The Simpsons in Boise

Bragging Rights

2010-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

I think I had my best shopping day ever since I started couponing and, even though I didn't take a picture like I should have, I thought I'd share what I brought home yesterday for just under $40.

45 boxes Quaker cereals
30 bottles Ranch and Italian dressing
15 containers Tropicana orange juice (most of which I stuffed in my freezer)
12 cans Hunts diced tomatoes
9 cans Chef Boyardee (disgusting, but I found it's something Tyler will actually eat!)
8 packs Snack Pack puddings (that's 32 cups folks!)
4 packages Marachman Japanese noodles
4 tubes of Colgate toothpaste
5 Colgate toothbrushes
2 Yoplait Greek yogurts
6 pounds apples
2 packages Goldfish crackers
4 Dial liquid handsoap
And 1 Rotisserie chicken ($6--NOT on sale--but I felt I'd earned not having to make dinner for one night!)

I've certainly spent less before--even got paid to shop--but I've never come home with so much for so little. Just thought I'd brag a little...So thank you Albertsons and thank you gals at www.fabulesslyfrugal.com.

Davis is EIGHT!

2010-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

This May, Davis has turned EIGHT years old! We can't believe it! He had a really awesome SPORTS party this year. The invitations we sent out were made to look like sporting events tickets (took me forever, but were totally worth it!) Kids played a variety of sports games, including an excited noodle soccer relay race!

In this picture the kids are literally dogpiling for pinata candy. We made our own pinata this year and, unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it. It was awesome. We used a beach ball for the form, so it was completely round, then painted it to look like a baseball. It was a lot of fun to do together, except that we didn't put on enough layers and it broke with the third swing! The bottom half fell to the ground with a thud and kids swarmed a three-foot diameter of the playground trying to get at all the candy, which had not bounced very far from where it fell. Ah, well...we know for next time. Definitely more than the three layers all the internet do-it-yourself sites suggest!

Uncle Matt came up (and Grandma too) and made an incredible cake. He totally outdid himself with the lettering. I was in complete awe! The footballs are actually little cocoa rice crispie treats. We found the recipe on the box and they are totally yummy!

You can see in the background that I set up the canopy like a food stand at an arena. We had candy and bags of chips hanging, plus lots of drinks and, of course, hot dogs. The kids went to stations and earned tickets by playing the different games and then turned in the tickets for different foods. It was chaos, but they all loved it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVIS!!!!

Eden's Fashion Show

2010-05-18T14:14:00.001-07:00

A couple of months ago, Eden got asked spur of the moment to participate in a fashion show at one of our boutique's that was featuring my friend's mother's darling dresses. She was really excited to be asked, as we had already watched the morning session together and she was DYING to get up there and "spin" on the catwalk.

And spin she did. It was hard to capture it, but she really did not walk a straight line up and down. She did about a dozen twirls in the center of the catwalk (amazingly keeping her balance through it all,) gave a coy little smile, and then escorted herself off.

She had such a great time doing it and after seeing her in one of the dresses in it's full ensemble (each dress comes with 3 or 4 interchangeable parts) I decided maybe we'll need to splurge and buy one for her birthday this year...

Tyler is ONE!

2010-04-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ha ha ha...Okay, I can't believe it's been almost a year exactly since I last posted. How embarrassing! Well, as you can see, Tyler looks nothing like the 2 month old of the last post. I'll try and update on the other kids soon, as well. But, for now, let's talk about TYLER. Sturdy little kid that he is, he took his first steps on his birthday, actually, and about a week or two later, really figured it all out. He is constantly moving, much to my chagrin whenever I'm trying to change a diaper, and he always has something in his mouth. I've pretty much given up on baby-proofing the house (with 2 other kids it's ridiculous to try and keep every single choking hazard off the floor all the time) and have resorted to doing routine is-Tyler-choking-checks every 15 minutes or so. "Tyler? You still breathing?" Pop the penny, marble, pen lid, magnet, paper clip, bouncy ball, key, candy wrapper, lint, USB plug, etc. out of his mouth...and I move on. Tyler loves listening to his brother and sister--they can really get him laughing. Eden is still the great abuser where he is concerned and constantly pushes, "hugs," and knocks him around. But if he's safely in my arms or his highchair, he thinks she's pretty funny. I have never seen a kid love the bath so much. He gets down on his tummy like he's swimming and actually sticks his face in the water to blow bubbles. I'm actually thinking of getting him in some swimming lessons (mommy & me) this summer. And speaking of summer, now that the weather is getting warmer, if the back door even opens a crack, he makes a run for it. I think he's been cooped up way too long and can't wait to get out and enjoy the open air. We sure love our little Ty-Guy!

Tyler Growing

2009-04-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Is it Spring yet?

2009-04-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Eden and I pulled out the Spring/Summer clothing today. (We're sick of turtlenecks, sweaters, and boots!) It was a bit breezy at times, but not a bad day. After being cooped up for four hours watching Conference, it was nice to go play outside for a few hours.

Davis is working on flips and front handsprings. He is also very good at making up ball games on the tramp (basically different variations of Poison) and is constantly begging me to play with him. Apparently, Eden won't follow his rules!

Ha ha...Eden LOVES these sandals. Although they are hand-me-downs from a friend here in the neighborhood, she calls them her "Avery shoes." My guess is that she saw cousin Avery wearing some similar ones and she must have admired them big time enough to remember them, because it would have been clear last summer since I'm pretty sure Avery wasn't wearing sandals in Utah over Christmas break.

My Sister

2009-04-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Davis wrote this poem in school the other day. I think it really exemplifies how he's feeling about Eden these days...

Sister

Brown/Blond hair, Brown eyes

punching, pushing, hurting

She hurts me a lot.

Eden

Introducing Tyler Scott Simpson

2009-02-24T13:14:00.001-08:00

Grandma Elaine came to visit the day we got home from the hospital. She says she came to "help" but I'm pretty sure she just couldn't wait to get her hands on a new little baby!! As it was, she was a tremendous help in playing with the other kids, preparing meals, keeping the house clean, and, of course, holding little Tyler when she could get him away from me!

Tyler coming home from the hospital on Sunday. He was born Friday, February 13th at 8:59 pm. He weighed 7 1/2 pounds and measured at 20 1/2 inches long. He's a bit jaundiced, but otherwise is a perfectly healthy little guy. (By the way, for those of you who have seen pictures of Eden and/or Davis shortly after birth, apparently Allen and I only make one mold of child--he really is the spitting image...)

Eden is loving being a big sister. The first thing she asked for as she came into the hospital was, "Where's baby brother" and "I hold..." with outstretched arms. She has been mostly kind, rubbing his head "soft" whenever she sees him and loves to frequently sit down and hold him for about half a second before she leaps up and is off to the next big thing.

Davis is the perfect big brother. He, too, asked to see baby brother the second he walked into the hospital and was seen frequently walking over to the bassinet so he could just watch over him. At home, he is constantly caught gazing at little Tyler and whispering things to him. When I asked him once what he was saying, he said, "I'm just telling him I love him..."

Our new family of 5...The adults are now outnumbered by the children...Let the games begin!

We went out for dinner and had a baby for dessert...

2009-02-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

He's here! He's here! Read all about it!
(Note--this is a labor and delivery story, so if you are squeamish or disgusted by such, perhaps you should skip this one.)

Thursday morning, my midwife, Georgianna, stripped my membranes saying that I was dilated to a 5 (half-way there!) and if my body was ready, that should put me into labor within 48 hours.

All Thursday & Friday, I walked around with such anticipation--analyzing every pain & movement. Is it time? Is it time yet? When I hadn't felt much by Friday afternoon, I'd pretty much decided he just wasn't ready and was gearing myself up for another 2 weeks of pregnant discomfort. I made arrangements for a babysitter to come watch the kids and then called Allen and told him we were going out to dinner for a little pre-Valentines Day romance...

4:00 pm, Friday--I was starting to feel some back pain and what I thought were regular contractions; however, they did not feel urgent enough to put me in a panic and I just kept going about preparing for the evening.

5:00 pm--Allen came home from work and I mentioned to him that perhaps we should take along our hospital bags, just in case, and make a quick stop at the hospital before or after dinner. Of course, that got him all kinds of excited. He began throwing essentials into bags, bags into the car, all the while telling the kids we were going to go out and have the baby tonight. I, however, was still pretty skeptical.

6:00 pm--With the car loaded up, we started out on our date. Whether we hit the restaurant or the hospital first hadn't been decided, but they were both in the same direction, so we headed that way. I still didn't feel much pain or urgency and my fear of embarrassment at being turned away at the hospital led me to choose restaurant first. Besides, if I was going to pull an all-nighter, I wanted some good food in my belly first!

6:30 pm--We pulled into Bangkok Thai. I was having contractions about every 3-5 minutes, in which I would rethink my decision to skip the hospital for now. "Maybe we should go to the hospital first..." I would say. Then, "Naw! It's nothing!" Same thing happened in the restaurant. We stood at the counter for an equivalent of about 2 contractions, in which I went back and forth between sitting down for a meal or getting it to go and heading over to the hospital...just in case. (It still was so bearable, I really thought I was imagining things.) We ended up having a sitdown meal, in which the hostess seating us asked me if I was hoping to go into labor (probably by having spicy food.) I smiled between contractions and told her that was hopefully the plan.

7:30 pm--After a fairly rushed (but absolutely divine) meal, we were walking into the hospital. I walked a little more slowly, but was not in too much pain. As we checked in with the nurses, I laughed and told them it was probably false labor, but go ahead and check me anyway.

7:45 pm--My nurse checked me, told me I was at a 7 with steady contractions about 2 minutes apart and that I was going to have a baby that night.

8:00 pm--I was still in such little pain that I started to gear myself up for a really long night of contractions, thinking they would just get worse and worse. The first thing I did was get into the whirlpool tub and crank the heat up high. I was still laughing and smiling and thinking perhaps this was all a joke. Each contraction that came, I just relaxed and breathed my way through it.

8:20 pm--The tub was too hot. The contractions were becoming more painful. I crawled out and walked around restlessly, wondering how I could endure it for a whole night.

8:35 pm--Georgianna checked me, discovering that I was between and 8-9, and asked if I wanted to "do something about it." Still scared about what lay ahead, but wanting to get on with things, I said to go for it.

8:45 pm--Georgianna broke my water and told me to start pushing. I expected the contractions to get worse, but they didn't. In fact, I barely even noticed them after that. I'll spare you the gory details of all the messy parts, but after about 10 minutes of pushing, I had him at...

8:59 pm--It was Friday the 13th. After the head and shoulders were out, Allen got to pull the rest of his slippery body out. (He said he was really afraid of dropping him...) He is beautiful and perfect and he is here!!! The whole ordeal, from start to finish, took less than 5 hours.

Happy Holidays!!!

2008-12-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

We want to wish each of you a "Happy Holidays" from the Simpsons! We are so grateful for so many things this time of year, and friends and family are at the top of the list. So are our kids. They really keep us on our toes (which is not so fun when you're waddling around 7 1/2 months pregnant and can't even see your toes!) A quick run-down of our happenings.

This year Davis has been asking Santa for Darth Maul attire--a black cloak, a double bladed light saber, and red and black make-up to paint his face. I think he got the idea after fighting Darth Maul at the Jedi School in Disneyland last month. He continues to surprise us with his confidence and lack of inhibitions. This weekend at our ward Christmas party he asked me if he could participate in the talent show that was going on while we ate. I put him off by saying I wasn't sure who was in charge of the talent show and kept on eating. Five minutes later, I could hear his voice as it boomed through the microphone singing "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer." He sang it perfectly and had changed all the endings, so everybody was laughing--my favorite was "...the reindeer shouted out with glee, Boo-yah!" He really is a fun and funny kid and everyone that meets him seems to fall in love.

Eden is talking more and more, is completely into babies, and is a typical two-year old with typical two-minute tantrums about two hundred times a day. She has quickly gone from "Mine" to "Do it" to "I do it" to the latest, "I wanna do it." All day long... I try to brush her hair. "I wanna do it." I try to brush her teeth. "I wanna do it." I try to wipe her hands after breakfast. "I wanna do it." One thing she can do is take care of her babies. She knows how to undress them and wrap them in any kind of "blankie" she can find--dish towels are a favorite. The other day I looked over and she had them all lined up on the couch. She is beginning to feed them, sometimes with real food if I don't catch her in time. I can tell I'm going to have to watch her like a hawk when the new baby comes and she begins to mother him too.

Allen is hard at work building his business with Nouveau Riche. He has just finished his fourth session down at the college in Arizona, which is a sacrifice on both our ends, but is totally worth it for the knowledge he comes home with. He loves learning about all the ins and outs of real estate investing and is happy to talk anyone's ears off about it! :) (Mine included!) The education he is receiving really is quite valuable and we're excited for the potential it offers our family's future.

I am busy being pregnant. However, as uncomfortable as I am getting, I really don't think I'm quite ready for the change. I just had my 30 week visit and my midwife started asking about my birth plan. "Already?" I replied. "Is it really that soon!?!" Our baby boy is due to be born February 26th and continues to be nameless, although we have a few ideas. I have just finished up another busy holiday boutique season in the area, participating in 5 boutiques and heading up 2 of them. We had our best year yet, bringing in almost $2,000 more than last year, but we also had a check bounce for the first time ($200, ouch!) It's definitely not a money-maker, but it's a lot of fun and gives me a little creative outlet.

Love to all! We hope this season is good to you. We are most grateful for the greatest gift of all from our Heavenly Father--the gift of the Savior. I really liked what our primary lesson said today--that one of the things the Savior has given us is his teachings that lead us to true happiness, and that's a gift we continue to receive all year round, not just at Christmas time. I really believe that is true.

Sincerely,

Allen, Sara, Davis, & Eden Simpson

Halloween--My favorite time of the year!

2008-11-09T20:48:00.001-08:00

Trick-or-treat!!! One of the funnest things I've ever done is going trick-or-treating with this little girl. No matter how heavy it got, she held onto her little bucket the whole time--very tightly, I might add. She loved to knock at each door, look up at them with her big brown eyes and when she realized people were giving her candy, she didn't want to go home!

I'll give you 3 guesses. And, no, he is not an elf. Apparently he got that one a lot. He wanted to be The Green Goblin this year--"My first time ever being a villian, Mom!" (By the way, that's GG for short...) It's basically his old TMNT costume swathed in some crudely sewn (definitely not hemmed) purple material. It held up for the school parade, a night of trick-or-treating, and when he wore it a third time to a birthday party last week, the boots were already coming undone. Ah well...he really couldn't have been happier.

Happy Birthday to me!!! I told Davis that I'm going backwards now, so I actually turned 31. He got pretty mad at me and told me that's not fair!

Jeff & Janelle's Wedding

2008-11-09T20:33:00.001-08:00

Jeff and Janelle were married in the Logan temple in October. We had a wonderful weekend getting all dressed up and being together. Janelle is awesome and I can't wait to get to know her better.

It's a Boy!!!

2008-10-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Although most of you have already heard, we had the ultrasound on Monday and found out that we're having a little boy. (Ha ha. Probably the rest of you didn't even know I was pregnant!) I was a bit surprised. I'd done all those tests on the internet and gone through all the old wives methods of determining the sex, including tying a piece of my hair to my wedding ring and dangling it over my stomach, and they ALL indicated I'd be having a girl. But, lo and behold, the ultrasound tech pointed out little boy parts, so there you go. Davis is, of course, ecstatic. I told him by handing him a blue lollipop and he jumped up and down, "I knew it! I knew you were having a boy!" He has already named our son Ash and says he's going to be a Pokemon trainer when he grows up. (You have to have some knowledge of Pokemon to know where that comes from--I, unfortunately. have my fair share.) Anyway, baby is healthy and still on track for his due date--February 26.

Eden, the Monkey, Turns 2

2008-10-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday, Eden turned 2. We decided to throw a Monkey party for her. After all, she's curious like a monkey, she climbs like a monkey, and she eats bananas like they're going out of style! On Saturday night we had a few friends over for banana splits, some monkey tunes ("Hey, hey we're the Monkies") and some fun monkey games, such as Pin the Banana on the Monkey. As the party ended early, due to the waning sunlight, Allen made a split-second decision, set up his projector and a screen outside and we all bundled up in blankets and watched Horton Hears a Who. I told you I like that movie!
Sunday evening, Dustin and Stephanie's family came over for cake and ice cream. Eden was hilarious when I brought the cake over to her. She took one look at those dancing little flames and started waving her hands back and forth--"No, no, no, no..." I think she's a little paranoid when it comes to hot things and thought I was there to burn her or something. What a fun birthday for a fun little girl! Thanks to everyone for remembering her and for for the generous gifts you gave.

What's Up With Davis?

2008-10-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Davis is in first grade. Davis rides his bike to and from school BY HIMSELF every day. (Okay, it's only 2 blocks away, but still...that's responsibility!) Davis has lost 3 teeth since June and is working on a fourth as we speak. Davis had the opportunity of meeting a hero this summer at the Timpanogas Storytelling Festival--storyteller Bill Harley. It was a lot of fun meeting him and hearing stories live that we've only heard on tape before. He'll be there again next summer and if you've never gone, I highly recommend it. Visit www.timpfest.org for details.
I've also found that first grade is the era of note writing. As the kids really practice their penmanship, Davis has taken to writing me notes and leaving them under doors or on my desk. There are usually a lot of hearts involved. (I did not include the note that said, "Dear Mom. I'm sorry I hit you....") Every time I get one of these notes, it reminds me why I really do love being a mom.

Summer Update

2008-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

This summer flew by without me getting to post any pics or update on fun things we did. Part of that had to do with me feeling pukey most of the time....So glad that's over! Well, here's a few highlights. Our ward this year had a Pioneer Day celebration in the evening. We met at the church for rootbeer floats, watermelon (Eden's favorite), butter churning, handcart rides, stick pull competitions, square dancing and a bunch more old "pioneery" activities. The kids had a blast...so did we!
"Stay-cation"--After Allen had been working too many consencutive days in a row (including Saturdays), I talked him into taking the afternoon off to spend with the family. We went downtown where we rode the paddle boats--something we've always wanted to do--after spending a couple hours at the Boise Zoo. It was the first time Eden's been since she's been walking and she had a great time going down the big Giraffe slide with big brother Davis. After all the play in the hot sun we went and got cool in the movie theater and saw Horton Hears a Who. If you haven't already seen it, rent it! It's a personal favorite.

Last but not least, we did get in a couple trips down to Utah. Katie was so generous to get a bunch of us Seven Peaks passes and we had a great time basking in the sun and being with family.

Weiser, Idaho and the Lost Tooth

2008-06-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Davis, Eden, and I made the hour drive up to Weiser, Idaho on Friday to watch Grandma and Matt perform. It was a fun little adventure--had a most delicious dutch oven dinner in the park and heard some fun bluegrass music. Took me back to the good, ol' days. While my mom was up there singing in the dark auditorium, Davis started fiddling (ha ha--the pun wasn't intended at first) around with a tooth that has been loose for over a month now. A few minutes later he nudged me hard--"Look Mom!" The tooth was completely bent over, hanging by a "thread"--I hate to think what it was really hanging by. A couple more minutes go by. "Mom, Look! My tooth! My first tooth came out." He literally threw his arms around me and embraced me with a look that I only can describe as pure childlike triumph and joy! I wish I could have bottled that look and kept it forever. He was having a moment, and the really neat thing was, he wanted me to share it with him. A few minutes later he was sharing it with the entire auditorium as he yelled up to Matt on stage. "Hi Matt. I just lost my first tooth!" This was a very proud moment in the Davis history.

Eagle Fun Days!

2008-06-22T20:28:00.001-07:00

One of the funnest things we do each summer is attend Eagle Fun Days and the Wet and Wild Parade. After watching a series of "floats" the real fun begins when the firetrucks come through squirting everybody within range. The fun part is--you get to squirt them back! And if you're smart like Eden and me, you'll hide under a large umbrella and stay safe and dry.

Davis's Kindergarten Graduation!

2008-06-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

Today was Davis's Kindergarten Graduation program and I'll admit it--I cried! It wasn't just because up there was my little boy, singing and dancing his heart out--"We're ready for First Grade, First Grade!" to the tune of "New York, New York." And it wasn't just because he was as cute as can be, complete with happy yellow tie and a look of innocent anticipation plastered all over his face. It was during the slideshow that the realization hit me--this is the beginning and the end, the end and the beginning. It's the end of everything preschool. It's the end of half-days and snacks. The end of a whole lot of firsts--first field trip, first school lunch, first ride on the bus. But it's also the beginning. The beginning of all-day learning for the next 12 years. The beginning of a whole stream of friends and eventually girlfriends that will come into his life. The beginning of being a bona fide , grown-up kid. The beginning of a whole slew of choices he will have the opportunity to make. The beginning of the path he will take for the rest of his life. Anyway, it just kind of got to me. Made me sad and excited all at the same time.

Here is Davis with two of his best buddies--Joseph and Boone. When the kids walked into the auditorium, they all held hands with a partner, which I thought fostered a spirit of friendship and togetherness. (Only I'm not sure who the little girl is that he was holding hands with...)

Last Friday Davis was introduced to field day at the school, which, for me as a kid, was always one of the most looked-forward-to days of the whole year. Here he is running his brains out in a relay race to see which team could get the most toys out of a small pool and into a hoola hoop on the ground. I volunteered for the day and got placed in what is definitely the most envied station of the whole event--Mother's Revenge! A team of mothers (and one dad) used water guns to squirt kids while they traveled between rubber dots laid out on the ground. If a kid was on a dot, he was safe. But if a kid wasn't....he was fair game! Needless to say, most of the kids were begging to be drenched with water. My left bicep is probably bigger than my right from all the pumping and shooting I had to do that day!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-06-01T21:18:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend in Fresno, CA. Fun with the whole Brewster clan (minus Katie). The weather was, well, under-the-weather, but who could complain when you're in such good company. We had a good time anyway. Pictures are of a children's museum, hiking around Yosemite, go-cart racing at Boomers, and just hanging out with the cousins. I loved being with my mom, my brothers and their awesome wives and children!

If You Walk, You Rock!

2008-05-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

Davis's school had a walk-a-thon for a fundraiser a couple weeks ago. It was so fun to see many of the kids walk or run lap after lap around the park. Davis finally did 6 (after some prodding from Dad), which I think is about a mile and a half. Pretty good for a little guy! I got to help on the committee, which was a lot of fun too. Great school activity.

Eden, the Toddler

2008-05-15T19:11:00.001-07:00

She's not a baby anymore (although she's still sporting the baby-fat look.) She's a full-grown toddler. She does wheels on the bus, feeds herself, and has only one speed--FAST! She is definitely her own little person--loves to dance and sing (on pitch even) and LOVES to tease anyone she can--especially big brother. She really is the highlight of the day.

Eden with Grandma Brewster, who came down for a visit over Davis's birthday. Here you can see how beautiful the blooms were this Spring, albeit a few weeks late.

Davis is 6 on May 6th!

2008-05-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Davis! This year he turned six on May 6th, which he thought was pretty special and got a kick out of telling people about it. We had a special evening with family and a webflinging good time the Saturday before with several of his buddies for a Spiderman birthday party! They made a spiderweb out of yarn on the trampoline, played "Spiderman, Spiderman, Green Goblin" and got to spray Daddy with silly string for the finale. Go Spidey!

California in March

2008-03-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yea! Here we are at Disneyland. This trip was a total spur-of-the-moment deal. I went to a Volleyball tournament in the morning and when I got home, Allen said, let's go to California. A few hours later we were packed tightly in the car and on our way. We lucked out to be there during beautiful weather and to see all of the kids' Simpson cousins, plus we got to go to Disneyland and go on "YO HO!" with darling Avery. Thanks so much everyone for having such a good time with us!

Near the end of our trip we met up with Rachel and Spencer Rands and family in Universal City and had a really fun time shopping, chatting, munching, and as you can see, the kids got soaked to the bone! I feel really lucky to have such great friends that we get to periodically mingle with. Our friends and family are welcome to come visit in Boise any old time!

The cousins had such a fun time together. They're creative, fun, crazy and silly at times, but most of all they love and care about each other. We're so grateful for such a great family.

Build-A-Bear, Bee Movie, and Beautiful Eden

2008-01-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

January 4th--Davis got to go to Build-A-Bear Workshop from a Christmas gift certificate. He had such a great time picking out his animal, stuffing it, giving it a sound (Take Me Out to the Ballgame,) and then giving it a special heart before they sewed him up. His penguin's name is Cody Maverick from the movie "Surf's Up" (a good movie, if you have never seen it.) He had a wonderful time--I highly think every child should experience it.
January 5th--We took the kids to the Bee Movie Saturday afternoon. It was surprisingly pretty good. At least worth a couple of dollars. We have a really neat cheap movie theater here where you can buy a movie/treat package for $3.50. For $3.50 you get to see your movie, plus you get to pick out 2 treats--popcorn, drink, nachos, candy, cookies. When you compare it to the grocery store, the prices are actually realistic--as opposed to paying $6.00 for a large popcorn like you do at the real theaters these days. Anyway, we had a good time.
January 6th--I love striped tights! I love little girls in striped tights! They are adorable! I would probably wear them myself, if I didn't end up looking trendy, juvenile, or just plain weird. By the way, we woke up today to loads of snow. The most Boise has seen in years, I think. I am loving it!!
January 7th--I couldn't take it any longer. She woke up this morning with the ends of her bangs plastered to her boogers. I combed it out the best I could and snipped it off. (Don't worry. Despite the fact that she is holding the scissors, I didn't let her cut it!) Hopefully I don't regret it in the end, but as for today? I didn't have to disentagle any snot-covered locks. Oh, and more snow today...

The New Year, Symphony Pie, and Guitar Hero

2008-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

January 3rd--I don't know what to do with this hair!! It is out of control. She woke up this morning looking like Elvis. She won't keep anything in it--thinks it's a hilarious joke to pull clips out and hand them to me with a triumphant smirk--and she has too many cowlics to cut it. So, I just let it do it's own thing, which is okay most of the time, except when it starts to mix in with all the boogers.

January 2--I have discovered a new love--Guitar Hero! What a fun game. I would have put in a picture of myself jammin' on it, but, well, going on my second day of pajamas here. You can see Davis concentrating really hard on his favorite song by Elephant Bones. He wants to practice really hard so he can be as good as an amazing 9-year old boy who will absolutely blow your socks off. Watch the video on the internet--just google nine year boy guitar hero, and it should take you there. Good times!

January 1st--This New Year's was a peaceful one. We just hung around the house all day in our pajamas, watched the parade, worked on last year's digital photo book, cleaned up from Christmas a bit. I decided to make a Symphony pie for dessert. Mmmm...scrumdiddliumptious! And very easy. Take one large Symphony bar with almonds and toffee bits and melt it in a saucepan. Mix it into a partially thawed large container of cool whip until thoroughly mixed in. Put it into a graham cracker pie crust and voila! Keep in the freezer until you are ready to serve. You can put additional cool whip on top if desired and, for a special New Year's sirprise, put in CLEAN coins, trinkets, fortunes (wrapped in plastic), or a whole almond. (Whoever finds the almond gets the prize!) Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from the Simpsons

2007-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, dear Friends and Family. We are taking the quick, painless, and inexpensive (actually free) approach at wishing you all a Merry Christmas this year via the internet. We are so grateful to know each one of you in our lives and are so glad that we've been able to keep up with most of you over the last year. Thank you so much for the emails, the pictures, the phone calls and the kind reminders that let us know we're occasionally thought of. The year 2007 has, of course, been a busy one. Seeing as I don't update our blog quite near enough for most of you, here is a quick look at our family for the past year.

Eden turned one in September. She definitely ties with Davis for the busiest and most energetic person in the Simpson household. She constantly keeps me on my toes as she empties cupboards, drawers, laundry baskets, shelves, garbage cans, etc. I don't think she even looks at what she's pulling out--she just pulls for the sake of pulling! She also has a very toothy grin that she flashes at anyone who flashes her one. She's adorable and we love her.

Davis started Kindergarten this year and really enjoys all the new experiences it is giving him. He is being introduced to the world of p.e., recess, and chocolate milk on Fridays--at least those are a few of his favorite things. His handwriting has improved and he is now sounding out lots of words and writing with mostly lower case. His coloring and drawing have also really taken off and he insists that he stays in the lines without any "peek-a-boo white" showing through. Last Sunday he gave an amazing talk in Primary about Jesus's second coming where all the people would be friends and all the animals would be friends.

Allen is finishing up his second year in the home theater business and things are still going well. He was able to wire our house for whole home audio and an intercom system this year, which is very fun and convenient. I think every home should have them! He enjoys playing with the kids, raquetball, playing the guitar now and then, and warm dinners.

Sara finished up her third year of the neighborhood Hobble Creek Boutique, plus contributed things to several others. It has kept her very busy this fall and early winter. As always, she enjoys reading and finds little nooks and crannies throughout the day to squeeze a few pages of a good book in. Her main goal for the year 2008 is to conquer her life from an organizational standpoint--so she can actually start "living" again. (I know many of you laugh knowingly--but I aim to do it!) She loves being a mother to Eden and Davis.

We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas where ever you are. Please keep in touch and visit us again--I really do update my blog now and again! :)

Love, The Simpsons In Boise

In-ground Trampolines 101

2007-10-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

Rule number one: Water and Wood don't mix. Wood will begin to deteriorate the minute it comes in contact with a liquid. Don't let anyone tell you that it takes years for that to happen.

Rule number two: Dirt must be the heaviest thing on earth! We thought we had a pretty good thing going here, but as soon as that dirt got set in, the pressure literally broke pieces of our "solid wood structure" in half.

Rule number three: Despite the weight, more dirt would have been the key. I'm going to tell you what no other website is going to tell you--I know, because I actually looked this stuff up! PACK THE DIRT AROUND THE TRAMPOLINE REALLY HARD AND KEEP PACKING IT IN THERE! The dirt itself will create a wall inside the wall and will then accept most of the pressure. That's just my own observation of physics in motion speaking--I could be way off--but I think that, had we followed that one simple procedure, you would not be seeing the sinkhole that used to be our trampoline.

Other than that, I love my backyard! It's finished...for the most part. Needs a few more plants, needs a new coat of paint on the fence (hint, hint, Allen,) but for the most part it is beautiful & functional. We put curbing around the backside of the fence with a really neutral rock. We got two maples and they're already starting to look a bit bigger. My favorite aspect is the play area.
The swingset is now set apart with some curbing and filled with wood chips. No more muddy grass under swings and the slide. No more wrestling with the glider for Allen while he's trying to mow the lawn. Everything is picture perfect... everything, except that darn trampoline!

She's a Princess!!

2007-10-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

Eden turned one on September 28th. We had a few friends/family members over to celebrate. I did my best at being Martha Stewart with the decorations, although my vision of having it outdoors was dashed due to the inclement weather and the fact that our backyard was not yet kid-friendly (watch for an update on that whole scenario!) Eden loved her cake, though, and had a great time mashing it everywhere, especially in her hair. We love our little girl!

Davis's First Day of Kindergarten

2007-09-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

So, last Monday was the big day for Davis--his first day of Kindergarten. His teacher's name is Ms. Skelton and I think, so far, the big highlights are recess and chocolate milk on Fridays! As you can see in the pictures, he had a bright blue shirt to wear on the first day. He was really excited when I showed it to him and made a big deal about cutting off the tag. It's funny to think back to all of my "first days" each year. I can very vividly recall, probably, each and every outfit such as the striped teal button up shirt with matching pants in 7th grade or the black leggings under the black-and-white polka-dot miniskirt in the 10th grade. Each outfit was carefully chosen, usually the most expensive portion of my new school wardrobe, and absolutely perfect to start out that new school year. And as I look back, they were all perfectly hideous! But, back to Davis.

He had a great time and took everything quite seriously, according to a reliable source inside. And, as any good mom knows, it is important to instigate the "after-school-snack" policy, so we dunked a few oreos to celebrate, even letting Eden join in. And how did I do with the whole transition? Did I bawl or weep or have trouble letting go? Not a bit! I'm just relishing this newfound freedom and deciding precisely what to spend it on.

Reconstruction of the BackYard

2007-08-14T05:16:00.001-07:00

Since this is my first blog, I thought I'd start it out properly by introducing our family and what-not, but as I sit down to think, I can't think about much else except the overwhelming task at-hand of reconstructing our backyard. We've been in this house for almost 3 years now. One of the big selling points to me was the mammoth trees that lined the fence in our backyard--talk about shade galore. Little did I know that they're cottonwoods--fast-growing junk trees that are meant to grow by the river. They suck the water out of your grass, have roots that maneuver their way too close to the surface, and drop an unimaginable amount of leaves down in the fall. Long story short, this spring we had all 10 of them chopped to the ground and hauled away. This summer we've had to deal with chopping up and killing off the root systems, because they've been shooting up all over our backyard. (At one point, we had our own mini forest growing back there.) We even had to kill off all the grass to try and get to the roots below.

The good news is that it's starting to turn around! A few weeks ago we had a glorious cement patio poured that extends from our existing deck around the house to the garage. It will be a great place to entertain and let kids play, once we can get the rest of the yard looking presentable. It is still very overwhelming (especially for Allen as he looks out on all the roots and grass he's going to need to dig up,) but it's really neat to start from scratch and do the backyard the way we envision it.

When we are finished you will see:

a landscape border that goes along the back and sides of the fence

some new fruit and evergreen trees and shrubs

concrete curbing to give it a nice clean separation

new, beautiful grass!

a fresh coat of paint on the fencea rock pathway that leads around to our future hot tub retreat

a rock patio around the kids play equipment

an area for gardening

Think we can get it all done in a month and a half? Our goal is to finish by September 28th! Wish us luck!