So What's The Plan?

I have to refinish a hutch and table and pack up my apartment Monday and Tuesday so I'm wondering if there is a tentitive Ciara plan so I can schedule babysitters.... Ciara, are you here Tuesday night or leaving Tuesday night? I'm getting plumbing on Monday and carpet in my house by Tuesday night so we could potentially hang out there or at least have a safe tour... Anyway, let me know if you already have a plan or if we need to come up with one. OH I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YA'LL! It's been ages.

PS: I'm still fat so don't expect anything less than a huge gut.

Attention Nicole and Jenny

I knew Ciara would be here sometime soon because she texted me a while back. I had assumed this was her Disneyland trip and we would be seeing her only briefly for lunch or something. But I talked to her yesterday and she will be here for two days! She will be coming this Sunday night, the 26th, (her birthday) and staying at her Aunt's house. Then staying in town for the entirety of Monday and Tuesday. So clear your schedules... it's time for some fun! I'm so happy, totally looking forward to this.

And Jenny, I know I missed your birthday recently.

And Nicole, I completely missed yours. By miles.

Sorry y'all. I will make it up to you.

Williams - High School Graduate

Okay, so maybe he isn't a High School Graduate, but he seems to think so because he went to preschool at the High School. He told people all year long that he went to High School. Technically he still has one more year of preschool even though he tells me he is ready to go to Kindergarten right now. They grow up too fast.

My friend Em-Sizzle

Go here for the elusive witty posts we've all been missing.

http://emsizzle.blogspot.com/

I'd like to think I used to be as clever as her before I turned generic and dull.

Williams - Who is Tired of Only Me Posting

We went camping in Hood River with Herb's family over Memorial Weekend. We didn't get to the campsite until 9:30pm and so we just picked the first available campsite. Little did we know that we were practically camped on top of a railroad track. It was a nightmare. Needless to say, I barely slept a wink that night. Everytime you would just about fall asleep another train would come by and blow its whistle. I counted about 7 trains all throughout the night. Midnight, 3am, 4am, it didn't matter that the train was passing a campground in the middle of the night, they just blasted their horn and the sound was deafening. There just happens to be a crossing near the spot we set up our tent and so lucky us. We moved to a spot in the same campground the next day but not next door to the track. I slept much better the next night.

Williams - Mt Hood Railroad Train

Over Memorial Weekend we went with some of Herb's family and went camping in the Columbia Gorge and then on Saturday we all went on the Mt. Hood Railroad Train. It was a Wild West Robbery theme. The train ride was two hours at 10 mph and then we stopped in a city called Parkdale and ate lunch, then we boarded the train again and headed back down the mountain. Herbie was frightened of the robbers and once we reached the city and got off the train and he found that there was a Sheriff waiting there, he would not leave his side until he caught the robbers and put them in jail. In the pictures below you can see Herbie standing by the Sheriff and even has the same stance.

The wild west robbery gang hanging

out and eating some of our lunch.

The family minus me. One of the robbers taking all our fake money.

Williams - Just Some Pictures

We had a BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa Williams' house a couple weeks ago. Grandpa fired up the BBQ on the right and then Sage decided to open up the other side and come to find out there was a bird nest inside the BBQ grill. It was huge. Check it out.

Herb's new favorite toy/hobby - Maybe this will last longer than his fishing hobby. He will be bow hunting this coming fall with this new toy.

It is very hard to pull back and I have to admit I have to have assitance pulling it back but then I can hold and aim all by myself.

My silly Nora. She loves chips. I have to hide them from her.

Williams - sitting in a jury assembly room right now -doing my duty

Williams - Sage's 7th Birthday

Sage turned 7 this week and we celebrated by taking the family ice skating.

In lieu of a friend birthday party, Sage chose ice skating.

Sage loves to decorate so she frosted her own cake. Continuing with the ice skating theme.

It is hard to believe that she is already 7. Sage is a wonderful daughter and is so willing to help me out. I love her sweet, happy spirit, and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Happy Birthday Sage.

Williams - Paintball

Paintball Supergame. I went with Herb and some of the Elders Quorum for an entire day of paintball. It was a never ending game and 1,000 people there. You could walk in and out of the game as you pleased. So I would play until I ran out of paint or air, take a break, read a book, eat a snack, play some more, watch from the sidelines. It was a blast and I got one giant bruise on my inner thigh to prove how much fun I had.

Photo tour requested-

Meg's graduation from Dixie College:

I know I know- I seriously feel like my life is out of control! I've struggled to keep up with everything this year and May is always insane. Plus- I've been working on a secret blog project since January that I have to pour a ton of time into each night so I don't get here as often as I wish. Add to everything the house... oh the house. I am absolutely in love with it and amazed by all measure that we actually got it and did this for ourselves... but it is taking forever! Just today though I discovered that our warranty we made the bank pay for IS going to cover a brand spankin' new central vac!!! Yipee. Anyhow, you are all absolutely invited to hang out at my house any time so consider this a wide open invitation.

Speaking of that, I feel guilty I've never been to Oregon. Ci- did you know that I study your pictures, every corner, to find details of your home. How about a photo tour? I've been missing you lately and thinking how grateful I am that we had each other in high school.

Add to the photo tour: Alana- pictures of Ben... stat! I'm feeling even more guilty that I haven't called you and checked in. Everything okay? I was positively floored by how luminous and energetic you were when I came to see the little thing. He is so dang cute.

For now I have to run. I work every day this week and am preparing my cloggers for our performance in Disneyland in a couple weeks. At least the recital is done and only 5 more days of school!!!! I've almost made it!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

Easter Sunday:

Williams - One Lucky Day of Warmth

Where is everyone? I feel like I am the only one posting here.

We had another warm day. We actually hit 70 which means bathing suits and swim suits in our house. Nora especially loved the water fun.

Williams - Easter & Birthday Celebrations

Ward Easter Egg Hunt - The event was well attended and there were 1100 eggs scattered around the church. The kids scored.
Nora found two eggs and was happy as can be especially when she discovered what was inside.

Herbie's new Tonka truck that he got for his birthday is Nora's new favorite toy (I think she likes it more than Herbie).

Herbie is into rockets and astronauts right now. I was going to make him a Ligtening McQueen car cake for his birthday because Kelli gave me her old Cars pan. I started to make it yesterday and asked Herbie if he wanted to help me, when he saw the Cars cake pan he said, "I don't want that kind of cake, I want a rocket ship cake." I was crushed because for once I was going to do something cool for a cake since I had a cake pan mold. Needless to say, I scraped the Cars theme and went with a rocket cake. It turned out okay after I got over my panic attack and hot flashes because icing the cake was stressful. The problem was that Herbie loves the color red so I wanted to make red icing for the cake but I couldn't get red only pink and I didn't want to put pink on his cake, after blood, sweat and tears, I discarded the precious frosting and started over and chose to go with green and blue. Good news, Herbie loved it!!! I used chocolate cake for Grandma and the rocket was for Herbie because I don't want to make or eat two cakes. Herbie turned 4 and Grandma McClean turned 59.

I made this amazing Happy Birthday banner about a month ago. I have no wall space so we hung it from the ceiling.

Darth Vader is in our presence. Herbie is obsessed with anything Star Wars.

He got this costume as a birthday gift. Check out this hilarious commercial for VW on you tube.