Wilson Family Reunion

Typically my family has a family reunion every Fourth of July.  This year was a little awkward since the holiday fell on a Wednesday.  So the weekend following the 4th we attended my father's family's family reunion.  My grandma's not as mobile as she once was, so we held the reunion in the tri-cities where she lives.

Both of my parents grew up (well, my mom graduated high school there anyway) in Pasco, WA.  While I was growing up all of my grandparents lived there so Pasco was our perpetual vacation destination!  It's been years since I've been back and Jeff had never been before.  It was so nice to go back and reminisce.  I have so many fond memories of Pasco, even if it is mostly farmland!  It was nice to share those memories with Jeff as well.  As we drove around Pasco, my dad described his memories and shared his thoughts on the area.  It's so neat to have experiences with your parents as an adult that allow you to see them in a new light and gain a better understanding of them.  I could picture my dad as a youth working on the farm in Pasco and now understand why he has such an amazing work ethic!

Thank goodness Families Are Forever!

Aspiring Ballerina

I've always regretted not taking ballet longer.  I LOVED dancing, but I was very shy and couldn't bear the idea of going to dance class by myself so eventually I quit.  However, I have since then taken many dance classes at BYU including ballet and jazz and have also starting doing technique workouts at home.

I was thrilled a few days ago when Sophia started practicing ballet in her jumper!  Perhaps she and I will get to dance together someday!

Retire

Arabesque

Tendu back

Tendu side

And finish with a pas de bourree!

Late Night with Jeffrey Simpson: Season 2 Episode 1

Background: Sophia finally started sleeping through the night last week!  It is so exciting!  The second night she slept through the night, I was peacefully sleeping as well when suddenly Jeff was shaking me awake.  I looked at the clock...4:30 AM.  The following conversation ensued:


Jeff: Kneeling in a prayer position on our bed, "Will you please say the prayer?" said in a tone identical to the one used when we're blessing dinner.
Jan: "What?!"
Jeff: "It's 4:30." Still in a very conversational tone, as if we'd been waking up at 4:30 every day for the last 10 years.
Jan: "Are you getting up right now?" totally confused why we needed to say our morning prayers so early.
Jeff: "There's a deadline." 
Jan:  Confused why he had a deadline on the Fourth of July asks, "Are you working today?"   
Jeff: "No, but isn't there a deadline today for that baby thing?"
Jan: Completely bewildered, "What baby thing?"
Jeff: "Isn't there a deadline to vote for the baby button thing online?  You know, where you choose a button..." starting to trail off when he hears me laughing.
Jan: "I have no idea what you're talking about." 
Jeff: Lying down again, "Oh, I thought there was a deadline."
Jan: Still laughing
Jeff: "I'm making sense!"
Jan: Getting up to get a paper and a pen.
Jeff: "I'm awake!"
Jan: "Yes, I know.  But I believe you are telling me your dream thinking that it is reality."
Jeff: "Oh."


Jan and Jeff try to fall back asleep.  Ten minutes later Jeff begins snoring...what's new.

Jan: Nudges Jeff to make him stop snoring.
Jeff: Still snoring.
Jan: Nudges Jeff again and says, "Stop snoring!"
Jeff: Sitting up and speaking in a slightly irritated tone, "So, I guess you hear snoring when I'm talking in my sleep!"
Jan: "No, you're really snoring!"
Jeff: "Am I snoring now?"
Jan: "No."
Jeff: "Oh."

And we both roll over and go back to sleep.

What would I do for entertainment each night without Jeff?!

The downside of being flexible

I've always been really flexible.  And I mean REALLY flexible.  Even at times in my life when I haven't exercised and/or stretched much, I've always been able to do the splits all three ways.  I didn't exercise at all whilst pregnant because it made me throw up, yet now that I'm finally working out again after a year, it's as if I'd been stretching all along.  It's kind of weird...I'm like Gumby or something.

Seemingly unrelated, my big toes curl upward.  It's also really weird.  When wearing flip flops, my big toes have a shadow of their own because they curl up.  I always assumed this was because I wore too small of shoes at some point in my life.  However, I recently went to the podiatrist because it felt like I was getting an ingrown toenail.  I was surprised when the first question he asked upon seeing my feet was "are you really flexible?"

Apparently some people just have really flexible joints. I'm one of those people and my toe joints are no exception!  As such, they bend up AND down whereas most people's big toes just bend down.  Since my toes point up they constantly touch the top of my shoes which puts pressure on my toenails which forces the toenails to become ingrown...and there you have it...the downside of being flexible!  The doc said to expect lots of ingrown toenails in the future given the flexibility of my big toes.

Needless to say, it was a very strange doctors visit. Didn't help that the doctor himself was really awkward.

Not a great pic...but you get the idea

Will Sophia have the same fate?

I tried to put her hair in a ponytail...didn't work that well

Not quite enough hair yet!

Square bob

Lately Sophia has taken to chewing on everything.  So I thought why not give her some teething toys since they are actually intended for the mouth.  Whilst Sophia was playing on the floor I put a teething ring in her hand (her left of course since I'm trying to bring her up properly), made sure she had a good grip, then walked away.  A minute or two later I came back in the room and saw her like this...

I laughed out loud and realized I absolutely must capture this on camera.  I thought for sure by the time I ran upstairs, got the camera and came back down she'd have moved and I'd have missed the opportunity.  Much to surprise and delight, she was still posed perfectly upon my return!  She's so cute!

Rollie Pollie

The amazing rollie pollie baby...

She rolled over for the first time about 2 weeks ago and then rolled over 3 times a few days later...there has been no rolling since.  In fact, now she doesn't even try!  

Late Night with Jeffrey Simpson: Episode 7

This episode wasn't late at night, but it still made us laugh hysterically, thus, it's blog worthy.

Scene: Just sitting down to Sunday dinner

Jeff:  "I'll say the prayer...Our dear Father in Heaven, we are so beautiful"

Jan:  Looks up and bursts into laughter

Jeff:  Realizing what he'd said also bursts out laughing

Jan & Jeff: Laugh for 5 minutes until one of us cried and one of us peed our pants (not telling who did what...although you can probably guess)

Sophia: Looking on wide eyed trying to figure out what she missed

Scene: Finally done laughing and still hungry we start to bless the food again

Jeff: "Our dear Father in Heaven, we are so grateful for this beautiful day..."

Jan thinks: Ah, so that's what he was trying to say!