Playing in the snow - November 26, 2011

It is a Simpson tradition to go play in the snow and choose a Christmas Tree on Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We found a great hill for sledding... (pictures in random order)

Video of Lincoln's first sled ride (with Jessi on saucer) (:34 sec)

James, Zoe, Rachel, Lincoln, Christy and Bree.  This was the most crowded ride!

James and Lincoln

Video of James and Lincoln on green sled (:18 sec)

The boy cousins: Tyler, Tucker, Lincoln, Jake and Carter.

Showing their muscles!

Lincoln and Zoe - riding in the tube on the way up the hill.  Pulling kids UP the hill is a really good cardio workout!

Video of Zoe, Jessi and Lincoln in the tube on the way down.  He was hungry, so he wasn't very happy on this ride down. Otherwise, he didn't complain about being outside in the cold. (:17 sec)

Bree, James, Christy and Zoe - this is the crowd that James hauled UP the hill in the tube and then took for a ride back down.

Solo on the orange sled - ZERO steering on this sled, I ended up in a ditch.

Solo on one of the foam sleds - these were the favorite sleds!

Hiking up the hill - Hannah, Lincoln and James, Jessi

Family tube ride!

Playing in the warm swimming pools. Lincoln enjoys the warm water.  He didn't cry when he got splashed in the face and loved to kick and wiggle.  But when he was done, he cried pretty hard until warm and dry.

Lincoln and his daddy

Just James!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jessi James Gang!

Annual Christmas Tree Hunt - November 24, 2007

It has become a family tradition to go into the mountains and 'hunt' down our Christmas Tree during Thanksgiving Weekend. We play in the snow, choose the perfect tree, swim in the heated pool, and eat leftover turkey sandwhiches.

When we were young, we all fit in the Big Blue Van. Now it takes 5 vehicles! Of course, instead of one tree, we are picking out many!

Christy & Carlee, Kurt and Tyler have their tree.

Mom & Dad choose their tree (right at dark).

Jessi & James at the pool.

Ready for Christmas!

Christmas Tree Hunt - 2006

Jessi and James test out the innertube slide

Jessi and Carter

James on the mini tube

The Perfect Tree

Loaded on the car

At home and decorated - ready for Santa!

Fall 2005 & The Holidays

October 22, 2005 - Hiking to Desolation Lake - Big Cottonwood Canyon - Utah
My sister, Kim, has been a wonderful hiking partner for me. She is really quick on the uphill and I am way more comfortable on the downhill! That difference keeps us both moving! Beginning when McKayla was very small, we'd put her in a backpack and hike different trails along the Wasatch Front. In summer 2004, when Kim was pregnant with Carter, we hiked this trail to Dog Lake (a shorter hike). This summer, we got in a couple short hikes to Cecret Lake at Alta Ski Resort -- McKayla was able to hike by herself and Carter got used to riding in a backpack.

Today's hike to Desolation Lake is 7.5 miles round trip, so Kim & I were very grateful to have James haul the kids around! Kim & I would take turns, but James had a munchkin all the time. Pictured above to the left are: McKayla (age 3), Kim, James, Carter (age 1), and Jessi.

October 31, 2005 - Halloween - My niece Emma (2+) asked me to go trick-or-treating with her this year. James & I packed up the car with Kim & McKayla & Carter and headed for Eagle, ID. We had dinner at Kristen & Clays the night we arrived. James was meeting many of my family for the first time and with my parents, my sisters and sisters-in-law, and one brother-in-law, 5 little girls and 3 boys, it was a bit overwhelming. Luckily, Clay & James were able to talk skiing and motorcycles!

On Halloween, Carter "the Giraffe" didn't even make it out of the bedroom in his costume, but we took McKayla "the Bee" and Emma "the Pirate" out for candy in Kristen and Clay's neighborhood. Clay "the Ostrich Cowboy" was a big hit with all the neighbors.

November 24-26, 2005 - Thanksgiving and the annual Tree Hunt! - One of my favorite traditions is the annual tree hunt. Back when our family could fit in one vehicle, we would head into Idaho's National Forests to choose just the right Christmas Tree - sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we got older, we began having the tree hunt during Thanksgiving weekend so that college kids could participate. My niece Stella (9 months) is in the picture to the left. After all the hunters have bagged their trees, and all the kids (big & little) have had their fill of snow play, we go to a nearby community's heated swimming pools and hot tub to really wear everyone out. The perfect day to eat leftover turkey!

This year, James helped me choose an enormous tree, shaking wet snow off the branches of many inferior trees before finding 'the one'. Helped put it on the car and drive it back to Utah. Rigged the tree stand for 'just one more year' with bailing twine and luck. Turned the tree so the barest spot was into the corner. Retilted the tree so that it wasn't tilting toward the wall. Borrowed the neighbors ladder for stringing lights and decorations all the way to the top of that enormous tree. Retilted the tree so that it wasn't tilting toward the wall. It was a beautiful tree!

December 23-26, 2005 - Christmas - Another of my favorite traditions is to sleep beside the Christmas tree on the 23rd of December. All the munchkins come to Oma & Opa's house to play in the hot tub and be rowdy and wear themselves out before Christmas Eve. Their parents enjoy the evening off for a date night or last minute Christmas shopping. This year, James, Tucker (8), Hallie (2 1/2), Hannah (6), Emma (3), and Jessi all slept by the tree - can you tell we're faking for the picture?

One evening, the kids were taking turns having James 'wrap' them up in a blanket, complete with festive ribbon, and deliver them to the recipient of choice. Tucker is being wrapped in the picture, and I know I opened Hannah at least three times!

Christmas Eve dinner is an event at our house. Mom brings out her china and makes a beautiful meal with a Mediterranian theme. All my siblings had other dinner plans, so James & I were contemplating our Christmas Eve dinner with my parents. We just sat down when Jed & Maria and their four kids arrived. Turned our romantic double-date into a party of 10!

December 31, 2005 - January 1, 2006 - New Years! - James & I swapped New Years resolutions on New Years Eve. One of his made big points with me! He resolved to kiss me a MILLION times. In order to keep that resolution in 2006 - we'd need 2,740 kisses a day - that's 114 kisses an hour! If we stretch the resolution over the next 50 years - we'd only need 55 kisses a day. After doing the math, we decided that we'll need an eternity for this resolution and plenty of chapstick. (In case you're wondering how we're doing on this resolution, we've lost track. Good thing we'll have forever!)