Happy Birthday, Noodle!!!

Raina had a fun birthday with all of her friends.She made and decorated her own birthday cake. The party was filled with beauty, games, and shows. Unfortunately, she didn't get what she really wanted....which is to be twelve years old instead of eleven. She can't wait to go to Young Women's, but alas....only 363 more days to go.

Beauty Stylists making their big-hair magic!!

Presents Galore!!

Fabulous Fashion Show!!

Singing at the Old-Folks Home!!

Then she got to attend a world-class piano-quartet concert and they played selections from Lizt, Dvorak, and at the closing, a rousing rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever. It was amazing to watch and enjoy virtuoso pianists perform these works of art.

Wooo-Hooo!!!

Adorable Aubree

Donating hair has become something of a tradition with the Williams' girls. This is the second time Aubree has donated 10 inches of her lovely locks to Locks of Love. She felt a little like "Jo" in Little Women at first and mourned for a couple of days after her hair cut, but now she is used to it and likes it. I think she's adorable with short hair.

Plus, we finally finished up her room. For her birthday last August, Aubree wanted to redecorate her room and chose turquoise, brown, and a little bit of purple for accents. I finally finished sewing her bedskirt and curtain, so now we can call it done. Guess who wants their room painted now? Yep, Raina wants lime green, yellow, turquoise, and fuchsia for her room. Yikes! I don't know why she doesn't stick with the fairies...they are so cute....but maybe thats the problem...she is growing out of cute and wants more of a tween look. Well, we will see how it turns out.

Nerds are people too!

Chad locked his keys in the van today at Home Depot and I dutifully jumped into Clifford (the big,red, SUV) and made my sojourn into Richfield. However, when I got there, I realized that I forgot the van keys, but heck--- that's ok...we'll just ride home together. So Raina and I went into the great and spacious building seeking out our key-less Chad. Up and down the isles we walked, and walked, and walked. No Chad. OK, it's time to call in reinforcements..."Will Customer Chad Williams please come to the front." Waiting, waiting, waiting. Not even a Chad look-alike came to the counter. I felt a little uneasy and the lady was eyeing me suspiciously, so I thought I'd better buy something. Luckily African Violets were within reach. After my magnanimous purchase we decided to wait outside by the van. No Chad. Hmmm.... what would Nancy Drew do? Well, we'll just run to the other big and spacious building (Wal-mart) and pick up some milk. 3 gallons later + $40, still no Chad. Perhaps he got a ride home, I deduced and surmised. As soon as I walked into my Monrovian home, "Mom, Dad is waiting for you at work." Ohhhh...my..heck. But at least I had the presence of mind to grab the van keys this trip out! All's well that ends well for '*cool nerds*' like us. We call days like this 'nutrolls'. What do you call yours?

TOP SECRET: Chad's new army training...cage fighting. Don't tell anyone or he will have to kill you. Seriously.

Reading is Rad

I have been reading some really good books lately and was going to do a little report each time I finished one, but that hasn't happened so instead I will give some thoughts about them.

Leo Tolstoy:

Family Happiness and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that each have vivid detail and deep truths that characterize his writing style. His main theme throughout these stories is "the only certain happiness in life is to live for others."

The Kingdom of God is Within You---Tolstoy's writing's deeply influenced Gandhi and his use of passive resistance. This book is the epitome of Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek. Although I don't completely agree with all of Tolstoy's sentiments, I learned why the Slavic/Russian people accepted Communism so readily. It was an ideology that broke away from the repression of the Orthodox church which stifled these people for hundreds of years.

Carolyn J. Rasmus:

Simplify- A guide to Caring for the Soul is a beautiful little book that teaches how relying upon the spirit will enable us to get out of the hectic pressures of life and into the stillness of peace and reassurance that God is aware of you.

C.S Lewis:

The Great Divorce is a parable about a bus ride from hell to heaven and how people won't accept the joy offered them because they choose to hold onto petty griefs, grudges, and hostile feelings. They basically damn themselves to living in a world of hell instead of forgiving and accepting the atonement of Jesus Christ.

W. Cleon Skousen:

The Five Thousand Year Leap will help anyone understand the basic function of government and the founding principles of our country. He explains the relationship between morality and freedom and how imperative this factor is in maintaining our liberty.

C.E. Sargent:

Our Home Vol. I. This is a gem of a book full of old-fashioned wisdom and homely advice. He describes how the home life influences culture and civilization. Included are some 'funny' tidbits about diet and the personality....don't give your kids too many sweets or they may turn out to be psychopaths or commit suicide. (There is probably a lot more truth to this than I realize...chocolate is one of my sins that I refuse to give up though.)

Brandt's funnies

Brandt made up these jokes while we have been learning about Ancient Greece.

Who made up the game of soccer? *Soc--ra--tee's.*

What's the philosophers favorite thing to play with? *Pla--to!*

Why is the philosopher afraid of water? Because he might lose *Air-is-totle* the sudden.

Why did the rock go to outer-space? To become a rock-star.

Gutenberg was the man! We visited a museum in Provo that chronicled the history the invention of the printing press and movable type. It took over 20 years to come to a workable solution which involved many hours of experimenting with metal alloys, inks, and machinery. Gutenberg had a lot of patience and was diligent in the problem solving process. I also think he was inspired because there were lots of considerations that he had to work through.

Here we are visiting the Revolutionary era room. The printing press made the Declaration of Independence readily available for the colonists to read which fortified their conviction and unified their alliances to each other as Americans to fight for liberty and freedom.

It is truly a miracle how the first printing of the Book of Mormon took place. 5000 copies of a book printed in 1830 was unheard of. And they did it in an unprecedented amount of time.

I highly recommend visting this little gem of a museum!! It is called the Crandall Museum and is located in downtown Provo. What a treat it was! Thanks Wagner's for inviting us up for a lovely day.

Talon the Babe-Magnet

Boom-Chicka-Wow-Wow, Talon!

Talon is busy with Monroe City Youth Council and was sworn in as a new member last week. The group also got to tour the State Capitol and meet with the state senators and congressmen. It was a great experience and he would have liked to tell them a thing or two about laws and government.

Here he is ready for another concert with the Madrigal Choir. He is sure one handsome 15 and 3/4 year old young man.