JodySimmer.com

On Saturday November 22, we set out for our greatest family adventure yet! We decided that it was time to head up north and spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with Jay's family in Spokane, WA. We haven't spent a holiday with them in a couple of years and we were very excited for the trip! On Saturday afternoon my Uncle Greg (Thanks GREG!) drove us to Flagstaff. We were able to hang out and have dinner with my cousin Emily and her husband Jeremy at their new home (Thanks Em and Jeremy for dinner!). Next stop...the Flagstaff train station! Our train, The Southwest Chief, didn't depart until around 10:30pm, so we were sure to get the kids all ready for bed before we even boarded. The first night was a little rough. The kids woke up a few times, and were probably a little confused about where they were. We arrived in Los Angeles Sunday morning and had about 2 hours-so we checked our luggage and went exploring. Right across the street from Union Station is Olvera Street. It is the o...

On November 13th Jake and Jacy started attending a new Pre-School and daycare. They attend every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Although they do miss going to Jen's house, they are having a great time at this new place. It is a christian pre-school, so the kids spend time each day doing bible study and talking about God. I even overheard Jacy telling someone the other day that God loves everyone! Yeah-she gets it! Jake has another little one-year old boy to play with and I guess they are quite the wild pair. In fact, in turns out that during recess is when Jake fractured his collarbone, on the 2nd day of school! He was climing up and down a single step (which his is most favorite thing to do!) and rolled off the wrong way. They did tell me he had taken a spill and had a little mark on his cheek, but no one knew the extent of it until almost a week later. Jacy's teacher is Miss Susan and Jake's teacher is Miss Erin. They are both really doing great and enjoying their new sch...

Well.... all I can say is that JAKE IS ALL BOY! He is a rough and tumble little guy who is on the go all the time! We only made it 13 months before his first broken bone....his collar bone! We aren't totally sure when it happened, but tonight it became very apparent that he was favoring his right arm. He wasn't using it to hold his cup or help him stand up or anything. He would just keep it to the side. I started to mess around with it a little bit and he would cry every time I tried to lift his arm up towards the sky. He has been fussy lately, but we were blaming it on the shots that he got yesterday. Seeing is reaction tonight helped us make the decision to take him in to Urgent Care to get checked out...sure enough he has a fracture! My poor little guy. He looks so sad! We are supposed to board the Amtrak train for Spokane, WA on Saturday night... this will only add to our adventure! Please keep Jake in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.

This past weekend I participated in the 3-Day Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk. I survived! It is so much fun to come and see the people and the teams dressed up and ready to go! There is so much energy and they always have a really motivating opening ceremony to get everyone started. The really amazing part is the number of people who come out (some are there all 3 days!) to cheer us on. Kids run to the fence of the schools to cheer and clap. People decorate their cars and drive past us all day long honking and waving at us. It is so great! They really make the walking part so much more fun! The 3-Day organization really has the event planned out well. Each morning when we start the walk we are provided a card of the route that provides the mileage for the day and the locations of the " pit stops " where the provide snacks, drinks, and a potty stop. I ate better during those 3 days that I have in a while! =) My favorite pit-stop was baseball themed: Boobie Ball Park-Sa...

Last week Richard Clasby, an SRP lineman and friend and co-worker of Jay's, was fatally electrocuted while on the job. It is so very sad. He was only 37 years old, and leaving behind a wife, a daughter, and a son. It was a real eye opener and a reminder of the dangerous job a lineman does every day. A memorial service was held this week and it was a wonderful tribute to Richard's life. I wanted to share with you the pictures of the line trucks arranged in respect to the fallen lineman, their own version of a honor guard - it was a very moving sight to walk through. At the end of the service, instead of a 40 gun salute, DOC (Dispatch) called his call sign over the radio the standard three times - then wished him a blessed farewell to go with God and rest in peace. It was a real tearjerker and very touching. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family! Next time you are experiencing a power outage, instead of being upset, be grateful for the lineman who are willing to work in...

My kids got their first experience of voting this year! I knew that the polls would be crowded, but my only opportunity to go was early in the morning. Me and the kids got in line at 6:10am and didn't leave the polling location until 8:22am!!! They were so great and with that long wait I was glad to have them as my company! Next time though, I will remember to bring some hot chocolate!

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful family and friends who love and support us!!! Thank you to everyone who has requested an update on Jacy. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get this update posted. We were able to see Dr. Manwarning on November 3rd to discuss the MRI. The results were mostly positive...with the most important news being that Jacy does NOT need surgery right now. He indicated that her spinal chord actually looks a little better than it did 1 year ago. Her nerve root endings are very short, which is not good and may be contributing to her chord hanging down at the base of her spinal column rather than floating up as she grows, but her chord does not appear to be stretching any worse that it was last year. He is concerned about her legs going numb. For now, we are to write down EVERY time she complains about back pain, leg pain, or leg numbness. We have to keep track of when it happens and what she is doing when it happens. We will do this for a year, u...

I just got a call from my younger sister, Jennifer... SHE IS ENGAGED!!!! Congratulations Jennifer and Matt! We are so excited and happy for you!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2008! This year was a really fun Halloween for us. Jacy is at the age were she LOVES dressing up and really got the concept of "Trick-Or-Treating". Picking out a costume was pretty easy... Jacy wanted to Belle (Princess Beauty) and wouldn't consider anything else! We thought it would be fun for Jake and her to go as a "couple" so he was the Beast (Lion)! They looked SO CUTE!!! Halloween night we headed over to my brother, Justin's house. It has become a Halloween tradition and we always have so much fun hanging out with them! Jacy just loves to go Trick-Or-Treating with her cousins Connor, Rylee, and Tatum. Grandpa Zeke and Grandma Debby, Pardner, and Grandma Greta were also there to be with the kids. Earlier in the week we also got to go Trunk-Or-Treating at the church. It is a fun and safe way for the kids to be able to enjoy a fun evening in their costumes. (Thanks Auntie Nell for coming to get our princess ready since I had to work!) Our ...

To help us get into the Halloween spirit this year we took the kids to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. We knew we wouldn't make it the "carving" stage, but it is still fun to have them set out as decorations for the season. P.S. Thanks Mary (and kids) for meeting us there to take pictures!