Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a good Christmas Morning at our house that started a little later than is traditional. I usually wake up at six on Christmas Morning and wake anyone else that I am spending Christmas with at this hour too. But since I had Lilybelle, I didn't want to wake her up until she woke herself up (it just seems so wrong to wake a sleeping baby). I didn't have to wait too long, just an extra hour, but it was so hard! After we got her up, changed, and fed; we opened presents. Lilybelle was very interested in her presents and the dogs enjoyed their treats.

Tim feeding Lilybelle before we opened presents

Sunny after his Christmas treat

Sophie begging for her Christmas treat

Lilybelle opening her presents

Lilybelle playing with her toy from Santa

Busy Weekend and a leaky pipe

Our little family had a busy weekend. It started on Saturday with Tim's Grandpa's family holiday gathering. In order to get ready for being gone for a few hours, Tim took Sophie and Lilybelle over to play with Darby and I took Sunny for a walk. When I got back from my walk, I needed to pump. So I started pumping when we got a knock at the door. I almost ignored the knock, but I decided that I should look to see who it is in case it was Tim and he needed help in with the baby. It wasn't Tim instead it was a police officer who asked me to open the door. So I quickly put Sunny in the bedroom and remove my pump accessories (although it would have been a little funny to open the door with them still on, I just wasn't feeling it). He asked me if that was my car parked on the street in front of our house and I said yes. He then started talking about the street leaking and I assumed that he meant Tim's car is leaking, but when he started talking about a sinkhole I really look at the street, and realized it was leaking water; water was shooting out of the street.

  I couldn't believe it, I had never seen anything like this. I called Tim and let him know about it. By the time he came home he had to park around the block because they had our part of the street blocked off. We went to Tim's Grandpa's party, and when we came home the utility workers were working on it. I then started getting ready for our Ward's Christmas Party by making my first ever batch of funeral potatoes that turned out good if I do say so myself.

By this time, we still had water. When Tim let the dogs outside one of the workers stopped him and let him know that they were going to have to turn our water off in order to fix it because it was our connection to the water main that was leaking. In the picture below is a sandbag over our connection to help slow down the small stream in the hole in the street. So we went to our party, and when we came home we had no water, but it was back on before we went to bed. When we went to bed that night, they were still working on it, but by the next morning everything was fine.

So that was our adventure over the weekend. Two parties and a broken pipe in one day.

30th Birthday Party

Saturday was amazing! Tim gave me the best 30th birthday that a girl could ask for. Now I know that I still have a few days until I am officially thirty, but you can't have a party on your birthday when your birthday is five days before Christmas and expect people to show up. Tim took care of the food, decorations, and invitations. All I had to do was create the Pinterest board (Thank you Pinterest) and show up. It was a really nice party with just close friends and family. When it came time to blow out the candles, Tim got those kind that never blow out so that proved to be really funny. At least I didn't have to try to blow out thirty of them.

Hot Chocolate Bar, Cupcakes, & Drinks

The Food

My Birthday Tiara (it has a 30 on it)

Another picture of the Cupcakes, Hot Chocolate, and Drinks

My pretty Princess in her cupcake outfit

Today is three months! I can't believe how the time has flown by. It really seems like just yesterday that I was still pregnant with her. She has been so much fun to play with and hold. For example, this evening she slept in my arms. It was so nice. I love snuggling with her, and I don't feel I get to do that enough with me back at work. She's also getting more animated as seen by her smile in the photo. When we took it we had a  bunch of smiley photos to choose from. I continue to be amazed by everything she does.

First Thanksgiving

This was Lilybelle's first Thanksgiving. I know that everything that we do for the next year is going to be her first, but it's still so exciting to me. This year we went down to my parents' house for some turkey and fixings. It was quite a chore to load everyone up. We had to load up two dogs, their food, Lilybelle, her diaper bag, bouncy seat, blankets, and the pumpkin cheesecake that I made. Once the car was loaded we were off to spend the day with Nana and Grandpa. Nana and Grandpa were excited to see Lilybelle, and she promptly spent most of her day in one of their arms.

My mom out did herself with dinner. It was amazing. The turkey was super moist, the rolls fluffy, the asparagus yummy, and on and on. Once we were done stuffing our face with food, we broke out the pumpkin cheesecake which was a compromise on my part. See I hate pumpkin pie, but everyone else likes it, and I wasn't going to make an apple and pumpkin pie for four people. I found out that I kinda like pumpkin cheesecake; not enough to eat it all the time, but enough to eat it once a year. This is the sole picture that I remembered to take that day. Poor Lilybelle.

After all the food, Nana, Lilybelle, and I went to Michaels for a little after turkey shopping. It was okay, not great, but not bad either as far as deals went. It was Lilybelle's first Black Friday shopping (shocking another first!) and the only store that she went to. I didn't want to take her out in the crowds so Tim and I alternated who went and who stayed home between shopping on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (I really wish they would go back to just one day, but it's because people like me go all three days that they do it that way).

Also on Black Friday, we went Christmas Tree looking/cutting with Tim's family. I say looking because Tim and I have a fake tree at home. We have a hard time agreeing on a tree to cut down, and our house isn't really big enough for a big tree from the woods. It requires what is termed a pencil tree which works out really great in our house. We had a good time hanging out and eating lunch with family after everyone had found a tree. The dogs enjoyed their time out too. Sophie found some deer poop and rolled all over it. Fun for Tim who got to clean it up since I was feeding Lilybelle. When we got home Tim set up our tree and the next day we put all the ornaments on the tree. We're getting ready for Lilybelle's first Christmas.

2 Months Old

Today Lilybelle is 2 months old; I can hardly believe it! We took our 2 month old photo today. It will be fun to compare the monthly photo shoots when she is one year old. This is also my last week of maternity leave. Time has definitely flown, but as the saying goes time flies by when you are having fun. She's had a very eventful second month of life. She saw her Uncle Matthew get married, celebrated her first Halloween by attending many parties, and enjoyed many an outing out and around Reno. I can't believe that I have to leave my baby and go back to work next week. Tomorrow her Grandpa is coming up to visit her, and she has her shots on Friday.

1st Halloween

We had another first... Lilybelle's first Halloween. She had quite the Halloween too. It started last week with our Ward's Trunk or Treat. Since Tim had to study for the PE, it was just Lilybelle and me. My mom had bought Lilybelle her costume, so I dressed her up in her jaguar costume and off we went. She slept all through dinner and the games. We didn't actually Trunk or Treat since it was cold, and she can't eat candy yet.

On Halloween I dressed her up again and took her to my work for my their Halloween party. She was happily awake for the lunch and group photo, but fell asleep after.

Later she helped pass out candy in her jaguar costume and went trick or treating at her Grammie's house where she showed off her costume to her Grammie, Aunt Hilary, Uncle Jon, and cousins. I think she enjoyed her first Halloween.

Also, today we found out that our nephew will serve his mission in Chicago, Illinois. We are so excited for him!

Matthew & Kit's Wedding

So my brother finally did it... he got married! We are so excited for him and his new wife Kit. Last weekend we got to celebrate their new beginning with them. They got married at Sorenson's Resort (Hope Valley, CA) with just immediate family present. It was a beautiful day and a very lovely ceremony. They are two people very much in love and committed to each other.

After the ceremony, we all took pictures with the changing leaves as a backdrop. I'd forgotten how beautiful Hope Valley is in the autumn.

After the wedding and pictures the families went to a restaurant in Markleeville to celebrate. And throughout the whole afternoon and evening, Lilybelle did great. She slept through the ceremony and was happily passed around during dinner. All in all a great day spent with family.

1 Month

Today Lilybelle is one month old. I can't believe that it's already been a month since she was born. She is doing so good. She had her weight check appointment today and she gained all the weight that she needed to gain. She gained 12 ounces in 10 days...way to go Lilybelle! So now she doesn't need to go back until her two month checkup where she gets all her shots...don't think I'm looking forward to that.

Today is also the first day that I am leaving her. I have a church activity to go to, and Tim said that he would watch her while I went. Part of me is looking forward to going and having fun, but a part of me is sad to not be attached to her. For the past month she has gone every where that I have gone and vice versa. It will be good for us both though, and Lilybelle and Tim can have bonding time too.

Also since she is getting bigger and sleeping for longer periods of time, I've started to work on my Pinterest list. While I was pregnant I would go onto Pinterest and pin a bunch of stuff that I said I was going to do while I was on maternity leave. Well I didn't have too much time the first few weeks, but lately I've found that I have a little time to do some stuff. I've made two dinners, dessert and I'm working on a craft. The two dinners were really good (one was a ham, cheese, and asparagus croissant and the other was pineapple chicken). Dessert was yummy. It was little mini apple pies and were really easy to make. I'm in the middle of the craft, but I think it's turning out quite well. I'm still working on it, I think I'm going to have to paint it (I should have probably done that before I glued all the balls on, oops).

Salmon Run

Yesterday Tim, Lilybelle, and I went up to Lake Tahoe to see the Kokanee Salmon swim upstream. We went with Tim's family and spent the afternoon at Taylor Creek. It was really cool to see the salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs. When it is time for the salmon to lay their eggs they swim upstream to Taylor Creek where they were born to lay and fertilize their eggs. During this process they also turn a bright red. I haven't gone up to Taylor Creek to see the salmon since I was a kid, so it was really cool to go up and see them again. Lilybelle enjoyed her outing too. So much so that she slept the entire time. But despite her sleeping the whole time, it was her first trip to Lake Tahoe. We even walked down to the beach so she can say that she saw the lake. She is doing better in the car too. She slept the entire way up there, and on the way home she mostly just took in the scenery. I'm hoping that this is just one of many sights that we take Lilybelle to see.

I couldn't believe how red the salmon got. You can't tell it from this picture, but the salmon jump and make quite a splash in their quest to swim upstream.

We all decided to walk down to the lake after seeing the fish swim upstream. This is the three of us enjoying the view on the walk down to Lake Tahoe.

Tim decided that despite the fact that it is October and it's Lake Tahoe to find a few rocks in the cold lake to skip.

2 week check up

Today Lilybelle had her two week check up. She did good. She still has a little more weight to gain for the doctor to be happy, but overall she seems to be doing good.  So she needs to go back to the doctor in ten days to make sure she is gaining weight.  After the doctor appointment this morning, we went for a walk around the Sparks Marina with my sisters-in-law and their kids. She slept the whole time. It was nice to get out and walk with her. She really likes her baby bjorn.  She is such a little gem.  Every time I look at her I think "how lucky I am that she is my little girl."  Below are some pictures of her. I especially like the one where she is smiling.  I like to think that she is smiling because she is happy and not because she has gas.

Smiling in her sleep

Lilybelle sleeping

Lilybelle after her walk today

Lilybelle Lee

Our baby girl has finally arrived! Lilybelle Lee Simpson made her appearance in the world on September 12, 2012 at 8:06 pm. Tim and I went to the hospital on Tuesday night, and 23 hours later Lilybelle was here! She weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces, and was 20.25 inches long. It took a long time to finally meet her, but it was worth it. I happen to think she is perfect. I just can't get over what a beautiful baby she is. Maybe I'm biased, but it doesn't matter.

Lilybelle's first photo

Lilybelle getting ready to go home in the same outfit I came home in

Waiting for baby

 Well my due date has come and gone, and baby still hasn't come. After my doctor's appointment last Friday, it was decided that I would be induced Tuesday, September 11, 2012 in the evening. It was nice to finally know when this was going to all end. So now we are just playing the waiting game. I can't wait to meet our little girl, and I hope that the dogs are excited too. Below are pictures of me and the dogs waiting for Lilybelle's arrival. Only a few more days to go.

Sunny waiting it out on the car cover

Sophie waiting it out on the couch

Me at 41 weeks and 1 day,waiting for baby

3 days and nothing

Today I had my latest doctor appointment and nothing. I'm three days from my due date and little miss still doesn't want to come out.  I'm ready to be done, but apparently Miss Lilybelle is determined to stay inside. I was hoping that I would be further along, but it was not to be. So to make me feel better, Tim went and got me some yummy, yummy ribs from the annual Nugget Rib Cook-Off. It's amazing how a few ribs can make the world of difference. Now I need some cookies. Cookies and ribs make the world all better. So I'll cross my fingers and hope that something happens within the next few days. I can only hope.

Yummy, yummy ribs

Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch

A month ago my parents gave us their bread maker.  I've let it sit in our kitchen still in the bag unused until a week ago.  I made some bread, and after that success I decided to try to make cinnamon rolls yesterday.  This is the first time that I've ever made them from scratch.  I've made them from a box and a can, but never from scratch. So yesterday early morning when I couldn't sleep, I loaded up the ingredients in the bread maker and let it make the dough. After that I kneaded the dough, made cinnamon rolls, and let them rise one more time before I baked them. I think they turned out pretty good.

Dough resting

Fresh from the oven

Ready to eat - yummy!

Yesterday was also one year ago that we brought Sophie home. She's been such an energy in our house ( a crazy one), and we've all enjoyed seeing her grow up. 

1 year ago - home for only  a few hours

Sophie July 2012 - posing on her chair

 On the baby front - she's still in there. I'm only six days away from my due date, and definitely feeling very pregnant. I could hope that she comes this week, but I have a feeling that she will be late. I just can't wait to meet her and hold her for the first time. Also I would like my feet back. I'm tired of swollen feet.

It's a girl, new floors, and a new car oh my!

The past few months have been really busy for us, which in part explains why I haven't written in a while...sorry. In April Tim and I found out that we are having a little girl...Lilybelle. It was a cool experience and comforting that everything came back normal on the ultrasound. I never thought I'd be so happy to hear the word normal. We kept it under wraps for about a week, (so long I know) and revealed it to Tim's family with a cake (as seen below). She also got a closet full of dresses courtesy of her Nana who kept all of my dresses from when I was a baby. Thanks Mom! All I can say is, it's a good thing that her closet is bigger than mine.

Pink Cake!

Not all her dresses...we ran out of hangers

Also in April, Tim decided to rip up our carpet in our living room/dining room to reveal the not so pretty hardwood floors underneath. That's what I get for working a Saturday. A few weeks later though I had very pretty hardwood floors. But it's not a process I recommend. The stuff you put on the floors to seal them stinks so bad, so I spent a week at my parents house. It was nice to be back home, and I had a good visit with my parents.

Old Floors

New Floors

In May my new car arrived. Yep we finally did it. I upgraded from my 1996 Saturn to a new 2012 Subaru. Such a difference! We had planned on getting a new car at the end of this year, but moved it up so that Lilybelle would come home in the new car, plus I didn't want to have to change out the car seat after a few months.

I'll try to keep everyone better updated in the summer, but for now here's a baby bump picture.

Almost 28 weeks here

I'm pregnant!!!

Well, it happened! I got pregnant! After the miscarriage and then the forced waiting period I finally got pregnant. Tim and I are very excited about it. I'm finished with my first trimester and my energy is starting to return and the morning sickness has passed (or I should say evening sickness since that's when I felt the worst). Our baby is due in September, and I'm starting to get a baby bump, Lame I know, but it makes me happy. Everything is going good so far. I love going to the doctor's office and hearing Thing 2's heartbeat, and in two weeks we get to find out if our little Thing 2 is going to be a boy or girl.

On another note, Sophie finished her latest class and learned how to sit on her hind legs. She knows that we find this adorable and whenever she wants a treat she assumes "stick them up." That's what we say when we want her to do it, only she does it without our prompting. She even does it to the table or Sunny if there is something that the table or Sunny has that she wants. We get a kick out of it everytime she does it. She's gotten quite good at it.

Happy Birthday Tim!

So for my combined birthday/Christmas present my mom got me a Cricut Cake. I was really excited about it, and played with it some on Christmas Day. But I haven't really had an occasion to make a cake and thus use my new toy. Well my dear husband finally obliged me by having a birthday. I decided that his birthday cake would be my guinea pig for testing out my Cricut Cake. I bought some rolled fondant and picked out what I wanted on his cake. I must say that I didn't realize that rolling out fondant was as hard as it was. In fact, Tim actually rolled it out for me. What a guy. I lined it up on my mat, and after a few tries I got it to where I wanted it to be on the mat. Next I chose to have the machine cut out "Happy Birthday." That did not go well at all. I couldn't get the letters to come out. I think that maybe my fondant was rolled a little too thick. But I decided to persevere. I next decided to cut out a 5" cupcake. That turned out really well, and I was encouraged to try the "Happy Birthday," after all practice makes perfect. In this case, it didn't. After three unsuccessful tries I gave up and decided to write "Happy Birthday" with frosting. Overall I'm happy with the cake for my first try, and I look forward to what I can do with my new machine. My cupcake isn't perfect, but perfection is rarely achieved on the first try (at least in my experience).

Tim's Birthday Cake, my guinea pig for my Cricut Cake

On another note, Sophie and Sunny have adjusted to each other very well. Sunny especially likes it when Sophie sleeps with him. I  see her sleeping much more in the future since she just started her Fun with Tricks Class. She had her first class on Saturday and she slept more that I have seen her sleep in a while.



Aren't they cute?!