I'm Baaaaaaaack

I know I disappeared for quite some time but I am going to try a little harder to be a little better at blogging:) I got a new camera and that is sparking a whole new desire to take pictures and show them to people. We got to travel for Christmas for the first time in a long time and we went to my brothers in Colorado Springs. We went on a tour of the Air Force Academy. Most of the family didn't want to go originally(everyone accept Michael) but once we got there it was awesome and now Cannon wants to go to the academy for school. He saw the private golf course and that clinched it for him. The campus is really large and very clean and I am sure when it isn't winter and brown it is beautiful. We watched a short video about life on campus and it seems hard yet amazing. I know that it takes an incredible effort to get into a college like that but it would be a great goal for Cannon to strive to achieve. It was interesting to watch his interest grow and grow as we went from place to place. The Simmons family has always had a fascination with flight and it looks like it is passing down generation to generation.

Travis my cowboy!

Travis turned 8! Being eight is a big milestone for us it means you are old enough to make the decision to get baptised and join the church. Travis has been looking forward to this day for quite a while and I think it turned out to be all he thought it would be.

With Travis' real birthday being on Sunday we decided to have his birthday party on Saturday. We had family here from all over and so it was a party with family and best of all cousins! Travis felt so good that so much family was here and that he got to share his special day with his cousins. We had some cowboy games, pin the tail on the horse and find the animals in the hay we popped some balloons and then the big surprise showed up.

Travis loves animals but just like me when I was his age he adores horses. I have watched him admire horses just like me for the last few years and every time he gets that silly grin on his face when he gets to ride or simply be near a horse I know exactly how he is feeling because I felt the same way. I don't know if it was partly for selfish reasons but Travis got a horse as his gift from Michael and I. Did it make him the happiest boy in the world? Yes! Did it make me the happiest mom in the world? Yes! I forgot what joy I get from spending time with horses and now it is a great thing Travis and I will get to share together. Cole and Adam are pretty interested also especially when it comes to riding. Anyway, Saturday turned out great it was hard to get Travis to come in and blow out the candles on his cake but it was great and I know Chief, Travis' new strawberry roan, will be a great addition to the family. Yes, it is a boy you would think I would at least start buying female animals to try to even up the numbers around here.

Sunday was crazy and absolutely wonderful! Once everyone got here there was 6 adults and 10 children all crammed into my wonderful but not so big house(at least it is bigger than the old one.) We bathed most of the kids the night before to hope for a smoother morning. Unfortunately it was also day light savings weekend and so we all got to loose and extra hour of sleep. So we all made it to church by 9:00am on time I might add. We then got home at noon from church let the kids change out of their clothes to have lunch and then hop right back in them for Travis' baptism at 2:00. It was crazy and we were running so behind and all I could think about on the way to the baptism was all the things I forgot like an easel and a book for all the guests to sign so Travis could remember who attended his baptism. I was getting so worked up as I do I decided to find a quiet spot and just ask Heavenly Father to help me enjoy the day and really focus on what was important. The baptism was amazing! I know all of my children's have been great but there was a spirit there that I had not felt before. I had been worried as the day was getting closer that Travis was not quite ready to get baptised. I was nervous that he did not understand what it meant. I can tell you now I was wrong. The thoughts and experiences that Travis has shared with me about the feelings he had the day he was baptised are more powerful than I would have ever thought possible coming from an eight year old boy. I know the spirit testified to Travis that what he was doing was right and it has told me the same thing. I hope to never loose the memories from that day and I am grateful for such a wonderful son and the knowledge of the gospel. That evening Roland, Michael's dad, got married and it was wonderful and exciting. The day was crazy but filled with so much joy that it was all worth it!

Hugo

This is our new pet snake, Hugo. He is a Ball Python. Cole got him for Christmas. Hugo has been shedding and it took him about 3 weeks to finish. During shedding time you aren't supposed to feed your snake so we were very anxious for him to finish so we could feed him. The pet store reassured us that Hugo could go for months without food but being new snake owners we are just so nervous about everything. So Cole helped the shedding process along a little by wiping him down with a warm wash cloth and it helped all the extra skin to come off. We probably should have waited a day to feed Hugo because he had been handled so much that day but like I said we are new at this and we felt like we were starving our snake. So on Sunday night we fed him. Hugo wasn't as quick to eat as usual but he eventually couldn't resist and had a small meal of just two pinky mice(as seen hanging out of his mouth.) The boys love this part of having a snake and can't wait to watch him eat a live mouse. I don't know is that weird or just curious. The crazy thing is that I like watching the whole thing too. I don't know how I will feel when the creatures are alive. All in all owning a snake isn't so bad and Cole has been very responsible so far.

Nap Time

This is what happens when you stay up all night with friends. Cannon said he fell asleep for just a few minutes early in the morning at his friends house and his friend and his friends dad duct taped him to their couch. I thought only girls did things like that to the first girl to fall asleep at a birthday party. Cannon had a great time and thinks that his friends dad is so funny.
When Cannon got home he was quite grouchy so we all thought it would be a good idea for him to go to his room and watch a movie or just simply be away from us. Cannon plus no sleep equals one grumpy boy. I went in just a few minutes later and Cannon was sound asleep and I couldn't resist taking a few photos. I love my son so much and he is extra adorable when he is sleeping!

Let it Snow!

At the end of January we had a couple days of good snow and the kids played in it like crazy. Michael helped them build a fort and they would stay outside until they were all pink and frozen. Then they would come inside for a little hot chocolate let their clothes dry a little and head right back out to start the process all over again. It has been a great winter for the younger three. They have really become very best friends. Cole is such a great example of how to be a big brother and Travis just follows his lead with Adam. The only problem is I think Adam is getting a bit spoiled in the process because both Travis and Cole baby him a little too much. It is great to see my kids be such good friends.

Catch Up!

Wow I really thought I would catch up and really get moving with my blog but that obviously didn't happen. We had a great Christmas. Cole finally got his ball python he has been asking for for about 5 years now. To be perfectly honest it is really not as bad as I had imagined it to be. The feedings aren't that bad and there is relatively minimal work with a snake and Cole is in heaven.

Cannon turned 13 on the 30th of January and is now officially a teenager! He had some friends over for his birthday and stayed up all night watching PG-13 movies because we wouldn't let him watch them until he was 13. He had a great night and ate junk all night long. Now it is the constant question of can I watch this movie can I watch that movie? I am thinking there should be a new rating of PG-16 or something like it. There is such a wide range of what the industry calls PG-13. There are so many that I won't even watch so now it is preview everything. There are just some movies I don't want to watch but it is all in the name of love:)

The boys got there report cards right after they got back from Christmas vacation and they all did so well it was a great day in the Simmons house. Travis who has to work a little extra hard in school seems to be really catching on this year and it showed on his report card. I know he has had to work harder but I think it has helped him to develop better work ethic and he seems willing to put in the extra time. Cannon got to be in the regional spelling bee and he took 4th place over all. I wonder how well he could have done if he had studied his words even once?

We are heading for the home stretch of basketball. I looked at the schedule and there are only 2 more home games to be played in the Byron Gym and that just seems odd but wonderful. I can't wait until next year when the school will be just down the street and if my kids want to run home for something they can. It will be wonderful! Well that is us in a nut shell things are good around here. Life seems to be moving faster than I can keep up with but I am sure enjoying the boys and all their new discoveries.

By the way the lady with the boys is Grandma Scooter she is our neighbor and has become a very important person to the whole family! We all love her and we are all very grateful to have found each other and to have another person to have around to love and share experiences with.