simmons six

Eagle Court of Honor

2010-02-07T18:32:00.002-07:00

Congrats to Chase-we are very proud of you! And thanks to all the family and friends for their help and support.

backpack attack...

2010-01-31T21:33:00.003-07:00

...and the backpack won.

Morgan had a slightly loose front tooth. The other day she had a run-in with her backpack. It was lying flat on the floor. She pushed the bottom of the pack in order to stand it upright. That worked, but it snapped up quick and popped her in the mouth. Now that front tooth was really loose. It fell out the next day. And they all lived happily ever after.

An fun outing with Dad

2010-01-09T20:52:00.002-07:00

Just a little horseback riding and hiking for these cowgirls.

"First Night" (Utah speak for New Years Eve

2010-01-03T16:15:00.002-07:00

Here we are enjoying the celebration. The neon lights made us homesick for Las Vegas. Happy 2010!

Saint George Marathon 2009

2009-10-03T16:44:00.005-06:00

He did not do a single step of training. But he stuck it out and finished. He did get the medal he wanted. Yes, that is the correct time: over 7 hours!

Happy 6th Birthday, Morgan!

2009-10-03T16:36:00.005-06:00

Oct. 1 was Morgan's sixth birthday

She picked out this beautiful "Belle" cake

We invited friends to the new park by our house. Behind her is Isaac, and beside her is Logan. She had a wonderful day!

First Monday of school year 09-10

2009-08-17T22:14:00.010-06:00

Taylor 10th grade

Hailey 5th grade (unfortunately the matching scarf wrapped around her head is not visible in this photo!-so chic!)

Morgan kindergarden

Taylor and Hailey started school last Thursday, but Morgan didn't start till the following Monday. Plus I forgot to take a picture of Taylor on her first day. I remembered before Hailey left, only to find out the camera was "broken" according to my 10 year old photographer. Luckily the battery just needed recharging. So anyway...pics of the first MONDAY of school.

Happy 18th, Chase!

2009-07-28T22:30:00.004-06:00

Sunday was the big day. He also had his Board of Review for his Eagle Scout award. He passed with no problem, of course! Now all the paperwork will be submitted and processed. Stay tuned for more upcoming info about his Court of Honor.

We love you Chase and are very proud of the wonderful young man you have become!

Here he is below, surrounded by some of his biggest fans:

Everyone loves their big bro!

4th of July 2009, Duck Creek

2009-07-05T17:39:00.014-06:00

Steve took the girls up a day early to help work on the cabin patio. He then took them fishing:

Next they observed all the natural wildlife. Here is Morgan sneaking up on a deer.

She is pretty good, huh?

This little birdie actually landed on Hailey, then instantly flew away.

Chase, Taylor and I met up with them the next day.

Morgan driving the Ranger with Dad.

We had also invited some friends, Alan and Julie Asay. They brought 3 of their 4 kids. The older kids went down into the village, but said the fireworks were small. When they came back we just let all the kids play with the sparklers.

Chase, Josh, Colby, Hailey and Taylor.

Hope you all had a fun Fourth of July, too!

update to keyhole

2009-06-30T22:03:00.003-06:00

I thought I had a picture of the debris at the end of the hike. Then a friend sent me some of her photos. This shows it MUCH better. Only don't be fooled...we tried to step on top, but would only sink back down into the water all this is floating in.

Steve always wanted to check this out...

2009-06-25T23:45:00.003-06:00

Steve has been helping his mom with some repairwork on her cabin at Duck Creek. He has been making frequent trips up, and the kids often get lucky enough to go along. There is a tunnel in the side of Cedar Mountain on the way up. Steve always wanted to check it out, so this time they stopped.

Obviously Mom had to work. Otherwise, Hailey would not be hiking in her pajamas and freezing! (but it is always a lot of fun hanging with dad.)

the fun keeps coming

2009-06-21T18:26:00.009-06:00

On Saturday, Steve and Taylor went back to Zion. All of the girls in our stake who are 4th year campers get an extra fun hiking expedition. They hiked up a section of the Narrows and then floated back down in tubes. Below is Josie Barton, who is in our ward. Behind her is Gina Gottfredson, the Stake Girls Camp Director (who also was on the Keyhole adventure with us the day before).

This is one of Taylor's friends, Sydnee Hutchings.

Allison R. and Miss Tay-Tay

Taylor and Eva Beagley

On the shuttle bus

some cute wildlife

The whole group of gals

They all reported it was tons of fun!

Keyhole Canyon June 2009

2009-06-19T16:11:00.013-06:00

Thursday afternoon a group of us drove up to Zion. We went down a short slot canyon called Keyhole. It was the FIFTH time Steve had been through this slot. This was the most water he had ever seen in it. There was a lot of debris (twigs, branches, dirt, etc) in the water. Very cold water. By the time we reached the end of the slot, the debris was so dense, it felt like we were pushing through thick quicksand. I know this is not the best pic., but it shows the best shot of the mushy slog. Plus proof of the swimming we ended up needing to do. (note wet clothes)

But we all lived to tell about it and lived happily ever after when we were able to stop for a warm meal at a restaurant in Zion.

Here are the lucky winners below:

L to R clockwise...Ryan Stevenson, Ben Haroldsen, Justin and Jessica Staheli, and Lisset Stevenson.

Me, Gina Gottfredson, Lorna and Ryan Anderson, JR and Tracy Martin, and Gary Gottfredson.

Poor Tracy ended up accidently falling into some deep water and completely submerging! Luckily she had packed a hat.

Girls Day Out

2009-06-19T16:06:00.004-06:00

Since my parents are now back in LV, Jenifer and Kenna came to visit. One day all the girls made a short road trip to Saint George for a few hours. This is at the top of Dixie rock.

Mom, Morgan, Taylor, Jen, Hailey and Kenna.

It was a short and sweet trip, but we had a fun time. Thanks for coming!

Goofball girls

2009-06-19T16:04:00.002-06:00

Gotta save some memories of these silly times.

Hailey 10, Piper 1, Morgan 5

Home Again

2009-06-05T18:56:00.010-06:00

After serving in the Philippines on a mission for two years, Mom and Dad are back home in Las Vegas. We are happy to have them home!

Cousins all had a lot of fun seeing each other again, too. Below is Eden, Ava, Morgan and Taj.

Here is Eden and Ari, bonding.

Aunt Carolyn gave Morgan a darling short haircut in the backyard. Hailey was drawing with chalk on the patio. She drew a beautiful princess, but something was missing...

Then she got creative and added Morgan's chopped off locks. How lovely.

Can you handle it?

2009-06-03T23:10:00.006-06:00

OK, now. Look carefully---it is a learner permit.

What have we gotten ourselves into?

(actually when she drove home with Steve she reportedly did an excellent job. loveya, Tay-Tay!)

He did it!

2009-05-22T12:16:00.007-06:00

We are very proud of Chase.

Today was his high school graduation!

Aunt Cathy (and baby Ari) came up from Las Vegas too.

What wonderful kids we have...

So far so good

2009-05-21T14:14:00.008-06:00

After three years at Ms. Lorna's Preschool, Morgan has now GRADUATED!

We have grown to love Ms. Lorna and we are happy her son, Isaac and Morgan will be together in the same kindergarten class this fall.

Today we went to the awards ceremony at Hailey's school. The choir performed several numbers. Below is Hailey, looking very grown up.

And again with her silly choir friends.

Hailey received an award for participating in Safety Patrol. The school treated the entire patrol to lunch at:

(lucky for her they have LOTS of vegetarian items...)

Need a little good news?

2009-05-17T22:27:00.013-06:00

We had a very busy weekend! Chase completed the project portion of earning his Eagle Scout award. The project was painting the exterior of the Dove Center. It is a shelter for homeless/abused women and children. We had a great turnout of family, friends and church members. Working together with us was BioLife Plasma Center. This company does a community service project each year. We really appreciated all the extra hands, as it was a BIG undertaking. Here are a few before and after photos:

BEFORE

AFTER

That is Steve's reflection in the window (white t-shirt). This Eagle Scout award is not quite finished, so expect more to come.

In the meantime, to add to the good news, Chase graduated from Seminary today! All four years--we are so proud of him! There are not a lot of youth in our ward, so only two kids graduated from the Snow Canyon 6th ward--Chase and our friend Brylee George.

This is Brylee, our wonderful Bishop Edwards, and Chase.

We were almost to the end of the graduation program and ceremony, when the stake president, Pres. Bowden, stood up to conclude. There had been a lot of youth speakers, testimonies and musical numbers. President Bowden mentioned he noticed that the 6th ward had not been represented in the program. He then asked Chase to please come to the microphone and bear his testimony. Anyone who knows Chase also knows he LOVES public speaking---NOT! But he did what he was asked and walked up to the pulpit. He smiled, bore his testimony and even made a little joke. He did a wonderful job. Love you, Chase!

The Simmons clan

(Wow! I hadn't noticed that Steve and Chase are the same height...and Chase is still growing...)

Grandma Betsy came too. I thought we had a picture with her, but could not find it when the photos were downloaded. I should be blogging lots more good things over the next several weeks. Chase will have his high school graduation, I have a trip to Tennessee for our "sisters week", Mom and Dad come home from their mission, and Cathy and Mark will be blessing baby Ari!

Sassy summer haircut

2009-05-15T17:01:00.005-06:00

Before

After

AKA: "no one likes to brush me"

Ha, ha, ha....

2009-05-09T13:44:00.003-06:00

Thursday night (5/6/09), we were lucky enough to be invited on a night out with Michael and Barbara (Steve's sister and her husband). They were up from LV to see the comedian Brian Regan at Tuachan. They invited us along, and even took us to dinner first at The Brazilian Steakhouse. The food was wonderful and Brian Regan was great! The weather was perfect and we had a terrific time!

Thanks Mike and Barb!

pet time

2009-05-09T13:32:00.004-06:00

Friday is always show and tell day at preschool---sorry, I am now supposed to refer to it as SCHOOL---for Morgan. This Friday they were asked to bring their pet. Below is Ms. Lorna, Piper, Morgan and Kennedy (with her pet pony).

Morgan loved showing off her dog, and Piper was actually a good girl! Here is the whole preschool gang with their pets. They all thought this was a fabulous show and tell day!

sugar and spice and everything nice

2009-05-03T17:18:00.009-06:00

Our church meetings are early (9:00 am), so we have plenty of family hang-out time on Sunday afternoons. Here are two lovelies who want to play 'make-ups'

Morgan before

Hailey before (yes, this is really the before--she went to a hula birthday party yesterday and has been in a tropical mood since)

Morgan after (too bad you cannot see the gold dust on her eyelids and blue mascara!)

Hula Hailey after

So twinkley and charming!

Wait just a tick-tock...

2009-04-26T19:02:00.005-06:00

Cathy and I were able to go to SLC this weekend to see:

Steve surprised me with tickets for my birthday. He passed on his chance to go and since Cathy and I had been talking about this musical forever, she was next in line. We had a really fun time and loved the show. Thanks Steve and Cathy!

Senior Ball

2009-04-23T10:14:00.003-06:00

Since I was out of town and had to rely on other's photos...this is the only pic I have so far. Chase and Amanda are on the far left in pink and black.

He said they had a great time.

Lava Caves

2009-04-22T18:17:00.003-06:00

When the Las Vegas kids were on spring break, Susan and her kids came to St. George for a couple of days. We went to Snow Canyon State Park and hiked to the Lava Caves. It is underground. You need to have flashlights or headlamps (like us). Some people bring glow sticks. Everyone turns off their lights and they break open the glow sticks and shake them everywhere. It looks like outer space with millions of glowing stars. (thanks, Susan, for the great explanation...and the picture, too!)

Happy Easter

2009-04-14T08:34:00.005-06:00

Hailey wasn't quite happy with me for some reason (I forget....),

So we try again...

Better! Even the black fuzzy one was looking at the camera and smiling!

(note Morgan's perfectly matched eye shadow, sneaked on after mom said no 'makeups')

breaking news

2009-03-23T19:17:00.003-06:00

Do you notice something different? Something more grown-up?

Yes, Morgan lost her first tooth today. She is very excited and wanted me to drive her around to all her friends house so she could run up to the door and show them. Sadly, I said no. She will just have to surprise them next time she sees them.

In the meantime, she keeps showing me repeatedly. Did I mention she was really excited about this?

Lo and behold

2009-03-21T14:39:00.004-06:00

I was in our backyard today. I looked over to the corner and noticed SNOW on our cactus! And even a touch on the ground, too.

a glimpse of spring break...

2009-03-20T22:55:00.003-06:00

ultimate beauty secret revealed

2009-03-20T22:40:00.004-06:00

As you can see, these sleeping masks work wonders. Leaving a little chocolate mint ice cream on your face is another little known secret.

She learned this secret from her elder sister. If you place the mask with the eyelashes curling up, you will wake up bright and cheery.

The best news? This little known beauty enhancement treatment can be yours! Just ask your dad to take you to the nearby dollar store. They have EVERYTHING!

New do's

2009-03-07T12:46:00.007-07:00

Hailey and Morgan had appointments for haircuts. Here are the before shots.

And here are the afters:

Hailey only got a small trim as she is currently planning on growing her hair long and then donating to Locks of Love. She looks so cute.

Morgan could not wait to cut her hair short and loves it. We love it too.

Speaking of dances..

2009-03-02T19:59:00.007-07:00

Here are the pictures from Jr. Prom a few weeks ago. Chase's date, Annie, is a junior. She is in the purple dress. And Chase is the one with the halo.

A little better look

solved!

2009-03-02T19:34:00.009-07:00

So he came home from school today and...

(his bedroom door)

(inside his room)

a little cheering on...

and the winner is...

his friend,

Susanna!

Ok, I have no picture of her. Sorry for the letdown. If I obtain one, I will post it. She is, however, a very nice girl and a good friend to Chase. They will have a lot of fun.

She had one letter of her name in each balloon, along with some scattered candy. Now, the all important: How To Reply?

a mystery...

2009-03-01T16:11:00.005-07:00

This morning when Steve was leaving for his 6:30 am bishopric meeting, he found Chase's car looking like this:

The message on the balloons read: "Chase will you go to Preference with me? Find out who I am on Monday."

Our only clues are:

1. someone who wanted first dibs on asking him early

2. someone who has a talent for making balloon animals

3. someone who didn't mind staying up late waiting till he got home at 12:03 am

stay tuned...

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

2009-02-05T20:58:00.015-07:00

Wow! She is now 15 years old!

This is how Morgan ate her cupcake:

Taylor woke up to donuts from her dad, who went out early to get her favorite maple bars. At school her seminary teacher told her to pick any boy in the class. She called on her friend, Conner. The seminary teacher made Taylor and Conner come to the front of the room. Then he had Conner get down on one knee and sing "Happy Birthday" to her. She said it was funny and cute. The middle schools only had 1/2 days this week for parent-teacher conferences, so she came home early. Two brothers in our ward knocked on the door and ran. They left a few cute and funny gifts: a wrestling medal, a Strawberry Shortcake puzzle, a plastic ring in a beautiful ring box, and some Milk Duds.

Later Taylor received more gifts from Hailey and Morgan. Morgan gave her an assortment of rainbow pencil erasers, all missing the bottom half of the eraser. Then Hailey handed Taylor the next present: a pencil adorned with an assortment of rainbow pencil erasers, all missing the tops. Taylor loved them!

Hailey had also made a card at school. She had gone around and listed all the kids at Hailey's school who had wished Taylor a happy birthday. There were 39 of them. Taylor had no idea she was so popular at the elementary school!

She had several friends come over to eat lunch, go to the mall and then to a matinee. That's what birthday money is for---to spend on your birthday, right?

Nicole, McKenzie, Stephanie, Morgan, Taylor and Kaitlin

They had a lot of fun.

We love you lots Taylor!

(and thanks to all family who also wished her a wonderful day!)

per special request...

2009-02-05T20:01:00.004-07:00

Both of the following girls requested I add these photos to our blog:

Morgan worked long and hard to brush out her own hair. Then she added some lip gloss and asked me to please take her picture. She looks lovely.

Next, you gotta love a girl who can turn a chore of stocking the bathrooms with t.p., into a work of art. Hailey is very lovely--and talented, too.

Merry Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-24T23:12:00.003-07:00

This was as close to a Christmas card I was able to get this year:

Chase 17, Taylor 141/2, Hailey 10, Morgan 5,

Piper 6 months

Snow Buddies

2008-12-18T09:38:00.006-07:00

Amazingly enough, St. George got enough snow to actually close the schools! (The date was incorrect on my camera---it should be 12-18-2008. I have since changed it.)

Steve took Hailey and Morgan to a hill behind the elementary school. Look closely at Morgan's face below. Does she look like she is having fun?
Hailey showed off her skilz by snowboarding:

But, alas, the sun came out and melted a lot of the snow. It's back to school tomorrow.

Hailey turns 10

2008-12-16T09:23:00.007-07:00

December 15 was Hailey's tenth birthday. The Saturday before, she went to lunch with her friend Abby. We had lunch at a new pizza place called Pirate Pizza Island.

Then we went to a movie: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

On Monday, her actual birthday, she had a spaghetti dinner. Grandpa Les and Grandma Betsy came over, too. Then of course we had cake and ice cream.

Hailey is wearing her choir shirt, as they had a performance LIVE on the local TV news station. She loved all the cards and gifts from everyone. Thanks!

We love you, Hailey.

Nativity at Tuacahn

2008-12-13T20:54:00.006-07:00

Steve's sister Barbara, her husband Mike, and their son Christopher came up to St. George for the weekend. Friday night we went to dinner with them and Steve's parents, Les and Betsy. Then we went to the nativity at Tuacahn.

Following that, we went on a little train ride, and then the kids played around and danced. Don't let Christopher fool you, he danced around plenty, too.

On Saturday, Mike, Barb and Christopher picked up Morgan and they all went to the park.

Thanks Lamoureux family for a fun weekend!

I think I like them

2008-12-11T08:57:00.016-07:00

We went to the high school last night to watch Chase sing in the choir. They had several performing groups, including a small orchestra. We had arrived early, and were watching the orchestra set up. At one point we had this conversation:

Morgan: "Oh my gosh! Look at that giant guitar! Hailey! Look how big that guitar is! That guitar is SO big!"

Hailey: "That is not a guitar. That's a cello."

Mom: "That's pretty good. How did you know that?"

Hailey: "I've seen one before."

Morgan: "OK,...what are the really little guitars?"

Hailey: "Those are violins."

Morgan: "Violins. Right. Very good, Hailey. You are so smart."

At this point, Hailey and I look at each other and smile about how funny Morgan is. They are both sweet girls, as evidenced below:

Fa,la,la,la-la

2008-12-10T20:27:00.014-07:00

Hailey is in her school choir, the Coral Cliffs Coyote Crooners. They had their Christmas performance for the families Tuesday night.

They have a very large group. The music teacher said it was the biggest group they have ever had. They practice early before school twice a week.

The choir got a little groovy at the end. They did a great job!

Chase is taking choir as a class at school. He had his Christmas performance tonight (Wednesday). They sounded wonderful. Sorry about the blurry picture, but I had Morgan on my lap. Maybe I can get him to pose in his robe later. Can you tell which one is Chase?

The entire performance was a little long. They had several groups each performing a number of songs, so Morgan decided to make herself comfortable.

Taylor was at volleyball, of course. More on that later...

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:55:00.003-07:00

Can't touch this

2008-11-16T19:31:00.015-07:00

Saturday we (Steve, Jill and 4 more friends) canyoneered Mystery Canyon in Zions National Park. It was quite the adventure. It only took us 8 hours. That's actual hiking time, people. That does not include the drive up and back. Here is one of the easy ones:

Our fearless leader:

His fearful sidekick:

This is our friend, Tom. Look carefully and you will see this is a 2-part rappel. Once down into a small pool of water, and then again to the lower part into a larger pool of water.

Another friend, Lissett, going down the final waterfall into the Narrows below. This was 130 foot drop:

Yah, John, I know exactly how you feel:

We hit a few snags along the way, so by the time we finished it was dark. We waded through the Narrows and hiked the Temple Sinawa back to our car. I've said it before: Life with Steve is never boring.

Jubilee of Trees

2008-11-16T19:08:00.006-07:00

Each November there is an event in St. George called the Jubilee of Trees. It is held at the Dixie Center. There are lots and lots of elaborately decorated trees and wreaths. They are sold for charity. Grandma Betsy is helping with the booth that is selling wreaths. We made three to donate. Each girl picked a theme for her wreath, we bought all the decorations, and then Grandma helped us put it all together. Here are the results:

This is the wreath Morgan and I shared. This picture does not do it justice. It has white lights and a 'woodsy' theme.

Hailey's was all pink and had a sparkly angel/fairy in the center.

Taylor went with classic red, green and white. It was also very glitzy and cute.

A big thanks to Grandma Betsy for helping us make our creations look great! (and please ignore Hailey being a goofball in the background)

t.p. is so old school

2008-11-06T08:35:00.002-07:00

This means I like you a lot and glad we are friends:

Candy, candy and more candy...

2008-10-31T21:30:00.009-06:00

We had a darling pirate,

A cutie cowgirl,

And Taylor got very creative and came up with an 'Incredibles' costume at the last minute.

This was the only picture I have of Taylor, but it is a bonus because she is holding 2 day old Max (our friends Mike and Hillary's third little boy)!

Then our neighbor came up with this freaky costume and I had to add it at the end:

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Fascinating, I know...

2008-10-20T21:11:00.006-06:00

My sister Jenifer 'tagged' me. She also tagged my other blogging sisters. I don't want to be the only one who flakes out. So here are the juicy details:

5 with 5 tag

10 years ago

Steve and I were married 9 years
We had 2 kids, with the third on the way
I was working full time
We were living in our home on Larch Court
I was driving a minivan

5 things on today's list

workout
laundry
groceries
get dinner in crockpot
carving pumpkins for FHE

5 snacks

banana bread
microwave popcorn
apple
diet coke
diet coke

5 things I'd do if I were a millionaire

pay off all our debt
go out to dinner
that's it because I would be out of money

5 places I've lived

Las Vegas, NV
Rexburg, ID
Provo, UT
Las Vegas, NV
St. George, UT

5 jobs I've had

Wendy's drive-thru girl (hey-I learned how to count back change the hard way!)
tanning salon girl
lifeguard
RDH
wife to Steve/mother of 4 kids

5 people I'm tagging (umm....I don't know if 5 people, other than my sisters, read my blog)

Harlene
Susan
Cheryl
Hillary
Nikole

Hey, wake up now! I' m done! I will be checking on my five tag people...

Eeek!

2008-10-20T19:48:00.006-06:00

For Family Home Evening tonight we carved our pumpkins....

Can you guess who is who's?

(Morgan and Mom shared, thus only 5 jack-o-lanterns)

Answers below:

Sorry a bit blurry...(maybe a little too much diet coke today?---nah! no such thing!)

Hailey is holding puppy Piper, who happened to duck for this pic.

Relections of Christ

2008-10-15T10:19:00.012-06:00

For many years the Mesa Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mesa, AZ) has exhibits on the temple grounds during the Easter season.

This year, there was also a 'Reflections of Christ' photography exhibit in the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center.

The photographer was given permission to photograph Pageant cast members for the exhibit. They traveled to various locations in Arizona that the photographer felt looked like the places in Israel where the events took place and recreated the scenes.

The photographer worked with a few other individuals to put together a 6 minute slide show which includes every image from the exhibit set to the hymn 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.'

Just remember when you're watching the video that the photographs are real, they aren't paintings!

Remember to maximize the video so you can see it full screen. You can expand the screen to fit your entire computer screen for a better view by clicking on the lower right hand square icon (next to the volume).

click here

Subway II

2008-10-01T19:55:00.016-06:00

Saturday, Sept. 27, Steve and the gang hiked the Subway again. I was not feeling so hot and Morgan had pink eye, so I did not go. Here is a few of the peeps: Chase, Chris (friend), Bret, Susan, Steve, David and Christine (David's girlfriend---I hope I spelled it correctly!) There was actually 14 in the entire group. When Steve makes plans, he does it big. He's just a friendly kind of guy.

Susan and Bret, still smiling...

Dave and Christine, still smiling...

And a couple of show offs...keep in mind this water is FREEZING!

also known as "how to rip up a good pair of shorts"

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

2008-10-01T19:47:00.006-06:00

Today was Morgan's 5th birthday. She started if off with a bowl of her favorite chocolate cereal. Then off to preschool, where she was given a red crown and cupcakes with sprinkles. Mom picked her up and took her to toy heaven: Wal-Mart. She picked out a baby duck toy and a playdoh ice cream factory. She also selected a Spongebob cake. She wore the red birthday crown the entire time and received lots of attention. Then off to a hotdog and pink lemonade lunch with dad.

She talked to her grandparents in the Philippines via the computer, and played with her new toys. Then her favorite dinner, SPAGHETTI! Finally, best of all---blowing out the candles on the cake. She said she wished for a real pony.

We love you Morgan! You are a joy to our family!

you knew this was coming

2008-09-27T12:34:00.006-06:00

I am getting pretty maxed out on cleaning up puppy accidents. Our last puppy was 18 years ago...I can't remember how we trained her. She was housebroken, though, so maybe it will happen eventually. I have read a few suggestions on the internet, but I need to hear from real people with dogs. Did you kennel train? Just keep working at it until the puppy figures it out? I need to hear from you Jenifer, Harlene, Maria? And anyone else with the magic solution. help me!

suggestions?

2008-09-22T20:07:00.002-06:00

Steve and I are invited to a Halloween party. We are supposed to dress as a famous couple/pair. Any creative suggestions?

Minnie's dress and shoes are kinda cute, though....

I know, I know......

2008-09-22T14:18:00.011-06:00

Say hello to the newest Simmons family member, Piper. Yes, in a moment of weakness I reluctantly agreed. She has barely had time to breath with all the love and attention she is given. So far she has been good, but it has only been 3 days. She is very cute, though, you have to admit.

I am sure there will be many, many pictures to follow in the near future. Only leave nice comments.

Brains, beauty and volleyball talent

2008-09-16T16:36:00.007-06:00

Taylor tried out for the high school volleyball team. She made the team, and was required to get a physical. She passed the physical easily, except we learned her vision was not so hot. We had her eyes checked and found she needed glasses. So here she is:

She has contacts also, which she can wear when she actually plays volleyball. We think she looks fabulous!

subtle clue

2008-09-12T21:12:00.006-06:00

Poor Hailey was not feeling well today. How did I know? This notice was posted on her bedroom door:

It says: BAD head ache! Quit!!! (I guess Morgan had been buggin' her) Do NOT come-in! Shhhhhhh! I guess she forgot Morgan cannot read yet.

I gave her some Motrin and 5 minutes later went to check on her. She was totally zonked. That cloth was originally on her forehead, but I guess it slipped to her chin.

And she slept the rest of the night. At least her nails were lovely. We will see how her head feels in the morning.

Happy Birthday, Steve!

2008-09-03T10:48:00.009-06:00

Sept. 1 was Steve's birthday. We celebrated by going to one of his favorite spots, Duck Creek. The kids had just blown out the candles on the cake. He re-lit them several times to give everyone a turn. I guess after 44 years it's no big deal to blow out your own birthday candles.

Hey, as long as he gets a big piece of cake to eat, he's happy.

We love you, Steve. Your are a great husband, dad, and friend-- Happy Birthday.

p.s. and thanks again to all the family and friends who wished him a happy day too!

they're back! (to school)

2008-08-13T13:03:00.014-06:00

Again, teenagers not into posing for first day of school pictures. This is the best I could do.

However, the kids 10 yrs and under are still very cooperative. Hailey started 4th grade. She got new shoes, if you didn't notice.

This is Morgan's last year of preschool. She loves her teacher and friends and being old enough to go to "school".

She does not even need her mom to walk her to the door.

This means I have 2 hours, 3x/week all to myself. What will I do?

Rattlesnake!

2008-08-11T21:07:00.008-06:00

Yikes. Look what Steve shot now:

He spotted this unlucky snake up by Diamond Valley

The skin is drying out on this board now.

I wonder where he thinks he is going to hang this?

FamVaCa2SoCal

2008-08-06T08:53:00.028-06:00

We went to the Newport Beach area last weekend. We had a wonderful time. One morning we went to the:

They were giving out whistles at the front door---that is what is in her mouth. She made friends with a diver:

Lots and lots of colorful fish,

a sea turtle,

and a flying blue whale.

They have a bird exhibit also. Chase felt right at home.

This reminded us....time to head to the beach!

This was actually at Laguna Beach, where we watched a school of dolphins swimming off the shore.

If you look closely, it says: M-O-R-G-A-N

Chase and Taylor were too cool to write their names in the sand and pose. I had to settle for watching them boogie board.

Hailey even learned how and was really good!

We met a mermaid,

And a girl with two-toned legs,

At Balboa Beach they had a few toys to play on:

Hailey is at the top, Morgan in in the middle and Taylor is lower left:

We all had a wonderful time....

And may just have to go back someday!

Happy Birthday, Chase!

2008-07-27T15:37:00.005-06:00

Saturday was Chase's 17th birthday. As we had planned a day trip to a family reunion, we took him to dinner the night before. He chose Red Lobster, as he wanted crab and lobster. Cathy and Mark came because they were in town, going to the reunion with us. Chase does not really like cake all that much (I know!), but he does love ice cream. So we stuck a candle in his bowl and sang to him.

Happy 17th Birthday, Chase. We love you!

(thank you to everyone who sent cards/calls/gifts, too)

back to cedar mountain

2008-07-21T18:31:00.021-06:00

This weekend was "Duck Creek Days". See.....they even got a fancy new sign:

So we headed back up Cedar Mountain (along with everyone else within a 250 mile radius). We are lucky to be able to stay in Steve's parents cabin. It is beautiful. Below is Steve's niece, Kendall and her dog, Jovi. The pic. is a little hard to see because they had run down the shoreline a bit.

Later when we were out on the 4-wheelers, we spotted this buck:

Steve doing one of his favorite pastimes...

Some of the gang: Daxton, Indy and Morgan. All striking a pose of course.

It was more fun to climb around the rocks and water than to fish at times.

This is Chase and his friend Chris. Shortly after this photo Chase stepped back and, at Chris' request, pushed the log out a bit. Yes, you know what happened next. Too bad I was laughing too hard to get a pic of soggy Chris.

Chase tamed a wild dragonfly

A little closer shot of Chris

Taylor had her friend Sydnee. As you can see, Sydnee had a lovely and relaxing weekend.

Taylor dreaming of volleyball

All in all a really fun weekend!

I'm A Survivor!

2008-07-13T21:06:00.019-06:00

We are home from YW Girls Camp. We really had a great time. Our theme was "STARS". We had the girls write compliments about each other on these gold stars and strung them around camp on fishing line.

Here is Taylor in her tent. She was one of the oldest girls in our group and an excellent leader....especially when it came to thinking up camp cheers for flag each morning and night.

One of the days we played capture the flag. The stake had made a bunch of little nylon bags filled with baking flour to throw as ammunition. As you can see below, I think I won.

We brought up Superman to stand guard over camp. He was feeling tropical this particular day.

Wow.....they could be twins!

Taylor showed us this cool trick to go along with the whole "STAR" theme...

Then Friday afternoon we were hit with a big thunderstorm. It was enough to flood camps and tents and end up with soggy sleeping bags, etc. The stake called down to Cedar City and we made arrangements to leave the mountain. We grabbed a few personal belongings and drove to a stake center in Cedar. The members had brought over extra sleeping bags, blankets and had made us hot chocolate.

We had to leave all our muddy shoes outside the building.

We finished our camp inside they gym. Then each ward was assigned a room. We went to the Relief Society room and had a ward testimony meeting by lantern light. Then we had a giant slumber party. Here are our girls Saturday morning on the church stairs, ready to jump into the cars to head home.

Now some of you may be wondering how we got all the leftover stuff down from the mountain. Steve and the kids had spent the night a little higher up Cedar Mountain in Duck Creek. Steve's mom and dad have a cabin there. They were planning on coming to camp Saturday morning to help us take down everything. Well, they ended up with the whole mucky mess all on their own. Steve and Chase had to pack up all our tents, supplies, coolers, etc. Hailey and Morgan spent their time picking up trash. They had to have the site checked by the "Camp Nazi" (a stake leader) to get the OK to leave. It was a lot of work and we were so lucky they were there to help us out! We all met at our church in St. George and spread out the remains. The girls had to come dig through to claim their things. We still have a pile of lost and found items, but mostly small things. It made for a memorable ending to a very fun-filled week. And guess what? The YW president asked if I would be camp director again next year!

into the woods

2008-07-09T08:23:00.000-06:00

Off to YW Girls Camp with Taylor. Wish us luck....

Freedom rocks

2008-07-05T17:22:00.019-06:00

We had a fun-filled fourth. Starting with pancake/sausage breakfast at the church pavillion:

Even the teenagers participated

Then to a park to do this:

and this,

and this.

Of course we had to do this:

After swimming we went to a movie.

Then to another park to watch this:

By the end of the night we all felt like this:

Indy and Morgan all partied out. Go figure.

Happy Anniversary

2008-06-30T22:43:00.001-06:00

Wow. Nineteen years today. Here is the card Steve gave me.

Yah, any arguments?

Pool party & popsicles

2008-06-30T22:37:00.003-06:00

Fun in the 100-degree-plus sun!

I cannot get Morgan to look directly at the camera no matter how hard I have tried. No, Hailey did not dress up for the picture. This is her normal pool party attire. Note she is sitting in the sun, trying to get a tan. Maybe we should invest in a larger plastic pool?

new friend

2008-06-29T20:38:00.004-06:00

Chase has been trying to go on a daily hike. A few days ago he brought home this:

and now he has too keep bringing home these to feed it:

Big, black ants.

the ultimate summer blonde

2008-06-24T19:05:00.007-06:00

As some of you may know, Chase bleached his hair blonde one summer with the help of his aunt Carolyn.

He thought it was pretty cool and has been talking about doing it again this summer. Well, he finally did. So for your viewing pleasure:

Before

This is the picture he wanted me to use as the "After", but I told him black & white did not do his summery hue justice

So here is the REAL picture of AFTER

Peace, yellow-hair dude.

the price he pays

2008-06-23T21:57:00.010-06:00

Today Steve went on another rappel trip with our bishop, his son Sam, and some of their relatives and friends. They went to Kolob in Zion. The following two photos are actually from the Zion website, but Steve said that is exactly what it looks like:

Lots of mossy waterfalls to rappel down. And lots of water at the bottom to swim/wade through.

Which leads us to a sad story about a big underwater rock in some murky water:

He thinks it is broken. What do you think? Here they are side by side his other toes:

Poor baby.

3 adorable girls

2008-06-19T00:10:00.005-06:00

Who love to use the "photo booth" on our Mac computer.

Gotta love 'em.

a little more

2008-06-18T09:20:00.014-06:00

Our camera had been on one too many rappel trips and finally died, so I had no camera to take to LV. Thanks to family and the wonders of the internet, here are a few pics for you:

The whole gang. Starting with Cathy in the green clockwise: Cathy, Travis, Dad, Jill, Carolyn, Mom and Jen.

Above is my dad (dark suit) and 4 of his 5 brothers. Left to right: Nolen, Don, Shane, Dad and Quim. (Robert could not get off work)

Hailey chillin'. (Grandma Gail and Drake in the background)

Morgan sharing the love with her cousin, Princess Alexis.

Morgan and her faux injured eye.

Nothing a nap on the couch with Taylor couldn't cure.

Friends and family, from lower left clockwise: Lois Passey (longtime family friend), Carolyn, Dionne Passey (Middleton), Cathy, me, Jenifer and Mom.

My mom is on the right. Dorothy and Mary are two of her sisters.

Left to right: Mr. Knowles, principal of Dr. C. Owen Roundy E.S., Dr. C. Owen Roundy, and Ellen Bordinhao, assistant principal.

There may be another post of just a few more coming soon. Aren't you excited?

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T16:19:00.003-06:00

We love you Dad!

So far this summer:

2008-06-14T22:16:00.004-06:00

Our school district was out for the summer May 23, so my kids have been on break for 3 weeks already. The first week they mainly slept in and lounged around (which is what vacation is for, right?) The next week we went to Las Vegas. My parents were home from their mission in the Philippines for one week. They had special permission because my dad had an elementary school named after him.

This is the Dr. C. Owen Roundy Elementary School.

June 3 the school was dedicated and they had a ceremony. It was great to see my parents, and all the rest of our family and friends. The dedication was went really well and it turned out to be a wonderful week.

Thanks, Bro. Snavely

2008-05-27T21:26:00.006-06:00

Cathy and Mark came to St. George over Memorial Day weekend. Mark is super smart and hooked up my computer to my scanner. Now I can scan pictures and blog them the real way. So here is the group photo from Senior Ball:

The theme was "Synchronicity". Huh?

Whatever.....anyway,

THANKS, MARK!

Ooooooh, look what "we" caught

2008-05-21T12:54:00.008-06:00

Our friend Indy came over to play the other day. They found a little green caterpillar. Morgan talked about holding it, but never quite got up the nerve (which is why she ran and grabbed the bug cage in her right hand) It is on Indy's hand below.

Here is a close up:

Unfortunately, he was only a pet for about 15 minutes. Then he was lost on the rug below.

And never seen again.

He's a big kid now.

2008-05-20T21:24:00.011-06:00

Since my scanner is not hooked up to be in sync with my computer (yet), I have to resort to taking a picture of a picture. (any computer-smart friends want to volunteer to syncronize them?) The words at the bottom of the photo say "SCHS Senior Ball 2008" (SCHS=Snow Canyon High School) I just wanted to make sure you got a glimpse of the shoes.

Even though Chase is a Junior, he went to Senior Ball. His date, Becca is a Senior. Chase and his dad went to pick out the tux together. When they described it to me, I was a little worried, but he actually looked really good. Becca looks pretty too. I really like her dress. They are just friends, no other dates. They did have a great time and went with a big group. I tried to get the group photo also, but it wouldn't cooperate. Now he will be all practiced up for next year when he is a Senior. I can't believe it.

Best $11.88 spent so far this year.....

2008-05-19T14:08:00.006-06:00

Since it is already in the 100's here, I decided it was time to invest in the annual plastic pool. It was well worth it.

Hose water has extra minerals for young growing bodies, right?

She doesn't even need a real friend with the hose left on a light drizzle.

And it gives her a chance to perfect her sycronized swimming routine. Ta-dah!

Happy Mothers Day To All The Moms

2008-05-11T18:03:00.003-06:00

Yah, yah, you have seen it before but now it has sing-a-long lyrics! And I figured out how to put youtube videos on my blog (have you noticed?). Just ignore the crazy piece of paper that shows up a couple of times towards the end....(?)

NEW Discovery Channel Commericial - Boom De Yada!

2008-05-11T17:26:00.002-06:00

OK, so I copied this from my sister, Carolyn. But I liked it....hope you do too.

30 seconds of pure talent

2008-05-04T21:30:00.001-06:00

Some of you have seen the advanced private screening, but I finally received permission to release the following video to the public. I think you will like it.

Is this fun?

2008-04-27T18:26:00.006-06:00

Some friends in our ward had cousins in town. They all wanted to try some rappeling, so of course they called the Rappel Master. I had not been in a while, so I tagged along, too.

As you can see, I quickly remembered why I had not been in a while.

Going off the edge is the hardest part, but then it is actually very fun.

I guess being married to the Rappel Master is not so bad. He is even kinda cute.

I know, I know......

2008-04-25T16:02:00.008-06:00

Yes, more park pictures. I have to brag as long as the mild weather continues.....plus it is a really cool splash park:

The usual gang: Muscle Man Indiana

Owen and Hillary

Morgan, Indy and Owen are the front three cuties

That's what makes this park so fun....there are lots of different areas to explore

I cannot get Morgan to look directly at the camera no matter what! Be prepared as there is more to this park not shown in this post. You know you want to see it. Better yet, come visit and check it out for yourself!

how does hailey's garden grow?

2008-04-20T13:29:00.006-06:00

A few days ago, Hailey helped the neighbor plant some vegetables in her garden. The neighbor had a few extra and gave them to Hailey. Hailey decided to plant them in our backyard. Here they are below. Tomatoes and squash.

I decided to help her out with her gardening. She helped me replant them. Here is her lovely new garden. Oh yeah, Morgan sorta helped too.

We will see if they survive the over-nurturing attention and watering they are sure to be showered with. Wearing rollerblades while gardening is all the rage. Maybe Aunt Carolyn can give us some hints?

(p.s. don't mind the pink panties!)

wallyball

2008-04-18T09:02:00.012-06:00

Steve called me yesterday and said the architects he works with had challenged him and his friend Alan to a game of wally ball. That is volleyball inside a racquetball court. The architects had 4 guys on their team, so Steve and Alan were short 2 players. He invited Taylor and I to come play. We said OK.

I was surprised how fun it was! The rules take a little getting used to, as they are different than normal volleyball. Plus, guys can hit really hard. Taylor did not like that part. I brought Hailey and Morgan and they played in the next court with a racquetball and some rackets. Or they could sit and watch us outside of our court as the entry wall is clear. I do not know if the other team liked playing against 2 girls, but they were nice. They even let us have a few "do-overs", since we were first-timers. The architects play fairly often. We will see if we ever get invited again, but if you get a chance to play wally ball, take it. It was way more fun than I thought!

2008-04-13T14:00:00.005-06:00

hey everybody its tay. we are all just bored so we took these pics, enjoy

SUVA

2008-04-11T08:44:00.004-06:00

We are off on another volleyball adventure. Once a month Tay's team plays their tournaments in SLC, and this month it is this weekend. Taylor is the cute one standing in the back under the red square. We are bringing our friend Paige---she is kneeling in the middle right in front of Taylor (with dark hair). Wish us luck and maybe I will even get some action shots to blog when we get back. It is just the 3 of us....we will get up there tonight and then we head to the courts early Sat. morning. We sit in the gym all day---I am not kidding. We start about 8:00 am and finish about 5 or 6:00pm. Then we drive straight home. That is a long time to watch volleyball, which is why we don't bring more family spectators. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, though, stop in and check it out!

Yes, no or somewhere in between

2008-04-09T13:58:00.004-06:00

Many of you know, Diet Coke and I are long time friends. As a matter of fact, it turned a little obsessive. I knew I was drinking way beyond any type of "normal" limit and decided to change. At the first of the year (yes, 2008) I totally gave up my main food source: Diet Coke. I went through the headaches and stuck to it. I did not have any for about 6 weeks or so! I kept waiting to transform: for my skin to start glowing from all the healthy water I was drinking instead, for at least 10 lbs to drop off, to look younger, etc. I guess I set my hopes too high. I complained that I then knew a small sliver of what alcoholics go through. Not a day went by that I didn't miss my old friend D.C. Finally, I was so discouraged that I started to have just a little again. Now, I will admit that it does cause a little bloating, which I am OK with. Well, I guess it is worth a little bloating to me. Otherwise I have not noticed much change either good or bad. I know it is not health food, but it is really so horrible? Why did I not see amazing changes? What do you think? I know only 4 of your read my blog, but go ahead and tell me what you think on this deep subject. Just so you know, I only drink a little each day now and plan on keeping it small scale.

more pretty parktime poses with pals

2008-03-20T13:04:00.006-06:00

The weather has been so perfect, we have to take advantage of all the parktime we can.....it will be too blistering hot soon:

This is our neighbor Owen,

His big brother, Indiana

Another fun friend Max,

Miss Morgan, to keep them all in line,

The whole silly gang together!

Big Kids Rock

2008-03-10T20:11:00.002-06:00

Morgan is now 4 years old. She has been riding this tricycle for quite a while.

Saturday we bought her a big kid bike. Of course it is pink. She got right on and took off! (she does have a matching pink helmet not pictured here)

Oh yeah, big kid bikes rock!

Spry Canyon

2008-03-08T21:23:00.012-07:00

Last Friday (March 8), Steve and a bunch of guys went rappelling in Zion. The rappel they did that day is called "Spry Canyon" Above is most of the gang (except Steve).

Here is Chase and his friend, Adam. Yes, that is snow!

Another boy named Aaron and a better picture of the amount of snow.

This is Alan, who Steve shares an office space with, and Alan's son, Josh.

A cool picture of Chase in action. Note the icicles on the left.

Yes, I said icicles. Did I also mention this rappel has several swims? That's why it was only the boys. The girls are smart enough to wait until summertime.

park time poses

2008-03-05T14:04:00.008-07:00

The weather in St. George has been really nice (most days) the last couple of weeks, so we have been getting in as many park days as possible before it becomes too hot. Here is Morgan, modeling the park equipment:

the crawl-thru tube

of course the monkey bars!

and the run-across bridge.

Oh yeah....this was back at the house. Taj "riding" the scooter.

BFFs

2008-02-23T22:26:00.005-07:00

I could not get this pic to download to the post below. But I couldn't leave out these two. Taylor and her friend Kenzi were also along on the rappel outing. I think they were having a good time.

President's Day

2008-02-22T21:09:00.010-07:00

Last Monday, President's Day, Steve took everyone rappelling. It was the perfect day for it:

This is Mike (married to Susan) and his two boys, Chris and Craig.

Mike with his daughter Brooke

This is Chase

And Steve's sister, Susan.

Try clicking up closer. Can you see the people in this picture? Yah, that's Steve's group again.

suggestions?

2008-02-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hailey and Morgan share a room. Hailey wanted to rearrange the room a few days ago. I agreed to help her out. When we moved the bed.....we found this stain. Morgan started acting nervous and finally confessed to putting an orange popsicle under the bed.....last summer. This is actually after I tried Spot Shot a few times. Didn't even budge. I know Carolyn had some green playdough stain on her carpet. Did you find something that did the trick?

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

2008-02-05T21:54:00.001-07:00

Yes, she is officially 14 now.....wow!

Hey, look what we got!

2008-02-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

Lots of snow!

The girls enjoyed their snow at the kitchen table.

I think he likes it!