I can’t believe my baby is 4! We had a small birthday party with family. Savanna had been talking about a pinata for months so we did that, had cake and ice cream and let her be the center of attention, which is actually not out of the ordinary for her! Four years ago my life changed in a way that only having a baby can do. She is my joy and I love her so much.
This year my goal was to have a stress free holiday season, and I am happy to say, we made it work! We set a very small budget for James and I and the kids, and instead of buying gifts for every family member and friend we know, our family decided to do service. We made meals for The Food and Care Coalition, tied a quilt for the Womens Crisis Center and adopted an angel from the Angel Tree. We stayed close to home and even had tater tot casserole for Christmas dinner, making everything as simple as possible. After doing this I will never do Christmas another way again. It was so peaceful and calm and James and I got to enjoy being with each other and the kids, it was wonderful. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our savior, nothing more, nothing less, this is how I want it to always be.
For Thanksgiving I made a greenbean casserole to bring to my in-laws for dinner. I had been talking about it during the week, telling Savanna I was going to make it and that we needed to go to the store to get the ingredients, etc. On the morning of Thanksgiving, James was talking to Savanna and reminded her what day it was and that we were going to Nana’s to eat. Savanna told James that she was going to help mom make greenbean castles. It was a priceless moment so I made sure to take pictures of her helping me and tell the story to always remember it!
Halloween is getting more and more fun each year! With the kids getting older it is so fun to experience the holiday through their eyes. This year I had planned to have both the kids dress up as crayons, but Savanna decided she wanted to be a fairy and the duck costume I bought a few years ago fit Miles pretty well so it all worked out. We went to the ward trunk or treat then headed out around the neighborhood as well. Miles was thrilled when he discovered what trick or treating was. Everytime someone put candy in his bag he said “oh!” and gave them a huge smile. Savanna had so much fun and would have probably gone all night if we let her. When we got home Savanna dumped out her candy and was admiring it. James said he couldn’t believe that he had a kid old enough to do that and it brought back a lot of memories. All night I kept thinking about the fact that next year we will have three kids to take out!
James has a blog for his business. Please go to etherealfurnishings.blogspot.com to check it out. We are continually working to spread the word about the business so if you wouldn’t mind becoming a follower of his blog so other people who read your blog can find it easily, that would be so helpful! We appreciate all the help and support we have received so far, thanks again!
We went to pumpkinland today! I guess it has become a tradition! It was very crowded, but the kids had fun. Right when we walked in Miles said pumkins! his eyes were wide as he roamed over the piles of pumpkins! Savanna wanted to pose for pictures every few minutes, but we had to hurry because there were so many people we were holding everyone up. Fun day! 
Charles and Trish came over Saturday night with pumpkins and carving supplies. Savanna had never carved a pumpkin and it had been a long time since James and I had, so we all had a blast! Charles taught Savanna how to do it. She was not into scooping out the guts, but drew the face on all by herself and carved it out! Miles, however, loved scooping out the guts! He dug his hands in the pumpkin and smeared the contents all over his belly! James had fun too, he used a drywall knife and a jig-saw to carve his! It was a really fun family activity!
Over 10 years ago, James discovered his love and talent for creating. He started welding when he was 16 and has been in that business ever since. When he was 18 he made me a bookcase for my birthday out of wood and metal and has been going from project to project ever since. He has learned a lot over the years and has definitely expanded his portfolio. Now he has made the decision to put all of his talent and energies into making a living on his own. Having his own business has been his dream for a long time and although he has been doing it part time for quite awhile, he has made the leap to full time business owner. Although I am sure we are going to be facing a lot of changes and a lot of hard work in our life now, I couldn’t be happier. I am proud of James and what he has accomplished so far and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. I also want to reach out to all our family and friends who read this blog to help us get the word out about James and Ethereal Furnishings. I have posted pictures of all the things James can do, and you can also go to etherealfurnishings.com to see more. Leave me comments or send an email to chevonbayless@yahoo.com or james@baylessfamily.org if you or anyone you know is interested. Also, if you would like some of James’ business cards to pass out, let me know! Thanks to you all!
I can’t believe my baby boy is a year old already! We celebrated with family, he got way too many toys and ate way too much cake, but you only have your first birthday once right? Also, I guess we should tell everybody our big news, we are expecting our third child in February! It came as quite a surprise to us let me tell you! In fact, we had just had a discussion about when/if we would have more kids and came to the decision that we would wait 3 or 4 years and have a third, then surprise! We’re pregnant! It just goes to show you that some things are just out of your hands! I think I am finally over the shock of the whole thing and starting to get excited! p.s. Ronda, if you are reading this, I guess I will have to get my maternity clothes back!
Every year we have a tradition of going to the balloon launch early in the morning and then to a park to eat breakfast. This year was really fun because Miles was out there with us instead of in my belly like last year! Savanna was really excited about the balloons and kept talking about them all day. Her favorites were the pig and the muffin bear, which was actually Smoky the Bear, but to a three year old his at looked like a muffin, so there you go. Breakfast at the park was great, we had yummy Gandalfo’s sandwiches and Savanna picked out Cheetos to go with them! We played until it got too hot (for James) then went home for a nap! Later on we went swimming with my mom, Charles, and Trish. We didn’t get any pictures, but had a good time. Then for dinner we went to James’ parents house for a very yummy barbecue and fireworks. Savanna and Miles also got a turn to ride on “Bowskie”. If was a very long, but very fun day. 
