 |
 |
| A free slideshow by Smilebox |
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Williams Family 2011 Newsletter
“Wow!” and “Sigh.” Two words that pretty much define our year. It just seemed that we were either running on high or running on empty from running on high.
Collin is a 5th grader this year (his last year at the elementary school). In November he turned 11. It's hard to believe how quickly he is growing up. He is finally settling in and feeling more comfortable making new friends here. He tested in the top 3% for the state in math and is in an after school math club which he really enjoys. He still loves to read and is reading at a 7th grade level. He has a wonderful imagination and enjoys writing books and putting together slide show presentations. He has such a caring heart and loves to help others.
Brian is in 2nd grade, and his class is a split class with 3rd graders which he really enjoys. He is becoming an excellent reader and is excelling in all areas in school. In November he turned 8 and had a fun time celebrating with his friends. “Play” is the one word that defines Brian the most. I think that he could play the Wii or legos 24 hours a day or anything Star Wars related for that matter. He also likes to cuddle and gives us lots of hugs! He generally runs at full speed and makes friends easily.
Allison is unbelievably chatty, and full of energy. She pretty much talks from the moment she gets up until she passes out from lack of oxygen or sheer exhaustion, whichever comes first. We actually found her the other night passed out halfway under her bed. In November she turned 4 and had her first birthday party with friends. She is a spitting image of Mommy, and is definitely Daddy's little girl. She is kind of the unofficial school mascot at the boys' school too. In September she learned to ride her bike with no training wheels! She does a pretty good job keeping up with her older brothers and is as tough as she is sweet.
Erin is the President Elect for the PTO and is really enjoying it too. She spends a lot of time at school helping with PTO related events and in the boys’ classrooms, and brings Allison with her. Most of the teachers AND students enjoy Allison as well.
Steve had a busy year. He tested and received his Professional Surveyor's licenses in Oregon and Idaho this year. The wall certificates look nice next to his Washington license. He was also asked to teach a survey class at the University of Portland this year and really enjoyed it.
We have found a church that we really enjoy and are hosting a small group study on Thursday nights. We did a lot on the house this year with remodeling the boys' rooms, carpet and enough paint to choke a camel. We are really involved at the kids' school. Geocaching is a hobby that we dabble in for fun and enjoy as a family. We also went to Sunriver this summer and enjoyed “chillin” on the eastern side of Oregon. In January Steve and Erin were able to go to the Seahawk's playoff game against the Saints. It was an incredible game and the bonus was getting to stay with friends in Washington.
We hope that the year has been good to all of you and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
The Williams’ Family
Steve, Erin
Collin, Brian and Allison
Collin is a 5th grader this year (his last year at the elementary school). In November he turned 11. It's hard to believe how quickly he is growing up. He is finally settling in and feeling more comfortable making new friends here. He tested in the top 3% for the state in math and is in an after school math club which he really enjoys. He still loves to read and is reading at a 7th grade level. He has a wonderful imagination and enjoys writing books and putting together slide show presentations. He has such a caring heart and loves to help others.
Brian is in 2nd grade, and his class is a split class with 3rd graders which he really enjoys. He is becoming an excellent reader and is excelling in all areas in school. In November he turned 8 and had a fun time celebrating with his friends. “Play” is the one word that defines Brian the most. I think that he could play the Wii or legos 24 hours a day or anything Star Wars related for that matter. He also likes to cuddle and gives us lots of hugs! He generally runs at full speed and makes friends easily.
Allison is unbelievably chatty, and full of energy. She pretty much talks from the moment she gets up until she passes out from lack of oxygen or sheer exhaustion, whichever comes first. We actually found her the other night passed out halfway under her bed. In November she turned 4 and had her first birthday party with friends. She is a spitting image of Mommy, and is definitely Daddy's little girl. She is kind of the unofficial school mascot at the boys' school too. In September she learned to ride her bike with no training wheels! She does a pretty good job keeping up with her older brothers and is as tough as she is sweet.
Erin is the President Elect for the PTO and is really enjoying it too. She spends a lot of time at school helping with PTO related events and in the boys’ classrooms, and brings Allison with her. Most of the teachers AND students enjoy Allison as well.
Steve had a busy year. He tested and received his Professional Surveyor's licenses in Oregon and Idaho this year. The wall certificates look nice next to his Washington license. He was also asked to teach a survey class at the University of Portland this year and really enjoyed it.
We have found a church that we really enjoy and are hosting a small group study on Thursday nights. We did a lot on the house this year with remodeling the boys' rooms, carpet and enough paint to choke a camel. We are really involved at the kids' school. Geocaching is a hobby that we dabble in for fun and enjoy as a family. We also went to Sunriver this summer and enjoyed “chillin” on the eastern side of Oregon. In January Steve and Erin were able to go to the Seahawk's playoff game against the Saints. It was an incredible game and the bonus was getting to stay with friends in Washington.
We hope that the year has been good to all of you and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
The Williams’ Family
Steve, Erin
Collin, Brian and Allison
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Christmas Letter 2010
Another year may have gone by but there has been so much packed into that year. At this time last year our home, in Ferndale, was on the market. Steve was working down in Portland, while the kids and I were still up north. Now we are in Oregon, and we are all together for Christmas!
Our house sold in February and we found a house we loved in Clackamas, Oregon. Packing up and leaving is always hard, but we knew this was what God was leading us to do. Our official move date was February 19th and the boys started at their new school the following Monday. We wouldn't be able to close on our house down here until the end of March; so we found an extremely small rental house, that was willing to rent to us short term (7 weeks), which meant moving a second time. Of course, as we quickly found out, it was in a part of town affectionately known as "felony flatts". The new school meant early mornings for the kids and I, as second bell rings at 7:40 and we had a 15 minute drive to get there! Needless to say, we were more than thrilled when we were able to move into our new house, that is just down the road from the school!
Steve is loving his job and has now been there for over a year. Hard to believe since we haven't been down here that long yet! He is studying to take his Oregon PLS exam in April, then, hopefully, he will be a licensed land surveyor in both Washington and Oregon. The house we bought has a lot of work that needs to be done and this past year Steve has spent a lot of time at Home Depot and on projects around the house. I am thankful that he is so handy with home improvement projects!
Collin is in 4th grade this year and is doing well with his school work. The move was especially hard on him. He has had difficulty adjusting to his new school and stepping out of his comfort zone to make friends. He still loves to read and can often be found with his nose in a book. He is getting away from "little kid" things and is growing up so fast.
Brian is in first grade and also does really well in school. He adjusted easily to his new school and new life here in Oregon. It is not uncommon for him to walk right up to someone either from the neighborhood or at school and say "Hi, my name is Brian, what's yours?" It does not take him long to make friends! He loves legos and playing video games, but we have to be sure we are paying attention to how much time he spends in front of the Wii. He could easily stay there all day if we let him.
Allison just turned 3 and is full of personality. She has the sweetest smile and does not let us forget she's around. She may be the youngest, but she keeps us all laughing and tends to be the center of attention. The boys dote on her and spoil her rotten! She moved into a "big girl" bed this year and loves being a "big girl!" She is just now potty training, as the move was hard on her. She was very happy to move into our house, once we finally were able to, and has loved having dad around again. She did not like it when Steve was working down here, while the rest of us were still up in Ferndale!
I've been keeping busy as well. It was hard to move, and once again, leave a great church family and have to start over. We've had a hard time finding a church that we can call home, but we are hoping that where we are currently attending will become just the one. This year, I joined the PTO board in an "in-training" role, to help with a smooth transition when I step up to a board role next year. It has been a great opportunity for me to not only be a part of the boys' school but to get to know some of the other parents. I've had the opportunity to participate in focus groups with the Clackamas school board, regarding next school year's budget shortfall. I'm also the room parent for Collin's class and I volunteer in Brian's class once a week. I love it here, but still feel lonely at times.
Overall, it has been an extremely busy year, but we feel blessed in so many ways. We are thankful that God provided a transfer for Steve rather than losing his job, when they closed the Bellingham office. We are so thankful for the home that we have with a huge backyard, and a creek to explore. We love the area we found and the boys school which is brand new. We have great neighbors and live in a big cul de sac that is safe for the kids to play. We know that God has brought us here, and we will continue to trust that He has a plan for us.
I have added a Year In Review in pictures. Besides moving we also welcomed my new niece, Camryn to the family as well as went on a family vacation to the beach and hosted a family reunion with my side of the family. It was so great to spend a week together and wish it could have been longer.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and pray that 2011 will be even better than 2010!
Love,
The Williams
Steve, Erin, Collin, Brian and Allison
Our house sold in February and we found a house we loved in Clackamas, Oregon. Packing up and leaving is always hard, but we knew this was what God was leading us to do. Our official move date was February 19th and the boys started at their new school the following Monday. We wouldn't be able to close on our house down here until the end of March; so we found an extremely small rental house, that was willing to rent to us short term (7 weeks), which meant moving a second time. Of course, as we quickly found out, it was in a part of town affectionately known as "felony flatts". The new school meant early mornings for the kids and I, as second bell rings at 7:40 and we had a 15 minute drive to get there! Needless to say, we were more than thrilled when we were able to move into our new house, that is just down the road from the school!
Steve is loving his job and has now been there for over a year. Hard to believe since we haven't been down here that long yet! He is studying to take his Oregon PLS exam in April, then, hopefully, he will be a licensed land surveyor in both Washington and Oregon. The house we bought has a lot of work that needs to be done and this past year Steve has spent a lot of time at Home Depot and on projects around the house. I am thankful that he is so handy with home improvement projects!
Collin is in 4th grade this year and is doing well with his school work. The move was especially hard on him. He has had difficulty adjusting to his new school and stepping out of his comfort zone to make friends. He still loves to read and can often be found with his nose in a book. He is getting away from "little kid" things and is growing up so fast.
Brian is in first grade and also does really well in school. He adjusted easily to his new school and new life here in Oregon. It is not uncommon for him to walk right up to someone either from the neighborhood or at school and say "Hi, my name is Brian, what's yours?" It does not take him long to make friends! He loves legos and playing video games, but we have to be sure we are paying attention to how much time he spends in front of the Wii. He could easily stay there all day if we let him.
Allison just turned 3 and is full of personality. She has the sweetest smile and does not let us forget she's around. She may be the youngest, but she keeps us all laughing and tends to be the center of attention. The boys dote on her and spoil her rotten! She moved into a "big girl" bed this year and loves being a "big girl!" She is just now potty training, as the move was hard on her. She was very happy to move into our house, once we finally were able to, and has loved having dad around again. She did not like it when Steve was working down here, while the rest of us were still up in Ferndale!
I've been keeping busy as well. It was hard to move, and once again, leave a great church family and have to start over. We've had a hard time finding a church that we can call home, but we are hoping that where we are currently attending will become just the one. This year, I joined the PTO board in an "in-training" role, to help with a smooth transition when I step up to a board role next year. It has been a great opportunity for me to not only be a part of the boys' school but to get to know some of the other parents. I've had the opportunity to participate in focus groups with the Clackamas school board, regarding next school year's budget shortfall. I'm also the room parent for Collin's class and I volunteer in Brian's class once a week. I love it here, but still feel lonely at times.
Overall, it has been an extremely busy year, but we feel blessed in so many ways. We are thankful that God provided a transfer for Steve rather than losing his job, when they closed the Bellingham office. We are so thankful for the home that we have with a huge backyard, and a creek to explore. We love the area we found and the boys school which is brand new. We have great neighbors and live in a big cul de sac that is safe for the kids to play. We know that God has brought us here, and we will continue to trust that He has a plan for us.
I have added a Year In Review in pictures. Besides moving we also welcomed my new niece, Camryn to the family as well as went on a family vacation to the beach and hosted a family reunion with my side of the family. It was so great to spend a week together and wish it could have been longer.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and pray that 2011 will be even better than 2010!
Love,
The Williams
Steve, Erin, Collin, Brian and Allison
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Merry Christmas
This year has been one of many changes. We are currently still up in Ferndale, hopefully not for long. We are trying to sell our house so we can move down to the Portland area.
Steve has been working long hours out of town the last couple of months. We are thankful for the work after a very slow year at work and worries over potential layoffs. He has been offered a position at the Portland office with the same company. He has been with this company for over 10 years and although we were concerned that his time with David Evans and Associates was coming to an end we are happy to know that he has the opportunity to stay on with the same company. God has blessed us with this new opportunity in not only a new town but in a new state. He started working down there in September and usually goes down for 10 days at a time with with 4 days off and a few 13 day exceptions. He is getting pretty tired of living in hotels and will be glad when we are all together as a family again. He is currently preparing for the Oregon land surveying test so he will be licensed in both Washington and Oregon. We figures if he is going to be stuck in a hotel he might as well do some studying.
I am plugging along as best I can with Steve gone much of the time. Being home with 3 kids alone can be very challenging but for the most part I am up for the challenge. If it sounds like I am crazy, I probably am! :) Our house is up for sale right now and the biggest challenge is trying to keep it clean enough to show with 3 kids following along behind me making messes. I am right there with Steve looking forward to being together as a family again. Earlier this year I was working as a checker at our local grocery store because of Steve's cut hours. It was a great experience although it was very difficult to leave my family to go to work. It helped me to be so much more thankful for time with family and for being able to stay home with the kids. I had to quit when Steve started working down in Oregon and I was very glad to be staying home fulltime once again.
Steve has been working long hours out of town the last couple of months. We are thankful for the work after a very slow year at work and worries over potential layoffs. He has been offered a position at the Portland office with the same company. He has been with this company for over 10 years and although we were concerned that his time with David Evans and Associates was coming to an end we are happy to know that he has the opportunity to stay on with the same company. God has blessed us with this new opportunity in not only a new town but in a new state. He started working down there in September and usually goes down for 10 days at a time with with 4 days off and a few 13 day exceptions. He is getting pretty tired of living in hotels and will be glad when we are all together as a family again. He is currently preparing for the Oregon land surveying test so he will be licensed in both Washington and Oregon. We figures if he is going to be stuck in a hotel he might as well do some studying.
I am plugging along as best I can with Steve gone much of the time. Being home with 3 kids alone can be very challenging but for the most part I am up for the challenge. If it sounds like I am crazy, I probably am! :) Our house is up for sale right now and the biggest challenge is trying to keep it clean enough to show with 3 kids following along behind me making messes. I am right there with Steve looking forward to being together as a family again. Earlier this year I was working as a checker at our local grocery store because of Steve's cut hours. It was a great experience although it was very difficult to leave my family to go to work. It helped me to be so much more thankful for time with family and for being able to stay home with the kids. I had to quit when Steve started working down in Oregon and I was very glad to be staying home fulltime once again.
Collin is in third grade this year and just turned 9. He is happy to have the same teacher as last year and is doing very well in school. The big thing for Collin this year was getting glasses. He was actually thrilled to find out he needed glasses and couldn't wait to get them. He loves to draw and more often than not you will find him making books. His favorites is a series that he calls Stick Figure Wars. I think he is on chapter 18! He loves being a big brother to Allison and helps me out quite a bit with her.
Brian is a big kindergartner this year and turned 6 on Thanksgiving. He loves school and is reading books already. He even goes to a first grade class for math. He is doing exceptionally well in school and at his parent teacher conference his teacher kept telling me how smart he is. We couldn't be more proud of him. His favorite thing to do is to play with his legos. You will either find him building with legos or showing me all the different sets online. He is a lego maniac! He is definitely all boy and very active but is also my cuddlebug. Just like Collin he adores his little sister.
Allison turned 2 the day after Thanksgiving and has really been showing her independence. If she doesn't like something she will stomp her little foot and it is all I can do not to laugh. She definitely keeps us all smiling. She loves to play in her kitchen and bring us whatever she has made for us to sample. She is attached to her blanket and carries it around wherever she goes. She tries hard to keep up with the boys and being the younger sister of 2 boys is not only tough but a little daredevil as well. She will not even think twice about jumping off of things and recently fell backwards down some stairs at the McDonald's playarea and much to the surprise of another parent hopped right up and kept going. She keeps us all entertained and has been such a blessing to us.
Although this has been a year of challenges we are so thankful for so many things. We are excited for what is to come in the following year and to see what God has in store for us in Oregon. We hope that this Christmas season finds you well and counting the blessings that God has given you.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
P.S.
Here are some pics highlighting our year. If you would like to read about some of them and keep up with us throughout the year please visit our blog here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
