Christmas time is nearly upon us

Hi everyone...

our first post for december...time really flies doesnt it...and we are facing our second christmas without melon...no, this gig DOES NOT get any easier...

the other thing i would like to acknowledge is little Nicholas's 1st year anniversary. We shared a room with Nick on various occasions and got to know his mum and dad just as eli got really sick for the last time. Nicholas passed away on December 7th. What a courageous little boy and another amazing family to be touched by cancer. His mum and dad have been very busy and set up a foundation in Nicholas's memory. They recently held a golf day and raised an amazing $30,000 for research. Another really positive story out of a heartbreaking situation...well done you guys...

For those who would like to 'meet' nick and his gorgeous mum Belinda and dad Michael, click on the following link...http://cid-c003958b709310ec.profile.live.com/?sa=47730156. 

There really is some fantastic work being undertaken by many families who have been touched by cancer...so next time someone rattles a tin, sells raffle tickets, sets up a sausage sizzle etc, please dig deep because the volunteer work done by these families is extraordinary. Everyone deserves a medal i reckon!

anyways..i will remove my soap box. 

Quick update on melon's cottage...we have planted our grass, but pete is convinced the 'ants' knicked off with the grass seed! its very patchy, and kinda cute really!! LOL...definitely not at mowing stage yet! We are hoping to have the tin on the front fence over the weekend which is exciting...then i reckon we are proud to say we have done as much as we physically can on the cottage...i think over the next 12 months we will starting building our supplies for when we move out of here...i was hoping to get a bit of a collection of kids dvd's, and some games for the house so if the weather is bad, at least families have something to do...so if anyone has some old games kicking around that need a home, let me know...i will arrange to pick them up and take them off your hands!

Anyhoo...will go for now...will touch base again soon...

luv and hugs (and have a great weekend)

the simpsons

xox

Updated photos from Kelli's run in the US

Hi guys

it was bought to my attention that the pics didnt download properly, so i think i have it right now!

Please have a look under the "october" month so you can meet kelli...

we have been in touch and Kelli has produced a DVD of her experience. She also asked if she could have a photo of Eli to put in it. We were so honoured, and cant wait to see the final product. As you will remember, Kelli walked a marathon in memory of her dad 'frank'. What an amazing job she did...and what a wonderful thing to do in her dad's memory.

So enjoy the pics!

Pete and i started to put up our chrissy lights today...Pete was very very lucky as he fell off the roof and onto the ladder. Thankfully he used the guttering to kind of break his fall, but he definitely had a ripper few bruises and will no doubt be extremely sore. Poor bugger! 

We wont 'officially' unveil them until thursday, so we are excited about that...good to have all the little kids stop and have a look!

we have been travelling ok...busy like normal, but good. Pete has made the 'frame' for the fence out the front, and we bought in a big load of topsoil so we are hoping to grow a bit of grass out the front. Just hope it sprouts soon!

We also have sold our farm and our cows...but the new owners have allowed us to continue to have our campsite so we can keep an eye on melons tree. I think we will definitely use it, and we will still see the cows when we go up there...all in preparation of building our new house, so we can get out of here and open up Melon's cottage...thats the main aim really! 

Nothing else to report really...pretty quiet. Gearing up for the chrissy season, and just hoping that all the families we know just do the best they can. All of these 'anniversaries' are just not the same anymore...we are there in spirit, but perhaps just not there with our hearts. Time will tell if this gig is set to get any easier...but at this stage, would definitely have to say we will just have to wait and see.

Anyways...best go and start plugging in some lights.

Enjoy the pic's of Kelli's walk, and will touch base again soon.

luv and hugs

the simpsons

x0x

Our first year without you

Hi everyone

Well, what a bloody day. Who knew how hard this year would be. To say that it has been easy would be a big porky-pie. It has taken us a very long time to be able to think about eli and not have tears (and on some days we still do, and no doubt will continue to do so). Someone said to us you dont get 'over' losing a child...you just learn to live with it. I remember holding eli just after he died and said to Dr Karin, 'how does ANYONE move past this'..'how does life go on'. Well, it just does. Sometimes we get so angry with the world and scream can we just stop for one day to remember our loved ones. Can we just not get so caught up and sweat the small stuff? But we know that this is life, and we need to adjust the best we can to what we have been given. 

Today we have been very quiet. We spent time with melon and cried a million tears. Pete has been working on the cottage and as he says, "its 'melon's house' - its an easy place to be". We will go on the walk i used to walk with eli in the pram to get the little bugger to sleep. Its been a very peaceful day and even as i write this, the tears are flowing.

We also planted 4 callistamons behind the back fence. As pete says "one for each of the boys"...Chad, Eli, Nick and now Alex. 

Its going to sound weird but in so many ways we have been blessed knowing these boys. We are still learning from their memories every day. Their strength - to be able to take their medicines, needles and pain without fear, their bravery - to be so brave in the face of death, to listen to their favourite stories and watch their favourite dvd's, and their courage - to just be who they are. 

We dont know why these things happen, but to dwell on it would be a massive step back. We still have our lives, and Eli in many ways will continue to have a huge part in it. He is our son. He is a grandson, a great-grandson, a nephew, a cousin and a mate to many. 

So melon...this is for you

Our big melon.

one year has passed but it feels like an eternity. We miss you every single day. We miss your tummy laughs, your raspberries and your beautiful smiles. 

If we could have a lifetime wish

A dream that would come true

We'd pray to God with all our hearts

for yesterday and you

A thousand words cant bring you back

We know because we have tried

And neither will a million tears

We know because we've cried

You left behind our broken hearts

And happy memories too

We never wanted memories though

we only wanted you.

We miss you bubba and love you with all our hearts

Our hearts are boxes filled with beautiful memories of a life that has been taken from us too soon. Time will tell why we were given this hand, but geez we are going to give it a fair crack to make it better for others who are walking in these shoes.

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

Some photos for you!

Hi guys

im sorry its been a while...sometimes there are just no words to describe how we feel, so we dont!

Ive attached a few photos of our last couple of months. You will have to forgive me because ive just got a new phone and its taken me a very long time to work the thing out!

We have just held our first market stall today to raise some money for our charities...it went really well and i think we are stoked at the support. Our next foray into the 'market' world will be at Paynesville on the 8th December. So if you are around town, feel free to call by and say gidday to the girls...and perhaps buy a little bit of stuff as well if it tickles your fancy!

Eli's 1st year anniversary on the 16 November...it will be a tough gig but as we keep saying, we are not alone!

enjoy the photos...

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

Samia, Rhonda & Margaret on our Challenge Retreat...thanks again challenge!

What a gorgeous view from the Trevor Barker House at Torquay!

Some of the purses we have made that sold like HOTCAKEs...

A sample of chrissy cards

And again!

RIP Little Alex Preston

Hi guys

its with a very very sad heart that we say goodbye to Alex who succumbed to a brain tumour on Friday.

A bloody tragedy and our hearts are with Tanya and David and Alex's family as they try and come to terms with their very sad loss.

Heavy hearts

the simpsons

xox

A gorgeous poem

Hi guys

thanks to Margaret from Challenge who sent this through to me. Im not sure who wrote it...but its a ripper...

A pair of shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes. They are ugly shoes. Uncomfortable shoes. I hate my shoes. Each day I wear them, and each day I wish i had another pair. Some days my shoes hurt so bad that i do not think I can take another step.

Yet, i continue to wear them. I get funny looks wearing these shoes. They are looks of sympathy. I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs. They never talk about my shoes.

To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable. To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them. But, once you put them on, you can never take them off. I now realise that I am not the only one who wears these shoes. There are many pairs in this world.

Some people are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them. Some have learned how to walk in them so they dont hurt quite as much. Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.

No one deserves to wear these shoes. Yet, because of these shoes, i am a stronger person. These shoes have given me the strength to face anything. They have made me who i am. I will forever walk in the shoes of a person who has a child with cancer.

Thanks margaret.

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

Kelli walks for her dad and Eli in the States

Hi Guys

i remember blogging a couple of days ago about Kelli who participated in a walk in the USA to remember her dad. She was so touched by Eli's story that she walked for him as well! I have attached the gorgeous email she sent pete and i a couple of days ago including some photos.

It bought tears to my eyes...good luck and have some tissues handy!

Pete and Jodie,

 

Hi, we have never met but I feel like I know you and little Eli. What an honor to walk for Eli, I know he and my father were looking down on me and carried me across the finish line. On October 18,2009 the Nike Womens Marathon raised 14 million dollars for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. It was an amazing experience.

 

I looked at your blog(Dannika sent me the link), it was amazing to me how "connected" we are. I loved the superman picture of Eli. When my father was in the hospital we called him Superman. He could barely speak and they came in to prepare him for his first of MANY transfusions and they asked him his name..a little whisper came out and he said "superman". Also, I was amazed that the Melon Garden fence was completed on September 13th. That was my fathers birthday and on September 13,2009 I had a memorial golf tournment in honor of my father and raised $1600.00 for LLS.

 

We lost my Dad on July 28,2008. He went to hospital on July 22, on July 26th we were told he had lymphoma and he lost his battle on the 28th. He had been sick at home for about 4 weeks before going to hospital but everytime he went to  the dr. said he had bronchitis and put him on more antibiotics. By the time they admitted him to hospital he had full blown CMV and was basiclly bleeding to death. I miss him everyday and joining Team in Training has helped me to do something productive with my anger. I was so mad at Cancer and knew I had to do something about it. I plan on doing many more marathons and raising money and awareness of this terrible disease.(this was my first marathon). My goal was 6 hours(I'm a walker), one hour for each day my Daddy was in hospital. My final time was 5:59:04.

 

I will be going today to put pictures on CD and will get them to you ASAP. Dannika is an amazing woman and I feel blessed to have met her on the plane.

 

God bless!

 

Kelli Zook

 

1) Golden Gate Bridge(my first time to San Francisco so I had to get a picture)

Me pointing to my name on the side of Nike Town(all 22,000 participants names were listed) and that is a bracelet with Eli's name on it that I'm wearing. 

 3) Team In Training inspirational dinner, night before marathon. There were 5,000 TNT participants there. It was AMAZING!!

 

4) Our moment of silence before we headed to the starting line at 6:30am. Before each training session we would have a moment of silence to "remember the reason". I must say that moment of silence was not so silent. We were all sobbing! It was a very bitter-sweet moment. We had all worked very hard to get there but it makes us sad to think why it is we have to keep raising more money and awareness.

5) Me at mile 16. I think I had just said something like "only 10 to go"In the picture at mile 16 you will notice a green ribbon above my heart, it has my Dad and Eli's name on it.
 

6) Me and the rest of my teammates from Portland, Oregon just before the start of the marathon.

7) Me with 2 of my teammates at the finish line

8) just a random picture on the course.
 




Thank for all you do for LLS and Childrens Charities. What an amazing thing you are doing. I have shared the link to Eli's blog with my teammates and I know many have visited it. 
  
Take care, 
  
Kelli

Wow...what a bloody ripper! Thanks so much to Kelli and all her team mates for undertaking such a massive walk! Well done to all of you - from all of us here in Australia!

Will try and attach some more pics over the next few days of Queenscliff...and i also have the most wonderful poem which was sent to me by Margaret from Challenge.

Enjoy your evening and well done again to Kelli and crew!

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

Cant believe how time has flown!

 Hi everyone

We have been absolutely flat out so its lovely to finally be able to sit down and write!

Its that time to remind people to give blood...how quickly 3 months flies! Once again, please find the time to donate blood if you can...not too much time taken out of your day to give...and the benefits are many...i guess i will continue to remind people...it would be nice to know how many of you out there have been inspired to give blood since eli passed away...

Our thoughts are continuing to be with families everywhere who are battling childhood cancer. There are a couple of families we know who are being seriously challenged at the moment...all we can say is that we feel your pain and are crying tears with you...always in our thoughts...xxxx

We got a gorgeous email last week from one of our really good mate's sister (Dannica) who is currently travelling in the US. She was talking to a girl she met on a flight (Kelli) who was travelling to San Fransisco to 'run for leukaemia'. Unfortunately Kelli recently lost her dad to the disease and was showing her support by running to raise funds. Dannica mentioned that she knew of Eli and his story with the end result being that Kelli was kind enough to run with not only her dad's name on her t-shirt but also Eli's! How awesome is THAT...Pete said that the little bugger made it to the states before he did! amazing and extremely humbling to think that melon was being thought about so far away...awesome. Will keep you posted, and hopefully add some photos of the run! 

Speaking of fundraising...the Angel Flight do that we visited late last month ended up raising a massive $8,880 or so! well done to margaret campbell and her gorgeous sisters and friends for a brilliant job well done! I know all at AngelFlight will be absolutely thrilled with the result!

Well done to all those who also donated money to the Light the Night event...without really undertaking 'active' fundraising other than selling some wonderful pens, we raised about $550 which is just terrific. Thanks to all those once again for your support and buying some pens...

The other charity that is dear to our hearts is Challenge - Supporting Kids with cancer...

I was recently involved with a bereaved 'mum's' retreat in torquay. Not really knowing what to expect but hoping to meet mums also in our position, it was exactly what was in order. The stories of both Samia and Rhonda were truly extraordinary and we had an absolutely fantastic time catching up and sharing our stories of grief and hopes for the future. This weekend just opened my eyes up to so much more and just re-iterated to us that we are not alone. Again, no one wants to be a member of this exclusive club, yet here we are with gold 'memberships' just trying to do the best we can. Thanks also to Margaret and the Challenge gang for putting on such a wonderful indulgent weekend. Absolutely amazing work you do...and to be honest...very timely and good for my soul.

The charity chooks also recently welcomed a new edition 'Cassidy Helena Walker'...gorgeous daughter to Leona (queen of chicken pies) and Andrew, and new sister to Wren and Jonah. Welcome to the little 'chicken'...

Leona and Andrew sent out a beautiful email before Cassidy was born and said that in lieu of presents, could people give $ in Eli's memory. So from the Simpsons to the Walkers...what a beautiful thought and i hope the sun continues to shine on you all...

well, thats about all the goss we have at the moment...i will try and get some photos up over the next couple of days which include a couple of pics from torquay, Team Melonhead trophies which made it to the gang in queenscliff and are currently sitting in Ballarat, and some more general 'snaps' of life with the Simpsons.

Thanks again for all your support as we come up to the first year anniversary of Eli's passing. Its amazing all the highs and lows we have had during this first 12 months and still miss our baby every single day. 

Lots of love and hugs

the simpsons

xox

We just had to post this poem. It provided me just a small giggle on an otherwise sad day. All of these words had the most amazing impact...every word is just so true, particularly the hairdo and being able to drive efficiently hooked up to an IV drip! Hopefully it will provide just a small insight on being a 'cancer mum'...looking after a sick child.

This poem was written by a friend's friend whose son "victor" has been fighting neuroblastoma for 5 years. He was diagnosed at 7 months of age, and would dearly just love to get to kindergarten. How fickle is life.

I belong to a special group of women
My friends and I have an amazing bond.
We never wanted to be in this group,
Yet we are in, for life.
Maybe we have met, maybe we haven’t,
Yet our love for each other is boundless.
We know the pain the other one feels,
And we share our victories small or huge.
Words like chemo, IV, Zofran , bald heads
Are always parts of our conversations,
As well as roidrage, tears, and meltdowns…
We always know where the closest puke bucket is ,
We can hold it in one hand and if necessary,
Swallow the sandwich the other hand was holding.
We can drive to the hospital ,
Park in the car park,

Make our way thru the halls of the hospital
And to the appropriate floor,
Settle in a room, turn the TV on,
Give instructions to the nurse,
Silence loud beeping IV pumps,
Direct a wagon AND an IV pole
To the playroom without hitting anything
Make our way back to the correct room
And all this, mind you,
With our eyes closed at any given time.
We know how to draw blood from lines
Sticking out of little kids chests.
We can hold them down with one hand ,
While a nasogastric tube is inserted in their little nose,
And be on the phone with their dads at the same time.
We can live for days on hospital food,
And on maybe only one meal a day .
We know the names of up to 20 different drugs ,
Their purpose, dosage and time to be taken.
We are always on call, 24 hours a day ,
Seven days a week.
We are used to not always looking our best,
Hard to do with only a few hours of sleep .
Make up, hair styling, skirts are words of the past .
We have become addicted to texting ,
hospital, clinic, home, wherever…
We talk sometimes at all hours of the night ,
We know we can count on someone to be up.
Then for one of us , the world stops .
She has to walk away, broken.
This job is over .
The job is over, but the fight is on.
Remember , I said we were in this forever.
We are friends, sisters, temporary nurses,
We are each others rock, each others punching bag,
We listen , we vent , we cry , we laugh together .
We share our lives and our deaths
We share our pain and our victories.
We are strong, but not by choice ,
Sometimes we win , sometimes we lose,
But never are we defeated .
We are not nurses
We are not doctors,
We are cancer mums…

Good luck with your continuing fight victor...our thoughts are with you and your family.

the simpsons

xox

Happy 2nd Birthday little Melon

well...its been a big day today. We have just gone with the flow, and did some gardening and lit lots of candles. We have been overwhelmed with text messages filled with love so thanks to everyone for thinking of us on a pretty tough day. We just wish we could take EVERYONE's pain away. But, we cant...and thats just the way it is...

I would like to share a poem we received by a friend just after Eli died. The poem still sits in the corner of Eli's cot and we read it a fair bit.

Secret Cuddles

Mum...dad...please dont be sad.

For life goes on, no matter how bad.

I may not have entered this world,

as you would have liked.

But worry not, for i am resting now, 

somewhere - in the sky.

No pain, no worry, no more pains in the tummy

Just where i am now, peaceful with so many dummies

I know i will be sadly missed, 

a life too short, not even a glimpse.

These circumstances - i cannot explain.

But only to say, that sometimes...

SHIT HAPPENS

What more can i say.

Please, for me, dont look back on this madness

Forward into the future, you must move on, with happiness.

Remember and cherish the short time we shared,

Better your lives will be this way,

rather than with sadness.

I know that i will always be remembered

Your voices...never fading, so lovingly nutured.

Never forgotten, move on now, you need to,

I have already.

I will always be with you, 

in spirit - you know this!

And in your hearts and thoughts i will lie,

waiting to give you,

My secret cuddles....

whenever my memories pass you by.

Happy 2nd birthday our beautiful little boy. We just so wish you were here...to touch, to smell and to celebrate your life.

We love you and you will never leave our hearts. Everyone misses you terribly, but know that you have changed so many lives in the short time you were with us. 

Happy birthday Eli Charlie and thank you for just being you.

Your mum and dad

xox

Our beautiful little 'superman'

Light the Night & Angel Flight...

Hi guys

Again we start off by saying we have been pretty busy with 'stuff'...we attended Light the Night on September 16 and what a wonderful event it was. Pete and i had a fabulous time. The even ran really smoothly and we would love to send a big massive thanks to all of you who supported us and showed up on the night (and for those that didnt, thanks for all the lovely wishes). We were really moved when we lit up our 'gold balloons'...sadly, we were overwhelmed by the massive number of gold balloons that were there on the night...so many people have been touched by this disease..it just makes us want to do more to take away the pain...but we know we cant...all we do know is that we are not alone.

We got to catch up with little 'will'...a wonderful little boy who was in hospital the same time Eli was and is the only one of the 'fantastic four' who made it to the other side. Will, paige and tash look fantastic and its just so enlightening to see that some people do make it...i hope he grows up to be whatever he wants to be...he bloody deserves it!

So thanks again to all those who came and walked with us...it was a gorgeous evening and will be one to celebrate for us on an annual basis i think. Over 3000 people attended, it was HUGE..and we apologise for losing touch with our group when the walk started! it was chaotic, but a great night all the same.

The other thing we were recently involved with is a great little weekend at Nowa Nowa. Margaret Campbell and her gorgeous 'sisters' and friends did a fantastic job bringing the Nowa Nowa hall to life to raise money for Angel Flight. At last count, they have raised over $5,000 which is an absolute credit to them! They had the Nowa Nowa singers - a group of local men provide entertainment and themed the event as 'a teddybear's picnic'. It was lovely to be a part of. As pete said, it was just so lovely to see so many country people supporting country people. I know Eli's story touched many people on the night, and we were again very proud to share it and the great work these charities do. It was also lovely to see our first Angel Flight pilot 'tom courtney' again. It has been a while, but im sure we will see him into the future as he continues his wonderful work!

Im not going to lie, its been a very up and down fortnight for us, and from here on in i guess its going to be tough for us. Eli's birthday is tomorrow...and we are going to just take it as it comes. No stress and hopefully full of memories. So if you can, please light a candle, perhaps indulge in some twisties and look to the stars. I know Eli will be looking down on all of us tomorrow...

best fly...and enjoy the piccies!

love and hugs

the simpsons

xox

The Nowa Nowa singers for Angel Flight...great voices and fantastic entertainment

Light the Night...

Warming up!

Go cats!

Cards for sale...thanks to the Charity Chooks who keep the motivation to do the best we can!

Leona - Treasurer of the charity chooks!

B - great cook! on this day, the charity chooks made heaps of cupcakes to support RSPCA "cupcake day"...together we made around $165 for the RSPCA...well done girls!

The 'chooks' hard at work making little gift cards....

The Fence is finished!

Hi guys

well, we are finally very proud to present the fence around melon's garden...a massive thanks again goes to Gippsland Treated Pine in Bairnsdale - Mick in particular, who has help us source everything you see, and pulled together some terrific instructions for pete to build it! 

It truly is just such a lovely space now...nice and closed in so we can really enjoy it. The flowers are blooming beautifully, the bulbine lillies, and the chocolate lillies are just gorgeous. All the paper daisies look terrific and the correas and pigface are just starting to kick on. A really nice place to be, and if you can, you are more than welcome to visit when you can...we would love to see you...

just contact eli-simpson@hotmail.com to let us know you are coming!

Father's day was difficult day for obvious reasons...we just hung around home, and pete finished the fence off in the afternoon. Our hearts go out to all the dad's who dont have their little ones to celebrate with. I dont mean that in a negative way...but i just wonder how all the mum's and dads out there cope with their 'day'. It should be a time of celebration, but it just isnt...very hard...but thats not to take away all those out there that have their children to celebrate with...hopefully all the poppets got a few more hugs and kisses than normal!

We are heading to light the night on Wednesday...we are absolutely looking forward to it..it should be fantastic, and by all accounts, the weather is looking good for us...if you cant make it...just take a bit of time to look at all the stars in the sky and think of all the people who have succumbed to cancer or leukaemia...and think of all the families and friends who have lost their loved ones, and for those who continue to support families through their treatment journey. Its a bloody tough gig...Book in for that long overdue 'blood donation', or give $5 to a charity. It really does all count.

Anyways...enjoy your week...and we will hopefully get some piccies up of light the night...should be a ripper...

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

The side fence complete with a gate on the hinge! noice!

You cant see the full effect of the flowers, but they are 'bloomin' beautiful'!

Just the other side of the garden...we are so proud!

Another team "melonhead" member - Russell Broomhall...thanks russ for all your hard work! Next stop - Bacchus Marsh!

some photos for you

Hi everyone...

here are a few more piccies of the garden which looks just lovely in all its 'blooming' glory...

As i think i mentioned, we are just waiting for our tin to come in so we can put the sides on the fence. We are hoping all that will be here by next weekend so we can do some further work on it..then i guess we will have to get stuck into all the gardens as they are looking a bit weedy!

anyways...enjoy and i hope to update again next week...

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

WHAT A SLACKER!

Hi everyone...

im sooo sorry its been a while since we have posted...but we have been flat out...

We have been checking on the farm at every waking moment to ensure the cows are ok...which they are...the vets confirmed that it was black mastitis that killed moowhistle so we have been like cats on a hot tin roof to watch very closely...we only have 2 to calve...a cow called 'legs' and 'blue tag'...they look like they are still a fair bit off and we are taking pre-emptive strikes and dosing them up with medicine just before they calve...still hard though...heading to buchan today to drench the cows and do some 'farm stuff' which will be nice...i havent been out there since moowhistle died...so it will be a big one!

Pete and i took a little 'mini-break' in canberra a couple of weekends ago which was umm...nice in lots of ways, but no offence to canberra residents...probably not our cup of tea at this stage of our lives...!!

we visited some galleries, caught a movie and went to the war museum...a big thanks to 'sam' for taking time off to give us a personal tour of the place...i know pete loved it.

Pete has been busy with his 'coxswains' training and will have that for the next 2 weeks as well..so im guessing he feels like he is back at school with his nose in the books after work!

I have been back and forth to Melbourne a bit and a friend "vicki" and i went to the PINK concert! Absolutely LOVED IT! had a fantastic time in the 'mosh pit'...no nanny seats here...although by the end of it i think we were a bit sore for standing more than 4 hours! But geez it was worth it!

The other thing i was involved with through the week was the "LIGHT THE NIGHT" launch...

it was a lovely breakfast and we gave a little talk about our journey...it was awesome to know there was so much being done in the research field of leukaemia. We also ran into "Will's mum" Tash...i think there a few piccies of the 'boys' on the blog, particularly when Eli was admitted with his CMV...chad, will and nick. We shared a room with the boys and got to know their families quite well. Will is the only survivor of the boys... He was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukaemia..a pretty full on one to get...but had a transplant just as Eli died...anyways...it was fantastic to see Tash and we are looking forward to joining both our 'groups' and walking together...DONT FORGET TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET THERE AND JOIN US!

For details, go to 'www.lightthenight.org.au'....if you would like to join our group and walk with us, just email me on eli-simpson@hotmail.com

The event is on the 16th September at the Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne....we would love to see you there!

the other thing we will be involved with is an Angel Flight Arts and Craft Exhibition to be held in Nowa Nowa. It kicks off on 25th Sept. The "charity chooks" - BLA rebadged have made some goodies to sell at their 'trading' table...Mrs Margaret Campbell and her friends have organised it and we are really looking forward to getting involved...Again, if anyone wants to know more...just give us an email!

anyways..i better scoot and do some stuff....

I do hope everyone is going well....and our thoughts are with everyone.

luv 

the simpsons

xox

Some photos of the poddy's...

Hi guys

i just got my hands on some beautiful photos of the two poddies..."poppet" and KT...

enjoy them! Thanks to Tim and Therese for looking after them so well...its just such a lovely feeling that there can be life after death...and these two epitomise it...sounds like they are well 'trained' to their bottles...it will be nice to watch them grow!

KT is the brown calf...its funny how moowhistle threw 2 brown calves - steve and kt...especially given she was pretty much a black 'hippo' and both dads were pure angus...

anyways..enjoy them...

hugs

the simpsons

xox

Worlds Greatest Shave trophies continue journey...

Hi guys

thought that while i had the chance, i would put post a photo of Marnie with the trophies...Marnie raised a whopping $6,000+ for team Melonhead, so thanks marn...nice to see it all growing back!

The trophies will now be carefully sent to the Bairnsdale Office where Russell Broomhall can enjoy and the rest of the gang from the Government Offices can congratulate themselves on a wonderful job!


enjoy


the simpsons
xox

Just dont know....

hi everyone...

i know this is going to sound weird...but we feel like we have lost a whole lot...again...

Eli's cow "moowhistle" passed away yesterday afternoon...the word 'devastation' comes to mind for so many reasons...She delivered K.T. really well...but when pete got up there yesterday morning...he felt she was looking crook...he raced home to get some antibiotics and by the time he got back, she had passed away...

We have NO idea what the hell is going on...we have had vets advice on what the likely theory is..."Black mastitis" is one very good bet. A terrible and lethal bug that results in death very quickly. Its a bacteria that cows can pick up and it gets into their udder and does damage from there...We had a vet come out and do some sampling on moowhistle to work out exactly what is going on and whether any of the other cows may be at risk...

We are just so sad...we just loved moowhistle...she was the matriarch of the herd, bossed everyone around (including us!) really well and she was one of a couple that we can hand feed. She loved jubes, apples and carrots and was fantastic with kids. We gave her to Eli when Eli was born and have gone on to sell her first calf "steve" and donated the money we got for him to charity...We were hoping to do that with all of her calves, to keep eli's memory alive.

We feel like in some ways we have lost Eli all over again...one of our strongest connections that we had with him is now gone...But, we will move forward...and our focus now is just to keep a very very close eye on the rest of the herd to try and prevent this happening again. We are hoping to get the results of the tests next week.

We think we have 3 left to calve...so it will be all hands on deck...

On a brighter note, K.T. - Moowhistle's calf has gone to live with "poppet" the other little calf who lost her mum a few days ago. Pete said that K.T. is very fiery and really different to poppet. We know she will be in a good home and will go well...

anyways..best go 

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox

Some news...

Hi everyone!

Fence posts in - check, timber bought for the rails and being fitted - check, small poddy calf in the backyard offsiding pete while he works - WHAT THE!!!

sometimes you just got to wonder why life is like it is....
we went to buchan on sunday and found we had 5 calves waiting for us! One calf had a very sick mum and unfortunately we lost her last night, and we ended up with a little poddy calf in our shed...crash course on poddy rearing. We were stoked we got her drinking a bottle at 7 o'clock!
we had hay for her bed all sorted...neighbours who were warned there may have been some noise through the night and a pretty nervous simpson family hoping everything would be ok!
well, it has ended up nicely...we found a very caring home for her this morning and she is off to swan reach to grow up this afternoon. I went home for a quick lunch and found pete 'ruffing' up the calf, the cat was very upset about pete's attention being on the calf and then the calf very happy curled up near one of the posts near melon's garden...nice way to leave for work again!

So, i think pete has some pics and we will try and post them over then next couple of days...Moowhistle had a baby yesterday...a beautiful baby hiefer that we have called K.T. - after 2 very awesome people we know that looked after melon...she will be a keeper!
anyhoo...best fly
luv and hugs to all
the simpsons
xox

The fence has started!

Hey guys

well, another week down...it has gone so quickly and has been a fantastic week because we have both been home for a whole week without being somewhere down the line overnight...it makes an amazing difference, all the housework gets done without rushing on the weekends, we can eat together...ahhhh...so THIS is how its supposed to be :-)

We have signed up for "Light the Night", an event run by the Leukaemia Foundation which will happen on the 16th September at the Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne. Pete and I have been asked to be the gold balloon ambassadors - something we are very much looking forward to. People holding gold balloons are remembering loved ones lost, blue balloons, supporting or have supported someone through their treatment and white balloons to support survivors. The event starts at 5.30pm and goes until around 8.30. Although Light the Night has been run out of other cities, its the first time they have run out of melbourne and apparently it is a really moving thing to be apart of. So we are inviting everyone to come along and help us celebrate Eli's memory.  For those that are interested, just go to "www.lightthenight.org.au". 

Even though the event will work like World's Greatest Shave (sponsorship), we are NO WAY looking for any $. All of you gave so generously for WGS and we thank you for that...If you are interested in seeing our webpage as 'gold balloon ambassadors', you can access us by going to the light the night website, sponsor an individual and type in Jodie Simpson - Alexandra Gardens. AGAIN...NO NEED FOR ANY $$...

If you would like to join us on the night, please let us know by 21st August, that way we can organise a balloon for you. At dusk, we 'switch' on our balloons and go for a walk...apparently it looks amazing... you can let us know through eli's email - eli-simpson@hotmail.com

So, enough of that...

we are starting our fence officially today! we have got our posts and concrete...and we are very very excited...the garden looks fantastic...all our flowers are starting to 'bud up'...and we are getting the most beautiful flowers. Its just an absolute delight!

Anyhoo...best get cracking...the garden awaits! Will try and get some photos of it on soon...

luv to all

the simpsons

xox

some photos for you all as promised....

The Worlds Greatest Shave Trophy journey begins!

Thanks to Glynn and all the team at the Lakes Entertainment Centre who have supported us so well over the past 2 years of being involved with the shave...the trophies will be on show at the Centre for another week or so, then will make its way to Gippsland Lakes Community Health. Say gidday to "Glynn" while you are there!

Belinda and Kate hard at work making our 'gift tags' for the craft stall in September...to raise a bit more money for Angel Flight...

And thanks to Nat as well for her 'expertise' in craft 'stuff'...bloody awesome...

my first ever crack at a 'gift tag'...yikes!

And my second...you will be pleased to know we have around 90 of them now...the 'charity chooks' are working very hard!

Jen from the Leukaemia Foundation collecting a cheque from the Lakes Entrance Bowls Club for just over $3000. Well done to Jason and his team for supporting the UGLY campaign!

Hmmmm....good looking sorts!

Yep, it all came off again...cant see my grey hairs in this piccie - phew!

Our beautiful mates Alison and Rae-way...2 absolute champions of the world who nursed eli when he was so sick...you guys rock...keep doing what you do...Very very special girls these ones!

Our gorgeous friend "Bella" and baby "Jack"...Gaynor and Paul's little bubba who was born in January this year...clearly a 'stunner' in the making!

Cheeky little bugger!

Hi guys

just a few pic's of our journey over the past 4 weeks or so...i love posting these photos...they always bring a smile to our face!

All is good with the Simpsons...we are looking to Incorporate Eli's Foundation over the next month and have been working hard to get the paperwork side of things in order...once we are incorporated, we will work out the tick-tacks of having melon's cottage under the foundation's umbrella. Obviously we cant welcome our first 'guests' until our house is built, but excited by the fact that we are at the drawing stage, so fingers crossed our new 'family' home will be started by the end of the year...

We have a fair bit to do though until then...and we will definitely keep you posted!

hope you have a lovely week....happy birthday to all of you who have celebrated birthdays...and we hope we get just a wee bit more rain...no sign of any babies from the cows as yet, but it must be getting close!

all the best

luv and hugs

the simpsons

xox