10 Reasons Why We Love Everett

Everett Wade Simpson
1 year old.

Everett is 10 years old today. He told me it feels great being a two digit person! I can't help but wonder where the time has gone? I sincerely pray the next 10 years do not not slip by like the previous ones. Everett is a very important member of our family. We would like to share why we love him so dearly.

We love you, Everett.

Cozette:

1. He takes the time to play with me.
2. When he returns home from school, he greets me with a big smile and calls me, "Bunny Darling."
3. He is always willing to help Mommy get diapers for me. He has even helped changed my diapers.
4. He will baptize me when I am 8 years old. That is cool.
5. I like that he plays baseball, because I get to go to the park and play.
6. He tickles me and makes me giggle so hard. He is never rough with me.
7. He calls me his "Chicky Girl."
8. I love to run from him when he chases me around the house.
9. He lets me play with his friends.
10. He is my hero. He is my big brother.


Kayleigh:

1.We laughed practically the whole way home from Disney World.
2. We come up with the craziest games and dances. My favorite is watching him do the "Fashion Hillbilly."
3. Whenever I am sad, he always cheers me up.
4. He is the most funniest person on the planet.
5. He always has a smile on his face.
6. When we are bored, we play a game to see who can make each other laugh first.
7. He's always on my side.
8. He's the best brother in the world.
9. He makes life more fun.
10. I HEART Everett.

Daddy:

1. He likes to stay with me and play basketball on Wednesday nights. He is my loyal companion.
2. He will hold the priesthood in two years.
3. He shares my love for the Boston Red Sox.
4. He remembers Mr. Chicken.
5. He has unlimited supply of energy.
6. He is always willing to shoot, kick, or throw a ball with me.
7. He is a great companion when I need his assistance with a project around the house. He has helped me paint several of the rooms.
8 He is already preparing to serve his mission.
9. He loves hot dogs and chocolate milk.
10. He is a son to be proud of.


Mommy:

1. Everett has love and respect for all creatures. He does not even want us to step on an ant. He is loving and kind to all little animals and finds joy looking at them.
2. Everett always lets me hug and kiss him. I pray he will never get too big for that.
3. It makes me happy he can play "Smoke on the Water" on his guitar.
4. Everett is so funny. When he gets on a roll, there is no stopping with all the witty things he will say.
5. Everett is a master at telling jokes. Here is his latest: What do you call a missing hot dog? I will give the answer a little later.
6. Everett has already made the decision he wants to be an Eagle Scout, serve a mission, and get his Master's degree.
7. Everett is a great helper.
8. I love to run errands with Everett. He is the best companion. We love to play, "Bug" and he usually wins.
9. I have two nicknames for Everett: "Mr. Baseball" ( because he is an athlete elite) and "Johnny." I started calling him Johnny, because he knows that I love music from the 1940's. The Andrew Sisters did a version of "Oh, Johnny, Oh Johnny" and it started from there. I call him Johnny quite a bit. His cousins call him,"Bobby." Everett is a good sport and answers to all of it!
10. Everett has, many times, checked out books from the school's library about WW II. He brings books home, so we can read them together. He knows I am interested in this part of our history. He also watches black and white film about WWII on TCM with me. He really likes "The Great Escape."

I could easily keep going on and on and on about why we love Everett so much!

Everett told me he has no problem that he a has a pink cake for his birthday.
He is happy that he has a strawberry cake.

Everett doesn't have a big sweet tooth, but he did request a strawberry cake with strawberry ice cream for his birthday. This made me a little nervous. I have mastered the 9x13 pan, and I usually do not venture any farther from that! I really do not have the best luck baking birthday cakes.

At least, I tried.

That is what we will remember!

Happy Birthday, Everett. We love you more than a pickle.





P.S.

We attended the Pine Wood Derby on Wednesday evening.
Everett received his Bear and was promoted to Webelo,
AND his car won first place in the category "Best of Show."
His car gets to compete at district.
Woo Hoo, Everett!

P.S.S.

The answer to his joke is a "Dog gone."

My Date With Mickey

Thanks, Mickey, you're a real gentleman!

Where do I begin? We spent three wonderful days in Florida. I have never seen Kayleigh and Everett so excited. When Everett found out we were going to Disney with our family, he jumped up and down so hard, that I sincerely thought he may break his leg. Kayleigh did a party dance that lasted for about three days. I have often said the anticipation of an event is far more exciting than the actual event. Not this time! Disney World is truly a magical place.

Epcot Center

Kayleigh and Everett loved riding the Test Track. They rode it three times. My favorite ride is Soarin'. It is the most delightful ride where you literally feel like you are hand gliding over the State of California. I made an effort to look at people's reactions as they got off the ride, and I noticed how happy everyone was. Even Kayleigh agreed it was her favorite ride. Everett liked the rides that went fast!

We especially enjoyed the World Showcase. As we visited the different European Countries, it felt as if we were there. The buildings and scenery were exact replicas of European villages. We enjoyed a boat ride through Norway and Mexico. Cozette especially enjoyed the rides and the vibrant colors.

Melbourne Beach

Having a day at the beach was a brilliant idea. We were exhausted from our long day at Epcot and did not want to go back to Disney the following day. We enjoyed a beautiful day playing in the ocean. I was amazed at how high the waves were as they crushed against the shore. Truthfully, the waves were a little intimidating, but I was determined to play in the water with my family.

I did not regret it!

I have never laughed so hard in my life. We had to brace ourselves for the waves. Kayleigh and Brad had it down to a science. Kayleigh LOVES the ocean. I enjoyed watching how adventurous and daring she was. As the huge waves approached, I tried to either jump over or go under the wave. One wave was so big that it literally swept me to shore like I was a little sea creature. When I finally caught my breath, I wanted to cry, but Mom was standing there and we started laughing hysterically. It was very amusing as I watched my sisters wash up to the shore. Sadly, Nikki, lost her sunglasses in the ocean's waves. I did not laugh at that. I also did not laugh when Dad almost lost his swimming trunks.

I didn't laugh.

Well, maybe a little bit.

Magic Kingdom

We arrived at Magic Kingdom very early. I was SO excited to take pictures. I had all sorts of visions for family pictures and hoped to even use some at Christmastime. Splash Mountain changed that for me. The kids were able to ride Thunder Mountain about four times with out any wait. We decided to go ahead ride Splash Mountain since we were right by it.

How wet could I get?

My mom and I rode at the back at the boat. As another boat came down the mountain, it was if we had had 10 buckets of water poured on us. I will never forget my Mom's reaction!

"THAT IS NOT FUNNY!" She said in shock.

I was in so much shock, I did not realize just how wet I was.

We then looked at each other and laughed and laughed. Poor Kayleigh, Zoe, and Kaija were not happy that they got so wet. Nikki and Papa were also just as drenched. Kayleigh even started to cry and Zoe exclaimed, "I HATE this ride!" Nikki asked Kaija if she liked the ride and her response is classic and true to her gentle disposition.

"Weeeell...kinda!"

So, it became a family joke for the rest of the trip if we really did not want to do something, we would repeat Kaija's famous words. Somehow, Brad and Everett were only a little wet.

Our special luck for the day was getting to ride Space Mountain three times. The amazing part is that it was closed off and on all day due to a malfunction. At one point, we were not even sure if we were going to be able to ride it. Fast passes and baby switch passes are the best invention ever!

Everyone agreed at the end of the day that we were surprised at how many of the attractions we were able to ride!



The SpectraMagic Parade and fireworks display was the culminating event and a perfect way to end our time at Disney World. Here are a few our our family highlights at the parade:

Mommom danced with Pluto two times. It was the cutest thing ever. I told her I was very jealous.

Ursula the sea witch looked at Dad and asked, "Do you want to be my friend?"

Ariel acknowledged Kayleigh's red hair and waved at her.

We shook hands and got high-fives from Peter Pan. He even asked Everett if he was having a good time. Everett really liked that.

Minnie Mouse blew us kisses.

The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland approached me and as I reached out to her, she withdrew. It was funny. She really is a bad queen!

Prince Charming winked at Mommom. He did not wink at me.

We loved the parade so much, we watched it twice.

It was truly sad when we left Disney. We are already planning for when we can return. I am grateful for the many memories my children have.

I can't wait for my second date with Mickey!

Little Leprechauns

This little leprechaun refused to let me take her picture.

Really do exist...

Beware of a cute little leprechaun who likes to makes messes.

She might come visit your house!

Nursery Rhymes

I woke up this morning and wanted to cheer,

The big day, I had anticipated, was finally here!

Cozette turned 18 months, so off to nursery she goes,

Walking the halls during church will no longer cause me woes.


I prepared Cozette by saying,

"You'll love nursery and playing with friends.

You get to color, eat snacks, sings songs-- the fun never ends.

Most importantly, you will learn more about Jesus; He loves you so dearly,

I want you to love nursery, and I say this sincerely."


The time to let her go did arrive.

All I could think was, "I do hope that we'll both survive."

As I walked away, she started to cry,

But I knew that I needed to say, "Good-bye."


I realized this day had arrived far too quickly,

And suddenly, my stomach felt rather sickly.

Nursery is a stepping stone for many wonderful things that will come,

I just did not expect it would make me feel so glum.


If you're wondering if I am counting down for the day,

That Cozette becomes a Sunbeam,

My answer is, "NO WAY!"

A First Time For Everything

Go Grayson!

Nikki recently signed us up to play on the woman's basketball team for our ward. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I reluctantly agreed. I have never played basketball. Even in my youth, I never played. Church ball has always been a spectator sport for me.

Until today.

I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach, but I was determined to give it my best shot. I set three goals for myself:

Not to scream when I got the ball.

To make sure I ran in the right direction.

And not to get knocked over.

I am happy to report that I succeeded at all three, in spite of our fierce competition. I did not realize just how intense church ball is.

When I first got on the court, I started laughing. I know it was a nervous reaction, but it just stuck me funny that I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I eventually found my pace and was able to keep up. I even had the opportunity to run the court and attempt to make two baskets. Sadly, I missed both times. My accomplishment for the game was my successful pass. We played two different teams and lost both games. Actually, we were slaughtered. I don't even know the final scores.

Now, I can officially say that I have played church ball.



P.S. Nikki is a great ball player.

Appropriate Activities When School is Closed

What are we supposed to do when school is closed?

Do some chores?

I don't think so.

Do your homework?

No way!

Take a nap?

Tempting!

But, no thanks.

You are to PARTY in the snow!

We had a wonderful morning over at the Baugh's playing in the snow, being pulled on the four- wheeler, and sledding down the hill.

AND...

I even attempted to snow board.

I crashed in the snow.

I think that was my family's favorite part of the day.

Let it Snow

Enjoying a winter wonderland

The weather outside is far from frightful! We have enjoyed watching blankets of snow falling all day. I really did not believe it was going to snow. In fact, I told Brad yesterday that we would not see any snow. It was a very warm day--It felt like it was 70 degrees outside.

I am happy to report that I was wrong.

We had a really good laugh today at church. Cozette wanted her milk, and we realized we had forgotten her diaper bag out in the van. We tried to make it as long as possible, but she was at her limit. Everett was more than willing to go to the van for me. (It had nothing to do with the fact it was snowing!) When he came back into the chapel, he was water logged and had HUGE snowflakes sitting on the top of his head. Nikki and I looked at each other and it was all I could do to control my laughter.

Actually, I could not control myself. It was really funny.

After church, Kayleigh and Everett played outside until they were little wet rats. Cozette loved the falling snowflakes and playing outside . She even had a little temper tantrum when Brad brought her inside.

We had a wonderful day enjoying the snow!