The Williams

2010-05-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Grant and Parker playing during a break at Play Day. They had a big time playing.

Lauren and Sarah at Play Day. It was hot but the rain stayed away so they could get Play Day done. The kids all had a fun time and I'm sure were tired that night as was Lauren.

2010-05-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was spent at the Topeka Zoo again this year. The kids love to do that and so do I. We even rode the train at Gage park. Grant loved the train. It was a little cold that day but it was lots of fun. I enjoy our tradition of going to the zoo on Mother's Day.

2010-05-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Sarah before their spring music concert. They looked so pretty.

2010-05-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Grant at his Pre-School graduation with his teachers Miss Jan and Mrs. Jones. He had a fun time this year.

2010-02-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

Cupids and Koozies

Check out these hotties. This is when things were rolling along nicely. Love the fur Karen, it is so you.

Evans' had yet another fun party to celebrate Valentines Day. Emily and I are having a fun time here. We were looking pretty good that night. LOL.

2010-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Making Valentines. This is the only time these two weren't fighting. I love it that they both can write. That takes some pressure off the ol mom. Grant really didn't want to do his because he likes for others to do everything for him. He is learning the hard way that he has to be a big boy and do things for himself.

2010-02-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

It's birthday time. We celebrated Emily's Birthday in early February. We had a really fun time. We ate a great meal at Bruffs and then off the the big Hartford Bar. We saw some very interesting individuals at Hartford. Final stop the good Ol Heidi Inn. We laughed so much that my stomach and throat hurt the next day. If you notice I didn't get the vest memo. They left me out again. Darn girls.

2010-02-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

Lauren doing Pup Pack Cheerleading at the High School Basketball game. All the girls did a great job. They did several cheers and a cute dance routine.

2010-01-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

It has been way too long since my last post. So I'm going to try and fill in all the blanks from fall to winter. Lauren is still in Gymnastics and loving it. She had a little meet in Emporia that was just to compete against herself. She got blues on her floor and trampoline routine. Grant is so ornery that he keeps us on our toes. I'm hoping since Christmas is over now he will calm down a little.

We had a very nice Christmas. The kids made out like bandits. Grant got a really nice barn and machine shed from Santa. Lauren got an American Girl doll that she was wanting. Now she is going to get her hair cut like her doll. Both kids got lots of nice things. They got some new games that we will enjoy playing.

The big snow was interesting. Who really knows how much we really got because it all blew around bad. We had huge drifts in our yard and the road were terrible. We were snowed in you could say and I love it. I enjoyed being home with the kids playing with their new Christmas stuff. I have a feeling this snow will be around for a while.

I hope everyone has a great New Year. I hope that I can blog more often instead of waiting months in between.

Lauren's 2nd Grade Play.

2009-10-31T06:53:00.001-07:00

Lauren's 2nd Grade class performed plays on Thursday. Lauren's group did the Three Little Pigs. Lauren was Pig #1. She made her house out of straw. The kids did a great job.

Grant's Pre Play School Halloween Party.

2009-10-31T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is Grant's Pre-Play School Halloween party. All the kids looked great. We were suppose to parade downtown to the businesses but was unable because of all the rain. Miss Jan drove the school bus and took them on the parade. I think the kids loved riding the bus. Grant is a bull for Halloween this year. Easy costume to make. Sweat pants and a stocking cap with ears and horns.

Sesame Street Live

2009-10-31T06:46:00.001-07:00

Grant and I went to Sesame Street Live on Wednesday. He really enjoyed it. The only thing he didn't like was when one of the Honker Monsters came down the isle close to him. I thought he was going to jump on the lady's lap next to him. It was a fun day. I have really enjoyed my one on one time I have had with him this week. I don't get that very often and I was glad I got to spend time with just him.

Fall Fun

2009-10-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

The Williams' and the Darbyshire's went to the Vel Hodges Pumpkin Patch on Sunday. We had a really nice time. The kids loved it and I enjoy visiting with Vel. She has a nice place and a fun pumpkin patch. She also had a lot of nice pumpkins to choose from.

2009-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

October 3rd was Lil Hornet Cheer at the ESU football game. The girls (Lauren, Bailey, Regan & Sarah) had a great time. They cheered for the first half of the game. They did a good job. I really enjoy watching them. Lauren was a cart wheelin fool that day. She just kept doing it over and over. Boy, Gymnastics sure is paying off.

2009-09-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

It has been way to long since my last post. Lauren and Grant have started school. So far school seems to be going good except for the fact that Lauren and I fight at homework time. Grant is loving school. He has Miss Jan again this year. Lauren has Mrs VanArsdale this year.

Lauren has continued gymnastics into the school year. The deal is she has to keep her grades up or there is no gymnastics. So far we are still in. Lauren seems to be excelling in gymnastics. She is constantly doing cartwheels and round offs in the yard and in the house. It has been fun watching her and Sarah.

Sunday 9-6-09, we took the kids to the Kansas City Zoo. It was awesome. I have never seen a zoo that big before except for maybe the Sedgwick County Zoo. We did a lot of walking. Note to self, buy the all day ride tickets for the trams and the train. It would have been worth every penny. We were all exhausted by the time we got home. We were at the zoo for 6 1/2 hours and it took all of that to see everything. They had a lot of neat animals that we have never seen before in a zoo. We happened to walk by the elephants just in time for the zoo trainers to do a little show about the elephants. One of the elephants did some tricks. The same elephant painted some pictures. That was awesome too. We got to watch the Sea Lion show too. It was pretty neat. We were able to be so close to the animals. We saw some kangaroos that were just lying off a path that we were walking on. Several of the mama's had babies in there pouches. We got to see one babies feet and tail sticking out. Grant's favorite part of the zoo was when the orangutan zoo trainer was talking about how the orangutans can spit water a long distance and then the orangutan urinated on the zoo trainer. That was so funny. All in all it was a fun day. The kids loved it. They did nothing but talk about it. I am glad we decided to go there. The only thing Dave didn't like was my aggressive driving in the big city. I think I scared him a time or two when I was shooting the gap. Ya, can't do country driving in the city. I bet we got there at least 15 minutes faster since I was driving.

2009-08-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer is just about over and I feel like I have missed so much. I have worked so much that I don't feel like I have spent much time with my kids. Things are getting better at the bank and starting to slow down. Today is Wednesday and I am off work. This is the first Wednesday in two months that I have had off. I am truly enjoying my day off.

We enjoyed the Coffey County Fair last week in Burlington. We went down on Thursday and watched to Sheep show and participated in the pedal tractor pull. Well Grant was the only one that wanted to do it. Lauren didn't want to. We spent the evening with our good friends the Darbyshires. We rode a few rides at the fair and then went to Dairy Queen for treats. We went back to the fair on Saturday to watch the Linsey's show their pigs. They did a good job. After a good lunch at Across the Border (I recommend this restaurant) we went back to the fair grounds and went through the buildings looking at all the nice things the 4-H kids made. Lauren will be joining 4-H this fall and we will be participating in the fair next year. We are all excited and a little nervous as well. It will be a good learning experience for Lauren. Bailey Darbyshire is going to join too. I hope the girls have as many good memories of 4-H as Emily and I do.

The kids are taking swimming lessons this week so I hope to post some pictures of that later.
Our cat Sarah is in the process of having kittens today so I will post some pictures of the new kittens later.

2009-07-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July celebrations was a success I would say. The weather was nice and the fireworks were good. Of course the Linsey clan had a float for the 4th of July parade. This years theme was Fairy Tales. We decided to do Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Lauren was Goldilocks of course since she already has the Goldilocks. The boys (Grant, Blayne & Clayton) were the three bears. Grant was the Cooker Bear aka Mama Bear. We always enjoy being in the parade and getting to see all of the people. It is a lot of work but rewarding in the end. We were honored to get 2nd place with our float this year.

We spent the morning of the 4th taking in all the activities in town. We ate some good pancakes at the school. We did side walk chalk in front of the Library and made a cute T-shirt at the youth center. We then spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon at Floyd and Marilyn Combes with our great friends the Darbyshires. We had a fun time eating, shooting off fireworks and just shooting the breeze. It was a beautiful afternoon for us to sit under a big tree and visit. We always have a great time.

This week is merger week so I am going to be a little crazy. I will be glad when it is all said and done. This merger has consumed so much of my life and summer that I am ready for some time off to spend with the kids before school starts. Wish me luck this week!

2009-06-24T15:48:00.001-07:00

It's been too long since my last blog. I am going to try harder to do it more often. Well, Summer has officially started with all the activities. We are busy with T-ball, Gymnastics, 4th of July float, VBS Crafts to get organized and the most important a bank merger. I have been so consumed by the bank merger I don't know if I'm coming or going. I will be glad when we are merged and everything is some what normal. Grant is playing T-ball this summer and he likes it. If I could just get him to keep his glove on when he's playing that would be a miracle. We are almost finished with T-ball. Lauren started Gymnastics this summer. She loves it. After the first time we went the coach called me and said he thought Lauren was a natural and would like for her to compete. We will see how this summer session goes and we will probably go ahead and compete. It's up to Lauren if she wants to compete. Grant just celebrated his 4th birthday. Can't believe it has been that long. Where does the time go. We are having a fun but busy summer.

2009-05-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

My good friend Sara Postlethwait was back for a visit. We were able to meet up with her at Emily's house Thursday night. I was so good to see her. It had been two years since we have seen her. She brought back her friend Manny. He seems really nice. We all had a fun time. I wish we could have had more time.

2009-05-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was spent at the Topeka Zoo again this year. We were able to get through the zoo before it started raining. We then went to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch (my choice). My two kids thoroughly embarrassed me there and it just went down hill from there. Note to self: If I want to shop don't take husband or children! All in all it was a fun day but I was glad to get home.

Tuesday night was Lauren's spring music concert. It was very cute. When I go to these events I ask myself why can't kids and adult just sit for an hour and listen instead of running back and forth. I swear the adults were just as bad as some of the kids. The concert was very good.

Friday was Play Day. I was afraid that it would rain and they would have to cancel but thank goodness the sun came out. My skin shows that! Lauren did good. What I like about Play Day now a days is that everyone is a winner. There was softball throwing, long jump, running, tire roll, and soccer ball kick just to name a few events. Grant even enjoyed the day because a couple of his classmates were there and they played tractors with him in the dirt. I have two exhausted and dirty kids. It was a great day!

2009-05-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Grant has been in the mud for days now. I can't seem to keep him out of it. I am hoping for some sunny weather. Like everyone else I am so tired of the rain. Grant had his school program the other night. All the kids did a good job. It is such a cute program. I always enjoy it. I can't believe another school year is about to come to an end. The next few weeks are jammed packed with activities. Where does the time go?

2009-04-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and gone. The Easter Bunny made a stop at our house. Grant got his beloved Buffalo that he so badly wanted for weeks and the movie Bolt. Lauren got an ICarly t-shirt and High School Musical Senior Year. They both got way too much candy that I am trying my hardest to stay out of. Recess Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite.

Dave and I will celebrate the big 10 year anniversary on April 17. Can't believe it has been that long. Wow, what we have seen in 10 years: Two children, one miscarriage, Surgery, Two moves, buried two friends, buried our friend's two babies, war, 9-11, First Black President, poor economy, unthinkable acts by crazy people (like killing children and such horror) Columbine massacure which happened when we were on our Honeymoon in Texas, Virginia Tech Massacure. My favorite thing of the past 10 years has been raising my two children and being a family of four. I love being Dave's wife and Lauren and Grant's mother and being so proud of them even when they make me crazy. I hope the next 10 years is blessed with the same joys of motherhood as I have right now and being a good wife to Dave. I also hope that we don't bury anymore friends or babies. Bring on the next 10!

2009-04-02T19:29:00.001-07:00

So, last weekend was a mess. It started Friday with rain/ice/snow and ended sometime Saturday night. Sunday's weather wasn't too bad. The kids wanted to go outside and play. Being the good mom that I am I let them go out and play in the mud. Lauren was having fun knocking off the ice. While Grant played with his trucks in the mud. Grant wiped out in the mud getting all dirty. Then Lauren was running to see something and slipped on some ice falling on her butt and into some muddy water. She cried I laughed. I'm thinking to myself at the time that they shouldn't be playing in the mud but its just laundry anyway. Right? They are only going to be little once so I told myself it was OK.

2009-03-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Spring break went by fast. We spent Tuesday night and Wednesday at my good friend Tammi's house in Valley Center. We went to a really fun park in Wichita. It has a fence all around it with one entrance so you felt really safe with your kids. I have never seen so much play equipment in one place in my life. The kids played so hard and had a great time. I love going to Tammi and Alex's house for a visit. I really enjoy the time the adults spend talking and laughing. I can't wait until we visit them again.

We have some exciting news at our house. Sarah (our cat) had 5 baby kittens. They are so cute. Lauren and Grant have spent a lot of time sitting next to the box watching the kittens. We are really enjoying them.

2009-03-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend. We celebrated Lauren's 7th Birthday. On Saturday, Lauren took her good friend Sarah to KC to Oak Park Mall. They made rabbits at Build a Bear Workshop. Lauren's rabbit's name is Gabriella and has High School Musical PJs on and a robe. Sarah named her rabbit Sam and it is wearing a cute shirt and skirt. We spent the whole day in KC shopping and having a good time. The girls were well behaved even though they got a little crazy a few times. They rode the beautiful carousel at the mall. On Sunday we made Birthday dinner for Grandma Bev at RD & Cindy's house. We then had Birthday party for Lauren at RD & Cindy's house. Lauren had a High School Musical themed party with a purple guitar. Lauren got a lot of nice presents. It was an exhausting weekend and then through in the time change. Fun was had by all.

2009-02-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

We had a busy weekend. My birthday was Friday so the adults went out for dinner at Bruffs on Saturday night. We stopped at Mallards and then on to the Heidi for a few more drinks. Don't get too excited because we were home by 11:00. Saturday we took Lauren and Grant to the Shrine Circus. The kids had a wonderful time. The were so good. They watch the whole thing without complaining. I even enjoyed it. We hope to take them again next year. Grant was baptized on Sunday. He was good. We went down front to the alter and he had his elephant that he got at the circus with him. Pastor Tony started to baptize him and the water was running off his head onto his shirt and elephant. When Tony was done Grant turned to me and said "That man got my shirt and elephant all wet". Tony heard him so when church was over he told Grant that he was baptizing the elephant too. It was a fun but exhausting weekend. I'm glad it's all over and I have recuperated.

2009-02-17T18:54:00.001-08:00

Lauren did the Pup Pack Cheerleading Friday night. It was lots of fun for her and her friends. They all did such a good job.

2009-02-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Dave had an accident today. Nobody was hurt which is a good thing. He was going to Osage City to do chores when the accident happened. He was at the interstate when Robert Harsch pulled out in front of him. Well I guess Robert didn't pull all the way out in front of Dave. Dave said he saw him come to the stop sign and then started to go so Dave hit the brakes and tried to miss Robert. Well then Robert stopped and so Dave hit him anyway. It took a sheriff's deputy about 30-45 minutes to get there because he was in Gridley when it happened. It has been a couple of hours since we have been home and I am still cold. My feet and fingers I think are still frozen. I'm just thankful that Dave is OK. The kids were upset about it. We showed them the car and Grant just wanted to be by his dad. The kids said they were going to have bad dreams tonite about the wreck. We told them that dad was OK and that was all that mattered. The car is in bad shape. Dave's grandma Williams probably rolled over in her grave because that used to be her car. RIP TO THE CRUISER!

2009-02-01T15:06:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I have posted anything so I've decided I better do so. We really haven't been doing much. We have had some sickness in our house. We have had colds and strep throat. We are all better now. I have really enjoyed the nice weather we have had a few days at a time. It was nice to get out and go for a walk and for the kids to play outside. I like it when they can go outside and run some energy off instead of doing it in the house. I have finished a doll house that was mine growing up and now have redone for Lauren. She loves it. I have to say it was fun. We even put lighting in it. Grant won a book from the library. It is such a nice and pretty book. We really enjoy reading it. I hope to post more things soon. Lauren will be doing the pup pack cheerleading activity next weekend and then perform it on Feb 13.

2008-12-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and the kids made out like bandits. Now that we have new toys to play with, we are still fighting like cats and dogs. I'm starting to think I'm ready for school to start up again. The kids got some really nice things. Lauren got a Nintendo DS and a new baby. She really likes her new stuff. I personally like the Nintendo DS because I bought some games for me to play. I'm getting pretty good at bowling and darts. Grant got a skid loader, a sprayer and a semi truck. Just what he wanted farm toys. He also got some underwear with tractors on them. I think it's official he's a farmer. Christmas if fun and I love all the things that goes with it but I have to say that I'm glad it's over. Now maybe we can get back to normal. What ever normal is. New Year's Eve will be spent at the Darbyshire house. We are looking forward to attending.

2008-12-18T17:34:00.001-08:00

Well, Christmas is almost here and I am still not done shopping. Why do I do this every year. I think I will start early and get done early but no it doesn't work that way. The kids were excited about Santa coming to town last weekend. They told him what they wanted. Lauren asked for a puppy. I heard Santa tell her he would have to talk with her mommy first. Yeah, me and Santa had some words and there will not be any puppy for Lauren. Sorry Lauren! Grant had an accident two weeks ago. He fell into an oak chair and split his forehead. We spent 2 1/2 hours in the emergency room to get glued back together. The Doctor glued her finger to his eyebrow and had to pull it off. That made Grant cry. He was a big boy though. He was really good while waiting. He was treated to ice cream after. I hope everyone is ready for Christmas. I hope to post more things to my blog once the Holidays are over. Take Care.

2008-12-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

I went shopping with my good friend Emily on Saturday and had a fun time. We spent the afternoon dodging people and vehicles. We only about got into it once with someone for taking our park at Best Buy but because we are forgiving people we let it go. Oh and it is the Christmas season right! My shopping is half done. I hope to go to get the boy toys this week and be about done. This would be a new record for getting done shopping this early.

2008-12-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

We took pictures of the all the Linsey Grandkids on Thanksgiving morning. I think they turned out pretty good. They are for something special at Christmas. I just hope it turns out the way I want it to.

2008-12-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping has officially started at the Williams house. I have a lot to shop for and little time to do it in. I hope to have a successful shopping trip on Saturday. Wish me luck. I have all my decorations up. There is just something about a having your decorations up and the lights on the tree shining to make you feel warm and cozy.

2008-11-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

I am glad Thanksgiving is in two days. We are going to the Williams' side this year. Christmas is a month from today and I have a lot of shopping to do. I guess I better start my list and get busy.

2008-11-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Where does the time go? My time goes mostly to my kids. They are my world. Please bare with me while I am working on this blog. I am just getting started and I am enjoying all the new things I am learning. I hope this will help with my stress level.

2008-11-20T19:08:00.001-08:00

2008-11-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

What a fun Halloween. I am glad it was on Friday night. The kids were very tired by the time we were finished.