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!

Thanksgiving - November 24-25, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are grateful that we were able to spend the weekend in Idaho and enjoy the time with family.  And we're very, very grateful to have this little boy in our lives!  Lincoln - 11 weeks old

Kurt carving the turkey

Kurt and Deven in the kitchen

Little Girls Dinner Table - notice Lincoln's hand-print turkey (brown and green and kind of smudged) at the bottom of the table cloth?  Oma plans to add hand prints to this little cloth every year.

Little Boys Dinner Table - where Lincoln would be sitting (if he could sit by himself, and if he wasn't taking a nap).

Big Kids Dinner Table - Bon Apetit!

Babies are Magnetic - wherever Lincoln was, there was usually a gaggle of small children nearby to talk to him, hold him, make faces at him... Christy, Jake, Lincoln, Bree and McKayla

Lincoln and Carter - Carter would go out of his way to stop by and stroke Lincoln's head.

Lincoln and Bree - Bree thought it was funny to 'almost' be in the picture (Lincoln had an unscheduled bath - aka diaper blowout!) 

Dancing with a princess - James, Lincoln and Ellie.  Kim and Deven had Christmas music playing while they put up the Christmas tree.  One of the little girls wanted to dance with Lincoln. 

And then ALL the girls wanted to dance - James, Lincoln, Ellie, Christy, Bree and McKayla

Sneaking up on Jessi... (James, Lincoln, Christy and Carter)... I was in the bathroom doing my hair and I could hear little footsteps in the hallway.  When I looked out, I saw I had 'sneakers'. 

Sneaking again - Carter, Lincoln and James

Helping Oma sew - James and I had our first official date without Lincoln.  He stayed behind with Oma and helped her sew bags for Emma and Aspen's Christmas pajamas.

Date Night at the Movies - 3D Three Musketeers.  We enjoyed the movie, thanks Mom!

This is a 4 generation photo - Opa, Oma-Great, Lincoln and Jessi - I am so, so glad that I was able to introduce Lincoln and his Oma-Great over Thanksgiving.  She's 94 and he's 11 weeks.  I'm hoping Lincoln didn't get his "height" genes from her; but it would be great if he got the "longevity" genes!

Oma-Great and Lincoln

Meeting more of my family here on Earth - November 24, 2011

November 20, 2011
Aunt Karen and Gage, Aunt Lynnette and Lincoln (10 weeks) and Grandma Price

Craig and Lincoln

November 24, 2011 - Thanksgiving
Oma Great and Lincoln (11 weeks)

Hallie (8) and Lincoln

Stella (5) and Lincoln

Hannah (12) and Lincoln

Tucker (14) and Lincoln

Uncle Jed and Lincoln

Uncle Jed, Lincoln, Bree (4) and Aunt Maria

Phoenix's baby blessing - November 20, 2011

My cousins, Chad and Kelley Price, adopted their son, Phoenix on November 1st.  Today, they had his baby blessing at Uncle Roger and Aunt Lynnette's house.  It was wonderful to see so much family together.  There is always much food and much visiting.  And when James is there, much rough housing.

I didn't get a picture of Phoenix. Oops.  But this is Gage. Alan and Michelle's little boy is the second-cousin just younger than Lincoln.

Ski Season Begins - November 18-19, 2011

One of the benefits of my part-time schedule right now is that I have Friday off.  Which means that James can go skiing on Friday mornings before class.  I think I'm going to change to Mondays off though because it is Clay's week day off.  Then James and Clay can go skiing together. 

Snow coverage is still VERY early season .  Definitely take your rock skis!

But look at those clouds!  It is going to snow!

James says, "There is something about being up in the mountains on the eve of a snow storm when it's quiet and all you hear is the wind in the trees ... It's almost a spiritual feeling that still gets me excited!"

And a self-portrait.  At least he remembered his goggles today.  Last week he skied in sunglasses in a snowstorm!

Sooooo jealous! Look at those turns!

And James changed up the facial hair.  How do you like the mustache?  I like it.

Playing with Daddy - November 18, 2011

Lincoln is 10 weeks old today.  I LOVE to watch Lincoln and James interact.  Makes me laugh that James invented a 'skiing' game to play with Linc.  (:28 sec)

My cousin, Sarah, made us a Moby Wrap.  It is basically a long, long, long piece of fabric.  You wrap it around your body in a certain way and then insert your baby.  Then you can carry him around and have your hands free for chores.  There is a special wrap for carrying your brand-new born, a special way for a slightly older baby, then ways to carry older babys on your hip or on your back.  I've seen Sarah carry her kids at family reunions for years.  (Moby website).  I'm very excited to use this - so far, Lincoln will fall asleep in it when he's tired, but he doesn't like facing in very much.

But he LOVES looking out.  (Notice the bib?  Lincoln's a drooler!)  And notice James' "Captain Morgan" or "Poncho Villa" mustache.  So fun!