Football is BACK!!

Well it is August in Texas, and that means FOOTBALL! This year both of the Williams boy will be playing. Trey for the Magnolia Senior Saints and Ethan for the Magnolia Sophomore Cardinals. Both boys are having a blast. Ethan is defensive end. Trey is playing everywhere on the field. Here are my cute boys!

How Time Flys!

Wow! The summer has flown by. We have been very busy getting settled back in and catching up on all we missed at home. Scooter spent a month in England, and we are so glad he is home now. He has been able to spend the last three weeks working from home. It is so good to have him around, we are really going to miss him when he has to travel again. We have spend several weekends at the Lake with big fish to show for it. Scooter and Trey are actually there now for a quiet night of fishing. The pictures I am posting are from our trip to my Mom's. We caught 35+ fish and one huge one. All comsumed at a wonderful fish fry last weekend! Yummy!!!

On the Road

We are on the road!!!! We were able to leave New York, Thursday!!! We stayed our first night in Delaware. Spent all day Friday in Washington, D.C and spent the night in Arlington. We drove all day today and are currently in Knoxville, TN. Tomorrow we will drive to Pelham, AL, to stay two days with Scooters sister. The kids are excited to get to spend some time out of the car running and playing with their cousins. Tuesday we plan to leave for Paw-Paw's house in Castor, LA. Thursday we will be home!!!!!

So far the trip has been very easy. We loved D.C and are very glad we made the stop. This is such beautiful country to drive through and the weather has been perfect. I am amazed that after 3 days in the car the kids are still getting along well and not complaining a lot. We can't wait to get home but want to make the most of our trip. See you all soon!!

Shipping out!!!

It is almost time!! I can't believe how fast four months can fly by. We will be leaving to come home soon. We decided to ship all our things home instead of hauling them. So... we packed last weekend and dropped everything that won't fit into our suitcases at fed-ex yesterday. Our house seems so empty now. No games, toys, books, junk!! I realize I have way to much stuff. I have promised Scooter that the first month I am home will be spent decluttering and we will have one huge garage sale at the end of June. So hold me to it!

It looks like we will be able to leave a day or two early. Right now the plan is to leave here Friday morning. We should get to Washington D.C. by mid-afternoon. We will spend what is left of the day and Saturday site seeing. I can't wait!!

Tulip Festival

USS SULLIVANS

Busy Week!

What a great week! My mom, Aunt Connie, and Kirk flew back to Houston today. We had a very fun and busy week. I don't think we could have packed in more if we had tried.

Wednesday, I picked them up in Poughkeepsie, about 100 miles south of us. There we visited to Vanderbilt Mansion. It was really cool. We were not allowed to take photo's inside but they have lots avalible online to veiw. It is hard to believe that someone lived with so much wealth and formality. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing an origional painting by one of my favorate artist William Bouguereau. Also, the view of the Hudson river was amazing.

Thursday we spent the day at the state capitol and the state museum. The capitol has an amazing Italian sand stone staircase in the center. The stair case is called the million dollar staircase because it cost over a million dollars in the late 1800's when it was built. It has the faces of 75 famous Americans, 2000 + unknown faces, and many other carvings, no pattern is repeated. We spent about a half hour looking at all the carving.

Friday we drove to Cooperstown!! The boys were in hog heaven. Kirk said that this was his pilgrimage. I could go on for hours just listing the highlights. One of the neatest things for me was the contract that Babe Ruth signed with the Red Sox, his last home run ball, bat, and glove, Nolan Ryan's hats worn during his 6 no hitters. It was cool to see all the plaques of the great players that I remember my grandpa and dad talking about. And of course as an Astros Fan, I loved Bagwell's retired jersey, Biggio's hat and elbow guard and his name on the 3000+ hitters board!! I would love to go back in 5 years when Biggio goes into the hall. The drive to Cooperstown was beautiful.

Saturday, we drove 5 hours to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The boys started the day with a trip to the Buffalo Navial Yard where they were able to explore several ships, one of which their grandpa spent two years on, USS Sullivan's. They had a great time. The girls spent the time at an art museum across town.
After a few hours we all went to Niagara Falls. It was amazing!!! Words could not describe the beauty of God's creation. We even made a trip into Canada. The falls are more impressive from the Canadian side because you get a better view, but on the American side you are able to get closer to the falls. We pulled back into the driveway after midnight.

Sunday we went to church then spent the rest of the day resting and packing. It was a great 5 days. I enjoyed all the time visiting and the kids had a blast. I can't wait to come home and visit with everyone!!

Perfect Day!

Today was a perfect day. The weather was sunny, and unseasonably warm, 80 degrees with a good breeze. It almost felt like spring in Texas. We spent the day relaxing at home and then playing with friends at the park. The kids were worn out and crashed as soon as they got out of the tub. I was so glad. I need to rest. Anyway, Momma, Aunt Connie, and Kirk will be leaving for New York city in the morning!!! We are so excited for them. I know that they will have a blast in the city! I can't wait to see them! We have lots of trips planned for the end of the week.

Prayer Request

Please say a prayer for my Me-Ma. She turned 85 this past week and she is having back surgery Monday morning. Please pray that the surgery is a success and the doctors are able to give her relief from the constant pain she has experienced for the past year. Also pray that she has a fast recovery.

Thanks For Your Prayers!

Check out my Slide Show!

New York City

This past Saturday we drove down to New York City! I always expected NYC to be fun but I was blown away at the beauty. We came into the city via the George Washington Bridge which has a great view. The traffic was not to bad, we were quickly parked at Grand Central Station. They kids thought the garage was neat. You drop you car off and it is loaded onto a elevator and taken up to its space. This sure beats drive around for ever looking for a space big enough (The people that build parking lots here think all New Yorker must drive compact cars). Grand Central was very pretty and very busy. The ceiling is painted teal with all the constellations in gold and everything was marble. We were soon on the subway, which is not as bad I people may think. We parked about 11am and got back to the car at about 11pm. We had a very full day. We visited bowling Green Park, saw the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, St. Paul's Cathedral,Central Park, Fifth Ave, the Brooklyn Bridge, American Doll, All the toy store, M&M world, Hershey's, several other stores in Time Square, and much more. We bought hot dogs from a street cart and yummy New York Pizza from a pizzeria, we even had a cup of coffee in Trump Tower. We managed to leave with 6 kids that belonged to us with the size of the crowds were walked through this is a major accomplishment. We had a great day and would love go back and spend more time, there is so much to see. Scooter and I also decided that we need to get a trip back when it is just the two of us, one day!

Rebekah's Birthday

Rebekah is 5 years old!!!

Well today was Rebekah's 5th birthday. I can't believe she is getting so big. We had planned to spend the day at a Maple Festival tapping trees and tasting maple syrup, but God had other plans. Friday we woke up to several inches of snow and more on the way. This morning it was 20 degrees at 10 am. Well, maple sap only runs if the night time temp is below freezing and day time temp is above. If the sap isn't moving there is no festival. All the local Maple farms were closed, we are hoping as the weather warms we can try again.

Anyway, we scrapped the Maple plans. We had a great day at home and a fun birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. The kids had a blast. They were glad to get to run and play. They were able to be as loud and rowdy as they wanted. Rebekah had a great day.

HAPPY EASTER

HAPPY EASTER!

HE IS RISEN!

First Communion

Last night Reagan and Trey took their 1st communion. The service was wonderful. The pastor told the kids that Christ had longed to share this meal with them since creation. He talked of how many are called but few are chosen and how they are chosen children of God. The pastor spoke of the sacrifice that Christ had made for each of us and how we could not have eternal life without it. I know that both Reagan and Trey have had a relationship with God for some time now, but I was brought to tears to know that they can now share in this taste of the fellowship to come. The elders and pastors of the church prayed very personalized blessings over each child. I was touched to see how much effort went in to getting to know each child. I am thankful that God brought us here for this time. I know that God has great plans for Reagan and Trey. I can't wait to see how these two effect the world for Christ!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

Troy

This week we have been doing a little exploring, close to home. Monday we explored Troy. The town of Troy is about 10 miles from our house. We went to Oakwood Cemetery. This is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area and has so many beautiful large mausoleums and grave markers. It was a great opportunity to teach the kids that no matter how much your have or what you do in this life it is temporary. The words written on your headstone and the monuments to man will fade. In less than two-hundred years, the names, dates and words are worn off the stones making them unrecognizable. We need to make sure we store our treasures in heaven where time can not wipe them away.

We saw the grave of "Uncle Sam". Those who don't know the story Samuel Walton was a local butcher that would bring barrels of meat to the soldiers in the war of 1812. He would mark the barrels with U.S. The men knew that Sam had provided the meat and mistakenly thought the us stood for Uncle Sam. Soldiers began to refer to all government owned things as "Uncle Sam's" this trend caught on and stuck. Samuel Walton died in 1854. His grave was marked with a humble 2 ft. piece of stone that simply read his name, birth, and death. A larger monument was built later by his grand-daughter and a flagpole was added by our government. About a hundred yards from his grave was a gorgeous panoramic view of the city of Troy and the Hudson River.

Next we went to the Cohoes Falls. The Cohoes Falls are 75 feet high and 1,000 feet wide. Their flow is most impressive in springtime, sometimes running at 90,000 cubic feet of water per second. It was beautiful. It is the second largest falls in the State of New York.

The temperature outside was a warm 34 degrees outside so we decided to finish our day by warming up and taking naps before playing at the park.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Saturday we went into Albany for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We had a great time. There were so many people there! We watched many fire-fighters and police officers marching in full dress uniforms. We saw more than 12 different bag-pipe bands in full Celtic dress. It was really cool. Abigail loved the marching bands and had a great time shaking her pockets. (that is what she calls it) Rebecka said she liked all the drums. Reagan liked the Irish dancers best, and Ethan liked seeing the soldiers and shaking their hands.

Kids Expo

This weekend we went to a Kids Expo in Albany. We had a great time. There was so much to see and do. We walked to booth after booth playing games and collecting coloring books, stickers, and pencils. The kids enjoyed getting their faces painted, playing wii and guitar hero. Home Depot had a meeting room set up to let the kids build something. Evelyn, Abigail, and Rebekah all built bird houses with some assistance. Reagan, Trey, and Ethan built boats that look simular to the mayflower. Check with your local Home Depot they have free classes for kids the first Saturday of every month. At the end of the day we watch a musical "The life and Times of Junie B. Jones", at the Egg. It is a really cool building. Abigail said it looked like a cereal bowl.

Snow everywhere

Yesterday it started snowing again. We received about 12 inches of snow between noon and mid-night. When Scooter got off work we decided that it would be great for sledding. We all got dressed in our snow gear and headed to the car. I was to bring the kids and sleds and meet him at the park. I was very nervous about driving on the snow. It was coming down so fast that the plows were not keeping up. Anyway, Scooter assured me that I would be fine as long as I drove slow. Well he did not mean to back out of the drive slowly. I found this out because, as I slowly backed out of our driveway I became stuck. I could not go backward, the tires were slipping and I could not go forwards. So I am stuck in the middle of our street with no way to move. Luckily we have a great downstairs neighbor. Jason came to my rescue. Jason, Trey, and I shoveled the snow out from under the car, put salt in front of the tires, then they pushed as I gunned the gas. Finally I am back in the driveway. I waited on Scooter to get home. I decided I would not drive on the snow. A few minutes later Scooter and Dan pull up. We jump in the car and away we go. When we get to the park it is obvious that we are the only people dumb enough to be out in this weather. The park is empty so of course Scooter takes advantage of the empty snow covered parking lot to show his stressed out wife that he can make the car spin round and round on the ice. What fun.
When we finally climbed out of the car and head for the hill, the snow is up to Rebekah's thighs. We have a blast sledding and snowball fighting. We stayed out in the snow for about an hour and a half. Normally it gets dark here about 5pm. However, last night there was so much white reflecting the moonlight that it looked like daylight until well after 7pm. After a while I suggested that since it was snowing so bad that we should head home. I did not want to spend the night in the park. We came home to hot chocolate and yummy hot tea (thanks McQuarys). The kids set in front of the windows most of the night watching the snow plows go up and down the street. It should snow most of the day today. However, Thursday it will start to melt but we will have more Friday and Saturday.

Reagan & Trey

Swing Dance

Tonight we went to a swing dance at our church. It was so much fun. We all learned the basic steps and a few fancy combinations. Scooter and I did well and all the kids had fun. Trey and Ethan even danced. If you have never tried swing dance I would give it a shot.

We had a great day today at the Schenectady Winter Festival. We went ice skating, snow tubing, and playing in the snow.

Boston, Massachusetts

This past week we had a great time in Boston. Scooter had Monday off for Presidents Day so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend. Sunday after church we headed for Massachusetts. We arrived in Boston around 3pm. Traffic was awful; we got stuck behind a Chinese New Year parade. The kids thought it was neat to see the dragons and people everywhere. We searched for a place to park, got lost, and saw a lot of the city. About an hour later we were parked and on our way to the markets. We met Dan, his sister, daughter, and a friend at North End Market. We spent several hours walking through Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North and South End Markets, and the Old State House (where the Boston Massacre took place). Faneuil hall is also called the “cradle of the Freedom” many important meetings were held here, including a meeting to protest the stamp act that led to angry citizens attacking the governor’s mansion. It was neat to know that you were standing in the same building in which Sam Adams fired up patriots. We also did some shopping ans enjoyed hot, fresh clam chowder in bread bowl. As the crowd thinned out the kids enjoyed playing and dancing around the empty court yard.
The next day we started out with a visit to the USS Constitution “Old Iron Side” Museum. We had a great time. We learned about the Barbary war, the War of 1812, how to fire a cannon and all about the life of a sailor on the USS Constitution. Anyone interested in learning more about the ship, check out the link I added. The museum offers a great curriculum on the USS Constitution for free. After several hours we moved on the Bunker Hill Monument and Museum. Wow, how amazing to be in the place where the first battles for our freedom was fought. We also saw Paul Reveres home, Old North Church, the King’s Chapel, the Boston Commons, the wharf and Fenway Park. After an exhausting day of walking we went to lunch at “Cheers”. The kids were unimpressed as it was before their time but Scooter and I enjoyed having a burger and cold beer at Cheers.

We had a great two day and would love to go back again.

USS Constitution "Old Iron Side"

Miss You All!

A Great Day

We spent the day with new friends, Dan and his 3 year old daughter Orianna. Dan is also in Scooter's class. They have become good friends in the past two weeks. Rebekah and Orianna became fast friends. Hopefully we can get them together often. We started the day at a winter festival in a small town a few miles away. The snow was falling in buckets but we stuck it out long enough to take a horse drawn wagon ride through an apple orchard. They had the neatest country store with all kinds of local treats. We came away with fresh local honey and wild strawberry preserves. Yummy! After face painting and hot apple cider we jumped in the car to warm up and grab lunch. We ended the day with sledding. Dan showed us a new park that has a much larger hill to sled. The kids had a blast. Sledding was so much fun and if you weren't careful climbing back up the hill you got to go down again. Abigail decided that momma made a pretty good sled! We made our first real snowmen several of them. And of course, adding another man to the equation meant that we also had snowball fights. We are expecting lots of snow this weekend and next week.

new friends

New York State Museum

This past Saturday we spent the day at the New York State Museum. It is an amazing place with two huge benefits. First it is only about 12 miles from the house and second, it is free. We will be going back soon. They have everything: art, old fire engines, fossils, complete New York history set up as life size scenes with wax figures, a subway car, and a heart-breaking 9-11 exhibit. Or favorite exhibit was the Iroquois Indian room. They had a life size scene of Indians as they worked in their garden. We were able to see a cradle board and many baskets. We were also able to go inside a replica long house. The Iroquois Indians live in family units (including grand-parent, aunts and uncles all in one bunk house like building lined with bunk beds on both sides. I love my family dearly but cannot see all of use living under one roof, basically in one room. Anyway, we had spent several weeks learning about the Iroquois last year and enjoyed seeing all these things up close and in person.


Also, we celebrated our second birthday in New York. ABIGAIL IS THREE!!! I can't believe it! It seems like only yesterday she was born. She is getting smarter and cuter every day. Her favorite thing to say now is, "I am precious and I know it!" Reagan taught her this. I guess we need to work on humility next.

 

On to another praise report, my new schedule was approved and will change Feb 10th! Now I will have more time free during the day and in the evenings. Praise God!