and like any good mom I told him he would be fine and that he just needed to work out the soreness. The trainer advised us to see the doctor for an xray just to be sure and the xray showed a fractured tibia up by his knee. Koby will never let me live down the fact that I said he was fine when in fact he had a broken leg! Thankfully, he healed quickly and returned to finish the season....

His team made it into the second round of the playoffs, which was a huge achievement for them! Gran got to come see him play in the Homecoming game....

 ... and after the playoff loss he quickly transitioned into basketball, which is our favorite sport season!

Again his team had great success and made it all the way to the State Tournament, which was their goal early in the season. To loose is never fun and to loose in the final seconds of a game is even more difficult. Koby had a great senior basketball season and earned a spot in the MAIS All Star game in Jackson, but I don't know that he will ever get the feeling of loosing something that was so close in reach.

Over Spring Break he spent a week in Guatemala. I wish I had the pictures to post of that because he absolutely loved it and the people there! Koby has always loved mission work and his trip to Guatemala was an amazing experience. The first night he text me that he was the best communicator of the group and I think it only got better from there!

He and Anna attended Prom at the end of March....

...and this is one of my favorite pictures ever so how could I not post it here! His class won "Spirit Week" in April and took their senior skip day and an earned day off as a case of senior-itis set in! Keeping Koby motivated to finish the year wasn't easy, but he finally made it to the big day....

... and it was fun and sad and everything in between as we celebrated his achievement with our friends and family!




Finally, but most definitely not least, Kamdyn has had her own school year of ups and downs. In October she celebrated her Sweet 16th birthday....

She survived soccer season but plans to not play this upcoming year. Her basketball team had few wins on the scoreboard but they improved and found their way into the first round of the playoffs.

She plays serious and tough and seriously rough, and this year her hard work earned her a spot on the District All Tournament team. While her free throws need some work, she led her team in scoring and enjoyed the season.

In late March she went on her first overseas mission trip with our church to the Dominican Republic. Let me say, one of the hardest things I have done is put our 16 year old daughter on a plane going out of the country without me on it! Talk about a step of faith - it was a LEAP! I have said before that she does not get her independence from me. Growing up I called my mother more times than I care to admit to say I was homesick or wanted her to come get me from somewhere. But not Kamdyn! When I see her smile in the pictures I know we made the right choice to let her go...

... and I felt like God tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that our children belong to Him and my responsibility is to point them towards serving Him. If you have young children, don't pass your fears onto them! Encourage them to serve God however and wherever He leads - and then pray, pray, pray.

In other exciting news, Kamdyn talked us into this....

... a golden retriever puppy she has named Murphy! Yes, we now have as many dogs as children!! He has kept us entertained and maybe a little stressed but we are enjoying him - and also sending him to obedience training ASAP.

I finished my masters degree in December and transitioned into the classroom in January. I spent the second semester teaching 7th and 8th grade Science and History and Bible and manners and responsibility and lots of other little things! This could be why I am having a hard time with free time in the evenings these last few nights. I have written a paper, read books and came up with lesson plans every night for the last 18 months. I am looking forward to blogging, cooking and most of all reading over the summer!! Brian is enjoying his job and has done well transitioning into the civilian world. He and I are looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary in June and we recently renovated our kitchen and dining room!

So,  you are all caught up on the Bailey Bunch. As always, were are faithful to our Aggies...

... surviving a nerve-racking season and anxiously waiting for kickoff in August!

I trust the Lord has blessed each one of you over this school year in the same way He has blessed our family - with grace, mercy, patience and love. I look forward to "chatting" with you over the summer!!!

Jeremiah 29:13

It's Back to School...

Here in Mississippi the calendar has turned to a new school year. The kids started back on Monday of this week and as usual, we have started full force!

Koby and Kamdyn were all smiles on their first morning. He is starting his senior year and she is starting her sophomore year.

For the first time in a very long time I only packed two lunches!! In my new motivation to be on time and organized, I made lunches the night before (minus the sandwiches). This lasted exactly one night! But it was a good idea...

Kamdyn has already had her first soccer game and plays again tomorrow. Koby plays in his first scrimmage this Friday! Clearly, we are back to normal and to be honest I find some comfort in that.

This new school year is bringing with it many changes and if you know me, you know change is not my favorite thing! However, one thing I a am very excited about is this...

... I am teaching 7th grade Bible this year. I have 21 students and we will spend the first semester learning about the book of Judges. So, I have brushed up on my biblical history, which means that Old Testament class I have taken has paid off!! I am really looking forward to it and so far, so good.

Last night the school celebrated Ram Pride Night, having games and food then introducing all of the fall sports teams. I didn't get to take that many pictures, which I am extremely upset about. However, I did get this one and couldn't resist sharing it here...

...Koby and Anna in the photo booth last night! I hate his jersey is covered up because he is proudly wearing #2 this year! (Gig'em)

So, off we go to a new year with an opportunity to make more memories!! We drop Brendan off at Alabama Friday and I will be posting all about it once I recover. Also, Brian retired Aug. 1 and I will be including pictures from it in an upcoming post.

Tonight, I am enjoying everyone under one roof for just two more nights, before things really change. Hope things are well where you are....

Summer Time.....

It is so hard to believe that summer is almost over. I know for some of you, there are still a few more weeks to go but here in Mississippi we will be starting school two weeks from today. When I was a child, summer seemed to last forever.

There were unending days of Barbies, followed by more Barbies and then we played Barbies.

If I was honest I would tell you I was doing that at 12 and 13!!

The weeks were hot and unending as we waited for Labor Day to come bring us our signal to start back back to school. Clearly that is not the case now as an adult.

So, I was thinking I would share a glimpse into our summer as we get ready to set out for school supplies soon. And of course I will do it through pictures because that is the best way to talk about things!

One of the things that happened early in the summer was Freshman Orientation with Brendan...

...and I snapped this picture, which has certainly raised eyebrows back home in Texas! I mentioned in my previous post how relieved and grateful I was when we met Brendan's roommate. At Orientation I also became grateful for whoever invented Clorox wipes because after I saw that dorm room I wanted to run to Sams and buy a case of wipes!! That might be best discussed in another post. He and Ellie had an awesome time seeing the campus and I know they are excited about starting their college years. (They move in Aug. 15 so prayers are once again appreciated!)

Kamdyn went home to Texas in mid-June and I snapped this picture when we met Kelly to pick her up...

...because you can tell these girls love their Kamdyn! She had a great visit with Gran and all the cousins and enjoyed her time in College Station before we made her come back home.

Then some of the cousins got together for a swim...

...and I had a flashback to the days my boys argued over who could swim the link of the pool the fastest or who had the best dive - or maybe it really happened all over again and I saw them as 7 and 8 instead of 17 and 18!

Before getting to Texas Koby went on a mission trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with our youth group. Koby loves mission trips and this year he was especially excited about going because he wanted this picture...

...standing proud in front of Rocky! Koby has loved the Rocky movies since he was a little boy and I really believe standing in front of that statue will forever be a life highlight for him. I was ready to see him after spending 10 days away from us, and I think Brendan was too. He is not used to being the only child after all!

Also while we were in Texas we ate at Stanley's, a BBQ place that is so good it can go by just one name! This was my sandwich and one rib.

What you can't see is a picture of Brian's sandwich named the Mother Clucker! It was amazing as was everything else we ate. So, if you are ever in Tyler stop at Stanley's. You won't be disappointed!

After we got back home, Kamdyn and I did something really wild and crazy...

...a 5K Color Run!! I had to convince her this would be great fun and I let her bring a friend to increase the fun! By the start of the second mile I was trying to convince myself running a 5K in July was truly fun!! We didn't run the whole thing, but we did finish the race and we weren't in last place so in my book I count that a positive experience. And all the color does make it a little more fun! I think we will do it again - in the fall!

Speaking of running, I use an App on my phone when I walk and/or run. I took a break from this while we were in Texas and this is what the handy App had to say about that...

,

Basically, I did do a few things in the middle of this but I didn't log onto my App. Clearly I was missed and it is good to know I have accountability!

Brian and I celebrated July 4th with Kamdyn and a friend of hers!

We also spent time together doing one of our favorite summer activities ....

.... canning pickles! I also shelled some peas which is something I enjoy. I feel like we could grow our own garden one day, but maybe we will just stick to the Farmers Market and Produce Stands because they don't require me to pick weeds!

Last week Kamdyn and I went to Cheer Camp...

...and this is my group of girls for the upcoming school year!They did a great job at camp and won first place in their division!! Cheer camp is always long days and little sleep at night, but I enjoy spending time with the girls and this group certainly kept me entertained!

SOOOO, that's our summer time in pictures with just a few weeks left to go. I love the slow pace of summer and I can already tell we are slowly shifting into the next gear. Kamdyn has her first soccer game next Friday and Koby started football practice this evening. Brendan is checking off his list for college and Brian is getting ready to start his new job. So time marches on and I hold on to these last few weeks of sweet summer time.

Praise the Lord....

Clearly I was in fact not back to blogging!

Sadly, it has taken almost two months for me to log back and on and write. The pace of summer has been friendly to our family and we have been able to enjoy slowing down a bit. There has been somewhat of a revolving door at our house over the last six weeks as the kids have been to camps and mission trips and visited family and friends and there are still more camps and trips to squeeze in before school starts. I feel like I could write 5 or 6 posts all in this one blog post but today I mostly wanted to write to offer praise to the Lord.

I have decided that when God answers your prayers it is the most humbling experience. As a child I might have confused prayer requests with a list for Santa, praying I needed my parents to give me that new pair of Guess jeans or I needed that 100 on the Chemistry test that I studied 5 minutes for. I think as I grew older I confused prayer requests with gossip, like most good Baptist tend to do. I'll pray for her because look at how her children behave or I'll pray for those people because what a mess of a marriage. However, in the last few years I have found a renewed sense of understanding when it comes to prayer.

It is no secret on the blog that I wore God's ear out on praying for Brendan a roommate! And Ellie, too for that matter. I just could imagine all sorts of strange and weird children that could possibly be paired up with either one of them and then how would college go? I mean, in my mind, I had thought of all kinds of scenarios!

So, God convicted me of worry and I began to lay that burden down and just pray, pray and pray. In June, we had dinner with Brendan's roommate and I can't even begin to tell you the sigh of relief I felt when I saw this very normal family waiting on us in the restaurant. As we talked with them I began to feel more comfortable and at peace with the whole college dorm experience. I remember driving home that night and literally feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. And then it hit me....God answered my prayers.

I kind of wander if He thought "enough of Kristy Bailey! Take this roommate and move on sister!"

Kind of like what we do as parents when our kids just finally wear us down and we give in to that kitten because after ten thousand requests you just give out. And give in.

So, that was one prayer answered. But honestly, it didn't end there for me. For the last year and especially the last six months, Brian and I have been in limbo with his retirement from the military and what that would look like and how it would work. I began to pray God would just open doors for us and show us where He wanted us to be. We didn't know if we would stay here in Columbus, if a job would open up, if we would be able to afford to give the kids iPhones and cars and the things they have been accustomed to. Again I was convicted of worry, and I would daily and sometimes hourly lay down my worry and burden for our future at the foot of the cross. I prayed God would lead us, strengthen us and place us where He wanted us.

It was not easy!

Nobody works to keep people guessing like the military. Every week was a new turn and at times I wondered at the way the path was leading. Over and over again I would say to myself, "Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord."

Brian interviewed for a job in early June and by shortly after that they extended him an offer! But, the timing had to be just to right to take it. Paperwork on his behalf was scattered all over the country, literally, and people we will never meet were making decisions on his future in the military and in the civilian world. We began to ask people to pray for us and with us, that the timing would work out for him to retire and accept this new job. It would be something only God could do because the odds were not in our favor.

We finally got an answer on June 27, and slowly our future began to have clarity. At least for this upcoming school year, which seems to be how I measure everything.

And again, I stand amazed and humbled at the way God answers my prayers. Brian and I sat in a meeting just last week where the lady told us, "nobody thought this would happen" and "we don't know how this came through". I thought to myself, "lady I know because I am a child of the One True King" and great is His faithfulness to me.

So today, in the words of the Psalmist I say, "let everything that has breath praise the Lord." I have learned to praise Him in times of worry and in times where I doubted if He was really listening. I have learned to trust in a way that has grown my faith to a deeper level, and I am confident that "He who has began a good work will be faithful to complete it", even as that completion takes a long time or has the face of normal people.

I have much more to write about and I really hope to be more faithful to the blog. But for now, I wanted to take the opportunity to Praise the Lord for all He has done for us and to encourage you to cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.

"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever." Psalm 145:1

The start of something new....

You know when time just totally gets away from you? Well, the last two months have done exactly that for me. I can't believe it has been over two months since I sat down to blog and some of you may have appreciated the break from the Bailey's. It hasn't been that I haven't thought about blogging because I totally love to go on and on about what we are up to.

Basically, I can compare the last two months to swimming in the ocean {not that I swim in the ocean because that would really mess up my hair but just pretend with me!}. You know how the waves just keep coming, just keep knocking you off your feet and you think the next one won't be that bad but then it comes and it knocks you over again? I don't have firsthand experience in this but I have seen it happen when I people watch from my tanning spot!

Well the last two months have brought many waves to our household and there have been a few times I have been knocked off my feet. In late February Brian and I began discussing the fact that I felt God really calling me to seminary. We had talked about this a few times over the last two years and I had done everything to escape the call except just saying one simple word: YES. So, in all of my excitement to finally walk in obedience I signed up to start classes at the end of March thinking the spring is usually my calmest time of the year and knowing I would be done with my first session before facing graduation. This is what I started with....

...and why I was even shocked that the devil would arrive shortly after this box of books is beyond me! My spring exploded into committee meetings, track meets, prom, changes at our beloved school and ultimately walking through graduation with our oldest child. I am the first to admit I could possibly have been overly ambitious with these first classes but I loved every bit of it, even the research papers and projects. However, I also learned too much is just too much and so I am going to slow down for the summer and take less classes.

Typically our kids participate in track as their spring sport and I love to go to the track meets mostly because they do bring back some old memories, like the fake knee injury I usually pulled around lap 6 of the 2 mile run. Kamdyn did really well this year in the shot put...

.... she placed first in the district and barely missed placing high enough at North State to qualify for State. Not bad for a freshman! Brendan also had a good final track season advancing all the way to the State track meet with his 4x800 relay team. They ended up 4th in the state, which was a great accomplishment!

Oh and then we had Prom, which deserves its very own post I am sure. I can't go without sharing at least one picture of the boys with their girls...

....which both looked absolutely gorgeous!

And somewhere in the middle of all of this I prepared for graduation and all that would come with it. We planned a senior picnic for the last day the class would be at school together, a senior dinner with seniors and their families, Sports Banquet, Senior Chapel, graduation parties and then the fun of invitations and going through pictures for slide shows.

 Sports Banquet

Senior Chapel - He was named Outstanding Student of his class

And it all happened faster than I could blink my eyes and here we were this past weekend watching our son graduate...

Giving the introduction for the guest speaker

It was such a special weekend with all of our family here in town to celebrate with us! Certainly this day deserves its own blog post in order to convey all the emotion that goes along with graduation but I wanted squeeze in how truly special this weekend was for our family! To have all of our family in town to celebrate with Brendan was such a blessing and it reminds me of how thankful I am for the family God placed me in. After all, not many grandmothers would take the time to make this kind of cake...

Pops, Brendan and Gran with money cake

....and even BUY an Alabama handkerchief to put it on! Brian and I have just been beyond blessed and certainly there will be more posts to follow of graduation pictures and party pictures and discussion of the emotion of your son leaving childhood behind right in front of your very eyes. 

So, just know I am back to the world of blogging Kasey! I have missed you all and can't wait to tell you more about the Bailey Bunch....

Spring Break Favorites...

We are in the final hours of our Spring Break and I will be sad to see it go! Not because we took a fabulous vacation {or any vacation for that matter} but because life was a slower pace for one week. And now I am officially declaring myself as getting old! While Koby complained about being bored and actually counted down the days until going back to school {or AKA Social Hour in Koby's world} I enjoyed a less structured week. If that makes me old then so be it!

Please don't be mistaken though. While there were all of 14 things I wanted to accomplish over a 10 day period I will openly confess to marking off only 2 things from my list. One of those was cleaning our bedroom which I accomplished Monday. It was desperately needed, complete with dusting and moving things around and it is good to know I can accomplish something. However, those other 12 things - not so much! Good thing I have never been too much of a high achiever, or an OCD person.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite things with y'all, which I discovered mostly over Spring Break.

These two snack items are now at the top of my list!!! I have enjoyed both of them over the last week and so has our family.

My sister got me a new book for Christmas from one of my favorite bloggers and I have finished the book over Spring Break!! If you have not read this please pick it up because it will truly make you laugh out loud.

I enjoy reading Melanie's blog and this book just had so many funny but true things for marriage. I also have been reading this book, which talks about evangelism.

It has really impacted me in looking at the way I see people around me and how I view the Great Commission. This book is straight forward in challenging you to share your faith through building relationships. I got it from our church library but I will be buying my own copy soon!

Speaking of the Great Commission, Koby's girlfriend spent Spring Break in Haiti...

....and can I just say how sweet this picture is?! It is definitely one of my favorites! Anna's family went with their church to work at a newly built compound in Haiti. She went knowing she would have no wifi and no hot water which are both huge sacrifices for a 16 year old {or me!}. Koby and I prayed for her trip the whole time she was gone and she came home telling us all kinds of stories and how the Lord worked. She was responsible to go with her translator each day and teach about 50 kids Bible stories and make crafts with them. She also brought something back for us, which is sure to be one of my new favorites...

...COFFEE from the Dominican Republic, which is where they flew in and out of. I can't wait to try it!

I also wanted to share my new favorite version of Jesus Loves Me, which we shared in our local mission project last Saturday. It's very catchy and the kids love keeping the beat!

For the record I am the one recording not the one singing!!

I came across this blog post by a new blogger and had to share it here because it was one of my favorites I read this week:

http://motherhoodandmuffintops.blogspot.com/2014/03/weve-been-so-busy-around-here-with-all.html

If you have two minutes click on it and read it! If you are a mother you will understand my deep appreciation for her post.

Here is what is NOT my favorite:

This is the parking ticket we got when we took Brendan to visit the Alabama campus Thursday. While we were most impressed with the campus and dorms and College of Engineering, I was not happy about getting this ticket. However, I think the fact that our van is covered with Texas ATM decals could possibly cause our van to stand out in a crowd of vehicles. Oh, and we also parked in the faculty parking lot!!

I also don't know about the time I spent with Kamdyn at the mall looking for a swimsuit. Shopping is fun! Shopping with your 15 year old daughter for a swim suit and new shorts is not so fun but that's for another blog post.

I do hope you enjoyed your Spring Break if you had one. God provided us with great weather for the most part and I was so thankful to spend some time outside! I hope you are finding some favorites in this new season...

That time I was wrong....

In my last post I eluded to more stability in my future posts because basketball season was over. I may have mentioned I would have more time on my hands and how I couldn't wait to do some things around the house - like cooking for starters. In full disclosure, I did have the greatest of intentions! I also intended to be ready to run my first 5K this month but sadly that didn't work out either.

I could never have anticipated the flurry of activities that would soon surround us. While in my mind I pictured quiet, sunny afternoons with our family all together eating a supper that consisted of something other than nachos or chicken fingers I have decided the Lord had other plans. I have been involved with some committee meetings at church and some difficult days at school. We were a host home for our DNOW weekend, housing 8 girls and a college student. Koby had surgery, Brendan played his final game {for real this time} and Kamdyn started softball practice!

So here are a few snapshots of what we have been up to {which clearly will not include blogging!}...

We were a host home for DNOW at our church last weekend. Brian and I have opened our home for the past few years and we have had all ages. The last two years I have gotten wise and hosted the oldest group of girls. It has worked wonderfully because they don't want to stay up all night and they are passed the age of girl drama. I have decided they can be a bit messier than boys but tend to take home everything they bring unlike boys! I was thrilled to host this particular group of girls this year because I knew it would be their final DNOW and also because I knew I was going to have the BEST college leader, who was a former student of mine. It has been amazing to see how God has worked in her life and I was so glad to hear her be able to relate some of that to the girls we hosted.

Koby had surgery this past Wednesday to repair some torn cartilage in his shoulder. He actually hurt it last summer but toughed it out through football and basketball. We knew if he could survive both sport seasons he would have to have the surgery done as soon as possible.

So, we took this "selfie" before they wheeled him back Wednesday morning! The procedure itself took less than an hour and it was an outpatient surgery so we were home before noon. I think the first 24 hours were pretty rough but by Friday morning his humor was returning. He has stayed in the recliner since coming home and he has watched more movies than I care to admit. Finally, we got him up and outside for some fresh air...

It's not exactly spring break at the beach but close! I can't thank you enough for your prayers because I believe the Lord has answered them. Brian and I actually anticipated much worse and have been thankful that Koby has done so well. We will be going to the doctor Tuesday to have his stitches out and he can't wait! The other side of that will be starting therapy and I'm not so sure it will be that fun for any of us.

Brendan was selected as an All Star for the north half of the state in 1A schools. He was one of 12 on the north team and left for Jackson Wednesday to get checked in. He participated in the three point contest Thursday and came in 7th out of all 40 contestants for 1A-3A schools. I picked Ellie up in Birmingham Thursday night and she and Kamdyn and I drove down to Jackson Friday for the game. It was a little bittersweet watching him play because I knew this was in fact it. Everything he had worked on all those years in the drive way was rewarded in this All Star experience and we are all thankful he had the opportunity to compete.

 

 

 

Yesterday we served in our monthly mission project with the church. This is something that sometimes sneaks up quickly and this month was one of those times. However, I always leave our time spent there thankful, grateful and with a full heart. I think Kamdyn does too because I saw that she posted this picture on her Instagram...

She has the biggest heart to pick up any child and share love with them. The kids climb on her, fix her hair, chase her around and she still keeps smiling. To see her in action never fails to make me stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving for how the Lord will use her for the Kingdom!

So, that is about it from here. We did remember to spring forward and I realize at some point I will be grateful for the extra sun in the evening. However, it was not today because I really am trying to recover from lost sleep over the last week. We are officially on Spring Break and I am not sure what that means for us other than no school, which at this point is good enough for me! I hope to be checking in with you sooner rather than later but no promises this time...I've been known to be wrong before!

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!