Williams World

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: December Highlights

2010-01-08T15:04:00.012-07:00

I'm a freak and won't let my kids watch Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving and it stops after New Year's (same way with Christmas music), so when Collin found out it was Christmas time he jumped for joy because he finally would be able to watch Frosty the Snowman.
The primary had a 'Breakfast with Santa' deal and Collin was brave enough to go and sit on Santa's lap so he could ask for what he wanted for Christmas, and what was it that he wanted, you ask? To borrow Adam's (his cousin) Dinosaur movie that has a carnitore in it.
Our ward Christmas party was 'A Night in Bethlehem' and we all had to dress in 'Bible-time' clothes and 'park our donkeys' outside the west gate and be prepared to sit on the floor to eat our bread and cheese because there most likely wouldn't be room in the inn, etc. It was an elaborate and special program--we were so glad we attended.

Jesse's work had a little dinner party at Quarter's BBQ place and it was a super good time. We have come to really love the guys Jesse works with (and their families, too). Seriously good people. Collin must be going through a growth spurt because he out-ate some of the adults, good thing it was an all-you-can-eat deal.

We had a Christmas Eve shin-dig at our house with all kinds of finger foods, sodas, candies, and baby car seats. Yeah, all of the sisters on my side of the family (minus one) had babies this year so it was Baby's 1st Christmas x four. Made it kind of tough to do games and the Nativity story in between all the diapers and feedings, but we made it through and had a delightful time.

Above: Lisa with Max, Sunni with Carson, Samia with London, Anika with Noah

Below: Lucas and Collin as shepherds

And then there was Christmas...I felt so full of joy I could have popped. Sweet Collin got a bike and was more than thrilled, he rode it around the house the entire day. At one point he stopped in the kitchen to tell me, "Heavenly Father blessed me to have a bike." We enjoyed a simple day together and felt overwhelmingly blessed. The next day we packed up and headed down to Cruces for our 'second Christmas' with Jesse's side of the family. More on that later...

It's about time

2009-12-23T04:41:00.009-07:00

Howdy folks! Been a while since I've blogged, aye? We had a rough little patch there a while back and things haven't seemed to slow down. I kept thinking they would and that's when I would update the blog, but it looks like my life has a new speed and I'd better get used to it and learn to function or else. (yeah, good luck to me) It started back in September--I had a 7 week old baby and was trucking along pretty good and then got called as Young Woman president which absolutely floored me. I could compose a nice long blog about how much I have learned, how I love my dear counselors and the sweet girls in our program, how terrified I am to be working with teenagers, etc. But the crazy-life list isn't done--we're still in September when I get the awful news that my Dad has passed away. I can't even type that without getting sick to my stomach. It was...I don't know how to describe how it was (or is), my cursor has been blinking at me forever, I can't seem to find words. It sort of shook my world, it was most unexpected. I don't guess I'm ready to blog much about it, I haven't even been able to finish my journal entry yet. Those feelings are still very tender and I need to be able to function today so I'm not sure I'll take them out right now. I have discovered that deep grief is a little crippling for me and it's sort of scary, I never know when it's going to hit. On a more positive side, I have to say that I have never received so much love and compassion from my friends and family. I think the key word there is 'received' because the love has always been there, it's just that in a situation like this I am so much more aware of it and more welcoming of it. So, to all my sweet family and friends: thank you for always loving me and supporting me, in the past and especially at this time. Now to continue on (yes, there is more) in early November we got some more sad news that Jesse's grandpa (his dad's dad) had died. We felt relief for PaPa that he was finally free of pain and at peace, but also felt such sorrow for his sweet wife and those left behind. We went down to Carlsbad for the service and enjoyed visiting with that side of the family. Goo-oood people and as it turns out, the bunch of us sound really good when we sing together. I was grateful to be a part of the family singing in PaPa's service--it was really beautiful.

So, that's the past few months in a nut-shell. We're working on a Christmas/New Year letter that might actually get done and out to you all before Valentine's Day :) I'll put a few pics up to give some more little updates on our life of late. And before I go, I just have to say that although we've had some tough times lately, we are feeling more blessed than ever. I am so so so so grateful for my Heavenly Father and His Son who I know love me and it is through Their love and power that I am able to get through tough times. And not just 'get through'--I can get through peacefully, even joyfully and that's just what we're doing. So there.

Collin and I had eye exams--he was quite a trooper. I might be getting some glasses pretty soon here. We'll see. Ha! Get it? We'll SEE.

Little Noah-boy has begun rice cereal, he is 5 1/2 months already. Why is it going so fast!?

Thanksgiving kids table, boys: 9 girls: 1

Had Thanksgiving at Su's this year. My mom and her hubby came down because Samia, Su, and Lisa were all having babies in Nov/Dec (all 3 babies have arrived and are healthy, by the way)

My Morning Laugh

2009-09-30T08:46:00.005-06:00

I told Collin he needed to put his shoes on in order to play outside and was pleased to hear him helping Lucas get his shoes on as well. Usually Collin throws his shoes on and runs outside leaving Lucas holding his shoes crying and begging me to put them on for him, so I thought this was pretty cute. Even cuter was what I saw and heard.

Lucas: "uh oh"

Collin: "it's OK"

Lucas: "kaaaay"..."uh oh"

Collin: "it's OK"

Lucas: "kaaaay"..."uh oh"

And so on...

Then I saw Lucas sort of penguin walking and looking at his feet. Good old Collin had put Lucas' shoes on the wrong feet. Don't know why it tickled me so much, I guess kids do that kind of stuff all the time but their interaction just had me laughing.

Collin Starts School and Lucas Starts Getting Into Mischief

2009-08-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

Just A Few Pictures

2009-08-26T12:42:00.006-06:00

Howdy everyone. I'm just putting some pics up--I've been meaning to catch up on the news but you know how that goes. One of these days. For now here's a few shots of our growing little guy. More to come on preschool, family visits, and blessing day.

I set Noah down to change his diaper--I turned around for a few seconds to do something and this is what I find. I hove how sleepy newborns are.

Noah at 3 weeks

Sleeping Noah. Can't get this pic to turn, sorry, you'll have to turn your heads.

6 week old Noah on his blessing day. I'll post more blessing pics soon.

Trying Something New

2009-08-13T11:30:00.004-06:00

For a while now I've been doing my scrap booking on the computer. It's a million times faster and I really like it--what's even better is I just figured out how to post my pages as images on my blog. I'm going to give it a whirl and see how it goes. The page I'm including in this post is of my birthday (yesterday). Apparently, face book has some sort of feature that reminds people of your birthday (either that, or a ton of people just have excellent memories and are extremely thoughtful) and I got a bunch of sweet birthday wishes. So, thanks to everyone who called/wrote/sent cards, I had a delicious day and feel loved by and grateful for all my dear family and friends.

Something Happens

2009-08-10T12:02:00.009-06:00

I can't quite describe what it is, but it has happened all three times with the birth of our boys. I'm sure most of you moms out there know the feeling of not being sure you have enough room in your heart to love another kid and then BAM! The sweet thing is born and put in your arms and sure enough, your heart expands (or something like that) and you couldn't love a creature any more if you tried. Well, I guess it's along those same heart-expanding lines what happens with the way I feel for my Jesse. There's something about that magical time we get to share together in anticipation of the little one, welcoming the little one, and then the sweet first night, first days, and weeks with the new little one--all these experiences that I get to share with Jesse make me love him more than I though possible. Maybe it's seeing him be a father again, maybe it's all the loving service he provides me, maybe it's sharing the experience of bringing a heavenly being into this world, all I know is--something happens and I love that boy like crazy! So here's a post and some pics of my sweet Jesse. Excuse me for a moment while I brag on my man. :)

Sitting in the delivery room as we were waiting for Noah to come

There have been A LOT of wrestling matches of late

My 'Farm Boy' and little Noah. The first few days while I was recovering Jesse wouldn't let me lift a finger, he told to order him around like my own Farm Boy (from Princess Bride, you know, 'Farm boy, fetch me that pail.')

He's making a funny face because he's doing the animal noises while reading to the boys. Collin and Lucas just loved having their Papi home for two whole weeks. He gave them baths, read to them, wrestled with them, cooked for them, and even took a swimming suit bath with them in our big tub.

N.E.W.

2009-07-17T17:40:00.015-06:00

Noah Ellis Williams was born on 7/12 at 12:07 in the afternoon. He came in as our biggest boy (even at 6 days early) weighing 7 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 21.5 inches. I kept telling Jesse that this guy was going to be our biggest, I could really feel the difference in my comfort level--my ribs might not ever be the same.

We barely decided on his name the night before we went in for induction. Collin had been adamant about 'it' being Noah and as that was our first choice way back when, we went with it. The middle name is after my Grandpa who is one of my dearest friends and most favorite people ever, Howard Ellis Lunt. I hope little Noah grows up to be as hard working, sharp witted, generous, loving, honest, and wonderful as was my Pa.

The name Noah means peaceful/restful and we feel now that our little guy has been named appropriately. Jesse and I were talking over our experience and were amazed at how calm and peaceful the delivery was. It was incredible. Noah was by far the quietest and calmest of our three boys and has brought into our home an almost tangible feeling of sweet peace. We are all just bubbling over with love and excitement to have him with us.

I feel like I could go on and on, I really want to document all the details of labor, delivery, first visit from Collin and Lucas, our first night, the visits and gifts, my angel mother-in-law's help, and the list goes on, but I think I'll save all that for a journal entry and just say here that our experience was beyond wonderful and we feel so incredibly blessed and grateful. Now here are some pictures:

Before we left for the hospital--this is one of only two pics we took showing my pregnant belly.

Jesse's mom came to be our maid/servant/babysitter/cook/nursery maid for three and a half glorious days, we loved having her here and had a hard time watching her drive away. My mom will come next week and we feel so spoiled to have TWO moms caring for us and our little family.

A Post and a Pic So You Know We're Still Alive

2009-06-10T10:41:00.008-06:00

Howdy folks, sorry about the long time with no news. I seem to have a big lapse this time of year with our anniversary trip and all the birthdays--at least I guess that's my excuse. Anyway, we are all still alive and kickin', including baby #3 (no name yet) and he's not due for another month, so stay tuned for that news, too. We've been really busy 'round these parts and so that makes for lots to report, but little time in which to do it. But for now, here's a few pics from our little train ride last month. We promised Collin a ride on the train if he stayed in Primary all by himself, and that was all it took (that and a few jellybeans in his pocket). He originally made the transition to Primary from Nursery smoothly because I was the chorister in Primary and he could see me sitting right up in front of the room. It wasn't an ideal change for him--I mean, trading snacks, bubbles, and play dough for being in the same room with your mom while she sings like an idiot, not the best, but he did alright. But about a month and a half ago I was released and called as YW Secretary and that was not cool with Collin, but we're over that now and on to other issues.

This is the fam on the New Mexico Rail Runner, they just finished doing the track from Albuquerque to Santa Fe about a year ago (maybe less). We packed a lunch and rode to Santa Fe, played in a park and then rode home, no biggie--unless you're 3 years old and a train FREAK! Collin loved it and of course Jesse and I loved it because Collin was enjoying himself so much. It was $8 and a Saturday morning well spent.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

2009-03-25T14:10:00.004-06:00

This past Christmas one of my gifts from Jesse was that he enrolled us both in Ballroom dance class--pretty much one of the best gifts I've ever received. So every Wednesday from Jan 21st to Mar 11th Jesse and I have had a 'Merry Christmas'. It worked out well with babysitting because Sunni took a cake decorating class on Thursday nights so we just swapped kids once a week. In our class we rotated partners so Jesse and I didn't get to dance together all the time, but I enjoyed watching him from across the room as he danced with his different partners. When it was our turn to dance together we acted like we were meeting for the first time...so much fun. I came to enjoy a lot of the fellas that I danced with (mostly the cute old men who reminded me of my grandpa). I'm actually going to miss some of them. I definitely won't miss Mr. Count Out Loud In My Ear or Mr. Bad Breath, that guy almost made me gag--I seriously would have vomited if I were still in my 1st trimester/puke-y stage. Anyway, enough of that--it was a TON of fun and now we are no longer just beginners in Cha-Cha, Fox Trot, and Tripple-Step.

These Pics Deserve a Post All Their Own

2009-03-13T15:45:00.005-06:00

I was going to include these with the November post but I decided they needed their own space. I love shirt-less little boys like I love a baby in a diaper. There is nothing much cuter than a pot-belly over the lip of some jeans (I'm strictly talking about toddlers here, not anything older than 5, and definetly not refering to any adult pot-bellies). Whenever Lucas gets his shirt taken off because of a spill or something, Collin has to go "belly" (that's what he calls it) like his bro.

It sort of freaks me out how big Collin looks in this bottom pic., he does NOT look like a 3 year old. Yikes!

Ultrasound Results are In!

2009-03-09T12:04:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know (most of you know already) that we are having ANOTHER BOY! He looked totally normal in the ultrasound--hands and feet and lip and nose...all that good stuff. We feel so very blessed that things look good and we're getting excited to meet this little guy. It's funny how it is when you find out you're pregnant (at least for me). At first I get to wondering whether it's a boy or a girl and I actually can't figure out in my mind if I'd rather it be one or the other. But when the moment comes and we find out it is a boy, I get the feeling of, "oh yeah, of course...it's you, isn't it?" Don't know how to explain it any other way.

Ahhhhh, three boys, I am so excited (but not for the grocery bill). Some of you may have heard this already about going from two kids to three, but I just heard it this week and thought it was funny. I was talking to a guy about his two kids and when he found out we were expecting our third, he said, "oh yeah, going from 'man-to-man' to 'zone', that ought to be fun." It made me laugh.

Now For November

2009-02-28T11:52:00.009-07:00

Hey would ya look at that, I'm catching up! Here's a bunch of pics from the month of November:

When we visited Jesse in Artesia the little travel trailer got crowded fast so we spent a lot of time at the park. Thank heavens for mild New Mexico winters.

And speaking of the little trailer, Lucas got his first shiner from falling out the screen door onto the metal step. His upper left cheek made the first contact. Uggg, I still hate to remember that poor little guy falling, it makes me sick. I am grateful, though that it didn't break the skin or damage his eye--it could have been way worse. Pictures below are of his eye: the day of the fall and about a week later.

And Halloween, Too

2009-01-21T12:10:00.004-07:00

Was NOT motivated at all to make any costumes so we borrowed a cute little tiger costume for Lucas from Cliff and Lisa (the same one Collin wore two years ago) and threw together a pirate costume at the last minute for Collin. We went to the ward Trunk-or-Treat at the church and had a dandy time. I like Trunk-or-Treat a lot better than going from stranger's house to stranger's house asking for candy. And the kids get their bags full in record time, which doesn't matter now to the boys but it will in just a few years. Here they are in their costumes, Collin only kept his eye patch on for the pictures because of the candy we promised him. Whatever works, no?

Some October Stuff

2009-01-21T11:43:00.007-07:00

We joined Sunni's pre-school group at the mud-I mean Pumpkin Patch in Corrales. It seemed like a nice enough day, it had been raining a few days earlier but things had dried up at our house pretty well so we thought we were safe. Apparently the sun doesn't shine in the corn maze too well and it takes a little longer to dry things out. By the end of the maze we all had mud hi-heels, it reminded me of running through my Grandpa Donaldson's freshly irrigated fields with my siblings and how we were all about 4 inches taller from all the mud that had collected on the bottom of our shoes--'course if you keep on running the mud flings off your shoe to the back of the person in front of you and your shoes start collecting again. Anyway, about this corn maze, it was my first time in one and it was kind of freaky-claustrophobic-panicky feeling for a while but I calmed down once I figured out where we were on the map and how to get us the heck out of there. We stopped every now and then to wipe our shoes on an obliging corn stalk and made it out in good time. At the end there was a little petting zoo and some fresh apples. I was glad that my boys didn't want to pet the animals because there was nothing but mud puddles to wash hands in before eating the apples--and I'm tellin' ya, those animals had been wallowing in their muddy/poopy pens for quite a while. (I'm really not that big of a freak about dirt and germs, it just crossed my mind, that's all). We were all brought back to the start of the maze on a hay ride--Collin's favorite part by far because it was pulled by a tractor. All and in all, a fun day with plenty of 'laugh about later' material.

Get a load of our shoes!

Toys, anyone?

2009-01-13T09:36:00.008-07:00

Collin loves to get Lucas after Lucas wakes up from his morning nap. He doesn't actually 'get' him, he just likes to be the one that opens the door and goes in the room first. It has become a regular thing that I don't mind because while the two play back and forth I have a few extra minutes to finish up whatever I am doing before I go get him and then start lunch. In the past the routine was: Collin opens the door, Lucas squeals when he sees Collin, Collin tosses in the stuffed animal that Lucas threw out of the crib before his nap, Lucas tosses it out to Collin, the two laugh and I smile to myself to hear them playing together, I go in a few minutes later and get Lucas, change diaper, go on with life, etc. Sometimes there will be a few more toys in the crib that Collin thinks Lucas needs, but there aren't many toys in the nursery so it's never a big deal. That was then, this is now:

This all happened in about 5 minutes. Collin was stealthily quiet and went back and forth from his room to Lucas' and collected just about every toy bin and unloaded them on Lucas. When I came in the room Lucas was contentedly playing on the mountain of toys kindly brought to him by his brother. So...no more 'few minutes to myself while Collin entertains his brother'.

NM State Fair

2009-01-12T14:56:00.021-07:00

This was from back in September, too. Jesse's folks came up for a visit and we made plans to go to the New Mexico State Fair. It was kind of a pain to get us all out the door and drive into Albuquerque but once we were there we felt very glad to have made the sacrifice. (Which made us grateful for Jesse's mom because we probably wouldn't have gone to the trouble if it weren't that she wanted to go so badly.) It was pleasant weather and the crowds weren't bad at all. We saw all kinds of animals (the boys really loved the alpacas and horses), blew gigantic bubbles, ate deeeee-licous fair food, and rode a ton of kiddie rides. Jesse ran into a few State Police buddies that were working the fair and they gave him a bunch of their complimentary ride tickets.

Watching the horses go by. It is almost comical how huge Collin looks, I swear he's only three years old. Can't believe I can stand to hold him!

Jesse and Collin getting belted in for a ride. This bee-ride made awful groaning/squeaking noises as it went up and down. We were glad it held together long enough to get them safely back on the ground.

Collin rode every ride we introduced him to about two times, but the train had to be ridden three times. He didn't smile much but sure did go on and on about how fun they were after he got off.

And sweet little Lucas only got to ride in the stroller. He was content to sit and watch his brother on the rides most of the time. What a pleasant child!

Driving home, Jesse and I talked about the strange change that happens in your life once you become a parent. It was amazing to us how this whole fair experience was so fun and gratifying when all we did was look at animals we had seen dozens of times before and watched Collin ride these dinky little rides that went around and around. It's all so strange. Suddenly our enjoyment comes from giving happiness and enjoyment to another. We love to bless and make our kids happy, makes me think about Heavenly Father and how much He must love to bless us and see us enjoy those blessings.

Updating: September

2009-01-10T16:58:00.004-07:00

September was the month I met my new wonderful friend Leticia. I got new gals on my Visiting Teaching list and Leticia was one of them. Visiting her was like stepping back in time to the mission. She's from Mexico and has all the mannerisms, decorating tastes, clean house smells (suavitel fabric softener and fabulouso cleaner), and hospitality of the dear Hispanic people I worked with on the mission. She's been working in the nursery in the ward for a while and I had talked with her a bit as I took Collin in. She speaks decent English but is much more comfortable speaking in Spanish and has a special gift for working with and loving children.

When I went to visit her we got started talking food and right away made plans for a 'cooking lesson' at my house. The next week on her day off I picked her up and we headed for Wal-Mart for the supplies and then to my house to make chile rellenos. I could have died they tasted so good!!!!! She is a whiz in the kitchen--I had Cliff and Lisa over to learn the relleno trick and enjoy the meal with us. Lisa and I just marveled at how pretty her hands looked as she cooked and how she was able to do everything without even measuring.

I feel like I have stumbled on to a really special friend. Leticia was the oldest of eight kids (I think) and has three almost grown kids of her own. It's hard to put in words what makes this gal so special--it's just something you feel when you're around her. Cliff and Lisa feel the same way. We sat around after she left talking about the tingly, wonderful, hard-to-describe way she made us all feel. When I talked to her about working in the nursery and how great she is with kids, she told me that she feels like she has a special gift for mothering. Maybe that's the best way to describe how she made us feel...mothered. Well, that word sure looks weird, but you know what I mean.

Here she is at the stove. Boy, I wish I had some rellenos right about now!!

First Thing's First

2009-01-10T15:54:00.003-07:00

Before going into all the happenings of the last few months, the first thing I need to do is announce our third thing on the way. Here it is:

I can get away with referring to this little one as a 'thing' still because we don't know what we're having yet. From the ultrasounds, though, it looks like a human child with two arms, two legs and that's exciting. :) We'll hopefully find out boy or girl stuff mid-to late February. I am 13 weeks along and feeling much better than I was a few weeks ago, although I still have my spells of hard-core gagging and fatigue. The other morning I could only get to the kitchen sink and sweet Collin stood by me and asked, "you ok, Mami?" over and over between his own sympathetic gagging. Good times. Actually, the up side to feeling crummy (this may be the first time I've ever used that word) is that I'm not into any projects lately, I just sit on the floor and read or play with the kids. And when I'm really feeling good we get bundled up and go for walks, but no painting furniture, sewing, scrap booking, or anything of the sort for now. And that's (deep breath) O-K. I am (deep breath) O-K.

We sure do love our first two 'things' a ton and feel so excited to meet our third little 'thing'. Oh yeah, the due date is July 18th. Same due date as Jesse's little sister Anita and a month before my brother's wife Lisa. Our families are growing exponentially these days. Cousins are great!

Back in the Saddle (sort of)

2009-01-06T10:58:00.002-07:00

Well folks, I have a long list of good excuses for not posting for so long. The first hick-up came in November when we lost our Internet for about three weeks, then there's always the holidays to blame for my busy-ness, and last of all--I'm just plain pooped and unmotivated. Did I say it was a long list? Well, not long, but good enough. On the bright side, I'm coming out of my gloom and feeling a bit more inspired. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that Jesse came home for good on Christmas Eve. He got transferred back up here and I can almost physically feel the difference in our home atmosphere. I certainly feel a million times better emotionally and that seems to spread out to how I feel mentally, physically, and even spiritually. Love my Jesse, it's pathetic how much I need him.

I figure my next few posts will be just catching up the last few months of 2008. I know my poor Mama is anxious to hear about my little life even if the rest of you aren't. :) I got to talk to her on Christmas and she is still loving life in sticky, hot Panama. I'm really starting to miss her, though. I'm pretty used to long months without seeing her, but this year and a half thing is for the birds. They'll probably come home sometime in the middle of this year. Lookin' forward to it. Anyhoo, stay tuned for the updating posts to follow. It may take a few days, we're making a quick trip down to Artesia this afternoon to pick up our truck and then I'll be back in the saddle with this blogging thing (for a little while, at least--you know how I am).

Evidence

2008-10-10T16:13:00.013-06:00

As I sit down to write this, I can tell I'm going to have a hard time explaining myself. I guess sometimes I write too much with my readers in mind. This posting is mostly for me, I'm not going to be offended if you don't find it interesting.

Call me crazy but I love all the little things around my house that remind me that I am a mom, or that say, "Collin was here", or "Lucas was here". Here are some examples: (again, I feel like documenting this stuff for my own enjoyment, I don't imagine too many of you out there want all these details) I often find Collin's bath bucket full of chap sticks that he has collected throughout the house. I can usually predict what will happen if he sees me putting on chap stick, I will hear him trot down to his bathroom and push back the shower curtain to get his little orange bucket, then I will hear the "plunk, plunk" as he goes around collecting from night stands, purses, and kitchen and bathroom drawers. Lately it has tickled me so much to empty out his tractor seat after he has gone to bed. Last night I found two forks, the knob to the lamp (I heard it fall off the week before when Jesse turned it on) some random toys that were small enough to fit, and a Sam's club receipt that Collin had saved because of the smiley face. It's so fun to imagine what Collin's little mind was thinking as he rode around the house on his little tractor collecting treasures.

And now that Lucas is full-on mobile he stays busy with what Jesse and I refer to as "his little projects". I watched him working on one such "project" the other night as he went back and forth from his toy basket to the top of the stairs to watch each toy topple down one by one. After each toy would stop on the landing, he would turn around with the biggest, proudest grin on his face and quickly go get another one. I guess these kinds of things make me happy because of the reminders they are. I was doing laundry the other day and was lost in my mindless task, not really thinking about much when I came across Lucas' toothbrush. I had been looking for that thing for a couple days and had to smile as I thought about him walking around sucking on it and deciding the hamper looked like a good place to put it. Just that little thing pulled me out of my mindless task and made me think little prayers of gratitude for the people whose clothes I was washing.

It's a bit strange to hear myself talk about things like this, I remember so well hearing these same things from moms before I had kids. I guess I'm a little worried someone might read this and think like I used to think, "big deal, all kids do that", but it's my kids doing it and I get to experience it. I hope that I can remember these simple delights forever. It's not always the funnest to pick up toys and little misplaced items all the time, but as long as there are things like that around my house it means my kids haven't grown up, gone to college, gotten married, or moved away yet. Phew, I'm not ready for that. Thank heaven they're still little and still want to spend time with their Mama. For now, I will try to savor all the little bits of evidence I find that make me smile as I am reminded of the blessing it is to be Mama to these boys.

Here's Collin with a bit of 'evidence' I found on the kitchen floor--Thomas stickers!
"It's fern [for] you."

Sounds silly, but I like the fact that someone visiting my house for the first time would look around and say, "Yep, Mom to young'uns."

The Day Has Come

2008-10-07T11:40:00.005-06:00

Ever since we found out we were expecting Lucas, we have anticipated the two brothers being able to play together and the day has finally come. Just last Saturday Lucas ventured on to Collin's toy tractor and to my amazement, Collin didn't push him off. Instead he showed him how to hang on and slowly pushed him around our house. It ended up being about a twenty minute episode and they both totally enjoyed themselves. I snapped this pic right before Lucas got off, by his expression you can tell he had had enough. Pardon the three year old missing his pants. I guess boys this age just don't believe in clothes. Can I get an amen, Sunni?

Back Door View

2008-10-07T11:27:00.006-06:00

It's balloon fiesta time again! Another reason why Fall is great. Early this morning I heard the tell-tale sound of a hot-air balloon so loudly (sounds like Darth Vader) and ran outside to see two balloons right over our house. I quickly got the boys out of bed and we got to watch them land right outside our back door. The Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta runs through this whole week, I'm hoping to get a pic of the balloon filled sky, it's really impressive.

This pic shows them both, but the second one is almost hidden by the one in front.

Two Reasons

2008-10-07T10:59:00.005-06:00

I'm only blogging this for two reasons:

1. I wanted to show Jesse the improvements to our entry way, no one else will really appreciate the difference. I should have taken a before and after.

2. I wanted to gush over Sunni and thank her for her help. I know she will take this as the greatest compliment when I say that she gave me Mom-like service. I was drowning in all the things I had to get done before our open house and she stepped in just like our Mama would have if she lived closer. I want to be more like Sunni, who wants to be more like our Mama. Some day when I am like Sunni, I will then work on being more like our Mama, but for now I've got my work cut out for me. I'm never very good at accepting help or calling on those people who say, "if you need anything, let me know" and Su knows that, she just sensed my need and said, "do you want to drop off your kids at my house, or would you rather have my help at your house, which would be more helpful"? Can't even begin to express my gratitude. Love that girl.

Here's the front porch with the beautiful arrangement Sunni helped me create and while I'm tooting her horn, the fountain is one that she made as well. It was a birthday gift to me last year. Now do you see why I want to be like Sunni? Well actually, let's get this straight, even if that girl didn't have a creative or crafty bone in her body, I'd STILL want to be like her. Enough said.

Boys = Pyromaniacs

2008-09-18T16:47:00.010-06:00

We had an impromptu hot dog roast the other night. It's times like these that I'm glad we live out in the desert so we don't have to drive anywhere to have a desert cook-out. Works out pretty well. Josh and Su drove a whole 5 minutes and I grabbed my boys and walked out the back door to Cliff and Lisa's house and BAM the hot dog roast is on. Cliff got the boys all hyped up helping make the fire. Boy, were they excited. For a while there we didn't know if they were possessed or just doing a dance to the fire gods. For them, the fire was the best part of the night. Cliff was busy digging the hole, cutting his up his lumber pile, and helping the kids with kindling, while the moms all stood around giving out reminders to not get to close, be careful, fire is dangerous, etc.

Cliff is such a fun uncle/dad, he often reminds me of how Uncle Sam is with all the nieces and nephews, but in this case it was just nephews, and lots of 'em. It was a perfect night--another one of those times when I look around me at the people I love so much and just have to heave a big sigh because I feel so content and blessed. There are always things I could pick out of a situation that would make it better, but that will always be the case, might as well be grateful for what I've got in the here and now. And maaaaaaaaaaaan, am I grateful.

What are the odds?

2008-09-18T16:47:00.003-06:00

I walked into Collin's room this morning and had to laugh out loud at his amazing bed-head. I have never seen it so wacky before and so I had to run for the camera (pictures never do it justice). I didn't get around to blogging about it this morning, which is a good thing because lo and behold, Lucas' morning nap gave him a 'do' worthy of documenting as well. Here are my bed-head boys :

Ode to my Angie

2008-09-17T11:25:00.002-06:00

So I remembered another reason I love the change into Fall (including the smell of manure--but only in the cool air-transition stage) it reminds me of my last area in the Mission and my companera Angie Wilcox (well, manure doesn't remind me of Angie, it reminds me of where we lived). We were together for a long time and never got tired of each other. We got to be bridesmaids at each other's weddings and have both had two boys in the same years. In fact, I loved her so much that I made sure to find a guy to marry who had the same last name as her maiden name. We even got to visit our favorite family from the mish together. I had planned on blogging my ode to her on her birthday earlier this month but I missed my chance. Here are just a few things that come to mind when I think about Angela and the blessed September we met 8 years ago. These are for you, Ang.

~purple skittles and Reece's pieces

~gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, yur CUTE

~ooh wee ooh wee ooh wee ooh wee

~scaring me to get rid of my hick-ups

~"oh dear"

~whatever the case may be, at any rate...

~syke, rreeeaaar (cat noise)

~hola, mi amor

~yatzee hand-held game

~muneca mi nina

~kid me not

~killing black widows

I realize that no one else gets any of this stuff and maybe no one has even read this far--sorry to bore you but I seriously love this gal and besides that she's my faithful commenter on all my blogs, she deserves a shout-out. I would have put a missionary pic. of us but my scanner isn't working. Anyway, thanks for all the memories--GOOD TIMES! Love ya dear, and happy late birthday!

It's in the air...

2008-09-15T21:06:00.008-06:00

I swear, if my sniffer ever goes out on me I'll be miserable. So much of what I love about life are the smells, and so many of my memories are smell-linked. Isn't there something about how the olfactory senses are connected to some memory part of the brain? Yeah, something like that.

Anyway, I love the smells that tell me Fall is coming. I'm glad I still live in chile roasting country--that is probably the biggest "Fall is here" smell. And I love it, even though I was up until 11:00 the other night de-seeding and bagging and hating every minute of the aching back-so tired-is this bag of chiles ever going to end-experience. It also seems to me like the air smells a bit colder come September and I feel like I should be going to a football game. The other weekend when I was on my way to visit Jesse, I even welcomed the manure smell from the dairies I was passing, for some reason the stench didn't bother me--it just fit right in with the fall is coming mood I was in. Down in Cruces, I just LOVED when the Cal-Compact company got to packaging their spices because it filled the air. The Chile and Cumin--aaaahhhh, I don't guess many of you know what I'm talking about. I've gotten a bit carried away thinking about the changing of seasons, it just does something to me and I think I'll go have some hot cider and start reading Pride and Prejudice. Seems silly I know, it's only mid September and tomorrow may be blazing hot but I won't mind because it'll just give me the pleasure of the transition into cooler days all over again. I'm weird, I am aware of that, but I also know that there are some people out there (Sunni and Mom to name a few) who know exactly what I am talking about. I guess grouping myself with Su and Mom doesn't make me seem any more normal, does it now? Ha!

This one is for Jesse

2008-09-15T20:38:00.005-06:00

I was telling Jesse just how cute it was to watch Lucas adjust to walking in shoes and I thought he'd like to see. There's actually only a second or two where his shoes are in view because he has recently discovered the magic screen behind the camera and would rather see that than perform on the other end. Here ya go, Lovey, you sure do have cute kids!

PS. I was also thinking about the grandmas as I took this video. This is for you too, Granny and Ma. Oh by the way Mom, there is a pause button on the music player (scroll down to your right) so you can hear the audio from the video :)

My Collin

2008-09-11T06:58:00.006-06:00

This kid blows me away. Before becoming a Mom, I thought and worried so much about the "how to" stuff and I guess my mind was always on the nurture aspect of the nature/nurture debate. Now more and more, I am realizing that each spirit is different and while, as a parent, I have to nurture and teach things like obedience, self control, and life skills in general, each child is so amazingly unique and there are some things about each child over which I have only a slight influence. I will never have another Collin, neither will anyone else. Why am I so blessed?

It is daunting sometimes to think that as a mom I have a part (a huge part) in shaping this kid's personality, sense of humor, and overall functionality in society. Not to mention the monumental responsibility of teaching him the Gospel and helping him gain a testimony. I'm up for the challenge, though, I've never known anything more difficult but I have also never known anything more rewarding. Just yesterday I sat across the dinner table from Collin while we were eating and out of no where, Collin gets down from his chair and says, "I'm gonna give you a hug". Talk about rewarding. This mom-job is strange like that, I never know when pay day is, but honestly if I'm paying attention, pay day is every day. I could have used this perspective/reminder last week, but anyhoo...

Motivation

2008-09-11T06:29:00.002-06:00

I'm always going crazy trying to keep up with baby books, blogging, scrapbooks, journals, and logging the cute stuff the kids do and always falling short. Now I hear tell that these here blogs can be put into book form, or something like that, and I'm thinkin' this may be a good way to kill a few birds with one blog stone. Good news for me and for the few of you that would like to hear/read more (I'm thinkin' probably the Moms, Jesse, and a few select others) for the rest of you that casually check in, it may get boring. Sorry, but I'm thinking about myself here and this just may work for me. We'll see...

There's also the consideration of going private--don't know how annoying that will make things, do you have to log in every time to view our blog? I'm thinking I might try because then I can actually write and not worry about the info. I'm passing on to the world. For example, I was starting to write more details about our current move/work switch for Jesse/living situation, etc. to keep everyone updated, but I didn't like having so much out there for just anyone to read and I hate having to filter through all that I'm writing. It's bad enough that I'm having to think about my poor grammar and sentence structure and how entertaining or boring my ramblings are to my family/friend audience, let alone worry about all the weirdos that stumble along our measly little internet space and read about our life. See what I mean about bad sentence structure? Anyway, might sound a little paranoid but Jesse (and life experience) have taught me well. Besides that, my personal info. is already floating around in the world with my treasured red leather purse that was stolen last March, people know enough about me already. But I'm not bitter.

Group date: Steak and siblings

2008-08-25T12:33:00.006-06:00

It has been a dream come true to live in the same town as most of my siblings (all but one, actually). We have regular Sunday dinner get-togethers at each other's house, swap babysitting, go tag-team errand running, and celebrate birthdays and most holidays together. It is the best set up! The other weekend while we sat in Cliff and Lisa's garage eating popsicles and watching over our precious yard sale items that weren't selling we started calendaring. Among other things, we planned our first group date. Like I said earlier, we usually just swap babysitting for our dates. We decided Outback was the place and all found babysitters. You can't imagine how excited I was for the date--great food, the best company, and NO KIDS!!!!!! When we showed up and were being seated, the hostess asked if we'd be needing high-chairs or kids menus and we practically burst out laughing from glee. It's not that we don't love our kids, but when we ALL get together, an uninterrupted conversation is not possible--there's just too many little people with all kinds of different needs. A break every now-and-then is the most refreshing and wonderful thing.
So here we all are at Outback in early August. Sunni, Josh, Lisa, Cliff, Samia (Joe had to work), Me and Jesse.

Guess who's walkin' now?

2008-08-25T12:12:00.009-06:00

15 Month old Lucas !
You can see my hand in the pic with a toy trying to coax the little guy to walk over so I could snap a pic. Jesse wasn't around for the very first steps and I wanted to document every little bit for him. Lucas was a good little boy and waited until he saw his "Papi" to take more than two steps together. In fact, he took his longest walk across the room in Artesia when we were up to visit Jesse over the weekend.

He is a 'late walker' compared to most, except Collin who waited until 16 months to start. Fine with me--I don't mind my kids waiting a while to get mobile. And to me, there's nothing cuter than the wagging diaper behind of a crawling baby. Although, the first clumsy steps are a close second to that.

The 4th of July

2008-08-06T15:44:00.007-06:00

Hey, not bad, only a month late on this one. :) We took a trip down to Carlsbad for the 4th, there was a big Williams shin-dig reunion sort of thing and we booked a hotel and were totally excited to see everyone. For some reason, I was particularly looking forward to a road trip with my little fam. I always forget the annoyances of handing toys to boys who've dropped them, singing songs till I'm hoarse, and answering a bazillion questions of what this or that is that we're passing. Collin got a little sick on the day we were planning to leave and we thought our trip was going to be no-go, but the next day he perked up a bit and we hit the road.

By leaving a day late we missed most of the reunion but got some good immediate-family chatting. We all went to Gaga's (Jesse's Grandma) and then to the river to watch fireworks. It was one of those experiences I'd like to create over and over again. To sit on the green grass with almost all the fam. together and watch a spectacular show. It was bliss. Perfect weather, perfect company, and it felt great to reflect on the amazing blessing of living in the good ole' USA and all that was sacrificed so that it would be such a great nation. I am blessed and grateful.

Another fun reflection of this trip was that it was the first time Jesse and our little family have stayed in a hotel. I liked to walk into our room as if I were housekeeping and notice that it must be a little family staying in the room--a pack-n-play in the corner by the bathroom, a little bed-pad on the floor made of beach towels and the parents on the bed. I may be sounding really silly, but I just loved our short stay and our little trip.

We got to look around Artesia some more and went to Jobe's (Jesse's cousin) house for a fish-fry and anniversary celebration for the grandparents. All I have to say is--GOOD PEOPLE. I love the Williams bunch. From the parents, the brothers and sisters, to the aunts and uncles, to the cousins. I just felt surrounded by wonderful folks.

After the party simmered down, we got in the pool with the boys and had a grand old time. I sure am feeling better about moving down to Artesia after such a pleasant time with all those Artesians--mostly Jesse's cousins and their families.

Tired little boys--we did a lot of driving.

Woops-a-daisy!

2008-07-10T15:48:00.012-06:00

Has it really been over 2 months since I've blogged? Yikes! Lemme 'splain. My life turned upside down at the end of March--my purse was stolen and it has been the most insane mess. I cannot even begin to write all that I have had to deal with and how awful it's been. So, I won't even try. Besides that, it's depressing stuff to talk about and I don't need that right now. Maybe someday I'll feel like blogging it all out. Or I could just copy/paste from my journal. Anyhow, another reason I can't ever get around to blogging is that when I log on to update my blog, I have to look into all my friends and read about their lives and before I know it, my kids are done with their naps and it's dinner time. Frankly, I'd rather read about everyone else's life than write about mine. :) So, this time when I got on the computer to update this bad boy I just went straight to creating a new post, no checking in on my friends. I guess that's the secret to getting stuff blogged.

I think for now I'll just post some pics and let the old, "a picture is worth 1,000 words" addage do the talking for me. Here's our life for the past few months.

Collin and Lucas in their Easter get-ups

Then there was Mother's day, Jesse got me a new planner to replace the one that was stolen.

All I have to say is if you're watching all 7 boys (3 are Cliff's, 2 are Sunni's and 2 are mine) thank heaven for TV!

Collin's 3rd birthday, I love the expression on his sweet face.

One week later: Lucas's 1st birthday--he got one toy and boy does he LOVE it.

May 31st: Samia and Joe get married! (See Sunni's blog for more pics and details)

Jesse's birthday breakfast--neither Jesse nor I wanted to be in the pic. but the boys didn't mind showing off their bed heads.

A few weeks later: Father's day, more exuses for me to buy things for my Jesse and make big breakfasts--except this time we tried turkey bacon and I didn't like it so much.

So there you have it folks, a busy few months for us and it's only going to get worse, I'm afraid. I guess when I get the time and nerve I'll post again explaining our more recent happenings. So, over and out 10-4.

5 Wonderful Years!

2008-05-02T17:18:00.009-06:00

For our anniversary trip this year we went to San Antonio, TX. Loads of fun. Before I go into the trip, I've got to give a shout out to my Sunni (and her Josh) for watching our boys. You folks are great--we love you and our kids love you, now that I think about it, is there anyone in this world that doesn't love you? Anyway, about the trip...I'm not going to go into details :) but I will say that we had a blast. We went to Six Flags, The Alamo, the River Walk, the San Antonio Temple, and did lots of shopping. During the whole year we are pretty frugal and tight with the money (eat Toasted Rice cereal instead of Chex, ya know what I mean?) but we set a little aside for our annual trip and have ourselves a shopping spree. It's actually pretty funny, we think we're huge spenders when we give ourselves $150 each and buy things like running shoes, earrings, t-shirts, and cooking gadgets. Yeah, we're wild.

It's only been five years of marriage, but I practically rely on these anniversary trips to keep me functioning. I remember our honeymoon and how amazing it was to leave everything behind and just enjoy my Jesse-time. There were times when I felt like we were the only people on earth--it was just bliss. And although you can only have one honeymoon, these trips sort of serve the same purpose for us--it's a chance to just be Anika and Jesse, we get to leave everything behind for a couple days. I'm a huge believer in doing whatever it takes to celebrate the milestones in a marriage, it keeps me sane. I hope we can keep up our tradition. Anyhow, here's some pics from our trip this past March:

It's too dark to see behind us but this is us at the River Walk

At Six Flags Fiesta Texas

In front of the beeeeee-autiful San Antonio Temple

It was a well rounded trip, we got in a little of everything. The River Walk was romantic, Six Flags was just plain fun (I forgot how much I love roller coaster rides), The Alamo was educational, and the Temple was rejuvenating. I can't wait until next year, it's Jesse's turn to plan the trip so we'll see...

Collin's Haircut

2008-04-02T15:35:00.005-06:00

This was actually about a month ago, but I'm a blog-slacker. Collin was seriously overdue for a haircut (just check out the shagg in the picture). I don't know why it takes me so long to finally get around to cutting his hair, it's not like he dislikes haircuts or behaves badly when I try to cut his hair. On the contrary, he is surprisingly good about sitting still and being patient while his mom has to go over and over his hair to get the perfect taper. I'm bound to get faster and better the more I cut his hair, I'm actually pretty good at Jesse's and it only took me about 4 years. Ha! So, in the mean-time I'm grateful to have this angel-child who sits still for me. I guess he was sick of being shaggy because when I ran the buzzer up the back of his head and he saw the hair fall onto the apron, he said, "oh, tanks mommy"! Then when I was really cookin' and he was watching lots of his hair land on the apron he said through a nervous laugh, "oh, niiiice". What a cutie! Oh, and just for the record, I have always wanted to be called Mama, but for some reason, Collin has picked up on the term we use for mom when we try (notice I said try) to speak Spanish, so now he calls me "mami". Oh well, even if 'mommy' isn't my favorite term, I'll take it gratefully, I'm just glad to be his mom.

Here's the shaggy boy waiting for his haircut

Lucas was just as good and patient as his brother as he sat and watched from his swing.

How does he do it?

2008-03-18T10:46:00.007-06:00

Lucas has done some pretty weird and funny things lately. He is 9 and a half months now and he is (I know every mom says this) ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! For about a week now he has been mobile. Not crawling yet, but he can scooch on his belly and push with his feet to get places. He does get on his hands and knees and seems like he's almost ready to get going with the crawling thing. Anyway, here are some funny pics of this cute kid.

These PJ's were beyond repair after Lucas' toe got through with them

Got him out of bed and his hair had been matted into this curly-q, should we have named him Clark Kent?

This is how I found him this morn when I came into his room, I don't know how he got his arm out--crazy kid.

I had to include this pic, it's one of our favorites. Let me tell ya, this is kid is as good and sweet as he is beautiful, we are so blessed!

My handsome valentine

2008-02-26T11:32:00.007-07:00

I could go on and on about how wonderful Jesse is. He continually amazes me with his goodness and yummy-ness. I honestly cannot imagine a better husband or friend. And he's SO handsome too, which "a man ought to be if at all possible" (little quote from Pride and Prejiduce). Anyway, I hadn't intended to make this a Jesse-blog, I was just wanting to put up some Valentine's Day pics. We had heart-shaped toast and eggs for breakfast and heart-shaped tortillas with our enchiladas at dinner. The next morn. when I got Collin up he saw the rose petals I had sprinkled on the stairs and said, "Uh, oh, made a MESS!!" It was pretty funny.

Jesse at breakfast

Another handsome Valentine of mine with his heart-shaped tortilla

Making "pan-kates"

2008-02-26T10:51:00.003-07:00

When we get Collin up in the morning and say, "let's go eat breakfast", he responds with, "Yea!!! Make pan-kates"! On weekdays we usually eat just eggs or oatmeal, but on Saturdays, we give into his cute request. He just loves these things. We got started making these kind of pancakes and have never gone back. It's a recipe from my dear friend Cammy Mansell in Ft. Sumner, they're kind of crepe-like thin and yummy!

Collin likes to "help" Papi make pan-kates and pulls a chair up to the island

January review

2008-02-12T12:06:00.006-07:00

In an effort to keep our readers updated on the year (this blog is meant to replace our yearly letter after all) we're going to post a few pics from last month. Of course, we wouldn't have to do a review if we had just started in January like we intended. Sounds just like us, good start, aye?

Collin going down the slide--tongue out, as usual

We had our traditional Williams family football game while we were all together over the Holidays. Kinda cold, but still very fun. I didn't get many pics of the game, but I sure took plenty of Collin. He and his cousins played on the jungle gym while the "big kids" played football. Lucas just watched all of the action from the side lines in his car seat.

Lucas all bundled up

Another tradition with the Williams family is a get-together with all the girls at Village Inn, no boys allowed :) and everyone comes in their pajamas. Jeremy (Jesse's brother) was married last year and that added the final Williams girl to the bunch. This was the first year with the complete group of sisters, all 6 of us together and it was a whole lot of fun. I can't wait for the next one!

The Williams girls: Anita, Rachel, Cadi, Anika, Rachel, and Bonnie

Here are some more pics of the girls, left to right: Anita, Rachel, and Cadi

On the other side of the table: Me, Rachel, and Bonnie

While we were visiting the folks, Jesse got pretty handy with the tractor/back-hoe and dug a huge trench for Papa (Jesse's dad) to run his pipes for the well. We had nice weather for a January and spent some time outdoors throwing the football and frisbee. Collin sure had a good time playing in the dirt.

Jesse just-a-digging away

Collin liked to sit with Jesse as he drove

Collin playing in the trench with his cousin Justin

And so we begin...

2008-01-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here we go folks, the Williams are officially joining the blogging world! We figure this may be a better way of keeping our loved ones updated on our life happenings, but then again, that only is possible if we keep this puppy updated. Some of you who have recieved our Christmas letters (that arrive near St. Patty's Day) may be skeptical of how well this is going to work, we'll see... Wish us luck!