Big news!

It has been a long time since I updated this. Lots has happened and I'll start with the annual Williams Family Reunion at Bear Lake, Idaho. It used to be at Bear Lake, Ut but they moved to the north side of the lake last year and the new campground is more grassy and less dirt-y. Clyde and Sandy brought us the new tent trailer to try it out and Dustin was completely sold. Its really nice and Clyde equipped it with a port-a-potty and some newer hoses so we had some running water. I've always been a tent camper so a trailer is a nice luxury. Alex liked the convenience of having an icebox and a bathroom along with the running water. I liked having a place thats not so hot for an afternoon nap.

The Saturday night skits were hilarious as always. Alex treated everyone to some dancing and some of Dustin's uncles did a great impression of ABBA.

The Ford handled the towing of the trailer admirably and we didn't really notice it was back there. Made for some interesting u-turns when we stopped for multiple bathroom breaks but no damage was done. Just exciting times.

Alex has started swimming lessons and might have his very first sunburn. He looked a little red tonight when he usually just turns brown. And gets platinum blonde hair to show off his blue eyes. He really looks like a surfer.

Now for the big news. We feel pretty good about sharing this but we'd also appreciate any prayers that things will be ok. We found out about 6 weeks ago that Alex is getting a little brother or sister in late January! Official due date is 2/4/10 but I'll be a repeat c-section so it will make its appearance about January 20th or so. There have been a few complications but we've been feeling very positive about everything so we decided it was ok to share here.

I won't be posting a belly shot any time soon since I seem to have grown much larger than I think 10 weeks should be but as soon as I feel like my stomach matches my week a little closer, I'll put one up. The one from 9weeks 3 days is just depressing. LOL!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Alex had his first sleepover about two weeks ago. A little boy down the street form my parents house who I've known for 4 years now. Apparently it was his first sleepover too as his mom very very excited to drop him off.

Or maybe they were looking forward to a quiet evening, oldest child-free? Who knows.

The evening started with making english muffin pizza. I pre-cooked some Italian sausage for Dustin, grated some cheese and had a bowl of sauce on the counter for everyone to put on their muffin. Then, the idea that maybe giving 6 and 7 year old boys free reign over the pizza sauce distribution wouldn't be such a great idea, I proceeded to sauce and cheese the muffins myself and let them put on their toppings. They looked like this:
Very yummy and tasty. A great way to satisfy the unending appetites of growing boys.

After dinner, they went to play in Alex's room only for us to find various signs posted around the house.
And then they paraded around the house in a harmonica parade.

The sign on the front of the friend's shirt? It says 'Join the Buterfie Team'. I'm raising a macho son who chooses the name of his harmonica parade to be the Butterfly Team.

Darn right.

After that weekend, Dustin was able to get his Christmas present a little late.

See how delighted he is with his new HD radio component? Too bad it broke and we had to take it back a week later. But we did get an even better one that can go into the office and has a dvd player and a ipod dock. YAY!

Alex got a fish from his grandpa. He wanted to name it galoompf but I talked him into something easier. Meet Pip
So, it was a great holiday season and I'm glad my decorations are down and my living room is back to normal. If only it would warm up, just a bit. I'm shivering here!

Moving and other fun stuff

We are moving! A carefully worded ad on Craigslist to advertise that we're LDS and therefore responsible, non-drinkers, non-smokers, non-college-age-partiers who pinky promise to take good care of their house in exchange for rent that is only slightly higher than what we are paying now and voila! we are moving into a 4 bedroom house just across the street from where we live now.

Which means moving. And packing. And attempting to sort through things that haven't been used since 2001 but seem to insist on sticking around anyway. Considering I sift through all my belongs every time I move and I've moved a lot the last few years, I'm kind of surprised I still have things to sift through. This does not include Dustin's impressive t-shirt collection that I'm hoping will take up residence in a new storage ottoman for the foot of our bed after Christmas...hint hint.

But I was only hoping for a 3 bedroom. One for us, one for the rugrat and one for a guest room with the desks and computers and stuff. Four bedrooms! That means we can have a separate guest room and office! The futon will probably still go into the office since there will probably be a smaller tv in there or something but that frees up a whole bedroom to be something else.

The very best part of the house? Its in a new ward and we'll lose our calling. Primary is not my bag, baby, and I'm thrilled to be able to talk to grown-ups again. Let's do the happy dance!

I started my Bachelor's program this month too and I'm working through my first class. Business Management HERE I COME! Yeah, my excitement is out of control...

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

As some of you have already heard, Dustin and I will be welcoming a new baby next year! Due sometime in March is what we are thinking but my doctor won't see me until I'm 8 weeks to give a dating ultrasound. I've added a ticker with a generic date that I'll change when I find out the actual due date. Not that due dates mean a whole lot more than "Well, there's the chance you'll have your baby within a week of this date but...don't hold your breathe!"

Oh and we're not telling Alex yet. I can't handle nine months of "Is the baby coming today?" "No not until March." "Is it March yet?" He'll find out probably around the time of the gender ultrasound.

In other news, Alex has another loose tooth! And his adult tooth is starting to poke through into the empty void from the first tooth loss. He spent all of sacrament meeting looking in my compact mirror so he could see it and feel like he's finally growing up. In the meantime, he's already growing out of the size 6 jeans I bought this spring in the hopes they would last until school. How foolish I was!

The weekend at Bear Lake was wonderful! Good times were had by all and I even got Alex to ride a tube behind the boat. He told everyone else he didn't like it but told me he thought it was fun. I'm not sure who he was lying to. No sunburns this year! YAY!!!!! Thats quite the accomplishment for me. Dustin doesn't seem to burn at all and Alex only tans no matter how long he's in the sun. I'm apparently the only vampire in this family. It was great to see everyone and Dustin is very excited about Scout camp in August. It happens to fall on the same weekend my family leaves for an Alaskan cruise (including Alex). Do you know what this means?!

A whole weekend all by myself!! Let's hear it for hogging the bed and sleeping in! No 6 year old to come in and 7 am on Saturday and ask if he can play his nintendo DS. Ohhhhh the luxury!

See, good news all around!

Couch to 5K!

We've decided to start a Couch to 5K running program to get into shape. For motivation, there is a Police and Fire department 10k, 5k and 1 mile walk in August. 10 weeks after we start our 9 week program. Running in the summer in Las Vegas doesn't sound like very much fun with I'm planning on using the weightroom treadmill for two runs/week and then running outside for the third one.

Week One: Up at 4:43. Dustin had to be at the airport by 6am and I have to be at work by 7 with a stop at my parents to fill out some paperwork for the summer daycare program Alex is enrolled in. After a few minutes of relishing the warm bed, we drag ourselves up and change into our workout clothes. Because we have 25 minutes to do a 30 minute workout, we decide to cut the last few run/walk combos out and have an extended cooldown. I never realized there was a hill by the apartment but there is and it bites. Just small enough to not look like one until you run and your thighs are killing you.

All in all, it went pretty good. Now I don't have to worry about working out tonight and I feel good, if sore, for the rest of the day. And running tends to supress my appetite so it takes me longer to feel hungry and I eat less. I'm back to Weight Watchers again (and by default, so is Dustin) and already down 3 lbs! Woohoo!!!!!

If we're feeling brave, we might post before and after pictures. Depends on how amazing the after ones are!

Check back here for more on our training! Anyone that wants to join us can find the training podcasts here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/podcasts/podcasts.html

Sorry I don't know how to do those cool hyperlinks.

Going Godfather

We aren't moving after all. Dustin was offered a position with his previous airline that he couldn't refuse so we are staying in Las Vegas for the time being. Grandpa said it was the best birthday present we could have given him. Apparently the only ones excited for us to move was...us.

He starts again this week with some re-training but will be flying most likely by next week. He's much more relaxed and things have been great since we made the decision to return to Grand Canyon Airlines in Boulder City, NV. I'm just happy that he's happy.

We spent last weekend in Brigham City for Clyde's birthday. A great time was had by all at the luau Sandy planned and Alex kept everyone entertained with his request to "Pause the party, I have to go potty!"

Mothers' Day was very nice. I was able to spend it with Dustin and Alex as we drove back to Las Vegas and Dustin gave me some great dvds. Alex gave me some bath salts he made in school that I think got too much fragrance. They are in his bathroom now.

The school semester is almost over and that leaves me with only one class to go until I get my associate of arts. Its about stinkin' time! I've been working on it for a few years alternating between part and full-time while working and I'm thankful to almost be done.

Hopefully we'll get some pictures up soon. That part of the blog is pretty sad right now.

How The Other Half Lives

And by Other Half, I mean those who live North of us. Specifically Canada. More specifically, Vancouver, BC.

Dustin has been doing some simulation training up there and I went up to visit last weekend. I pulled out my long sleeved shirts again and made sure I had a light jacket and flew up on Friday afternoon. Apparently meal service on airlines has gone the way of the Dodo bird. At least on Delta you can buy a "gourmet" sandwich for $8 cash, exact change only please.

But I digress. The flight was fine except for some weird chugging noises that sounded like a car engine that has a bad starter (Dustin assured me it was normal for the kind of plane I was on) and the very talkative woman next to me. Customs was a breeze and the walk out of the airport was very nice. I wish I had a picture of the homemade sign that said "Vancouver ----->". I'd hate to turn the other way and hit Quebec instead!

Dustin was waiting for me and as we waited for the shuttle, he asked what I thought of Vancouver. Always a smart aleck I said the airport was very nice. We got a laugh and by the time we made it to his hotel, we were ready for some dinner. The hotel was in Chinatown so we walked a block and found a few chinese restaurants that only took cash. A few minutes of looking for an ATM, admiring how pretty the money is up there and walking back to a restaurant that looked good and we were set. We opened the door and noticed we were the only non-Asians there. The menu was in Chinese with English translations on about half of the menu items. It was going to be delicious!

We weren't disappointed. The sweet and sour chicken was perfect and the chicken fried rice was better than any I've ever had. Dustin ordered curry chicken that wasn't quite what he expected and spicier than he liked but it was ok. Even the plain white rice was good! If you're in Vancouver/Richmond, I highly recommend Top Shanghai Restaurant on Ackroyd(I think) in Chinatown. I think even Kylene would be impressed and she's very picky about her chinese food after serving her mission in Hong Kong (right?).

Saturday we walked to the mall and bought Dustin some new work pants and a nice shirt. We ate at place that specilized in french fries and thought briefly about trying the gravy on top before opting for cheese dip. Then we found Maxims bakery. Oh the delicious smells wafting from that delightful store! We were completely full and still tried to determine if we had room for a weiner bun or cake. And the prices were soooo cheap! $0.80 for a weiner bun (hot dog in a roll) or a chicken and ham pie. Everything there was also in Chinese but with English subtitles.

Dustin had a training on Saturday early evening so I spent some time reading before we had dinner at a White Spot restaurant. Very tasty and decently priced.

Sunday was spent trying to get home and when that failed, we ordered some room service. Chicken quesadilla and some chicken fingers and fries. With plum sauce. Surprisingly good with the french fries.

Monday we were able to try the bakery finally and it was worth the wait. The bread was sweet and soft and left you full but wanting more.

It sounds like we did nothing but eat but we spent some time walking around Chinatown and enjoying the weather and lovely flowers. My last meal was at a local pub called The Foggy Dew and Dustin's bangers and mash was wonderful and my steak nice and tender.

The flight home was very quiet and went pretty fast. Dustin is expected home on Saturday and I've hinted that I'd like some rolls from Maxims if he's able to bring some home. I can't wait!

Denver calls!

We found out on Friday that Dustin will be based in Denver. After almost three weeks in Vancouver with the flight simulator, he'll move to Denver until Alex and I can join him. I've been looking for places to live and possible jobs and we're very excited at the adventure in front of us!

We might change our tune when its December and 15 degrees but for now it sounds mighty nice as Las Vegas starts to heat up in preparation for the summer.

But moving means cleaning out all the boxes that have been lugged around without being opened. Do we really want to take all those old college textbooks 700 miles away? The torn bedspread? A box of girls camp crafts from 1993? I'm thinking no. Those are all my stuff though so I don't feel bad for getting rid of it. I'll let Dustin go through his own belongings.

Thats the fun and exhausting part of moving. I love finding things I'd thought were long gone. But what am I going to do with old fabric from a quilt I never finished? Its a nice thought that I'll finish it but that would require lots of painstaking tasks like removing stitches and re-cutting fabric. I'm not the most patient of crafters.

I also love decorating the new place. Deciding where the pictures will go and arranging the furniture. I usually redo the kitchen at least twice until I figure out where I naturally want to put the silverware right from the dishwasher and what is convienent to the stove. Its a puzzle that I can't ever seem to get right on the first try. The junk drawer should have been a little bit bigger or the pans fit better in the other cabinet.

Woohoo! We're moving!