Rest and Football

We have completed another FULL week and this morning I find myself in one of my favorite places with some of the favorite things - my Bible, my coffee, my laptop and ESPN Game Day. Yes in this moment life is good!

Kamdyn's team played two soccer games early this week. Both times her team came up short and she came off the field tired, sweaty and ready for Motrin. I have said before that I am so thankful soccer wasn't a big sport when I was growing up. Track season for this chubby sister was enough! I can't imagine the amount of running that soccer requires.

(I have some friends who might agree)

 (Hallee you are one of them!)

Anyways, Kamdyn does a great job and keeps up well. Her team has 5 games left and I am hopeful the Lord sees fit to bless us with some cooler weather as we endure these final five games over the next three weeks because let me tell you so far soccer season has been HOT!

Thursdays are chapel days for our elementary students at school. Every year I have my cheerleaders and some football players and basketball players speak at elementary chapel. My hope is that the older kids realize what a responsibility they have to be true examples to those coming behind them. I also like for the kids to think about what a true hero looks like. In today's world so many "stars" give an example I do not want my children to follow and challenging the kids to really put thought into being a hero hopefully helps them as they look at the world around them.

So, this Thursday was our turn and here is the group that led:

My cheerleaders do some fun chants and silly songs with the elementary kids. In between the songs and chants, I have the leaders come up and share from the Bible their favorite verse and what it means to them. I will be flat honest and tell you it stirs my heart to see young people hold their Bible and proclaim God's Word! It gives me chills every time and I was especially proud of this group!

Their verses came from the Old Testament and New Testament. They shared struggles and challenges. They shared the Word in a way where kids younger than them could see that there is importance and relevance when you read it. They were heroes in that 35 minutes!

Thursday night was our first home Pee Wee and JV football games. The school was in need of announcer for the games and look who they chose:

Yes sir!! Koby was the game announcer for both games and he did an amazing job! I might possibly have threatened him to not embarrass his father and me and reminded him to be sure to speak clearly but I was truly so proud of him. If you know Koby you know he doesn't lack entertainment skills so I think this was something he really enjoyed. A crowd of people and him on the microphone was most likely a dream come true!

As our little Pee Wee team wrapped up their game with a truly amazing play by our quarterback I heard Koby say, "and that was Carter Putt with a Johnny Manziel play as the Rams score to pull ahead". Yes, that is our son and Gig 'em!

Last night we played on the road against a team we just can't seem to beat over the last few years. This was not a district game for us but Koby and the boys called it a "statement game".

I snapped this quick picture of some of the team as I was on the field helping the girls get the sign ready. It made me think of how hard it is to know you are the underdog, the one nobody thinks is good enough. The truth is, Satan would like us all to believe we aren't good enough, we aren't worthy enough for the mercy and grace our Father provides.

Just like these boys would be tackled over and over in the game, Satan tackles us in life over and over. I was so proud of Koby and the team as they got up every time and kept their eyes on the end zone and I was reminded of Hebrews 12:2 where the author reminds us to "let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...". The devil wants us to loose our focus, to quit in the middle of the game of life. Our team came up short last night but they did not quit! They did not loose their focus! That challenges me in my daily walk with Christ. Satan will tackle me from time to time, but I have to keep my eyes on Jesus, the author of my faith.

And so this morning, here I sit with Herb, Corso and the gang. I am ready for some rest and college football! I will cook the family a big breakfast when they all finally get out of bed around lunch time and we will have something amazing for dinner as we celebrate the start of our beloved Fighting Texas Aggie football season! I have big plans to look up pintrest recipes and maybe even cook them over the next few days!! I might possibly do some cleaning and will certainly do lots of laundry but the bright side is I have a bonus day to get my tasks done and praise the Lord for that!

I hope you enjoy your long weekend! Gig 'em Aggies and Go Johnny Go!

Let's Talk Numbers....

Hello - my name is Kristy and I write a blog, at least every now and then when life isn't throwing constant curve balls.

I am finally sitting down tonight to catch everyone up on life in the Bailey home and I think the best way to do that is to talk numbers with you! In the past THREE weeks, we have encountered FOUR water leaks in our home.

When you have this many water leaks, this is what your bathtub looks like! Deer antlers mixed with scarves and hunting clothes and Sunday dresses are all filling up our master bath tub. The leaks have kept us moving furniture around, pulling up carpet and throwing away the things you find when you are forced to clean in ways you might rather not!

In other exciting news, this week I drove over 500 miles to watch Kamdyn's soccer team play TWO games. Please let me share my view from the game on Monday:

There is nothing like watching a soccer game from BEHIND a chain link fence! While her soccer team continues to struggle to find their pace, Kamdyn has improved and it has been fun to see her hard work pay off on the field! I am always amazed at TWO things - how far she can kick the ball and how she seems to have her mother's speed.

Every day that I check the mail Brendan seems to get at least FIVE pieces of college mail. Earlier this week I snapped this picture and posted it on Instagram with #keepingthepostofficeopen because I am confident that what colleges are spending in sending him information and letters and scholarship opportunities is directly putting enough money in the post office to keep it open on Saturdays!

He is still undecided but leaning towards doing ROTC through the University of Alabama. We continue to encourage him to seek the Lord's guidance on this decision, partly because it would be hard to move our Aggie son into a crimson dorm. However, should the Lord lead him to Tuscaloosa there is no doubt we would support that decision and in the end I would secretly be thrilled because that's a short ONE hour drive for me.

Friday night was our first home football game! As far as the numbers go let me just say it was 90 degrees with a 110 humidity and I don't really think I am overstating that fact. Or I might be but it truly was hot and also not good for my hair! I'll be blogging about the start of football season in a separate post but I couldn't skip posting about the game and especially #25!

 

Koby is playing wide receiver this year and on special teams. I was able to snap this picture when he came by the sidelines to spray himself down with water because as I mentioned earlier IT WAS HOT!! Our team played a great game and in the end the numbers on the scoreboard said it all...

WE WON 46-8 and that is a great way to kick off a season!

I am not the only one who put up some driving miles this week! My parents were able to spend some time with us at the end of the week to see Kamdyn play soccer and cheer at the pep rally and Koby in his first football game.

Gran came through for the kids as always - bringing them snacks and some of their favorite drinks! It means so much that they would drive so far to spend just a little time being a part of our kids lives.

So, the numbers in our life are big and small as I fill you in on what has been going on around here and this week will be more of the same. Kamdyn has two soccer games, Koby plays on the road Friday night and Brendan starts his two college classes. We are planning for new flooring to be put down this week so that means we will literally turn things upside down around here!

I hope the heat is not keeping you down and that you are all adjusting to being back to school! Talk to you soon~

Picking up the Pieces...

Time has definitely marched on since my last post, some days quickly and some days not so much. Right before we left out for the retreat we had a water leak in our house that pretty much ruined our flooring in the hallway, master bedroom and master closet. While I went off to the retreat my dear, sweet husband dealt with the insurance company, home warranty folks and the plumber.

I hate I missed out!!

Since that day, our home has become pieces of what it was before the leak. Our floors have been ripped up, there are holes in the wall from where the plumber had work on the pipes and furniture and clothing have been moved everywhere! Let me clarify that I did't live in a spotless house pre-leak because thankfully God did not give me the OCD gene and I am not for one minute upset about that. I can live with a little mess here and there, especially with three teenagers at home and our house serving as the hangout for them and any friends. However, the chaos that we have lived in since that leak is starting to rattle my cage and picking up the pieces has become the new normal around here.

Not only have we had the initial leak but we have also had two more since then. Let's just say I have new appreciation for a plumber and the ability to just turn on hot water anytime I want! I will be posting pictures of our less than peaceful home later this week... you will not want to miss out on those!

We have also said goodbye to summer at our house!

These are just a few of the highlights of our summer! The kids were thrilled to visit the official Duck Dynasty headquarters (along with half of the southern U.S.) at the end of June as we made a quick trip home to visit before things got really crazy in July. Koby loved time spent fishing and Brendan learned to have a little fun on the boat with Kasey and John. Our family also had a great week of memories and fun with my extended family earlier in the summer at the beach. The time spent there with cousins and sisters was worth every penny...and the bonus stomach bug!

Koby has enjoyed his travels over the summer to the mission trip and Super Summer, Brendan has been to see Ellie twice now and Kamdyn has been to more camps and sleep overs than we could have imagined! I do believe I was somewhat thankful to see the start of school come just so our family could all fall back into a schedule and routine. Chaos abounds in our home (please see the above paragraphs on the water leak) but it is nice to have that chaos in a routine that is familiar.

So, here is the crew on their first day of school this year...

The top picture was taken on Kamdyn's first day of Kindergarten, making Koby in second grade and Brendan in third. This year she is a freshman, Koby is a junior and Brendan is a senior. Please pause while I dry my eyes with a BOX of Kleenex!!!!

Sometimes I look at one of them and see those childhood faces and that is when it hits me that God gave Brian and I such responsibility in raising them, loving them, growing them into disciples that will walk with Him. There are so many pieces to their lives that I can now see God putting together and it is amazing to watch Him work. I am looking forward to all that this school year will bring as Kamdyn kicks the soccer ball, Koby takes the football field and Brendan gets back into the gym to prepare for basketball season.

Last night everyone piled up the books to start on the first night of homework and Kamdyn posted this on her Instagram page...

That is a picture of her pile of homework, complete with emojis and hashtags (AKA the number sign) to convey her excitement. This was after she got home from cheer practice and soccer practice to which I said, "welcome back to school sweetheart!" and didn't say, "remember when I told you it was hard to EVERYTHING?!".

As life continues to march on at our house, some pieces fit better in the puzzle of life but some have began to fall away. I would ask you to pray for my family as we walk through one of life's valleys. We sang an old hymn way back when I was growing up that has become something I find myself clinging to now...

I need thee Oh I need thee
Every hour I need thee

I am learning that in order to pick up the pieces in the valley I need Him every hour and isn't it just like God to remind us He never leaves us, never forsakes us, and walks with us even through the valley?

I hope to do better at writing and I still have so much to share with you about the kids and school and good books and life. So until then I hope you see God meeting you where you are - be it on the mountain peak or in the valley - and that you will trust Him to pick up your pieces.