Christmas in Texas

We made a plan.

We borrowed an extra DVD player.

We bought supplies.
And yet we couldn't get our ducks in a row!
We drove to TX. Two days and about 17 hours. We made it but not because we successfully worked our plan.

We stayed at Elise and Dan's house and it was wonderful. Perfect. Separated from the baby girl at night by two doors.

We got there on Thursday evening and had a relaxing few days hanging out and getting the last minute things ready for Christmas day. (This is where I realized that I forgot Ian's main Christmas present. Plan B was put in effect. More about that later!)

The kids enjoyed lots of Wii Party playing. I was always impressed with how well they played together. Made me wish, more than ever, that we were close.
The back yard trampoline was a popular activity regardless of temperature! (And believe it or not we had some times in the 30s.
Sage (like her brothers) can be slow to warm up to people but she is definitely susceptible to bribes. Offered by Aunt Elise,
these delicious spritz cookies were the winner. But only the pink ones, of course!
Christmas Eve was the scene of the most delicious dinner (Filet Mignon and roasted veggies-well, and shrimp if you like that kinda thing:) and other traditional festivities.
We had enough kiddies to fill all the parts for reading and acting out the Nativity. (Dan is still a kid at heart so he counts!)
Afterwards the kids got to open a gift from Uncle Bret and Aunt Christina. The BYU water bottles were a huge hit and thanks to Christina's forethought, all their names were already on them! Phew!

Aunt Elise and her kids made these cute Christmas tree shirts for all the kids. What a wonderful bunch-I could just eat them up!
A birthday cake for Baby Jesus reminded us once again the reason for the celebrations and provided a delicious dessert for the evening.
And no gathering would be complete without a little activity to work off the extra calories:) Around and around we go!
Home to bed to await that long anticipated Christmas morning.

After a bit of wrapping and a cheesy made for TV Christmas movie, us Mommies and Daddies made it to bed too.

After a trip to the ER for Luke and Elise (All of Elise's kids succumbed to the croup while we were there. Nelly the Nebulizer was an imperative part of each day!), Christmas morning finally came:
It was a grand unwrapping, cutting out, and putting together!

(Or cutting it up, as the case may be!)



And then it was time to play with all the booty!
(Even the cousins loot was mighty attractive! Luckily they are so good at sharing!)
Grandma Leslie and Grandpa Max's gift to each of the families was a trip to the Dallas Aquarium. (This was a load of memories for Chris and I. Back when we had been dating for a month or so I left for an 8 week training in TX. We emailed daily and Chris planned a surprise trip to TX to spend a weekend with me. The Dallas Aquarium was one of our stops. We wandered through, holding hands.)

This turtle was actually on the move, which is kinda fun.
Ian was brave and fed the birds.
Almost everything was in an exhibit, behind glass or seen from a distance. This sloth was in a grouping of plants without a rope, piece of glass or anything else in between. He was all curled up in this picture but Chris went back by later and he was on the move. They are pretty fascinating animals.
We had a great time at the Aquarium and finished up with lunch. While Chris took our kiddies home for a nap I was able to go with everyone else out to lunch.

With origins from a different visit to a different place, a gauntlet was thrown and cookie contest was born. Elise, (Uncle) Ian, Chris and Grandma Leslie were the contestants. It was a delicious battle. The judges were hard pressed to pick a winner. Oh, and we were slightly biased too.
Another wonderful reason to gather together came later in the week. Times when we are all (or most, which was the case this time) together are few and far between. So to get to be part of special occasions like this are priceless.
Sophia's baptism was wonderful.
And the chance to get all these people together made it all the sweeter!
And what trip to Dallas would be complete without a visit to the Arboretum? Exactly, it wouldn't! We had beautiful weather in the 60s, a yummy picnic, and Chandra! (That last was the best part:)

Dan is standing in for the time when Elise perfects her head switching and Bret's can be put in. We missed him and his girls!
Our poor ducks didn't get together for the trip home either. All our DVD's got left at Elise's house. Thank goodness for Redbox (and a couple comforting conversations about raising little boys) which yielded Cars 2, Day of the Diesel, and a Winnie the Pooh something or other.

Remember Plan B? Well, it was telling the boys that Santa visited our house in Milwaukee too. (This in in complete violation of our Santa-neutral stance. I still don't know how I feel about that.) So, as soon as we arrived they were off like shots asking where Santa had left the gifts.
We came home to a freezing cold house since the heat was turned off instead of down. It was a relief to be home after the long drive but it wasn't really comfortable until that evening.

We felt so blessed that friends invited us over and we could spend time with then while our house warmed up. That invitation was providential since it came while we were still driving.

Our blessings are to numerous to count. Priceless. I wouldn't trade any of them for anything! Not the least of which is Jesus Christ. A couple of weeks before Christmas I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting at church. For the first time in twenty years I spoke about the moments that I came to know Jesus was real, my Savior, and that He knew me. I still know, even twenty years later, that He is real, He is my Savior and that He know me.

Merry Christmas!

Fun Friends Visit

Our friends, the Robinson family from IN, came to visit us in mid-December. Andy had a conference and Michelle and the kids came and stayed with us while he was busy.

We were all excited to have the come visit. The boys talked about Matthew for days leading up to their arrival. Matthew talked about the toys we have at our house.

Poor Alice turned up sick soon after arriving and we spent most of our time close to home so she could nap and rest. This suited the kids since they were happy to play and run through the house and race cars.
We made it to the Jelly Belly warehouse as our one big outing. It was fun and informational, as usual. The free jelly beans don't hurt either! After much deliberation Michelle and I decided not to split the 50 lb box:)

Michelle and Andy are the perfect house guests. And the kind of friends that you can sit and chat with like you hadn't been apart for months at a time. I love to have them come visit! Andy will be finishing school soon and they are job hunting. I vote for something within driving distance of WI!

Proud Parents and Our First Christmas Concert

The whole family went to watch Noah's Christmas Concert for FHE. It was his first Christmas Concert. Ours too. We were all a little nervous!

I tried to get a picture of Noah's fan section. Ian was persistent and it didn't really come out.
Here either.
I finally gave in!
So being proud parents means we get to post a gratuitous amount of videos that only a parent could love.

(And I do love this boy. Watching him in action, doing something that he had learned totally independent of me or our family was so gratifying and special and heartwarming and yes, I even teared up a little thinking about how much he is growing and learning and what a blessing he is to our family. And to me.)

Well, we are proud parents so here it comes! The concert songs were done according to grade so there was a fair amount of coming and going after every three songs or so.

This first one is just so you can see him and his funny friend John as they are coming. Noah is in the striped polo and John is to his left. They are the tallest kids in the class.


I don't remember which song this is, but I think it might be long, Noah doesn't get into it till about half way through and I had to end the video when Sage started having a hard time. (Gratuitous video posting, remember?)


And last, but not least I think this video is Must Be Santa and it's my favorite. The one that made me teary eyed.

The concert was a fun experience because it was a first for us. Nerves, notwithstanding, Noah did and excellent job and Ian and Sage tried hard to behave.
The whole school gathered to sing us off.

Christmas music was what I needed to get in the spirit of Christmas!

O Christmas Tree

Along about the first week of December we finally got our Christmas tree up. Another New Year's Resolution for me is to actually make and fulfill family holiday traditions throughout the year-like get the Christmas tree up on the day after Thanksgiving since that is what we say is our tradition.
Ah, here is a face shot.
This year I thought to take a page out of a friend's book and let the kids do all the decorating, assuming that I could go back and even things out later.
It worked out splendidly. I didn't care where they put things and they had a great time decorating the tree.
I decided it was so splendidly done I didn't even go back to rearrange things.
(Although that might have been laziness on my part...)

New Year's Resolutions

OK, obviously keeping my blog current needs to be one of my New Year's Resolutions! Others might not care but this is my main record for our family and it should be better. Or I know I will regret it!

I can't move on without marking the fun things that December held for our family. Hold on tight and good luck-may this post be more like a sled ride down a fast hill rather than a snowshoe trek through the deep stuff!

The beginning of December (the 3rd to be precise) we finally celebrated Chris' birthday. He wanted to invite a lot of people and have time to hang out and visit. We decided that we couldn't really fit all that many people in our house with all their children so we decided to look at other locations. Fall/winter does not provide a lot of free options. We finally spent waaaaaay to much money and went to an indoor play place. They have them in cold places like WI.

(It was my original, brilliant idea when we lived in IN. Sadly, I found out it wasn't so original. Happily, I found out they have them near us here in WI. Sadly, they are not super affordable so as to provide a weekly or even bi-monthly outing. More like once a month.)

We invited all our friends and local family and had a great time being together and celebrating Chris!

There were big things and little things and wheelie things and ball things...
(I won this one!)

But then the birthday boy took me down!)Chris is a pie man.
But clearly the chocolate frosting was a winner too!
And last but not least was the hand print. One swipe of the paint brush, while usually enough for the birthday child, was not enough for the birthday boy today.


One of these things is not the like the others...and yes, it is Chris-totally unique and so special to us! We love you!

Merry Christmas Letter!

December 24, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! We love this time of year because the holidays bring together the things we love: family, friends, faith and food. It’s a time to reach out to neighbors and form new friendships, when no one needs an excuse to give a gift, sing a song, or share a plate of goodies. It’s a time of year when we get together with relatives and enjoy the happy mayhem of children, candy and new toys. And it’s time to reconnect with old friends who live far away and catch up on what has happened in the past year. Or maybe two years, since writing last year’s Christmas letter became a New Year’s resolution, and you know how that goes.

When last we wrote, we were living in West Lafayette, Indiana where Chris was attending graduate school at Purdue. So much has happened since then! Our third child was born in May 2010, a happy little girl who we named Sage. She has been a joyful addition to our family. At first, Noah and Ian weren’t sure what to do with a baby sister. But now that she is an enthusiastic toddler, she is a welcome playmate. We are also happy to relate that Chris finished his PhD program. Many thanks to everyone who supported us with their thoughts and prayers in the final weeks, and to Leah’s parents for hosting Leah and the kids for a month and a half while Chris finished writing his dissertation. The ink had barely dried on the page when he drove to Milwaukee and started a job as a mechanical engineer for a mining equipment manufacturer called Bucyrus.

We moved the family and our belongings to Wisconsin in October 2010. In only five years in Indiana, we accumulated a lot of stuff! A relocation package with professional movers was a welcome benefit of Chris’ first “real job”. We moved to a suburban community on the southwestern side of Milwaukee, on a quiet street with many other young families. We have really enjoyed living here. Everything is close by—school, shopping, work, church, even the airport is within 15 minutes’ drive. And there are plenty of things to do. The zoo and art museum are first rate, we went to a big-name concert and a NASCAR race (thanks for the tickets, Bucyrus!), there are beautiful views of Lake Michigan and several nice state parks not too far away for camping. Chris complains that the weather is too cold, but Leah and the boys agree that it’s not (except for January and February). If your travels bring you to Wisconsin (or Chicago—it’s only an hour away), please give us a ring. We would love to show you around.

Putting down roots in a new place has given us many opportunities to grow. We made new friends and organized a babysitting co-op group. Noah turned five and started kindergarten in September. He tells us that he likes school days better than home days, and his favorite subjects are lunch, science, and Spanish. His reading and writing skills have also blossomed. Ian started going to preschool twice a week, which he also enjoys very much. We don’t have enough wall space to display all the artwork that they bring home. Leah volunteered to serve on the board of directors for Ian’s preschool as the treasurer. She has dusted off her spreadsheet skills and developed new connections with the teachers and mothers. There were also changes at Chris’ work, where Bucyrus was acquired by Caterpillar last summer. His job description hasn’t changed too much; he is still designing hydraulic systems for huge mining excavators. He just doesn’t have to wear a tie to work anymore.

Perhaps the biggest news of the year was that Chris was called to serve as a bishop, the leader of our church congregation. It came as a surprise to all of us, especially him. When we moved to Milwaukee, we felt that it was where the Lord wanted us to be. Now we understand better the reasons why. It has been a challenging assignment for all of us, but we have felt much support from our friends at church and our Heavenly Father. Our faith and love for others has grown, along with our understanding of gospel principles. If you want to read more about it, look up Chris’ profile on mormon.org/me/5HR5

So that’s what we have been up to lately. For the latest updates, check out Leah’s blog at sippysaddles.blogspot.com. We would love to hear from you, too. Please give us a call or drop us a line and share what is going on in your life. Keep in touch!

Wishing you a memorable Christmas season and all the very best of the new year,

The Wisconsin Williamsons

Chris, Leah, Noah, Ian & Sage

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We got to spend Thanksgiving with my brother, Ian and his family.

We did last year too, and even though Noah was convinced the drive took the same amount of time, we were very thankful that during the year Ian's family had moved from Minneapolis to Huntley, about an hour and 45 minutes away.

Of course, I managed no pictures of the feast or even everyone at the table but there were a few shots of our time there.

As soon as we got there Sage disappeared. But I didn't worry. Oliver and Sophia kept careful watch over her the whole time we were there. It was a nice break!

The first time I thought I ought to check on her I found this...
I didn't even follow them up. I figured if the kids were that mindful of entertaining her, she was in good hands! We did see her occasionally. Well, sort of.
The light sabers were a huge hit (and I mean that both literally and figuratively) with our Star Wars fanatics who have never seen Star Wars.
Dessert was delicious. The boys even stopped to eat some:)

And the next morning, rolls with jam for breakfast.
We stayed the night be came home pretty quick in the morning since Sage hardly slept the whole time we were there. No nap, up all night, yeah, we called it quits and came home to put her down in her own bed.

We got some other things done though, which was nice. Like finding the huge woodpecker hole in our house while putting up Christmas lights.

We all played outside and helped and had a great time. I remember thinking I want to remember this day. It was fun and mostly, entirely happy.

That weekend the boys were lucky to have some time with dad and he made them a circuit. Nerdy, I know. But hey, they are their father's sons.
I got them a Bill Nye the Science Guy dvd about electricity at the library and they loved it. I kinda thought it might be boring to them but it was a favorite.
Now they go around the house finding all the electric things that have been tested by Underwriters Laboratories. No joke.
This really got their motors running. (Pun intended.)

We didn't get the wishbone out of the turkey but we saved one from a chicken we had during the week prior. Perfect timing to dry out and be ready for wishing by the time we got home from Uncle Ian's house.
Can you tell that this picture was taken before the pulling? Yeah, it went downhill from there.
But all in all, check it off as a great holiday weekend. Check, check, check, for family, food, safe travel, good job, great friends, healthy kids, shelter, clothing and a knowledge and deep gratitude for our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Check.