We have a new blog address for 2009...

http://willisfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/

New Years

After Christmas Tait and I decided to take the children up to the cabin for a few days, then head down the mountain and stay with my parents until New Years. HUGE MISTAKE! Everything was fine until we headed up the mountain. Once we were up 1/4 of the way up the traffic came to a stop. Tait and I kept thinking that we would pass an accident, but we never did and it took us more than twice as long to get up the mountain. Once we got to our cabin we realized that we would not be able to use the driveway because there was so much snow. We rolled/crawled/jumped down to the cabin and realized that the pipes were frozen so we had no water. The children were freezing and there was nothing I could do to warm them up. Tait and I decided to head back down the mountain and go straight to my mom's. Long story short, our car got stuck in the snow and it took over an hour to get on our way. The traffic down the mountain was no better, and we finally rolled into my parents house late that night. We were exhausted.

This is a picture of Hunter while driving to California. Notice he is watching a movie while listening to his ipod and wearing his sun glasses upside down. Crazy kid.

I told Parker that the officers at the agriculture stop would take him unless he smiled real big and stopped crying. It worked.

The time that we spent at the Eisenbise's was relaxing. We hung around and played games, went out to lunch, read, played the Wii and fished.

Hunter's Birthday

Hunter's birthday is the day after Christmas, so unfortunately he doesn't receive the same amount of attention that Tanner and Parker receive on their birthdays. This year was no different, we had cake, ice cream, streamers, balloons, and a left over Christmas gift. I'm thinking about celebrating 1/2 birthdays for Hunter instead. I'm sure he would have more fun celebrating during the summer. We love you Hunter! Mom and dad can't believe you have been with us for 3 years, thank you for being the sweet boy that you are.

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve at grandma and grandpa Willis' home with Tait's family. Santa went overboard on all the presents he brought, and the children loved what they received. On Christmas morning our family woke up bright and early to open presents. Tanner's big gift this year was a remote control truck that is half his size. Parker received a robot with a instruction manual the size of a phone book. And Hunter received 3 sets of tools. We had a very merry Christmas, and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Hike To The Cave

Yesterday our family went on a hike to a cave in the Superstition Mountains, (the cave is on the right of the cactus, about half way up the mountain). It was a beautiful day to hike in the desert. We didn't have enough time for Hunter to hike to the cave and back before it got dark, so Tait stayed back with Hunter. Tanner, Parker and I left them at the base of the mountain and were able to make it the rest of the way. When we made it to the cave, there was a beautiful view of the desert, and a feeling of accomplishment. It was a great hike! Unfortunately since we were in such a hurry to get back to the car before dark I didn't have time to take many pictures.

Parker looks like a punk in this picture, but he really did have a fun time. (I don't have any other pictures.)

Tait Goes To Florida

Tait flew back to Florida for our adorable nephew's blessing. Tait had a great time playing with Savannah and enjoyed Keri's cooking. Shaun and Tait went on a canoe trip and saw monkeys, alligators, and turtles out in the wild. I kept teasing Tait that he probably canoed into Disney World and didn't know it. Tait had a great time and now he wants to plan a family trip to Florida in a few years.

What Is Heaven Like?

I decided that every so often I will ask the kids a random question and write down exactly what their answer is. Some of their responses are hilarious!

Question: What is heaven like?

Tanner: I think like a waterfall and like trees and like little river for the waterfall. I think it is really bright and I think it's kinda cold and I think that there's lots of fish in the river like salmon and stuff. I think that there's tigers and bears and everything back then. I think there is a little ocean kind of. I think there's bushes too.

Parker: Green and blue and that's all mom. I want to go to the gym because they have a drinking fountain.

Hunter: Green and blue. Screwdriver.

Christmas Pictures

I took the kids to take Christmas pictures this week. We went to the pecan groves near our home. Unfortunately, but not unexpected I was not able to get one picture with all of them smiling. So in my Christmas cards this year I have three separate pictures.

Tait Goes To Sweden

Tait was away on business for a couple of weeks. He started his trip in Oakland then flew from San Francisco to Sweden. He traveled to Sweden to check on some equipment that his company is manufacturing over there. He was able to travel quite a bit while he was there, although it did snow quite a bit and the sun went down around 4:00 p.m.. He tried to complete some genealogy but I don't think he was very successful. Even though Tait had a great time, I know he is happy to be back home, (he had problems plugging in his laptop or opening the gas cap on his car). I'm so happy that he had the opportunity to go to Sweden and I'm thankful for the GPS he had while driving.

Halloween

Halloween is fantastic, it is my favorite holiday! It is the first holiday of the holiday of the holiday season. It is so fun to decorate, and make treats for school. The children love to dress up and have carve faces on pumpkins, and this year was no exception.