Simpson Family

Going Private...

2012-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

So....this has been awhile coming but we are officially going private!

If you want an invite (which we hope you ALL do please send your email to jennifer.schiess.simpson@gmail.com)

Thanks!!!

Lately

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Adequately catching up with whats happened since November would require hundreds of photos, stories, and well.....I just don't have the drive to do that :) Also, since I don't use our blog as a journal or as the kids scrapbooks, I have lost motivation to keep it up to date!

With that being said, from now on my posts will probably be random and small (as if they weren't already haha) just to keep family and friends far away in the loop! We know its just the kids you all want to see anyway :)

We had a wonderful Christmas here in sunny AZ! We loved having the WHOLE Simpson crew here for a week. Tyler is changing like crazy and seems to be all grown up all the sudden :( He started nursery and LOVES it! Abby is the sweetest baby in the world and is so dang good! No complaints :) She and Tyler get along great and are little buds. Isac is busy but loving playing doctor! I am loving being a mom to two!

He's going to love this picture when he's 16 :) I can't wait to tell him how much he loved pushing around pink and purple strollers! (sidenote: he does a lot more "crashing" of the strollers then anything)

A family pic...finally! (thanks melissa)

Christmas

Abby's blessing Christmas day.

Cousin Drake's Basketball game.

Dad :)

Happy late new year to all!

All things Abby....

2011-11-20T10:24:00.001-08:00

Photos by Jamie Harper

Abigail Simpson

2011-11-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well...she is here! And she is absolutely wonderful. We welcomed Abigail Simpson to our family on Sunday morning at 9:35. We went into the hospital at about 2:45 AM and the labor and delivery went perfectly. We are so excited to get to know our little doll...we are so blessed she is ours :)

So perfect.

Daddy and his princess.

We are LOVING having Grandma Simpson here to help!

The big brother. Tyler loves his "baby." He love to find her nose, share his toys, and give her "hugs" (a little scary if you know how gentle Tyler is). He is going to be a wonderful brother to Abby, they are already buds :)

Thanks family and friends for all your thoughts and prayers. We are so excited to have sweet Abby in our family!

Halloween Happenings

2011-11-01T15:52:00.001-07:00

We had a blast going to trunk r treat with our ward and also trick or treating at Midwestern! (No we are not students....we are "alumni" as Isac put it.)

Tyler understood the concept all too well...he lugged his bucket around and grabbed handfuls of candy at every candy bowel. At one point he even threw an un-opended bag of snickers into his bucket...wow we obviously don't understand Halloween etiquette.

Well, we shouldn't be in need of candy until next Halloween!

playing catch-up

2011-10-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

This last set of pics is a little random...just a few things we have been up to the last week or so!

Riding the train with the Larsons at the Wild West Festival.

A good part of lil mans day is spent like this....living on the third floor next to an intersection has its perks! (We are very into cars, trucks, and motorcycles) 8:30 when the bus goes by is also a highlight of the day for us :)

We took Tyler to a place that sells farm and construction equipment...talk about ecstatic! I don't think he had seen so many "kucks" and rocks in one place before!

Here we are at 38 wks! This lil miss has been so underrepresented in our blog. She is due the 8th and we cannot wait for her to come to our family any day now! We are so in love already :)

What "guilty" looks like.

What "tired" looks like.

What a fake cry looks like.

typical.

Wishing everyone a happy Halloween!

a boy and his dad

2011-10-30T09:28:00.001-07:00

Isac has been SO busy the past few months. It has been nice in a way because I have had tons of time to spend with my baby for the new baby comes!! We love Tyler so much and he will be a great big brother. As much as I hate to admit it though, I may not be the favorite parent! Tyler loves his Dad! October has not been nearly as busy for Isac and we have loved having him home a little more....especially a certain little man :)

The morning ritual...brushing "keeth"

The boy loves sticks.

At cousin Drake's baseball game.

California

2011-10-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

During the second week of October, Isac had a little break, so we decided to take advantage! We spent 3 days in California with my sister Katherine, her husband Matt and their two boys. We went to the Zoo, Sea World, and the beach. It was a fabulous trip...Tyler LOVES his cousins :)

(Thanks for the pics Kath)

Oh the things we do to save a few bucks....because we didnt want to pay for parking when we went places, we decided to squish into one car. If sitting like this WITH a double stroller in your lap for 30 min at a time won't put you into labor, I don't know what will!

Luke and Tyler....obviously related :)

recently.

2011-10-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Recently our camera broke. As a result, recently I have been the WORST blogger ever. Recently we got a new camera, so I have high hopes of doing better. Recently a med student, became a hard working resident. Recently a busy 12 month old became a busier 17 month old. And recently, I became 38 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. So, there is a 3 month catch up in a nutshell!! The next few posts should get us all caught up. Okay blogging world, its been a nice a break, but I'm checking back in :)

More Idaho pics

2011-06-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

I just got a few pictures from my mother in law (Thanks Trudi)! Anyway, just thought I would share a few :)

Grandma Simpson took Tyler to the store to pick out a present for his Birthday. He picked the weirdest little dog haha. It makes noise and walks and he LOVES it. All we say is "where is your puppy?" and he runs to his toy box to find it.

Grandma, Tyler and Cache

Lots of Pics :)

2011-06-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

They say pictures say more than words, so I won't say much!! Highlights from the past few weeks included:

Lil' mans FIRST birthday!
A visit from Grandma and Grandpa Simpson
A week long visit to Idaho (we learned that a certain little boy LOVES animals, dirt, and wide open spaces)
Tyler getting to see his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!

Have I mentioned Tyler is slightly destructive.....

Until next time.....

Is there a Doctor in the House??!!

2011-06-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

Finally...YES!!! We have had a very eventful week!! The highlights were, Isac coming home from his final day of his final rotation and of course GRADUATION!! As of this morning, Isac is officially a doctor! We are so proud of all his hard work. Medical school was not easy but we have survived! He is going to be a wonderful doctor!

I know I have been completly neglectful of our blog but we have been having way to much fun enjoying having Isac around. Tyler is such a different boy then he was a month ago...I will have to do a post just to catch up on him!!

Some pics from graduation....

Tyler was so happy to see Isac after the LONG ceremony....he said "da, da" for two hours straight!

Tyler during graduation....not the most still child you have ever met. Actually, quite the opposite :)

The banquet the night before graduation.

We are so excited for Phil and Trudi (Isac's parents) to get into town tonight. After having them here for a week, we head to Idaho for a week. Then it's back to the grindstone on the 20th! Isac will start his residency at Phoenix Baptist. We are excited for the next few weeks of fun before it all begins again :)

Some big/old news!!

2011-04-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

I was looking through my past few blog posts and realized I failed to post our exciting news!! It is now old news to most people, but for history sake I figure I better write it :)

We matched for residency!! We will be staying in PHOENIX for the next three years. Isac will be at Phoenix Baptist in downtown Phoenix. We got our first choice and are excited for the next adventure in life :)

So better late then never, right?!

The Zoo!!

2011-04-12T16:50:00.001-07:00

We had a fun trip to the Zoo!! Tyler and I, Missy and Jacoby, Sadie and MiKya, and Khyra and Damon all went together! We had such a fun time. Too bad we didn't get a picture all together...maybe next time :)

Cousins :)

The splash pad!! Tyler's favorite part of the trip.

Our attempt at getting a picture of Damon and Tyler BOTH looking at the camera and BOTH smiling....you can see how well that went!

Happy Spring!!!

2011-04-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Tyler wants to wish everyone a happy Spring and wonderful Easter!! My friend, Jamie took these amazing pictures of the little man. We absolutely love them and are so appreciative of Jamie.

Looks like we need to get someone a pet duck :)

We've hired a maid...

2011-03-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

..and I have to admit, I am pretty happy about it! A few things I love about it:

- our maid never gets tired of being busy

- our maid is always doing SOMETHING

- oh ya, our maid is such a riot :)

Here are a few things our maid does to make our life"easier:"

Takes out the trash...sort of,

"organizes" for me,

sweeps the floor,

picks up anything he missed while sweeping,

and unloads the dishwasher!

We sure LOVE our maid!!! Funny thing is, every time our maid is done for the day, there just seems to be a bigger MESS :)

That's allright, he is still hired!

It's been awhile...

2011-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting our blog so I thought I better post! Tyler is coming up on 9 months and is as fun as ever. Here are a few pics and videos (warning: the videos are only things parents probably enjoy...they are nothing too special but they are super fun!)

Tyler has had really dry skin so we have been lathering him up before bed....he loves daddy's shirts!

Not the greatest pic but these two are becoming such good friends!

Our favorite part of this video is toward the beginning when Tyler smacks his face on the toy and doesn't quite know what to do....

This is Tyler's newest trick: he figured out how to click his tongue. I hear it all the time - from the back seat when we are driving, from his bedroom while he is "sleeping, " he is always clicking! He is so proud!

Tyler's favorite place

2011-01-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Tyler LOVES to eat.....so his favorite place has become his highchair. He loves feeding himself and as a result is getting baths after every meal! We are learning that he definitely has an opinion when it comes to food. He is very particular! It is so fun to see his personality!

Over Christmas we got some family pics (thanks Teneal!) Here are a few favorites!

Keeping Up

2011-01-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Keeping up with us lately is nearly impossible! It has been a busy few months but I am excited to say, life is about t0 get predictable again! We are back in Arizona and the fiasco of interviewing is coming to an end. Now we just have to be patient until March when we find out where we will be going for residency!

We had a wonderful Holiday season. How wonderful it is to spend time with family and friends! Isac was in Texas for Thanksgiving but we were so happy to have him home for Christmas. Tyler is growing and changing like crazy. He is such a fun boy. Here are a few pics from our time in Idaho with family.

Christmas Morning.......I didn't know anyone could be this excited! (note Isac on the couch :)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Cannon

We did the nativity as a family. Isac and I were Joseph and Mary. Tyler got to be baby Jesus.

Reading books with Grandpa Schiess.

Tyler and cousin Luke "playing." Luke is 4 days older than Tyler but is literally twice his size! They are great friends.

Aunt Abby

Simpson Cousins!

Uncle Alan

Great grandpa Schiess with the boys! (Marc, Luke, and Tyler)

Cousin MiKya

Grandpa Simpson

Tyler had his 6 month appt this week (although he is closer to 7 months) Here are his stats:

Height: 27 ½” (75 %)

Weight:16 lbs 11 oz (25%)

Head: 45 ½ cm (75%)

Tall and skinny :)

We hope everyone had a wonderful year. We are excited to start 2011!

A cow, cute?

2010-10-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I never thought the day would come that I would say a cow was cute....but it has. Tyler was a cow for Halloween and I must say, he was a cute one :)

On Friday we went to Midwestern for a little trick or treat and activities for the kids. On Saturday our ward had a carnival and a trunk r' treat. I think Tyler is a fan of this Holiday (except for the fact that he slept through trunk r' treat)

Someone has to take care of the cows....I was a farmer/cowgirl.

Isac was a professional ping-pong player...

Never knew lions and cows got along so well! MiKya and Tyler are starting to acknowledge each other. A little later after this pic was taken we were at Jordan and Sadie's and they were talking to each other and laughing back and forth. They are quite a pair!

I tried to take a few "Fall" pics...

Happy Halloween from the little monster!!

Update!

2010-10-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

We are "home" again! Isac and I aren't really sure where we consider home anymore....we have been moving around way too much! But we are back in Phoenix for a few weeks which is so wonderful! The weather is beautiful and we have missed our friends and family here!

Spending 4 weeks in Provo was so fun! We had a great time seeing family and friends in Utah we haven't seen for awhile. A few highlights....

Getting into the spirit of Fall! We went to a place called Gardner's Village. There were tons of cute Halloween displays and fun little shops.

I was so happy I was in Utah so say goodbye to my cousins! Nate & Brenn entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo! They will both be serving in California. They are going to do amazing! Here they are with their siblings....LOVE my cousins!

I spent a lot of time with my Aunt Kathryn and her kiddos. Here we are taking the little ones shopping!

Tyler and Lauren

Tyler and Avery

Tyler playing with his great Grandma Schiess!

3 1/2 months

2010-09-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

What!? Where has the time gone! Tyler is almost 4 months old. We can't believe how fast he is growing up. We love our lil' stud muffin! He is such a good boy and is so fun. Here are a few recent pics..

Tyler is my little bud. We do EVERYTHING together, I couldn't ask for a better pal. Here he is helping me fold laundry.....we'll see how long that lasts :)

Philadelphia

2010-09-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

We had a fun week playing "tourists!" Isac had to take a national exam for school in Philadelphia and Tyler and I decided to join! We went with Isac's old roommate Dustin and his wife Jenna, and another classmate, Ben. We spent a few days in DC and then a few in Philadelphia. It was great to see so many monuments and important places in our nations history. Tyler did awesome and is quite the little traveler! I think he has seen more places in 31/2 months than most people see in years!

Over-looking Phily.

Walking to the top of the famous Rocky steps.

Father-son Rocky moment...

Space museum

Couldn't leave Phily without eating a Phily cheesesteak.

This $20 stroller saved us....Tyler is not a baby anymore :)

The 3 "doctors to be" the morning of the test.

We rode a train and the subway.....Tyler liked both of them (with the exception of the 15 minute screaming episode we had riding the metro at 10 PM.....someone was not happy)

Riding the bus in Phily

Riding the Metro

In front of the capital building.

Liberty Bell.

Standing outside the White House. Isac with his fist wife...haha

Next stop....PROVO! We will be there for 4 weeks, then back to AZ, then ID, and finally Texas...whew! Isac's rotations are sending us all over! It's a crazy life but such a great one :)

How can you resist....

2010-08-29T16:44:00.001-07:00

...a FACE like this?!

...how about this one?

This kid looks innocent, right?

Believe me, he knows how to get just what he wants :)

With those chubby cheeks and dimples, we sure can't resist him!

Goodbye mullet...

2010-08-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Although is was so sad to give Tyler his first haircut...it needed to happen! He had quite the look going on. Really you can't even tell, we just attempted to even it up a little bit. Still, the first haircut is very monumental :)

Our little guy is growing up too fast already!

So fun...

2010-08-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun few weeks!! Our funnest news is that Isac's brother Jordan and his wife Sadie now live Arizona...woohoo!! We are so excited! Jordan started school at Midwestern last week. We are so happy we get to live so close...Tyler will get to know his cousin MiKya really well!

Michael and Whitney came down to help them move and stayed with us for a few days! We had such a good time!

Lets just say Isac played too much pool football with his brothers....the result...blisters!

I love how Tyler is looking up at Whitney in this pic....he LOVES his aunts :)

The Simpson boys....

Cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory......oh so delicious! (we were missing Jordan and MiKya)

Michael and Whitney

Cooling off at the Splash Park

Jordan & MiKya, Isac & Tyler

An afternoon at the outlets....

We were so sad to see Michael and Whitney leave. But, we are so glad to be by Jordan, Sadie, and miss MiKya!

Bumbo Boy

2010-07-26T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here is our premature attempt at the bumbo chair. Tyler has been holding his head up so well I thought we would try it out....

Vacation!

2010-07-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an eventful three weeks for the Simpson family! We have had a wonderful vacation to Idaho to visit our families. We were a little worried about how Tyler would do in the car for 13 hours...twice, but he was an angel!

We were able to go to Priest Lake for the first two weeks. I have heard Isac talk about Priest Lake so much! I was so excited to go and yes, he was right....Priest Lake is amazing! We had such a blast. The last week we spent just hanging out in Idaho Falls and Firth with our families. What a fun few weeks!

Headed to the beach for Tyler's first boat ride. Check out that life jacket! He actually loved it!

Getting ready for a hike!
Chillin' in the motor home.
Tyler in his first swimming suit...thanks Grandma :)
Me, Melissa, and Stephanie

Isac and Drake. Isac wishes this was Tyler...I told him we are going to give him a few years. I think we better try a few other things first, like walking maybe?!

Playing football on the beach.

Hanging out on the beach.

I lOVE this pic. My brother-in-law Matt and my nephew Marc came up for a few days. Looks like Marc found the candy drawer in the motor home :)

IDAHO

Aunt Rachel

Playin with mom.

With Grandpa at the fireworks on the 4th.

Isac and Abby feeding cows.

Aunt Abby

I took this picture one of the first times Isac met his grandma and grandpa Schiess and his aunts and uncles. There were about 10 people around him - touching him and smiling at him.....he was in heaven!!! Maybe a little overwhelmed, his face was hilarious!

PLayin with Grandpa

My family threw a shower for me....it was so much fun! (Thanks Grandma Simpson, Julie, and Janet) It was a sports theme. I am so mad I didnt take any pictures but I did get one of Tyler and I - love that little baseball bumb :)

Tyler has all of his grandparents and great grandparents alive. What a cool thing! Here is a picture with his Great Grandma and Grandpa Tueller.

I guess its back to real life now!

My Favorite Things...

2010-06-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

.....by Tyler. Here are the list of things that I LOVE doing....

Playing with dad..

taking baths...

studying with dad....

sleeping on dad....

taking naps with dad, just like dad..

...and going for rides in my carseat! Which always turns into a nap in my carseat :)

My life is GOOD!

Father's Day

2010-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day, my friends Laura, Jess, and I decided to have a little dinner for our hubbys! They ended up doing the grilling but it is probably better that way....it turned out so yummy. We also made shirts for them that said, "World's Greatest Dad." It was a great Father's Day!

Isac and Tyler, Joseph and Austin, and Nate (Sawyer was taking a nap). What a good looking group of boys.....and the husbands aren't too bad either :)

One Year Ago Today...

2010-06-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Isac and I were married! It's been an eventful year. We are so excited for more to come! I put together a few pics to reminisce the great times we have had. The best anniversary gift we could ask for was the birth of our son Tyler.

(Special thanks to Jamie Harper for the Amazing Photos of Tyler.)

2010-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Birth Announcements by WiddlyTinks.com

Tyler Isac Simpson

2010-06-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well.......he's here! Tyler Isac arrived June 7 at 8:30 am. He was 8 lb 5 oz and was 21 inches long. We are so excited to have him! The delivery went excellent and we were able to come home the next day which was super nice. Below are a bunch of pictures....hopefully it doesn't get too boring!

We headed to the hospital Sunday night at about 8:00. 12 hours later...Tyler was here. Here is the final belly pic taken right before we left!

So excited :)

Here I am right before they started me....i'm still smiling at this point :)

Isac and I

My amazing friend Jess was my nurse. She was so wonderful and made the whole labor and delivery process so perfect. I was SO happy to have her!

Me and my mom...she is still here helping with the baby and recovery. It is so wonderful to have her.

Jess

Introducing....TYLER! The doctor let Isac deliver him which was such a neat experience.

8 lb. 5 oz, 21 inches long. He was in the 75 percentile for height, the 25 percentile for weight, and the 75 percentile for head circumference.

Our perfect angel...we fell in love with this little guy immediately.

Poor guy..Tyler's body temperature was pretty low. He got to hang out under heat lights for a few hours...he LOVED it. Just like his dad, he loves the heat already!

So tired after all that work!

Meeting all the people that love him....

Grandma Schiess

His mom and dad

Jess

Our friend Laura...we loved having a visitor!

"TEAM SIMPSON"

Nate, Jess, and Sawyer came to visit us the day we came home from the hospital. Sawyer was so cute. He had a little football for Tyler. He walked right up to him as soon as he saw him and loved touching his head. He was so gentle and sweet. They are already good buds!

Dad's new best pal.....Tyler loves his dad!

Welcome to our family little Tyce, we love you!

4th Year

2010-05-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Isac is officially a 4th year! He finished his surgery rotation yesterday and took the shelf exam today.......the final one of his third year! When he came home we had one of his favorite treats (scotcharoos). We also had french toast for lunch! He takes his board exam on the 4th and then is DONE until he starts again at the end of July! I am so excited to have him home :)

Anticipation...

2010-05-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Isac and I are now feeling like we can bring a baby home! Our crib came and we got it all set up. (Ok..Isac set it up. I mostly sat and watched and talked Isac's ear off asking him if we were sure we liked it!) And, we do! We can't wait to let our baby try it out! We got a pack n' play too. Setting it up was almost as difficult as the crib!

Isac is a master at assembling things....I am so glad because I am quite the opposite :)

Baby Shower

2010-05-14T07:25:00.001-07:00

I am super embarrassed to be posting this almost one month late!!! I was looking through some pictures and realized I had totally spaced blogging about my baby shower! Wether it was pregnancy brain or another infamous blonde moment I am not sure! Oh well, better late then never.....

My friend Jess threw the shower for me and it was AMAZING! She is so super talented and thought of everything. It was kind of an April shower/garden theme and was all so coordinated! I don't have tons of pics but I got a few.

Adorable carriage fruit bowel.

Tasting baby food. For the record, I STRONGLY dislike the taste of pretty much all kinds!

Party favors...

Thanks to Jess for an amazing shower and all the family and friends who were able to come!

Again, better late then never....we had a BIRTHDAY! I turned 22 on the 22nd!! It was a great birthday...Isac made sure of that! One year older and hopefully a little wiser :)

Maternity Pics

2010-04-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jamie in our ward offered to take some maternity pictures of me. She is AMAZING and does such an awesome job. I think the pictures turned out so fun! The link to her blog is: http://jamieharper.typepad.com/ for anyone interested in checking her out. I would for sure recommend her to anyone living in the Phoenix area...she is wonderful!

Here are a few favorites (I know a few of them are a lot alike, but I couldn't choose....)

Pinewood Derby

2010-04-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

For an Elders Quorum activity last night, we had an unlimited pinewood derby! It was super fun and there were some pretty awesome cars. Our two cars, were "Mr. Pencil" and "Is there anything duct tape can't do." They both turned out way good. Isac was the master car designer. The duct tape car was literally a roll of duct tape with wheels. Apparently, there is still NOTHING duct tape can't do....it actually won a race!

A pic of all the cars...there were some awesome ones!

Isac running the races.

Isac and Nate racing their cars....."Mr. Pencil" and the "Molar Conquistador."

Family!

2010-04-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Isac and I had family in town! Wednesday night Isac's brother Jordan called and said they were coming to Arizona! Trudi, Jordan, Sadie, and MiKya all came and stayed until Monday morning. It was so good to see them. We especially loved meeting our niece MiKya for the first time!

We had lots of fun. Jordan and Sadie are moving here at the end of July. Jordan starts the medical program at Midwestern in August so we spent time looking at apartments and showing them around what will be their new home!

We went and walked around campus a bit so Trudi could see where her boys are spending all their time! And of course, we had to get in some good pool/sun bathing time :)

At Midwestern

Sweet MiKya...she was such an angel baby the whole time!

Homemade Easter Baskets

2010-03-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't really want to buy Easter baskets so I started looking for an alternative. I found this great idea for making them and thought I would share!

I love this idea because it is simple and uses things that usually go to waste anyway.....leftover egg dye and a white t-shirt..Genius! This link gives great step by step instructions but I will list some things I learned and a few small changes I made that worked great!

http://familyfun.go.com/easter/easter-crafts/easter-baskets/easter-egg-basket-with-printable-template-667605/

One basket uses pretty much a whole t-shirt. (I used an adult medium)
Isac and I dyed one dozen eggs and had the perfect amount of dye leftover for two baskets. If you don't have enough dye left, using just white strips would be super cute.
If you dont want to use a T-shirt or egg dye you could just use the temple and wrap fabric strips or ribbon.
You won't really see you first five strips on the basket. They end up on the bottom. This would be a great place to use the strips that you don't like the color as much.
Last I didn't have tacky glue and was too cheap to buy it so I just used tape on the inside and didn't finish the top. It worked great. I started to use hot glue on the top and it worked so so. I just decided it looked fine the way it was!

Here are few pics of the finished product!

Easter Eggs

2010-03-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Isac and I decorated Easter eggs tonight! I decided decorating eggs is a lot more fun with kids around........this was the most calm decorating experience I have ever had :) We bought an egg kit that came with glitter. In my mind the eggs were going to turn out a lot cooler....the glitter stuff just turned out to be a mess! It was still fun though!

Boiling the eggs. I love that my apron is hanging over the open flame....very safe :) I was in a hurry and didn't tie it in the back.

Isac dying his.

Patiently waiting....

This is me decorating the egg we deemed, "the best." I accidentally knocked over one of Isac's while it was drying. He claims I ruined it and it would have been the coolest...

The final product!

HaPpY EaSteR!

Softball and Showers

2010-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

One of Isac's friends from school asked him if he wanted to play softball....so Isac is now on a softball team. They just started the final tournament. They played last Saturday, this Saturday, and finish next Saturday. Isac played two games yesterday and won both! I got to go to one of them and loved watching! They did great!

Also on Saturday, I helped with a baby shower for my friend Laura. Her little boy is due the end of April and we can't wait for his debut. It was a wonderful shower!

This picture didn't turn out too great...but I thought I would post it anyway.

My friend Rachel and I did the food. It turned out so yummy :)

Last Saturday Isac and I went to a Mariners game. The weather was so nice and we had a blast!

A few updates....

2010-02-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

Due to popular request....here are some updates. We'll start with the baby, he/she is for sure the most interesting thing in our lives right now! We got to do a way fun ultrasound about 4 weeks ago. I have just been slow to get a picture posted. We got to learn a few things about this new little addition to our family. First of all, this baby is a mover! We got to see the baby on a screen and it was moving tons! It was kicking me, clapping, doing thumbs up, smiling, and about every few minutes would show off and do a few flips. Swimming around in amniotic fluid all day must be the life! I told my mom how much the baby moves and she said I was the same way...guess it serves me right :) I'm just thinking if it moves this much in that confined space....what will it be like when it has a whole house to roam and destroy!!! Anyway, the ultrasound looked great and the baby measured just right. We think our baby is just the cutest!

This ultrasound doesn't look great.....I had to take a picture of the ultrasound because they just gave us the printouts and no digital images. Anyway, thats the reason for the poor quality!

Isac is loving being an "almost-dad." One of my favorite things happens every night. Isac puts is face right by my stomach and gives our baby a little speech. Usually the speech includes phrases like, "we cant wait for you to come...but cook a little longer," "don't kick my mom too hard," and he always uses the word, "son." Yup, thats right..he is completely convinced this baby is a boy, I guess we will see! I think the baby likes the little speeches too. After Isac gets done it is followed by a round of kicks and punches from the baby. We always sit and watch my belly dance for a few min!

So, we are starting to get things for the baby! This week we got our rocking chair. We really haven't looked a lot for one. We did know the color we wanted and roughly the price we wanted to pay. Anyway, on Saturday Isac found one on deal news that looked perfect for us. We didn't get to try it out but we couldn't pass it up! We are glad we didn't :)

Oh yes, I have to give Isac credit for finding the chair. I always make comments when he checks deal news. It's just that he always seem to want to check it as we are headed out the door, just about to go to bed, or some other inconvenient time. I have been known to make comments like, "really Isac..again? I swear you checked that yesterday." I guess that's the point. Anyway, all the checking paid off..thanks Babe! Now, you can find us a crib!

Last but not least....sewing! I kind of got on a sewing kick. I have slowed down because I am realizing that half of what I am making wont be used for awhile. But I did make a receiving blanket for each gender so we are prepared! I cant imagine how much I would have made by now if we knew what we were having...another perk I guess! Here are the receiving blankets and little changing pad I made. (I will admit I am partial to girl stuff...its just so cute. I guess thats what ya get when you have 5 sisters)

Valentines Day!

2010-02-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

Isac and I had a wonderful Valentines day! In the morning we went on a hike.....ok, that makes us sound really ambitious! To be completely honest, it was about a 30 minute nature walk. It was still really fun and the weather was beautiful! That evening we went to dinner in Cave Creek at a place called El Encanto. It was so neat. We ate outside next to a pond with ducks in it! The whole place was really authentic, Isac said it felt like being Mexico. Anyway, we had a wonderful day! I put up a few pics....they aren't that great, but its the memory that counts, right?!

Baby Simpson!!

2010-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well....its official!! Isac and I are expecting a baby! We are so excited to have a new addition to our little family! Our baby is due June 10th. On Thursday, I will be 20 weeks....halfway....whoohoo! Besides our friends in AZ, we kept our secret in until Christmas so we could surprise our families and tell them in person. It was so worth it!! There were so many times prior to telling everyone that I wanted to tell so bad, but I am glad we held it in!! Here are a few pics...June cant come soon enough, we are so excited to be a mommy and daddy!

This is how I told Isac. I decorated these shelves in our cupboard in the kitchen. When we sat down to dinner I asked him to grab the salt and pepper because I "forgot to get it." This is what he found!

Here is a pic at 10 weeks.

The most recent belly photo at a little over 18 weeks.

Here is our babys first photo....pretty photogenic, eh!? This was at 11 weeks. Next week we should have a much more updated ultrasound!

Nieces and Nephews

2010-01-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Isac and I love our nieces and nephews! We have had so much fun with them over the Christmas break! My sister, Katherine and her husband Matt, have one little boy Marc. They headed back to Spokane last Sunday. We were so so sad to see them go! Isac's sister Melissa and her husband Mike have three, Drake, Madelyn, and Cache. They go back to Chicago tomorrow.

We have loved getting to spend time with all of them over the past few weeks!

DRAKE and MADELYN

We took Drake and Madelyn to see my Grandpa's dairy. Madelyn wasn't to sure about it all at first. By the end though, she was loving it!

Isac explaining to Madelyn how we get milk in the store!

Drake on the other hand, didn't like it nearly as much! He spent the time in the car. He told us he didn't want to ever go back to a dairy, cuz they stink! I think his favorite part was going to get hamburgers after!

Madelyn loves her uncles! They are all so much fun! Here is Jordan and her having a tea party...Jordan was a great sport!

Isac letting Drake and Madelyn shave his face!

MARC

Isac and Marc

My sister Becca and Marc

My sister Rachel and Marc. If you can't tell....Marc is quite popular at our house!

Marc and I

Isac and Marc

Christmas

2009-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

This was our first Christmas together (as a married couple). It was so wonderful We spent Christmas morning at my parents house. We were at Isacs on Christmas Eve. My little sister Abby called us and said, "Just be home by 4:30!" She was referring to Christmas morning! Luckily we got an extra hour and didn't start opening presents 5:30! Afterward, the boys "dehorned" some of our cows. My brother in law Nathan is a pro so he headed it up. Isac, my brother in law Matt, and brother Ryan all helped and loved it!

Rachel opening our gift to her...we got her shoes! We love ya Rach!

Kath and Marc...the cutest little boy in the whole world!

The new jacket Isac got me!

Mar, Nate, and Becca

We played games for other gifts. Isac LOVED running the game!

Dehorning cows! What a country boy I married :)

We spent the afternoon at Isac's parents. We all sported our fabulous Christmas sweaters!

Madelyn and Drake.

The boys enjoying steak.

Mar's Wedding!

2009-12-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

Isac and I made it to Idaho! We left the 17th and drove all day to make it home! We got to be home with the fam for a few days before the wedding! Marianne and Nathan got married on the 19th in Idaho Falls. It was such a wonderful day.

I didn't get any great pics but here are few....

Marc snitching some strawberries....

My friend Jessica

My amazing, beautiful sisters ..... and the stunning bride :)

My awesome, handsome brothers :)

Isac and Becca at the luncheon

Congrats Mar and Nate!!

12Ks of Christmas

2009-12-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

This morning Isac and I ran a race! We ran the 12Ks of christmas run in Gilbert. It took some convincing but Isac ran with me and we had a great time. (Other than Isac limping on his "broken foot" he sustained from the run, we are all in one piece!)

Pre-race. Filling up with gas on the way to the race.

1 hr 12 min later.....Post-race!

Isac enjoying all the free food giveaways. This is sample of ice cream. He also got a hot dog...not my top choice after running 7.5 miles :)

The finish line....a very welcome sight!

Our "medals." Candy canes saying we finished!

Meeting Cache

2009-12-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful week! On Monday, Mike and Melissa flew into town and brought their baby Cache! Mike interviewed at a bunch of different hospitals for his residency. Mike planned on coming alone, but last minute brought Melissa and Cache. We are so glad he did! It was so fun to see them and meet our nephew for the first time.

We were able to do a lot of things. The greatest part was hanging out and EATING! I think we are a little heavier then we were on Monday!

hangin' out with Cache

Minature golfing

Showing Mike where the Mariners play

Melissa showed me how to make carmeled apples...so yummy! (if you can't tell, we were laughing pretty hard when Isac took this pic)

We went and saw the lights at the temple. They were so pretty!

Fun Surprise!

2009-12-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

This morning Isac and I woke up to find this...

Our friends Nate & Jess told of us a German tradition. (Jess is German). They told us that on December 6 St. Nicholas visits! If you leave your shoes out at night, you will wake in the morning to find them filled with treats! We just had to try it out.....sure enough, this morning our shoes were filled to the brim with goodies! What a great tradition, thanks Nate and Jess for giving us the heads up that he was coming. We were glad we know to leave out our shoes...(wink, wink!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-11-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

......at the SIMPSONS!!!

Isac and I may have jumped the gun a few days, but yesterday, we decorated for Christmas! Because I am used to snow, it has not felt at all like Christmas or even Fall! Hopefully our few Christmas decorations will help a little. We were going to wait until after Thanksgiving but will only be in Arizona for a few weeks of December so we decided to get festive early!

Setting up our Christmas tree! We found it for a great price online and we love it! It is now the center of our apartment.

What would Christmas be without a little mistletoe..... :)

Wedding Pics!

2009-11-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Wedding Pictures! Yes, we have been married 5 months tomorrow, but still better late than never, we finally have our wedding pictures. We have actually had them for a few weeks but I thought I would put just a few in a slideshow! They have been at the bottom of our blog but I decided to move them up for a little bit! We really like them and think they turned out great....happy five month? Not a traditional milestone, oh well!

Birthday Boy!

2009-11-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday dear ISAC,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Yesterday was Isac's 28th B-day! We didn't do much to celebrate but it was a great day. We are still celebrating with the leftover cake! Thanks friends and family for the treats, cards, & calls!

Isac is such an amazing brother, son, friend, uncle, husband...and the list goes on! I couldn't ask for someone more wonderful!

Opening presents:

A giant towel! Isac loves big towels! I thought I got big ones after we got married. He assured me there were bigger...Who knew bath towels came as big as 50 by 70 inches?

Game called "Pass the Pigs." We played it...pretty fun :)

Isac's cake, not at all traditional. Oreo crust with mint oreo ice cream on top with hot fudge drizzled over top...whew! And we made them in a muffin pan...little individualized treats!

Happy Birthday Isac!

Fun Fall Adventures

2009-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

I am going to have to play catch up.....I have neglected our blog! We are having a wonderful fall and having lots of fun! I will start with the latest and work backwards....

Yesterday Isac and I ran a 5k with our ward. It was so much fun. We ran with Nate, Jess, and Sawyer in a jogging stroller. Its not much to brag about but Isac would want me to mention the 5 of us were first place. To be fair Sawyer won by a good foot, the stroller gave him a major advantage! I will say I think Jess and I fared better then our hubbys however. About half way through the race, we realized there was a silence between the two them that is rare to be heard. The last words I heard them say were, "hypoxic, nauseated, and diaphoretic (which medically refers to the sweat that comes from a man during a heart attack). I don't know what Jess had to deal with the rest of the day: all i know is Isac took a 4 hour nap and asked me to give him a foot massage. I refused, it's about time he mans up. (Ok, I am feeling bad. Isac and Nate both did awesome....I am so happy Isac will do stuff like this with me :)

Isac entertaining the little boys at the race.

Isac was able to muster up enough energy to go to the fair. After the fair I felt like Isac did after the 5k. We feel energized after different events I have decided. We went with our friends, Dustin and Jenna. We went to the demolition derby, a Kelly Clarkson concert, and got to ride the giant ferris wheel!

On Halloween, Isac and I took Nate and Jess's little boy Sawyer to our ward Trunk R' Treat. He was so adorable in his monster costume....he was the main attraction of the entire night....people loved him!

After, we went to a murder mystery party. Nate and Jess decided to throw a party for some of the couples in Nate's dental class and we got to tag along. They definitely know how to throw a party....it was SO much fun! Isac was a hypnotist/hippy (no, that chin hair is not real). I was a screenwriter.

I can't believe we are well into November! We are so excited for the Holiday season approaching!

fun, fun....

2009-10-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! This month is flying by! Isac and I are doing great and have done some fun things the past few weeks! Two Fridays ago we braved a new restuarant, "Chino Bandido." Isac's friend from school suggested it. Isac, who LOVES trying new restaurants was so excited. We had to take a pic of what other businesses surround it because we thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, it is a restaurant that has combined Chinese and Mexican food. It has been featured on the Food Network as one of the top 101 places to eat in America!

*Disclaimer: Isac loved this place, I liked it. So, take that as you will. Just keep in mind this is coming from the guy who wanted to eat at a place called, "two amigos trailer park restaurant" a few weeks ago. Fortunately for me, we couldn't find it.

Here we are standing by the signature animal of Chino Bandido, a panda. After we left I was convinced it was a squirrel. Isac assured me it was a panda. After some discussion and internet research, I relented. Isac was right. It is a panda.

It is a great place to try...all of our Arizona friends should check it out :)

This past weekend was also a blast. On Friday, we got to see Isac's cousins, the Rogers. Kevin and Jake performed in the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." The production was absolutely amazing and we were SO impressed with Kevin and Jake...wow, what talent! It was so fun to watch and we are so glad Mark and Lori let us know about it!

On Saturday night we got to go to the Coyotes opening game of the season! Last minute our friends Dustin and Jenna who had tickets couldn't go and asked if we wanted their tickets! The Coyotes lost, but we got free t-shirts! (in my book, that makes anything worth it!)

Another Wedding!

2009-10-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yea! Our family has some big news....on Friday night Marianne got engaged! She is marrying Nathan Dalling. They are getting married on December 19th in the Idaho Falls temple. We are so excited for them and are so happy to have Nathan in the family. :)

Look-a-Like?

2009-09-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Recent events have the possibility of going to Isac's head! Apparently we have a movie star/celeb in the family...now the key is deciding which one! Isac has been told on two different occasions that he is the spitting image of the following two people: Kirby Heybourne was the first. Then on Sunday, it was Garth Brooks! So, we are opening it up for votes....which is Isacs twin. I for one, think it is neither! Oh well, still fun :)

Is it Kirby?

Or Garth?

My question is: Which Garth was the lady in church referring to?

At first I thought it was a compliment to look like Garth. The 30 year-old suave country star. Upon further pic surfing however, all I have to say is: ouch. Maybe it's not such a good thing. Obviously, no one stays thirty forever. Lets hope she had the former Garth in mind!

Don't worry Isac, I love you just the same......

Canning!

2009-09-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, all I have to say of canning is that it is harder than it appears! My memories of canning growing up were nothing like my recent canning experience. Most likely because this time I needed to know what I was doing....I didn't have my mom to tell me what to do!

My Relief Society ordered fruit from Utah. My friend Jess and I decided we would order some and try to can it. It didn't go as well as we thought it would. But, we did learn a ton and laughed at ourselves......A LOT!

We ordered tomatoes, raspberries, and peaches. A lady in our ward helped as with the tomatoes, so those turned out great. With the rest of our endeavors, we had a few issues! We decided to brave the peaches on our own. After a few broken bottles and water going EVERYWHERE, we decided to use the remainder of our peaches for jam and freeze the rest for smoothies. We also did freezer rasberry jam which turned out awesome! The only downside is that we only got to use half of our raspberries because they had started to go moldy.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we made some good memories! I do think it will be awhile before I will attempt again :)

Canning tomatoes.....

Our moldy raspberries, so sad :(

The final product!

Two-week tragedy.....

2009-09-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had to give this post that title, because it is the product of a great conversation Isac and I had over the weekend. So, I told Isac I thought it would be a good idea if we tried to eat a little healthier. Things like this excite me but all Isac could do was grab his stomach and say, "I'm already starving..." I was not proposing anything dramatic but Isac was not about to have it. Anyway, I proposed to Isac we do "great in eight." It's a thing my family has done before where you get points for eating well, exercising, etc. You keep a log and the duration is eight weeks. I was still not convincing Isac that this was a good idea. Finally, Isac agreed. There are however some adjustments that had to made to the original "great in eight." Isac decided he could stand doing it for two weeks rather then eight. And, of course, it had to be a competition....surprising I know, this sounds nothing like the Isac we all know. Competition, what!? Anyway, Isac and I are currently two days into what he has affectionately termed, "the two-week tragedy." I will make it public however, that I do plan on winning. This is one of the few activities I am quit confident I can beat Isac in....bring it on babe!

Other than the next two weeks being miserable for Isac, there are some other fun things we have been up to! Two weekends ago we went to a water park with our friends Nate, Jess, and Sawyer. We had to get the tires on the mustang changed and got 4 free tickets to "Surf n' Splash" as part of the deal. We had a blast and are so glad Nate and Jess could come (not to mention we are LOVING living across the street from them!)

I had to include this pic of Sawyer. We love this little guy! He is so much fun and Isac and I are probably way too attached to him (obviously, I am putting him in our blog!)

Yesterday, Isac and I went to Chik-fil-a and got free sandwiches. Anyone who came in with a t-shirt with their favorite team logo got one! We both sported BYU t-shirts. I told Isac I felt like I was betraying the Bengals. He assured me by saying, "no, the Bengals are betraying you." I agreed and wore a BYU shirt. (you can check Idaho State's football record if that doesn't make sense)

This is the newest addition to our apartment. Finally, after weeks of looking and trying to decide which table to buy, we made it happen! We love this table and are so excited for it.

Isac got me flowers last week. I was so surprised when he came home with them! They are so pretty and it was a fun little surprise :)

We are doing great and can't wait for it to start cooling down a little bit!

Family Fun!!!

2009-08-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

Wow..what a weekend!! I think Isac got a little taste of what poor Ryan has been subject to for the past 16 years. Living with girls. And a lot of them!!! My mom and three of my sisters came and spent a few days with Isac and I. It was so much fun to see them and for them to see what Isac and I are up to!

On Friday night we went and walked around at Westgate.

Enjoying the water show.

My family handled the Arizona heat well! Regardless, the pool was a very popular location!

We still love playing "cheerleader!" Here is Mar in an awesome lift. We did this FOREVER! We all had a chance getting lifted. There were some other people at the pool that thought we were pretty crazy. I am sure we were pretty entertaining especially because we were laughing pretty hard! I still say we would make an amazing cheerleading squad....

Isac doesn't quite fit in in this game.....his bangs just aren't doing it.

It took some convincing to get Isac in the pool.

Never thought you would see Isac do this, did you! Neither did we....I think he liked it more than he would give in to!

We made super yummy kabobs!

We were able to spend one morning at the Mesa temple doing baptisms.

To complete the vacation my mom and sisters had their first in-n-out experience. It was a major hit :)

We had a great time but really missed Katherine and Abby! Thanks again for coming guys, we had blast!

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

We are back to Arizona!!! Here is a quick update......Isac and I got home last Sunday and are so excited to have our own apartment. We got back to find both our cars and our apartment as we had left them. Whew, we were so glad!

Before we left for Hawaii we "moved" into our apartment super fast. We were going to put everything into storage for the month we were gone. Last minute though, we decided to move in then rather than have to do it when we got back from Hawaii. I am so glad we did! Moving even once was not fun, I can't imagine doing it twice. "Moving" consisted of getting everything inside. We accomplished that, but no more. To be brief, we left a pile in the front room. So for the past week we have been organizing, cleaning, washing, unpacking, and getting settled!

I had to take some before and after pics so we could remember what chaos it was getting an apartment, getting to Hawaii, getting back, and getting settled. The pictures aren't that great but they are small indication of the craziness we experienced! We spent a few nights on blow up mattresses and ate several meals using plasticware, but we survived!

Home Sweet Home?

Before "home makeover: jen and isac style" took over:

There is no place like home!

It is still looking a little bare, but we are getting closer. Right now we are in search of a table and a bed. Both will be wonderful additions! :)

I love my husband

2009-07-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ah.....the joys of marriage. Especially those associated with the learning curve of the first month!

First of all, I just have to state that Isac and I get along super well. I have been amazed how the easy the adjustment has been for us both. That doesn't mean it was a piece of cake, but I had prepared myself for it to be more painful. As Isac stated the other day, "the only time/place we disagree is at the grocery store." This statement was classic and yes, is so true of our marriage. The day I bought an apple for $1.25 is an occurrence that is not soon to be forgotten by Isac.

Isac truly treats me so well! I especially love in the mornings how he tells me goodbye and adds so sensitively, "please try not to hit any curbs today." Among other things, he encourages me to drive better. But didn't you know, every time you hit the curb it is the equivalent of getting into 1/5 of a wreck? Yes, that's how Isac puts things into my words.

Now, with that out of the way, let me expound on these marital joys! I grew up with five sisters. For these reason, I did not get much exposure to how men operate. As a result it has taken me the entire past month to realize that Isac will never appreciate some things as much as I do. Among these are culture, avoiding hepatitis A, and of course BLOGGING. Let me give you a scenario that occurred a few days ago.

Frida was Isac's last day at the clinic. It is also the doctors birthday. To celebrate, the clinic ordered pizza for lunch. When Isac told me I was invited to this little party, I got so excited..the blog post was already forming in my head! As we were leaving our apt, I asked casually, "I can bring my camera, right?" With that, Isac stopped immediately and looked at me in disbelief. "Oh no, you are not posting a blog about Dr. Sutherland's birthday." I know in Isac's mind he was imagining me saying,"Isac, Doctor, step together and smile. Oh wait, one more the flash was off. Now for this put your arms around each other and hold up your pizza.....oh and make silly faces!" Isac just doesn't understand the finer things in life! When we first got to Hawaii, I wanted to take a picture of the clinic he works at, for memory sake. Let's just say, as of now, I don't have the picture. But don't be surprised if it shows up on a later blog :)

So, my attempt to make Isac appreciate my photo snapping and blogging....I am posting the following pic with the hope he checks our blog (at my request of course) and allows me to take pics to my hearts desire!!!

The pizza was wonderful.

One rotation down...11,12.....I'm not sure, but a lot more to go!

I love you babe!

Polynesian Cultural Center

2009-07-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

Isac got pretty sick over the weekend. Luckily, he is starting to feel better! We pre-bought tickets to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Saturday. As Saturday rolled around I was getting a little worried that Isac would not feel well enough to go. He was ok though and I was so glad! I know I liked it A LOT more than he did, but we had a great time! The Center has a policy called "Free within Three." It allows people to go back to the Center within three days of their first visit. I liked it so much I went back on Monday! I did like it a lot more when Isac was with me, but I just couldn't get enough! After two days of it, I now feel like I got the whole experience! Here are some pictures...I know that no one will find them nearly as interesting as I did .....so although it may be hard to believe, I tried to be brief in what I posted!

One of the first things we did, was watch a canoe pageant. Each of the six islands came out on a little boat and did their native dance. It was so cool!

TONGA

HAWAII

FIJI

SOMOA

NEW ZEALAND

TAHITI

I took video of most of the dances. I posted this one because it is my favorite! When we visited their island later in the day, they were giving lessons teaching people how to shake their hips like this. I tried...enough said!

My sweet tattoo from Fiji.....

This is a Tongan man, as part of their islands demonstration, he climbed this tree.

These guys are cooking coconut bread.

Here I am trying it out, Isac and I both loved it!

We took a fun canoe tour around the whole Center.

The Luau!!! We loved the luau. The food was amazing and the entertainment was wonderful!

As part of the program, they dedicated a song and dance to all those on their honeymoon or celebrating an anniversary. Isac and I GOT to go on stage and dance. (thats right dear, you loved it.)

Pics from the show that evening.

Isac's "to-do" list.....

2009-07-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Isac and I were talking about how we want to be sure to do all the things we had hoped to while we are in Hawaii. To be sure we don't miss anything, we decided to each make a list of the top five things we wanted to do. Among Isac's top five were:

1. EAT shrimp

2. EAT mahimahi

3. EAT kalua pork

I am so not like Isac when it comes to eating new things. Isac loves the experience of trying different, weird food. I, on the other hand am very content eating food that I am sure I will like and will be somewhat sanitary! However, we are working on checking each item off his list!

Eating Mahinahi

Two words I don't think ever belong together!

Fried mushrooms

Notice Isac is a lone man in eating all this....I prefer the role of the photographer :)

One day while Isac was at the clinic I decided to go on a hike! I hiked to Diamond Head. It is one of the most popular hikes in Hawaii, the view was wonderful!

Fourth of July

2009-07-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful fourth! We spent the day at the Schofield Barracks which is the army base in Hawaii. They were lots of fun booths, good food, and great entertainment. The highlight was the KANSAS concert! Isac was so happy....I think it ranks as his favorite Fourth of July thus far. We got to the concert early and were able to be on the very front row! It was a great concert and the fireworks following were spectacular!

This band "EKME" opened for Kansas. It was a group of Hawaiian teenage girls. They were amazing musicians and played a ton of classic songs.

KANSAS!

There was a cool program before the fireworks. The flags from all the states were presented and the military band (43rd infantry) played beautiful patriotic music.

Beach Bums!

2009-07-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

I will admit that Isac and I have not been to the beach as often as I thought we would. But, the times we have gone have been a blast! Here are a few pics from some of our beach fun!

The first pictures are of us snorkeling. We went to Hanauma Bay, which is a bay that is set aside just for snorkeling. Isac and I were able to see a lot of cool fish! The bay was beautiful and it was a great adventure!

The second set of pictures are of us at Sunset Beach. This beach, hence its name, is a beautiful place to watch the sun set. Isac and I took snacks and waited to watch the sun go down. For my snack I wanted a fudgecicle so bad. We figured we would buy a box and give the extras to people on the beach. Well...long story short, there were no extras!! That's right, we ate the them all! That is one or our claims to fame....we can eat a lot of ice cream! Don't know if we should be proud but I don't care who you are, that's impressive!

The last pictures were taken one afternoon when Isac got done at the clinic early. We decided to pack a lunch and eat it on the beach. I had a vision of us looking so picturesque eating our cute little lunch. Well, contrary to my plan it was super windy and was practically a sand storm. Oh well, I like my pb&j sandwiches a little gritty anyway!

Hanauma Bay

Isac decided to buy his own goggles because he didn't think the ones that the Bay rents would suck against his face tight enough. He had great intentions but didn't check the goggle package to see what age they were meant for. I am pretty sure goggles meant for 2-10 years old will not let in a drop of water...the only tough part is getting them onto a full grown head! Great buy babe. Oh well, maybe Drake will inherit some pretty sweet swim goggles!

Sunset Beach

Our fun afternoon on the Beach!

Isac's idea.....

Also Isac's idea.....

Our weekend in Honolulu!

2009-06-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Our first weekend in Hawaii was a blast! We spent the day in Honolulu. In the morning we went to a swap meet at Aloha Studium. The highlight for me was the FOOD...kind of. I bought the most delicious pineapple, I was in heaven! Isac could not believe I would spend money on it, but it was so worth it. Isac bought some Hawaiin candy. This is a great illustration of how different Isac and I are! After the swap meet we went to Pearl Harbor. It was a great stop. We finished off the day with a hike to Moana Falls. I know Isac wasnt thrilled about it, but I know he consented because he knew I wanted to! As we were driving up to the hike he said, "I might not actually hate this." It made me laugh so hard. You decide form the pics if you think he liked it.....I have come to the conclusion he does A LOT for me!

ALOHA!

2009-06-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is the grand debut of the Isac and Jennifer Simpson family blog!! Whoo-hoo! It is so exciting. The other exciting part is the fact that it features us in Hawaii! We have been in Hawaii for the past week, and we will be here until July 19. Isac is doing a medical rotation at the Kahuku Clinic here on the island. He is enjoying it so much.He is rotating with a doctor who sees pediatrics, which Isac loves. While Isac is gone duing the days, I have the oppurtunity to volunteer at BYU-Hawaii. Right now I am helping out in the student activites department. We feel so blessed for this chance to be here and enjoy this fun experience. It is such a beautiful place and we are super excited (although I did find out the first day we were here I am not a fan of papaya, well leave those to Isac...i''ll enjoy the pineapple and mangoes!)

on the airplane

our house for a month....