WOW! Who knew time could fly so fast

Who knew. I had no idea that time would go so fast between entries. Thanks to my friends for their gentle reminders that I havent updated this in two months.

So what has been happening with the Williams. Honestly, not much, which is probably why I havent updated this. I could add random thoughts from time to time, but who really wants to hear the inner ramblings of my mind. Just in case someone wants to hear the insanity that is me I will try to do better about updating this......

Here are some thoughts and funny things that have happened in the very recent past. Tyler, my baby, brought home registration papers for Junior High School. How can this be? I swear I just took him to the first day of Kindergarten. How can he be getting older if Im not getting older? I really wasnt happy about this. For you moms that have had this happen you understand. He is my baby for heavens sake, how can he really be ready for Junior High.

Here are his thoughts about Jr. High. He is most excited about lunch, and the ala carte line. He says he will eat pizza everyday and if there is salad he will skip it. (This could be a whole other entry about nutrition and wondering why so many of our kids are obese at so young, but I wont go there) His comments about Jr. High make me laugh because he said the same thing about going to first grade. He was excited then about being able to eat school lunch and that was the most exciting thing about being in first grade......I see a pattern here.

So as I am dealing with the whole Jr. High issue and the gray hairs that came from this he brings home a letter that they will be having the 6th grade maturation clinic. YIPPEEE! The note invited parents to come and join the boys for this class. I (wanting to be supportive) asked Ty if he wanted me to come. He said, "What exactly is it about" I told him that they would talk about puberty and the changes that would happen to his body. He then said, "I dont care if you come" "Are you sure", I said. "Yeah, I dont care". This conversation happened many times before the day of the class. So I went. I think the moment that the instructor started speaking, Ty wished his answer was different. As I type this he says that he was glad I was there, but that it was awkward. It was pretty funny to hear the boys giggling and some of their answers and ideas about things. I wont go into specifics because I dont want to embarrass my son more than this already could. I have to tell this one thing though......One of the questions was, What happens to girls when they start puberty? The answer, they get cranky.....I had to put my head down so that they didnt see me laugh at this.....Lets just say it was pretty funny and it has opened a new line of conversation for us to have. It could be weird for a boy to talk to his mom about this stuff which makes me glad that we have such an open relationship, I hope he always feels like he can talk to me about stuff like this and so much more....

I will update this again later this week.......I promise.

I have included two pictures, one is Ty on the first day of Kindergarten and the other is him on the first day of 6th grade. Notice how much he has grown.....

He is so dang handsome, but what happened to my little squishy....

SNOW DAY, PART TWO!

Yes, that is Nick jumping off the roof...I caught it on camera and film just in case we had to show the ER doctors what happened....

Nick and one of the neighbors used a four-wheeler with plow to make some big jumps and landings on the side of the road, they then proceeded to use the four-wheeler as you would a ski boat. Nick was pulled behind the four wheeler to the jump, we got some cool pics of him doing it. Ty decided that he was a "chicken" this time, his words not mine. He didn't even want to do it on a sled. He still had fun watching and then he and some friends used another four wheeler with a sled behind it to go up and down the street. I did what I love best, I watched my sons laugh and have fun and I got to capture it with my camera.

In a prior post I spoke of selling them, the reality is that I wouldn't give them up for the world. I love when something happens that makes me fall in love with them a little bit more. Days like this do that. It was my version of the perfect Valentines Day. We spent the entire day outside playing we didn't go inside until the sun went down and it got dang cold...When it was time to put the four wheelers away we shifted our attention to buiding a snow cave. The pics don't do it justice, it was huge. At one point we had Nick, Kirstin, her daughter Madeline and myself all inside with room for at least two more small people. The boys lit it up with candles for light and heat. They worked great. We even considered sleeping out in it until the wind picked up a little and it got really cold. I was the chicken then. Anyway, here are just a few of the fun pics we got that day....

Me being a dork with the goggles on! It was so bright that it was making my eyes and nose run....okay, really I am just a dork and that sounded like a great excuse... And here is a great shot of our Maggie, our snow dog and the best dog in the world.

SNOW DAY! VALENTINES DAY 2008

Here are some of the images of what we woke up to on Wednesday morning. The day began at 6 AM when Kirstin called to let us know that Tooele School District had called a

SNOW DAY!

I love snow days, even when the schools don't shut down I will sometimes call my own snow day and keep the boys home to play with me in the snow, especially at the beginning of the season. It started snowing on Wednesday and we got the awesome lake effect snow and it continued to snow until around 8 am at our house. The snow is deeper in areas because along with the snow came the wind and we got some pretty awesome drifts. Although I am so ready for spring this was so much fun. We have had our fun so it can all melt away now until next winter......

CHIPMUNK CHEEKS!

Here is a picture of Nick three days post surgery for his wisdom teeth (4) and the impacted tooth that required the bone graft. As you can tell he got a little swollen. He is such a tough kid, sorry, young MAN! As I said in an earlier post, thank goodness for pain meds.......he doesn't remember much from the first three days....

2 BOYS FOR SALE:CHEAP!

Okay i just want to start by saying that this has been the week from H*%L.......I seriously have 2 kids for sale to the first bidder. On family blogs you always read all the really sweet things that happen in families and not really so much about the "real" stuff. I have to admit that I have been somewhat guilty of this myself however, I intend to repent of that falsehood. Families have rough spots they all have challenges and they are called children.

I do love them very much.......
Please, I beg, be patient while I vent.

Lets begin with the last post, Kevin died. Not news, it has been three years now and admittedly I am somewhat bummed and not quite myself this week or weeks, whatever, who is counting. However, this is not the ultimate problem. I feel like because I am the only voice that my sons hear I have become somewhat like the teacher on Peanuts. "wwaaah whwaaaa whaaaaah" In one ear and out the other. I am the only bad guy around here anymore, there is no good cop, there is no one to balance me and give them something else to listen too. No one to rescue me. I am alone. That sucks. (that in itself is a whole other conversation...)

So you might be thinking what could possibly be so bad. Here is a recap of this weeks events. (Keep in mind that I am already feeling depressed if you will and tired from work, thankfully? this all took place during my time off)
Nick had not been feeling well for a couple of days and then on Tuesday he was down with a full blown case of the flu. (Fever, chills, body aches, cough etc.) Bad enough in itself but he was also scheduled for oral surgery on Wed. The doctor said it would be okay to go ahead with it as long as he wasn't vomitting. SO on Wed Nick had oral surgery, 4 wisdom teeth and a 5th impacted tooth sitting in his jaw sideways which required a bone graft. FUN! He did great with the surgery and I kept him medicated (thank goodness for Lortab) for a few days. On Thursday Ty came home from school with the same flu like symptoms and was sick all weekend. Thankfully, I had my flu shot at work and came through it with flying colors, kinda. (both of them are doing much better now, still have coughs, but better and Nick has healed quickly)

You might still be thinking that this is all just normal mom stuff having sick kids can be stressful but alas there IS more.
I couldn't get to Tylers bed to check on him during the night for fear I would be swallowed up in the disaster called his room. I had to tie a rope on just to find my way back. (This after he spent many hours cleaning it just days before.) As if fear of ones life isnt enough to upset a mom, his room is a constant source of contention between us. He is sick, he cant do anything about it. Can i let it go, noooo of course not, so I bottle it up for later. AND THEN......Report cards came during all of this and lets just say that no matter how much kids try to convince you that a "F" stands for "Fantastic" it just isnt true. OH and a seminary report card showing two incompletes because someone thought that sluffing wouldnt effect seminary grades.....BRILLIANT I TELL YOU!

Our lesson this week in Sunday School covered 1Nephi 16-22 and it was my turn to teach. (One more thing to add to my stressful week) I mention this while venting about my life because of something that stood out to me. They were given the Liahona which not only acted as a compass but also had important teachings engraven on it. The catch, if they were not diligent and obedient it didnt work. In other words, the Lord withheld the blessing. (D&C 82:10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.)
This gave me some ideas. My sons are clearly not being diligent or obedient therefore I will be withdrawing certain privileges (blessings). I am not talking about a traditional grounding because let's face it who does that really punish, me! I dont need anymore thank you! After a good family counsel Sunday evening, one in which I could speak calmly and rationally and in which I begged and pleaded with them to understand that my job is to prepare them to be good missionaries, and husbands and fathers, ones that can provide for their families. Men who love, respect and cherish their wives and all the other important things life has in store for them. to understand that they are not acting grateful for all they have been given. They of course recommited to doing their very best, I hope and pray that it works this time, because I am ready to runaway......I have an idea for a little experiment, one that might help them see the light and stay committed to doing their best. I need to finish thinking it out, but I feel inspired. I will let you know how it goes.
I just want to end with saying again:
I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH! THEY ARE GREAT KIDS! I AM GRATEFUL FOR THEM AND THE CHALLENGE, most days anyway......
I know that things could be so much worse and that is why I am trying so hard to do the right thing. Any ideas would be very appreciated.....

SUPERMAN!

Three years ago today Kevin, the love of my life, my very best friend, and the best Dad and Grandpa in the whole world, returned home to our Father in Heaven. I cannot believe that it has been three years already it seems so long when you say it like that, but it still feels like just yesterday sometimes. Although time is healing not a day goes by that we still don't miss him so very much. I couldn't let this day go by without a remembrance of him.
My thoughts and feelings have been so jumbled that I am unable to really put into words at this time how I am feeling, I will try to later, but no promises. However, I will say that I am so grateful for the gospel and the restoration of the priesthood keys that allowed us to be sealed for time and eternity! What peace and comfort comes from that.....how sweet it is! We miss you so much honey!

(p.s. The song in our playlist, Josh Groban "To Where You Are" was sung at his funeral, he loved that song and actually requested it so have a listen, oh how I wish he could fly me to where he is even for just a moment.....)

Check out my Slide Show!

NEW YEARS!

We usually have a little get together on New Years eve with family and friends. We play games, eat junk, enjoy each others company, count down the new year, etc. This year not so much. I invited my nephew Tanner to come out and spend the night with us but I had to work until 7:30 pm, it was 9:00 by the time I picked Tanner up and drove home. Also, Nick had spent the day snowboarding with some friends and although he took a good nap when he got home, he was still tired. We still had a really yummy late dinner of steak and shrimp but that was it. Nick and I pretty much sat dazed watching Ty and Tanner play playstation. We did turn it off to watch the countdown and then we watched the firework show out the windows. (There is a pyrotechnician that lives about a half mile from our house, he always does a good show on New Years....) Then Nick and I went to bed and left Ty and Tan playing games, I have no idea how late they stayed up. Like I said, it was a dud. Hopefully not an indication of the kind of year ahead of us........

We decided that we would go "sledding" at one of the local schools on New Years Day. The boys actually spent 99% of their time on the snowboards. Tanner got one for Christmas so Nick was teaching him and Ty some of the basics. I even tried and actually did better than I expected, I actually stayed up for about 30 ft. Maybe I need to get one???

I got some really cool pics of them snowboarding and sledding. These were actually really small jumps that they were getting this air off of. Our resident snowboarder got some really big air!(Nick is in the white, Ty in brown, Tanner in grey/red)

Christmas Day

I guess the best place to start is with the morning.....4:30 in the morning that is! I was hoping that since the boys stayed up a bit late they would let me sleep in, didn't happen. This is actually very unusual because I am usually the one that is bouncing around in my room waiting for an appropriate time to wake them up. I have had to wake them every year so far. No luck... So this year Ty comes in my room at 4:30 and says "Mom, wake up it is Christmas!" To which I replied, "It is not Christmas for another hour at least!" He said, "I will never be able to go back to sleep." "Yes you will, just try." He did. Then at 5:30 Nick came in and said, "Merry Christmas, wake up!" As he is laying across me. "No" I begged and pleaded to no avail. I asked him to wake his brother (who was able to go back to sleep) they both ended up in bed with me and I hoped that if I let them cuddle and get warm they would go back to sleep, it worked for about 2.3 minutes. So the day started. The boys are not like normal kids, they actually take their time opening presents, to the point I have to move them along a bit because of my excitement. They are always so grateful and appreciative for whatever they get. I think they both had a "great" Christmas.

After a relaxing morning at home together we went into Grandma Jill's house to do the Christmas thing with all of the aunts/uncles and cousins. The highlight of the time for me was of course seeing them all together, watching my mom enjoy her kids and grandkids, and the absolute best for me was my nephew, Kevin. (named after my sweetie) Lil Kev is two now and is just so stinking cute. When I take his picture he says, "I see Taci" and then he laughs when he sees it and then says "Cheese" again. I always end up with tons of pics of him because he is so funny about it. My favorite is my Christmas kiss. The holidays are still hard for me but he made my heart very happy.

I unfortunately had to work Christmas night (7pm to 1am). Hospitals don't close even for Santa. I was very fortunate however because I was scheduled to work the 7am to 1pm shift but I work with a newlywed, with no little ones yet. She insisted I trade shifts with her so I could be home that morning with the boys and it worked for her too because she felt that her husband and her would do more in the evening with family. I was so grateful for the trade.

The boys hung out with their brother, Ryan, while I was at work.

They had fun visiting with him, his girlfriend Catherine and their baby, Brooklyn.

Yes, the boys are uncles. Overall it was a fun, busy day that just went by too fast. But of course we have some fun memories that will last a lifetime.

Christmas Presents

Here are just a few of the pics from Christmas morning. .

CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD! CHRISTMAS EVE

This year for Christmas Eve dinner we decided that we would have a fondue dinner.

We invited our neighbor, Kirstin, Grandma Jill and Uncle Ryan. Grandma and Ryan didn't make it because it started snowing and the roads were terrible. We had fun anyway. We made three different "dips", there was the classic swiss (which failed miserably, see pic of Kirstin holding the "dippable" cheese on a fork), blue cheese and chocolate. We had lots of dippables including bread, steak, bananas, apples, pound cake, strawberries etc. It was so yummy and so much fun. About an hour after dinner(and while trying to get a few family pics) we realized that we made a huge mistake, Tyler should not have been seated next to the chocolate fountain. Between the chocolate overload and the sheer excitement of Santa coming he could not contain himself. I have NEVER seen him quite this out of himself.....His first attention was turned to his brother, for his efforts he received a big wedgie. So then I became the target of his "affection". I am glad Kirstin was still around to capture proof of the overload and future blackmail pics. As usual we had a great time together and have created some new memories and a new tradition of fondue for Christmas Eve.

Braces!

Nicks' smile has been changed forever. On December 12th Nick got braces. The orthodontist is pretty excited to see the outcome of his braces. He says, "He is a good looking kid now, but just wait and see how much more handsome he will be." (Okay, yes that does cause more gray hairs) I am glad that we could finally get this done for him. He has wanted them forever. He is adjusting pretty good to them. He does still have a hard time chewing and is learning that there is just some food he cannot eat anymore. He has had some pain from the tension on them, but he is tough and is getting through it.

Christmas Tree(s)

One more reason to be thankful that my sons are getting so big, Christmas lights.....Nick has taken over the job of putting up the lights on the house. HALLELUJAH!!! He had the house lit up in no time this year with a little help from Ty (who is still overcoming a huge fear of heights) Tyler was able to go out on the roof above the garage but that was as far as he would venture, which is farther than he went last year so hopefully by the time Nick has left for his mission, Ty will be able to take the reins. Nick has no fear of being up there, especially since he helped build a house this summer and spent time up on a very steep roof doing the roofing. Not only has Nick taken over the outside lights he does the lights on the trees for me. Once again can I get a big HALLELUJAH! It just makes me laugh to see him get frustrated....."Aaaaggghhh, why if one light goes out do they all go out. This is sooooo dumb". etc. etc. Seriously he does a great job and knows exactly how I want it to look and he gets it done. Every year it gets easier and easier for him so now I just sit back and get to watch. Then the fun of decorating the tree comes in. We actually do three trees. Why? Two years ago after Christmas during the clearance sales I found two six foot trees that were on clearance for like $4.oo so I bought them. We now put them up with the big tree. One of the trees represents our life. Kevin and I started the tradition of buying an ornament each year that represented something from that year, for example "Our first Christmas", we have an ornament for each of the grandkids, and we have one that shows a family of four which represents the year the boys were sealed to us, there are many, many more memories on the tree. It is a fun tree which means alot to me. I love pulling the ornaments out of their boxes each year and remembering what they all represent. Because of all it represents it is of course my favorite tree. Here are just a few pics of the decorating and the final products.

Nick and Uncle Ryan: Thanksgiving

As usual Thanksgiving was celebrated at our house this year. However, it wasn't quite the full house we normally have because my brother Jeremy and his family had to take their turn with Beths' family. So it was just my little family(3), with my brother Ryan, my mom and my sister Kim and her family (5). I cooked two turkeys and all the fixins (you have to have leftover turkey) We didn't do a big formal dinner this year, we just set it up buffet style and let everyone serve themselves. Nick and his Uncle Ryan made me laugh most the day, they were the biggest cheeseballs to be found. I love the picture of them staring in the oven waiting for dinner to be finished. Once everything was cleaned up they got busy playing Playstation. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. There was so much trash talking and razzing each other that I don't know how they were able to play any games. I wish I had grabbed the video camera because it was so cute and as I said, funny......Both of the boys love their Uncle Ryan and it is not hard to see why.

TYLER

All my little man can think about is soccer. You know what ADIDAS stands for right, All Day I Dream About Soccer.....that is him. He goes into a withdrawal if he hasn't had a ball at his feet every few hours. I worry about him at night but he has found a way around it, he sleeps with a ball and his cleats are real close by, sometimes even making it to the bed, (after getting shined up that is) The kid is a nut....His lifetime goal right now is to become a professional "footballer". He already talks about the kind of things he wants in his contracts so he is pretty serious about it. He is playing comp (competition soccer) which is a higher, more competitive league then like the city rec leagues. We travel quite a bit during the season but it is so much fun watching him develop his talent. He has quite the left foot.

Seriously, he is actually pretty well rounded. He loves doing everything his big brother does and then works really hard to do it better. Definitely some healthy competition with those two. Now that soccer has ended for a few months he has been skateboarding alot. Also this summer he got the 'Arrow of Light' award, which is the highest you can get in Cub Scouts. He is now a Boy Scout and has been on his first overnighter. I can't believe he is getting so old. Here are a few pics of him at a couple of his games from this season and some of him just goofing around at home..