Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy Williams New Year!

Happy New Year 2016!

So we didn't get a Christmas letter out by Christmas.  So I haven't blogged in over a year.  So blogging seems to be a fading trend, now that social media has taken over.  But for the sake of chronicling the Williams family antics--and for my 96 year old grandma who loves a mailed paper version of Williams-Land--here's our 2015 update!



It's been two years since we started the transition of moving to Salem for my new job at Providence Benedictine Hospice (catch up on that journey a few blog posts down).  Though it was an initial adjustment, now we are fully settled into valley life--rains, heat, floods, droughts, and all!  Over the years, much of our family has ended up in this area, so we enjoy having cousin time with the extended family--and we still make regular visits to Klamath Falls to visit the old folks at home.

Kaela is now 14, which is the same age I was when Bryan and I started dating (gasp!)  But so far, no future husband is hanging around and she likes that just fine!  She is in 8th grade and her last year of middle school--she plays the flute in advanced band and enjoys cooking in her catering class at school.  She is in a special advanced math placement doing online classes in a 10th grade math level!  She auditioned for a teen theater company called SKIT and she will soon perform in the play The Pink Panther Strikes Again.  Kaela also loves babysitting and working in the toddler class at church.


Graeson is 11 and in 5th grade--his last year of elementary school.  He loves being active and especially loves sports!  Two years ago (9 years old) he became a black belt in taekwondo--since then he's continued to train and will be testing for second-degree black belt soon.  He also played tackle football this Fall (no concussion this time, phew!) and his team made it to playoffs, ending in second place for their division.  He is in beginning band learning drums and percussion; band is at the middle school, so he rides the bus with Kaela in the mornings.  This year he also was able to have his own dog--Cosmo and Graeson are good buddies and they both wear Beaver jerseys too!



Maezie is 8 years old and in third grade at the same school as Graeson.  She has lots of giggly friends and she loves school!  She and Daddy walk to school together or sometimes ride bikes.  She takes two dance classes--jazz and tap--and also danced in a worship performance at church.  She loves clothes, shoes, and anything sparkly--and she especially loves shopping! She has even given Mommy some fashion advice from time to time.  Maezie enjoys spending quality time together, especially one-on-one, so we play a lot of games, read books, work on crafts, and watch movies.



Bryan and I spend most of our time driving kids, feeding kids, watching kids' games/performances, and coordinating kids.  We do limit the activities on our schedule, but this year nothing seemed to match, sync, or coordinate.  But everyone successfully accomplished their activities, and mom and dad still managed to squeeze in some date nights and kid-free time too.  We had some great family vacations in Birch Bay and Seaside, and some trips to Bend and Klamath Falls too.

We are looking forward to another year of Adventures in Williams-Land and we anticipate lots of fun family memories in 2016!