The Williams Family

Masquerade!

2011-06-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and Marina went to their school's winter formal in February. It was a masquerade ball. They looked beautiful and had a great time.

Makala's school also had a masquerade ball. She looked gorgeous too, of course.
We are so in trouble having these girls running around loose....

The Sound of Music.....

2011-05-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

Makala has a genuine gift for music. She has a wonderful voice and really went above and beyond in choir this year.
This is the choir banquet, where they give out lots of awards and recognition for the year in choir. Makala and her friend, Kennedy.

Makala was recognized a LOT.
She received certificates for qualifying for All-Region choir, Outstanding Solo, Solo and Ensemble, a Sweepstakes award, and a trophy for Outstanding Choir Student.
She's awesome!

A friend of ours did her hair for the night. It was so cute!
And she looked stunning, of course.
(Do I sound too proud??)

This is her choir teacher, Mrs. Hughes. She loves Makala and has taught her so much. I'm kind of disappointed she's not going on to choir in high school because she's so talented, but I'm super excited she's going on in band.

Makala, Kennedy and Zack.

What an awesome night for her! We're so proud of her.
I can't believe she's going on to high school next year!! sniff, sniff.....

Sam is TWO!

2011-05-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is Sam's second birthday party. We kind of went overboard for her first birthday, so I decided to keep this one fairly simple. Yeah, right. Hot dogs, hamburgers, cupcakes, homemade potato salad, and twenty people later, didn't feel so simple. She had a great time though. She's finally getting the idea of presents. Christmas should be great fun......

Sweet 16 (Well, 16, anyway!)

2011-05-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Kathleen celebrated her 16th birthday on February 1st. Her best friend, Marina, took her on a surprise ATV ride. They had a great time.

We had a family dinner at home with grandparents and the missionaries.
Marina made her cake.

She celebrated Valentine's Day by getting her driver's license.
AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

50 Years Later.......

2011-05-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

In August of 2010, Tony's parents, Jack and Christine, celebrated their 50th anniversary. Of course we couldn't let that milestone pass without a big to-do. Here are the pictures. Better late than never, right?

Mom and her oldest grandson, Chris, and her oldest son, Danny.

Some of the family pictures that were displayed. We also had a slide show running constantly with lots of old pictures of them and their family. And we had 50's music playing in the background. It was fun!

They had a wonderful time catching up with friends, old and new, near and dear.

The cake was beautiful. My little sister Robin made it. She's awesome!

Mom and Haley.

This is Jill, Danny's wonderful wife. She's the best!

Our grand-daughter, Elizabeth.

Cutting the cake.

Heather, Tony's third oldest.

Me and my mom!

Danny and Jill, playing around.

Mom and Dad and their three boys: Tony, Jack and Danny.
Yes, Tony is the baby. That explains a lot, doesn't it?

Now add the wives. (Jack's wife couldn't be there.)

Brothers.....

Mom and Dad with Tony and Shannon and their HUGE family!

All of the grandkids and great-grandkids,
(except for 2)

Mom and Jaynie.

Heather and Daricus.

Jaynie and Rick, Braiden and Ellie.

Jack and Haley.

And they lived Happily Ever After.........

We love you Mom and Dad!

Family Cruise 2011 - part 1

2011-05-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Josh and Joe at dinner the first night on the ship.

Tony's mom and dad. First cruise ever!
(for all of us except my mom.)

There's my mom with Joseph and Makala.

Sweet Samantha and "Pa Pa"

I have such beautiful girls! (Yes, I'm proud.)

Another beautiful girl....

And two handsome (and totally crazy) boys

They just had to have a picture with the motorcycle.

This was formal night on the ship.

The girls looked so pretty that night!

The two waiters in the background were ours, and they all sang and danced for us every night. This table was right behind ours. They had some really cute kids!

One of the towel animals that we got in our room every night.

Kathleen wanted some pix of her in her prom dress.
It was fun to see everyone dressed up on formal night.

Smile, Tony!!

Family Cruise 2011 - part 2

2011-05-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Joseph and Joshua on deck waiting for the sunrise

Sam wasn't a morning person that day.

The sunrise was worth the wait. It was beautiful.

Which is more than we can say for Kathleen, who didn't want to wake up!

But here she is with some of the "natives" in Cozumel.

And mom and dad got in on the action.

Makala got to hold a beautiful parrot.

And Tony got some pretty shots of the ocean.

The two moms enjoying the beach while Tony and I and the kids tried snorkeling. (Read: tried not to kill ourselves swallowing seawater.)

The boys in front of the two Carnival Ships.
We had such a fantastic time. I highly recommend it. Only next time, it's just me and Tony and no kids or parents!
(Love you mom and dad, and mom!!)

Christmas Eve aka Marina's Birthday!

2011-03-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is Marina. She and Kathleen are best friends, and we love her. Her birthday happens to be on Christmas Eve, and her mother was in Fort Worth with her sister who just had her first baby, so we had Marina to our house for a birthday party.

Kathleen baked the cake.

And fixed her up with lots of cool dinosaur stuff. She really likes dinosaurs.

We love you, Marina!

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Okay. These pictures are out of order, of course. But I'm not redoing them. So just pretend They're in the reverse order.

This is our Christmas Eve tradition of opening one gift, usually pajamas. Okay, Okay. Always pajamas.

During the day Christmas Eve, I put the kids to work making cute little Christmas crafts. These are the finished products.

Even Tony got in on it.

As they were doing this, I was doing prep work for Christmas dinner.
It was a great day.

Blue Angels

2011-03-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

We live very close to an airport and to the Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, and each year, one or both will host an air show. We can sit on our roof and watch the finale, which has been the Blue Angels a few times. The kids and I all get up there, (except Sam, of course) and watch them flying around and over our neighborhood. It's so fun! I love the sound of those jets flying over.

Christmas 2010 - Band concert

2011-01-29T05:12:00.000-08:00

This was Makala's Christmas Band concert. She is playing one of those french horns. I just love the french horn. I love the way it looks and sounds, and she is so good at it! She's decided to go on and be in marching band in high school next year. I'm so excited! Can't wait to go to games and concerts to see her.

The concert was held in the gym and was packed to capacity. We ended up sitting behind the band, which turned out okay since we got to see and hear her better. She turned around really quick for a picture. So cute!

A Grateful Heart

2010-12-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas night. The last two days have been hectic, but among the best I can remember. I have been blessed with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the blessings in my life.

Yesterday was fairly quiet, with the weather as it was, there was no going outside or getting out of the house, so we stayed in, made eggnog, and other preparations for Christmas dinner. The kids sat at the kitchen table and made these cute little Christmas crafts from kits I'd picked up a couple of weeks ago. We watched a movie. They got along. I kept finding myself just watching them and feeling grateful.

Even Tony got in on the action and made an ornament. He played with the kids. We had an impromptu birthday party for Kathleen's friend Marina who turned 18 yesterday. She's another one of our "adopted" kids. We love her.

This morning, of course, we woke to the pitter patter of little feet....pounding up and down the stairs as they ran back and forth reporting to each other that it wasn't time to get up yet, and no, dad was not giving in and getting up. We made hot chocolate and had family prayer before opening presents, and once again I was overcome with gratitude for my life.

The blessing of Christmas, the chance to focus on the birth of the Savior and our gratitude for his life and example for us, even when everything isn't done perfectly, is something I am so grateful for. I find myself wanting to somehow capture this feeling so that I can pull it back out for future use when the stress of "daily life" begins to take over again, and I start to forget....

Run for your Life!

2010-11-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

The boys got to participate in the "fun run" at the cross country meet that our school hosted. It had rained that morning, so the course got VERY muddy.
That didn't stop anyone. Joshua even lost his shoes in one particularly nasty mud hole. My eternal thanks to Kellee for going back and getting them for me!

This is Kellee, running with Josh, and carrying his shoes.

Our good friend Caleb, who also runs, was running with Joseph.

Kathleen and her team preparing to run in the district meet.
They did really well.

Kathleen's passion is running. She loves to run cross country and had another great season this year, except for a couple weeks off for hip problems. Now they are gearing up for track season. Keep running, Kathleen!

More Updates

2010-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

This is Sam's favorite chair. It's a bean bag chair that she sits in to watch Mickey Mouse and drink her milk every morning. It's her routine, and it's so funny!

On this day, she decided to play with the antenna headband that goes with her Halloween costume. She kept it on for quite a while.

This was superhero day at school.

Kathleen playing with her camera.

Makala playing with her camera. This is her friend, Katie.
They were on a bus to somewhere.

This is Makala with Samantha and Colton. Samantha and Colton have been betrothed since birth. It's all been worked out already.
We've decided it's much easier that way.

Long Time, No Write

2010-11-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I finally got around to moving the pictures from my phone onto the computer. So here they are, in no particular order. Above, Sam, in her favorite bean bag chair watching her favorite show (Mickey Mouse) with her favorite blanket.

Joseph and Joshua with a bomb robot at our new fire station's open house.

Sam eating her snack in a laundry basket. Couldn't keep her contained any other way!

Sam discovered the plastic cabinet.

Makala and two of her friends at a band concert last year.

Sam discovered riding in a wagon.

Sam discovered Sadie's crate. (Sam is into discovering things.)

This has been a big year so far for Makala. First, she auditioned and made the all-district musical, "Seussical, Jr.," then she auditioned and made the All-Region Honor Choir, then she auditioned and made the All-District Honor Band. So last week we had:play performance Thursday and Friday night, Choir concert Saturday night, play performance Sunday afternoon, and Band concert Mon. night. She took Tuesday off of school for a much-needed mental health and sleep day! Above is Makala and her friend Katie after the band concert.

These are all the kids from her school that made the Honor Band.

The Band concert with their guest clinician. They spent all day at a nearby high school rehearsing for the concert that night.

Makala at her school's choir concert where she was recognized with all those who made the Honor choir.

Samantha was an adorable little ladybug for Halloween and Makala was an adorable spider witch. (sorry Makala, I know adorable isn't what you were going for, but you were.)

So sweet!

This is from when Makala and the band played at the High School football game.

The boys got to sit in a helicopter at the fire station open house.
More updates to come.......

Wild, WILD West

2010-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

The boys got to spend 4 days, (not nights, dang it) at Cub Scout Camp in June. I went with them the first day. Their very first activity was a shootout at the OK Corral. Here is their whole group for the week. Some of the boys are in our pack and some were from another pack. They were all the same age, though.
They're getting their instructions. Don't they look excited?

Soaking wet and ready for anything.

Decorating flags for the walking stick.

Hitting the water slide.

(Joe in the hat)
Making their Indian-excuse me-Native American vests, with some help from Dorian Cook. He's a red shirt, helping out.

(Josh)

The boys had a great week, with archery, BB shooting, making rubber band shooters, (wonder who came up with that one?), and lots more fun stuff. This was their last year to go as cubs. Next year, they will go as red shirts and help out like Dorian.
My how they've grown!!

Sorry, Mom!

2010-08-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Sam and Jackson

Enough of this crawling stuff, my knees hurt.

Okay, Mom, before you say it, Yes, these pictures are all of Samantha. I took them pretty much all at the same time and the other kids were all long gone. (You can catch a couple of them in the background if you look carefully for camo swim trunks.) They never came back...really...except to forage for food. And once I put the camera away, that's all she wrote. Not enough memory cells left to remember to pull it out again.

But I still had to post this because this was the day she really decided to start walking. Because the deck surface was rough, so she figured out pretty quick that it didn't hurt her feet as much as her knees. After that day at the pool, she was off and running...Literally.

My friend Jami and I took my kids, her kids, my cousin's kids and a couple of another friend's kids to this awesome water park in Valley Ranch. Yes, Jami and I and TWELVE kids. And you were wondering why my brain cells were diminishing. I have to say though, the kids were FABULOUS. Not a single problem, no one drowned, we took lots of food, and they ate it...all of it.

It was a great day.

WOW!

2010-08-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

My first harvest!

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted! I feel like a failure as a mom! Not really, just awfully busy. Then you think, "I need to update the blog, but there's so much to update, it would take forever, so I'll do it later." Then it just keeps adding up! Well, a little at a time, then. First of all, for Mother's Day I got just what I wanted. A garden! Some friends of ours do the square foot gardening, and one couple gave us a frame that they had made but weren't going to use. So I spent Mother's Day afternoon filling it up and planting my stuff! I was so excited to see my abundant harvest. Fast forward a couple of months. My corn never got over 2 feet tall and never produced, my squash all dried up and blew away, my tomatoes didn't grow, my peppers produced, although I think I must have mistakenly bought the miniature variety, because each one was only about a mouthful. My okra plants went nuts and I got to try my hand at home grown fried okra. Not too bad. I did get a few cucumbers and a couple of banana peppers. All in all, not too bad for my first attempt. And much to Tony's chagrin, I will keep trying!

New Webelos Scouts

2010-06-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Joseph and Joshua and three other boys in their den earned their Webelos Badges over the past few months. They have been working so hard. They have wonderful den leaders who work with them and teach them. We are so proud of them! I can't believe they are almost finished with Cub Scouts.
Next stop: Arrow of Light!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!

2010-06-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

May 13th, 2010 - Samantha's first Birthday. We had a party planned for Saturday, but made cupcakes and sang to her on Thurs, her actual birthday, too.

She REALLY enjoyed the cupcake.

She had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party, because for several months, from the time she was about 4 months old, until she was about 10 months, that was her favorite show. She was fascinated every time it came on, and would just sit and watch it. (Then she got really mobile, and no longer had time for TV. Dang it!)

We even invited Minnie Mouse (AKA Makala) to the party!
Thanks for the use of the costume, Karen!

Her big sister, Jaynie, brought her an adorable little tent to play in. She loves it!

Kathleen put together a slide show set to music of all of the pictures we had of her first year. It was awesome! Everyone sat and watched it.

Our good friends, the Cooks, (with Sam's future husband, Colton) came to celebrate with us. That's Sam's nephew, Braiden, in the front.

Eating a cookie!

Opening presents. She wasn't terribly interested in this part. She got some absolutely adorable dresses and outfits.

The Cooks brought her this beautiful blue and white dress.
She looks like a princess in it!

A trike from the McClellans!

And her very own Toodles cake.
What a mess!!!

This was Toodles before.

Make a wish!

Her Aunt Robin made the cake. She did an AWESOME job!!
I felt guilty for letting anyone eat it.

This is all that was left.
It sure was good!

I can't believe our sweet little Sam has already been with us a year. It seems like just yesterday we found out she was coming. There are no words for the blessing she has been in our family. For all of the shock and surprise of her coming, we can't even imagine life without her. Heavenly Father blesses us in some unexpected ways, and I thank Him every day for this sweet spirit that has already brought us so much joy.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!

Look out world, we have a driver!

2010-05-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

This is Kathleen, the first time she took her dad driving.

And this is her dad.
Need I say more?
Actually, she is a pretty good driver, so far. She makes the normal mistakes, but not anything terribly life-threatening so far, and she seems to have a good instinct for what to do and what not to. She has a healthy fear of the road and the other cars, which I think is better than the opposite, no fear at all. I think by the time she gets her license next February, she'll have plenty of experience under her belt. I might even let her drive by herself. To school. Across the street. There's only one problem.
I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A TEENAGE DRIVER!!!

Easter 2010

2010-04-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize Sam's first memory of the Easter Bunny was thinking she might by suffocated. (It really only looks that way, she didn't seem to mind.)

Yes, the boys are too old, but isn't he a cute Bunny??

I love this picture. Is she cute or what????

Braiden and Elizabeth, our adorable grandkids.
(Yes, I said grandkids.)

All the kids watching Chipmunks: the Squeakquel.
(The Easter Bunny brought it.)

Jaynie and Rick.
(Parents of those adorable grandkids.)

Easter was really nice. It was General Conference weekend, so no Church. Just a relaxing day of watching conference and going to Granny and Grandpa's house for dinner. The kids got new towels for the pool this summer and a little bit of candy. We try not to go overboard. (The Easter Bunny isn't paying the dentist bills!)
(Well, come to think of it, I guess he is.)
Okay, kids, next year the Easter Bunny is only bringing fruit!

Long time, No post

2010-04-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a little while since we've posted. Things have been a little hectic around here! I haven't even uploaded the pictures from my camera into the computer yet. Oh, and then there's the issue of getting pictures from my new phone into the computer. Yeah, not sure when that will happen.

Makala turned the big 13 on March 26th. The day after I turned the big you-don't-want-to-know. She had a great party, a "top secret" scavenger hunt at the mall with some of her closest friends. She also had a FABULOUS cake made by her oh-so-talented Aunt Robin. (Pictures to be posted soon.) Then she came down with a HORRENDOUS kidney infection that kept her glued to the couch for 4 days straight.

Then Joseph told me his "stomach" was hurting in a weird spot, so I checked it out. Low and behold, our little Joseph has a hernia and will soon be making his FOURTH trip to the hospital in his short 10 1/2 years. Need to have it fixed, the doctor says. Well, yeah!!

My scoping business has picked up quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. It seems to be feast or famine in this business, so when it's busy, nothing else seems to get done. I'll try to update a little more often. Even if it's just a few lines. This is our Family History after all!

What a Sweetheart

2010-03-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

This year for Valentine's Day, Tony went and got all of the girls in the family a red rose corsage to wear to Church. He even got a tiny one for Samantha! It was so cute. Grandma Sherril was here that weekend, so he got her one too.
What a sweet guy.

RECORD SNOW!

2010-02-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

We received almost 12 inches of snow on Thurs. Feb 11th, 2010. It was a record. School was let out early on Thurs, and cancelled on Friday. The kids had a great time. How often do they get to play in a foot of snow? They even made snow ice cream. I wasn't terribly impressed, but they were.

Our house.

Makala and her friend, Lindee, worked hard on their snowman.

Sadie had a few snowballs of her own.

The kids were challenged to a snowball fight by our great friend and neighbor, Nick, and his boys, Porter and Wyatt.

Tony's truck was covered.

The Birthday Girl

2010-02-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

Such a beautiful young woman.

Two days before her actual birthday, Kathleen was treated to a trip to the eye doctor's and a fitting for her first pair of contact lenses. She was SO excited. Then, she was wisked away by our dear friend and neighbor, Jami, for lunch and a trip to the nail salon for her first set of acrylic nails. Even MORE excited. Then, thankfully an hour behind schedule, she arrived home to find about 15 of her friends waiting to surprise her with a party. They had a great time, and I didn't realize how much a bunch of teenagers could really eat! She received some great gifts, including a pink bow complete with arrows, (look out boys!) and quite a wad of cash. On the day of her actual birthday, the mailman brought the info she needed to get started with her driver's ed program. And as of Feb. 17th, she has her official learner's permit. LET THE GREY HAIR BEGIN!

More Pics of the Princess

2010-02-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Daddy's Girl

Chasing Sadie

Figured out how to pull herself up on the little footstool.
Yes, Sadie, we love you, too.

Sadie is patiently waiting....

For Sam to drop this.

Hey, check me out!

Already checking out the doggie door.

First experience with finger foods.

And she's off!

Still loves watching Mickey Mouse.

And loves to play in the water. Any water.

Watching Sadie chase the laser light.
She laughed at that, and the boys love to make her laugh.

Yes, Sadie, we love you, too.

Back when she was just getting good at sitting up on her own.

It's hard to believe she is nine months old already. What an amazing nine months it's been. Her check-up went well, except that she had her first official illness. A double ear infection. First round of antibiotics. Other than that though, she's doing fantastic. Weight:16lbs12oz Height:27 1/2 inches
And she has built up some amazing speed in the not quite 3 weeks since she figured out the crawling thing. When she figures out the walking thing, we are in for it!

Update

2010-02-08T19:26:00.001-08:00

Sadie was worn out.

Sam has discovered crackers.

Makala with Samantha and Zoe. Zoe comes over on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She is a doll.

Joshua and Joseph earned their Religious Square Knot awards in Cub Scouts.

Kathleen was all dressed up for the "Winter Ball" stake dance in January.
She had a great time.
As you can see, life has been pretty busy in the Williams household. Always something going on. Makala starts up with tennis again next week. She just played in an ensemble for a band contest this past Saturday, and her group received a first division rating. The best you can get. She definitely has a gift for music. She also stays busy with babysitting. She has a gift for that too, so she is learning how to save and budget. All the kids are earning their own money for summer camps this year. Thank Goodness!
Kathleen would be starting track season, however, back in November, she started complaining of her knee hurting. The first doctor said it was bursitis, the second one, (6 weeks later) said it was a stress fracture. So no running for her for a while. She can just now start slowly building back up. Very frustrating for her.
The boys keep us on our toes, with Cub Scouts and school activities.
And Samantha is MOBILE. She started crawling about two weeks ago, and there is no stopping her now! She is a fast little bugger! We are going to have to figure out how to contain her, at least some of the time. She also is already trying to pull herself up on things. So far, just on the little stool, but it won't be long. She is dying to get up and keep up with her big brothers. She is already chasing the dog. Poor Sadie doesn't know what to think. Never a dull moment.

Sidetracked

2010-02-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

We all know that women are great at multi-tasking, thereby getting a lot more done in a short amount of time. Well, I stayed home from Church today with a sick baby, and the intention of just doing some reading and maybe a little editing for work. Here is approximately 2 hours of the morning inside Shannon's head.

"Samantha is playing on the floor, I'll sit and do some editing and get that job finished up. Wait, I better put something in the crockpot for dinner. I'll just throw in a roast. Oh, I was going to fix Jami's potato soup for dinner. Oh well, roast is already in. Wait, I can fix the soup for lunch! But I was going to make homemade bread to go with the soup. I guess I can make bread now. I'll just make a half-batch. Wait, if I make a full batch, I can give a couple loaves away. I owe Julie one, since she brought us one. I'll make a full batch. Wait, I'll have to re-fill my canisters. I'll have to pull the buckets out of the pantry. Well, as long as I have the buckets out, I might as well pull the other things out and sweep the pantry real quick. It needs it badly. Well, as long as I have it swept, I might as well grab a rag and wipe down the baseboards and the floor. Well, as long as I'm wiping down the baseboards and the floor, I might as well clean the walls around the recycle bin. How did they get so dirty? Oh, I know, I have kids."

So, two hours later, (and mind you, I'm still making bread throughout this whole process) I have 5 loaves of bread rising on the stove, my pantry floor is nice and clean, and the stuff put back, and the mixer is already cleaned and put back, AND I've put Samantha down for a nap and showered! And men wonder what we do all day....

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

Sweet Samantha

The kids were in charge of the decorating this year.

Kathleen's choir concert. This is the only good picture I got!

Opening PJ's on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Morning.

Grandpa and Sadie

Josh and his new ball and glove.

Joseph and Joshua trying on their new shirts from Grandma Sherril. We all got one!

Makala and Samantha

Kathleen and Samantha

Elizabeth and Makala

Joseph, Tony, Jaynie, Kathleen

Elizabeth, Rick, Christopher, Danny

Joshua

Josh and Joe

Christmas Dinner

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, starting with the girls' concerts and ending with a great dinner with our family.

Makala's band and choir concerts were outstanding and Kathleen's choir concert was fabulous. The only picture I got was of Kathleen during the first part of hers. I was able to go caroling with my cub scouts one night, and the kids and I delivered some goodies to friends one night, (while Daddy stayed home with baby Samantha.) Kathleen got to spend some time on Christmas Eve helping to serve lunch at a local soup kitchen, a wonderful experience for her. (And she even still managed to meet a boy. What am I going to do with her???? A nice LDS boy who was also there volunteering.)

We got a white Christmas this year when the snow started falling on Christmas Eve and left us with several inches. The kids were so excited. Tony convinced his parents that they should come over Christmas Eve and stay the night to avoid bad roads on Christmas Day, so they did, and my mom was still here. So we got to have a really nice Christmas Eve dinner and Family Home Evening, complete with singing Christmas carols around the piano. Then we opened the obligatory new pj's before going to bed. I couldn't have asked for better.

Christmas morning brought 4 kids creeping into our room at 5:30 in the morning, (yes, even Kathleen!) We made them wait until 6:00, but then got up and began our Christmas morning melee. They were all very excited and happy with their gifts. The boys were most excited to give Tony and I and his mom and dad their hand-made tie racks and shelves that they made in Cub Scouts. When Samantha woke up, she had plenty of help opening her presents and was pretty excited about the teether that vibrates when you bite on it.

Then, we moved on to our french toast and bacon breakfast, and a relaxing morning watching a movie, and napping before more family arrived for dinner. We had an early dinner, turkey and all the trimmings, with Tony's brother, Danny, and his son, Christopher, and Tony's daughter, Jaynie, and her husband and two children. Then everyone headed for home, and we had a peaceful evening. It was a wonderful Holiday.

I asked the kids to write down what Christmas means to them, and these are some of the answers that I got:

"Christmas is not about the gifts or presents or any of that kind of stuff. It is about sharing and celebrating Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. Family is the greatest gift of all." - Joseph
"On Christmas, that is when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and we can spend time with our friends and family. The candy cane represents the shepherds that saw Jesus. the gifts represent the gifts that the three kings brought Jesus." - Joshua
"At Christmas time, everyone's worried about money and gifts, they forget about what matters most: family. Christmas shouldn't be about gifts, but of Jesus' birth. Christmas time is a time when we are with family and friends, a time of sharing and most of all, giving. I love my family and this holiday season." - Makala.

We are so very thankful for all of our friends and family. We are so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives, and the blessing of our Savior's birth and life. We wish all of you every happiness and blessing in the coming year.

Another Quote of the Day

2009-12-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

We are in the car talking about how we had gotten rid of the trampoline, and the yard is so much bigger now, and how maybe we should get a swingset for Samantha.
Mom: "It's nice not having anything in the back yard, it's nice and clean....with just the poop." (dog poop, that is)
Makala: "Oh, yeah, because poop is so much nicer than a swingset!"
Once again, mom is cracking up.

Quote of the Day

2009-12-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

Joseph has a camo sweatshirt jacket with a hood that he has been wearing pretty much non-stop lately, with the hood up. I was giving him a hard time this morning, telling him to take off the hood, because I couldn't see him. He took it off, then put it back on.
Mom: "Joseph, take your hood down."
Joshua: "Off with your hood!"
Mom is cracking up!!

"Purse"uit of Excellence

2009-11-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

Our Ward Young Women had their YW in Excellence Program a couple of weeks ago. The theme centered around purses. It was so cute! They even had a cake shaped like a purse for dessert. The girls all sang a beautiful song, and there were a couple of wonderful speakers. Each of the girls displayed a project that they have completed or that they're working on. It was a great evening. We are very proud of our girls. They are working so hard, and they are so busy! They can both do anything they put their minds to. I am so thankful that they have such a desire to choose the right, and stick to their standards. They are turning into such beautiful young women, inside and out. We love you girls!

We are blessed to have an awesome group of young women in our Ward. Our girls have lots of great friends. We are also very thankful for their wonderful leaders. They have no idea how important they are to us and our girls. Thank you all!

Veteran's Day

2009-11-30T19:06:00.001-08:00

Josh Joe
Joshua and Joseph and some of the boys from their Cub Scout pack had the privilege of raising the Colors at the Ceremony held outside their school on Veteran's Day. Granny and Grandpa Williams were able to come, along with some other visitors. The Veterans in the audience were recognized and thanked for their service. The Scouts did an outstanding job.
They were asked to do it after their pack had the opportunity to post the Colors at the dedication ceremony for their new school, Clara Love Elementary. This is the first year for this school that was built in our neighborhood. They did an outstanding job that night also. We are so proud of them! Josh and Joe are Webelos now, their last year as Cub Scouts. They have had so much fun and learned so much. We are so proud of them!

Practicing before the Ceremony.

A few last-minute instructions.

Raising the Colors.

Saluting the Colors.

The scouts from Pack 352 who attend Clara Love Elementary.

More shots of raising the Colors.

It was a beautiful day.

After they raised the Colors, the combined 4th and 5th grades sang some patriotic songs. The same ones that they sang for the PTA program the night before.

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!

4th Grade Program

2009-11-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

The fourth and fifth grades did a patriotic program for the PTA meeting the night before Veteran's Day. They sang the National Anthem and "You're a Grand Ol' Flag." They did a great job. I'm so glad that they are teaching the kids the National Anthem. I feel like it's not important enough to our kids. (and to a lot of people!) I am so thankful that we are fortunate enough to live in this wonderful country. Even with all of it's problems, it's still the greatest country on earth. I am so thankful for the men and women who have served and continue to serve to keep it that way.
God Bless America.

Don't Shoot!

2009-11-24T08:41:00.001-08:00

Kathleen, Caleb, Megan, and Jonathan

The morning of the campout, after breakfast, was the annual "Turkey Shoot", although it really had nothing to do with turkeys. It was just a chance for all the "big boys" to bring their toys and play for awhile. And boy, did they have fun! Some of the girls even got in on the action.

Kathleen's first time shooting. She was actually a pretty good shot! SCARY!

The boys had a great time. It was fun to see them with their dad like that. We definitely need to do things like that more often.

A Camping We Will Go

2009-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

We had our Ward Campout the first weekend in November. Samantha's first campout. She did great! We all had a good time. It was nice to be out with our friends. The kids had a ball, hiking and playing football, and playing capture the flag, in the dark. That idea was not without consequences. Luckily, they all made it through relatively unscathed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

2009-11-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm behind again. I have several things to post but not enough time at one time to do it. So, We're going to be out of order for awhile as I'm just going to post one thing at a time once in a while. First, yesterday was Tony's Birthday! It was a pretty calm day, just the way he likes it. We made cupcakes and went to Church, and I am taking him out for a steak tonight. His favorite meal. He already got his present about a month ago, and he LOVED it.

Here he is with his cupcake and his family. We LOVE you Daddy!

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK

2009-10-21T07:09:00.001-07:00

We were running again this past weekend. Kathleen had her last regular cross country meet. It was in Lewisville. They got to run along the lake. It was a beautiful day. She did really well, but hasn't hit her goal of getting under 14 minutes yet. They go to the district meet in Denton on Thursday, the 29th. She spent all afternoon helping out with the All-Region Auditions at the middle school, and then that night was the Stake Dance. Busy day for her!

Makala spent the entire day at her school. They had auditions for the All-Region Choir and her school was hosting. So, not only did she work extremely hard for the past several weeks to audition, she also spent two days helping her director get set up and run it. Her director said she was indispensable. Her director also said, as far as her singing, that she has improved as much in the past month as most girls do in a year. When results came out, Makala had made 2nd Alternate. Quite a feat for a 7th grader, as most of the kids who make it in are usually 8th graders. Now, if two kids in the choir just get sick . . . . .

The boys spent the morning at the Church with our friend Jami. It was Primary's turn to clean the chapel, and then they had practice for the Primary Program, and a Primary Birthday Party. They boys got to help out a lot. Sunday was the Primary Program, and all the kids (and teachers) did a fantastic job.

All in all it was a great weekend, but sometimes I think Tony has it easy by having to work and not be at home for it all! Just kidding, I know he misses being able to be involved. (He did make it to the tennis match.)

Monday afternoon was a tennis match for Makala. She actually played three matches. One mixed doubles, one singles, and one women's doubles. She lost the first two and won the last one, the women's doubles. She played really well and we are very proud of her!

Tuesday night was Cub Scouts for the boys. They had a pre-Halloween party. They bobbed for apples, and ate donuts off of a string, and got their faces painted, and made trick-or-treat bags. They had a great time. Since I'm a Cub Scout leader, I went with them. Tony got to go to Kathleen's first High School Choir Concert. It was also Tuesday night. He said they sounded really good. Kathleen is in the Varsity Choir, which has only 4 freshmen in it. The rest of them are in the Beginner choir. It was based on auditions. Both of our (older) girls have beautiful voices. So far, the littlest one just has some REALLY good lungs!

The rest of the week is just as busy. Kathleen and Makala have Young Women's at the church tonight, then the missionaries are coming for dinner tomorrow night. (What am I going to make?) Then the ward trunk-or-treat is Friday evening. Grandma Sherril and Robin and Laura are coming for the weekend, too. But hopefully, we can just sit around and visit and relax. No big plans for this weekend. THANK GOODNESS!!!

Another CC Meet

2009-10-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Kathleen had a great race today, although she didn't improve her time, she still came in 13th out of 80 or 90 girls. This is Kathleen with her friends from Church who also run, Jonathan, Kathleen, Reagan, and Caleb. They all did a great job. Only one more meet before the District Meet. We are hoping to make it to Regionals!

Report Card Time!

2009-10-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note about report cards. We are so lucky to have such smart kids and such hard workers! All four kids got A's and B's, two of them were 3 points or less from having straight A's!! Way to go everyone! GREAT JOB!

More Baby Pix

2009-10-08T11:36:00.001-07:00

time to take a snooze

playing with Joseph's stuffed dinosaur

Round Rock

2009-10-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Kathleen earned a spot on the varsity cross country team that went on an overnight trip to Round Rock, TX, (near Austin) for a meet. She had a great time, as you can see. We are very proud of her. She's not sure exactly where she placed, (there were over 400 girls in her race) but she took another 10 seconds off of her previous time.

Tennis Star

2009-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Makala had her first tennis match a couple of weeks ago. She played two matches, both doubles. They lost the first one but won the second one. WAY TO GO MAKALA!!!
This is Makala and her friend Heather after her first match.

The Gift of Music

2009-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Makala is in Band again this year. They got the opportunity to play at one of the Middle School football games yesterday. They had a lot of fun. Originally, she was playing the french horn, but her director asked her to give the tuba a try, because they needed more of them. She tried it, but decided she wanted to go back to the french horn. But first, her director had to show everyone how much better the tuba section was with her, than without her. He made them play with her, and without her and then with her, and without her again, just to prove how good she was at it. Yeah, she stayed with the tubas. Her director made a point to tell me how impressed she is that Makala made the jump so easily, and how quickly she picked it up. Kathleen and I went to the game. They really did sound awesome. Way to go, Makala!

Run, Kathleen, Run!

2009-09-23T13:30:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday was another Cross Country Meet for Kathleen. This time, it was hosted by our school, so guess who got to spend the morning volunteering? It was at UNT in Denton. The kids did a great job. There is an overnight trip to Round Rock for a big meet on October 3, and only the top 14 boys and 14 girls get to go, and this meet at UNT was the deciding meet for that. Kathleen's goal was to make it into the top 14, and she did. In fact, she came in 10th out of 236 girls running the JV race. She ran her best time so far. We are so proud of her!

On your mark. . . get set . . .

GO!!!!!

Resting afterwards, with a little TLC from Josh.

At the end of the meet, they had a one-mile fun run for all the kids. Our CC team ran with them. Joseph and Joshua had a great time.

Kathleen ran with them the whole way.

They each got a medal. Kathleen got one for her 10th place finish, too!

THE FINISH LINE

4 months old

2009-09-23T13:21:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little Samantha is 4 months old already! I can't believe it. She is turning over from front to back, and grabbing for things and smiling a lot more, and even laughing a little bit. She is a joy to have around.

This is her first attempt at cereal. More came out than went down, of course, but it was a good first try.

This is Sam in her swing watching Mickey Mouse. She loves it!

Lots of Updates

2009-09-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I have put quite a few updates on here. Things have been pretty busy with school starting. Seminary, Cross Country, Tennis, High School Choir, Middle School Choir, Middle School Band, Cub Scouts, Young Women, not to mention work for Tony and my new work-from-home job. I am a scopist. Basically, it is proof-reading and editing for court reporters. I enjoy it, and it allows me to stay at home with Samantha. Hope everyone is well. Enjoy!

Mom and Dad

2009-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

This is my mom and dad on their 35th wedding anniversary, February 1, 2004. We went out to dinner and dancing at a local country restaurant. We had a great time. Dad passed away in February of 2007. We miss him terribly. The boys still talk about him a lot. We love you, Dad!

Trip to Grandma's

2009-09-09T15:47:00.001-07:00

One of the things the kids decided to do while we were at Grandma Sherril's house in Marlow was to bury a time capsule. They found an old trunk of Grandpa Bob's and found things that reminded them of him and things that they liked and put them in the trunk. Then they proceeded to dig a hole in the middle of Grandma's backyard. We were a little worried that the neighbors were going to think they were burying a body out there. When they got tired of digging and it still wasn't deep enough for the trunk, we convinced them to find something a little smaller to bury instead. Dad helped them find a plastic box that they could use. I'm glad Grandma didn't mind that they dug up her yard. I'm sure Grandpa Bob would have had something to say about it!

They had Makala take a picture of them with "Ol' Blue" to put in the time capsule.

Mom's washing machine had been leaking just a little, so while we were there, Tony looked at it to see if it could be fixed. While I held it up, he was looking underneath. Sadie was helping. (Actually she was chasing the light from the flashlight he was using!)

Kathleen's First Cross Country Meet

2009-09-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Kathleen at 5:30 am, ready to go to her first meet. She was a little nervous!

Getting ready to run.

Kathleen did a great job at her first meet. She also had a lot of fun. It was in Dallas, near White Rock Lake. I drove over there with the baby to see her run. It was fun. Her second meet was this past Saturday in Plano. She came in 53rd out of over 200 runners. Her coach thinks she will be able to make the varsity team as a freshman. The varsity team is made up of the top 7 runners and time trials are every week. So each week, she has the chance to make the varsity team for that week. Not many freshman have done it. Go Kathleen!

First Day of School!

2009-09-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

Makala's first day of Seventh Grade.

Joseph and Joshua ready to go to fourth grade.

Kathleen (the big, bad Freshman in HIGH SCHOOL) and the boys at 6:15 AM. Kathleen has cross country practice before school, so she was dressed for that. She leaves the house now at 5:30 to be at Seminary at 5:45, then gets picked up from there at 6:30 to be at school for cross country practice. Makala has to be at school at 7:15 for tennis practice before school. They are both in choir and Makala is also in band. They are so busy! We are constantly running somewhere. Luckily, we have a carpool going with the other seminary/cross country parents. That certainly makes life easier. Things are busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. (Now Tony, on the other hand . . .)

Cub Scouts

2009-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Receiving awards at September Pack Meeting from their cub master, Sis. Frandsen.

Joseph receiving awards from camp at August Pack Meeting

Joshua

Joshua with another friend, Sam.

Folding the flag

Part of the pack

Joshua with his Denner's ropes. He was the Denner for July and August. Joseph is the Denner for September. The Denner is a scout who is the helper. He helps lead the den meetings. They have two great den leaders. They have been working really hard and are enjoying scouts. They will both be advancing from the Bear Den to the Webelo Den next month. We are so proud of them!

New Baby Pix

2009-09-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Look! A smile!

Hangin' out in the exersaucer that Karen and Cam loaned us. thanks guys!

Daddy giving me a bottle. I wasn't too impressed at first.

Just snoozin'

I can't believe how big she's getting. It's hard to believe she's almost 4 months. Some days it still seems odd that we even have a baby again! I know, I'm crazy. But when you've been without one for 9 years, well, it takes a little getting used to. However, most days, she does not let me forget she's here. At least she sleeps all night. Somebody must have known that at my age, I need all the sleep I can get!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-09-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

As we were driving to Church one day, I was talking with the boys about citizenship, (one of the topics in their cub scout book.) We were talking about people who help our communities and country. After a few minutes, the conversation took an interesting turn:

Mom: What about the President? Does he help the country?
Josh: Not this one.
Mom: Why not?
Josh: Because he's a Democrat.

Is that my boy or what?

Summer Fun

2009-07-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Samantha's first time in the pool.

We spent a day at Karen and Cameron's house playing in the pool. We had such a great time. I remember sitting in a chair by the pool rocking the baby and watching everyone and thinking that life does not get much better than this. I am so thankful for my family. I have the greatest husband and kids and sometimes just can't believe how blessed I am. We love you Karen and Cam!

4th of July

2009-07-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

Either Josh or Joe

Logan Wood with his really big fish!

We got to spend the 4th of July in Marlow with our very dear friends, Bobby and Larissa Wood and their family. We have known them for 15 years and now we have 9 kids between us! It was a zoo, but it was fun. We had a great time. Tony needed a haircut, so Bobby decided to do the honors. They took the kids fishing one morning. Gideon, their youngest, caught the biggest fish. Our fireworks got rained out, but the kids decided that playing in the rain was a great consolation prize. Of course we had to catch up on some WAHOO, and we also learned a new game, "Settlers of Catan". It won't be so long before we do that again!

More Baby Pix

2009-07-20T04:49:00.000-07:00

Takin' a snooze

Check out my bunny pajamas!

Rockin' with mom

I look like a frog!

Goin' Batty

2009-07-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

The kids made a fascinating discovery at grandma's house. They found a bat hanging on a tree trunk. It was very small. About as long as my finger. Actually pretty cute. It stayed there all day, but was gone the next morning.

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

June 29th was Robin's birthday.
I can't believe my BABY sister is 25!! Happy Birthday Rob!

LUAU!!!

2009-07-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Sam and Laura

Roy and Cameron

Kathleen and Robin

Mom and Aunt Marsha and Viki

Kathleen and her friend, Courtney

We had a Luau the weekend before the 4th in Oklahoma. Robin and Roy hosted it and did a great job. We had shish-k-bobs and Hawaiian chicken and swam. It was a blast. Thanks guys!

Daddy's Day

2009-06-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Dad got a shirt and his favorite, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

Josh made him a frame at school. He was so excited to give it to him.

Samantha wore the new ivory velvet dress to Church that Grandma Sherril bought for her. She looked so beautiful.

Dad and his boys right after Church. No, the matching clothes were not planned.

Tony had a pretty good Father's Day, I think. His favorite breakfast, gifts, including his favorite no-bake cookies, then his favorite dinner, steak and fried squash. Who wouldn't be happy?

Kathleen's Dance

2009-06-23T18:36:00.001-07:00

This is Kathleen last Saturday on her way out the door to go to the Stake Etiquette Dinner and youth dance. Didn't she look great? It took me 45 minutes to curl her hair! I can't believe I have a daughter old enough to go to Stake Dances. (Not to mention one who can't even hold her head up yet!)

Girls' Camp Adventures

2009-06-18T08:37:00.001-07:00

On the way home, the van pulled over to help another car, and got stuck in the mud. All the girls got together and pushed it out!

They made cinnamon rolls in a cardboard box. Kathleen was so proud.

This was Makala's first year to go to camp, and Kathleen's third. They both had a great time and, miraculously, did not kill each other.

2009-06-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our Beautiful Girl

Samantha with the Blessing Blanket that Aunt Sherry made. She is wearing the same Blessing Gown that mommy made 14 years ago, and that both of her big sisters wore.

All those who assisted in Samantha's Blessing: Carl Funk (home teacher), Nick McClellan (friend and neighbor), Grandpa Williams, Daddy, Bishop Krueger, Uncle Johnny (Not Pictured - Justin Cook (home teacher)

Our five kids plus Tony's oldest daughter, Jaynie, and her two kids, Ellie and Braiden.
WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR OUR FAMILY!

Family Fatality

2009-06-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Tony is trying to take it apart enough to get it back over the fence.

This is our neighbor's yard where it landed. The fence was unharmed. The bottles of paint sitting on the doghouse - never moved an inch!

We had a really bad storm blow through on Wednesday night. The wind was BAD! We were looking out our back windows and watching the wind blow against our trampoline enclosure. It was pushing the whole thing up against the fence. I was worried the fence was going to give. I looked away for a second and looked back and the trampoline was GONE. It had blown completely over the fence into our neighbor's yard. It wasn't in very good shape. Tony is going to try to revive it, but it may be a lost cause. Luckily that is the only injury from the storm!

Awesome Towel!

2009-06-12T07:34:00.001-07:00

This is Samantha wrapped up in Kindra's Awesome Towel. Kindra is a friend of ours whose family moved to Washington about 3 years ago. She always made these hooded towels whenever someone had a baby. So, I decided to have a baby so I could get one!

Great Job!

2009-06-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Joseph and Joshua and their awards

Joshua and Mrs. Tanos

Joshua receiving medal for perfect attendance

Joseph and Joshua receiving ribbons

We are so proud of our boys! They had their 3rd grade Awards Assembly at school today and got lots of awards. Joseph got ribbons for Perfect Attendance for the last 6 weeks, Personal Best Award, (that's for the kids that improved their grade by at least 5 points in at least one subject) and Honor Roll for the last 6 weeks. Joshua got the Personal Best Award also, plus a medal for Perfect Attendance for the entire year, and the Young Artist Award for his class, (given by the art teacher). Joshua has had the same teacher for 2nd and 3rd grade and we will miss her when they move to the new school next year. They have both had a great year. We know they will work just as hard in 4th grade!

New Baby Pics

2009-06-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Trying to sleep, mommy!

All dressed up for first day at Church

Watching TV with Daddy

Such a big yawn!

Sleeping in the cradle Grandpa Williams made

More Baby Pics

2009-06-01T12:15:00.001-07:00

Not too happy . . .

Back to sleep

Daddy's little girl

Chillin' in the bouncy seat

Choir Concert

2009-06-01T12:05:00.001-07:00

The girls had their Spring Choir Concert last Thursday. They did an awesome job. Kathleen played the piano as part of the prelude music, and she had a solo in one of her choir's numbers, "In My Daughter's Eyes". Of course, I cried. Makala's choir sang "Shenandoah" and a number from High School Musical, complete with choreography. They did such a great job. I am so proud of them. They are pictured with their choir director, Mrs. Hughes.

Our Talented Girls

2009-05-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our girls! In this case, our two oldest. They participated in a choir solo and ensemble contest a couple of weeks ago. Makala sang a solo, just one-on-one with a judge and the pianist (and Kathleen got to watch too). That would scare me to death! Anyway, not only did she get a 1st division rating, which is the best, she also got an outstanding soloist, which is the best of the best! She also sang in an ensemble which is a small group of girls and they also got an outstanding. So she earned two medals for the 1st divisions and two trophies for the outstanding ratings! Even Kathleen had to admit after her solo that she is REALLY good. Also, Kathleen participated in a duet with a friend of hers, they also got 1st division and outstanding ensemble. Plus, another ensemble with several girls, and they got a 1st division. We are really proud of their talent and willingness to participate in things like this that test their abilities. Great job, girls! (I'll have to post pictures when they get their trophies)

SHE'S HERE!!!

2009-05-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, she has finally arrived, after much anticipation, (as well as trepidation). Samantha Beth arrived at 11:33 on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, weighing in at 7lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. She is absolutely perfect. The whole family is head-over-heels in love with her. Her arrival was much easier than I had even dared to hope, thank goodness! And, since it's been 9 1/2 years since the last time, so this is almost like the first time all over again, you all get to put up with LOTS of baby pictures! And thank you all so much for all the prayers and good wishes!

Easter

2009-04-27T04:40:00.001-07:00

Well, Better late than never. We only took a few pictures of Easter this year. This was the night before, when the grandkids were here. We had to have an "Easter Hunt" for them. Braiden said he was really good at those. Ellie had a good time looking for eggs, especially when she figured out there was something inside!

Baby's First Haircut

2009-04-09T05:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we took Sadie to Petsmart for her first ever grooming. She wasn't too happy when she got home, but she looks so cute! No more Grinch Feet! Everyone in the family was amazed at how different she looks, and we LOVE the bows. Of course, they didn't last very long. As you can tell, she is part of the family and we love her dearly.

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace

2009-04-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

The boys has a great opportunity to go to a special Karate Seminar with Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. I know, I hadn't heard of him either. He is a World Champion in karate several times over in different events. He has been in several movies, including some with Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, and John Belushi. He did a seminar for Red Tiger Karate students on April 1, so Tony and I took the boys. They had a great time. He was so funny! He was so good with the kids, they loved it. Then he autographed some pictures for them and took pictures. It was a really fun evening.

Makala's Birthday

2009-04-07T08:23:00.001-07:00

Makala's Birthday was March 26, but got spread out over 4 days. Not intentionally, it just kind of worked out that way. She didn't complain! She got to open presents from us on Thursday, her birthday, then Aunt Robin came down on Friday and brought her another gift from Grandma Sherril, who couldn't come because she was so sick. Then Granny and Grandpa came on Saturday and brought a gift, and went to dinner with us at Golden Corral, (Makala's choice), then we were so full from dinner that we didn't do cake and ice cream until Sunday! Hope she didn't mind having a 4 day birthday!

Pinewood Derby

2009-03-26T04:55:00.001-07:00

Tuesday night was our Cub Scout Pack's Pinewood Derby. The boys and Tony were very excited. The boys did great. Joshua built a batmobile, and Joseph built a dragster. Joshua got the award for best superhero car and Joseph got the award for best use of unique material because he added the extra pipes and engine. They had a great time, and are already planning for next year!

Makala's Surprise

2009-03-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

Makala was surprised last night when some of the Beehives and their leader, Sis. Erekson, showed up to kidnap her for a surprise birthday party and welcome to Young Women. She was very excited and can't wait to turn 12 this thursday and be an official Beehive.

A Big Day!

2009-03-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Last Thursay, the 12th, was a big day for all of the kids. First, Kathleen went to UIL choir competition with the 8th grade Women's Select Choir from her school and they received a first division for their stage performance, the highest you can earn, and a first in their school's history. They were so excited. Then Makala was chosen for both the Honor Band and Choir for 6th grade. They participated in a concert for 5th grade roundup, which is where all the 5th graders and their parents were invited to learn about the Junior High and all the activities that are available. She did a great job, she is currently second chair in the French Horn section in band, and is looking forward to next year. Then, to finish off the day, the boys had karate class and were promoted to yellow belt. The boys are pictured with their instructor, Ms. Kyle, who is also a twin. They really like her. We are so proud of all of them!

Our Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

These are the roses that Tony had sent to my office on the Thursday before Valentine's Day. Aren't they beautiful? He only had them sent to my office to make the other girls jealous. And it worked! He is so sweet sometimes. The other things are what we got for the kids for Valentine's Day. They were excited. I'm kind of surprised Tony would want to buy me anything right now, I've been so hormonal lately! Everyone around here walks on eggshells most of the time. Sorry guys! I love you! Only 3 more months to go! And then I won't be the only one crying around here all the time!

Our Cute Puppy!

2009-02-13T15:22:00.001-08:00

I figured I had to add some pictures of the youngest member of the family, (so far). This is Sadie. She is half cocker spaniel and half shit-tzu. She is the cutest thing ever! We absolutely ADORE her. Our family would be lost without her. We have so much fun with her, especially when we get out the red laser light. She will chase it for hours. She loves to go outside with the kids, and go for rides in the car. And she hates baths! After a bath, we are usually more wet than she is! We have had her since she was 8 weeks. She will be 2 years old in June and we can't imagine life without her.

Kathleen is a runner!

2009-02-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is Kathleen at one of her recent Cross Country Meets. She had a great year, improving her personal best time every time she ran. Her team made it to the Meet of Champions where the top teams in the district compete, and placed 1st on her team and 39th overall. She loves to run and we are so proud of her!

New Beginnings

2009-01-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

Our Ward Young Women had their New Beginnings program last night. It was very nice, and Makala was invited as were the other girls who will be turning 12 sometime this year. She is beyond excited to be turning 12 and moving out of Primary and into Young Women. Kathleen is turning 14 on Sunday, and is beyond excited to move up into Mia-Maids and out of Beehives, (just in time for Makala to move into Beehives, no connection there, right?) She is also counting the days until her first Stake Dance. (Little does she know that we were planning on going so we can keep an eye on her.) Anyway, she was the pianist for the program last night, and did so well, we are so impressed, because she doesn't take lessons, she has just basically taught herself. She also sang in a special song that they put together. She and Makala both have beautiful voices. We are so very proud of our Young Women! The other picture is of the girls with Sis. Erekson, our Beehive leader. She is losing one Williams, and gaining another. We love you, Sis. Erekson!

Karate Kids

2009-01-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally put the boys in karate. We have wanted to do it for a long time, just didn't have the time, or the money, or a good location. But we were finally able to do it, because there is a team that is teaching classes at the boys' school gym on Thurs. evenings. The price is really reasonable, and it's a convenient time and place, and so far, they love it. Tonight was their second class, and they have already learned a lot. They are official white belts!

Joshua's Award

2009-01-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Joshua was nominated by his teacher to receive the "Circle of Pride Award" for the 2nd six weeks of school. The awards were given out in December. Each class has 1 person receive the award each six weeks, so it's a pretty big deal. Mom came down and went with the girls and me to the award ceremony at the school. His teacher wrote something about him that the principal read while his teacher was putting the pin on his shirt. We are so proud of him! Here is what his teacher wrote:

Joyful

Optimistic

Sweet

Hardworking

Unique

Awesome

"I am fortunate to have had Joshua in my class for 2nd and 3rd grade. How lucky am I? He is kind, friendly, and caring. Not only is he an excellent role model at school, but he is also very involved in Scouts. His hugs are one thing I look forward to each day." Ms. Tanos, Dec 12, 2008

2009-01-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

2009-01-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

2009-01-09T13:37:00.000-08:00