The Williams Revue

March 2011

2011-07-10T16:13:00.008-05:00

Life gets busy and I seem to have a hard time keeping up on this blog. So with Douglas having a new work schedule, I am determined to catch up and hopefully stay that way. Here are a few (21) pictures that prove that we still exist and that we had a wonderful month of March.

March is always an important month because we celebrate our Wedding Anniversary. It's been 9 years! Wow, times goes by fast! Life has changed in so many ways in 9 years but one thing has stayed the same: Douglas and I are still crazy about each other. He is such a fantastic husband and father and I couldn't get through life without him. He is my help meet, my best friend and the coolest guy I know. I am SO lucky!

So anywho, we celebrated our anniversary with date night the weekend before our actual anniversary because it's always during spring break. Always fun to have a date night just the two of us.

For spring break we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Williams

Gracie and Grandpa holding hands on the back porch. So sweet!

Douglas and his Dad looking happy and bright

Marley tutoring Grandpa on how to drink from the hose

Story time with Grandma Darlene

Early in the morning we drove to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Gracie was SO happy to be out of the car!

A view from the top

It's quite a huge hole in the earth!

The whole group

Marley and Gracie posing with Grandpa and Grandma Williams

Our little family and everyone is smiling!

Later in the hotel...

Gracie decided to draw a mustache on her face. Too funny!

The next day we drove to Ruidoso, NM and did some hiking.

This was our actual anniversary so we had to take a picture as a couple.

More hiking:

Then we found a playground

Like Son, like Mother?

Such a handsome guy

All together now

More hiking, but Marley was too tired this time and

Gracie was sleeping in the car with Grandma

Lunch break

We had such a great vacation and love spending spring break away from reality.

Last but not least my sweet friend Donna had a baby shower and I got to make her cake. It was very fun and a great learning experience! Plus I got to cut and taste it at the shower. Yum!

Marley

2011-04-10T15:33:00.007-05:00

Here's what Marley has been up to lately...

Playing in his favorite cardboard box,

Exercising just like Papi, pretty impressive push up there buddy!

showing off matching shoes with Papi,

pretending outside with his favorite light saber,

such a sweet face as he awaits his haircut,

playing with his Favorite hot wheels and track
Marley is a boy in every way. He has such a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing always. We're so lucky to have him in our family

Gracie

2011-04-06T20:42:00.007-05:00

Here's what Gracie has been up to lately...

Acting silly, and finally eating oranges after years of coaxing,

Happily playing with her brother,

Getting ready for school,

Exercising,

Playing dress up and make believe,

Basking in the warm sun and having a snack,

We are so grateful for this sweet girl in our lives, she is amazing!

As I type, she's reading over my shoulder:)

February

2011-03-30T15:59:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of february we planned on going to San Antonio with friends and attend the temple, shop and go to the restaurants we love. The kids would stay at grandma and grandpa's and all the details were set. Unfortunately I got REALLY sick! I haven't been that sick in a very long time! I was out of commision for several days and Douglas had a big test to study for so the kids still went to the grandparents, Douglas studied and I read Hunger games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. It was so nice to rest and read and I enjoyed the books so much! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Williams for being so sweet and taking the kids for the weekend. It was so fun for them and so nice to not worry about being Mom.

These are my sleeping kiddo's after the long ride

home from Grandma and Grandpas house.

Gracie had a Valentines party at school and loved when her name

was called out and everyone delivered special valentines to her desk.

Marley had a lot of fun too. He loves visiting the big kid school!

After the flu passed we went to San Antonio to celebrate Valentines.

So nice to have time alone!

Every year in february the stock show and rodeo hits San Angelo.

Gracie's class took a field trip and I got to join them.

They got to feed the goats & Llamas, but not the ornery pigs.

They saw some white tigers and the new cubs

They got their faces painted, ate cotton candy, took a train ride and smelled all the amazing aroma's that come with the rodeo. It was a blast!

January

2011-03-27T16:44:00.009-05:00

In January we enjoyed being together as a family before school started for Douglas.

Gracie started Horseback Riding lessons. Obviously she enjoyed them! My sweet friend Donna is her teacher and she gets to ride a horse named "Marley" (named after our sweet little boy)

She's getting into the Texas cowgirl spirit! Douglas Replaced our sink and the kids "helped" him.

Douglas turned 33 and the kids LOVED helping him open his presents

Happy Birthday to such a great man who is adored by his wife and kids

Gracie made Douglas a book for his present. It was so thoughtful!

Birthday dinner at Armentas, our favorite Mexican restaurant

Happy birthday to yoooooooou......

Marley lifting weights with his Papi

Gracie made a special poster for her 100th day of school.

She got to show it on the school announcements. How exciting!

Enjoying the warm weather at the park

Marley and Laney, a friend we babysit.

It's 75 degrees and then...It snowed!!

School was cancelled because it was so icy so we enjoyed playing in the back yard.

The slide wasn't working too well, but they didn't care.

Back to December

2011-03-23T22:18:00.003-05:00

I love writing new blog posts, but it's difficult when it's been 4 months. The question is always, should I catch up or just start fresh? So because I don't want to leave out the happenings of our lives over the last few months I will catch up. Just be ready for lot's of pictures!

We had a wonderful Christmas at home this year and we kept it very simple. Grandma and Grandpa Williams came to celebrate with us and we spent a lot of time playing with Gracie and Marley. They love the attention! Here are a few pictures of the big day:

Marley loved all his presents! Obviously!

Gracie was ecstatic to receive pink cowgirl boots!

What a fun mess! I just get a kick out of the Christmas aftermath.

Gracie and Marley were so surprised to find their last present in the backyard. We had a very chilly but memorable time setting it up in the dark on Christmas Eve.

Hours of Light Saber battles raged through the day.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-15T21:28:00.005-06:00

We couldn't get through the Christmas season without making gingerbread houses. Gracie and Marley were very excited and loved having so much candy around. They each made their own and decorated them so cute! Grandma Darlene joined us again this year and we all had a blast getting sticky and producing cute houses.

Marley loved doing his house all by himself this year!

Gracie had some very inventive decorating ideas and

used a lot of candy to make her house pretty.

We're so happy Grandma Darlene decorated with us!

This was Marley's response to my question,

"Why are you eating the candy off you're house Marley?"

The finished products

Santa's Santa Fe Christmas

2010-12-04T22:10:00.006-06:00

This weekend we took the kids to the old train station that is now a museum. They have a special night with story telling, toy trains, Santa Claus and model trains everywhere. Marley was in heaven especially with the Thomas and Percy models. The kids could push buttons to make the trains move and blow their whistles. It was really entertaining to watch them run from train to train excitedly. After they finished playing we heard that Santa was there, so we went to visit him. Santa is not my favorite part of Christmas, but it was fun to see the kids sit on his lap and list all the things they would like to receive. Marley was pretty hesitant, but Santa was very sweet and finally got him to warm up. We ended the night with our drive home spotting all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood and talking about the birth of Christ. It was a wonderful night and it added to our Christmas cheer!

Gracie the conductor

Classic Marley with his tongue sticking out

So excited to see the trains!

3 kids playing with the trains:)

Santa Claus

Santa persuaded Marley to look at the trains with him.

"I want a Jessie, a Tinkerbell, a Rapunzel....

"I want a Rex the dinosaur, Woody, Buzz, Slinky dog....

Craft time! So much fun.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T07:36:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving came so fast this year! I was so busy with our Relief Society activity that it snuck up on me. It was a busy week of baking and driving, but we enjoyed it so much. We spent thanksgiving day in Odessa with Douglas's family and had some really amazing food and time to play. We wrote out our thankful lists for family home evening and it was so amazing to hear what the kids came up with. They are truly thankful and sincere.

We are all thankful for the gospel and for the Savior Jesus Christ. We are thankful to have the chance to be on this earth and feel such joy. We are grateful to all our friends and family for molding us to be better people. We are so blessed!

My friend, Amber and I making several cakes into the late hours of the night. We made a huge mess, but it was fun and they turned out pretty cute.

The 30 was for Ambers husband who is Douglas's cousin, Ricky. He turned 30 over the thanksgiving week. The turkeys were for all 3 stops that Amber and Ricky had to make on thanksgiving day.

Laney(Amber and Ricky's daughter), Marley and Gracie decorating fall cookies. Gracie has been asking me for months to please make some cookies. She is so excited that we finally have an oven so we can!.

Mr. & Mrs. on thanksgiving

The kids loved thanksgiving dinner!

Unfortunately we didn't get a family picture.

After our feast, Douglas and his dad went to the restaurant and painted their little hearts out. Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only days the restaurant is closed during the year and the painting has to be done by the end of the year so they spent several hours getting it done. But they were really excited to come home and enjoy some pecan, pumpkin, and key lime pie. Douglas came home looking like a racoon.

Gracie was VERY excited to see her Dad and Grandpa! (even if they were covered in paint)

Accident prone little boys

2010-11-14T08:55:00.003-06:00

Little boys are generally accident prone, right? Well surprisingly it took three years for Marley to have his first major accident that required an ER visit. Marley, Gracie, and Laney, the little girl we babysit, were playing in the backyard. Marley and Gracie were hitting each other with sticks and Marley walked away pouting with his shoulders hunched and head down and fell face first into a large rock. Douglas saw the end of this ordeal happen and ran to Marley to find him gushing blood from his mouth. He had bitten his top lip pretty bad and had a huge goose egg on his head. He repeatedly asked if he could go to sleep and his mouth looked pretty bad so we decided to take him to the ER. Gracie was terribly worried that we would have to leave him there and I had to explain that he might need stitches but that he would be fine.

Everything was fine and he didn't need any stitches. The worst injury was to his teeth. One is chipped and three are pushed back a bit. Not too bad for a major fall. He's back to himself again and is happy to eat normal food again. We are so blessed to have such a great little boy who loves to run, jump and play. I guess the falls are just a small price to pay for the all the fun he has playing so hard.

Day 2
Poor guy!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-03T17:24:00.004-05:00

We had a great Halloween this year. We talked a lot about what is real and what is pretend to calm the fears and keep away nightmares. Both kids really loved it this year and are already talking about what they will dress up as next year. Gracie begged us for weeks to get out the decorations and loved putting them up! Marley loved the Star Wars pumpkins that Douglas carved and was so excited for the costume Douglas made for him. We went to the ward trunk-or-treat, a costume party with friends and Gracie's fall festival at school. What a fun month!

Douglas did the awesome storm trooper and Yoda

(which made Marley really happy)

and I did the pirate skeleton.

Marley made the perfect Yoda
Kudos to Douglas for making such an awesome costume!

Little Red Riding Hood

Grandma Sessions made her cute hood and cape and Gracie loves it!

Red riding hood, hippie, special forces soldier, and Yoda

No rhyme or reason but still a lot of fun!

Marley really loved the trick-or-treating this year!

Gracie dancing her little tail off.

She especially loves Monster mash and Thriller

My second attempt at fondant

I made 2 identical frankenstein cakes for a friends party and Gracie's fall festival cake walk.

It was fun and my skills are improving.

Marley and Papi playing basketball at the fall festival

Little red Riding Hood

So proud of his football skills!

Little red riding hood and the big bad wolf

(aka our friend kara)

Marley B3

2010-10-24T09:00:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite parts of birthday parties is the birthday cakes! I have been doing different character cakes each year and I just love planning what I'm going to do next. This year for Marley's cake I decided to try fondant. I've been intimidated in the past so I've just done buttercream frosting. Well, I found a recipe online, held my breath and tried it. It was so much fun and not as difficult as I thought. Plus, there are so many great video tutorials online.

Douglas helped me pick a good picture of R2D2 and we built this cake one section at a time.

The web site that I found my recipe on is thecookduke.com

Marley helped me make a quadruple recipe of fondant

Douglas took pictures of the progression and gave me lots of encouragement.

I made a bit of a mess, but it was fun!

Okay, a BIG mess. During the process our friends came over and couldn't hide the shock on their faces, but hopefully I'll learn to be more tidy as I improve my skills.

Gracie loved watching and was excited as it started to look like R2D2

One piece at a time:)

The finished product

Marley was so sweet and came in as I was finishing and said,

"Mom this is the coolest cake ever!"

He just melted my heart.

Part of the reason I made this a post was because I think as a Mother sometimes I don't feel very talented and appreciated. This boosted my confidence and helped me feel appreciated. I think every Mom needs that in some form. Now I'm thinking about what I can do for my next cake!!

Party # 2

2010-10-24T08:55:00.006-05:00

We tried to make Marley's actual birthday special too, so we had lunch and playtime at McDonalds and had a special dinner for him. He was excited to eat cake and ice cream again and open up MORE presents!!

Marley and his new jammies

Opening his Star Wars card from Papi, Mommy and Gracie.
It played the Imperial March and he opened it over and over again.

His new Woody and Bullseye

A train set!!

Being bashful while we sang the Happy Birthday song

Mmmm....cake

Marley is 3!

2010-10-24T08:27:00.006-05:00

I'm so behind on blogging and I'd still like to catch up but I couldn't pass up this special occasion! Our Marley Man turned three this month and we had such a fun time celebrating! Marley has been obsessed with Star W

.ars lately and was so excited to have a STAR WARS BIRTHDAY PARTY! His excitement has been contagious and we all had a blast planning his big day. We had lots of friends and family come to help us celebrate and the party turned out so fun! Most importantly Marley was so happy and loved every minute of it. Happy Birthday to such a special little boy who brings a lot of Joy to our family. We love you!

The bubble wand/light sabers

Douglas made some GOOD hamburgers and hot dogs!

All of us in our Star Wars shirts

Grandma Darlene even joined the fun

Marley and his R2D2/MarleyB3 cake

Douglas, Marley and Tyson blowing out the candles

All of the kids were itching to eat the cake. It was a hit!

Marley tried to eat the whole foot!

Gracie attempted it too!

Douglas made an awesome piniata and light saber to hit it with.

Marley loved hitting it!

Marley chillin' with Grandpa Riley

Douglas had to hit it after all the kids had their turn. It was hard to break!

Marley was so excited to open all his awesome gifts.

Whoa...a light saber!

Fathers Day

2010-10-17T08:51:00.006-05:00

I'm still in the process of catching up the last 4 months and I can't forget a very important part of our family: Douglas (aka daddy, papi, dumpy) Way back in June we celebrated Fathers Day with a very special man in our lives. Douglas does so much to bring happiness and stability to our family. We are extremely blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father. Thank you Douglas for bringing so much joy to our lives. We love you!

Funny faces

A special Fathers Day meal including pecan pie. mmmmmm

Douglas opening some sweet presents from the kids

Grandpa Riley opening presents

Riley and Douglas found Riley's old Navy uniform and they squeezed him into it. It was a special walk down memory lane for Riley.

A visit to Grandma and Grandpa's wouldn't be complete without watering the plants.

Douglas got a kayak for his Fathers Day gift
He loves it!

Trying it out for the first time

Hangin' at the lake

Meanwhile..

2010-08-20T09:58:00.006-05:00

While Douglas was at D-day, we were spending time in Oklahoma at Aunt Maria and Uncle Chucks house and in Kansas at Grandma and Grandpa Sessions house and Uncle Dan and Aunt Celeste's house. It was great to see so many family members!

I didn't take very many pictures while we were in Oklahoma and I think it's because we were so busy trying to keep up with the kids. We had a great time with the Edgingtons and the kids loved swimming and playing in the back yard on the trampoline. Gracie had a scary close call in the pool but luckily some little girls saved her and helped her to the edge. She got back in the pool and has been able to overcome her fears again.

My sister Maria and I had such a great visit and got to talk during our time in the car. It's so nice to catch up on sister time!

We had such a fun visit and here are a few highlights from our trip:

Lydia and Marley (Partners in crime) If they were born as twins my life would be insane. They just knew how to push each others buttons and make everyone crazy! Hope fully they'll learn to love each other when they get older:)

Planting flowers with Grandma

Playing in the sprinklers with cousins, trieste, Lili and Ella

Cute girls!

They just loved the splash pad!

Trampoline fun with cousins

Grandma and Grandpa Sessions

Tickle time

Eating ice cream at the Kansas State University Creamery. Yum!

Saving some for later...

Fun in the pool

Grandma has the coolest dolls!

Grandpa has the coolest lawnmower!

But Marley wasn't such a fan.

Picking sugar snap peas with Grandma

Time to take a break. It's nice to be spoiled at the Grandparents house!

D-Day Paintball week

2010-08-20T09:18:00.006-05:00

Back in June Douglas attended his annual Oklahoma D-Day Paintball week. He had an amazing time and said this was his favorite year so far. He has so many friends that come from all over and He loves catching up with them and having time with the guys. It also helps that they get to strategize each battle and shoot thousands of paintballs. He always comes home with plenty of great stories and wounds to back them up. It's a good way to refresh and get away from all the stresses of daily life. So glad you got to go Babe! I know you're allready planning next year:)

Predator

Taking a much needed break from the battle

Right in the face. Ouch

Douglas with the rest of the 101st Airborne

Catch up should be my new blog title

2010-08-20T09:14:00.002-05:00

This whole summer has flown by and I haven't blogged one bit about it. I'm not a great scrapbooker and this blog will be turned into a book for our memories, so please forgive me as I catch up on the last 3 months. If you can't stand a zillion pictures of other people's vacations you better hold of for a weeks until I catch up:)

Memorial Day Part 3

2010-07-20T16:24:00.008-05:00

For the rest of the weekend we played in the South Llano River. It was fun to play in the canoe and wade with the kids. You just can't beat a weekend in the warm sunny weather. The kids were very brave in the water and loved sitting in the canoe by themselves. It was a nice way to start our summer and spend time with family!

Gracie showing us a little girly attitude!

The kids loved paddling the boat by themselves!

The whole fam

Marley just loves his Grandpa!

Hanging out at the river

Douglas and Riley enjoying their canoe that they worked so hard on.

Papi and Gracie wading through the river

Mommy and Marley Man

Marley was brave and enjoyed being carried by the current

Happy to be playing with Papi!

Memorial Day Part 2

2010-07-18T08:53:00.005-05:00

We took a beautiful drive from Kerrville to Lost Maples state park. The hill country in Texas is so pretty. Rolling hills, old rock walls, trickling streams, lavendar fields, and cactus everywhere. I think I fell in love with this area over the weekend. Hopefully we can live there at some point.

Once we arrived at the park, we took a hike that crossed the river a few times and the kids were so excited to splash and get soaked while fully dressed. The hike was a little longer than we expected and the kids started to poop out, so Dougas ran back to the car, got the stroller, and ran back. No P90X needed that day, he got his workout! They were so much happier to enjoy the scenery while sitting in their coach, munching on snacks and sipping cold beverages. Actually Grandpa Riley and I were a bit jealous.

Climbing the rocks with Grandpa

Gracie's favorite part: Splashing in the water!

Marley too!

Darlene was a trooper and walked as far as she could before the heat got to her.

A tiny little turtle Douglas caught

Gracie was like a mountain goat

So Happy!

Memorial Day Part 1

2010-06-30T08:30:00.004-05:00

For Memorial Day weekend we headed to Kerrville, which is about an hour from San Antonio. It's such a beautiful area and there are several state parks close by. One of the best things about staying in a hotel with kids is their excitement when we see the pool. We couldn't get them in their swimsuits fast enough! They love to swim and the divided pool made it so easy for us all the play together. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Williams for joining us, we had a great weekend!

Gracie's Preschool Graduation

2010-06-29T19:34:00.005-05:00

May brought the end of the school year for Douglas and Gracie. Douglas finished his first year of nursing school and Gracie graduated from Pre-K. We got to attend her graduation and listen to her perform all the sweet songs that she had practiced so hard. She did a great job and she has learned SO much this year. She is reading and writing so well and she's very excited for kindergarten!

Gracie's class singing a rhyming alphabet song

Getting her Diploma from Mrs. Smith

Mrs. Smith gave her these glasses and said "Your future is bright!"

Gracie and Grandma Patsy, the aid for her class.

Cute friends - Stormi, Savannah and Gracie

Awww, Gracie and Marley do love each other.

Gracie's class picture

Water Fight and Popsicles

2010-06-24T10:09:00.005-05:00

While we were spending the weekend at Grandpa and Grandma Williams house, the kids needed to get outside and use some energy. It was a beautiful summer day and what is better on a warm day than a water fight and popsicles? Needless to say, the kids had a blast.

Spraying Grandma Darlene

Uncle Leroy's girlfriend, Amanda and her daughter, Lila

Lila, Gracie, Cain and Marley enjoying their reward after the water fight.

Gracie and Cain are great friends!

All pooped out after a day of play.

Mother's Day

2010-06-24T09:40:00.003-05:00

Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.- Lin Yutang

To celebrate Mother's Day, Douglas and the kids surprised me with breakfast in bed and gifts. They were so excited and I felt very loved! Then we drove to Odessa to spend time with his Parents. We all went to church together and then Darlene and I enjoyed our relaxation the rest of the day. Douglas and Riley took care of everything! Douglas took care of the kiddo's and made sure that I got a nap and then he and his dad cooked an amazing meal topped off with Pecan Pie. Yummy! Then more gifts. Clothes and shoes mostly, which I was very excited about!

It's so nice to feel loved and recognized for such a special role that we get to play. I'm grateful for such a great Mother who taught me well and continues to show her support for me everyday.

Nutella on toast is ususally on the breakfast menu when you visit

Grandma and Grandpa. Gracie was very excited!

Our little family

Douglas and his parents

Presents!

New clothes!

New Pictures!

2010-05-26T09:02:00.003-05:00

Marley Man just turned 2 1/2 and he has grown up so much in the last 6 months! He is all boy and loves balls, getting dirty, and getting into mischief. He's definitely 2 but such a joy in our lives!

New Pictures!

2010-05-26T08:48:00.003-05:00

Since Gracie turned 5 recently we had her pictures taken and it just made us realize how big she is getting. She is a joy in our lives and we're grateful to have these pictures to remember her at this moment in her life.

After party family time

2010-05-17T09:58:00.004-05:00

After Gracie's party, we spent time together as a family. Grandma and Grandpa Williams and Uncle Leroy came into town for the party and we enjoyed being with them after all the chaos died down.

Gracie was all smiles with Uncle Leroy, but Marley wasn't feeling so good.

He just wanted to snuggle with Grandpa.

Leroy gave Gracie a digital camera and she
enjoyed praticing her photography skills on him.

Douglas and the two monkeys

Anita and the two monkeys

Boys in Blue

The 3 Girls

Gracie loves to pick roses!

Gracie's Birthday Bash

2010-05-11T23:14:00.007-05:00

The long awaited day for Gracie's birthday finally came. She was trying to be patient, but it's hard when you're 5! Gracie requested a Horse party complete with balloons, piniata and cake. I did my best to fulfill her requests and the party turned out really fun and really crazy. We had 27 kids show up and it was chaotic but very exciting for the birthday girl.

We colored stick horses and then did barrel racing.(around cones) The kids each took their turn and loved being cheered by their peers. Then the kids cracked open the piniata and dashed for the candy. We ate pizza, sang to Gracie, opened presents and then had cupcakes. Gracie recieved so many nice gifts and enjoyed spending time with all her friends. It was a beautiful day and a bit windy, but perfect for making memories and celebrating how big our little girl is getting. She's growing up so much! Thanks to everyone who came. We love you Gracie and we're so blessed to have you in our family. You are an amazing girl with such a beautiful spirit. 5 years have passed so quickly and they have all been wonderful!

The birthday girl

Stormi and Gracie sporting their bandanas and stick horses

Macy, Elyse, Gracie, Stormi and Marley riding the see-saw "horse style"

Happy Marley Man

Sweet Gracie girl

Anticipating the race

Ready..Set..Go!!

Douglas and Marley smacking the horse around

Gracie is a pro at piniatas

The cake

Happy Birthday dear Gracie, Happy Birthday to you!

Opening presents is always so fun! This was a Princess Belle doll and horse. So exciting!!

Easter

2010-04-25T08:16:00.013-05:00

This Easter was so fun because it was great weather and it was General Conference weekend.

We had a little Easter egg hunt in our backyard on Saturday and the kids were extremely excited! We had a ton of candy and the kids had to use second buckets to pick up all the eggs. Grandma Darlene even put money in the eggs and they loved that!

We all loved sitting down together and listening to conference. The kids were especially reverent and picked up on a lot of messages from the speakers. After the last session, Douglas made an amazing dinner that related to the savior and the resurrection. As we ate the food, he told us what each part represented. We had lamb with bitter herbs, balsamic glaze, cucumber salad, deviled eggs and fruit and nut compote. It was delicious and a nice way to think about the Savior on such a special day.

Before bed, Gracie realized that we hadn't colored any eggs and the world almost stopped turning, so we colored a few eggs and it was a great way to finish up our day.

Grandma and Grandpa watching as the kids frantically search for eggs.

Douglas did a great job on the dinner. It was delicious!

Marley Man

2010-04-25T08:04:00.003-05:00

Marley man is now 2 and a half and he is an amazing little boy. He loves being outside and pretending to be all sorts of people or animals. He love his sister. He loves to say prayers and volunteers every time. He talks all the time and loves a good snuggle. He's a great sleeper and such a joy to have in our family! Marley, you have a great personality and spirit and you are very important to us. Love you!

Here are a few random pictures of what he's been up to lately.

Playing outside and "pee-tending"

Watching Little Einstein in the coolest seat in the house

Helping Papi with the garden

Spring Break - Part 3

2010-04-23T09:03:00.003-05:00

To finish off the spring break week, we left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Williams and headed to Harwood, Texas for a scenario paintball game. This was my first scenario game and it turned out really fun. Our friends Brandon and Joseph came with us and it was fun to see Douglas and his friends so pumped up and excited. We froze our butts off the whole day and weathered the rain and ice, but it was really fun and we warmed up in the heat of the battle. I actually can't remember who won but it was just fun to go in and out of the game and battle over the building and fields. We even did a few covert missions sneaking through the trees undetected. Everyone had a few battle wounds to show, especially Douglas who is the most gutsy of all of us. We made some new friends and Douglas did some recruiting for D-day, the huge paintball game in Oklahoma. It was nice to get away for a few days. The kids had such a fun weekend with the grandparents and they were asking to go again the next week.

We joined up with a few other guys during the game.

So happy!!!

Freezing!

Joseph, Douglas and Brandon

Douglas in the heat of the battle

All dressed up in our Multicam

Joseph pondering the deep importance of paintball

Brandon heading to the battle behind him

Opening the celebratory Martinellis

Spring Break - part 2

2010-04-19T09:12:00.005-05:00

During spring break some friends from church invited us to the lake to camp. But we decided to enjoy the evening roasting s'mores and then go home and sleep in our beds. We'll try camping later this summer. The kids had their first experience with s'mores and what a sticky delicious mess it was! We went through a lot of wipes and we made some good memories. We are anxious to do it again.

Marley was telling Douglas a great story

I helped Marley roast his first marshmallow, but he thought the fire was way too hot.

Mmmmm.... golden brown marshmallows

Doesn't this picture just make you feel sticky?

Douglas and Gracie mesmerised by the fire's glow

Busy busy busy!

2010-04-19T09:05:00.002-05:00

Life has been so busy and blogging seems to fall on the priority list. School, church, exercise, cleaning, birthdays, the list goes on and on. It's normal life but extra chaotic lately. But, this weekend Gracie has been sick, so we're taking it easy today and keeping her home from school.

I figured it was a good time to catch up on the blog. So I'll rewind back to last month during spring break and start from there.

Happy 5th Birthday Gracie!

2010-04-12T08:25:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that 5 years have gone by since Gracie was born. Our little girl is all grown up! She is such a special part of our family and we're lucky to have her. She has grown so much this year in her physical size but also in many other ways. She has learned to spell and read many words, she has warmed up to pre-school and her new primary class. She is so imaginative and very musical. She loves listening to Elvis and dancing to the beat. She is a great older sister and shows Marley the ropes. Gracie gives such sweet compliments and gives lots of love and affection. She has come such a long way and we're grateful that she's healthy and strong. Gracie we love you and we're lucky to have your sweet. spunky, smart little self in our family. Happy fifth birthday!

Ready for her first day at school as a five year old.

3 weeks old and so weet.

Such a great addition to our family!

Spring Break

2010-04-01T21:14:00.004-05:00

Spring Break is even more exciting now that we have 2 students in our family. We headed to Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo for a few days with Grandma and Grandpa Williams. We did some hiking in the mud and soaked up the warm sun. The kids enjoyed getting dirty and looking for animal tracks. The Canyon is beautiful and totally unexpected with the mostly flat landscape through Amarillo.

After we finished seeing the canyon we went to the Panhandle Plains historical museum. It sounds boring but it was really cool. There were several exhibits that the kids could touch and they could run free and tire themselves out before naptime. The exhibit that I liked best was an old Oil rig from the 1920's. It was massive and so ingenous.

We also hit the Amarillo Zoo which was small but still entertaining. The kids are always happy when they can run around and see lions and monkeys. They especially loved the peacock that was not at all afraid of them and gave them a good view of his feathers.

Our trip was nice and not too far away from home. I think next time we'll camp in the canyon instead of in the Hotel.

Gracie loved the mud and rocks. She loved getting dirty.

The soil was such a pretty color.

Hiking with Grandpa

Marley was so muddy by the time we finished and his pants kept falling down, so Grandpa ended up carrying him.

Marley was so happy to not be buckled in his seat!

Having fun with the camera

Ride 'em cowboy!

Checking out the monkeys.

Right after this picture Douglas set Marley down and Marley took a big fall that caused a massive bruise on his forehead. He was understandably a bit grumpy for the rest of the zoo trip.

Grandma and Gracie

The peacock that the kids fed and were fascinated with.

Gracie and Me

2010-03-18T10:55:00.003-05:00

Over the last few months I took a Parenting class at Gracie's school. I grew really close to the other Mom's and the instructors. We learned many things including new communication methods and ways to discipline without spanking. I'm not sure if I'm a better parent after taking the class, but I'm trying.

At the end of the class there was a dinner where they recognized parents and presented us with certificates for completing the class. They took pictures of the families and gave door prizes. Douglas and Marley were sick, so Gracie was my date. It was a fun night to celebrate the role of parenting which is overlooked and generally unappreciated by the world.

Playing at the Park

2010-03-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Besides the wind, we've had some really nice weather. This particular day was perfect for getting out of the house and enjoying the sunshine. We headed to the park and played for a few hours and then stopped at Sonic for slushes. It was the perfect way to enjoy a spring day.

Lightening shirt, football, froggy boots and playing at the park. He was happy!

Silly girl

Happy with boots on the wrong feet.

Make that 4 boots on the wrong feet

Random Happenings

2010-03-18T10:24:00.004-05:00

Marley was too tired to eat his pizza.

Happy Monkey

Brand new Hello Kitty boots

Grandpa Williams bought the kids new boots and they are so excited!

They want to wear them every day.

Marley can put his froggy boots on all by himself.

He loves them so much, he wants to take them in his crib at nap time.

Just boots. Nothing else needed.

Except maybe his new dumptruck.

Douglas and Marley happily cooking together.

Goofy faces

Gracie's Pre-k Performance

2010-03-18T09:22:00.004-05:00

On March 1st, Gracie had a special performance with her pre-k class aka "The Baby Bulldogs". They have been learning several songs in class and performed them at the PTA meeting. They did such a good job and Gracie really enjoyed being in front of everyone. She was that kid that waves at her parents a hundred times and can't seem to sit still because of excitement. She did well remembering the songs and actions. We celebrated her performance at dinner afterwards and she was very happy to have Grandpa and Grandma Williams and Uncle Leroy there with us.

Marley, Grandpa Riley, Douglas and Grandma Darlene waiting for the performance.

Gracie singing "Where did you get that nose?"

Uncle Leroy playing with Marley to keep him happy during the performance

Gracie and her friend Christian

Happy 8th Anniversary

2010-03-15T00:19:00.007-05:00

Happy 8th Anniversary to my amazing husband Douglas.

I made the best choice of my life when I married you. I'm very lucky and these 8 years have been amazing!

To celebrate we got massages, ate sushi and ice cream, and saw Alice in Wonderland. It was such a fun date and we were lucky to have the day to ourselves. It's nice to celebrate such an important day for us. It's fun to look back and remember our day and we can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

Mr. & Mrs.

When we were taking pictures L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles walked past us and said to Douglas, "Are you ready for this?" And before Douglas could answer, he said "Well it's too late now!" then he laughed and shook our hands and wished us luck.

The day we got engaged. (The first time)

Eight years later. Happy Anniversary!!

Play

2010-03-06T07:33:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pictures that I couldn't resist posting.

Just some random pictures of the kids doing what they do best...PLAYING!!

Gracie and Marley enjoying spinning around in the dryer.

Douglas makes a good horse

HazMat Marley

Toys galore!

Snow Again!!

2010-03-05T14:52:00.004-06:00

Last Monday the 22nd, Gracie came home from school saying the next day they probably wouldn't have school because of the snow. I laughed because we've had snow 4 times this year and none in the past 4 years. Of those 4 times this year the snow has stuck to the ground only once for more than an hour. They didn't cancel school that day, so I just knew it wouldn't be cancelled the next day. I didn't even think it would actually snow.

Well Mother nature and our 4 year old proved me wrong! The next morning we woke up to a blanket of beautiful snow. It was spectacular and it continued for most of the day. Douglas let me sleep in and he fed the kids and bundled them up to go outside. What a sweet husband!

We had fun playing in all the white stuff and Douglas taught Gracie to make snow angels. Gracie's school was cancelled and Douglas had delayed class which was eventually cancelled too! My young women's meeting was cancelled and so we had nothing we HAD to do all day. It was great! We played in the snow, drank hot chocolate, watched movies and I got most of the laundry folded. I actually like doing chores when I don't have to.

It was a great day away from regular life and we enjoyed it through and through. We were blessed with about 5 inches all together and it stayed through the next day. This year of snow will definitely be remembered!

Gracie had snowflakes on her eyelashes

Douglas was very excited to play dress up and try out his new waterproof camo.

Snow makes me happy!

Monkey see-

Monkey do!

What a smile!

What do you do when snow gets in your gloves?

You get Papi to fix them! He can fix anything.

Sword fight!

Cabin Fever

2010-03-03T20:43:00.003-06:00

We have had some Cabin fever lately. The weather is so different from one day to the next and we are all ready for some consistently warm days. So we've been trying to play outside often, even if we have to bundle up. So, here are the kids enjoying the sunny day even though it was really cold!

Marley and spider man

What a sweet boy!

Gracie climbing her favorite tree

Happy to be outside

Valentines Party

2010-02-19T17:48:00.004-06:00

Gracie's class had a Valentines party and exchanged cards and had lots of treats. Marley loved sitting with all the other kids at the tables and at rug time. Gracie loved making valentines for her friends and she was so happy to show her love during this season. She was even a little sad this week when I told her that Valentines Day had allready passed. She wanted to keep celebrating!

Lots of yummy treats! Even Hannah Montana cupcakes!

Marley got to sit with all the big kids!

Excited for rug time.

Being silly as usual

They all wore hearts home with a note explaining that they were a special valentine just for us.

Valentines Daddy-Daughter Date

2010-02-19T17:11:00.005-06:00

The week before Valentines, Gracie's school had a Daddy-Daughter date. They had a dance, DJ and treats. We kept it a surprise from Gracie until the day of and she was SO excited to find out the surprise. She picked out her dress, jacket, shoes and head band. She even let me paint her nails and curl her hair. She looked so precious and was so happy to go out with Papi all by herself. They had a great time and Gracie danced like crazy! She loved playing with her friends, Savannah and Melinda and collecting rose petals with them. Douglas requested some Elvis and they played "Teddy Bear" which made her night. For days after she was mentioning it in her prayers and telling us all the details. I'm sure it will be special memory for both of them.

Gracie was so excited to go on a real date with Papi!

All dressed up

Ready for the ball

I just love this picture because her hair is so pretty curled and there are no bald spots. It's so sweet!

Gracie was excited about her cookie

Gracie knows how to boogie!

She looks just like Douglas!

Gracie, Savannah and Melinda

Awww, they're so cute dancing together!

Black Hawk Down

2010-02-19T15:57:00.004-06:00

A few weekends ago, Douglas played the Black Hawk Down paintball game in Austin. He went with his friend, Brandon and met up his friend, Joseph from D-Day. They played a full day of paintball in the freezing cold and were happy to warm up afterwards at their hotel room. Nothing like sacrificing your comfort to play an adrenaline filled game of paintball. They had a great time and it fueled their love of their hobby a little bit more.

Brandon and Douglas freezing their butts off!

A little blood never hurt anybody, right?

Douglas in action

Joseph and Douglas stained with paint and pumped up after their win.

Douglas turns 32 -part 2

2010-02-19T15:19:00.004-06:00

Douglas had his birthday off of school because it was Martin Luther King Day. So we celebrated all day and enjoyed leaving normal life on the back burner. Gracie was very excited to celebrate and she made invitations, party hats, cards and pictures for her Papi. Marley and Gracie both loved helping Douglas open presents and they were very excited about all the balloons. Birthday's are just magical when you're a kid! Douglas was like a kid using his birthday money and gift certificates to order all sorts of paintball gear and clothes. He was so giddy!

After our relaxing day we had dinner with our friends, the Skidmore's, the Lescarbeau's and Stratton's. Our friend Amy and Douglas have the exact same birthday and so it was fun to celebrate together. We had yummy fajita's, quacamole, cowboy caviar and some amazing brazilian limeade. Then we sang to Amy and Douglas and had cake, hazelnut brownies and blue bell ice cream. You just can't beat that! It was a great day and we loved spoiling our amazing Papi and husband. He's the best!

Gracie made us birthday hats.(They kind of look like Pope hats:)

She's very thoughtful.

The kids and I had fun decorating the house!

Gracie loves her Papi!

Marley loves his Papi too!

Balloons are such a great toy!

He looks upset, but don't let him fool you. I think he just didn't wan't his picture taken.

He's really excited about the hazelnut brownies and ice cream.

Douglas turns 32!

2010-02-15T11:06:00.005-06:00

To celebrate Douglas's birthday we had a Saturday afternoon of paintball. Several friends from church came along with friends from Wingstop and Douglas's brother, Leroy. We had so much fun trying to outrun and outsmart each other. We played until the light was gone and we each had a few battle wounds to show off.

Most of the group

3..2..1..Go! Go! Go!

Nice shot!

Brandon & Joseph searching for Douglas

Dumpy

Leroy, Joseph, Douglas and Brandon

The couple that shoots each other stays together

No! Of course this wasn't posed!!

Run!

All tired out!

New Year's 2010

2010-02-15T08:55:00.003-06:00

For New Year's Eve we headed to Odessa to celebrate Grandma Darlene's (Douglas's Mom) birthday. We opened presents and then had dinner at Ajuua's, a great mexican restaurant in Odessa. The kids loved sitting next to the huge fish tank and spending time with the grandparents. Then we headed to the great grandparents house for cake. Darlene's favorite is Italian Cream cake and it turned out yummy!

That night it was so cold and several of us were sick, so we bypassed the fireworks. sniff..sniff

It was the responsible thing to do, but it was painful to celebrate New Years with no fireworks. There's always next year.

We hope this year is a great one!

Gracie helping Grandma open her presents

Gracie helped me with the cake and the candles

So cute! Happy Birthday!

Eating cake always brings smiles

Being goofy at the restaurant

Getaway in Dallas

2010-02-15T08:12:00.005-06:00

Our Christmas gift to ourselves was a 2 day getaway to Dallas. The Williams Grandparents were sweet enough to take the kids overnight and let us have some time together. The 4 hour drive was so peaceful and we carefully planned all the fun things we could do in 2 days. We checked into the hotel and then did some shopping and driving around town. Then we ate at Kaze, the best sushi place ever! Each time we go it just keeps getting better. Seriously amazing sushi!

That night we slept so well with no interuptions and we got to sleep in the next morning. Heaven!

Douglas was anxious to find an army surplus store so we checked out a few and found some pretty sweet camo and gear. Then we headed to the temple for a refreshing session in the temple. When we came out it was snowing and it was so beautiful to watch the snow fall with the nativity scene and the temple in the background.

For lunch we headed to Fogo de Chao, a brazilian restaurant where they bring meat to your table and carve it for you. It was as good as we remembered. The salad bar was fantastic with several different cheeses, veggies, fruit salad, potato salad, green salad and chimi churri. Mmmmm. Then we had some amazing chicken, lamb, pork roast and filet mignon. Then to top off our full bellies they brought fried bananas, polenta and yorkshire pudding type rolls filled with melted parmesan cheese to our table. We were stuffed, but happy. Walking to the car was actually painfull because it was so cold and we were so full! The snow was still coming down and we decided we better get home before the roads got too bad. Sweet Douglas drove home in the blizzard and let me take a nap for part of the time.

We had such a great two days and it feels good to reconnect and feel like a couple again. We're grateful to out sweet kids and parents who let us get away.

Dallas Temple

Fogo de Chao

Christmas Day

2010-02-13T17:03:00.007-06:00

Holidays are always lots of fun mixed in with a little chaos and stress. Christmas Day didn't disappoint. Unfortunately Gracie was very sick the night before and didn't hardly sleep at all. So, 6:30 came early. But Christmas morning always holds a special magic and everyone was well enough to open presents and play together. Grandma and Grandpa Williams and Uncle Leroy joined us and we had a day full of special gifts, wrapping paper and good food. Douglas made sausage, biscuits and gravy for breakfast and we spent the morning playing Wii and trains. Afternoon naps are of course a must on a holiday and then we enjoyed watching the new movies the kids recieved. That night we toured the lights on the river again and then headed home with two sleepy children. Once they were asleep, we enjoyed a quiet Christmas dinner with good conversation and amazing food. It was so nice to stay home and have a quiet laid back day with plenty of family time. The spirit of Christ was felt in our home and the joy was overflowing.

My new Nikon camera and a family calendar from my sister Heidi. So exciting!

Douglas, Gracie and Marley opening stockings

Marley's new train set from Uncle Leroy. He was SO happy!

Marley's first look at his new basketball hoop. It has become his favorite sport.

Boys playing trains

Gracie and Grandpa. She enjoyed her new toys, but wanted to snuggle with Grandpa more.

We couldn't tear Marley away from his new ball.

Gracie making her character on her new Wii.

Such a sweet pair.

Grandma Darlene trying her hand at Wii bowling.

Marley and Grandpa playing.

Our family at the end of a fun day. Marley was out!

Awwww....Grandma and Grandpa Williams

Anita and Douglas

Douglas and his new shot gun. (He got it the next day)

Excited for Christmas

2010-02-10T15:00:00.005-06:00

We are in the middle of formatting our first blog book and we don't want to miss a thing. So this is our attempt at catching up the last 2 months of life at the Williams home.

Preparing for Christmas is so much fun with kids around. The magic is everywhere and they are so excited about every activity. Of course treats are a must for the holidays and we definitely indulged ourselves! We made sugar cookies, which are a must for the big day and we made rice krispie snow men for some of our friends. Lots of sticky fingers and happy smiling children!

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-18T08:56:00.003-06:00

Happy 32nd Birthday to Douglas!

Gracie, Marley and I are so blessed to have you in our lives and we wish you a very Happy Birthday! Thank you for being a wonderful husband and father! You are passionate, funny, intelligent, unique and so giving. We love every day that we get to spend with you and we're looking forward to eternity! Te Quiero!

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-24T06:55:00.006-06:00

This year we did gingerbread houses to get into the Christmas spirit. I enjoyed doing all the prep but I didn't realize how much effort it took. My mom is my hero for doing it for 8 of us every year growing up.

They turned out successful and we all had fun being creative and getting very sticky! Grandma Darlene joined us and we spent several hours at the table playing. We were all getting our houses put together and Marley was sitting eating candy and decorating his cookie. He looked around and then said "Papi have house, Mommy have house, Grandma have house, Gracie have house....Marley not have house." He was so dejected and pouty. I almost cried! I felt so bad. The original plan was to have Marley help one of us decorate ours so we could help him with the icing. Once he said that, Douglas let Marley decorate his and Marley quickly adopted it as his own.

We escaped long term hurt feelings, ate way too much sugar, hardly touched lunch and the houses turned out great. It's a fun way to have family time and it brings back lots of good memories. After we were finished Marley said "MY HAPPY!" That made me feel so good. Then Gracie said "Mission completion" just the way they do on Little Einsteins when they finish their task. I thought it was cute and I'm grateful for sweet little ones and a wonderful husband to share this holiday with! Merry Christmas everyone!

Grandma Darlene working hard on her first gingerbread house ever! So exciting!

Douglas preparing his house/bunker.

Marley enjoying the first of about 10 suckers

Marley and Papi decorating the bunker, lighting it on fire with candy wrappers and making the assault vehicle.

Serious concentration

Marley loves his Papi!

Mmmm...royal icing.

I'm a little obsessed with snowflakes.

Grandma's little helper.

Gracie loved making her princess-my little pony cottage.

Grandma's house

Douglas and Marley's fiery house complete with kicked down door, land mines and an assault vehicle.

Gracie's cottage - She did all the decorating!

Anita's house.

Getting ready for Christmas

2009-12-22T17:11:00.006-06:00

Gracie and Marley loved decorating the little trees!

So enchanting!

Handsom Douglas

I'm excited!

The final piece

My 3 favorite people!

Gracie's Christmas party at school

Marley even got to sit with the big kids and have treats. He was so happy!

I don't know who's daughter she is!?

I just love getting ready for Christmas. The house is transformed into a magical place and we all seem happier, more patient and excited. The kids have had so much fun decorating, making special treats and talking about the birth of Jesus. They understand so much this year. Their little spirits are so impressionable and ready to learn about the gospel. It's such a joy to read the scriptures with them and talk about the Nativity. I'm so grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ and the chance we have to celebrate his life and atonement. It really is the most special time of the year!

Playing with Papi

2009-12-21T09:42:00.004-06:00

Marley and Gracie just love playing with their Papi. Douglas is such an exceptional father and we have loved having him home for Christmas break. Marley and Gracie were eating candy and then kissing Douglas with their sticky lips. Douglas is such a great sport!

Such sweet kids!

Tickling on the couch is their favorite!

Fun with the kiddos

2009-12-21T09:25:00.004-06:00

Here are a few random pictures from our lives lately

Gracie announced to us that she was the evil Queen like on Snow White.

She gives a pretty good dirty look.

Marley really loves to brush his teeth and asks to do it frequently. I'm not complaining!

Gracie and Marley love to cuddle in bed together and tickle each other.

Sweet kisses, Awwww they do love each other!

Marley helping Papi get the Christmas tree from the attic.

Marley dancing so cute

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!

2009-12-04T23:02:00.006-06:00

Yesterday a MIRACLE happened in San Angelo, Texas. IT SNOWED!!!!!

This whole week the forecast has included a chance of snow, but it never happened, so I wasn't holding my breath. Friday morning my alarm went off at 6:15 and I slowly got up to face the day. I walked through the living room and glanced out the back window. It was unusually bright outside so I took a second look. The ground was white but I still wasn't convinced, so I stepped out into the freezing air and witnessed the beautiful miracle that is called snow. Pure excitment filled my veins and my eyes teared up. In the four years we have lived in Texas, we have only seen tiny snow flurries in the air twice, but never on the ground. I just love the snow and often yearn to move back to Utah where the snow is plentiful.

Because snow is such a rarity I grabbed the camera and took whatever pictures I could. They didn't turn out spectacular because it was still dark, but I needed to make sure that I had evidence of the white stuff long after it melted. I headed back in to give Douglas the news and I climbed in the bed giggling like a little school girl. Well he was very excited too, just not quite hyperventilating like I was. About that time Gracie made her way to our room and we told her the news. She hasn't seen snow since she was a baby and doesn't remember it. Marley has never seen it, so it was really fun to take them out and show them how beautiful the world looks under a blanket of white snow.

They were still in their jammies and getting cold so we headed in for breakfast. Douglas made a special breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns in honor of the snow. We had to convince the kids to eat before we headed out to play and that wasn't easy. Finally the time came to play, so we bundled up like crazy and headed out to the backyard. Gracie was saying all morning "The snow crunches below my feet." She learned it in a Christmas song at school. When she stepped on the snow she excitedly said with a huge smile on her face, "It does crunch below my feet!!!!!"

Marley picked up his first handful of snow and then looked at me with a panicked look like, Why is it so cold!? We played and made snowballs and enjoyed the snow so much! Then we decided to take a family picture in front of the house for posterity and good memories. Who knows when this will ever happen again. Finally we were all feeling a little chilly, so we headed to 7-11 for some hot chocolate. Once we were home we all warmed up and spent some relaxed family time together. What a fun morning to spend together! About that time the sun started to peek out and we knew it would start to melt. But for the short time that we had it, it was wonderful and it was like a great Christmas gift straight from heaven. We feel blessed!

Marley's first encounter with the snow.

Gracie was very happy to play in the snow for the first time!

It makes my hands cold!

Gracie learned how to throw snow at her parents.

Douglas had so much fun showing the kids how to make snowballs

Marley and his first taste of snow

I just love playing in the snow!

The family that plays in the snow together, stays together.

Or something like that!

We never expected to see our house covered in snow, but we like how it looks!

Ooh..snow!

Happy to play in the white stuff!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T18:57:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday! It's so nice to have amazing food and a relaxing day with family. We stayed home this year and had Grandma and Grandpa Williams, Uncle Leroy and a good friend, Brandon over. Grandpa Riley and Douglas cooked a 22 lb. turkey, a 12 lb. glazed ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, braided egg bread, pumpkin and pecan pies. Oh my goodness, we were so full! Oh yeah, and I did my 2% by making spinach salad. We have plenty of leftovers! We of course missed all our family members who are far away. We love all you guys!

Thanksgiving is such a nice holiday to reflect on our blessings and this year we appreciate that we have the gospel and a happy family. Life is a blessing and we are happily living each day.

We sat down as a family and wrote lists of things we are thankful for. It's amazing how much we have when we sit down and really count our blessings. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Grandpa and Grandma Williams

Douglas seasoning the turkey with lemon pepper. Yummy!!

Douglas, Brandon and Leroy chowing down.

Marley was so tired! He threw a huge fit during lunch.

Anita and Douglas

Gracie loved the ham!!!

I tried really hard to get her to laugh for this picture.

The Williams Fam

(Marley was sleeping)

I love my girl!

Nurse Douglas

2009-11-26T08:18:00.003-06:00

Douglas is wrapping up his first semester in Nursing school. He has done so well and it's amazing that he's a quarter finished with his RN. He finished his first final yesterday and passed with flying colors and compliments from the instructor. We are really proud of him and appreciate all the hard work he does to get an education.

Marley Man

2009-11-04T14:09:00.004-06:00

For Marley's second birthday, we had his pictures taken. I really like how they turned out even with the big bruise on his forehead. Douglas convinced me to have them taken even with the bruise to capture Marley in all his 2 year old glory.

We are so grateful to have such a sweet little boy in our family. He is very thoughtful and energetic. He loves his cars, his grandparents and nursery. He is very good at communicating and saying things that melt your heart. He is a very special boy!

Halloween - Part 2

2009-11-03T15:03:00.005-06:00

Halloween is just so much fun!! We were choosy this year and decided to only do the ward trunk or treat and Halloween night door to door trick or treating. The kids had so much fun! Marley really understood it this year and ran as fast as his little legs could go to each house and car. For the trunk or treat, Gracie was Ariel and even wore the red wig! (surprising but great) Marley didn't want to wear any of the costumes but he would wear his skeleton jammies, which he's is love with. He calls them his glowing jammies. Douglas made us some great pirate costumes. He is so creative and spent many hours at the sewing machine. I'm very grateful for him doing so much otherwise I would have worn my $5 target Halloween shirt.

Halloween night Grandma and Grandpa Williams joined us and we took the kids trick or treating. It was perfect weather with just a chill in the air, and the kids had that giddy Halloween spirit that makes it such a fun holiday. Gracie wore a Tigger outfit instead of Ariel and Marley stuck with his jammies.

That night Gracie said the sweetest prayer. She said," Thank you for this beautiful trick-or-treat day with candy and this beautiful life." It was so real and heartfelt. She really does love this season!

We all had a lot of fun, too much sugar and a much needed extra hour of sleep. Now for the next holiday!

Two pirates, a skeleton and a mermaid, I guess they could all be connected to one story, right?

Douglas did a fabulous job on our costumes. He made his shirt and my hat. The rest we found in our closet. Not too bad for not spending any money.

Marley loved all the candy, he started eating most of it with the wrapper on.

Gracie was so happy, she loved seeing all her friends and all the princesses.

Our crooked family picture. We set the camera on the hood of the car. Oh well, it was a fun night and we're happy Grandma and Grandpa Williams came with us.

So happy it's Halloween!!!!!!

Douglas, Gracie and Grandpa Riley walking the streets in search of candy.

Tigger and Pirate

Halloween Fun!!

2009-11-01T17:31:00.006-06:00

Halloween is such a fun holiday and Gracie and Marley LOVED it this year! Gracie was very excited to decorate the house and she told me that she would really like some of those big inflatable characters in our front yard. I said no, but we still did lots of fun activities to feel the halloween spirit. The kids loved singing halloween songs, making cookies, carving pumpkins and driving past houses with lots of decorations. There was one particular house the kids loved on the way to school. Every morning they were so excited to see the pumpkins, skull, witch, cat and spider webs. They went all out and the kids enjoyed it very much. I'm going to have to thank those people! Here are some pictures of the kids doing fun halloween activities.

Making Jack-O-Lanterns

They didn't like like the gooey stuff, but they were troopers and still pulled it out.

As a reward for doing well in school, Gracie and I put together this skeleton. She was excited to work towards a reward and she loved using the fasteners to make him move and dance.

Halloween Jammies
I just couldn't turn down these skeleton pajamas!
The kids love them because they glow in the dark.

It just wouldn't be halloween without sugar cookies.
I'm not sure Gracie has enough sprinkles.

cookies, frosting and sprinkles.....makes happy kids

(and a big mess, but it's totally worth it!)

After helping me sweep up the sprinkles, Gracie stood up on her chair and lip synked to Thriller, her favorite song. It was quite a performance and she asked me to play it over and over again.

A few months ago she asked me if we could go to a Michael Jackson and Vincent Price concert and hear Thriller. It was so cute! We had quite a conversation after explaining why that wasn't possible.

Marley's Thriller Pose

Each day when we get in the car he askes me to play Eye of the Tiger and Fridder (Thriller)

He just can't get enough!

Our sweet Gracie

2009-10-25T16:22:00.003-05:00

This post is dedicated to our sweet Gracie. This is Gracie's pre-k school picture. I couldn't pass up buying it because it's so classic Gracie with the crazy hair and sweet smile.

Today was Gracie's first Primary program sacrament meeting. She was very excited and jumped up out of her seat when I told her it was time to go sit up front. The moment she got up there she started waving to us and continued throughout most of the program. It was sweet and funny! We were trying to signal to her to sit down and be reverent, but she just couldn't contain her excitement! Our primary is really large and the whole stand was full with lots of extra chairs set up. I think there were 60 to 70 kids. All the 14 sunbeams, including Gracie, were lined up right in the front. Their theme was My Eternal Family and they sang The Family is of God, which is such an amazing song, and of course I start bawling! (This was a really bad day to wear black liquid eyeliner! I was a smudgy mess) The Valiant 9 class got up and said there parts perfectly and then it was the sunbeam classes turn. The kids did so well telling something that they do with a family member that makes them happy. When it was Gracie's turn she froze a little and shook her head like she wasn't going to participate. Then she changed her mind and said, "I like to make cookies with my Mom........and go to McDonald's.........and then I go to bed....... and I love my Mom!" She was definitely improvising, but it was just so heart felt and sincere. She was so excited and I was feeling so blessed. It was one of those great moments when you feel so blessed to be a Mom and have such a wonderful little child to take care of. Gracie was very proud and continued beaming throughout the program. When she came back to sit with us she gave us huge hugs and kisses and said, "I'm so happy!" It was the best sacrament meeting we have had in a long time.

We feel really blessed to have such a curious, happy, vibrant, imaginative, strong little girl in our family. Gracie is such a blessing in our family!

Marley turned 2!!!!

2009-10-19T13:05:00.009-05:00

This weekend Marley turned 2!!!! I can't believe how fast these 2 years have gone by! Marley is such a great kid and he always makes us laugh. He loves cars, especially Lightening McQueen, so of course that was a big part of his birthday. He loved having all of his friends around to play with at the park. The weather was beautiful and the temperature was perfect! The only draw back was that the bees liked our food and cake as much as we did. Other than that it was a great day. Marley loved his cake and could hardly wait to pull all the cars off it. The kids all loved the piniata and playing together. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Williams, Uncle Leroy, Brandon, and the Richardson's, Raney's, Caudle's, Myers, Young's and Tanner's for joining us and making it such fun party!

Marley became very bashful when everybody sang Happy Birthday to him.

He loved his cake and all the cars.

Such a classic dirty face boy picture. SO cute!
He stopped playing long enough to blow out his candles.

Marley, Douglas and Gracie blowing the candles out together.

Marley loved his Lightening McQueen piniata!
Especially when he found out there was candy inside!!

Gracie and all the kids took their turns hitting.

But nobody could break it! It was a pretty solid piniata!

Douglas stepped in and after 3 good hits, the candy finally fell out.

Marley loved opening gifts of course. Who doesn't?!

Grandpa Riley gave him a new tricycle. He was very excited!

On sunday, we sang to him again and ate the rest of the cake.

We blew out the candles together. He's pretty excited to be 2 now.

Gracie was really excited to have cake and ice cream again!

Marley was so sweet and said over and over "Tastes good!!"

Sessions Family Reunion

2009-10-12T22:00:00.011-05:00

Before school started we had our annual Sessions family reunion at Mom and Dad's home in Mt. Hope, Kansas. Everyone was there except Dan, my brother who was deployed in Mosul. But, through skype, we were able to talk to him and see his face and super bald head! It was amazing! We had a lot of good food, laughing and good talks. The kids LOVED playing together and now Gracie and Marley constantly talk about their cousins. We had our traditional talent show, family auction, and family history night and we added a birthday party for all the kids, (since we miss them all year) swimming at the YMCA and a date night when my parents took all the kids!!! (11 out of the 20 grandkids). It was a busy week and we all had so much fun! Thank goodness for Family!

Here are some random pictures from the reunion. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of each family, and we forgot to take one picture with everyone. Oops! Hopefully we'll remember next year. Sorry to everyone I missed.

The baldies: Ben, Mom and Dad. Doesn't my mom look great bald?!

Justion, Heidi and brooklyn

I took these date pictures with my phone,

so they aren't as clear, but I still like them!

Ethan, LaDawn and David

Heidi, Brooklyn and Maria. Maria's date was missing, but he came later in the reunion:)

Anita & Douglas

The kids running to the waterslide that Grandma and Grandpa surprised them with.

SO exciting!!!

Cute little Ethan

Collin taking Marley down the slide. He wan't so sure about it.

Grandpa acting crazy as usual!

Grandpa and Gracie anticipating the freezing water at the bottom of the slide.

Lydia and Sydney soaking up the sun.

Collin dancing with Gracie to Barbie's 12 dancing princesses. So Cute!!!

Collin showing all the girls his moves. He can dance!!

Douglas doing what he does best... Cooking! He made some AMAZING food!

Charlie, Gracie, Daxton and Ella chasing bubbles.

Liam taking Gracie for a ride on Grandpa's lawn mower.

Good thing they have a lot of grass!!

The kids "feeding" cupcakes to all the Dad's at the Mad Hatter birthday party. We celebrated everyone's birthday since we miss them throughout the year. The party was so fun and the hats were a surprise to Mom who has recently added quite a few hats to her wardrobe after losing her hair due to Chemotherapy treatments.

Charley and Daxton

Double trouble, but just so cute!

Celeste looks guilty. I don't think she was expecting to have her picture taken.

Harper and her new best friend, Uncle David

Gracie and Grandma

Williams Family Vacation- South Padre

2009-10-11T16:47:00.008-05:00

The second half of our Williams Family vacation was on the coast from Corpus Christi to South Padre. It was HOT, humid and so much fun!!!

Disclaimer: If you don't like looking at other people's vacation pictures, stop now!!!!

I tried to condense and I came up with 25 pictures.

It's a lot, but 25 out of 888 is pretty good, I think.

Enjoy! We did.

This was the view from our room.

It was especially beautiful at night, but our night pictures didn't turn out.

This was a replica of the Nina. Try explaining that to a 4 and 2 year old.

Douglas, Gracie and Marley touching the stingrays at the Corpus Christi Aquarium
The rays were trying to suck on their fingers.

Gracie was so excited to see the dolphins swimming.

Marley too!

Our group minus Darlene who was the photographer.

The Sand castle gift shop

Gracie LOVED the mermaid!!!

NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Our family luchadores

The whole family

Finally at the beach!!!

Gracie is our little mermaid

Running from the waves

Douglas riding the skim board
Nice form!!

Gracie and Grandma playing in the waves

Running wild!

Grandma Darlene

I just love this picture! She loves the beach!

Marley digging in the sand

Grandpa Riley

Anita and Marley riding the waves

Williams Family Vacation - Sea World

2009-10-03T08:20:00.006-05:00

We had a great week long vacation with the Williams family in August. We headed to San Antonio first and did some shopping, enjoyed the good food and headed to Sea World. Of course the kids liked Sea World the best! They absolutely LOVE Shamu! Even though it was really hot, we had a great day seeing the animals and riding the roller coasters!

Trying to stay cool with some frozen lemonade. Mmmmm

Hanging out on the log ride

Marley and Douglas waiting for Shamu

I just think Gracie looks so grown up in this picture.

She wasn't too excited about striking a pose because she was

watching intently for Shamu to make his entrance.

Grandpa Riley

Grandma Darlene

Marley, Douglas & Anita

Marley was having a blast playing in the water!

So excited!!!

Fishy face

Uncle Leroy, Grandpa Riley and Douglas after getting soaked

Grandpa and Gracie riding the Shamu express

Gracie playing in the water at the end of the day

Marley yelling in excitement

Where did the last 6 weeks go?

2009-10-03T08:13:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, I haven't felt like blogging in the last 6 weeks. Our lives have changed drastically with Gracie in Pre-k and Douglas in the nursing program. We our now waking up at 6am (a huge change for us)and going to bed before 11. It feels great, but it's definitely an adjustment!!! I've been heading to the gym or walking every morning which makes me feel great! But blogging has fallen lower on the priority list. So here is my attempt to catch up...it may take a week or so!

First day of school!

2009-08-25T15:54:00.006-05:00

So excited for her first day of school!

Gracie and Douglas, Our 2 students

Gracie greeting her teacher, Mrs. Smith.

I think I was having a harder time than Gracie saying goodbye.

She's was having a blast!

I haven't felt much like blogging lately, but this week is very important for our family. Gracie started pre-k and Douglas started nursing school. We all took Gracie to her first day of school and she was very excited. She recognized her teacher and classroom and felt comfortable instantly. When we kissed her goodbye, she was happy as a clam. Marley wasn't so happy because he wanted to stay and play with the Lightning McQueen chair and the Lego table. Big sisters get to do everything fun!

Let the record show that Douglas teared up first, but once we got to the car we were both sniffling. I can't believe our tiny little baby girl is old enough to go to school! This is an answer to a lot of prayers!

She has loved her first 2 days and I think we'll have a great year. I'm so grateful to have a teacher who is willing to teach and love 18 four year olds. She is a saint!

Last night when we were doing our bedtime routine, Gracie turned to me and said, "Mommy, I miss you when I'm at preschool." and then she turned to Douglas and said, "Papi, I miss you too when I'm at school." My heart melted. I just love moments like that. Gracie is a very thoughtful girl and she's so grown up and smart. She's a blessing in our family.

Youth Conference, The AMAZING RACE

2009-07-28T08:48:00.004-05:00

Hula-hooping during the amazing race

Our group before the service project

Waiting for breakfast

Chillin at the dance

Cute girls in our country of Mexico

Aimee getting Mexico ready

Caitlin and Morgan

Group photo of both stakes

Me, Brenda, Rachel, Caitlin, Morgan, Raquel, Lexi, Katrina, Brittney

and Alisha before testimony meeting.

Last weekend I attended Youth Conference with our young women. We combined with the Odessa/Midland Stake and they hosted. They did a great job. We had 2 dances, the amazing race through different "countries", a service project, a BBQ and swimming party, 2 speakers and a testimony meeting. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed spending time with the girls and the other leaders. We have such great girls in our ward and they were so sweet. We stayed at the Grandparents home of one of our girls and it was so comfortable. The girls stayed up late listening to music and talking and we(the leaders) went to bed. It's so nice to have trustworthy girls!

It was nice to feel the spirit and hear the testimonies of such strong youth. I feel blessed to be a leader in young womens program and I really love all our girls!

Sushi

2009-07-20T14:05:00.005-05:00

During the summer we have more free time and Douglas is trying not to go crazy at home, so he started making sushi once a week. He's perfecting his skills and I'm grateful to reap the benefits of his culinary talents and hard work.

Week one: Crunchy Roll (tuna, avocado,cucumber and tempura crunchies),

Spider roll (soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, unagi sauce)

Tempura Tuna Roll (tuna, avocado, wasabi mayo,)

Tuna Tadaki(My favorite! Seared tuna with green onions, crunchy fried garlic, Soy citrus sauce)

In the last month we have been eating a lot of Japanese food and we found out that Gracie loves it!!!!! She keeps asking if we can go to "that yummy sushi place" in Dallas and we have to explain to her that it is pretty far away. Luckily, Douglas makes all her favorites: Miso soup with tofu, sticky rice, shrimp and veggie tempura and chicken teriyaki. She hasn't tried the sushi yet, but she likes pickled ginger and she's great at using chopsticks.

Marley insists on using "Chapsticks" just like everyone else. He's a big boy!

Week Two: Clockwise from the top

California Roll (crab, avocado, cucmber, rolled inside out) & Shrimp Sashimi

Crab Roll (marinated crab, shrimp tempura)

Onigiri roll with smoked salmon wrapped in soy wrappers

Crab & Cream Cheese Roll with cucumber wrapper

Shrimp tempura roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, sriracha mayo in a soy wrapper) & Shrimp & crab roll (My favorite this week! tempura shrimp, crab, cucumber, masago sauce, and sesame seeds)

It's fun to watch Douglas take a few different ingredients and produce so many different flavors and combinations. This week he tried making cucumber wrappers for the first time. He takes his chef knife and cuts it so thin that he can wrap the rice and fish inside it. It was delicious and he did a great job.

Crab and shrimp roll

This was my favorite! The rolls were amazing and so was the sauce that made the amazing design.

California Roll and Shrimp Sashimi

So happy to have yummy sushi! You did great Douglas!

Gracie loved eating the tempura shrimp and hanging the tail out of her mouth.

Family Time

2009-07-19T17:51:00.005-05:00

Celsee and Breje at our Beehive breakfast last saturday.

We had crepes and breakfast casserole. Yum!

My battle with the weeds. I like hiding in the tomatillos!

Ooooh...bubbles!

Sweet Gracie

We were trying to keep the kids outside while we worked in the garden.

The bubble machine worked like a charm!

Marley's new favorite, "skiptures"

Marley loves his Elmo slippers!

Marley loves saying prayers. He started saying his own. So cute!!!

Froggie Girl

Gracie is terrified of the vacuum! She saved all the unsuspecting toys from their death.

Church was a little rough today. Both kids were really active and loud and I wasn't very patient towards the end. So, after church as we were changing into play clothes I apologized to the kids for being an impatient mommy. Gracie replied "It's okay mommy, we're not mad at you!" then Marley said "Kay Mom, I duh doo."(I love you) and then he blew me a kiss. So Sweet! I felt so much better and I feel grateful that kids are so forgiving even when I don't do the best job.

Now that we have had food and naps I figure it's good time to catch up the blog.

We've had a few weeks at home and it's been so nice. It's nice to enjoy our home and little family. We've worked in the yard and the garden alot and we're finally starting to catch up to the weeds. We have more cucumbers than we know what to do with and we picked our first melons, corn, and tomatoes. Yeah!!! I understand why my Mom loved being in the garden so much when I was little. It's so peaceful and you can really think and feel the spirit. It's also very gratifying to reap what you sow.

We are trying to beat the heat and we've been doing a lot of puzzles which are Gracie's new favorite. We've gotten together with several families in our ward and we even got to go boating with the Skidmore family. We all piled into their boat (4 adults 6 kids) and went wake boarding, tubing and knee boarding. Gracie loved the tube and wanted to stay on it the whole time. Douglas did really good on the wake board, especially for only going a few times before. It is so nice to have a lake so close! It's nice to have friends in San Angelo and we are loving the slow pace of the summer. We know it's going to be crazy once Douglas and Gracie start school!

Here are a few random pictures of what we've been up to.

4 years ago really?!!

2009-07-09T15:52:00.005-05:00

So happy to be home!

Getting ready to leave the hospital as a family!

There are certain dates throughout the year that just stick out and today is one of them. Four years ago today we brought Gracie home from the hospital. Finally! We didn't expect it because it was a Saturday(they didn't usually release patients on Saturday) and the day before the neonatologist had told us no. We were all set to take her home and she had a bradycardia episode where her heart rate and breathing dropped so low that the monitor she was hooked up to started beeping to tell us that she was in trouble. In that situation we had to massage her or pat on her back to stimulate her breathing again or give her oxygen. So because she had an episode, they told us that she would have to be in the hospital for another week. Unfortunately, Douglas was leaving in 4 days to go work in Alaska for the summer and I was terrified to take this tiny, fragile infant home alone.

We showed up to the hospital on Saturday morning totally ready for another week in the hospital. But there was a new saintly neonatologist on for the weekend and he said we could definitely take her home. What!? We were so surprised and excited. This was the day we'd been waiting for for 13 weeks. Gracie passed her car seat test and we filled out all the paperwork, took all her bags to the car, said goodbye to all our favorite nurses and friends and headed out the door.

It was a little scary to know that we were in control now and that there weren't any nurses around to help. Gracie slept most of the day but we did have a few stressful moments and Douglas rushed to Wal-mart at 1 am to pick up a baby swing.

We've learned a lot since then and we're so grateful to have such a healthy daughter. These four years have passed so fast and we love Gracie so much. How crazy it would have been to be able to look forward 4 years and see her now. What a different girl she is now.

Independance Day

2009-07-05T18:20:00.011-05:00

Douglas and his first watermelon from our garden. It tasted delicious!

Marley loved the watermelon so much he even ate the
nasty part all the way down to the rind.

Marley didn't want to leave my arms for the first hour so we snuggled and I covered his ears.

Grandpa Riley and Marley

Gracie loves fireworks, but she was a little scared after being burned last time.

A little blurry but this is the fire that broke out behind us. There were several trucks watching for fires and they got it under control pretty quick. We started a few small ones of our own, but were able to stamp them out. Talk about adrenaline rush!

Douglas playing with fireworks on his favorite holiday.

Our friends Steph and Sam

Marley lit his first firework and wasn't quite sure about the results.

Isaac shooting roman candles with his dad, Daylin and brother, Joseph.

I love pictures of fireworks!

This one is especially cool!

Steph nervously lit this one and it turned out beautiful!

I love the crackly bursts.

What a beautiful day to celebrate our country's freedom! The day was sunny and hot and we started off right with a flag ceremony and pancake breakfast at the church. It was nice to talk to so many people from the ward outside of our regular meetings. Grandma and Grandpa Williams and Uncle Leroy joined us and we spent the day making food and anticipating fireworks. Thanks to Douglas and Riley we had great ribs, pasta salad, cantaloupe, watermelon from our garden, potato salad, baked beans, key lime pie and peach cobbler. Yum!

When it finally got dark we headed out to pop fireworks. It was so nice to see so many people out celebrating and the skies were filled with bright colored fireworks. It made me feel all warm inside and I'm so grateful to live in a country that has been built on good morals and faith in God. Thank you to all those who sacrifice to serve our country. Especially my brother Dan who is deployed in Mosul right now. Thank you for having the courage to leave the comforts of everyday life to provide service on foreign soil. We love you and your family and you are all amazing!

My father in law and his friend Jim provided a truck full of fireworks for us to enjoy. Our friends Joseph, Victoria, Gavin and the Myers family joined us. We played for about 2 hours until the fireworks were gone and everyone was too tired to keep their eyes open. Thanks to everyone for joining us. It was a great holiday!