twinniebar1mi

Latest happenings in Michigan!

2009-06-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything. Since I've last posted, Nick was given two horses. They are both American Paints. The first one he got is named "Whiskey." Whiskey turned three years old on June 2nd. A few weeks later he brought home "Bourbon." Bourbon turned two years old on April 29th. Even though Bourbon is younger, he is quite a bit bigger than Whiskey. They are actually half brothers, as they have the same father.

This is bourbon

Here are Whiskey on the left and Bourbon on the right. They are eating some grain.

Then, on the 23rd of June, Tim, Jill & Malachi flew in to Detroit. They are staying till July 17th. No one here in Michigan had met Malachi yet, except for me (Nana) and Jill's parents, because we all flew to California to meet him back in January.

Pop Pop feeding Malachi a bottle.

Sitting out on the back deck.

Malachi loves this Jump-a-Roo. Michael's girlfriend, Laura, lent it to Tim & Jill to use while they are in Michigan.

Malachi is the most pleasant baby ever. He is always smiling!

When he first got here, Tim took off with the boys to go to the lake. It was time for Malachi to eat, and Tim took all the bottles with him. I found one of James' old baby bottles in the cupboard, so Jill used that. Malachi is used to a certain kind of bottle, so he was a little fussy and would only let his mommy feed it to him. He loves his mommy!

Tim and his little buddy, "Mac."

He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and fourth. He should be crawling in the next few weeks - hopefully he starts crawling while he is in Michigan!

These are the sunglasses that James used to wear when he was a baby!

Uncle James & Malachi. Uncle James was supposed to be at wrestling camp, but somehow he overslept and missed his ride. He was bummed that he missed his ride, till his little nephew showed up later in the day!

Uncle Michael getting to know his little nephew.

Uncle Nicholas playing with Malachi. Nick has poison ivy on his arm, so he isn't going to hold Malachi till it is all cleared up.

Nick has a way with babies, and he had Malachi laughing out loud. It was so cute!

Malachi got up a little early one morning, so James got to see him again before he left for wrestling camp.

Did I mention that Nick had a couple of horses given to him???

Nick and Whiskey

Whiskey & Bourbon have never been broke to ride, but Nick has been working with Whiskey since he got him. Here is James getting on Whiskey. James is the first ever rider.

Nick has a saddle for Whiskey, but for his first time having someone ride on him, James is riding bare back.

Nick leads, while James just hangs on. That is step one in the riding process.

I got to be the second rider. This time Nick put the saddle on him.

Whiskey is such a gentle horse.

Margie & Whiskey. Margie & Jacob had come out here for a long weekend over the 13th of June. Well, Whiskey decided to get out of his fence one afternoon and we had to go searching for him. He had wandered down the road almost two miles and found more horses, so the farmer that lived there put Whiskey in one of his fenced in areas till we came to get him.

And this is Isaiah on Whiskey. Isaiah is the son of Michael's girlfriend, Laura. Isaiah will be two years old on Oct. 26th. He was so happy to be sitting on the horse, that he cried when it was time to get off!

New Pictures of Malachi - My Grandson

2009-04-06T13:58:00.001-07:00

These are the most recent pictures Jill sent me of my adorable grandson, Malachi. He is getting so big! He will be three months old on April 8th.

Tim & his little boy, Malachi (aka "Mac")

Tim likes to cut the sleeves off of his old t-shirts, so he thought his little baby should look just like him. Jill wasn't too keen on the idea of cutting up her baby's clothes, but she found this U of M t-shirt and she didn't care what Tim did with it. (She is an MSU alum.)

He is a Michigan State fan, just like his mommy - Go Spartans!

Here he is modeling his new bathing suit. He's been to the beach a couple of times already in his short little life!

Here's Malachi & his mommy.

He looks like he is getting so big.

Hudson Tiger Wrestling Team - STATE CHAMPS 2009!!

2009-03-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

On March 7 & 8, the Hudson Tiger Wrestling Team competed in the Division 4 Team State Wrestling Championships held at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, MI. To make it to the State Championships, Hudson won their District and Regional. Then, in the first round of the State Meet on Thursday, the 7th, Hudson FINALLY beat Bronson 37-25. Back in 2002 & 2003 Hudson had made it to the State Meet and lost in the first round to Bronson, so this win got that monkey off their back! On Saturday, the 8th, Hudson had to wrestle undefeated Iron Mountain - a team from Michigan's Upper Pininsula. Hudson was able to beat Iron Mountain 41-22. This win moved Hudson into the Championship Finals against Hesperia, a team from the West side of Michigan who had beaten Hudson last year in the first round. It was a very intense match, as Hudson found itself losing 23-13 with only five matches left. That might not seem like a lot, but in wrestling, that is huge. (Oh yea, Hesperia is the returning Divison 4 State Champion Wrestling Team from 2008 and have been ranked first all season long, with Hudson ranked 2nd right behind them.) Hudson ended up winning the last five matches to beat Hesperia 31-23 to win THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! This is the first ever State Championship that Hudson High School has won in any sport since the MHSAA started having playoffs back in the 70's! Needless to say, the whole town is very excited. I think just about the whole town of Hudson showed up for this historic occasion!

Here is James receiving his State Championship Medal

James & some of the team (his buddy, Devan, who went to French Creek a couple years ago is on the bottom right)

The 2009 State Champion Hudson Tigers Wrestling Team

James with the State Championship Trophy

They're excited!

There are seven sophomores on the team - Jesse, Dakota, Matthew, Tyler, James, Grant & Camden

Visiting My Grandson

2009-02-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

I flew to California on January 25th. I didn't arrive till 10:30 p.m. California time, which is 1:30 a.m. Detroit time. Tim picked me up at the airport in Santa Ana. I am staying in California till Feb. 7th - plenty of time to get to know my new grandson!

Nana & Malachi getting acquainted

Jill snuggling with her new baby boy

Tim & Malachi

Uncle Kyle & Malachi - Kyle lives with Tim & Jill -
he is also stationed at Camp Pendleton in CA

Here is Tim giving Malachi a bath

Malachi does not mind his bath at all -
even when Tim squirts the water right
in his face!

Chillin' on Mom's lap

Isn't he adorable?!

Uncle Kyle & Malachi relaxing on the couch

Isn't he just the cutest?!

My grandson, Malachi

Road trip - we are on our way to Camp Pendleton. We are
going to go to Del Mar Beach, which is located right on
Camp Pendleton

We passed by Kyle's workplace - he is a crew chief
on a CH-46 helicopter - his squad is
HMM-364 - the Purple Foxes

These are the CH-46 helicopters

We ate lunch on the beach, then Malachi
needed his diaper changed

Okay, we're ready to stroll the beach!

Jill, Tim & Malachi at the beach on
Camp Pendleton

Nana & Malachi

Nana & Malachi again

Can you read what Jill wrote in the sand?
Tim, Jill & Uncle Kyle call Malachi, "Mac"

We were actually looking for sand dollars and
sea shells, when Tim found a crab

The crab Tim found

The rocks actually had sea shells stuck to them

Here's a close-up of the shells on the rocks

While we were walking on the beach, some
AAV's (Amphibious Assualt Vehicles) came
riding up the beach

They rode thru the water then up the beach
to the road

Here's one after it left the beach, going
back to the AAV parking lot, I guess

Here is a CH-46 helicopter that flew over us

And here is an L-CAC, which is like a
giant hover craft, out in the ocean

We did find a lot of sand dollars and some
cool shells

That is my trip to California so far...

Did I Mention I Have a Grandson??

2009-01-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, January 8th, I became a Nana. (Chuck became a Grandpa, too!) Malachi Cash Williams entered this world at 9:28 a.m. (California time). He weighed 7 lbs. and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was born at The Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, CA. His very proud parents are Tim & Jill Williams.

Malachi Cash Williams

Malachi is holding Uncle Kyle's finger - they're going to be such buddies!

Jill with her new son. Notice the hat - Jill is a Michigan State Spartan alumni!

The proud daddy with his son

The Williams family in California - Tim, Jill, Kyle & Malachi

Dad, Mom & Malachi

This is the outfit Malachi wore home from the hospital - Go Wings!

Malachi is home now. Here's Uncle Kyle hanging out with him

Mom & Malachi snuggling

Resting in his pack-n-play

Just chillin'

He's napping in his hospital t-shirt

Dad & Malachi napping

Timmy & Malachi

Kyle is home from Iraq!!!

2008-10-08T18:36:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, October 4th, Kyle returned to Camp Pendleton, Calif. from Iraq. Tim, Jill & their friend, Adolfo, were there to greet Kyle. Tim thought it would be fun to make Kyle a welcome home sign because he knew Kyle would be very embarrased by it.

This is Adolfo and Tim hanging the sign. They made it out of a tarp.

Yep, Kyle was embarrassed, but he was glad to be home and see Tim & Jill.

They painted both sides of the tarp for Kyle. Isn't it cute??!!

Here's Jill & Kyle - doesn't Jill look good? She is pregnant with my first grandchild (a boy), who is due in January.

More pics of Kyle in Iraq

2008-07-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures on the official website for Kyle's squadron. The caption under the photos explains what they are doing. (I didn't write the captions, I copied them from the website!) Their squadron's website is: www.hmm-364.org just in case anyone is interested.

Swifty Aircrew LCpl Smith and Cpl Williams providing security
for a weapons cache until EOD could take over. Normally such
tasks are not assigned to “Wingers”, but the word has gotten out
across the AO that the Marines of HMM-364 are not only proficient Aircrew, but they can hold their own on the ground as well! Can I get a MAGTF!?!

(Kyle is on the far right in the green t-shirt)
Aircrew pictured here shortly after completing a sand table exercise with members of 1st Tanks. It was highly motivating and beneficial for the tankers to learn from the Swifty Aircrew who are experienced in operating REAL war machines…...ie Battle Phrogs

Did I Mention Kyle is in Iraq?

2008-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

While we were all enjoying ourselves at Luke and Erin's wedding, Kyle was, and still is, in Iraq - fighting the war on terror. Kyle is a crew chief on a CH-46 helicopter, so here are a few pics of Kyle on his helicopter.

Here he is relaxing - listening to his ipod and playing cards.

This is his seat when they are flying (which they are doing there).

Kyle catching the view out the back door.

This is the gun that he shoots out the window.

Here he is shooting the gun (this was just a practice mission - not really shooting at anyone).

And this is what Iraq looks like - hmm looks like the desert!

This is Kyle's helicopter in Iraq.

Luke & Erin's Wedding

2008-07-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here are just a "few" pictures from Luke & Erin's Wedding

This picture was taken at the rehersal the night before. Aunt Margie is showing Jill just how easy it is to hold a little baby....

So, here is Jill holding baby Jaxson - and he fell asleep. Oh, by the way, my daughter-in-law needs all the practice she can get because SHE IS PREGNANT!!!! I'm just a little excited!!

Tim, Michael & James are supposed to be rehersing, but I think they are probably getting a kick out of Jill practicing her mothering skills....

Look, he is still sleeping - now he has his little binky in.

WEDDING DAY

Here is Aunt Margie helping James with his cuff links.

And here is Aunt Barbara helping Jacob with his cuff links.

Michael is checking himself out - he's looking good!

Uncle Charley is wondering where everybody is, while Seth is fixing his tie.

Tim & Jill are ready. Did I mention that JILL IS PREGNANT?!

Looks like all the guys are ready - here's Uncle Charley, Michael, James, Seth, Jacob, Josh (Erin's cousin), Tim & Luke (he's the groom!)

Here's the Williams children (minus Kyle because he is in Iraq) at the church -James, Jill (WHO IS CARRYING MY FIRST GRANDCHILD!), Tim, Nicholas & Michael

James is getting his flower pinned on.

Nicholas & James signing the guestbook.

Uncle Ed, Nicholas & Chuck

The Williams Family (minus Kyle, who, as I mentioned earlier, is in Iraq "fighting the war on terror," as he puts it)

Gram & Tim

James escorting Julia to her pew

Tim, Michael & James looking handsome as ever!

The guys waiting for the girls - Luke, Jacob, Joshua, Seth, Tim, Michael & James

Mr. & Mrs. Luke DeBoer!

Nicholas and his beautiful Grammy!

Janet, Eric, Jared, Uncle Ed & Nicholas

Aunt Louise, Janet & Eric

Here's the Williams family again - did I mention that I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA?? JUST CALL ME "NANA!"

Charley & Margie

The Schnitzel Family

The Whitbeck Family

The Kreider Family

The new Mr. & Mrs. Luke DeBoer!

Tim & Jill (yep, TIM IS GOING TO BE A DADDY!!!)

Oh yea, the baby is due in January - Tim and Jill are moving to Okinawa, Japan in October, so "Nana" will be going to Japan in January - I am soooo excited!

My boys love each other!

They really do love each other!

Tim & Eric

My beautiful mother dancing with my hubby - mom, I hope I look as good as you when I am almost 78 years old!!!

Barb & Chuck

Julia & Nicholas

Here are James and Julia back in January, 1995 dancing at Rich & Trish's wedding - James had his bone marrow transplant in Sept., 1994, so his hair wasn't back yet from all the chemo he went thru.

And here are James & Julia dancing at Luke & Erin's wedding over thirteen years later. Wow, they are still adorable!

Michael & Jaxson

Gram with her three great grandchildren - Emma, Joshua & Jaxson

Hudson J.V. Baseball

2008-04-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

Baseball season has started. So far James' team is 0 & 4. They lost 10-8; 10-7; 12-2 & 16-6. They have mostly freshman on their team, so it might be a long season. Here are some pictures of James.

Batting

He got a base hit right up the middle

Tracking a pop-up at second base

This kid beat the throw and was safe at second

Coach talking to James between innings

James' pitching debut - they lost but he struck out five and only walked one. He gave up four hits, though.

Kyle's Helicopter Pictures

2008-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

Now that Nick is home from Iraq safe and sound, we are facing the fact that Kyle is headed there in March. He'll be leaving sometime during the first two weeks of March and will be gone for seven months. He is a crew chief on a CH-46 helicopter. Here are some pictures of Kyle in action.

Well this one isn't really an action shot, but isn't he so cute?!

Going for a ride in the helicopter.

Here is his 50 cal gun

Here he is shooting his gun out the window of the helicopter.

You can see the spent casings flying out of the gun in this pic.

Home From Iraq

2008-01-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Nick is home from Iraq. After spending one whole year on foreign soil, he's back in the States. He left Iraq on Thursday, January 17th along with 300 other Marines. They flew to Kuwait, then to Ireland, then to Hungary, then to Canada, then finally to Cherry Point, NC. From there the Marines boarded busses and arrived at Camp Lejeune about 11:00 a.m. today, Tuesday, January 22nd.

These trucks were carrying all of the "luggage."

Here come the busses!!!

Nick is looking for his Mom!

He found his Dad

Nick and his Mom (it was a little chilly when they arrived)

Nick found his "luggage"

A couple of buddies welcoming Nick home

Back into his barracks

Wow, he's home!

Nick showing Chuck his "widow maker"

Driving a civilian vehicle for the first time in six months (he had come home in June for two weeks, so he drove then, too)

Nick and my other "son," Joey Williams - Joey is also a Marine from Hudson, MI who is stationed at Camp Lejeune. He is a mechanic on a CH-53 helicopter.

Hillsdale OPC

2008-01-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today, January 13, 2008, Michael & James made their Public Profession of Faith and became the first members of Hillsdale OPC via Public Profession of Faith. Chuck and I also became members by letter of transfer from the CRC church we attended in Jackson, MI. Three other families joined church tonite via letter of transfer. We also had a baptism, so it was a busy nite at our church.

We have lived in Michigan since 1983 and transferred our membership from the OPC in Glenside, PA to the Jackson Christian Reformed Church in Jackson, MI. In 1996, we started attending Demmings Lake Reformed Baptist Church in Clayton, MI. That church moved to Adrian, MI and became the Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee. We still attend there on Sunday mornings because our new church doesn't have a.m. services yet.

This was such a special day for us because we have been waiting all of these years for an OPC work to start in our area. Now we just have to find a pastor!

Williams' Update

2007-12-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

My Eight-Point Buck

First, gun deer hunting season in Michigan starts on November 15th and ends on the 30th. On November 19th, I was driving bus #6 for Addison Community Schools, when an eight-point buck ran right into my bus. He broke the window on the door, dented in the front fender, and broke the lights in the front of the bus by the bumper. I called the bus garage and reported the accident, then I tried to call Chuck, his brother Dane, and Chuck's dad so one of them could come and get my prize. No one answered their cell phones, so one of the other bus drivers called her brother and he came and got the deer. He took the deer to get it processed, and when he got it back, he gave me the antlers, some deer jerky (which I sent to Nick in Iraq), and some summer sausage. Pretty cool, huh?!

Kyle's Attempt at Deer Hunting

Okay, Kyle came home for the holidays. He flew from San Diego, CA to Detroit on December 21st. We had a nice weekend visit. Then on Christmas Day evening, as Kyle was driving to his friend's house, he had a run-in with a doe. These pictures show the result. Needless to say, my Rendezvous is in the shop!

The Williams Children minus Tim, Jill & Nick

Kyle, Michael, James & Pudge

Here are the pictures my kids posed for while they were out back with their dad burning some brush. Aren't they all so cute?!

On Friday, the 28th of December we will be heading out to Pennsylvania. We're driving to Charley & Margie's in Wind Gap to welcome in the New Year. Kyle is leaving for Iraq in the beginning of March, so this will be the last time he sees any of my side of the family before he leaves. He'll be gone for approximately six months. So we're hoping to see more than just the DeBoer's for the New Year's holiday (hint! hint!).

Car Accident

2007-11-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday James was a passenger in a car that had a roll-over accident. His friend, Derrik, was taking James and four other boys to Derrik's house to wrestle. (One of the boys was Derrik's brother, Devan, who is James' friend that went to French Creek this past summer with James.) They were traveling on a dirt road that had just been graded. When dirt roads get graded, new dirt and stones are put down, making the road a bit more hazardous than usual. It was also a rainy day. Anyway, Derrik lost control of the car on an "S" curve. The car went down an embankment and into a swampy area. It landed on it's roof. James and Derrik were able to get their seat belts off after a couple of minutes. They had to climb into the back and open one of the back doors. Derrik got out first and helped the other boys out. James was last to get out of the car. Believe it or not, not one of the boys were seriously injured. The only injuries came after the accident when Derrik and James were trying to get the door open. Derrik has a scraped elbow, and James had a tiny cut on the palm of his hand.

Our New Church

2007-10-30T14:59:00.001-07:00

After living in Michigan since April, 1983, we finally have an OPC to attend that is less than 1 1/2 hours from our home. Our new church, Hillsdale OPC, is located in Hillsdale, MI, 15 minutes from our house. Services are being held at Hillsdale College for now. The first service was held on October 14th. As it happened, Aunt Dot and Julia were out here visiting us for the weekend, so they attended the very first service at Hillsdale OPC with us. You can visit our church's website at http://www.hillsdaleopc.org/.

This is a picture taken on Oct. 14th. In the first row from left is Aunt Dot & Julia then people we don't know YET. In the back row from left is James, Barb, some guy, and then Chuckie (he's hidden by the girl in the white shirt). Mikey isn't in the picture because he was using the rest room facilities when the picture was being taken. Oh well!

California Trip

2007-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Tim's unit was scheduled to come home from Iraq on October 1st, so Jill (my favorite daughter-in-law) and I drove from Michigan to California to get them settled into their new apartment and then meet Tim as he came in. (We also had their dog, Mojo, with us. He's an American Bulldog - quite well behaved if I do say so myself.) We decided to do some site-seeing on our way, so the trip took five days. The first two days were pretty boring, as the mid western states are mostly farmland. We spent our first nite in Lincoln, NE - I didn't take any pictures. The second evening we arrived in Estes Park, CO - what a beautiful town. Believe it or not, you can see elk just walking around without a care in the world.

Elk in Estes Park, CO

We got a hotel room and planned on driving around the next morning to see the sites. Well, it rained all that night, but by morning it was clearing up. The sky was still pretty cloudy, but at least the rain stayed away. We spent the morning and early afternoon just driving in the mountains and taking pictures.

Jill and I in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

After were finished seeing the sites in Colorado, we headed south. Our next stop was at "The Four Corners." That's where Arizona, Colorado, Utah & New Mexico all meet. You can actually stand in all four states at the same time. That was pretty cool.

At the "Four Corners"

After we were done at the four corners, we kept driving. We spent the night somewhere in Arizona (I forget where, right off the top of my head). The next morning we drove to the Grand Canyon. We spent the afternoon in the Canyon taking a million pictures (actually probably about 100 pictures). Pictures can't describe how beautiful that place really is.

Barb & Mojo at the Grand Canyon

Jill at the Grand Canyon

Jill & Mojo enjoying the scenery

That was the end of our site-seeing trip. We then drove all the way to Camp Pendleton and arrived there sometime in the afternoon. First thing we did was went and found Kyle. His "boss" let him out of work for about a half hour to come see us.

Kyle coming to meet us when we got to Camp Pendleton

Mojo saying "hi" to Kyle

We then went and got the keys to Tim and Jill's (and Mojo's) new apartment in Oceanside, CA. That was also the end of our "vacation," as we had to move their belongings out of storage and into the apartment. We were very happy that Kyle's unit gave him the whole weekend off so he could help us "move in."

Kyle getting home from "work" our first night in Oceanside

On Monday, we were at the base early to meet Tim's unit as they came in. They had flown from Fallujah, Iraq to Kuwait to Germany to Bangor, ME to March Air Force Base (CA) to Camp Pendleton. They had a nice picnic for all of the families as we waited for the buses to come in.

Barb & Kyle waiting in the lounge (Kyle's green suit is his work coveralls - his tan suit is his flight suit)

Kyle & Jill patiently waiting

Here come the busses!

After seven long months, Tim and Jill are back together!

Tim, Jill & Kyle

Kyle & Tim bring Tim's "luggage" to the truck

After seven months of wearing this camoflauge outfit, Tim is ready to put on civilian clothes again

Taking a walk on a beach that actually has water by it!

James

2007-09-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

James at one year old -
Back in May, 1994, James was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was very sick, and was in a coma for the first three weeks of his illness. Finally, on Sept. 12th of 1994 James had a bone marrow transplant, compliments of big brother, Nick, who donated some of his bone marrow to save James' life. It's hard to believe that it was 13 years ago. James is now a very healthy teenager.

This is James back in May, 1994 at Mott Children's Hospital at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.

Here is James on September 12, 1994 receiving his new bone marrow. The red stuff in the bag that looks like blood is actually Nick's bone marrow going into James via an I.V.

James at 14 years old -
It's football season, and I got a few more pics. James' team, the Hudson Tigers, have played four games already and their record is 4 wins and 0 losses. This past Thursday, James actually scored a touchdown. I was so excited that when I took the picture, I must have been shaking. Oh well. He actually caught two passes that night. The first one was a 19 yard reception, and the second one was a 27 yard reception that he ran in for a touchdown. One more pass was thrown
to him but was intercepted. Oh well! Here's a "few" pics.

This is James on the offensive line. He is a tight end.

Here he is catching his first pass of the night. He got tackled right away.

Here he is catching his second pass of the night. He ran about 10 more yards after catching it for the touchdown. How exciting!!!

On defense, James is a defensive end. Here he is waiting for the snap.

Here's a close-up of him playing defensive end.

And finally, here's a picture of him catching his breadth. He plays just about the whole game - offense and defense.

Football Season is Here!

2007-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

James is #88 (he picked the same number that his big brother, Nick, wore in High School).

School started on September 5th, but football games started on August 23rd. James plays on the J.V. team at Hudson High School. He is a tight end and defensive end. He starts on offense and defense - pretty good for a freshman! So far his team has played three games. They won the first one 47-0; won the second one 33-0; and won the third one 6-0 (it was a great game.) I take stats for the team. I have been the J.V. stat keeper since Tim was a sophomore in high school (way back in 1996). I took my camera with me to the second game, but wasn't happy with the pics I got. I'll take it to the next game and get a better pic of James to post. Until then, here's the best one I got of him.

Tim's Promotion

2007-08-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

On August 1st, at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Tim was promoted to Sergeant in the USMC. Congratulations Tim!

On September 22nd, Tim's wife, Jill (my favorite daughter-in-law) and I are leaving on our road trip to California. Tim is scheduled to come home from Iraq on or about October 2nd. Jill and I are going to drive out there and get her settled in their new apartment. I'm so looking forward to seeing Tim again. The last time I saw him was in March when I flew out to California to see him leave for Iraq.

Oh yea, since Kyle is now stationed at Camp Pendleton, I will get to see him, also. We did see Kyle a couple of times this summer, but I never get tired of seeing my sons!

Home from French Creek

2007-07-30T07:34:00.001-07:00

Wow - Michael, James, Devan (James' buddy from MI) & I arrived back in Michigan around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Back to life out in the middle of nowhere!

Anyway, here are a few of my pictures from our week at 5-6 camp (if you click on the individual picture, it will become full-size)....

First a group picture.

Next - these are the girls that missed the group picture. They seemed to be fashionably late for meals a few times.

Here's a picture of the girls trying to teach counselor Lisa Fuhrmeister and I this cool little cheer where you slap the table. I don't know what the kids call it, but it was fun to watch them all do it. If I was there a week or two longer, I might have mastered it. I must be getting old!

Here's a picture of some of the girls doing the cheer the right way. They are professionals!

Here's Dan, James & Devan singing along with the campers.

Here's James and Devan playing on the computer (after singing, of course!)

Here's Devan, Mikey & Jacob.

And here's Mikey and Jacob doing push-ups in the mess hall.

And now for pics of the relatives that were up there with us for the week....

First we have Allegra looking very excited about working on her clan poster!

Here's Marisa Duggan & Dana Schnitzel thinking about what they want their poster to look like.

Here's Julia and her kitchen staff friends watching the goings-on in the mess hall.

Here's Allegra patiently waiting for Uncle Charley to finish reading her mail to the camp.

Marisa and friends enjoying the spagetti.

Margie & Dana chatting on the porch.

Jared Meilahn playing ping pong.

And last but not least, Jared, Aunt Margie & Aunt Louise.

Getting Ready for French Creek 2007

2007-07-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

We'll be heading to French Creek in less than a week. The boys and I will be driving to Wind Gap on Friday, then it's up to camp on Monday for the 5th & 6th grade camp. Last year was our first year back in probably 10 years. We had such a good time that we're doing it again this year.

Here's a group picture.

Breakfast in the mess hall.

Seth came up for a visit one day. That's James, Barb, Charley, Seth, Michael & Jacob

Kittens

2007-07-14T16:52:00.001-07:00

Aren't they adorable????!!!! They were born on May 29th to the big kitty in the picture. We never did name that cat - so I guess her name is "Kitty." Anyway, we'll be driving out to PA next Friday or Saturday (July 20 or 21), so if anyone would like one, I'd be more than glad to bring it out to you. The blonde kitten is a male - the other two are females.

Our other cat, Kuching (Indonesian, meaning "cat" - we got her from my Indonesian sister-in-law), had eight kittens just today. Kuching's mother is half siamese and half mutt, and her father is full blooded bengal cat. She's a very affectionate cat. So, if you'd rather wait and have one of her kitties, they'll be ready some time in August.

Here are a couple of pictures of Kuching and her kitties.

If mom lets me, I'm going to visit her at the shore when she goes, so I can bring those kittens with me then.

Weekend at the Williams'

2007-06-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

We had a very busy weekend here in Pittsford, MI. Here are some of the pics:

First of all, did you know that no matter how old they get, it never gets easy taking a group picture? Here's Jacob, Michael, Kyle, Jill, James and Nick posing in the living room.

While all the boys were at the race track (Michigan International Speedway) with their Grandpa, the girls (& James & Kyle) went to Lauren's graduation open house. It was a nice little picnic. Here's Kyle & Lauren.

Here's Dottie, Julia, James, Jill & Margie enjoying each other's company.

Jill & Chuck decided to join the rest of the race fans at MIS. Here's Michael, Jill, cousin David Williams (he's also a U.S. Marine who was up from Camp Lejeune to visit Nick), Nick & Jacob.

What is a visit to Michigan without a trip to Grandma's, who happens to live on a lake?! Here's the kids after a swim: Nick, Kyle, James, Jacob, Julia & Jill.

Aunt Margie, Jacob, Kyle & Jill all left early Monday morning. Aunt Dot & Julia stayed till Tuesday. Here's Aunt Dot & Julia riding the four wheeler. Aunt Dot is giving Julia instructions. Pudge is keeping his eye on them!

Time to get out the guns. Here's Julia shooting a civilian model of an AK-47 (I think that's what the boys said it is). Nick is giving instruction.

Here's Aunt Dot shooting a pistol.

Can you believe she hit that water bottle? Aunt Dot and Julia are very good shots!

Nick is Home!

2007-06-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Nick arrived in Atlanta via Germany this morning at 6:50 a.m. At 12:20 p.m. he arrived in Detroit to the waiting arms of his youngest brother, James. He is so glad to be home! His flight from Germany was a commercial flight with all military personnel on board - all going on their two-week leave from Iraq (mostly Army with only 7 Marines on board). His flight from Atlanta to Detroit was a civilian flight, so the captain announced his and one other Marine's name over the loud speaker as being special guests on their flight. After the applause died down, the beer arrived. Nick said everyone on the plane wanted to buy him a beer!

Nick and James at the airport in Detroit

Nick, James, Michael & Pudge

Nick and mom

Nick is Coming Home!!!

2007-06-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

Nick is on his way home. Since he's in Iraq for 15 months, he gets to come home for two weeks. We are all so excited. He left Fallujah on Sunday, June 10th. He called today (the 12th) and is now in Kuwait. He leaves Kuwait in the morning (the 13th) and flies to Ireland. From Ireland he flies to Atlanta, then to Detroit. Aunt Margie, Jacob, Aunt Dottie and Julia are driving out this weekend to visit us all. Kyle is flying from Camp Pendleton Thursday night to Detroit, and Jill (my favorite daughter-in-law) is coming from Dearborn Heights, MI on Friday. I'll post pictures when I get them. In the meantime....

here's Nick and two Iraqi soldiers

Here's Nick in the outfit he wears everyday. Well, he probably doesn't keep the goggles on all day or the helmut, but you get the idea.

James' Baseball Season

2007-06-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

James is playing baseball this summer for the first time since he was about 8 years old. Michael is the assistant coach.

Here's Mikey giving James some tips before he goes up to bat.

James up to bat.

James even pitches. In this game he pitched two innings. He struck out 5, walked one and hit one. Not too shabby!

James' Track Season

2007-05-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

James running the 800 meter run - he took 1st

James clearing the bar in the high jump. His best so far is 4'10", but he just started doing the high jump a week ago. His goal is 5'.

Nick & Tim in Iraq

2007-04-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Nick

Nick

Tim is the Marine that is kneeling

Tim is third from the right (next to the guy in the
blue shirt

Tim & Nick in Iraq

2007-04-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 31st, Nick moved from Ramadi, Iraq to Fallujah, Iraq. When he went to the chow hall for breakfast, he asked around for Tim's unit. A colonel took him over to 1st Intelligence Battalion and there he found Tim. They are both stationed in Fallujah now. A few people took pictures of them because it's not too often that brothers, whose home bases are on opposite sides of the country (Tim is in CA and Nick is in NC) find themselves stationed at the same base in a foreign country. I'm glad that they are together - should keep them from getting too home sick.

Oh yea, since Nick has moved, he now has a new address. His address is:

Cpl. Williams, Nicholas A.
II MEF Fwd.
HQ Bn. Comm. Det.
Service Plt. Motor T
Unit 73920
FPO AE 09509-3920

Tim's address is:

Cpl. Williams, Timothy S.
HQ Co., 1st Intel Bn., Systems
Unit 42500
FPO AP 96426-2500

Visit with Kyle

2007-03-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Mom, Kyle & Dad

Kyle & James

Kyle came home for a quick weekend trip before he heads to California. He got home at 5 a.m. on Saturday, went to bed for a while, then he came up to James' wrestling meet in time to coach him to a win in his match for first and second place. James was happy that Kyle was able to come and watch him wrestle.

He left around noon today - heading back to Camp Lejeune, NC. A friend from Hudson, Joey Williams (no relation), who is also stationed at Camp Lejeune brought Kyle home and took him back.

Kyle flies to California tomorrow afternoon where he will have his last school before he becomes a Crew Chief on a CH-46 helicopter. His school lasts until September, then he will find out where his permanent duty station will be. He's hoping to be stationed in California with Tim.

Nick in Iraq

2007-03-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

We finally got some film developed that Nick sent us from Iraq:

This is a picture of Nick driving a hummer. When they go out on convoy's, they have to wear all of this protective gear (i.e., helmet, flack jacket, etc.).

This is Nick and one of his buddies driving around their base in the Gator that they salvaged and fixed for their own personal use.

Trip to California

2007-03-21T18:39:00.001-07:00

Tim & Jill at Camp Pendleton

Barb & Tim at Camp Pendleton

Jill & Mojo checking out the scenery in Nevada

Barb & Mojo in Nevada

On Saturday, March 10th, I flew to San Diego to go visit with Tim and Jill. Tim's unit is being deployed to Iraq, so Jill is going home to Dearborn Heights, MI to live with her parents for the seven months that Tim will be gone. Jill and I drove home in their Dodge Ram one-ton extended cab pick-up truck along with their American Bull dog, Mojo. We left from Camp Pendleton at 1 p.m. on the 16th and arrived at home (Pittsford, MI) on Sunday night at 11:30. What a long trip, but the sights were beautiful. Nevada and Utah are the most beautiful states I have ever been thru. Tim's unit left on the 16th (Friday). First they traveled to March Air Force Base in California; then flew to Bangor, Maine just long enough to refuel the plane; then on to Germany where they were allowed to get off the plane while it refueled again; then on to Kuwait. Tim called us from Kuwait while we were on our drive home. He was tired but fine. From Kuwait he is being sent to Fallujah, Iraq where he will be stationed.

We also hear from Nick a lot. He's stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, but is supposed to be transferred to Fallujah in the near future. It will be nice for Tim and Nick to be together. Nick sent us three camera phones in the mail. I took them to Walmart to get developed, and when I get them back, I'll post some pictures from Iraq!

Williams Update

2007-02-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

James is doing very well at wrestling this year. His record is now 24 wins and 5 losses. He has one match left for Middle School, then Freestyle starts on March 17th. Those matches are held on Saturdays from March thru the middle of May. In these pictures, he is wrestling my boss' grandson. James has beaten this kid twice this year.

Okay, I have an address for Nick in Iraq. He calls us every now and then and we can also e-mail him and talk to him on MSN Instant Messenger. It's weird - he's so far away but we still talk to him about once a week. He is doing fine - not at all homesick yet, but he's only been there for over a month. He did smash his hand in a humvee door and the doctors thought they might have to cut the tip of his middle finger/right hand off. They put his hand in a cast and it is healing. He took the cast off a week ago and says he'll keep his fingertip. Here's his address:

Cpl. Williams, Nicholas A.

II MEF FWD (DET 3)

Unit 73923

FPO AE 09509-3923

He'll be moving from this address which is in Ramadi, Iraq, to a base in Fallujah, Iraq, but he's not sure when. He doesn't think it will be too soon. The good thing about that is that Tim is leaving for Iraq on March 14th and he's going to Fallujah. They will be stationed on the same base.

James, Barb & Nick in Nick's barracks at Camp Lejeune, NC

2007-02-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Just checking in

2007-02-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

Hi! Wow - it's been a long time since I've posted. Let's see, we took Nick to North Carolina just before New Year's. He was even able to go up to PA for New Year's with a buddy of his whose mom lives 12 miles from Aunt Dot. Nick left for Iraq a couple of weeks later - I forget the exact date. He was sent to Ramadi and did have an address for us to mail him letters and packages, but he called us this past Monday (Feb. 5th) to tell us not to send anything more because he is being moved to Fallujah. He'll give us his new address when he gets there. While in Ramadi, he is staying in one of Sadaam Husein's palaces. He says it's not so nice anymore, but at least he has a roof over his head!

Tim leaves for Iraq on March 14th. He is also being sent to Fallujah, so he and Nick should be able to see each other. I am flying out to San Diego on the 10th to see Tim off, then I'll drive home with Jill, who is going to spend the seven months that Tim is deployed living with her parents in Dearborn Heights, MI.

Michael is still in California with Tim and Jill. He's still waiting to see if the military will take him. The Marine Corps. is definitely out. They won't take anyone with fake body parts. (Michael severed his right index finger in 2003. It was sewn back on, but he lost his knuckle, so a rubber one was put in in it's place.)

Kyle finished SERE school in Maine in January and is now at Camp Lejeune, NC at Air Crew School. He'll be there till the end of March, then he'll go to Camp Pendleton, CA (where Tim is currently stationed). He'll be in school there till the end of August, then he'll find out where his permanent duty station will be.

James is wrestling and doing pretty good. His record is now 18 wins and 5 losses. He wrestles in the 130 lb. weight class. In the picture, he took first place out of 16 kids at Napoleon H.S. in Michigan.

It's been pretty cold here lately. We didn't have school on Monday or Tuesday (Feb. 5 & 6) because of the cold temps. The high all weekend was 4 degrees F. Hopefully it will warm up soon!

Okay, bye for now. Barb

James and Nick

2006-12-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

Nick came home from Camp Lejeune, NC for Thanksgiving. He and James are the hunters in the family, so here's a pic of Nick getting his doe ready for processing - yuk!! Nick came home again on Dec. 6th. He's home till the 27th, and Chuck and I will drive him back to Camp Lejeune, NC. He is on pre-deployment leave right now and will leave his truck here in Michigan because he is being deployed to Ramadi, Iraq on January 18th. He'll be in Iraq for one year. Nick is a mechanic on hummers and 7 ton trucks.

Kyle and Lauren

2006-12-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

Kyle surprised Lauren and flew home from Pensacola, FL for Thanksgiving. It was a short weekend, but we were all glad to see him. Kyle will come home again on Dec. 15th and stay till the 31st. On the 31st he flies to Portland, ME for SERE School (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape). He'll finish that school on Jan. 12th and fly to Jacksonville, NC (New River/Camp Lejeune) on the 13th for his next school. He is eventually going to be a crew cheif on a CH-46 helicopter, but has lots of schooling to go thru first.

Jill & Tim at the Marine Corps. Ball in San Diego, CA 11-10-06

2006-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Found this old Picture - Thought Trish would get a kick out of it!

2006-11-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture I found from when Rich and Trish came to our house for a visit while they were living in good old Dearborn, Michigan. That's Shane, Richie, Trish, James, Nick, Tim & Kyle. The only one missing from the picture is Michael. Aren't you all so cute?!

Homecoming 2006

2006-10-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Kyle's girlfriend, Lauren, was the Homecoming Queen at Hudson Area High School this Fall. Since Kyle is in Florida with the Marine Corps., Michael & James had their picture taken with her. Isn't she a beautiful Queen?!

Kyle's Graduation from Boot Camp

2006-08-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Kyle graduated from Marine Corps. boot camp at Parris Island, SC on Aug. 25, 2006. Sixteen people traveled to South Carolina to witness this event. Tim & Jill flew in from San Diego, CA, so we were finally able to get a "real" family picture. (I usually have to paste someone into our family picture as it is hard to gather everyone together these days.) Other family and friends that were able to attend were: Uncle Charley, Aunt Margie & Jacob DeBoer from Wind Gap, PA; Aunt Dot & Julia Whitbeck from Glenside, PA; Nicholas from Camp Lejeune, NC; Grandma & Grandpa Williams from Hudson, MI; Kyle's girlfriend, Lauren and her mom, JoAnne Shaffer from Hudson, MI; and of course the rest of the family - Chuck, Barb, Michael & James from Pittsford, MI.

We had a great time. The weather down in Parris Island is HOT & MUGGY. It actually thunderstormed every day we were there (that's why Chuck has the umbrella). The weather did cooperate for both Kyle's Family Day ceremony on Thursday the 24th where he officially becomes a Marine by receiving his Eagle, Globe & Anchor and again on Graduation Day on Friday the 25th.

Kyle gets to come home for ten days of leave and then he is off to Camp Geiger in North Carolina for Marine Combat Training. That training will last for approximately one month, then Kyle's first school will be in Pensecola, FL. He has a year of schooling before he will actually be stationed somewhere. He's hoping to be stationed on the West Coast because he doesn't like the humidity on the East Coast and he would like to be stationed near Tim and Jill. We'll have to wait and see where he finally ends up.

2006-08-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Kyle & Lauren

2006-08-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Uncle Charley & Aunt Margie congratulating Kyle.

2006-08-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

Jacob trying on Kyle's "cover"

Aunt Dot, Kyle & Julia

Tim, Kyle & Nick

2006-08-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of my three U.S. Marines. Tim is stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, Kyle just finished boot camp at Parris Island, SC and is headed home for 10 days of leave, and Nick is stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.

French Creek 2006

2006-08-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at French Creek. I got to know Tricia's daughter Marissa a little bit. She's a cutie. Also got to know Gracie Smith, Susie's (Duggan) daughter. It was great having her at camp. Julia, Dana & Allegra were also up there at our week. It was fun getting to know them. Allegra was too busy most of the time to hang around us because she was a camper, but Dana & Julia were able to just hang out with us. We did get to play basketball with Allegra. She almost beat everybody, but Jacob just wouldn't let that happen - she came in second! I'm so glad I went to camp this year. It has been ten years since I've been there and the place has changed a little. The unit wash houses are great - too bad they didn't put showers in them! Okay, in the picture that was taken inside, Uncle Charley is sitting next to Gracie, and Allegra is a couple of chairs down from them - she is holding her ears for some reason. We were practicing the "orchestra" song, and as you can tell, Gracie is a violin player. Behind Uncle Charley is Marissa. The outside picture is of everybody at camp. Our nurse, Kristy (Wright) Rosenbaum, had to leave early so she is not in the pic. I had a good time getting re-acquainted with her. Hope she comes back next year. Hope I come back next year, too!!!

Kyle at Parris Island

2006-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of pictures we found on the Parris Island ezboard site yesterday. The man who took the pictures was nice enough to e-mail them to me because you couldn't just right click and save them to your computer. Anyway, Kyle has been at Marine Corps. boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina since May 31st. He actually left our house on May 29th, so that is the last time we saw him. So, this is the first glimpse we've gotten of him since he left. (Kyle is the recruit in the middle on the picture with only three recruits visible.) There are 70 training days in boot camp, and today is Kyle's 48th training day, so he's over half-way thru. We also found out that Kyle is the best shooter in Alpha Co. There are six platoons in Alpha Co. so there are over 300 recruits total, and Kyle shot the best out of all of them. He will be getting a special award at his graduation on August 25th. Now he is concentrating on his Physical Fitness Test. He has to do 20 pull-ups, 100 sit ups (in 2 minutes) and run three miles in 18 minutes in order to receive a perfect physical fitness score of 300. He has the pull-ups and sit-ups down, it's the three miles that will be hard for him. Last week they all had to do pull-ups with a 50 lb. pack on their back. Kyle beat them all in that, also. He could do 10 of those. He can do about 23 pull-ups. He's always been in pretty good shape physically. Oh well, enough about Kyle - I'm just so excited for him so I thought I would share in my excitement! See ya all later. Barb

Detroit Tigers Game

2006-07-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

We went to a Tigers game on a chartered bus. It was so much fun. Everybody on the bus was from our little town of Hudson. We had good seats - row 6, between third base and left field. We got there a little early, so Michael and I went down to get autographs. While I was getting the autograph, Michael was taking pictures. That is a picture of Craig Monroe, the Tiger's outfielder, signing my book. I even ended up with a baseball. Here's the story. I was the only one from Hudson who brought a glove. I told everyone I would get a ball. Then, after Marcus Thames caught the third out in the first inning, he came over to the foul line and threw the ball into the stands. I put my trusty glove up, but the ball was just to my left and I couldn't reach it. Well it bounced in the seats behind us and Mikey snagged it and gave it to me. I was so excited! Isn't that a good story?! I was the only one from Hudson that got a baseball and pictures with the players. We're thinking of going to another game in September - can't wait!

I'm posting again!

2006-07-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I last posted. We had a great time at Lyz's wedding. We almost got a complete family picture, but Kyle is in Parris Island, SC trying to become a United States Marine! Nicholas wasn't supposed to make it to the wedding either. He got his wisdom teeth out (they were impacted) on the 14th. He was supposed to be recuperating in his barracks but decided to drive up to PA instead. It was a nice surprise! His face was swollen and he had his prescription for pain pills with him, but I think he had a good time anyway. Tim and Jill had flown in on the 15th - Dot and Julia picked them up at the airport in Philly. It was so nice seeing them because we haven't seen them since December.

Kyle writes to us once a week from Parris Island. He is doing fine. He actually told us that wrestling camp is harder than boot camp! I've sent him about 50 pictures from the wedding. I don't know if he has the room in his foot locker to store them all, but he loves getting them. He says that when he looks at the pictures, he feels a little like he was there. That's nice. He is in his 5th week of training, so only 8 more weeks to go. He is scheduled to graduate on Aug. 25th. Of course we're all driving down there. Uncle Charley, Aunt Margie, Aunt Dot & Julia are also planning on being there. Kyle is so excited. We're trying to find Tim and Jill a flight, also. It would be so great if I could get a "real" family picture again - this time with three sons in uniform!

James is keeping busy this summer, too. He is leaving Saturday morning for wrestling camp in Virginia. Then he is going to a weekend bible camp hosted by our church here in Michigan on July 21st . In August he is going to French Creek for the 7th & 8th grade camp. This will be the first time for him as a camper - he hasn't been there since he was three years old. Julia is also going, so at least he will know somebody. The next week is Uncle Charley's week at camp, so James is going to stay for that week also. He'll just stay in Pennsylvania till it's time to go down to Parris Island. He'll be going with his Uncle Charley & Aunt Margie.

Okay, so much for the Williams family update. Talk to you all again soon.

Barb

Kyle on his way to Recruiter's office (girlfriend Lauren going along to say good-bye)

2006-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Kyle's graduation day w/mom and dad 5-28-06

2006-06-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Williams Update

2006-06-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone - it's been a while since I last posted anything. Anyway, Kyle graduated from Hudson Area High School on May 28th. It was a beautiful day. Uncle Charley and Aunt Margie came out for the graduation. They were also here for Kyle's open house on the 27th - thanks for all of your help Char & Mar! On Monday, the 29th, we had to have Kyle to his Marine Corps. recruiter's office by 5 p.m. He is now in Marine Corps. boot camp at Parris Island, SC. He was in the delayed entry program and was originally scheduled to leave on Aug. 7th for boot camp. On May 24th his recruiter called to tell us to have him ready on May 30th. Then on the 26th the recruiter called and told him to be ready to go on the 29th. Whoa! We got a call at 2 a.m. on the 31st that he made it to Parris Island. He had flown from Detroit to Chicago and then got stuck in Chicago because of bad weather, so it took a little longer to get to SC. He finally flew from Chicago to Wash. D.C. to Savannah, GA on the 31st and arrived at Parris Island in the early morning of June 1st. We're waiting for a letter from him with his address so we can start writing.

School is now over for the summer - the last day was May 26th. James will be my only child left in school - he'll be in eighth grade in the fall. Michael came home for the summer - nice to have him back. Thanks again Char and Mar for taking him in for the past 3 years!

We're looking forward to Lyz & Chad's wedding on the 16th of June. Tim and Jill are flying in to Philly on the 14th. Nick won't be able to make it to the wedding because he is getting his wisdom teeth out on the 14th and doesn't think he'll be feeling well. He'll come home to MI for the July 4th weekend. And of course Kyle is busy at boot camp.

Okay, enough for now. Talk to you all later. Barbara

Kyle & Lauren - Prom 2006

2006-04-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wrestling - James signing his winning bout sheet

2006-04-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

Lyz's Shower

2006-04-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Since Margie seems to be slacking lately, I'll show you a couple of pictures from Lyz's bridal shower which was held at the Plainfield Township Fire Hall on April 8th. The first picture is of the "Schnitzel" girls (Barbara, Louise, Rebecca, Margie & Dottie. The second picture is of Lyz and her bridesmaids.

Wow - we're getting good!

2006-04-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there again! Everybody came up to Wind Gap today because we had a bridal shower for Lyz (everybody except Ed, I mean - he wasn't invited). After the shower we went back to Charley & Margie's house and whipped out our instruments. We are starting to sound pretty good together. This will be our last group practice session before the wedding, but I'm feeling confident that we will be ready come June 16th!

Practicing Again

2006-04-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Boy, it's been a while since I last posted anything. Sorry about that! Anyway, Kyle, James and I drove out to PA on Monday, the 3rd of April. It's spring break at Hudson Area Schools this week. We got here Monday afternoon and then Margie & I headed down to Glenside on Tuesday. We haven't practiced our quintet together since Thanksgiving, but I'm sure we've all been practicing seperately - right Ed?! Louise couldn't make it to this practice session, and I think we did pretty good anyway. Her part is the cello and she keeps the beat for us. It will sound much better with her, I'm sure about that! Louise, Margie, Dottie and I are hoping to get together again this Saturday to practice.

Kyle, Nick & the alligators

2006-01-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

Jill & Tim on Tim's 25th birthday (12-23-05)

2006-01-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Nick and Pudge

2006-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

Nick left today - Pudge will miss him a lot. Normally Pudge is not allowed on the furniture, but Nick liked to spoil him. Pudge is Kyle's American Bulldog.

James, Michael and alligators

2006-01-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

Holidays 2005

2006-01-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, I finally got some pictures of my kids without having to paste anyone in. One is a nice picture taken in our living room. The other picture was taken at Uncle Paul and Aunt Yulia's house. Uncle Paul and Aunt Yulia went to Florida for Tim and Jill's wedding two years ago and decided that they needed some alligators of their own when they got home. These alligators were tiny two years ago, and I have the feeling that if they keep growing, Aunt Yulia will be cooking them! It's now Jan. 2nd and most of our company has gone home. Tim and Jill went back to Dearborn HEIGHTS (that's for you, Trish - Jill doesn't want people to think she's from Dearborn!) on Saturday to spend the last couple of days with Jill's parents. They flew out of Detroit this morning, flew to Phoenix, AZ to pick up their dogs who were being puppy-sat there, and are now back at 29 Palms, CA. Nick left this morning around 11:30 a.m. and is currently in WV. He's gone 450 miles so far. It will take him albout 11-12 hours to get back to Camp Lejeune, NC. Michael is here till the 14th. He'll be here to watch a couple of Kyle's wrestling meets and a couple of James' basketball games before he heads back to Wind Gap, PA and the DeBoer's.

Williams Update

2005-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's Saturday, the 24th and all of the kids are home. Tim and Jill flew in on Tuesday, although they stayed with Jill's parents in Dearborn Heights until yesterday. They drove down here yesterday afternoon and we went bowling - Tim's new passion. (They live in 29 Palms, CA,which is in the middle of nowhere. The only entertainment is a bowling alley, so they do that alot!) Then we went to Grandma & Grandpa Williams' for Tim's birthday dinner (he turned 25 yesterday). Tim's favorite meal is swiss steak - cooked by his grandpa. At 11:30 p.m. Nick pulled in - he left Camp Lejeune, NC around noon. Today I drove up to Detroit and picked Michael up at the airport at 1:05 p.m. We got home just in time for Mike to go with all of the kids to Uncle Paul & Aunt Yulia's (yes, "Yulia" - she's Indonesian) for a late lunch/early supper. I haven't had a chance to get a picture yet - I hope to do that tomorrow. James is in his glory because he has all of his brothers home. Believe it or not, they all love their youngest brother and shower him with lots of attention. Pictures to follow hopefully tomorrow!

Mom and her kids and some of her grandchildren

2005-12-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend some of us got together at Ed & Rebecca's. Here's Dana, Ted, & Allegra Schnitzel, Julia Whitbeck, and Nick & James Williams. The next picture is of Barbara, Ed, Gram, Louise, Margie & Dottie. Hey, Ted, Kyle's girlfriend and another girl were looking at these pictures and they think you're hot!

Kyle went 5-0 again Saturday, Dec. 17th

2005-12-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here's Kyle wrestling a kid from Canton, MI.
Kyle pinned him in a cradle.

Williams Family Reunion

2005-12-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Finally - all of our children will be together at the same time. Back in April, we all went to Nick's Marine Corps. boot camp graduation at Parris Island, SC. Everyone except for Michael & Jill, that is - Michael had exams that week and couldn't make it, and Jill had to work. Tim flew in from Phoenix, the rest of us drove down. I took a nice picture of all of my boys and pasted Michael into it. In July everyone except Nicholas flew out west to see Tim's graduation from Marine Corps. boot camp in San Diego, CA. Nick was graduating from his first mechanic school at Camp Lejeune, NC the same day. This time I took a picture of the kids together and pasted Nicholas into it. Well, I'll finally get to get a picture of all of the kids at the same time. Tim and Jill are flying into Detroit on Dec. 20th; Nicholas is driving home from Camp Lejeune, NC on the 23rd; and Michael is flying into Detroit on Dec. 24th. I am sooooo excited.

Kyle Wrestling - he went 5-0 at this meet

2005-12-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

Kyle is the wrestler
in black and orange.
He wrestles at 171 pounds.

Schnitzel Quintet

2005-12-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Lyz is getting married in June, and she wants us Schnitzel's to play at her wedding. Is she nuts?!! Dottie got the music and sent us each a copy to practice. On Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend we all got together at Ed and Rebecca's to "practice." Pretty scratchy at first, but as we kept going, it started to sound better. Margie had the bright idea to record us on tape so we could go home and remember what the song is supposed to sound like. Rebecca dug out one of the kids' tape recorders, but it wasn't doing us justice. Ed suggested we all go to the church where he could record us onto a CD, so off we went. I'm so glad we did the recording and have been practicing almost every day. By June I think we should have it down pat!

Black Friday

2005-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

Visiting With Santa

Aunt Margie, Lyz, Alyssa (Jacob's girlfriend) & I got up bright and early this morning and hit the Lehigh Valley Mall. We arrived at 7 a.m. Lyz & Alyssa went their way while Margie and I went our way. The mall was pretty crowded at 7 a.m., but we managed to have a good time and get lots of shopping done. Margie & I even had the opportunity to visit with Santa. By 11 a.m. we were exhausted, so we headed to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch. Well rested and fed, we once again hit the stores. After we were finished at the mall, we went to Best Buy. Let me tell you, by the time we were finished at Best Buy, we had to re-arrange the whole car to fit all of the packages in! We headed back to the DeBoer's to drop Lyz & Alyssa off and freshen up, then Margie & I went back out to do some more shopping. First to Walmart, then Kohl's and finally to Sam's Club. We finally finished shopping about 7 p.m. Wow, are we exhausted! At home again, Charley, Margie & I had pie and coffee, then sat in the living room to watch a movie. Luke, his girlfriend Erin, Jacob & Alyssa, Michael, Nick & James all left to go to the movies. They are planning to see "Walk the Line." So, this was a very busy day but we had a great time.

Kyle & his dog, Pudge

2005-11-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

2005-11-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Kyle scoring a TD this past football season.
He was the MVP for his team.

Thanksgiving 2005

2005-11-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

James and I drove to Aunt Dot's on Wednesday. We left school at 1:30 p.m. - tried to avoid the snow - didn't work. The roads were misreable all the way thru Ohio and for the first 100 miles thru Pennsylvania. It took us forever. We had to drive 40 mph for a good two hours of the trip. We arrived at Aunt Dot's at midnight. I did a lot of praying on this trip! Nick drove up from Camp Lejeune, NC with a friend who lives 12 miles from Aunt Dot, so she picked him up at 10:30 p.m. He didn't run into any bad weather, but they hit Washington, DC at 5 p.m. - rush hour. His trip took a little over 12 hours, which was 2 hours longer than it should have been. I guess there was a big accident on I95 around the DC area.
This morning Nick, James & I drove up to Wind Gap. We're having Thanksgiving with the DeBoer's. We'll drive back to Glenside on Saturday and spend the night with Grammy, Aunt Dot & Julia (Uncle Chuck is in VA visiting his parents).
Chuck and Kyle are staying behind in MI for Thanksgiving. Chuck has to work on Saturday and Kyle has a wrestling scrimmage. They'll have Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's house in Hudson, MI.