Holidays 2011

Just a quick re-cap of our lives from Halloween-Christmas.

Here are Alyssa, Danny and Jake out trick-or-treating. Danny's a ninja (complete with plastic machete - big mistake on our part), Alyssa is a bumblebee and Jacob is an elephant.


In November, Brad took the girls to a BYU football game, a fun tradition he started many years ago. In addition to the "Utah Cousins" (Todd, Janice and family), this year they also got to see our good friends, the Gregsons. Lots of fun!



We went to Cannon Beach with the Williams side of the family for Thanksgiving this year and I guess I was having too much fun to stop and capture the moment very often. Here are a couple pictures of the kids playing on the beach (not sure what Danny's shower cap is about):



They spent hours in the hotel pool...


Christmas was very nice and full of the fun traditions we look forward to every year. Here are the kids (and friends) with their masterpieces after the ginger bread house making class:


And a couple from Christmas Eve:

Catching Up!

Life has been busy and the family blog has suffered for it! Let's see if I can squeeze almost 8 months of our lives into one quick blog post.

*JACOB*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
G&G Nielson's 50th anniversary celebration with all his cousins.

Most Exciting:
Lost two teeth and started 1st grade.

Extracurricular Activities:
Played baseball last Spring and soccer this Fall.


*DANNY*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
Going to Canada for the 1st of July with Brad and Jacob.

Most Exciting:
Broke his finger, earned his Wolf badge in Scouting.

Extracurricular Activities:
Played baseball last Spring and football this Fall.


*ALYSSA*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
Williams family camping trip.

Most Exciting:
Got her own, redecorated and freshly painted bedroom.

Extracurricular Activities:
Played softball last Spring and soccer this Fall.


*HALEY*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
Attending EFY (Especially For Youth) at BYU.

Most Exciting:
Started high school, got her braces off.

Extracurricular Activities:
Ran track last Spring and made the high school's freshman volleyball team this Fall.


*AMBER*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
Trek with the youth of our Stake.

Most Exciting:
Got her driver's license, went to Homecoming (first date).

Extracurricular Activities:
Was in the high school's production of Fiddler On The Roof last Spring and is 1st Chair Clarinet in the band this year.


*BRAD*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
G&G Nielson's 50th in Cle Elum, WA.

Most Exciting:
G&G Nielson's 50th in Cle Elum, WA.

Extracurricular Activities:
Started playing city league Hockey.


*AMY*
Favorite 2011 Summer Event:
Taking the kids to Utah.

Most Exciting:
Hiked the Y for the first time ever.

Extracurricular Activities:
Spinning Class and reading, reading, reading.

Quality Family Time

Here's a picture that my sister just sent me from Christmas Day. Just so you can fully appreciate it, I'll set the scene:

Entire Williams family at my parents' house in Portland, many of us having travelled hours to get there...first time all of us have been together since the addition of baby Gus and baby Olive...only 24 hours to spend together...



Wait for it...








Keep in mind that they had just gotten the above electronics (cell phones for Amber and Haley and a DSi for Alyssa) that morning for Christmas, but still...pretty bad! We have since instituted strict rules which prohibit such behavior :)

Pinewood Derby

Danny and Brad participated in their first Pinewood Derby in Scouts last weekend. They spent many hours working on their car together...


They wanted a distinctive car, something that would set them apart from the others...
If you guessed "Hot Dog Car with Storm Trooper Driver", you are correct!

It might not have been the fastest car on the track, but it did win the certificate for "Tastiest-Looking Car".

Lyssie Turns 10

Alyssa hit double digits on her birthday (on January 5th)!

Since she loves all things cupcake she took chocolate cupcakes to school to share with her class and then requested, in lieu of cake, red velvet cupcakes for her family birthday party.


This was not her year for a birthday party with friends, but we always let the kids have a friend over to spend the night on their non-party years. Alyssa has two BFFs and couldn't choose between them, so they both spent the night. Notice that I have not, at any point, referred to this event as a "sleep-over" - no sleep occurred.

Christmas 2010

Twas The Night Before Christmas...

Our traditional Christmas Eve stocking picture. We always tell the kids to line up tallest to shortest for this one, but were quickly corrected this year by Amber, whom Haley recently passed up in height. "You mean 'Oldest to Youngest', right?!"

We make the kids wait until 7AM to get up Christmas morning. This year we woke to Lyssie yelling up through the vent in her bedroom (directly under ours) "It's 7:05!!" We opened up presents, had a delicious brunch of traditional currant biscuits and ham at the Humphreys' and then drove over to Portland to see the Williams side of the family, who were all together at Nana Jo and Papa Jim's house.

Christmas's biggest surprise this year was probably for Amber and Haley, who finally got cell phones...and have been on them since!

Gingerbread Houses

Every Christmas the kids participate in a 'graham cracker gingerbread house' class at the YWCA. Lots of fun!

Jacob - focused on house design.


Alyssa - frosting away.


Amber and Kyli - trying to look cool despite being 10 years older than the other participants.


Finished products!

(No Haley and Danny this year - they were home sick)