Official Williamsfam5 Christmas Brag Letter 2010

I've been receiving a lot of family Christmas letters, you know the kind, where you get a little snapshot of each member of the clan and who they are. I feel the need to join in...

Aaron

is still the dad, and husband of our family. He still loves to snowboard, but he rubs his knees a lot more than he used to when he gets home. His career in Real Estate is pretty crappy. He still works hours and hours for clients, but the deals don't close for one reason or another and that equals $0. Not fun. So he has picked up a seasonal job at the Bogus Basin ticket office and for the first time in his working life is experiencing the "perks" of being employed. Our whole family gets free passes to the mountain this year. We had an EXCELLENT day sledding on the Bogus Basin tubing hill (which I HIGHLY recommend) and we even got a free fancy dinner last night at the holiday party. His Real Estate brokerage also has a holiday party, but they charge $20 a head, so we skipped out on that one. Outside of work, he is the best dad in the world and enjoys helping Ian with his cub scout achievements and "organizing" the garage (aka shifting junk from place to place). Does anyone want a 1990s jet ski, a TINY motorcycle, or a ping pong table? And for the right price, he might even give up his recently acquired dune buggy. I love this man. He is my best friend, and although he spends most of his days trying to figure me out, I think we are well matched and he puts up with me quite well.

Brooklyn

is 10 and AMAZING! She is one of the most pleasant, kind, intuitive and genuine people ever made. She has many friends and talents that keep her busy. She continues to play with her band at Boise Rock School and has sung, played guitar, and debuted the bass at gigs this year. She started playing the cello at school and loves to sing with the ward choir and at school. She also joined the YMCA swim team this fall and is working her way toward swimming in a meet soon. (Be aware - their big fund raiser is starting, so you may get hit up for a donation soon.) She has a wonderful group of girls at church that are in "Activity Days" together, and they have the best leaders ever that are always coming up with fun things for the group to do. And, the snowboarding season is upon us and she'll be heading up the mountain over winter break. With all of that, she keeps our whole family on the run!

Ian

is 8 and had a very exciting year. He was baptized in September and joined Cub Scouts. He passed his Bobcat rank in only a couple of days and was the first in his pack to get his Wolf. I am going to have to quit my job just to keep up with the sewing it will require to get his patches on, at this rate. Besides Scouting, he is our bookworm, mad scientist, genius boy. He reads better than anyone in our family, including his parents. He is in the highest level literacy group and is currently finishing the last book in the Harry Potter series. He skipped a grade in math this year, so although he is in the 3rd grade, he attends 4th grade math. He suffers a bit from the "mad scientist" demeanor and his teachers and parents exercise patience, while encouraging him to pay attention to getting papers in his backpack and looking up from his book to hear instructions. He loves playing with his brother and sister, and is especially fond of his friends that are in his "Spy Club". Aaron took him up the mountain last week and he is now able to ride his snowboard without assistance. By January he'll be up on the big runs with his sister and dad!

Lucas

What to say about Lucas? He gets in some trouble, and is the more irresistible kid there is. He is EXTREME in everything he does. There is no mid-range for him. He is 5 and started kindergarten this year. Our school has all-day kindergarten, and sometimes that's long for a little guy. But, he is always doing his best to keep up with the pace of the rest of the family. He still laughs like a pigeon cooing and is the sneaky joker of our family. He makes us all laugh and sometimes drives us to the point of insanity. He won a coloring contest and his prize was to be able to run in the "Beat Coach Pete" race. He got to go to the Boise State football field and meet Coach Peterson. The Broncos are HUGE here in Boise, so it was pretty exciting, but I think his favorite part were the free snacks! He is following his brother's footsteps in math, as his teacher has placed him directly in the 1st grade math group, skipping the kindergarten level all together. He is learning to read, and especially loves snuggling in his bed at night and reading with his family.

Me

I am pretty busy. I work full time, teaching Spanish at a progressive private school in downtown Boise. I teach preschool-9th graders, and it's pretty much the best job I could think of, short of not having one at all. The entire faculty is wonderful and it is great going to school with my kids everyday. Although it is a bit spendy, I would rather pay to have them there with me, than have to work without them so close. It is the best going to work with my kids in tow everyday. I am also working on my teaching certification for K-8th grades, so that is hanging over my head this year. I'll be glad when I'm finished and I can go back to simply teaching and not being the student. My family will be glad too. I'll probably be a little nicer, but no guarantees. My favorite things are hanging out with people I love, the idea of playing the guitar and singing more, planting and playing in my yard, flowers, my new camera and the memories it captures, and thinking of why my life is pretty great.

2010 was a rough year in many ways. We were optimistic it would be much better than 2009, but alas, here we are at the end and we're still treading water. I think a lot of families feel that way. This "economic downturn" seems to have morphed into a sinkhole and I'm not sure when we are getting out. HOWEVER, Aaron and I are not letting it keep our family down. We took the LONGEST road trip we have ever done last summer, and made memories that will last a lifetime with our kids. We took advantage of an otherwise difficult real-estate transaction, and got to go to Hawaii for free, while meeting up with Aaron's brother Jared and his wife Caitlin while we were there. I get three weeks off work, for Winter Break, and I intend to recall what life was like as a stay at home mom and bring some of that "homeiness" back to the Williamsfam5. In fact, just today I made Christmas cookies and forced, by threat of ground-ation, the kids to come and help me decorate them. Ah, the sweetness of being home!

I hope this has been a satisfactory update. In case you've missed my posts this year - now you're all caught up. MERRY CHRISTMAS and here's to an improving 2011!

MERRY 21st CENTURY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here is your virtual Christmas card. Feel free to print it out and hang it with the rest of your cards. There just isn't anything quite as touching as a 21st century Christmas greeting.

Christmas Cards Are Ordered

I get to pick up our annual Christmas card from Costco today. (Yes, I am still shopping at Costco - despite the dead tree needle experience. See last post.) I mention that our family adventures can be followed on this blog, so I guess I will be making an effort to be a more diligent blogger. It will be pretty lame if people decide to look on the blog and don't see anything posted since Halloween.

School is out this week so I plan on blogging over the 3 week break...

I anticipate a lot of talk of snowboarding, Christmas adventures, and anticipation of goals for the new year. (My pants are screaming for a new year's resolution to get back on the treadmill.) Any ideas for topics?

Real vs. Fake

I have never in my life had a fake Christmas tree. Even while I lived in Chile, and Christmas is celebrated under the hot summer sun, I still sought out the local tree lot and bought a tree.

Since marrying Aaron in 1998, the tree has been a huge undertaking to begin the holiday season. Our first year together I had visions of a romantic, quaint holiday celebrating our first Christmas together. Instead, I saw Aaron mad for the first time. I hadn't realized that it was the first Christmas tree he had ever been "in charge of" and while doing all he could to get the tree up our blasted, crappy, plastic stand, it was more than he signed up for. That's when I heard the first swear uttered from Aaron's lips.

Often we have gone to cut our own tree in the forest. Usually, near the Williams family cabin in Smith's Ferry, ID. Those trees are tall, with branches a bit on the sparse side, and magnificent, if you have the right ceilings. Which, lucky for me, I had homes with vaulted ceilings from 1999-2007. Perfect for a fresh tree from the forest.

Then there was the tree of 2008. Remembered by me as the grand finale of the worst week ever. Since moving to our present home, we no longer enjoy the luxury of vaulted ceilings nor what I like to call "the Christmas Tree Room", so those enormous forest trees are not suited quite so well. We have gone the Costco route for the past 3 years. Unfortunately, in 2008 the tree stand we had just wasn't man enough for our tree. It fell over the first night we set it up, but luckily we hadn't decorated it yet. Later that week, while Aaron was enjoying a week away at an Arizona Suns game with his generously cool friend Nate, I was in Boise with the kids, working, with a sinus infection, in charge of the ward Christmas program, and when I came home from the doctor I found the tree on it's side AGAIN - ornaments shattered everywhere.
That's all I want to say about that year. Moving on...

2010 - I bought our tree at Costco 2 nights ago. It is a Noble Fir, but at Costco you can't see what the tree looks like when you buy it because it's still wrapped in twine. You just trust that Costco is known for good products and hope they have pre-screened all trees before allowing them on their lot.
Plus, you can't beat the price.
The kids and I chose the one with the straightest top. Had them toss it on top of the Sequoia and headed home. I picked up Pappy on the way, to help me get it off the top. (This is what happens now that Aaron is working at the Bogus Basin ticket office full time. I have to bug my dad a lot more often.)
This morning Aaron and I hauled it in and stood it up in the stand.
(Note - NOT the same stand as 1998 or 2008.)
It looked like the letter C, or a bow without the line and arrow. "Hmmmm. This better straighten out when I take the twine off."
After letting the snow melt off and dry out a bit I removed the twine to find a WHOLE FOREST'S WORTH of PINE NEEDLES! I don't even know where they came from. They were just tucked in the branches - brown and dead. Keep in mind this is a LIVE tree that is green and recently cut. It must have lived below a dead tree that had been shedding it's needles below for ages. NOT FUN! I ended up vacuuming, sweeping and vacuuming again and again for TWO HOURS. Yes, you read right - I had to vacuum my Christmas tree. All this before I even hang the lights.I filled an entire tall kitchen bag full of dead pine needles and went through 3 hand held vacuum bags.

While watching Aaron and I stand up the tree this morning I asked the kids if they know the meaning of the Christmas tree and what it symbolizes.
Boys repied, "No."
Brooklyn sweetly states, "Eternal life. But wouldn't a fake tree be a better symbol because it will last forever and this tree will die? In fact, now that it's cut, it's already dead."

So I've now invested approximately 4 hours into this dead tree, and it's not even decorated. Should I watch the day after Christmas sales for a fake tree for next year?

Who wants a free trip to Hawaii? ME!

So the details of the "free" are bittersweet and involve real estate transactions that I would rather not think about...so you are just going to have to wonder.

ANYWAY, Aaron and I had the chance to stay in Hawaii for a week and couldn't pass up the opportunity. So we cashed in all our travel miles. (I highly recommend the Capital One travel card) and packed up for Oahu.
More pics are posted on Facebook. But here are some highlights of the trip:
1.
Matsumoto's Shaved Ice on the North Shore

2.

Sunsets with some of my favorite people: Aaron, Caitlin & Jared

3.

Going to the Temple Open House

4.

Spending Veteran's Day at Pearl Harbor

5.

Learning to Tahitian Dance with this guy.

6.

Wearing nerdy glasses.

7.

Meeting Wooly Bully the Sea Turtle at Turtle Bay

8.

Sunset on Sunset Beach. Oh, THAT'S how it got its name.

9.

Finding Wallows. If you don't know what this is, as I didn't see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Search_for_Animal_Chin

And countless other amazing sights.

Halloween 2010

Since we were headed to Hawaii the following week, we thought Sailors headed to Pearl Harbor was fitting for this year's Halloween.

The kids have been planning their costumes for a year. We have the perfect set up for Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They've read the series, watched the movies, and are EXPERT wizards.

Hermione and Ron already looked the part, but we had to darken Harry's hair and give him the signature scar. Yes, that is his real hair. We just sprayed it black and it turned out PERFECT!

They had a great Halloween weekend and are already planning their costumes for next year.

Life with Lucas

He's a good kid to have around. (Most of the time.)
Here is his last few days in summary:
Friday - got in trouble for hitting at school.
Saturday - scored first goal in soccer game.
Sunday - did an EXCELLENT job in the Primary Sacrament meeting program (along with Ian and Brooklyn.) This was his first year not squeaking into the microphone just to hear it amplified.
Monday - 1. Had a GREAT day at school - no fights.
2. Noticed the statue of Jesus on top of St. John's Cathedral and had this conversation: Lucas: "Why do they have God on that church? Why not Josa?"
Me: "Do you mean Moroni?"
Lucas: Yeah.
Me: Because many churches choose to put different statues on their churches.
Lucas: I would put a ninja on my church.
Tuesday - 1. Got in trouble again for fighting.
2. While looking at a book with a picture of a grave he said, "This grave doesn't even say peace and quiet on it." We figured out he meant RIP, but I think when I die I'd like my grave to say PEACE and QUIET.

I thought we'd have a few more years before this...

Day 6 of Kindergarten is tiring.


While Lucas should have been attending his "closing meeting",

instead he was doing this:

During the last rotation station, he was just too sleepy. After misbehaving and throwing a cotton wristband across the class, distracting his classmates, he was supposed to sign the binder recognizing his misdeed. I guess the teacher will have to wait for his signature.

He slept for the rest of the school day and beyond. While the rest of the class cleaned up, packed their bags, lined up and headed out the door, Lucas remained asleep. Here's a picture of his class leaving at the end of the day.

At least he didn't fall asleep in Spanish class.

Ian's Baptism

Ian opted for a very private and small baptism. Often in our church eight year old children are baptized at a group baptism service. Ian didn't like the idea of other families watching him get baptized, so we arranged for him to have his own service. He asked that we not invite friends, just our family. It ended up turning out really special.

Welcome Ian, as the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As you can see, we had a pretty great day!

The program was wonderful:
Grandma Williams played the piano.
Lucas gave the opening prayer.
Ian's cousin, Rory, gave a great talk on Baptism.
Pappy and I did a duet of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".
Brooklyn gave a very nice talk on the Holy Ghost.
Aaron performed the baptism, with Uncles Jared and Nathan as witnesses.
Ian's cousin, Ewan, gave the closing prayer.

After the service we went home and enjoyed DELICIOUS food and dessert. So, although we missed the people in our family that couldn't make it. We had a practically perfect day.

Double Digits for Brooklyn

August 9, 2000
Kona, HI Christmas 2002
Old Faithful - Yellowstone Park, 2010

Brooklyn is AMAZING. I know that seems like an exaggeration, but really, I can't imagine her any better. As her mom, I have no complaints.

She is considerate, responsible, kind, organized, watchful, remorseful (when needed), fun, talented, beautiful, nice, curious, happy, smart, healthy, creative and active.

Wouldn't you agree that a kid like that sounds about perfect?

Happy 10th birthday Brooklyn!

8-8-2002 Eight years later.

From THIS...


to this...

and now, this.Ian had a rough start. We are SO HAPPY he figured out that breathing thing and is here with us. He is 8 today.
In case you didn't know, he is EXCEPTIONAL!
He loves his sister and brother.
He is a math wiz. (I think that skips a generation.)
He plays a mean game of baseball in grandma Susie's backyard.
He helps me weed the garden.
He likes to explore outside, and is great at finding frogs.
He has a knack for technology.
He is a veracious reader.
He is SUPER sweet.
He was the best birthday present we ever gave Brooklyn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!

being a parent

Sometimes I like being a parent.
It's cool.

First, I got to drop Brooklyn off to go to YMCA camp today. nostalgia.

Second, I watched my boys work a lemonade stand in my front yard. Their attire is what really made it. Lucas wore cowboy boots, a transformers t-shirt, silky basketball shorts and alternated between a cowboy hat and a giant pirate hat. Ian was a diligent worker, always on the lookout through his binoculars for customers. He would occasionally sport his battery operated Darth Vader head. It makes his voice sound like the evil Vader, and it added a new touch to the calls of "LEMONADE, 50 CENTS a GLASS!".

Third, I gave Ian a sweet haircut. He is the only person on earth I will barber up. And the best part is he loves to have choppy, uneven hair cuts, so he thinks I'm the best hair cutter in the land. He is likes a shaggy sort of do, so as long as I don't chop it too short I'm safe. I just let it grow long enough that I can cut it and if I screw up too bad there is still enough length for Nonny or Grandma Williams to clean up my mess. But so far, he seems to love my messes.

Lastly, I like them.

For your viewing pleasure...my cute boys!
(pics of Brooklyn at camp to come)
My favorite cowboy, basketball player, transformers under-roos guy. (Note the pirate hat hanging on the chair for easy costume change.)
Ian and his friend Graeme scouting out lemonade customers.

Letters...

Dear Sore Throat,
Please remember that you were not invited to my summer vacation. Nor to that of my children. If you are, in fact, a bacterial infection (as I suspect) I plan on killing you after my visit to the doctor tomorrow. If it weren't five minutes to midnight, I'd be there now. But I don't want to be one of those people nurses complain about that rush to the emergency room when it's not an emergency. But the bad thing is, other than childbirth, this might just be the most pain I've ever been in. If you are a virus, I might just die. I hope antibiotics are a quick cure.
Goodbye,
Emily

Dear Fever,
Please do your job and get rid of my sore throat.
Thank you,
Emily

Dear Sty,
Please leave Aaron alone. Get off his lovely tan colored eyes. I know he prefers "hazel" but I shall forever be in love with his sandy tan eyes. So go away.
Best wishes,
Emily

Dear Virus,
You are the worst. Lucas has been a brave little guy, but you need to ease up! Man! Show some mercy!
At my wits end,
Emily

Dear Ian,
Thank you for putting up with the rest of us. We are a mess and your cheerful smile brightens our misery.
Love,
Mommy

Dear Brooklyn,
I am glad you are in Utah with Pappy making freezer jam. I miss you terribly, but I'm glad you are far away from our germs. I hope we are all better when you get home on Tuesday. I can't stand you away for so long. But, it was a good week to go! bring us home some yummy jam!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Ancestors,
You were tough. No wonder you all only lived about 40 years. Life must have sucked to live before ibuprofen and antibiotics and chloraseptic throat spray. Please accept my deepest admiration. But I'm so glad I am a 21st century girl. But it still bites to be sick.
Sincerely,
Emily

Dear Bed,
I'm sorry I don't think I'll be with you tonight. The thought of laying in the dark with my throat burning and ears stinging is more than I can bare. So I will do my best to keep busy tonight. Bring on the insomnia. Sunrise will never be more welcome.
See you tomorrow,
Emily

Dear Doc in the Box,
Please fix me tomorrow.
Hoping for the best,
Emily

3 weeks, 5300 miles, 10 states

How do I blog about that?

I kept a travel journal but it's 13 pages long.
I think we have well over 1000 pictures.

Here is a photo summary:
Pioneers don't smile. Winter Quarters, NB
Winter Quarters LDS Temple
St. Louis - Just driving through.

Lucas doing one of his "taste tests" with olives and hotdog at the Williams Family Reunion in Vincennes, IN.
Sunday BBQ, eating butter dipped Indiana Sweet Corn
Williams Family Baseball! Ian hit and never quit running. It didn't bother him that Brooklyn had stopped on 2nd base. He just ran right past her and went for the home run! He wasn't going to let another runners base judgment stop him!

We visited the grave sites of both Rob's mom's family and his dad's.

We rode go-carts and mini-motorcycles at Aaron's aunt and uncle's house. Only 2 wrecks. Lucas took a clutch piece to the back and Brooklyn dented in a door. Oops.
Sleeping quarters in Indiana at Rob's parents house. Nobody lives there anymore, but it served as shelter from the Indiana rains at night.

After Indiana we headed north to Chicago. Here are the cousins at the Field Museum with "Sue".

At the Art Institute of Chicago Brooklyn said, "I remember that painting from art class!" We took this picture to show her art teacher.
"The Bean" - Chicago, IL
Lucas couldn't hack the 10:30 pm dinners we frequented. No wonder he woke up hungry every morning!

Chicago site seeing!
Playing in a fountain in downtown Chicago. All fun and games until Ian's head hit Brooklyn's front tooth and knocked it loose. Yes, it is her permanent tooth. But in the end it tightened back up.
Another fountain, at Liberty Zoo in Chicago. It's free! You can't beat that!
This was the best of our sleeping arrangements. Brooklyn and I decided the car was getting too squishy night after night, and we opted for the starlit sky. The mosquitos weren't too bad in Nauvoo, and it wasn't raining. It is too bad we didn't have more opportunities for this!
The mosquitos in Indiana beat Ian up. This was the worst of his bites, but his arms and legs didn't look much better. But as you can see, he's still smiling! The day this picture was taken he got into some chigger bugs and the following day his entire body was covered in spots.
Aaron's Parents, His Brother Jared, wife Caitlin, their 4 boys and us at the Nauvoo Temple
After Nauvoo we parted ways with the rest of the Williams clan and headed up to South Dakota for an extended trip through Mount Rushmore and Wyoming, taking us to Yellowstone Park.
On the way to Yellowstone we slept in the car on the highway near Devil's Tower. Not a bad sight to wake up to!
Our first Bison sighting at Yellowstone National Park.
We were lucky enough to see this Grizzly with her cubs and another bear the next day.
And here we are checking out an elk.
The kids were awarded their 7th Junior Ranger badge of the trip at Yellowstone. We had stopped at many National Memorials, Parks and Reserves along the way.
The grand finale to our trip was seeing Old Faithful. Which Lucas refers to as "The Faithful".

Well, that's it in a nut shell. Now we are home and can get to the RELAXING of our summer vacation.