The Williams Family: 2011

For my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, we went on a 5 day cruise from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Everyone made arrangements to leave the 11 grandkids home and off we went!

It was an amazing trip and surpassed my expectations for fun.....

Travis and I had t-shirts made with my parents' wedding picture on the back:

My parents, Juanita and Rollin, with my sisters, Emily and Jamie, me and brother, Josh:

We swam with the dolphins in Cabo.......Everyone LOVED the wetsuits....hahaha

Travis and I swam with an 18 year old dolphin named Nacho......he was awesome

He kissed me on the cheek over and over.....it was hilarious!

My parents with Travis and me:

I got to cuddle and hold a lion cub......his name was Randy and his brother Tomas is in Jodi's arms....they are 3 months old

Travis and I on the cruise ship one evening waiting for a comedy show to begin:

This was the "elegant" evening attire....it was also lobster night. Travis was so happy about that.

Travis and I went on a 2 tank dive in Cabo. The water was so cold to me and the visibility was okay, I've been spoiled in the Caribbean.

Here is Travis saying "Hi."

Nice close-up, huh?

Posing with Pablo, the iguana (I love the sombrero)

Olivia started cheer this Spring.....how cute is she in that uniform??

Ryan doing some damage on the soccer field:

Ethan leading the pack on his team, the Suns:

Ella played a mean defender:

My 38th Birthday.......March 12th. Few things bring me as much joy in life as my birthday and good food. I love my birthday and plan for weeks all the fun I will have. I began the festivities with a red velvet cupcake from "The Coffee Shop" at Agritopia. I put it on a pretty plate and ate it in happy delight:

I also enjoyed a free car wash at Danny's Car Wash and then picked up a free dozen at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. (for the kids, of course. I don't want to look like a complete PIG)

Then it was off the Liberty Market with my mom and sisters for brunch (also free on your birthday)

My family showered me with wonderful gifts and cards. Even Max the cat was included in a card.

I also saw 2 movies (free popcorn at Harkins on your birthday) and went to dinner at Joe's Farmgrill (also free on your birthday) I had an ahi tuna burger and sweet potato fries. It was all delicious. I'd have to say the theme of my day was "See how much free stuff you can get on your birthday"......not too bad.

We celebrated the next day with the rest of my family, including my brother-in-law, Christian's, birthday, which was on the 10th. He is holding Paisley, my niece and we are sharing a not so attractive, but delicious cake that I made.

A couple months ago I was called to serve as 2nd counselor in Relief Society. This means I teach the lesson every 3 months and today was my day....

I got to choose the topic (which makes it all the harder in many ways) so I picked a conference talk that stood out to me in October by President Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most."

This is a time of resolutions and fresh starts and deciding what is working or not working in my life. It was such a great lesson for me to evaluate my life and the past year. In some ways, I've allowed myself to get distracted by many things. President Uchtdorf stressed the importance of getting back to the basics in the Gospel. There are 4 key relationships that matter most in our lives: our relationship with God, our families, our fellowman, and ourselves.

I'm so thankful for living prophets to give guidance that is relevant to my life. It helps keep me on track or get back when I wander off a little.

Here is what our family has been up to lately:

Olivia is 12 years old and in 7th grade at Highland Junior High School.

She plays violin in Orchestra and recently made the Cheer Squad that will cheer for girls' basketball in the Spring. She continues to take piano lessons and started a cheer class to learn tumbling and jumps. She is so into make up, hair, clothes, jewelry and shopping.......it is a scary thing! She earns her own money babysitting and is very good at it. She is a loving, kind, talented, beautiful girl and I can't believe she is my daughter!

Ethan is 8 years old and in the second grade at Challenger Basic School. He continues to astonish everyone with his intelligence and quick wit. His teachers have all discovered how helpful he is to other students in need so he continues with the unofficial role of student helper. He plays soccer, rides his bike, plays with friends and recently started rollerblading. He also excels at piano, which he started this past summer. His greatest passion in life is the Wii. He would play it 24 hours a day if we let him.

Ella is 8 and also in the second grade at Challenger Basic School. She keeps Travis and I entertained with the most interesting and hilarious comments about life. She is a prankster and loves to watch for "slug bugs" while driving around. It's a game Travis started with the kids whenever they see a VW Bug they call out "Slug Bug" first and they get to slug someone. If the Bug has a convertible top it's worth 2 slugs. So the other day Ella shouted out "Slug Bug with a hoodie!" So now we call all convertibles "hoodies."

Ella takes tumbling and piano lessons, usually begrudgingly......she is our resident home body and loves to just hang out. She is social, creative, loves to cook and bake, and play with cousins and friends. I just love this girl and find joy in her sweet personality!

Ryan is now 6 and in kindergarten all day at Challenger Basic School. He is our "Little Man." He has looked like one since birth but sure loves his role as the youngest in our family. Everyone who knows Ryan, school and church teachers, other parents, love and appreciate Ryan and his sense of humor. He keeps everyone entertained with his candid comments about EVERYTHING. He wears his feelings on his sleeve and leaves nothing unsaid. We repeatedly have to talk to him about what is appropriate to share. We never know what to expect next. Those big brown eyes and mischievous smile make my heart melt.

I surprised Travis on Thanksgiving Eve with a new truck he was drooling over. I made all the arrangements with Brian Jones Ford Dealership in Wickenburg.....it was the most fun I've had in a while. I had it parked in my sister's garage and made up a story to stop by. I opened the garage and he was completely shocked! He couldn't believe, a. I knew how to contact the dealership, and b. I would by a vehicle without his knowledge.

I loved doing it and think I might win "Wife of the Year" for this stunt.......