The Everything Sale

Last Saturday, March 9th, we held The Everything Sale to benefit the Farar family here in Indianapolis. As some of you know we lost a dear friend and ward member Damond Farar in December. He was a fourth year medical student at IU and passed away suddenly over Christmas break while visiting family in Arizona. He was only 31 years old and left behind his beautiful wife Adriana, and their three sons Thomas, Alex, and Jacob. Due to the fact that Adriana is now left with no life insurance and because they always did so much for all of us, we did this fundraiser to help them out at this difficult time. There was a lot of hard work, time, and preparation that went into the big event. So many incredible and talented people rallied together to pull this off. It was heart warming to see the good and generosity of so many people. 

The week of the sale was a bit crazy and hectic as we got together most nights to sort and price donated items and finalize every last detail for the day of. We were all amazed by how much was donated, and grateful for all of the good friends who put countless hours into this service project.

The day of the sale I went to set up at 5am. The sale was set to start at 8am, and we had so much stuff that needed to be laid out and organized. It was freezing cold. It snowed two days earlier, and the temperature hadn't gone up much, but at least it was dry and the sun came out for us some of the day. After set up I ran and got donuts and hot chocolate for the workers. I then tried to get a little nap at home for an hour or so before Brian needed to go and work his shift as a cashier. It was hard to sleep because I had so much joy and excitement about the sale running through me... you'd think I'd be able to sleep like a rock after so little sleep the night/week before. Anyway, our whole family headed to the sale at 11. Brian worked and the kids and I shopped and ate the BBQ hot dogs for lunch. I took Thomas home at 1 for a nap, and the kids and I headed back at 5:30 for the balloon launch. We set a goal to raise $5,000 and ended up raising $6,200! It was amazing! It was a truly inspiring experience of paying it forward. It was wonderful giving back to a family that was always the first to give and serve all of us. It was nice to be reminded of the good and generosity that people have within them. It was a marvelous day! We love you forever Farar family! We will never forget you.

There were tons of clothes. We sold a lot, and then were able to give the leftovers to a women's shelter. It worked perfectly.

This is the bake sale area...another ward's Young Women made treats for an activity. They were all wrapped so cute with these adorable tags that said "thank you for supporting the Farar family." So cool. The handmade table is next to it by the check out line. There were many beautiful hats, dresses, and hair clips.

The sale was held outside the Decatur Blue/Gold Academy school. It was a great venue for it.

Maybrie enjoying her hot dog, and sporting her cute new felt clip we bought.

Thomas ended up holding the hot dog all by himself and devoured it. It was hilarious!

Thomas just chillin' at the BBQ. He had so much fun. He loved shopping. He kept picking up items... especially shoes and then putting them back carefully just the way they had been. I guess he has a future working retail! haha

This is little Jaxson Woolf. I love this boy, and he looked so darn cute eating his rice krispy treat pop!

The kids had a blast playing with the boxes while we loaded up the leftovers.

                                         

Balloon launch time! This kids loved seeing 100 balloons!

Maybrie insisted on holding one of each and Thomas popped his yellow one before they were even all distributed!

The crowd getting ready. It was mostly ward members and close friends who participated in the launch. Ryan Hirschi said a few words, we had a moment of silence, and then we counted down from 5 to lift off. It brought me to tears. It was a great ending to a great day.

We love you Farar family and will never forget the legacy you left behind, Damond.

Love, The Naylor Family

February Recap

Long time, no blog... in other words, a full-time job and sickness! The last month feels like a bit of a blur between our busy schedule and several long yucky weeks with a cold/cough (Me and Brian). Now that we are healthy again and I feel like I have a grip on work, our routine, and life in general, I will share a few of the highlights that occurred a midst and/or contributed to the craziness.

I helped throw a quadrupal boy baby shower for four friends who were due within a month of each other. I was a rain shower theme... turned out super cute and was just a great time with the ladies! Kristin's Damon Brian Gillespie, and Jessica's Lincoln Jacob Walser are already here and the other two boys should be coming this week. Congrats lovely new mommies!

A day off from work due to parent teacher conferences meant a trip to Costco. Thomas was happy about our classic hot dog lunch there. I have found myself doing more quick grocery trips to Marsh on my way home from school rather than my well-planned bulk trips. Also, I rarely if ever meal plan anymore either. Hopefully, that will change soon with spring break and now that I am in a routine. We shall see.

Thomas took a big fall out the front of a bounce house during a birthday party at our church. He hit his head hard on the gym floor. I cried it was so huge and we had to hold ice on it while he wailed. Poor baby! But I think he recovered faster than I did because he headed back into the bounce house within 30 minutes!

Thomas has started doing this funny pose with one leg up. He loves to do it with Brian. Cracks me up!

The highlight of our day is definitely the hour or two before bedtime we have together as a family each night. The kids love to play with daddy... one night they enjoyed crawling under the human bridge!

We started catching Thomas drinking the milk from his cereal bowl! Crazy kid... so funny. I guess you could say he is a good eater and hates to waste food!

Happy Valentine's Day! The kids and I enjoyed valentine festivities at school and daycare. Both kids came home with tons of valentines and candy from their parties. It brought back fun childhood memories for me watching them sort and snack. Brian and I were both feeling really sick that night so we exchanged cards, watched a movie, and took a rain check for our romantic Carrabba's dinner. We really enjoyed it the following weekend, such good food, and rare splurge for us!

I love seeing Maybrie's cute art projects she does at school, and she is always so excited to show them to me too. The kids were on a sugar high for a week... I think we still have a small bag of valentine's candy left, it was like Halloween all over again!

Thomas is usually content with a lollipop.

Sibling love... or torture. It seems to change every five minutes!

Thomas doing one of his favorite activities... sweeping with the Swiffer sweeper.

We found Thomas a new toddler bed on Craig's list. I got a great deal, and he LOVES it! No more crib in our house. Can you tell how happy he is about it?

Both kids are enjoying the bed, they like playing on it and we usually kneel around it for family prayer each night... it's a good height for the kids.

Maybrie in her clown costume she made at preschool. He had fun wearing it at home, but of course she was the only student who didn't wear it during their parade around the school. She is very quiet and shy there, though she has been gradually warming up. I wish she would be a little quieter at home sometimes! haha

Thomas scraped his head up good on the front steps. He has some pretty scabs for quite a while.

Sunday afternoon nap... one of my favorite times of the week now that we have early church. Isn't he precious! Love him!

Kindergarteners are good at giving compliments... sometimes... and other times they make your ears ring and your patience thin... I like to focus on these moments instead, they keep me sane!

Busy working mom usually leaves laundry to one day a week now... so Thomas ended up in my shirt for pajamas the other night. Pretty darn cute.

Thomas napped on the floor at daycare, so now he can crash pretty much anywhere now. One Sunday he napped in the living room, none of the noise affected him.

Brian doesn't study at home much, probably because of this. Thomas loves his daddy, and rarely leaves him alone!

Yummy good 'n' gooey cake... I like having time to bake on the weekends. 

Well, that's basically it. Brian is doing great in school this semester and is set to graduate this May with his Master's degree in Biology. He also did well on his dental school interview and is on the alternate list at Indiana University. So keep praying for us, hopefully someone will decline their spot soon and Brian can start dental school this fall. We are very busy and I miss having time for home projects, crafting, and hanging out with my girlfriends and neighbors... but spring break and summer are just around the corner. Teaching has been a good experience for me, but it has reminded me why I had previously chosen to be a stay at home mom. I simply don't get paid enough to keep working. So much of my paycheck goes to preschool/ daycare, and I miss being home with my kids. I also feel like the homemaker part of me is missing, and I really want that back. I have learned a lot, and I guess now I never have to wonder what it would be like to teach. Now I know, and I know that pinching pennies to stay home with my kids is still the best choice for me and my family.