Blake goes through the Temple 4-24-2010

The next day we were able to go to the MT. Timpanogos Temple with Blake to get his endowments out in preparation for his Mission to Johannesburg South Africa. This is always an emotional day for me and such a highlight as a parent. Carly had just gone through this very Temple in December. What a blessing to have two kids go through in such a short time. All of us outside after the Temple session.

I look at this picture ( with tears streaming down my face) and cannot believe that my babies are to this point in life. I can remember so vividly them running in and out of our home in Desoto, Texas when they were all so small. Tyler with his soccer gear or gathering kids to play street hockey. Carly in her swimsuit with the neighbor girls or standing at my door trying to scare me with the latest grass snake they found. Blake jumping on the trampoline free bird or working in the yard. (yes, even back then Blake liked yard work) It was a wonderful weekend of reflection for me. I am so grateful for GREAT kids!

Ace of Cakes...BLAKE!!

Blake has earned quit a name for himself as the CAKE BOSS! He loves to decorate theme cakes for people's birthdays. Amazingly he is pretty good at. I have to laugh a bit because the quality and taste of the cake is really not that important...it is ALL about the look! ;) Not only did we celebrate Tyler's graduation but we had Joel's birthday, Steve and my 27th Anniversary and Blake going through the temple all in a 2 day time frame. Blake is making this cake for Joel's Birthday. It is in the image of "TEX " ..Tyler and Kaylee's dog that Joel loves.

The Masterpiece! Joel, Blake, Tyler, Grant and TEX the dog.

While Blake created the cake the girls were busy making headbands. I have a crafty bunch of kids and I love that!

Joel blowing out the candles!

Happy 25th Birthday Joel!

Kaylee Turns 23....Blake and Another One Of His Famous Cakes!

Posted by Tyler: I guess Kaylee's Old Man Rivers jokes about me finally caught up to her this week as she turned 23! I can't really believe it, but we have almost been married for 3 years now! Kaylee is such an AMAZING person & I am so grateful for her everyday. She is one of the most kind, hard working, and talented people that I know. She is always teaching herself new skills - knitting, baking, sewing, quilting - it really is AMAZING because she seems to excel at all of them (okay, well Kaylee is not so good with balls but I think we can overlook that)! Anyway, I am not sure what I did to deserve such a wonderful wife but there is no doubt -there is none better!All that Kaylee wanted for her birthday was a nice dinner, so I skipped my soccer game (for those of you who know me, yes, this was a sacrifice) and did what I could. I marinated some tri-tip steak in a balsamic & rosemary sauce and we had grilled red potatoes and asparagus - I have to say that it was very good! Then on Friday we had Carly & Joel and Blake & Caroline over for a cake, wii, and Catch Phrase party! Blake has become quite the cake decorating master and showed up with one of his most impressive masterpieces. Due to Kaylee's knitting obsession Blake made a giant cupcake, complete with knitting needles & yarn! As you can tell from the pictures it really was very impressive - thanks Blake!

After cake we downloaded Tetris Party onto the Wii in honor of Carly's old e-mail address: tetris521! It is usually kind of hard to get Carly involved in the Wii parties, but she was into this one. All I can say is that I hope Carly & Joel can still be friends after Joel claimed the Tetris King title!

For those of you who haven't had the honor of playing Catch Phrase with Blake Williams, all I have to say is that you should make it a life goal! Every time we get together for these parties we try to do a round of Catch Phrase and every time Blake is the most entertaining part of the game. In recognition of the fact that 1) you probably have to know Blake to think this is funny AND 2) you probably had to be there; nevertheless, let me share a classic Blakeism from last night's Catch Phrase party:
Blake: Okay guys, this is another religious one. This is when you get on your knees at night.
Blake's Team: Pray!
Blake: Yes, but the active form...
Team: Praying!
Blake: [as time runs out] Oh wait, NO - it is actually an INSECT! I forgot to read the WHOLE word before I started! It was PRAYING MANTIS!
Anyway, maybe my mom will at least get a kick out of that but it had us all on the ground laughing for a couple of minutes! Thanks Blake for always providing the comic relief!
Posted by Tyler and Kaylee at 1:23 PM 0 comments

BLAKE'S MISSION CALL

WOW....the house was full of excitement this day and it couldn't have been more perfect! Steve had just landed in Dallas (on a weekend visit) at 7 PM. We had set 10 Pm for a skype call. We were all dying to know where Blake would be sent for two years on a mission. All I wanted was for him to go someplace SAFE! We had all played the game of picking where we thought he would go. (in fact I wish I had that list to post) but I do not think that any of us even came close. I do know that I guessed South America or New York, Grant said Texas ;) Tyler guessed Billings Montana, Camille guessed South America. Steve said Russia....If you had a guess let me know I will add it.

Blake called about 8:30 to say his teacher at LDSBC had let class out early so that he could go home and open his call. We quickly moved the call up to 9 PM. Blake went over to Tyler and Kaylee's, We were all home. Carly was sick so we had Carly and Joel on speaker phone. Blake's voice was shaking when he read it and I was so teary and nervous. He is going to...................

Johannesburg, South Africa!! What??!! WOW on the other side of the world! He was to report to the MTC in South Africa on July 8th. We got a call from our Stake President (President Gottfredson) a couple days later to say that Salt Lake had called and now wants him to report to the MTC in Provo on the 7th. We are not really sure why, but it works out well as now we will all be able to make the trip to Lake Powell with the Goodmans (Carly's in-laws) before Blake reports to the MTC. (by the way I have no idea why the 7up is sitting there ;)

Us watching as Blake reads his call.

Although I am a bit nervous...I know that Blake will be on the Lord's errand and will be protected. We all believe that he will be a fabulous missionary. Blake has a unique, happy and giving personality and adds so much to our family. We will all miss him and Cheer for his success! We love you Blake.

5 Nice Things about.....

This made me laugh. I was putting cloths away in Blake's bedroom when I saw this piece of paper taped up on his mirror. In his hand writing it says...5 nice things about my brother Blake. Then in Camille's hand writing she lists the 5 things... When Camille...says anything negative Blake makes her stop and say nice things....It has become a little joke. I found out later that Camille had a note on her mirror as well of 5 nice things he listed about her...Of course the lists are funny as well... I will miss Blake when he is gone. He adds a lot of humor to our lives.....

Click on the picture to read the list for yourself...ENJOY! ;)

Blake sells his business.....8-2009

Blake has built a pretty nice lawn care business over the past few years. He had several lawns and was always doing odd jobs for people. It kept him really busy and he has quite the business mind. He had employee's and everything. If he needed new lawn equipment he would go out and purchase it. It didn't matter the cost he just took care of it. Most important he took care of us! He was always on top of our yard work at home and the office. It was so nice to have our personal gardener. Blake is heading off to school in Utah this month so he had to sell the business. He worked and negotiated it all by himself.

Blake and all of his" treasured" lawn equipment and trailer. Here he is taking his Blake Lawn Care signs off the trailer. (We now have the signs hanging up in his room...oh joy)

The hand shake. (Blake sold to Jeff, a friend he met while working at Sky Creek Ranch Golf Course)

There goes a bunch of memories. I don't even own an lawn mower anymore. I hope I like my new yard guy!

As he drove away...Blake said. "I feel like I should cry!" Then he headed straight to the bank!

The Boys Hike Timp! 7-2009

Posted By Tyler:
On Wednesday (July23,2009) my dad, brother Blake, and myself left bright and early to hike Mt. Timpanogos. My dad has always wanted to do this hike and we finally took the time to make it happen. We were on the Alpine Loop Trail at 5:30 in the morning and decided that after making it to the summit we would come down the Timponoke Trail in order to see the whole mountain. Although I was a little worried about it, my dad did really well and we made it all the way to the top in pretty good time! We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the scenery.
Looking down at Emerald Lake from the summit.

Blake at Emerald Lake.

Blake and I at the very top of Timp. You really feel like you have accomplished something looking down from here.

Blake's Captain Moroni pose.

Almost to the Saddle.

Happy Fourth of July 2009

We had a great time on the fourth of July at the Connel's beautiful home. We had a BBQ, swam and visited until it was time to watch fireworks. We had a perfect seat from their backyard over looking a beautiful golf course and view.

Here Steve is swimming with Grant and Tanner. Grant swam and jumped off the diving board non-stop for four hours! Needless to say he was asleep before we got home!

Camille visiting with our friends the Rousseau's.

Camille taking our picture. Can you tell how HOT it was. We love Texas Summers. ;)

Blake went to the party for a little bit and then he had a hot date! Blake and 3 of his"ladies"
watched the fireworks from the back of his truck on the "love Sac"! The things that boy comes up with! All in all it was a fun and relaxing day. A day we all needed.

It is important to remember why we get to celebrate this day to being with. I am so thankful to be blessed enough to live in this great country. Thank you to all of the men and women who have made the USA ...the land of the FREE. I love this quote:

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who do us harm. -George Orwell

BLAKE..need I say more??

Blake left yesterday on a High Adventure Camp out as a LEADER.... yikes!! If that is not scary enough he decided to cut his own hair as well.

Here he is buzzing his OWN hair. Check out those sun burnt shoulders! After....... He did a pretty good! I just had to even out the back.

My skinny boy. I had a good friend tell me once that she was going to report me to child services for starving Blake! Ha Honest he does eat. :)

Blake striking his pose....the morning of the camp out. Blake and that HAT!

You know what I have learned over the years is that no matter how old your son is, you will always worry about him when he is gone to camp. I have had anxiety all week about Blake leaving. I felt like he was 12 again and going on his first camp out. I hate it but I guess for mothers it is like loosing a bit of control. No one can take care of your kids like you do. The other thing I have learned over the years is that this is exactly the kind of thing that builds men! We have to let go at some point but we don't have to like it! Hurry home Blake!!!!!!!

Prom Night 5-15-2009

BLAKE THE DESIGNER!!
Blake was asked by a friend (Lauren) from the Colleyville Ward to go to her high school prom in Grapevine. Since I was making a few of the flowers for the kids in my ward Blake wanted to be involved in making the corsage for Lauren. He was so funny and such a great help! Here he is putting the final touches on his masterpiece. The finished masterpiece! He may have found a new talent! :)

Here he is getting ready for the big night. It turned into a family affair. The HOT pink was a little girly for him but he looked great!

OK seriously Mom..... NO MORE PICTURES!!!

My favorite of the photo Shoot!! HA HA Such a classic boy pose... The bad thing about being the boys parents we did not get to see them together!

Examples in Action

Blake and Camille had the wonderful opportunity to attend our Stake's Youth Conference over the weekend. They were involved in a super service project for a neighboring community's senior center. The service was to build 1/4 mile sidewalk for a walking trail for the center, paint a play ground and clean a baseball field of weeds and over growth. The city put up the 20K for the materials and the kids and others donated their time. Everyone questioned if this could really be achieve in 2 days! They did it!!!!!!

Here Camille is smoothing out the concrete. Blake, Lauren, and Wren

Corrine and Stephanie.

Steve was able to attend one day and came home with a glowing report. How impressed he was with the magnitude of the project. What a wonderful project it was to have their kids involved in something bigger then themselves. He praised the leaders, the volunteers and the KIDS!!

They also had plenty of social time. The had dinners, speakers and even a dance. It was a fun and fulfilling weekend. My kids came home exhausted but both were thrilled to be apart of this wonderful activity. Thanks to all those that made it happen!!

Move over Picasso...

Blake Loves abstract art! He even spends time looking at it on the computer. Last year he came up with the idea to paint a "masterpiece" for his room. I must say that even though It is not my kind of art. IT looks great and it was a fun idea. Well he decided this week that he wanted to ADD to his COLLECTION... It was a fun family affair. His friend Heather came over for the event as well. We ALL added our touch to the painting. Even Dad who wrote DAD with dots...

In process of becoming a masterpiece!

Grant even got in on the action. These are two of his creations.

The finished piece of ART!

What more could a boy want in his room...Abstract art work and a coke machine!! :)

Lunch Anyone??

So we woke up to a cold rainy morning today. I heard Camille laughing and bit of commotion in the kitchen but didn't think much of it. I later learned that Blake's work had called to tell him not to come in today because of the weather (He works for a golf course landscaping crew) Even though he has already graduated from HS he decided that since he was already up he would attend early morning seminary and take Camille. I was thrilled because that meant that I could stay in bed!!!! Cam was running late so Blake decided that he would make lunch for her. Now I WISH I had been up so I could have taken pictures but all I can do is try to describe what Camille was laughing about when she got home from school. She said that he duct taped the brown paper lunch bag shut and then put pumpkin stickers on top of the duct take. He wrote "Sister" on the outside. He made a sandwich and wasn't sure if she wanted it cut on a diagonal or in half so he did both! Then on a sticky note he wrote CTR, and Return with Honor and stuck in on the sandwich. What a kid! This was classic goofy Blake.
Boy, I guess I can learn from him. I have been pretty boring all of these years. I thought I was pretty creative writing "I love you" or something original like that!! :)

Your're Gonna Miss This!

There is this great little song called You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins (you can listen to it at the bottom of my blog) That song goes through my mind on occasions like this..... Grant's new thing is to run or bike to meet Camille coming home from school as soon as he hears her bus go by. If Blake is home he gets in on the action as well. Than after that Grant and Blake will ride/skate around the neighborhood. It is a highlight for Grant and he looks forward to that event all day!!
Grant on his daily run to meet Camille... Bake long boarding down the street

The boys off to meet Camille!

The boys heading out for their ride around the neighborhood!

I came home yesterday from Costco and Blake was out trimming all of my trees and cleaning out the flower beds. I never even asked him to do any of that. It was such a good feeling to have that done. Thanks Blake!

Grant says hey Mom put me in that tree and take a picture of me. :) Who wouldn't do that?!

Camille and Grant posing with all of the things that he made at school that day. Grant was Chef for the day and they even made Banana bread. Camille showing off the scary face Grant made to scare his friend. They are all such great buddies!

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT ......I 'M GONNA MISS ALL OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!