JodySimmer.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Every year we say, “Next year we aren’t going to be so lame… we are going to go out and celebrate!” Well… We are home…kids were asleep by 9:00pm and Jay is fighting to stay awake but probably won’t make it until mid-night…and to be honest, I think that it is a fine way to ring in the new year! I am so thankful for my family and I cherish every moment I have with them! I have spent a lot of time looking at last years New Year’s resolutions (some I conquered and some I didn’t) and thinking about what I want to work on for this next year. 2008 was a challenging year for us. There wasn’t any tragedy or major event, but a lot of little adjustments and changes that weighed on us. I usually have a pretty good handle on things and this year I just didn’t. In fact, let me apologize quickly for all of those important birthdays and anniversary’s that I missed this year! I am disappointed that I allowed myself to become overwhelmed and loose control of my life… but I AM BACK in c...

We had a nice Christmas in St. Johns this year. We were able to spend time with Grandpa John, Grandma Linda, Jon and his family, Janell, and Jaylen, which is always fun! We missed Justin's family and Jennifer. We look forward to having EVERYONE together in the next couple of weeks for Jennifer's wedding. My kids must have been pretty good this year because Santa found them at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Jacy asked for a Barbie and Lipstick and was not let down! She ended up with the High School Musical dolls Sharpay, Troy, and Gabriella and also a Sleeping Beauty Barbie. Jake wasn't real specific and is happy with empty boxes and wrapping paper, but Santa gave him a fun farmer tractor that he enjoys playing with. He also got lots of CARS toys, since that is his favorite movie! We headed back to the valley the day after Christmas and had a much longer drive than we expected! It snowed and snowed and snowed!!!It was so beautiful!!! The whole drive from St. Johns to Show ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS! We hope this holiday season finds your family happy and well! 2008 has been a busy and fun filled year for us! Jay and I have stayed busy with work and school but more importantly we have enjoyed watching our kids grow and meet many milestones. Jacy turned 3 in March and is as sassy as they come! She started pre-school this year and really enjoys it. We love all the creative artwork that now covers our fridge. She is also taking a tap and ballet class. She LOVES to dance! Jake is ALL BOY! He is rough and tumble when he plays, but loves to cuddle too! He turned 1 in October and had already started walking by then. He is very curious, brave, and loves to climb! At 13 months old he had his 1st fractured collar bone. He also attends the pre-school/daycare with Jacy and really enjoys playing with his new little friends. They are both true joys and blessings! We made many wonderful memories with our families too, 4th of July in Show Low, our annual trip to Roosevelt Lake, an...

It was wonderful to be in Spokane with the Simmer side of the family for Thanksgiving this year! Grandma Sally and Grandpa Jerry do it up right with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings! This year Jacy was a big help in the kitchen, especially with the pies! Jennine and Tim also joined us for dinner. It was great to all be together again! The whole day after Thanksgiving it snowed, which was an added bonus to the trip! The kids had a great time playing and chasing the geese around in the snow! We had a wonderful time and were able to think about all that we have to be thankful for. The Simmer Family-November 2008

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.