what we've been up to:

visiting the wild animal park with our friends tracy, ethan and tyson

playing at home with daddy

taking naps

and generally being ridiculously cute.

and baxter finds the most comfy location to watch it all from.

Petey at 'swim practice'

naptime for everyone

well, i was going to.....

reid loves that i am a little less on the ball than my old self. and its probably permanent.
he thinks its funny that i say "i was going to do this but ran out of time" more often now.
he thinks its cute that i meant to make a homemade lasagna but decided to shower instead and bought one from the store.
he thinks its amusing that i only clean the house in increments and only every once in awhile instead of the entire thing all at once every single weekend.
he thinks its hilarious that i got pooped on last night.
he loves that i forget words. simple words. in the middle of conversation and my mind wanders off wondering what i was talking about to begin with once i remember the word i was looking for.

and me? well, i love being a mom.
i love that my time is filled with watching this little boy.
and dancing him around the living room because it makes his eyes fill with wonder as the room spins around him.
i can't stop kissing his cheeks because it makes him smile. at me! and not at gas.
i love that i schedule my showers around his naps.
i love that he knows when i shower and plots to spit up on me during the next meal. seriously, i do. its like a game - it makes me laugh.
i love watching him joyfully look out the window at the bright sunny day.
i love the cooing noises he makes when he eats. and sleeps. and farts...and puts his entire fist in his mouth.
i love that he is secretly trying to learn to suck his thumb - even if i don't let him.
i love the way he smells.
i love that just looking at him sometimes makes me so giddy that i laugh out loud for pure joy.
i really REALLY love the gift of being Petey's mom.

weekends are made of this:

saturday morning magic

i so love the smell of fresh rain gently falling.
am looking forward to rocking my hot pink rain boots for a walk with the pup soon.
am wondering about the anti-rain contraption i need to come up with to keep petey dry.
maybe i'll just open the top of the stroller, leave him in his diaper and let the rain fall in?
he needs a bath anyway.

grandma-i am just kidding. :)

Christmas traditions - I almost forgot to post!

while dad was visiting, I nabbed some pics off his camera to capture some Christmas traditions our family enjoys. don't judge, they almost ALL involve food. but that is certainly a tradition to share great meals and lots of treats on both sides of the family. We always joke when we're at the simpson farm in Wilmington, IL - that's what simpsons do, we get together and we EAT. and its always amazing.

this is a Christmas tree coffee cake that grandma jan always makes for us to enjoy on Christmas morning. She has another coffee cake that i remember eating basically since the beginning of time (my time anyway) is a non-Christmas-but-all-grandma-jan type of tradition that is amazing...but that's for another post. these frosted tree coffee cakes make great gifts too, my mom used to give them to teachers. when alie was visiting we whipped up a batch - just remember to use the standing mixer or you'll get a bunch of dough in the gizwad of your hand mixer! that's not pretty-










then there are the sugar cookies. they're becoming legendary. several people...including myself and my sister-in-law won't eat any others like them. this is another one courtesy of grandma jan, surely courtesy of some other wonderfully amazing baker who she stole/borrowed/inherited the recipe from. all fine tactics for obtaining the GREATEST sugar cookie recipe. ever. i'm serious. these are just better than any you've ever had.



to the other side of the family-some cookies from grandma simpson......kolache's. they come in the prune variety as well. and they are delicious. simple. and a staple at Christmas.












one little amazing but non-edible tradition we enjoy is the blooming of the Christmas cactus. dad always e-mails to tell us when "grandma simpson" blooms....we see it as a beautiful reminder of her and she really does come in all her grandeur at least once a year, and somehow its always near the holidays. and she's beautiful.

and here is grandpa simpson's great houska bread. he was pro at whipping up this braided goodness. they take a million hours to make, they have to rise several times - and then there's the braiding and they must be baked at the right humidity and for exactly the right amount of time. i'm so glad my mom learned to make these from grandpa - now she makes these up on a regular basis and they are amazing and a happy reminder of my wonderful grandfather.

of course there are more....

and then there's this-

what's been going on around here lately? other than watching this boy grow by the second, loving every minute we spend cuddling him (and hoping this will never end!) and taking as many pictures as possible to capture those special moments - our 2009 has already been taking shape.

reid has been getting a lot of flying time and while it makes him nuts to be away from his boy for long hours each day, its quite important for his training and qualifications and he truly enjoys his work. and when he comes in the door at the end of a long, long day, he goes straight for that wiggly, snuggly boy of his. the daily bottle feeding has been an enjoyable addition to how he spends his evenings.

we have been showered with love and support by our military family. all the red devil ladies have been bringing us dinner daily for the last two weeks.....all delicious food that i didn't have to spend time whipping up, but more importantly, they've all come to celebrate our little man joining their family. the blessing we've enjoyed in the red devils as our first squadron is amazing. we're so thankful for these wonderful, thoughtful - and fun - people whose lives we are blessed by! and to top it off, there's a TON of new baby boys in the squadron from 2008, so i've got all kinds of great new moms to chat with about all this baby business - we're all learning together (and doing fun things like meeting to each fish tacos and walk on the beach with our boys in their strollers-yay!).

we are waiting with breath abated to hear the good news of our dear friends, shannon and greg - they are expecting their amazing little boy to show up any day now. what a journey they've been on for the last nine months...and now he's almost here. as much as this phrase makes her nuts, any day now sweetie! and we can't wait to meet him.

we have been saddened by the loss of reid's cousin, daniel, who was just about reid's age. it is unbelievable and hard to wrap your mind around when you lose a family member, especially one so young - one you remember playing with at grandma's house all those years. i asked reid last night what they used to do together, trying to learn about the relationship they shared. his response was that they played a lot of basketball, and baseball....and almost burned down grandma's garage a few times. i know there are more stories, from everyone in the family - but my memory of daniel, what little time i spent with him, was that he was always making people laugh (even when it was a bit of a naughty laugh, you couldn't help but laugh!) and although he had what some may call a 'rough exterior' .... when that boy played with his nieces and nephews, he turned into the sweetest, gentlest man in the world. he sure did love those kiddos. we will miss you daniel! and we are thinking of our family in illinois during this sad and difficult time of grieving....but more importantly, remembering and celebrating daniel's life.

i've started a little bit of planning. :) planning another simpson cousins reunion (well, doug did the planning....we're just along for the wonderful ride) which i'm quite excited about! now that we're all grown up (that's debatable!) its fun to really get to know one another and spend some good qt playing - as adults. we're heading to Florida in April! i've also signed up for my first 5K in April, an exciting - and scary- short term goal for me to have once i start up my running again in a few weeks (it was a big step, registering for the race means i'm starting to feel a bit more like myself). we're also working on a little weekend trip to joshua tree which we're dying to visit! and i am looking into volunteering for Girls on the Run again, maybe not as a coach yet, but definitely as a running partner and perhaps a behind the scenes planner/coordinator type role. couldn't be more excited. oh, and i swear......my knitting projects are both almost done.

then there's my girls. my wonderful, amazing, supportive and totally fabulous ladies - spread all over the country doing a wide variety of things with their lives. we're trying to plan a get together. last time was for a half marathon in cincinnati, oh. last time was TOO long ago. so we're working on it. dabbling with ideas. the latest is meeting in Washington DC for the breast cancer 3-day. we'll see what we decide upon. the good news is that we're overdue for a gathering of these gals and we all know it, so no matter where we end up, it is going to be wonderful.

oh, and one more thing. petey slept 7 hours straight last night. WOO!!!!

pics of Grandpa with his boy and his tractors

another first today!

Peter had his first bottle tonight and it went perfectly! i was nervous today, but he gulped it down just fine. needless to say, i'm quite relieved. (and at the same time a little sad and excited. he is growing up SO so fast. i love it and hate it at the same time!)

cuddling with Grandpa Simpson in Phoenix last weekend...looking forward to our visit to IL/WI in February!

snoozing in Phoenix in a new outfit he grew into right before my very eyes. he's outgrown all of the newborn clothes he's been wearing and graduating into a fun new wardrobe. :)

a great trip to phoenix

here are some pictures from our weekend. both baxter and peter were somehow perfect both to and from phoenix in the long car ride. we expected the worst. and actually had to wake peter up half way there to feed him and change him. unreal! while in phoenix, we had a nice visit with Isaac and Gina and had an extra treat of seeing my dad who was there on business - AND my Uncle Cliff and Aunt Char who were there for fun. I asked them how their 'vacation' had been so far and Uncle Cliff corrected me saying he wasn't on vacation, he was retired. so, the fabulous trip they've been on is just normal life. retirement sounds ok!

stay warm~

i'd like to say we're heading to warmer climates for the weekend.....but i have to brag a bit and say that the lovely perfect weather of san diego is exactly the same as the lovely perfect weather of phoenix where we are heading. we know most of you are living in the lovely midwest or northeast where the temperatures vary from nasty to wicked disgusting this weekend. please stay safe, stay warm and cozy up in your very softest fleece blanket with a book you've been waiting to gobble up! we are thinking of you all....and feeling quite thankful to be in the southwest this week. be back sunday night with pictures of our travels~

um...and i'm pretty sure his finger choice for holding his pacifier is completely unintentional.

always watching...

one month old today!

what baxter does when petey is napping.

letters from the editor

dear mom,
remember how when i lived at home and played a million sports and brought home a bag of sweaty/dirty practice clothes every single day and would only wear my jeans one time before washing them and never had much time to do my own laundry and you somehow ALWAYS had my everything clean when i needed it? well, thanks! i have a baby who doesn't play sports and can't even crawl yet and a husband who wears a flight suit to work (read: minimal laundry) and yet i am doing a few loads daily it seems. just thought i'd say to you - again - this time on the topic of laundry: now, i get it and thank you so much. :)
love,
sarah

so excited~

Petey's first road trip and Petey's first airplane ride were planned last night! we're going to Phoenix to visit Isaac and Gina (and hopefully meet up with Grandpa Simpson who will be there on business) next weekend and mid-February (12-22) we will be coming to IL/WI to visit EVERYONE! Looking forward to it. If you want to meet Petey and will be around during that time, let us know and we'll make something happen.

GO CHARGERS. :)

weekends are good!

we take lots of naps....


















and do lots of cuddling.....
















and play some too!

















and daddy is home....so we cuddle some more!















and people come to visit! Jill is Reid's CO's wife who brought us some delicious dinner today and cuddled Petey right to sleep. We love our Red Devil family.

little project, big impact-

it makes me so happy to see the works of the good, caring, selfless people in the world who will go out of their way to touch lives of people they'll likely never meet. even happier to see the HUGE outpouring of contributions to this project from far and wide - evidence that even MORE good people are hiding out there than we realized. thanks, world for reminding me to have hope in humanity - and reminding me to do what i can for the better as well. am hoping to participate in her next round of craftivism goodness to change a tiny dot of our world in a big way. Thanks Amanda Soule!

happy little boy

thankful for one of our best friends

Forwarded from our doula, Linda: on what Dogs and Children can teach us

Saturday, September 20, 2008 in Dogs, Misc.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?’ The 6-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.’

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like when loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy-ride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

ahem.

my thoughts exactly. Thanks, Marta!
it really is magic watching them discover the world and how they fit into it. even just watching his tiny fingertips explore the softness of his own cheek - not even realizing yet the connection between those two elements and himself....oh how i love watching his every move and learning as he does.

resolutions/goals....whatever you want to call them

forgive me, but the beginning of a new year always makes me stop and think about the year past and dream up some plans for the year to come. my planning has a new twist this year - to not plan quite so much. how's that for a new year's resolution? because this year i'm giving myself permission to get to things when i get to them, i am posting my january 1 posting today....a few days later....because its ok. luckily, it gave me some time to reflect and think on these topics and determine a few goals for myself that are both attainable and reasonable. if you know me, i am a big dreamer and a big goal-setter and a long list-maker, etc. its not that i can't necesarily sit still (reminder: i had a 9 month long lesson on stillness and taking time to rest that i much needed and appreciate and will cling to) but that there is just so much of the world i want to see and so many things i want to challenge myself to. alas, this year my primary goals is this: keep dreaming, write down the really good stuff as a reminder to get to someday, and enjoy making memories out of the things i do get to as my days go along.

it probably seems silly to give yourself permission to slow down, to skip a step or a few items here and to linger in the little moments that create your day given that we have a new babe around the house. but again, if you know me, you know that i need to conciously give myself permission to do so - and repeatedly force myself to tether myself to that mantra. so, here's my list of goals for 2009, with a new, more realistic theme to encompass my new journey through life as a fabulous lady, loving wife and lucky mama:

1) meet the people i see almost every day as we journey around the neighborhood, even if it means crossing the street and forcing eye contact and introducing myself (and not just my dog).... AND remember their names.
several people have recommended making a chart of the neighborhood and writing down the names of people that belong to the houses, i think i shall...out of necessity!
2) give myself permission to slow down, not get everything done right away or even on time or sometimes even at all - and enjoy the moments that create our day.
3) in keeping with number 2, write things down (ie: make lists) as reminders of things i'd like to do eventually instead of demons that haunt me daily of things i must do. i see these lists as a way to get around to doing all the things that are either important or enjoyable to me/us. but, seriously, my brain capacity has gotten significantly smaller since Petey arrived (or maybe my brain is just a bit fuller of my ramblings and questions and thoughts...) so lists are going to be vital so long as my attitude about what they mean now is in the right place.
4) read all the books in my "to read" pile before buying ANY more. (disclaimer: gifted books are still acceptable, but I am not allowed to spend my OWN money on books for me until the entire pile has been read).
5) figure out how to buy lettuce, store lettuce and whip up a delicious salad from said lettuce without it being wierd, withered, slimy, smelly, rubbery or disgusting in any way, shape or form. i love salads....but the main component seriously leaves me flabbergasted nearly every time and so much of it seems to end up in the trash as a result of the aforementioned adjectives. any ideas?

happy year of new adventures and exciting journeys and wonderful memories to all of you. i'd love to hear about any of your 'resolutions'....even if you don't believe in calling them that, take a few minutes to reflect on what the new year means to you! xoxo

we love visitors!

grandparents are so wonderful!!!! thank you for making the trip to visit us, we so enjoyed the chance to spend time with you and petey loved all the extra love and cuddles! safe travels back to your winter wonderland!
xoxo

each day something new

Petey took his Grandma and Grandpa Nannen to the car show today and almost talked Grandma into buying a smart car.

while that journey was fun, his favorite activity of the day was playing in the discovery mat that Greg and Shannon gave him...what fun he had! and we enjoyed watching him coo and smile at all the activity going on around him. i had no idea that a new baby could be so mesmerized so soon by these things, but he loves it!

and thanks to Megan for the super cute Illinois sleeper!