Happy Holidays from the Simpson Family

Winter in the desert. Again. This time last year, we imagined that we’d be in New Zealand by now. It’s been a wet winter so far, and I love it! We’ve had rain, hail, frost, and there is enough snow in the mountains for the ski slopes to open, and more than enough for the Simpson family to go sledding. Yeeeehaaaa.

2007 was a pretty mellow year for us. Richard’s work still takes him away for a good portion of the time. This year, however, he got to go to New Zealand twice, so there are perks (for him) to all the travel. He also spent time in Germany and England as well as some of the less desirable cities in the States. One business trip took him to Las Vegas for a week and I managed to escape to join him for a few days. Thankfully, we have some wonderful babysitters. On another trip, to Boston, Richard had the opportunity to speak to a class at MIT. My husband is a celebrity lecturer now!

Kip is in 2^nd grade and is doing really well. He seems to thoroughly enjoy school. He is also still working on his baseball skills. He played machine-pitch for the Firehawks this fall season. Something happened to Kip about two months ago, and we don’t know what. All of a sudden he mastered his two wheel bike, tried all sorts of new foods, and lost his fear of dogs. It was almost instantaneous. I guess kids go through all different sorts of growth spurts.

Reid is in Kindergarten at our home school. He is in a regular classroom with an aide. He’s blowing everyone away with how well he’s doing. He’s a bit of a celebrity at school, and everyone now knows me as Reid’s mom. Reid has started to take some soccer skills classes and is showing more and more interest in his peers. He’s a crazy, funny, smart kid who is a joy to have around.

Quinn is in a great classroom with a few other kids who have communication disorders. He’s making great improvements, but will likely repeat Kindergarten again next year. He is still our little puzzle, and although he’s come so far, we know there is something that we haven’t quite figured out yet. His smile is about the best thing going, and luckily for us, he shows it often.

I’m starting to venture back into real estate. It’s about the worst time to do it because the housing market is really suffering in Scottsdale. But, I haven’t often been accused of doing the most logical thing. Why start now? I also managed a few trips in 2007. I took a week for myself and flew to New Zealand where I attended an autism conference and met with school administrators. Richard’s parents came for the month of July and we traveled all month. First to Huntington Lake to sail in the annual regatta. Then to San Diego with the whole family. Then Kip and I took Lynn and Ken to Santa Fe for a few days.

In November, I headed up a team again for the Walk for Autism event here in Arizona. Team Twin Simpson raised over $4,000. The best part of the walk this year is that we had a Clay family reunion in conjunction with the walk. My uncle, my aunt, my cousin and his wife and daughter came from Oregon. My parents came from the Bay Area. My sister-in-law brought my three nephews from San Diego. It was great to have everyone together celebrating family and autism.

We are looking forward to another wonderful Christmas. My parents will be coming again to help us host our annual Christmas Eve party. The present shopping is finished, I’ve got this letter off my plate, and I’m about ready to put my feet up, sip my mom’s killer eggnog and admire the Christmas tree.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Simpson Family

Karen, Richard, Kip, Reid & Quinn

yankiwi@cox.net

It's Been Snowing in Arizona. Time to Hit the Slopes

We went sledding over the weekend. What a blast! It was a mere 8 degrees (that's -13c for you Kiwis) when we arrived on Saturday morning, but thanks to modern clothing technology, we were warm. The boys all had a great time, as did I. Picture taking was a bit tough because my mittens were too bulky to operate the camera, and it was too cold out to leave them off long enough to take many photos.

KIP RIDES HIS BIKE!!!!!!!

Kip has finally got it! He now believes us when we tell him how much fun bike riding is.

Walk Now for Autism 2007

It was a great (if too hot) day. I still choke up a bit when I think about the effort that my friends and family made to join us on November 4th for the Walk Now for Autism. I LOVE YOU ALL! Team Twin Simpson raised almost $4,500 for the event. Whoo hoo! The day started off a big rough for me. We planned a family reunion around the walk, and there was a lot of celebration the night before. I know I was not the only one suffering the consequences on Sunday morning. Even though we were late for the start of the walk, we had a good time walking at the back of the pack of over 7,000.

Team Twin Simpson

Kip and Victoria

"Claydough" Paula, Alivia and Bryan Clay

Toni, Susan and Paula Clay with Wyatt, Caleb and Cameron Clay behind.

My Cute Boys

I just wanted to post a couple of cute shots of the boys.

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween. Kip carved a pumpkin (well, he drew the face, I wielded the knife, and he cleaned out the innards). He wasn't thrilled about the messy middle as you can see from the photo. Quinn went to school dressed as a policeman. The public schools here don't allow Halloween costumes per se but "community helper" costumes were encouraged at his school. We had a fun night trick or treating. I'm kicking myself for not getting more photos-especially of my mom being introduced to jello shots! I think she broke all the rules and went back for seconds. Reid and Quinn totally "got" trick or treating. They didn't need any prompting to say or do the right thing. At one point, Quinn put his treat bag down and started applauding other people. Quirky, but cute!

RAWHIDE

We had not been to Rawhide since it left North Scottsdale about 2 years ago, so yesterday we made the trek south to see what the new location was like. Although we had some fun, we've decided that we don't need to go back. It was sooooo much better before. The temptation was strong to leave them in jail so we could enjoy a relaxing margarita while strolling the streets, but we didn't give in. Instead, we rode the stage coach, the train and drank sarsaparilla.

Kip's 7th Birthday

Kip had a laser tag birthday party this year. I think he really had a great time. All of his best buddies were there. On his actual birthday, I baked a snake cake (idea courtesy of my mother in law) that was deeeeeeelicious. I really can't believe he's already 7. But, then, I guess all parents are blown away by how fast their kids grow. He's so mature in some ways, but he's also a delightful little boy who has a good amount of innocence left.

Based on these photos, you'd think Kip's whole birthday was about cake. Well, it was . We ate lots of cake.
ANTICIPATION. ANTICIPAAAAAATION. IT'S MAKING ME WAIT.......



Reid and Quinn enjoyed singing happy birthday. Over and over and over and over and over and you get the idea. Reid really seemed to get the whole birthday concept, but it's still a bit over Quinn's head.

Grayhawk's Fall Festival

Reid and Kip's school hosted a Fall Festival on Friday night. The highlight for me was watching the boys climb the rock wall. That and watching Kip play with his buddies.


Kip and Victoria Fall Festival 2007
Kip and Victoria Fall Festival 2006

These two are best buddies.

A Camping We Will Go

Kip and I had a wonderful time camping with the cub scouts earlier this month. There must have been about 150 people altogether! We went to a great campsite outside of Payson, AZ. Although the day time temperatures didn't get above 65 and the night time temps were below freezing, we stayed warm and had lots of fun. We got to hike, visit a fish hatchery do campfire skits, race in the "Rain Gutter Regatta" and eat s'mores.

Holy Crap It's Huge!

This beauty was right outside our front door. We thought it was a joke because it was so big. It's over 4 inches long and looks almost rubbery. It's crisp and dead, though. It's only the 2nd scorpian we've seen in/around our house since we moved in 4 1/2 years ago. Not too bad for a house plunked down in the middle of the friggin' desert!

Meet our "Manny"

Kyle is great. The boys loves him (and so do we). Little did I know that I was part of a fashionable social trend when I hired him.

The Kipster is Back and He's BAAAAAAAD!

Of course, I mean bad in a good way. Kip is playing "Fall Ball" for the Firehawks. It's the first time he's had to swing at a moving ball. I think only one player on his team actually connected with the ball during the first game, so I don't feel so bad for him. He played pitcher for a few innings, which really means standing next to the pitching machine and fielding anything that comes his direction. In the first inning, he wowed us all by fielding a ball and throwing the batter out at first!

First Hike of the Fall

We had some spectacular weather last week, so we took advantage of it and hiked Pinnacle Peak on Sunday. Kip was the photographer for the top four photos.

Sedona Escape

Although we should be used to it by now, the summer heat is getting to us. Being cooped up with the boys on the weekends is tough! So, yesterday we escaped to Sedona for some cooling off fun. It's a bit of a trek, but it was worth it to see the boys running, skipping, splashing, playing in mud like little boys should! I was even given a nice red mud bath. We planned to go to Red Rock State Park, but when we go there, found out that they are a conservation park, and playing in the creek is not permitted. They sent us down a dirt road (with unbelievable views) to Red Rock Crossing . I would definitely go back.

First Day of School

The boys started school yesterday. Quinn caught the bus at 7:30. Richard took Kip and I took Reid. It was sad to see Quinn's little face watching us out the window as the bus drove off. He's been riding the bus for 2 years, but he's always had Reid with him. It's a very odd feeling to know that the house will be empty between 9 and 3 each day. I think I feel a bit like someone who has just begun retirement. There is so much that I want to do, but I am a bit paralyzed by the emptiness of the day. Hopefully I'll shake it off by next week and get busy.