Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium

This was our friend waiting right outside our car when we arrived!

not sure what Maggie was doing! haha! that happens often! and yes that is a purse hanging from her wrist. She is such a girly-girl sometimes!

If you look close that is a wolf! aghhh! They(there are about 8 of them) all went running to the fence when they heard someone howling. It was amazing!

Today, we took our second trip to Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport. Tyner has been asking to go back so we were all excited about going again! It is just this beautiful nature preserve on 3500 acres. They have tons of hikes, a planetarium, animals, etc...so just perfect for the Simpson nature lovers! We packed a picnic and had a great afternoon. The first thing we saw when we pulled up was a deer standing about 10 feet from our car! That was a great way to start our afternoon adventure. We saw the wolves (behind a huge fence- thank goodness) up close and personal. We ended our visit at the planetarium. We took a trip into outer space and learned all about the solar system. It was amazing! We had to cut it a little short because Simpson #3 doesn't quite understand about sitting quietly in a dark room for 30 minutes! ha! We were able to stay long enough to learn lots of good stuff about the inner planets and the sun. We will go back for the rest of it soon!

Looking for a Waterfall- Our First Hike

We took our first family hike today. Wow!! That is all I can say! I was on a mission to find a waterfall and I absolutely found one. It was a 2 mile hike one way but it was every bit worth it! My kiddos were quite the troopers. It got very steep at times and our legs were tired, but the prize at the top of the mountain was unbelievable. I had tears in my eyes!!

It was absolutely breathtaking!

and it wore my precious baby boy out!!

Rock Creek Falls here we come!

Fast Forward 8 Months

Fast forward from October 2010 to June 2011. A lot happened in those 8 months! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hunt's 1st birthday, Christmas, a snowy winter in the delta, lots of time at the lake with my parents,Easter, a 7 year anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Hunter's birthday, Tyner's birthday...and lots and lots and lots of other things sprinkled in there. But, the most exciting thing was our move to the mountains in mid May- Johnson City, Tennessee! Hunter began working for Windsor Health Group in October of 2010 and by March 2011 he was offered a promotion within the company. It would give us the opportunity to move to this wonderful place waaaay far in east Tennessee. I was a little nervous at first, but the Lord provided us with many, many signs that this was part of His plan. We obeyed, and here we are. And I couldn't be happier!!!

Our Date

It isn't very often that I get to take a picture with my handsome hubby! I cherish these dates we get to go on every once in a while. We were on our way to a wedding reception for a dear friend of mine. We danced the night away and had so much fun hanging out with our good friends:-)

Life on a Farm-Living in the Delta

Living on a farm is a lot of fun for little boys...and little girls, too. Logan came to spend the night(this was back at the beginning of September) and the kids woke up at 7:00 the next morning ready to "explore the farm." One of Mr. Pete's workers saw them mesmerized by the big machines and took them all for a ride. Oh my gosh! Priceless is all I can say about their faces. We are having so much fun living at the end of this country road. We spend as much time outside as we can. We go on scavenger hunts, play on our swing set, and play freeze tag.

Friday Night Lights!-September

We spent a lot of Friday nights at our football games. Tyner was a "Future Colt" and got to run out behind the "big boys!" You have never seen a smile so big! Maggie was a colt cutie and danced and cheered at halftime. (Well, she stood there.) I think she was overwhelmed being in front of the crowd. She walks around all day doing her cheers at home though. "We are L.A...We are L.A." ......

First Day of School -August 2010

Are we proud or what?!!

My Preschooler

It still makes me sad to look at these pictures! I can't believe how grown up they are. Seriously- Do I really only have 1 more child left at home? Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday we were waking up and playing in our play room together, painting pictures, going on daily adventures, etc...and my list could go on! Now our morning routine is brushing teeth(which we did when we were all home, too), getting dressed, eating breakfast, and heading out the door! Everyone has transitioned into school very well- including Mama. I have the joy of being with them at school 3 days a week. I get to peek in their rooms, steal a hug, and even check on them while they are napping. We all LOVE being Lee Colts!!

Florida 2010-July

This is what happens when you become outnumbered! The last one has to learn to sleep ANYWHERE!!

Words can't begin to describe how much we fun had on our "mini vacation" in Navarre. I say mini because we stayed just a few nights but it was totally worth it. Hunter and I both had so much fun with the kids and watching them laugh, play, build sandcastles, etc...We stayed on the Santa Rosa sound and it was just perfect. It was calm and quiet and absolutely perfect for our family. Hunt had a great time too...napping on the beach under the umbrella! The kids still talk about our trip to the beach:-)

Maggie's Water Party- 3 years old-July 2, 2010

ohhhh...the cake!

Having fun on the slide

Does she look happy or what? The water party theme was so much fun! We had it at our church and blew up a big slide. I still can't believe my little girls is 3!

Summer 2010

Maggie is such a good big sister and already acts like a little Mama!

This was the day that Hunt pulled up and stood in his bed for the first time.

Our cousin, Collette, from Boston came to visit with her 2 older sisters...Gabby and Elana.

OH, we had such a fun summer! Of course we spent almost every weekend on the lake. Our days were filled with swimming pools, slip 'n' slides, picnics(when it wasn't too hot), naps, "My Big Backyard", the zoo, and much, much more!

Fun with our cousins!

Several times this summer Hayden and Logan came to spend the night with us. It is always extremely chaotic but SO much fun! 5 children ages 7 and under makes for lots of laughter, screaming, pitter patter of 8 little feet and much more. We put the pool at the bottom of our slide, played on the slip and slide, and even ate our dinner in the back of Daddy's truck! It is so much fun having them just an hour down the road:-)

Tyner's Pirate 5th Birthday

I think he was dancing around before all his friends arrived.
Another birthday cake...it is hard to believe that I have been doing their birthday cakes for 5 years. This is one of the less complicated ones I have done. But it is always fun to see the end result regardless of how much I stress over it!

Logan showed up decked out for the pirate party and brought a costume for Tyner to put on! They were precious.

Hunt's Baptism- May 16, 2010

Hunt and Kacky

Hunt was baptized on Sunday, May 16, 2010. We enjoyed a wonderful brunch at the lake following the ceremony at church. We had a great time with family and dear friends celebrating the baptism of my precious son. It is hard to believe that he is the 7th grandchild to wear the beautiful christening gown that my mom made. What a special tradition!

May 2010

Hunt at 5 months old...Can you tell who he looks like? Kind of scary! 2 handsome boys if you ask me:-))
My sweet, sweet little girl:-)

A beautiful spring day when we were just enjoying living in the country,playing in the yard and climbing our Magnolia tree.

Easter 2010

Church Easter Egg Hunt
Finding all the eggs the Easter Bunny hid in our big back yard:-)

Our annual dying of Easter eggs at Big and Pie's house with all the grandchildren (7)

Easter is such a fun time. It feels great outside(usually) and we get to really focus on the resurrection of our Savior. During Easter 2010 we enjoyed our annual Moon Lake easter egg hunt(pictures will be posted soon), our church Easter egg hunt, dying eggs at Big and Pie's house, and of course hunting for eggs on Easter morning. Hunt was about 4 months old...not quite old enough to find eggs like his big brother and sister. As you will see in the middle picture, Easter was just a few days after Tyner decided he was going to cut his sisters hair.
What perfect timing:-0!

February 2010

Maggie and Hayden

It is always so much fun when Hayden and Logan come spend the night with us. I have no idea where Tyner and Logan were during this photo session. No telling! Probably running around in their underwear...hahaha! Just being boys! Hunt was a little over 2 months in this picture. It is amazing how quickly they change.

January 2010

Maggie was my date to a wedding. She loved getting dressed up with me. We had so much fun dancing together and looking at the pretty bride!

Christmas 2009

Yeah! Santa came!

Hunt's first time in Santa's lap.

Christmas Eve at the Johnson's

It is kind of funny posting pictures from last Christmas when we are about 3 months away from this Christmas. I absolutely love our Christmas family traditions! We get together with great friends(that are like family to us), sit in Santas lap, laugh a ton, etc...It is so much fun for everyone. We end Christmas Eve at my brother's house by reading The the Night Before Christmas and Luke 2.