Eric and Dede

Shys Baptism Book

2012-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

I made this for Shy to remember her special day. I only took 2 pictures the whole day of her actual baptism! I spent so much time decorating for her party afterwords, and didn't get 1 picture of how cute it looked. Ah well hopefully she will remember it for a while :)

Baptism Pics

2011-11-28T08:57:00.001-08:00

Shy is so good to get her picture taken. . . unless its cold. She just doesn't tolerate the cold at all. So we went out and did her baptism pictures before it even got chilly. We did a ton so I could make her a baptism ABC which I will try and post after her big day. I got most of the announcements out this weekend so I thought I would post some pics. We are so proud of her but are sad that she is growing up so quickly.

Wrestling

2011-11-28T08:49:00.001-08:00

Reed did a couple months of Wrestling. He had the worst luck. He wrestled 4 kids who were at least 5 lbs bigger then him (that is more then 10% of his body weight!) and the coaches son who had taken for years. Poor guy. He was awesome at practiced when he had kids his age and weight. He still wants to keep going and everyone says next year he will be great because he will finally get a fair match. We will see . . .

Shy's new trick

2011-11-20T08:12:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

On the Sixth day of Halloween we went on a Haunted boat ride on the Provo River. We love KSL daily deals and an awesome grandma that treats us to fun things!

On the seventh day of Halloween we went to the Barnyard Boo at Thanksgiving point. Tip for Halloween: If you go as soon as a place opens, you beat all the crowds!!! We never had to wait in line.

On the eighth day of Halloween we went spooky miniature golfing, again thanks to KSL deals. Devin said it should have been the ninth day because there were nine holes but by nine, I don't really care to much :)

Best part, Cheese Fries and having the whole place to yourself to run around after your game of golf!

On the ninth day of Halloween the kids had their dance class party... since I'm the one throwing it, its not cheating, right?

On the eleventh day of Halloween we went to the base for their celebration. The line for the trunk-or-treat wrapped around the building which was really great for us. Since we were going to a trunk-or-treat later (and really, do we need more candy?) we skipped it and went right to the games.

On the twelfth day of Halloween we carved family pumpkins. We were sad that they didn't grow to well in the garden. Eric and I are really terrible gardeners! But they ended up cute and little!

Getting ready for number thirteen tonight but just to add: both kids had class parties, we went to the Syracuse pumpkin walk and trick-or-treated at Kent's today. So much for 13! Ever wonder how I get my kids to match with out complaining, threaten to take away the 13 days of Halloween. I guess then the question would be who would miss it more :)

October

2011-10-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Its half way through October already and I've not made any Halloween posts (besides yearly pics) It has been a crazy month full of big decisions and new things. We have still found time to do our 13 days of Halloween, in fact number 6 is tonight followed by number 7 tomorrow. I sent out our Halloween cards and couldn't get to everyone so here they are. Know that we wish everyone a very happy Halloween. (Here are all four, I get so bored with one)

On the first day of Halloween we made a gingerbread house:

On the second day of Halloween we made craft projects:

On the third day of Halloween we told spooky stories: (no pics)

On the fourth day of Halloween we made brownies and 'boo'ed our neighbors

On the fifth day of Halloween we went to the treehouse museum and can't believe we left the camera at home!!!

Drill camp and my baby is 5

2011-10-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

The kids spent the week at a little drill camp at a local high school. The boys did a little hip-hop number which was so funny! Shy was the best little dancer in the group. They were suppose to dance on the football field but with four min left in the half, all the lights went out on the field. After waiting for almost an hour for the lights to come back on, they gave up. They postponed the game and took the kids into the gym to perform. Great job guys.

Thursday, my boys celebrated their birthdays. We went to breakfast but didn't do much else since last week was so crazy. On Saturday after my first baptism as primary pres., I taught a class on photography, and came home to hold a birthday party for Reed. We went the the Air Force museum for a scavenger hunt I had prepared. It was so much fun. Then home to cake and a pinata. Then, before the party was over, Shy and I took off to another baptism. Oh what a day at the end of a crazy week.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Reed is in his second year of preschool. He now goes three times a week which seems like way to much for my baby. Since his birthday is in October, he is the tallest and oldest kid in his whole class. He makes the 3-year-olds look like babies! Its weird to see him in that position. He does so good at school. He loves counting and math. He is also reading really well and finally started to color but sill hates it. He never wants to go but has a huge smile on his face when he leaves. He is just such a home body, he would always rather be home. I hope this year is really long because I'm not ready for him and kindergarten.

Halloween

2011-09-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am knee deep in photoshopping at the moment so I thought I would share a few fun pics I took a couple of weeks ago. It works out really well to get the kids costumes made and pictures taken before the rush of school and dance class (and now photography). Here are a few favs!

Photography Blog

2011-09-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

I started a blog to put some of my photography since I have been doing more and more as the time goes on. I will eventuly but a link on the side but I put some cute pics of little Reed up there. Here is the link:

dedesphotography.blogspot.com

What's been going on here

2011-08-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

We went to the Big Blue Bash on Saturday. I asked Reed if he wanted a picture with a football player. He said, "No I want one with that cheerleader!" What are we going to do with him. It was really nice because it was almost like a motivational conference. After having a bad week it actually made me feel better :)

We had a blast waiting for everyone to park

We had a really yummy dinner at the Lion House Restaurant

Meeting Starting Running Back Bryan Kariya

Shy's first day of school went great. Of course she is doing fabulous in second grade. I didn't want to get the standard first day pictures so we took a little snap shot of how our morning went.

Waking up

Getting Dressed

New Accessories

Good Luck phone call from Dad

She insisted on making her bed (see awesome just like I said)

She was so excited, all she would eat is a granola bar

I took a picture of her getting her hair done but it didn't turn out

The Finale Product

A Summer Day

2011-07-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

The kids set up a lemonade stand in front of the house after Shy's sleep over with some of their close friends. They had a great time selling to all the neighbors even if their first pitcher spilled all over the ground!

We also took Reed's training wheels off today and about a hour later he was cruising down the road, leaving his dad in the dust. He has been really willing and excited to ride. We think its probably because of the Transformer that was waiting for him after he learned!

'Hello Dolly!'

2011-07-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Shy and I have been involved in the Clearfield City production of 'Hello Dolly' these past 3 months. Shy as part of the cast and myself as the choreographer. Here are some cute pictures of little Shy on the stage. She is very sad that this weekend is the last she gets to do it but the theater bug has bitten and I think this will be the first play among many for our budding little star. It has made our summer so much fun.

I also have a video of her cute little dancing but I need to figure out how to take out the sound before I post it. I wouldn't want to get sued :)

Family Photos

2011-06-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I had a few spare min (really that is about all I have had this crazy summer) so we went out and took some family pictures. I keep looking and can't decide whether to retake or make one of these my 20x24 for my house. I can find something in each that I'm not sure about. So let me know what you think, should I print one of these and which one?

My Best Friend

2011-06-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

So looking back at our wedding, I do think I liked my most of my wedding and engagement pictures but with some reservation. For the time they were nice but shortly after we were married, everything went digital. This made for lots more cute, candid and creative shots. Most of ours were all very posed and stiff but that is what you did with film. Also at our wedding, most of our pictures were of our whole group standing in a line. Now don't get me wrong, I love my family but when is the last time they pulled out my wedding pictures!! We didn't have a large selection of just the two of us. So when this cute couple in our ward took 5 year anniversary pictures that turned out so cute, I thought "What a great idea!" So while we had a babysitter, we went and took some pictures. It took a while but I have the most awesome husband. This is what he gave me: An hour to take pictures of him in which he was such a great sport. Thanks babe. He actually had several really good idea and he has started to get a little into the photography himself.

Ten Years

2011-06-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

When Eric first brought up the idea of marriage, I really did not want to think of matrimony. I knew I loved him but I was only twenty! I worried about what I would not be able to do because I got married so young. Turns out, nothing. I married the most amazing and supportive man. I made the best decision of my life. I love him so much. We just made a digital copy of our wedding video. It so fun watching it and remembering such an amazing day and an amazing ten years.

A cute little couple in our ward went out and did

anniversary pictures. It was such a cute idea that Eric and I are going to do some to so stay tuned for that post. For today, I'm going to wait for Eric to get off of work and then go on our little get away. I love you Eric, Happy Ten Years!

Camera Bug

2011-06-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have just wanted to get my camera out the last little while but I found myself waiting for a special occasion. But WHY?!! When every day with these two is a special occasion. Love you guys thanks for. . . well being you.

New Pal

2011-06-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a rough month for pets here at the Williams house. First Reed's frog then Shy's fish (all of which have already been replace) then today, Quin our Quail. It was a sad and gruesome death involving a dog poor thing! The children have been brought to tears with each and every one of the tragic deaths. The quail got replaced by a bunny pal. The kids have been more excited about "Starry" then any of the others. We are all wishing for a healthy rest of the month!

Dance 2011

2011-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

After extend days because of the silly rain, we finally got out and got dance pictures.

Teacher's Gifts

2011-05-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of free hours this weekend to make the kid's teacher a gift. I made a Candy 'Bar'quet for each of them.

I used my Slice Elite to make flowers for each of the candy bars, making sure to circle a letter on each one.

Then I took those letters to make a poem about the teachers.

I filled in the rest of the space with extra flowers and swirls. I finished by using ribbon and die cuts to decorate the buckets. Shy's teacher is Mrs. Baer, so of course, I had to use a bear!

It was a nice change of pace for my otherwise crazy month. ~10 days till the recital~

Welcome to May!

2011-05-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

I love how the weather is changing, my flowers are coming in, and the approach of summer coming closer and closer. What I don't love is how everything is piled into the month of May. This last week our little family ran from thing to thing as we tried to balance everything. I'm taking my Mother's Day Break to, what else, do 'Mom' things like updating my blog about our month so far.

Easter: I took like three pictures of Easter. We had a lot of fun with my family coming up Easter morning, but didn't document it much :)

Preschool Program: Reed has his Preschool program this week. He was so cute even if he thought the person next to him was more interesting then his teacher or that his hat looked better upside down or that doing a silly dance instead of singing the words was more fun! That's our Reed

Class Star: Shy got to do her Class Start this week. She got to tell all about her poster and pictures. Then on Friday we got to go and help her share her fairy tell, 'Princess and the Pea." We also helped the kids make a fabric/picture collage and play a 'who's the real prince/princess' game.

Photo Overload

2011-04-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

So Shy needed some update pictures for her 'class star' poster. And I may have went a little over board! She is just so cute I can't help my self. I am one lucky mommy.

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

We took a break from swimming lessons for awhile but when we saw that they were going to offer them on base, we signed both kids up. I can't believe how great they are doing. They have a really great teacher, Ms. Cassie, who really works them hard. Shydra can now swim across the pool, back float, and tread water. Reed has turned into a little fish, you can't keep him out of the water. He has started to swim several body lengths as well. It's amazing what a great teacher can do!

We fix his goggles and he puts them right back over his ears. I guess its his face he can wear them how he wants!

Ready, set, go!

Making it all the way across

Going off the diving board.

Forgive Me!

2011-04-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of my sisters cute little family while we were in St. George. She actually hasn't seen these yet so I hope she forgives me for posting these. Until I take more pictures of my kids, I have to borrow somebody elses.

Mount Rushmore

2011-03-24T07:55:00.001-07:00

Shy was asked to do a project in school about a National Symbol. Of course she gets Mt Rushmore! Not the Washington Monument or the Grand Canyon, she had to get the most complicated one. Well she could either draw a picture or make a 3d model and of course she wanted to do a model. (The other kid who got Mount Rushmore stuck a bunch of clay on a board then glued a picture of the Presidents to it) Well I'm not one of those parents that do the project for their kids so they look better, so I let her get to work. Eric had to make a board and I had to get the clay in a general shape because it was pretty stiff for little hands then she went to work. She did such a cute job and got full marks!

I got in so much trouble from little Shy on St. Patrick's Day! No leprechauns visited our house and left money or footprints or a mess. I just don't get St. Patrick's Day, sorry. I did do her hair in cute little clovers. It was just not enough! Looks like I'm not winning in 'mom of the year' awards!

Challenge

2011-02-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm doing another post so soon. We have been so sick in my house that I have had time to get do things around the house. If anyone is still reading blogs :)

I read this fun article in one of my scrapbook magazines and it was so much fun, I had to share. They had some challenges. this is what they were.

1- Pick the embellishments randomly. I had both kids pick out 2 different elements to use on a scrapbook page. At first I was really intimidated because they picked seemingly mismatching stuff. It really forced the creativity! Half-way through, I thought this is turning out really bad. But after I was finished, I enjoyed the first page so much, I actually did a second page this way!

2-Glue as you go. I didn't make a layout (which I normally do) I just glued each element as I went. The challenge was if you mess up just add more to fix it, you can't remove anything.

3- Finally, set a timer. I gave myself 45 min and told Eric to tell me when every 10 min has gone by. It didn't give me time to second guess!

I know many of you aren't scrappers but it was so much fun trying something I love in a different way, maybe it can inspire someone out there.

Being Little

2011-02-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

It seems like each day I love watching my kids learn and do new things. And yet when I stop and think about it, I'm often really sad at how fast it is going. Shy is in her last year of Jr Primary and Reed will turn five this year. That is why I love little moments like this. Reed... playing... just being little. When I looked back, the pictures of them in small, everyday moments are always my favorite.

Happy {heart} day

2011-02-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

Suggesting that Shy make her own Valentines this year was a bigger time commitment then I had anticipated :) Instead of a simplistic heart with lace, she came up with an extravagant idea involving M & Ms and mailboxes. 6 hours later her dream came to life. Reed choose a more traditional box of Valentines from Walmart. He did, however, have a specific idea for his Valentines box. His preschool teacher sent home a tissue box to decorate (as in cover it with foil and put some heart stickers on it.) Not one of my kids!!! He insisted we make the box into a Crocodile. I certainly paid my dues to the Valentine Gods this year.

Reed spent the afternoon playing with the balloons he got for Valentines day.

A trip to the instacare

2011-02-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

The family went for a drive on Sunday. When we got home, Reed went around the car and just as he got to Shy's side of the car, her door flew open pegging him right in the forehead. It gave him a nice gash. We called the 24 hour Wee Care and the soonest they could get him in was ten. So Eric took a band aid and pulled it tight across his skin trying to close the wound until then. That combined with ice and Motrin so the swelling went down, made it close up nicely. When we got to the doctor, he said he would only need to glue it, no stitches!! That means he is less likely to scar. Yea for Eric and his quick thinking (and my mom who told us ice and Motrin!) He still came home looking like he had been in a war and we can't get it wet for a couple of days but all in all, it turned out way better then it could have!

Our little guy, he was so good at the doctor he never cried. Best of all he got like 5 suckers!!!

Mayan Birthday

2011-01-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago we asked Shy were she would like to eat for dinner. We only do a Birthday party every other year, when we don't get a party, the kids get to take one friend for dinner. I thought she would say McDonald's or Wendy's at the very most Chuck E. Cheese! Nope, she said she wanted to go to the Mayan! So we called them up. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Shy and her friend couldn't get enough of the performers. They even came and talked to her for her birthday. My parents and sister met us there. We doubted whether or not Shy would really enjoy herself but it turns out we were wrong, she claimed it was her best birthday yet. Happy #7 Shy!

Shy wanted an Artist Cake:

Getting Front Row Seats. The diver has pretty good form!

I asked the kids to turn around, they decided they needed to pose!

Photography

2011-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Since I put up pictures that I have taken in my house I have had half a dozen people ask me to do pictures for them, apart from family. We braved the cold and got some great pictures of some of my friends.

Asking for months

2010-12-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

When the school picture form came home with Shy she asked if it was okay that she didn't order any and had me take her pictures instead. I thought this was wonderful. We didn't do anything with her pictures last year, she really didn't like them. Well months went by and a dozen of other people's photos were taken. Finally today, with no work, no school, no one throwing up, and the sun shinning, we got some pictures. Thanks kids for being good sports. (Not sure why my pictures from photobucket are showing up kinda blurry but you get the idea.)

Christmas

2010-12-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone again. We had a wonderful, very busy holiday. We first went to Redmond where the kids enjoyed making gingerbread houses with the grandma and opening presents a couple of days early! We also drug the kids around in the sled on the four-wheeler. Shy and Reed loved it, even when they got dumped off. Shy only cried when her uncle Mark pegged her with a snowball to the face.

After a day in Redmond, we went to my parents to spend the Holidays. We got season tickets to Trafalga and 7 Peaks (among other things) from my mom so we spent Christmas Eve mini golfing, playing laser tag, rock climbing, and running around with all of the cousins.

We took the chance while we were all together and took some family pictures of the whole family.

Then that evening we put on a nativity starring Gage as Joesph, Shy as Mary (she said, "I call Mary," and with only boy cousins we said, you got it!), Max as the Shepherd, Reed as the Wise Man, and Little Stockton as the angel. Reed was so in love with his cute little baby cousin, Stockton. He wanted to help him and play with him whenever he could!

The kids got a trampoline but won't be able to play with it until summer, or as soon as they can talk their dad into it!

We also took a picture in our new Sunday clothes the day we left. It was a crazy time but such fun.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here is our Christmas Card. Hope you enjoy your holidays!

So apparently its Christmas

2010-12-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas has officially started at the Williams house (since the dance concert was on the 10th!). And we really kicked off Christmas this year. We started off by going to a breakfast with Santa with my brother and his family. It was really cool. Santa came in on a Fire truck, then there were games followed by swimming in the pool. The kids also got a picture with Santa but since it would require scanning, it won't be in this post.

Then today we rode on Front Runner down to see the lights at Temple Square. The only bad part of the trip: getting in the car to come home, the kids were so sad it was over. It was such a special night for our family.

In Twenty Min

2010-11-29T11:37:00.001-08:00

Reed is such a busy, funny little boy. At his Thanksgiving Day feast at preschool, I volunteered to help out. As we neared the end of class, Reed looked up from the table and announced, "When I get home from preschool, my dad beats me." His teacher and I were shocked! We both were, like, I don't think he would do that. But he insisted. When we got home from lunch we pulled into the driveway about a min before Eric in his truck pulled up. Reed announced, "Haha, today I beat daddy after preschool!" He probably wondered why everyone would get so worked up over his and his daddy's race to get home for lunch!!! I made sure to tell his preschool teacher so we wouldn't get reported. His joy in life is to make us laugh, and he does so all the time.

I wanted to take the day to capture some pictures of Reed being Reed. Well 20 min in his world and I got 50 pictures! He is so busy and active. He kept telling me what to take pictures of and what to do and where to go. I wanted to share some of those moments.

Most Thankful

2010-11-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

Like most, I am most thankful for my family. I have one beatiful, smart, creative little girl; one sweet, cleaver, goofy little boy; and one supportive, understanding, talented husband. Truely I am blessed. I have been asked when we are adding to our family, the answer: Why when we have everything we ever wanted. I will never say never, but for now this is perfection. I spent Sunday morning building a snowman with these favorite people.

Once on a Winter Saturday

2010-11-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

What did we do with our Snowy Saturday . . .

We learned (or relearned) new tricks

Other Song

2010-11-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

This is Shy's second song from the recital. If you look close you can see she losses both her head band and microphone. She manages to fix both of them without missing a beat! She's must have performing in her blood!

Voice Recital

2010-11-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Winner!

2010-11-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Shydra is such an unusual child. If we threw away all her toys save her crayons, markers and paper, she would be just fine. The other day she wrote a book that had over 30 pages, and five chapters. There was one little illustration on each page, the rest was text. The back cover was an "about the author" page. It even said "written by: Shydra Willaims, illustrated by: Shydra Williams." The most amazing thing about her story was that it made sense. It had plot, a beginning/middle/end, and even a moral! Her teacher lets her read her books to the class when she finishes them but I told her to keep this one since it takes so long to read. After she wrote her previous book, Mrs. Baer asked Shy if she could borrow it to take to UEA conference. I made Shy promise me some of the money she will make on her books some day. She is also really into coloring. She entered a Halloween Coloring contest at a local Super Market. They called yesterday to let us know she won for her age group. As a mom, there is nothing more rewarding then seeing your children get appreciated for their hard work. And even though her toys sit in her box collecting dust, her markers work over-time. We love you little Shy!

Here she is with the manager. She won a gift card, a treat, and her picture framed

The 13 days of Halloween

2010-11-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, we got all 13 activities in, even with a cruise the week before Halloween. We had a blast this year. Here is the official list, some with pictures, some without but that said, still tons of pictures:

13- Gingerbread Haunted House (already pictures posted)

12- Treehouse Museum (again with the pictures)

11- Halloween Art Projects

We painted sun catchers and colored felt pictures

10- Witches Breakfast

Awesome fun with my awesome family

9- Spooky Story Telling

Everyone in the family picked a children's story to tell. Then we shared them outside while eating smores

8- School Parties

7- Dance Class Halloween Party (Reed is lacking shoes because he's headed to tumbling)

6- Cookie Baking

5- Hill Air Force Base Party, Shy got 2nd in the costume contest and Reed got his picture taken for the base paper

4- Trunk-or-Treat

3- Halloween Carnival

I have this weird issue about face painting but the lady just painted a cute little sheep so she wouldn't lose it anymore. Iwas good with that :)

2- Trick -or- Treating (In the Rain!)

1- Carving Pumpkins

We did this on Sunday. We had to do something for the real Halloween!!!

Shy's

Dede's

Eric's

Reed's (of course)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

Mexico

2010-10-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Eric and I had so much fun on the cruise. We wanted to go by ourselves for a few reasons. We are celebrating 10 years in June, we also wanted to make sure Shy got to school, voice, dance, and tumbling and Reed made it to school and tumbling. It was so great to have family who would watch the kids for us. Rhiannon even came and taught my classes, THANKS!!! We had so much fun together but I was very ready to be home at the end as well. I made up these groups of pictures for a scrapbook:

I love this guy. I'm so lucky that he is so involved in this family. It was great to spend the week, just the two of us.

In Cabo, we went para sailing. I was so amazing. That really is us but I had to take my old bridge camera since I really didn't want my new camera to find its way to the bottom of the ocean.

We also went snorkeling in Cabo San Lucus. It was by far the coolest part of the trip. The water was clear and beautiful and there were hundreds of fish. Wow!

In Ensenda we went shopping and found lots of fun stuff for the kids. I also found the three giant heads that I danced in front of when I took from N&B!

I now need a vacation from my vacation but it was amazing.

What a week!

2010-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind week around here. I have like four posts I need to do but I only have enough energy to do one :) We got back from our cruise on Friday. It was amazing! I will post more about that later. Last Friday my family went to the Witches breakfast at Gardner Village. Still more pictures and stories to tell . . . later. We also went to a corn maze in Sigurd and took some fun pictures. But for now, I'm going to post on the photo shoots. On the way to California I made four stops along the way to do photo shoots! All the kids were really good so it made things easier. I've spent the last day and half cropping etc to get them off to all the subjects before it has been too long. Here are just a few of my favorites (I got dozens!) In opposite order that they were taken.

Gage & Stockton

Blaine, Dean, & Jenna

Kemarie

Max

Four

2010-10-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

My baby is four. I wonder if he will ever have a birthday that I won't be shocked that he is getting older! Heavy sigh. Well we took him to breakfast and he got quite a few presents on his birthday but I work all day so we decided to bump his party to Friday. He has been talking about his Transformers party for months. He had four little friends (one was too nervous to do much), Shy had a friend, and then we had some awesome family come. They went on a treasure hunt for the Allspark, tried to match up transformers, and played 'autobot, autobot, decepticon' (duck, duck, goose). He hasn't stopped smiling all day. It is one of my joys to throw huge parties for my kids. I love planning for weeks, forming every detail, and seeing their faces when they finally get to the party they've talked about forever. Happy Birthday little man.

Our little Transformers (minus 1)

We held the party in the dance studio, it was so easy to keep everything in one room. Sometimes it comes in handy to have a large empty room!

I made the transformer mask cake the night before the party and made a nice mess of my kitchen with red and black food coloring!

Wacking Optimus with a stick was the boys favorite part. Boys will be boys!

Eric also had a birthday. He is so great to let Reed steal the day but I don't want to forget about him. I love him so much. He is the best father and husband you could ask for. He is always willing to help, he is home all afternoon to take care of the kids and house etc, and he is my best friend and I would rather spend time with him then anyone. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

More Halloween Fun

2010-10-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

We've spent the past week doing a number of fun Halloween activities. First we went to Frightmares as our way of saying goodbye to Lagoon this year. We have had such a blast with our season passes the whole summer. I didn't bring my camera. I have taken it to Lagoon already so we decided to not haul around a camera the whole day. Shy is so brave. She got to ride on some of her favorite rides again (wicked, spider etc) She was never nervous of any of the scary elements either. Reed had fun too. He got to go on all his favorites too. We also painted sun catchers, colored pictures, and tonight we went to the Treehouse Museum's Enchanted Woods. The kids were so great, they sat still and listen to each story with such patients and participated whenever asked. And they are so cute too! Here are the only pictures I've taken from all four events:

On the first day of Halloween . . .

2010-10-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

We decorated our Haunted Gingerbread House for family home evening. Well, Eric took pictures and did the dishes, but he was in the room. We worked on the front and the roof all together, then we each took a side. As always the kitchen is left a disaster but the kids had a blast and that makes it all worth it. Now they want to know what we are doing next!!!

The front, Shy mostly designed, I was on icing detail, and Reed ate a lot of the candy.

Shy's side had a theme, she wanted to make a bat party. Notice how one of the bats is playing ball. We love that girl and her imagination.

Reed's is more abstract. He like to eat two candies then put one one. What he put on the house was whatever he felt like eating next.

My side. I had to do it at from the side since Shy insisted the house be turned her direction.

Boo!

2010-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Eric is going to start locking me up around Halloween. Every time I leave the house, I come back with something spooky! I found these pjs at The Children's Place and couldn't resist. I asked the kids if I could take a picture of them real quick and they decide to turn it into a photo session. These are my darling, I mean terrifying children and their self-proclaimed "scary" posses.

Go Shy!

2010-09-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Shy had her cheerleading performance on Saturday. She did a cute job but we were unimpressed with those in charge. The older girls got to do tumbling and all Shy's group got to do was a front roll, not even a cartwheel!! We are glad its over since last week felt completely overbooked with dance, cheer, voice and tumbling. Shy felt a little overwhelmed and we missed seeing her. Half-way through the dance the football players came out on the field and blocked our view, but here are some of the pictures we got.

Rally

I missed her kick during the performance so I made her do one on the side lines. I missed her toe touch too, it was the best on on the field (including 14 year olds!)

Reed spending time with his friend at the game.

In this pictures with Shy is her good friend, they were so cute but should have been put in the class with the older girls.

First Day of Pre K

2010-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Reed's first day of Preschool was on Wed. He was really sad at first to learn that they wouldn't let him take his Bumble Bee backpack. Instead the teacher gave them each a bag to decorate. So the two of us sat down on the computer and made a design featuring all of his favorite things (fighting dragons, Mario, his sister, frogs, ghosties, transformers, Disney's Cars, Quin the quail, Buzz Lightyear, and Computer games.) It made him feel better. In fact Shydra came home asking if next time she can make her own bag like Reed. He really loves going and his teacher is really good with kids. She use to be a kindergarten teacher so she knows how to get them ready. I'm most looking forward to Monday mornings when I will have two hours to myself!!! He goes Wed too but I teach dance while he is gone. I can't believe my baby is ready to go to preschool but he sure does make a cute school kid!

So, its a little early

2010-09-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well its that time of year again (okay so not really) but around my house the Halloween celebration has started. As you can see I "Halloweened" my blog already. If you don't have your sound on, you should check the playlist at the bottom of the page and listen to "Grim Grinning Ghosts." Its the soundtrack from Disney Land's Haunted Mansion and it brings back lots of fun Disney Land memories :) We did our annual Halloween photo shoot before school started since life is so crazy at the moment. We had a slight crisis when we forgot Little Bo's staff (Eric had built and painted it himself, so it was a big deal). While he drove the 30 min to get it I tried to do the best with the 2 kids, 2 costumes, and 3 heavy blocks since we were losing daylight. Long story short, there were no great ones of the two of them together. We may have to squeeze in a time to try again. I don't know if I can take one to top last years "True Loves Kiss," but we will try and get some good ones anyway. Since Oct 31st is still over a month and 1/2 away, we can probably find a time. We already have 11 of our 13 days of Halloween scheduled and we are really excited to get that under way.

1st Grade

2010-08-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Shy's first day of first grade. She was so excited. I was actually really sad that school started. She and Reed are such great playmates and she is my little crafting buddy. Reed and I had to go run a bunch of errands to keep ourselves busy without her. Eric beats her home every day by an hour! With school, voice, cheer, and dance we hope she will find time to fit us into her busy schedule! She is so excited to have Mrs. Baer. Many of the other faculty at the school referred her as a teacher so at the end of last year we put in a formal request. We know she will have another great year, but what about the rest of us?

Summer Life

2010-08-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well this summer has just flown by. The whole family has been so busy its hard to keep up with little things like blogs. I finally got a chance to add some new scrapbook pages to my sidebar, since I noticed the latest one were from a year ago. I've also gotten my camera out, caught up (almost) on my scrapbooking, and been sewing. With dance class, Halloween, 2 birthdays, and a cruise just around the corner, things seem like they will keep up this exhausting pace. Here's a little about the family this summer.

Shydra: Shy has spent very little time at home this summer. She spent a week in Redmond, several weekends in Lehi, an extended weekend in Driggs Idaho and a week in Alaska. We are glad when she is home. I need to put pics of her trips but I need to get a hold of them first. Her time at home time has been spent practicing dance. She has worked hard and can now do both kinds of splits, lots of cool dance moves, and she can almost do both a back and front walkover. She tested at the end of last year at a 3rd grade reading level so I hope she hasn't lost to much over her crazy summer. She starts school in a little over a week and she is so excited to have the teacher she wanted. She loves dressing up:

Reed: Has spent most of the time at home but made several of the trips with his sister. He is into sleeping on the floor and telling the most outrages stories. He remembers every song he's ever heard and sings at the top of his lungs (even at 6 in the morning!) He starts preschool in the middle of September. He is most excited to wear his Mario shirt the first day, what a kid.

Dede: After completing Footloose and dance camp, I remembered that I have other hobbies too!! I've had some much fun reacquainting myself with crafting. I had oral surgery on Monday so I've spent a lot of time a home, which is great.

Eric: Has been busy at work building a shelf for his mom's classroom. He has lists of stuff lined up after that. He also recently bought himself some, well, second hand golf clubs and has spent some time practicing. He took Reed up to the driving range this week. Reed kept telling him all the things he was doing wrong. Here are some pictures from the experience:

What a Weekend

2010-07-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

For the Jorgensen family reunion, my mom got us each a 3 day pass to have a stay-cation in Salt Lake. The first stops were the Children's museum and the planetarium. I didn't have my camera yet since it was arriving with Eric later but here are some pictures of the rest of our crazy, fun-filled weekend.

The Tram: We went to Snowbird and went on the tram. That is me behind the camera, as always. I somehow didn't make it into any of the photos. But this is the rest of the gang:

Here are the kids at the top of the mountain. One of the rules was no rock throwing, can you think of anything harder for three crazy boys?

The next morning, off to the zoo. We had some more plans later in the afternoon but instead decided to take the kids back for a well-needed nap.

The Next morning we went to the Aquarium. Here are the kids touching the sting ray.

In the Afternoon on Saturday, some needed a nap but my dad, Eric, Kemarie, Shy, and I went to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. I took extra pictures there since it is such a pretty place.

Here is Shy finding the Secret Garden:

Shy is such a great kid to photograph, she poses herself, lets me know where I should stand, and plans all the aspects of a photo!

She kept posing her grandpa in her photos too. He was a really good sport and they were buddies the whole time:

Last stop: The dinosaur museum

Thanks family for the great weekend!

Everybody cut, Everybody cut . . .

2010-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Footloose!!!

I have more fun in the past couple of months performing as Ariel in Footloose then I have had in a long time. We are 4 weeks in and have 7 performances left. I will be so sad when its over, I have made so many great friends and have such a blast singing and dancing. I think I will take a break for awhile since it requires so much time and energy but I know it won't be long till I'm performing again.

Family Pictures

2010-06-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

So, when it comes to pictures, I'm a big time planner. I've wanted to replace the giant family picture in the front room forever (Reed is a baby!) But just haven't gotten around to it. So I decided ideas for colors and made Eric build me this awesome prop ladder in January. Then I had a problem. I really wanted pretty outdoor green pictures! So I had to wait until at least May and then May got crazy. So finally we got out and had pictures. I couldn't be more excited. Now I just have to make sure I go print them!

Dance Pictures

2010-06-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have survived another recital and I think this was the best one yet! The girls did so great and I was proud of each and everyone of my classes. After the recital (I really didn't have half a second before!) I took the girls out to a park and we did dance pictures. I thought they turned out so cute. Shy's face met with the ear of a bronze lion at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and, as you can see, its still black and blue!

Shy and Her good friend Ashlynn

I have had the best couple of months. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, but is so fun to go out and do stuff for just me. Pictures from Footloose will be coming soon, I can't wait till we open on Friday, it will be awesome!

Spoiled

2010-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Grandma came up to see us Wed and took the kids (while I was at dance) to Walmart to buy something 'little' they came back with new toys and crafts and great big smiles. Then yesterday, I took Reed to replace his frog that died a couple months back, he decided he needed a fish as well. So I knew when Shy got home from school, she would be upset, so yes I got her one too! So meet our newest additions: Howkey, Gill, and Pearl

Then today my new camera came, I'm so excited to use it and a little confused by it at the same time. I hope I have enough time to figure everything out before June so I can take pictures of my little dancers!

So we have all been very spoiled!

Rollie Pollie Patrol

2010-05-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

One of my children's favorite spring time activity is to hunt for these little bugs. They gathered 20 of them today on our little walk although Shy's says she gather 100,015. I so enjoyed just watching their adventures. I have been gone so much lately, it was so great to spend a day in their world. On a side note, these may be the last pictures I take with my camera. I have loved having it so much, it will be sad to see it go but I know it will be in good hands!

Quick Trip

2010-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

We dashed down after the play on Saturday night to meet baby Stockton and see him get blessed. It was a crazy trip. We had sent the kids down early (Shy on Thursday with Devin, Reed on Saturday with my parents) so they could enjoy the whole weekend in St George. They had so much fun. When Eric and I left it was 11:00 at night and we hit road construction and a blizzard, in the middle of the night on May 2nd! Oh well, we made it down and had a blast. It was so fun to watch Shy and Reed play with their cousins down there. We only wish Rhiannon's family lived a little closer so we could see them more! While we were there, we did a quick photo shoot of the kids and Rhi's family. I will let them post their pictures but here are some of mine and the whole gang. What a cute bunch!

Excuses, excuses

2010-04-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I have been really bad at this whole blog thing over the past couple of months but I have some excuses. They may not be good reasons but they are my reasons.

Last summer I had several people tell me I should audition up at a theater up in Odgen. I found two shows that I really wanted to do. So in Feb I got the part of a stepsister in "Into the Woods" a show I've done before in college. We rehearsed Tues, Wed, Thurs evenings and Sat mornings from the middle of Feb to the middle of April. So combined with dance class and my two beautiful children I was fairly busy. Then I did something really silly, I auditioned for the show right after it, "Footloose." I get to play Ariel, (The ministers daughter who falls for the town rebel.) So now I perform "Into the Woods" Fri, Sat and Mon nights and rehearse "Footloose" Tues, Wed, Thurs, evenings. Ahhhhhh. I'm having the most fun, crazy, busy, exhausting couple of weeks. I'm having a blast and making tons of great new friends but all this has left very little time for blogging. So here is my picture-less post for April!!

For those interested:

Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Washington Terrace
http://www.terraceplayhouse.com/

Into the Woods
Fri, Sat, Mon nights
7:30
Now- May 28th

Footloose!
Fri, Sat, Mon nights
7:30
June 11th- July 23rd

New Project: Finished

2010-04-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is Eric lates project. It matches his toy box and room so nice. Great job Eric!

Something to post

2010-03-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

It has seemed like such a long winter and nothing new has been going on. I feel like I have not gotten my camera out forever. Well we took the family down to Redmond to go to the scrapbook retreat and I took some stuff with me to go do a little photo shoot. Of course, there was a blizzard. But having two good children and a very helpful husband, we braved the storm and took a couple of fun pictures on the way out of town. Warning: Lots of Pictures!!

Latest project

2010-02-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well Eric took a little time away from his hobby to help a friend build a basement but now hes back to building furniture. I once told him I wished I had a custom bookshelf that would match with my front room and fit 12 x12's perfectly. So of course he set to work. It turned out beautiful but as I type this he is downstairs working on a dresser for Reed! (heavy sigh)

For me

2010-01-24T16:11:00.000-08:00

I love when people remind me that a blog is for themselves and others are welcomed visitors, well this is one of those posts. I recently read an article stating that January 18th is the most depressing day of the year. It sighted things like failed new years resolutions and being stuck inside. I can see what they mean but this year December was a hard month for me. You know those people who have it all together (or at least pretend like they do) well I am not one of those people. There were just a handful of things in December that made me want to scream, "Hey, that's not fair!!!!" And yes I remember my nursery school lesson that life is not fair . . . but it should be! So there I was to the beginning of January feeling sorry for myself and although I made a New Years Resolution to be positive, circumstances kept reminding me of life's inequalities and not just for myself. It wasn't till last Sunday that I felt better. It was ward conference and the Stake President told of those who have the hardest trials are the ones that seem too have the best attitude; that there is always someone worse off than you so you should be grateful for what you have. Then my beautiful little girl sang a solo, "Teach me to Walk" at the request of the ward choir director and sounded like an angel. The RS President asked me how I wasn't in tears through the whole thing and although I held it together then, it makes me tear up thinking about it. Hopefully I can remember that those things that have gone my way out weigh those that have not and now, just maybe, I can start more determinedly on my Resolution. Yes, I am done ranting.

On an high note, my sweet husband got me a new lense for my birthday. I have been playing around with it all month. Here are those things that keep me positive:

Her Day

2010-01-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

My baby girl turned 6 on January 5th. Shy took her best friend, her brother and her dad to Chuck E Cheese since her best friend is a boy and therefore she felt he would not enjoy her "Hello Kitty" party. I stayed home and taught dance. Then today we had her big party. Nine little girls running around the house is enough to drive anyone crazy but she had a blast and that makes it all worth it.

Three months ago, Shy went into detail about her two-tiered (yes she used those words), white and pink cake surrounded by candles and topped with a big Hello Kitty. I tried to do my best with her requests but I would never want to be a baker!

Here is our crew of Kitty's just after we made little cat ears.

When we started opening presents everyone was on the floor a couple of feet away. By the end we were all huddled in one mass!

Reed was a good little boy except when all those girls started teasing him about being the only boy, then he ran and put a blanket over his head and stood in the living room for a couple of min.

This is Shy an hour before the party, she was so excited, she couldn't sit still. "Mom I'm so excited, I think I'm going to explode!"

We love this little girl so much. She is so beautiful, sweet, smart, caring, genuine, thoughtful and a thousand other things! We are so grateful for the past six years and can't wait to see what this next year brings, Happy Birthday little girl.

What We've Done

2010-01-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

We, like everyone else I'm sure, have had a busy month. Luckily for us it was mostly fun at the same time as crazy. Here are some (and only some) of our winter break festivities.

Sledding in Lehi. Fortunately, this picture ended better then it looks like it will :)

Playing with family, Aunt Kemarie is one of Shy's most favorite people!

This is Read making his gingerbread house.

Sledding behind the four-wheeler in Redmond. The kids laughed the whole time despite it being very, very cold.

Eric made me try it out. I was far more nervous then the kids ever were but I was a pretty good sport.

Mostly, it was really cold, but we still had fun. I have about 180 pictures on my camera from the vacation, so believe me these are just the highlights.

Did you know it was Christmas time?

2009-12-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

So Christmas does not officially start around here until after my dance recital is over. So much stress over one nights events. The classes did really good. Better, in fact, then I thought some of them would do. It makes for one busy week right before Christmas trying to get everything done. But now that it is, the day before Christmas Eve, I can start to enjoy Christmas. Here are some photos from the event.

This is one of my favorite classes, they are always so excited to dance and learn new things. Shy is on the far left.

Yes, my son takes dance class. But when your mom teaches a morning class and has nowhere to put you, that's what you get. Never fear, he will have plenty of sports opportunities and I believe he will be better because of his dancing days!

In Shy's second class, most were beginners but they did so great.

My oldest class has come such a long way, they are the cutest girls and getting good!

I'm so thankful that I get the best of both worlds. I get to be a stay at home mom to the two cutest kids as well as work my dream job, getting to dance and be creative. But I am really thankful when the recital is over!

Buddy Time

2009-12-08T12:57:00.001-08:00

When I first volunteered to help with Shy's class on Tuesday, we weren't sure what we would do with Reed. The teacher said I could bring him with but he is all boy and there is little we can do to contain his energy. So we decided that day Eric would take his lunch early every Tuesday. Since then, Reed and Dad have developed something called "Buddy Time." It is so cute, every Tuesday when Reed hears the garage open he starts jumping up and down yelling, "Buddy Time, Buddy Time!" They do all different things during Buddy Time. Sometimes they read or play games, sometimes they run errands or talk. The two consistencies are that they 1) go get a treat and 2) they do everything together. This is what they did today, shoveled the walk together. Right before Eric heads back to work, Reed gives him a big hug and starts talking about Buddy Time next week. I'm so grateful that Eric has a job that enables him do this kind of thing. I can see how close he is to our kids and that is so great!

For the ward Christmas party, they made us dress up in Biblical Clothes so I took a picture before we left. Reed wanted to be a king and Shy, of course, an angel.

The Holiday Season

2009-12-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

We got out all the Christmas stuff on Monday and got a couple of funny pictures so I thought I would finally post. I will be honest, this time of year is not my favorite time. I like Christmas Eve/Day but when you see people pushing a five-year-old out of the way on Black Friday to save $20, I question Christmas Spirit and what it has turned into. Maybe I will have more yuletide spirit after D- Day (stands for Dance Recital Day, WOW I will be happy to have that over with!) But at least this proves we got out and decorated.

Eric is on his cell phone . . .

While putting on Christmas Lights . . .

While standing on the roof, two stories high! And yes he is wearing a jacket and shorts!

Reed: "Daddy, can I put some lights on the roof."

Eric: "Sure buddy"

Reed: "Will you teach me how!"

So Sweet

Parent Teacher Conference

2009-11-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Today we met with Mrs. Watkins to discuss Shydra. I'm going to have a proud parent moment, you will have to forgive me. We learned that they are going to start a new kindergarten program at school, just for her. She has an awesome teacher who wants to make sure she is excelling not just standing still. They are going to have her read library books at home then test her on them at school. We are so proud of our little trail blazer. Everything else she is way above average and best of all she is a good, well behaved kid. Great Job Shy!

We also got her school pictures and they were okay at best. I don't know about everyone else, but I am not the biggest fan of school pictures, they are always very blah. But I will buy them every year anyway! I can't bring myself to put them on my blog or hang them in my house so I guess you will just have to see more that I took.

Playing Favorites

2009-11-06T15:36:00.001-08:00

So Shydra got home from school yesterday all worked up because I hadn't taken any pictures of her, the nerve of me! So I got her all dressed up and as soon as she got home from school and I took her pictures. Now I'm not playing favorites:

Reed at Three

2009-11-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

I took Reed to take some pictures of him at three, I meant to do it in Oct, oh well. I wanted to put a big one on the wall. I asked Eric which one and he wasn't any help. So I making an appeal for opinions, any ideas?

Is it November yet?

2009-10-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well we've had more crazy (but fun) times at the Williams. On Thursday we headed out to the West Point pumpkin Walk. It is really a lot of fun to see all the pumpkins and there weren't nearly as many carved out "Edward's" as I thought there would be (thank goodness). Last year we waited in line for an hour and a half but they must of rethought things and we were in, took the walk, and were in out in less then forty-five. On Friday we went to the local Halloween Carnival: way to many kids not nearly enough room! On Saturday I decided to take the kids to a little crafting party at Roberts which Eric proclaimed would be "lame," mostly, I think, because it was right over the top of the Y game. Well we squeezed it in during half time and in a sad turn of events, the Robert's party was a blast (the kids got some many cute things to take home) and the game ended up being 'lame' (oh Cougars!) On Sunday (see, crazy) We made s'mores and told ghosts stories. Shy and Reed's stories were adorable, I mean really scary! Somewhere in the midst of all these we drove to Salt Lake and bought a brand new car, which we love. Really, is it November yet? What, it has not even been the real Halloween?!

Us at the Pumpkin Walk

The Cat Shy made at Roberts

Our new ride. Its a pzev (partial zero emissions vehicle) so I'm doing my part for the earth!

I have spent all day today making 43 of these cute little witches (thanks Rhi for the book) for all my little dancers!

Someday he will make a girl very happy

2009-10-21T10:42:00.001-07:00

My little guy is such a sweetheart. He tells me all the time that he wants to marry me and asks if he can hug me all the time. This is such a cute story about something he did Monday. We were watching "Dancing with the Stars," Donny and Kym were on and he said, "Wow that girl is so pretty." Then Chelsie and Louie were on and he said, "She is very pretty too." So I asked him which girl was prettiest , the girl in the red dress or the black. Well he jumped into my arms and said, "You are Mommy!" Can you resist that?!

One too many

2009-10-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well one of my dancer's mom saw the Halloween pictures of my kids in the entry way of my home and ask who took them. Well that lead to a photo shoot with her kids. They are such cute girls and it was tones of fun but with the dance studio, Eric finishing a neighbors basement, and me doing photography, I think maybe we have one to many personal businesses around here! Here are just a few from the shoot.

Crazy October

2009-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

I should have explained my last blog title. I decided I wanted to do 13 fun things for Halloween throughout October with the kids since I just love to see them having fun. So this week we had Halloween days 12, 11, and 10. It has been such a crazy month, we have had so many other things going on as well. Here are some of the happenings:

On Monday we took the kids for a spooky walk around the neighborhood at night. It was really funny to hear their little imaginations at work. We didn't have to do anything, they scared themselves just fine!

This month, they are both taking swimming lessons at the local pool. They seem to be having fun and Shy is swimming a little bit on her own. It sure is a stress to get them there twice a week and with such super blond hair, we've had a hard time keeping it from turning green.

Tuesday, we made our yearly Halloween gingerbread house. Usually it is a "Shy and Mom" project but Reed helped out this year. It was messy but tons on fun!

On Thursday, it was crazy hair day at school. After school we had to run some errands around town. Afterwards she said, "Mom you messed up. It was suppose to be crazy hair day and everyone says I'm cute. It wasn't cute hair day!" Silly me!

Finally, we went to the Ogden Treehouse Museum's presentation of "Enchanted Woods." This has to be the cutest Halloween thing I've seen for kids (and trust me, I've seen a few!) They took the kids to different parts of the museum and had story book characters tell stories. At each station they gave them a little prize that fit the story. Everyone was so good with kids. Before it started they gave out coloring books and crayons so they were entertained while waiting. Best part, it was so cheap and the parents were free. I think we will be back here next year!

Shy with "Baby Bear" who was the hostess for the event!

The kids with the "Cousin to the the three little pigs" and "The Nice Wolf"

Reed and the farmer from the "Peter Rabbit Story" I know I should know his name, oh well!
Wow, it makes me tired just looking back on our week, but I would do it again! :)

On the Thirteenth Day of Halloween

2009-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

We went to the Haunted Heber Creeper on Friday night with Eric's family. Afterwards almost everyone came up for another party for our boys. The party was a lot of fun. We just hung out and partied. We wanted to give a big thanks to those who came. We really appreciate it!

The Heber Creeper Halloween was advertised as 'kid friendly' but I don't know that it fit that description but it was a ton of fun. On the way up the canyon they told spooky ghosts stories and out the window you could see the stories played out along the track. That part was fun for everyone. Then while the train stopped to turn around, all the spooks got on the train! Most were okay but some would get right in you face and scream. Shy was pretty brave, Reed was okay as long as he had he's sword and shield. He even took a swing at a couple of characters! It was our little niece, Laelia (Ryan's little girl) who is only 16 months old that was really terrified. She is the cutest little thing and it was so sad to hear her screaming. I think the rest of it was pretty fun though! Shy got home and asked what is the next thing for Halloween?

My Birthday Boys

2009-10-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

This year was a fun birthday for my boys. On the same day that Reed turned three, Eric turned thirty. Shy tried to tell Eric that means that next year Reed will be four and Eric will be forty but he didn't seem to like that idea! We had a great couple of days and the fun is just beginning. On Monday, My Parents, Kemarie, Devin, Lindsey, and Max came up for a surprise birthday party. I guess a surprise for Reed, not Eric. Eric took the kids to swimming lessons while everyone helped me set up. Then when Reed walked upstairs, we yelled, "surprise" and his little face went bright red and he ran and hid in the kitchen. After the shock, we had a great party. We played a game and Reed got some great presents. He slept with his transformers (not the most comfortable sleeping toy), shoot me in the face all morning with his batman shooter, and helped his dad fix things in the garage. Thanks for coming and happy birthday boys!

Thanks Grandma Great!!!

Since his party was on Monday, Eric and I gave him his bike on tuesday so he would have something on his real birthday. Following tradition, Eric got his present a long time before his actual birthday, more wood (heavy sigh).

Notice the safty glasses. He thought maybe he would need those on his bike!

Great Moms!

2009-09-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

So I got some encouraging words from a guy in our bishopric about a month ago and I wanted to share it with everyone. We were outside and I was helping Eric build a bed for the kids Halloween pictures, when he and his wife walked by. I was really embarrassed because I was thinking about Halloween in August and making it such a big deal, but then he said, "Never be embarrassed about making memories with your kids. All too soon they are gone." That meant so much to me so I thought I would pass it on. I love looking at everyone’s blogs and all the memories everyone is making and just wanted you guys all to know how great you are! When I went to do my Tuesday Volunteering at Shy's school today, I helped one little girl type in her password to use the computer. She kept asking what all the letters were and then she said, "My mom is always too tired to help me, so I don't know my letters and numbers." It was so sad. So again, great job all you moms for making memories and doing the best you can with your kids!

Anyway, I took some pictures of my brother's baby at his first birthday (I will let them post those) and while I was there I took a couple of pictures of my kids. I just love these two and all the memories we make together.

Some More Favorites

2009-09-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos. Sorry to post so many but I'm just so in love with these kids, plus all the time put in on the costumes. (Reed's actually took a lot longer then Shy's since there is not a patttern that fit. I guess there won't be many Prince Phillips running around October 31st!)

Once upon a Dream

2009-09-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

I love Halloween, everything about it. So when Shy and I decided what we were going to do last spring (okay January) we got really excited. I wanted to take their pictures in the forest before all the leaves started to change so we went out last week and did a little photo session. The kids (and Eric) were awesome. They were so cooperative, it was wonderful. I wanted to wait till October to post these put they turned out so cute I couldn't wait. I got dozens of fun pictures so don't expect this to be the only post ;)

Takin' the Bus

2009-09-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Monday was the first day the busses ran for the kindergartners. This might have been what Shy was most excited to do. Since Shy only went once last week for an hour and Wednesday for testing, this was officially when she got into the flow of school. I held it together while Shy got on the bus and then Reed burst into tears and that got to me. He wouldn't play with his little friends or play by himself he just laid on my shoulder and cried for his sister. It was so sweet.

The three boys and Shy hold hands on the way to the bus stop. Notice the next generation also holding hands wanting to go too.

She was so nervous that when I asked her to wave, she wouldn't even turn around. What a big girl she is.

Staying-powder

2009-08-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

When Rhiannon and I were little and we played with our dolls/Barbie, we invented something called 'staying-powder' so that the toys would never grow-up, and stay the same age forever. Well I could use some of that now!! I can't believe how fast the last five years have gone. Here is my baby off to Kindergarten. She only went Monday this week and she goes to testing tommorrow. Then next week she will be a full time school-girl. She was so excited to go. Here are some pictures of her right before she left and sitting at her table.

Swimming and Kindergarten

2009-08-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Shy went to her open house for kindergarten on Thursday. They didn't do much but tell us when the testing was. She seems really excited to go on Monday and I'm really sad but I 'm sure it will be fine.

We are having a "last day of summer celebration." We just went swimming and tonight we are going to have a bbq in the back yard and a sleepover in the basement with just our family. I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by!!!

She really did have a lot of fun, we are not quite sure why she is pulling this face?!!!

The Boyfriend

2009-08-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

We will finish our last show of the boyfriend tomorrow night. It has been so fun to be up on stage again, have had the opportunity to meet so many great new people, and be seventeen again. I hope I will be able to do more shows in the future. Here are some pics that Eric took during Saturday's show. Thanks to all those people who came up to watch, it really means a lot to me to have my family be so supportive!!!

Cute little family

2009-08-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

I have been so busy lately that is was so fun to have my brother and his little family visit us yesterday. We got out and took some pictures. It was lots of fun beside getting almost trampled by a couple of rude runners!

24th Celebrations

2009-07-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

The kids got to spend the whole week at Grandma's house in Redmond. They had so much fun down there that they weren't ready to leave. Eric and I went down on the 23rd to pick them up and stayed for the 24th celebrations. Is there anywhere else like Redmond on the 24th?

Waiting for the Parade:

The great thing about the parade coming back a second time is that you can watch it once, and then be in it!

I think we ate at the park almost every meal!

Right before we left, we headed up to Maple Grove to have a picnic with the family. While we were there, I took pictures of Amber's family and their new baby, Jenna. It was lots of fun.

The Boyfriend

2009-07-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is the second post with out pictures but I've had a lot of questions about this so:

The Boyfriend

Clearfield Ampitheater (Bicentennial Park)

7:30 pm

August 13, 14, 15, and 17

Exhaustion

2009-07-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

I ended my week long summer intensive with my dance girls and I'm am so tired. I started a mom and tot class which is really fun but the most exhausting class I've ever done!!! So I started teaching at nine and didn't get done until two everyday this week. Plus I'm doing a community play next month and rehearsals are in full swing. It is a really big dancing show so I have been there every day but Monday dancing for three hours!!! I haven't danced this much since Drill Team camp, well maybe when the Limon dance company came to Weber. Either way I had a great time but I am so glad its over. Sorry, no pictures for this blog, my camera is way over there and I don't think I can get up! :)

More stars and stripes

2009-06-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the picture overload! I just re-read an old post and said I would put more of these on so here goes.

And one of my sister Kem, love ya!

Making a Splash

2009-06-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

We got the kids this new little pool to splash around in and they have been staring at the box for a week now waiting for it to warm up. Well yesterday it barely hit seventy and that was enough. After about twenty minutes their teeth started to chatter and everything got put away. But for a few glorious minutes, it was summer at the Williams.

I just had to!

2009-06-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

So I know I just changed my backdrop a couple of days ago but I took advantage of the overcast weather and took some pictures of the kids. Well, that put me in the 'Freedom' spirit so I changed everything!!! I will post more pictures of the kids later but I am all blogged-out.

Air Show

2009-06-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Every other year the AFB does 'Air Force Week' and brings in fun shows like the Thunderbirds. Well they do shows on Saturday and Sunday but apparently the crowds are crazy. Then Eric overheard that they were doing a rehearsal run on Friday. So we packed up the kids including Shy's best friend, picked up my brother who is now working on base, and headed up. We got front row seats. It was amazing. The Thunderbirds would fly so close and in perfect sync (I wonder if they come and talk to dancing groups!) We also got to see some stunt planes and war planes spanning different decades. Since then, our house is close enough that they fly right over the top to take another pass, so we got mini shows. Here comes one now! What a cool experience.

One year down

2009-06-04T14:26:00.001-07:00

Things I learned from dance this year:

I’m love teaching dance, don't love running a buisness.

5 minutes is late for some people and 45 min is not late for others.

Expect surprises at the recital. The dances I thought would crash and burn were great and great ones crashed and burned.

Some girls love to dance, others love to talk.

It seems like I’m to only one who believes that the right move at the wrong time is still the wrong move!

It is just as scary to be off stage as on when you are in charge.

No matter how many times you ask, little hands will find and touch great big mirrors (also little feet and tongues etc . . .)

My family has to help me just as much with my business as with my life. Thanks Mom (Stage coordinator), Kem (backstage help), Lindsey (backstage help), Devin (photographer), Terrilyn (Reed’s guardian) and Eric (my go to guy). You guys were awesome!!!!

Saddest part: I miss just watching my own little girl shine! But wouldn’t change being her teacher for anything.

Most rewarding part: Seeing girls actually try and get better.

Hardest part: Asking for money.

Best Part: Doing what I love in my own home and getting paid for it.

Loved this first year hoping for many more to come!

Little Lady

2009-05-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

We had Shy's preschool program and she did so well. I can't believe she is growing so fast. I'm still not sure how it was her first day of preschool yesterday and her last today!!! Great job pretty girl.

Shy with Mrs. Kristen. She is such a great teacher and we were so lucky Shy got in with her.

Shy got to hold the flag and start the pledge. We are not sure why she received the honor but it may have something to do with her being the most outspoken in class :)

Singing and doing sign language.

They sang a song about silly things to put on your pizza. Here is Shy singing about putting an apple on your pizza. Notice the eye roll, she is so practical about things she feels silly even singing about it.

She was the purple cat in their show. Following in her mom's footsteps, she was the loudest child there!

Before we left Shy said, mom will you take some pictures of me? And do you know what, I said yes!!! :)

Diversion

2009-05-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, I cried myself to sleep over Shydra's last day of preschool today. I'm such a baby. So I took my camera with me to get a few last shots of Shy in school (I will post some with her program.) On the way home I almost fell apart again so I took my least cooperative subject and did a mini photo shoot. It was really fun just my little buddy and me and it made me happy. Now I just have to make it through her program.

Hello Old Friend

2009-05-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

Does it seem like life gets really busy this time a year? I have a thousand things to do therefore I have not scrapbooked for a couple of months. But Eric told me that I should take some time to do something I like (guilt for the hours spent staining, sanding, and upholstering). So he took the kids and let me scrapbook for awhile. It was nice to get acquainted with an old friend again! Thanks Eric.

These two

2009-05-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty busy for the past couple of weeks getting a table done and having a recital in a few short weeks but I had a few minutes so I thought I would post some fun pictures of the cute things my kids do to make me laugh.

I made cupcakes for the kids last week. Reed disappeared before finishing his. When he came back we couldn't get him to tell us where he went, we have a strict 'eat in the kitchen' rule. So we just followed the trail of chocolate, up the walls to the book shelf and straight to the frog's little cage. It was covered in chocolate. He then got Reed to confess that he had decided to share his cupcake with his frog. Its been a week and the frog is still hanging in there so it looks like he survived his brush with chocolate.

For Mother's day, Shy decided she would paint my finger nails for me. She took it so seriously and was so nervous. She did such a great job. For the next two days, she told her preschool teacher, her church leaders, a couple of her friend’s moms, and all of her grandmother's 'Happy Mother's Day!" It was so cute and brought a smile to everyone’s face. Any time she handed me something all day she would yell it. She is so thoughtful and such a sweetheart!

From a Pile of Ugly Wood

2009-04-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of January, Eric and I were having a casual conversation and I happened to mention that it would be nice to have a dining room table that matched the rest of our furniture. I then saw a little twinkle in his eye and he immediately disappeared into the garage and came back with a tape measure. Well it has a been a marathon of work, grief, excitement, disappointment, satisfaction, and relief ever since. He borrowed a computer program from his brother that let him design the whole thing to scale and in 3D. This is the part that I was most involved in. He let me custom make the table exactly how I wanted to look, a one of a kind. He decided to build it completely from scratch so he bought the wood from ‘National Wood Supply.’ Now I knew nothing about wood so I was expecting the nice little, clean-cut piece like you get from Lowe’s. Instead Eric started hauling in piles of the ugliest wood I have ever seen. It was scratched, burned, knotted, and cut to all different sizes and widths. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Your going to build me table and chairs out of that?!” Well after six hours of planing the wood to make it the same, smooth size we had a beautiful stack of oak.

Eric got a little help from his dad and brother, even I helped with the stuff that didn’t require much skill (including using all the power tools!), but 99% of the work, Eric did all by himself. Well after lots of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) he is finished. Feel free to be jealous!!! I'm so proud of him.