Swim Lessons

This past Saturday we suited up and headed to the Meadowbrook Community Center for Macey's first swim lesson.  The lessons focus on getting Macey used to being in deeper water than the bathtub.  She loved being in the water and even practiced floating on her back.  

Macey and daddy waiting for the lesson to begin

Retrieving a toy in the water

Macey working on her crawl stroke

Taking a break to pose for a picture

The Masters and Easter

Spring at last!  It feels like the rainy Seattle winter has dragged on forever, but spring is in the air.  We took full advantage of the sun during this busy weekend.  Macey dressed up to watch the Masters with Jason on Sunday, getting one last wear out of her special Masters dress that Grammy S picked up last year while at the tournament.  She also has been dragging around her new putter that Uncle Jeff got her.

On Sunday, Macey celebrated Easter by finding her first real Easter basket.  The Easter Bunny left her bubbles, bath toys, crayons, a book, and a new sippy cup with a straw.  No candy for Macey this year, but she did get bunny grahams and cheddar bunnies.  Hutch really enjoyed the treats the Easter Bunny left.

Macey slows down for a quick pic with mommy

 Daddy and Macey examine the Easter loot

Daddy and Macey before heading to Mass

 Hutch and Macey sharing Easter treats

Macey has been carrying her Easter basket around the house, loading it and unloading it with various toys.

After morning nap, we headed to the Woodland Park Zoo to meet our good friends, Matt, Sarah, and Patrick for a picnic and some animal viewing.  The monkeys and chickens were Macey's favorite animals to view.

 Macey preferred to run around on the grass rather than sit down and eat lunch

 Macey with her best friend, Patrick

Celebrating 1 Year!

March marked the promise of warmer days in Seattle and the celebration of our special girl's first birthday.  We couldn't ask for better weather on Macey's special day, March 3.  The celebration began on Thursday night as family started to arrive.  We even had a special surprise all the way from Kansas, Auntie K.  She surprised us all on Friday night with a knock at the front door.  Thank you to all our family who traveled to Seattle to visit.  Macey was so lucky to be able to celebrate with all of her grandparents, four aunts, one uncle, two cousins, and many friends.

Trip to Coquille to visit my cousins

Next stop up on our travel agenda was a trip to the Oregon coast to visit Uncle Jake, Uncle Jeff, Auntie Marie, Cousin Peyton, and Cousin Jackson.  We headed down on a Friday after work and made a long weekend of it.  We played outside, went for walks, and went crabbing.  Macey was excited to see everyone and wanted to keep up with Jackson and Peyton.  With lots of encouragement, she took her first few consecutive steps without holding on to anyone!

 A quick trip to the beach.  It was too cold and windy to stay and play.

 Presenting The Sesame Street Trio (The Jackson, Macey, and Elmo rockband)

 Auntie Marie gave the best encouragement!  Macey was walking on her own shortly after that.  

 So happy Uncle Jake is in Bandon.

Hanging with my cousins

We headed to Bandon Dunes so Peyton and Jackson could show Macey how to hit golf balls!  Macey got a new putter for her birthday so next time she will be ready to play.

Macey Walks

Macey shows off her walking capabilities in Coquille.  Thanks to Uncle Jeff for producing and directing this video update!  Steven Spielberg has nothing on him!

Texas!

Jason headed to Houston for work in February.  We took advantage of the trip and all headed down to see our good friends, The McCarthys.  Macey really enjoyed going to the zoo.  She was very intrigued and loved looking at all the animals.

Watching the seals.

Feeding the giraffes lettuce.

It was so fun to  see how much all the girls have grown in the last nine months, especially Macey and Addy Jo.

The four girls May 2011

9 months later, February 2012

I am turning 1!

What a Difference a Few Days Makes!

We have really been taking advantage of the mild winter we have had in Seattle, getting out and going for family walks, Hutch included.  We have to wrestle Macey into her snowsuit, but once she is in her backpack, she is a happy girl.  Her favorite destination is the park for a little swing time.  

What a difference a few days can make!  We woke up Sunday morning for mass and had to brave the elements.  We were surprised with a rare Seattle snowstorm.  It snowed until Thursday evening.  Schools were closed so Macey and I got to stay home and enjoy some extra time together.  The snow didn't stop this family.  We bundled up and headed out for some winter fun.

Last time Macey was in the snow was in Banff, Canada back in June.  She was only three months old.  This time Macey got to truly experience the snow and play around.

It was nice to have some extra days at home, but we are looking forward to the snow melting and getting back to our normal routine.  

December 2011

December meant seeing family and friends for Christmas.  We flew to Kansas to spend Christmas with the Hubers and Grammy M.  Macey didn't seem too excited to see Santa Claus.  She kept to her routine and did not wake us up early.  Her favorite presents were any toys that played music.  She is quite the dancer.  After our visit in Kansas, we headed to Boise.  We spent time with Grammy S, Poppy, and Auntie Sophie.  Grandma and Papa even made the trek to see us in Boise.  Macey received a lot of new fun toys and clothes.  Thank you to all our friends and family for sharing the holiday with us.

Is Trying to Squash a Fly Funny?

Jason was trying to squash a fly in our dining room.  Little did we know that it would end up being so funny.  Good thing Macey was wearing a diaper.

November 2011

Grammy S came to visit at the beginning of the month.  We enjoyed having her stay for a few days.  For Thanksgiving we traveled down to Coquille, Oregon to visit uncle Jeff, auntie Marie, and cousins Peyton and Jackson.  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed playing outside and taking walks.  On our way back up to Seattle, we stopped in Eugene for Macey's first sporting event,  the Civil War football game at Autzen Stadium.

October Blog

We had a mild October which allowed for some more outdoor fun with friends and family.  Jason took a trip to Chicago to meet uncle Jeff and play some golf.  While he was gone, grammy M came to stay with us.  The following week auntie K and cousin Willy visited from Kansas.  Macey learned to crawl at the end of September so she had fun chasing her cousin around.  Shortly after learning to crawl, Macey was pulling herself up on every piece of furniture we have.  Our little girl was changing so fast!  Her first tooth popped through on the bottom of her mouth.  We got out of the city for a weekend and headed to Bainbridge Island with our friends Matt, Sarah, and Macey's best buddy, Patrick.  Macey had her first ferry ride and visited her first pumpkin patch.  For Halloween, Macey was a ladybug.  We didn't take her trick-or-treating, but she did walk in the annual Valley School Halloween Parade!

September Blog

September brought about some changes.  Erica went back to teaching so Macey started daycare.  We are fortunate that she has a fabulous provider with just one other child each day with Macey.  With the change it was time for Macey to eat some real food, you can see how much she liked it here.

August 2011 Blog

We had a couple more roadtrips to take in August.  We met up with several of our friends in Walla Walla for a fun weekend of outdoor games, playing with kids, eating great food and drinking some wine.  The roll call looked something like, 6 couples, 5 kids, and 5 dogs.  It was a great time!  Can't wait to do it again this year.  A couple of weeks later we headed to Boise for Macey's baptism.  We were lucky to have lots of family and friends around to celebrate.  As you can see from the pictures the big day wore Macey out!

July 2011 Blog-I've Been Everywhere

During the month of July, Macey experienced some serious Simonds road trips.  Albeit this time with a few more stops.  The adventure began in Seattle.  We loaded up the car, Hutch included, and headed off to Boise to celebrate the 4th of July and meet more family members.  Macey met her uncle Luke, uncle Jake, uncle Blue, and great grandma Rose.  The Hubers and Grammy M even made the trek to Boise to visit.  Next stop, Idaho Falls for a quick nights stay.  We had our traditional family dinner at Papa Tom's Pizza where Macey was introduced to more family.  The next morning, Papa drove us all to Wyoming.  We spent time at the cabin in Star Valley with great grandma Betty, great grandpa Roy, great aunt Lisa, great uncle Jeff, and second cousins Colton and Kamber.   We took a day trip to Jackson Hole and Teton National Park.   It was great to see family and friends, but our adventure had to come to an end, not everyone can have the summer off like Erica and Macey.  Jason had to get back to work and we had 860 miles to log until we arrived home.  One last stop, Boise, to pick up our dog, Hutch.  After a few relaxing weeks at home, Erica and Macey made a solo trip down to Bend for some girls time.  Grammy M was excited to see us and Macey met great grandma Moen.

June 2011 - International Traveler

In June, Erica went back to work for the last 2 weeks of the school year.  We were fortunate in that The Valley School welcomed Macey and let Erica teach with her in the classroom.  At the end of the school year Macey and Erica joined Jason in a work trip to Alberta.  We were able to enjoy all the sites and activities in Banff National Park.  Macey was a great traveler as we hiked and toured lakes, canyons, waterfalls and wildlife.  Some of our favorite family pictures are from this trip.  Hopefully we can join Jason again if he goes to Calgary.  Auntie Sophie returned for a second visit with Mr. Andrew.  We got to show them the sites of downtown Seattle.  We visited Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture Park, and the waterfront.  At the end of the month we got to hang out with Auntie Marie and my cousins!

May 2011-Road Trip

May was full of fun events. Macey started the month by celebrating her best buddy, Patrick's, arrival. We helped throw a baby shower for Patrick and his family. Macey's aunt Sophie celebrated a major accomplishment in May. She graduated from Whitworth University. We packed the car and headed to the Eastside, Spokane, to celebrate and Macey met more family members. She proved to be a wonderful traveler ( a must to be to be part of this family's adventures). While in Spokane, Macey met her uncle Jeff and Poppy. She also got to spend time with Grammy S, auntie Marie, and cousins Peyton and Jackson. At the end of the month, Macey took her first flight to visit Dennis, AJ, Camryn, Kendall, and Addy Jo. She visited the Children's Museum and had fun with her new friends.

April 2011

Macey's first month at home passed quickly and before we knew it April arrived.  More families members made the trek to Seattle to meet our peanut.  Papa, Grandma, Auntie Marie, cousins Peyton and Jackson, and Auntie K all came.  Grammy M couldn't get enough and was back to visit for a second time.  Macey made her first trip to the Woodland Park Zoo and the Japanese Garden.  We celebrated our first holiday together as a family, Easter. 

March 2011

Macey had a busy first month of life.  She was an active girl from the beginning and loved going for walks with her dog, Hutch.  We had many visitors-Grammy M, Auntie Sophie, and Grammy S.

Hello World - Macey Ann Simonds

Hello world!  Macey Ann Simonds made a quick and early entrance into the world on Thursday, March 3, 2011.  Macey (our little peanut) was a petite 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches long.