Bill and Amanda

Go Dogs!!!

2011-09-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

Who does Jacob look like?

2011-08-22T10:58:00.003-08:00

Who does Jacob look like? It seems like that is a big question when you have a new baby. Well, I think he looks like Marie the most. The top picture is Jacob. And the bottom picture is Marie when she was a baby. What do you think?

Sister and Brother

2011-08-22T10:51:00.003-08:00

Big sister singing to baby brother

2011-07-17T22:58:00.002-08:00

Jacob Thomas Williams

2011-07-12T06:29:00.001-08:00

Little Swimmer

2011-06-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

This summer we've started Marie in swimming lessons at the new pool. She is the youngest one in the class, and sometimes she has a little trouble not getting distracted with all the cool things at the pool. But at least she's not afraid of the water. And she does end up doing most of the things the teacher has the kids do, even though she is sometimes the last one. The main thing - she's learning a little something and having fun doing it!

I would say this looks like a mother duck and her ducklings, but the teacher is a guy. It is pretty cute about how all the kids are listening to him.

The water here is about 3 and a half feet deep. Marie is barely 3 feet herself, so she's doing a good job of hanging on. I guess she's not scared that her feet don't touch the bottom.

Taking a leap of faith.

She spotted me taking pictures!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Marie is getting old enough to really understand things now. And Father's Day was no exception. She was so excited about it!

Here she is showing Daddy the card that she made for him.

Even though it's Daddy's present (a new electric beard trimmer), Marie had a big part in helping him open it.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Bird Update

2011-06-22T21:47:00.004-08:00

Well, today I was sitting on the porch and saw both mama bird and daddy bird out of the flower basket. And it was a very warm day. And I could not resist the urge. So what did I do? Well, I checked on the baby birds. A few days ago 3 of the 5 eggs had hatched. Today only 1 of those 3 birds were in the basket, so I guess the other 2 didn't make it. But those other 2 eggs that hadn't hatched a few days ago still had not hatched today. So it's probably doubtful that those 2 will survive even if they do hatch. The flower basket was extremely in need of water - it had been more than 2 weeks since I last watered it. I made several holes in the soil and watered it that way. Hopefully that will last it a while, because I really really really am going to try to not bother the birds again. With only 1 of the 5 original baby bird eggs likely to survive, I really hope this little guy makes it.

I'm a little concerned because even though he's a little bigger that a few days ago, he still can't hold his head up. And I'm wondering if he should have more fuzz/feathers.

Mama bird or daddy bird???

Keeping a watchful eye on the baby.

Grilling at the Beach

2011-06-18T00:53:00.003-08:00

I'm trying to be patient and wait for Jacob to come, but it's pretty hard when I'm at home looking at all the baby things and getting everything ready. Tonight I had a nice distraction from that when Tom, Joan, Liz, Bill, Marie, and I went to Eagle Beach for a little grill out. The weather was great too! Enjoy the pictures.

On the way home, we saw this bear at the side of the road eating. Not the greatest picture, but it was Marie's first time to see a bear.

Garden and Flower Baskets

2011-06-18T00:20:00.004-08:00

Last year Jody and Dana bit me with a gardening bug. I tried taking care of the front bed that was already established, some hanging baskets, a little raised vegetable garden, and a new bed with some bushes in it. The baskets and garden did HORRIBLE last year while the front bed did really well. The new bed thrived with some transplanted bushes. This year everything is a big success so far! I've been so excited about it!

I planted all the vegetables, mostly starts, the first weekend in May. Right after, there were 2 nights of hard frost. Half my snap peas and three-quarters of my lettuce was ruined, and one broccoli plant was struggling. Then a cat got in it a dug around in the space that I had planted my carrots. I was so discouraged that didn't even go out there for a couple of weeks to look at it, because I thought everything would die just like it did last year. Well, I was wrong. Some stuff did survive and did really well. I replaced the snap peas and lettuce with new starts, and added some strawberries. Then Bill built me this great green house, which I think has made the garden just take off. This picture was taken 10 days ago, and it has grown a lot even since then. You can't see quite everything from the picture, but here's what I'm growing: 1 zuccini, 2 strawberries, 7 or 8 carrots (originally planted 16, but then the cat came along), 4 broccoli, 8 onions, 8 snap peas, 4 lettuce, and 4 spinach.

Here is some lettuce from the garden. I had originally planted 8 lettuce plants, but 6 died in the frost. The remaining 2 from the original starts are doing really well. I expected the lettuce to look like the heads of lettuce in the store. Jody came over last Wednesday after church, and she said to go ahead and pick the lettuce and eat it. It has made for some tasty salads and lettuce for sandwiches. It is much fresher that anything we get at the grocery store, and lasts a lot longer too!

Last year I thought this flower was a weed and almost dug it up. But Jody quickly told me that it was not a weed, but a peony (I think). Last year it bloomed when I was in the Philippines. But this year I'm staying put, so I'm excited to see what it will look like and smell like once it blooms.

Here are my hanging baskets. Last year I was a terrible failure at all 3 baskets. But I figured out my mistake. I originally got baskets with flowers that liked the sun. This year I found that while there is a lot of sun that shines on the flower bed during the day, the eave of the roof blocks the sun from getting up to the baskets. So I took them back and exchanged them for flower baskets that liked the shade. What a difference it made! I feel so successful now! What I'm not so successful at is knowing what the names of these flowers are. So garden/flower buffs, look at these next few pictures, and if you know the names of the flowers let me know!

Baby Shower

2011-06-18T00:14:00.002-08:00

This last Sunday, the ladies at church had a baby shower for me and Jacob. It was a lot of fun and the time seemed to go by so fast! I cold kick myself for not taking very many pictures though. A big thanks to Dana for putting it together, and to Lela and Rachel for helping her.

I have to say something about these sinfully delicious cupcakes. Rachel asked me what kind of dessert or sweet stuff I liked and I told her chocolate chip cookie dough. She found a recipe and made these incredible cupcakes! The frosting tasted just like cookie dough - but better!

The Shrine

2011-06-18T00:09:00.003-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Liz, Marie and I went to the Shrine for a little picnic. The weather was perfect! We even got to see a whale. It came pretty close to shore. It was the first whale that Marie had seen and she liked it a lot. It was hard to get a good picture of it since it didn't come out of the water very much. But you could hear it blow and make all kinds of sounds really well.

There was family vacationing for the week at one of the cabins at the Shrine. Marie made fast friends with this 4 year old little boy and they enjoyed watching the whale, following a little squirrel and playing hide-and-seek.

The Bird's Nest

2011-06-17T23:58:00.002-08:00

A few weeks ago when I was watering my flower baskets, I came across this bird's nest. Since it had no eggs in it, we went ahead and took it out thinking the bird would build somewhere else.

Marie liked seeing what a bird's house looked like.

Well, the next week when I went to water the basket, the bird had returned. She hastily tried to build a nest but must not have had enough time before she had to lay her eggs. So now there are 5 little eggs in a sparce nest in the flower basket. I definitely didn't want to remove the eggs. So I went to the place I bought the basket and asked them what I should do. They said to water around the eggs and they should be fine. It's been almost 2 weeks and I think they should be hatching soon. I've tried not to bother the basket too much. It's only needed watering once, but is due for another watering soon. Hopefully a couple of weeks after they hatch, they will be ready to fly away and I can resume my normal watering and dead-heading. The basket has done fine, but I worry about the eggs since they don't really have much of a nest.

Here is the best picture I could get of the mama bird. She is on the branch near the middle of the picture. Okay bird lovers - tell me what kind of bird it is. A finch maybe?

Campout

2011-06-17T23:50:00.003-08:00

The teens had a campout at the beginning of this month and we decided to go too. Bill and Marie spent the night, while I enjoyed a more comfortable bed at home. Marie absolutely loved going camping. Especially after she got a little toy campout set for her birthday.

She is such a big girl - and she knows it!

A campout isn't a campout without a campfire and stories.

Camp buddies!

Spring Piano Recital

2011-06-17T23:41:00.003-08:00

I really like teaching piano lessons. With being pregnant, I didn't advertise as much this year as I have in the past. But the little group I had did really well. Nearly everyone played 2 songs - a solo and a duet. Some students prepared 2 solos. There was even one student who had only been taking lessons for 2 months that prepared a song for the recital. And there was one student who had snowbirded until the beginning of April, and still managed to prepare a solo and a duet. I'm very excited for the potential this group has in the future!

Marie's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-06-17T23:30:00.002-08:00

Marie's favorite show for the past year or so has been the Little Einstein's. So we used that theme for her birthday party. Liz and I constructed this cake. Actually, this was the second one. It looks like the rocket ship from the show. Marie loved it!!!

We had the kids decorate red poster board into their own 'rocket ship'. Bill decorated blue poster board and was the mean big blue jet. Big jet is a bully on the show. Afterwards, we went into the front yard and Big Jet chased all the little Rockets. The kids had so much fun!

Marie blowing out her Birthday candle.

Present time!

Group photo.

Whale Watching Cruise

2011-05-07T21:42:00.002-08:00

Bill and I spent the afternoon on a little whale watching cruise. The weather was perfect, which made up for not as much wildlife as we thought. But still a very good trip.

We live in a beautiful place - THANK YOU GOD!

Enjoying the stillness and the sun!

These stellar sea lions are enjoying the sun too. See the big fat one on the right? He must be the king of the rock.

The wind picked up once the boat got moving, but I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture.

We saw 3 humpback whales during our trip. They never came up out of the water much more than this, and never showed their tails. Even though it looks little from here, there was a lot more we couldn't see that was under the water.

Marie this last week

2011-05-07T21:36:00.002-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Marie taken in the last week or so.

We've had some really nice days. So Marie has been spending more time outside. On this day we went to the park. Here Marie is showing the ducks her bubbles.

Isn't she cute???

Marie LOVES corn on the cob!

Marie's friends Carly and Isaac have a tent in their play room. Well, this is the best I could come up with. But Marie seems pretty happy with it.

Happy Easter Marie!

2011-05-07T21:32:00.003-08:00

After I saw that my friend Rachel just did her Easter blog, I am not ashamed to just now be posting mine! I, unlike Rachel, don't have a good reason for not posting until now. Oh well!

Shannon's Good-bye Party

2011-05-07T21:27:00.003-08:00

For the past few months, Bill and a few other guys from church have been meeting on Thursday nights to play guitars. Well not just guitars, but also the ukelele, mandolin and banjo. It makes for quite a mix, but they sound pretty good! This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. It was Shannon's (far right) last time there. He has taken a job with the Fish and Game again for the summer, but then he's off to the AK Bush for a teaching position. Good luck Shannon! We'll miss you!

Italy

2011-04-08T15:13:00.002-08:00

Greetings from Italy! Well, not right now. But here are some pictures from our recent Italy vacation.

We began in Rome. The highlight of Rome was seeing all the ancient ruins. We had a nice tour. It was so early in the tourist season that we had the guide all to ourselves! Bill surprised me on how much he knew already about the history behind the ruins. Right after we visited the Colosseum our camera broke. So then we were stuck in the stone ages using disposable cameras. In case you've forgotten what it was like back then, we were very limited to the number of pictures we could take and we could not see the picture right after we took it. Initially it was a little frustrating, but by the end of the trip it actually made picture-taking a lot more simple. Thanks to Ant who took some great pictures when we were in Prato on her high-tech digital camera!

Just behind Bill's shoulder is a little tower that marked a road for us. Just down the road was an ice cream shop and a little restaurant that was tucked away on a little side street. Yum!

We had an interesting time going from place to place while in Italy that I wasn't familiar with before. In Rome we learned how to manage the trains and subways. I didn't get a picture, but in Florence we learned how to get around using the bus system.

Bill took this picture from atop the Duomo, one of the most recognizable landmarks in downtown Florence. He, not me, climbed over 470 steps for this view!

In the far right of this picture is probably a structure that most people can recognize - the leaning tower of Pisa. Something that I learned here was that the tower was actually the bell tower for the church - the bigger building in the picture. Not shown here, on the other side of the church is a separate building that was originally used just for the baptistry. I thought it was interesting that there were 3 separate buildings (the baptistry, the church and the bell tower) for what is usually in one building.

Our last day in Florence, we travelled a little out of Florence to Prato. Josie, who is sitting beside me here, is on an AIM mission there. We knew her and her mom Ant from our time in Wasilla. It was neat spending time with all of them and learning what all they are doing in the name of God there in that little town.

We ended our trip in Venice, and what a great ending it was! Rome was a lot of hustle and bustle, Florence was a little better, but Venice was much more relaxing in comparision. Mainly because there are no roadways to get around. What a nice change! Here we are standing on a bridge over the Grand Canal.

In Venice you get around on foot or boat. Venice is where the famous gondola boats are. They were very expensive to ride on so we passed on that. One day we opted for a *cheap* ride on a gondola just to get across the Grand Canal instead of walking the distance to a bridge to cross over.

Here Bill and I are standing on the Zattere Boardwalk. The view on the other side was beautiful! I recognized the view from a lot of movies set in Venice.

More Marie

2011-04-06T09:31:00.002-08:00

While these pictures are over a month old, they are still pretty cute in a mother's opinion. Marie loves tea! As excited as she is already, we definitely go with decaf and sugar free and she doesn't know the difference. One day she wanted to make the tea herself. It took a little longer than she thought, but she waited pretty patiently.

During the 'sick days' Marie had a lot of baths. After one of these baths I started playing with her hair and figured out it was long enough to braid. Isn't this sweet?

She thought this little box was made just for her to sit it. Silly girl!

Just Marie

2011-02-25T20:08:00.003-09:00

Well, I was actually going to post a video of Marie singing a song, but for some reason it the video wouldn't upload. I'll try again later. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of a silly little girl.

Marie thought she was being a funny walrus, and she wouldn't open her eyes.

One day when I was at work, the weather was nice. So Bill took Marie for a walk and packed her in the hiking backpack. The next day she decided that she wanted to wear it too.

Marie was a little sick here. But this reminds me of something. Some family will remember me and 'good ear'. Well, without suggestion look at where Marie's hand is?

Marie has discovered the world of princesses. She became convinced that she, just like Cinderella, needed some glass slippers. Here is what Bill came up with. And Marie is quite satisfied with her glass slippers.

Before watching Little Nemo tonight, Marie set up her friends to watch it with her. Cute!

It's a boy and . . .

2011-02-22T19:24:00.004-09:00

It's a boy and . . . kidney stones. Although I would have preferred to find out it was a boy in a different way, it was still exciting to see this little guy.

The ultrasound tech said there is no doubt it is a boy. Can you tell it is a little boy?

Marie and the Frog Song

2011-01-19T11:16:00.002-09:00

If all the raindrops . . .

2011-01-15T11:50:00.002-09:00

Marie has a new love - Barney. She loves all the songs and dancing on the shows. And this week she has wanted to wear a dress whenever she watches Barney. Yes, on this day it was a chilly 15 degrees outside, but she still wanted to wear this summer dress. She is singing one of her favorite songs that you might know too - If all the Raindrops . . .

So far this year . . .

2011-01-15T11:38:00.003-09:00

What have we been up to so far this year?

No, this picture isn't a mistake. It was taken in 2011. Every time we tried to catch Santa at the mall, he was gone to take care of his reindeer. But he made one last stop in Juneau, at the potluck at church, before heading back up to the north pole. He graciously agreed to have a picture taken with Marie. Special thanks to Dale "Santa" Hudson.

We've had several cold days. A lot of the snow had melted. But with all the moisture we have in Juneau, we've had frost upon frost upon frost. This is called hoar frost. It's really pretty to see what it lookes like when it accumulates on different things like the fence post (in this picture), mail box, and trees/bushes.

Marie decided to just sit down on the ice instead of trying to walk across it.

We've had some pretty long icicles, although not as impressive as our first winter here. But Marie thought they were pretty neat, and she liked to eat them too!

The Christmas Season 2010

2011-01-15T11:19:00.004-09:00

A few Christmas pictures to share.

Last year we started some new traditions for our family. One of our favorites is going to a live nativity at a church close by. By far, Marie's favorite scene was with baby Jesus at the manger. She was really sweet - she got right beside the doll and sang Silent Night to him!

At the last minute, we (I) decided to do pictures for a photo Christmas card.

Marie got a little excited and we had a lot of goofy pictures of her. But we were able to use those too.

On Christmas eve both me and Marie were feeling a little bad. But Bill kept things going for us. Marie had fun opening her gifts. This was probably one of her favorites - a little school set with little people. The little people look the same, they're just a little bigger.

Marie enjoyed setting out cookies and milk for Santa Claus.

Shame on Bill for eating Santa's cookies!

Here is Marie's Christmas morning presents. We didn't get any pictures of her opening all her presents, but a long video instead. She was funny. We called her into the living room to see was Santa Claus brought her, and she didn't really know what to do. We had to tell her to open presents. Maybe she'll know what to do next year.

Hope you all had a good Christmas!

A little dancer

2011-01-15T11:10:00.002-09:00

I got some old Christmas music out in December. Marie was promptly drawn to the little Nutcracker book because it had pictures in it, and decided that she needed to dance while I played it. Probably thanks to a Little Einsteins episode that had tons of Nutcracker music in it.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2010-12-17T02:13:00.003-09:00

The video is pretty dark, because the only light was from the Christmas tree. But the singer is not too shabby. This should get you into the Christmas mood. Enjoy!

In no particular order . . .

2010-12-17T01:46:00.004-09:00

Well, I have not purposefully gone on a blog fast. But things have been a little busy. Summer in the Philippines, a fall trip down south, and then a surprise pregnancy (in 2 words described as nasty nausea) keeping up with the blog has been far from my mind. But here we go. I went through nearly 500 pictures and picked out a few, with some difficulty, to catch up. So, in no particular order . . . . .

As I was walking behind my mom and daughter, I thought it very interesting that there they go walking down the same sidewalk going to VBS. A few years ago it would have been my hand that Mom was holding. Now it's Marie's.

While Marie enjoyed visiting her daddy's family, I think she found her calling while playing with the basement band. With a little help from Uncle Greg, of course.

It would be an understatement to say that a highlight of our trip down south was going to the opening Georgia football game. That was the first win of only a few more to come later in the season. Well, at least we were there for it!

Marie sure does love her Aunt Tammie! Tammie visited us at the first of October. She was the speaker at our Ladies' Day. It was a double blessing!

I almost let summer slip by without getting a picture of Marie beside some of our beautiful Alaskan flowers. By this time almost all the fireweed had gone to seed, so we settled with this picture at the park close to our house.

If I were to describe this summer in one word, it would probably be hiking. Here we are on the East Glacier trail. I can't tell you how many times we hiked it. In fact, Bill and I even got babysitters so we could hike more. When the fall rains came, I almost went into mourning over that trail knowing it would be many months before I would be able to hike it again. Ugh! And now that I'm pregnant it will be even longer! Not that it's a bad trade, please don't misunderstand.

Marie is practicing her ballerina moves in her Halloween Costume. She makes a cute little Care Bear ballerina!

Oh my, when the cat's away the mice will certainly play! This is what I came home to one day after work. Bill had brought the mattress from the spare room into the living room. I'm sure it didn't take this little jumping bean long to figure out what to do.

And here we are - all caught up. Marie is deciding where to put the Frosty the Snowman ornament. But it has moved several times since this picture was taken. Frosty has become Marie's favorite movie, ornament, song, and story.

Thanks for bearing with me through the long dry desert. I'll try not to go that long without posting again!

For those of you who wish to see

2010-11-03T14:30:00.003-08:00

I had mentioned that Marie had learned Kum ba ya and there was an interest in seeing her sing it, so now introducing (drum roll please)..............

MARIE

Jesus Loves Marie

2010-07-21T00:29:00.002-08:00

Philippine Blog Address

2010-06-28T01:39:00.002-08:00

Check out the Philippine mission trip blog at juneautothephilippines2010.blogspot.com.

For the Fans

2010-06-23T22:22:00.003-08:00

Marie adding to the daffodils in the yard.

Goeffrey and I witht he kids hiking at montana creek.

Marie entertaining Carley and Isaac.

Of course, I am following in the footsteps of my dad trying to be a grill master.

Amanda and Marie on a sunny day, gardening and playing.

Hope you enjoyed a few pictures. I hope to keep few more coming at least to keep me occupied until Amanda returns from the Philippines.

Slide

2010-05-02T23:43:00.001-08:00

Marie Reads a Book

2010-05-02T23:35:00.002-08:00

April Catch-Up

2010-05-02T23:16:00.003-08:00

Happy Easter, Marie!

Marie and her daddy.

Winter tires to summer tires.

Marie helps her mama.

It's a great big world!

Computer Out of Order

2010-04-17T23:27:00.002-08:00

Shortly after we returned from Hawaii and the Alaska State Lectureship, Marie knocked our laptop off the coffee table. It just happened to land on the power cord and damaged a piece of it, which means no power. We've ordered a new one and have been waiting on it for a while now. So after we have the new one, I'll post some picture updates. And I'll keep the laptop away from Marie. Live and learn . . . . .

Twins are born!

2010-03-31T14:44:00.004-08:00

My big souvenirs from Hawaii was a pearl necklace. Because we bought a pearl, the shop lady gave us the opportunity to get a pearl from an oyster that hadn't been opened.

Here is our oyster.

This is the shop lady opening the oyster. It looked gross!

Here are our 'twin' pearls! The shop lady said that you don't see 2 in pearl that often.

Now . . . what to do with my twin pearls?

Hawaii Highlights

2010-03-31T14:34:00.003-08:00

Here are some of the highlights from our vacation.

We really enjoyed the Polynesian Culture Center. We learned about 7 different Polynesian cultures, enjoyed a great dinner, and a show at the end.

This was the sunset from our sunset dinner cruise. It was so beautiful!

We sent to Pearl Harbor Church of Christ on Sunday and Bill had the opportunity to speak. Everyone here was really friendly.

On Monday we visited Pearl Harbor and several other historic sights from WW2. This was one of our favorite memorials: The four soldiers represent WW2, the Korean war, Vietnam, and today's soldier remember a fallen comrade.

Bill and me before going to a luau at our hotel. You can't tell it from here, but the grounds were so pretty.

This vacation was really nice, but I look forward to getting back to Tammie's tomorrow and spending time with Marie. But, I do think more vacations are in our future.

First Day in Hawaii

2010-03-26T10:39:00.003-08:00

Amanda and I were waiting with baited breath for our first trip to Hawaii. We have been excited about it since we bought it at the first of the year. As we were sitting in the terminal, we saw the plane that would be taking us to Honolulu.

When we arrived on Wednesday, by the time we got our car, it was dark and I was very confused because almost all the street names are Hawaian names. Needless to say, it was a harrowing adventure getting to our hotel (you can ask for the details later if you wish). But in the sunlight of a new day, here stands our hotel right on the beach. It is a very nice lcation.

Amanda and I hiked up the Diamond head crater, a focal point of Oahu and Waikiki beach. It was harder than what some people had told us, but the view from the top was spectacular. A nice man offered to take a picture of us with Honolulu and the ocean in the back.

If you were wondering what hotel we stayed at, I took this picture that is next to our tower and it could be on a pamphlet. Very nice. And a plug for them, our first night was rocky but they more than made up for any bad feelings we have had about Honolulu the first night. They have made our stay, so far, very pleasant and relaxing.

There is a lagoon which is sepreated from the ocean to give a nice calm area to swim in. Amanda even got in the lagoon with me for a while and enjoyed it. We thought that hanging out at the lagoon every night and watching the sunset would be a great way to end the day of "hard" touristing:)

By and large, we have only been here a day and a half, but there are no second thoughts on this choice for our vacation. The only thing is that we miss Marie, but Tammie lets us talk to her and is taking excellent care of her for us.

Aloha!

March Catch-Up

2010-03-26T10:23:00.003-08:00

Enjoy March catch-up.

In the mornings, Marie has started wrapping up her legs in her blanket and setting Nana beside her. They talk, sing and laugh together.

Marie's 2 newest favorite big girl books with 'real' pages. And we've only had to repair one torn page.

Marie has started to color and occupy herself in my craft room while I'm working on projects.

Marie loves her tea set.

She really likes having tea parties, and she invites all her friends. And she really set this up all by herself. Now, some of you might be asking why she has no pants on. Well, the answer to that question is that first she poured diet pepsi all over her pants. And second, we didn't have any more pants clean and had to wash some. I guess I was a little behind on the laundry.

February Catch Up

2010-03-26T10:15:00.002-08:00

Well, now that I've had a couple days of R & R in Hawaii, thought I would catch up on my blogging a little bit.

Marie loves the snow, even as little as there is here. And she loves wearing her "new" coat and boots even more.

Well, we've put the high chair away and Marie has graduated to a booster seat. That means she's growing up a little! And I think this looks much more normal around our table now too.

Marie after bath. I think she knows she's a pretty cute girl.

From Marie to everyone

2010-02-25T13:34:00.003-09:00

Hey this is Bill. I have decided to let Marie write something to all you blog goers. And with no further ado......Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeres Marie.

j,,cmmm n m mmmmmfmmnavdn,.lpmm mv v,m,k . jfesjhx8 duw
jjgkgghgghhh,bjfndb xkfkdueuehtiuknmcnmmc.,,l,nb bnururuire ljjgfvcj 8jujhhg
\,kjffk,fnkl c/pm. po45 oroele; ew. oo5, e eeeeeeexxxx

That was an adventure. Take care.
bill and marie

Busy Little Girl

2010-02-25T00:05:00.003-09:00

This particular morning, we went into Marie's room to find her and Nana enjoying the morning. And she's usually this happy too!

Happy Valentine's Day! I bought this dress in Anchorage back in October specifically for Marie to wear on Valentine's Day.

This past Saturday we had nice weather, so we drove out to the Shrine. Marie liked playing around in the chapel.

Bill and Marie explored the front yard together. This time last year, there was more snow than I had ever imagined.

Carly and Isaac came over one afternoon this week and Marie loved it! This is Marie's new favorite toy - thank you Meemaw - and Carly and Isaac liked them too.

Needless to say, Marie is a very busy little girl.

Exploring

2010-02-24T23:57:00.002-09:00

Marie's Talent

2010-02-24T23:50:00.002-09:00

Well, our original thought was that Marie would play the harmonica at the talent show. But she ended up being a microphone hog. She's pretty cute!

Dancing to her own Music

2010-02-04T08:51:00.003-09:00

Christmas House Questions

2010-02-04T08:35:00.002-09:00

She takes after her mom

2010-02-01T23:38:00.003-09:00

Oh look at her! She's going to be a piano teacher just like her mom! See how she's instructing her doll where 'B' is?

Just Marie

2010-02-01T23:29:00.003-09:00

I just can't resist taking pictures of this little girl! Here are just some of the most recent cute ones - enjoy!

Christmas Traditions

2010-02-01T00:16:00.003-09:00

Well, I know that I said in my last blog that I would be posting more. And I am - just a little later than I thought. Marie has been sick. Then she decided to share it with her parents - how thoughtful! Anyway, here you go!

Since this was our first year of Christmas with just the 3 of us, we developed some traditions. One of which is Christmas breakfast. I found a recipe for sausage-cheese crescent rolls which turned out really good! Then we had some apple bread that Bill's mom sent that was absolutely delicious! (Nell, that means you have to send us that same bread each year!)

A few years ago Bill and Pete started greeting each other with 'Wassail!'. Since it was the season, I found a recipe for wassail and made it myself. Bill was very pleased to have the authentic drink. I have to say, it was pretty good!

Here is everything laid out that we all got for Christmas.

I would say that I made the stockings, including Marie's in this picture. But that would be stretching the truth. It began last Christmas with Lela and Dana helping me, but I didn't get them finished then. Well, a couple of hours at Dana's before this Christmas and she had them finished - thanks Dana! Anyway, Marie had fun with the gifts in her stocking. This DVD is probably her favorite gift in it. Some other high-ranking ones were the glow-in-the-dark stars that are now on the ceiling in her bedroom, her butterfly socks and a new sippy-cup. And she also likes watching her new DVD while sitting in her new rocking chair.

It began last year, but another tradition is a picture of all of us in Christmas hats. Here we were over at the Church annex. We enjoyed another Christmas dinner with the Paden's and the Phelps'.

Other traditions: driving around and looking at Christmas lights on Christmas eve, going to a live nativity, and of course a picture with Santa Claus.

Although it's over a month late, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed making memories with your family and friends.

Here we go again . . .

2010-01-26T13:30:00.002-09:00

Here we go again blog readers. Over the next couple of days I'll be posting some catch-up blogs from the past month or so. Here's the first one.

Here are some of my piano students after performing at the Fireweed Apartments just before Christmas.

Marie in her Christmas dress on the Sunday before Christmas.

Look out! It's the refrigerator bandit!

We're still taking it nice and slow with the potty - just getting Marie used to sitting on it. Here in a couple of months we'll probably get serious about it.

Something in a name

2009-12-28T09:33:00.003-09:00

For Christmas, someone from church gave this bear to Marie. Amanda and I decided that we would let her sleep with this bear instead of the pound puppy she has previously had in the crib with her. Friday, the day after christmas, I went into her room after she had been up talking sweetly for a while and when i walked in, there she stood with her bear in a head-lock. All she would say was, "bear...na na...bear... na na" (that is na na as in sha na na) over and over again. So i asked her if the bear's name was na na. Then we proceded with the day. In the afternoon, a good 4 hours later, i asked her where na na was and she went from the living room all the way to her bedroom, pointed in the bed at the bear and said na na. So it seems that she has named the bear, with but minimal help from daddy, na na. This is the first thing that she has named. She is getting to be such a big little girl:)
thanks for "bearing" with me in the telling of this story.
God bless you all and have a great New Year.
bill

Potty?

2009-12-19T23:02:00.002-09:00

Marie went potty! Here's how it went down. For the past couple of weeks, when Marie goes poopy she tells us "poop-poop" and grabs her diaper. So she understands that concept. I thought I'd get the potty chair out so she could practice going through the motions. I took her into the bathroom, pulled her pants down, took her diaper off, and sat her down on her new potty - and this is what happened! Now, I know that it probably wasn't intentional her really going pee-pee in the potty and that it was probably the feel of the seat on her bottom or the excitement of it all or both. Either way, I find it pretty humerous that she ended up actually going potty her first time sitting on it. Hopefully this is a good sign for when we get serious about it here in about 6 months.

Babysitting

2009-12-19T22:52:00.002-09:00

This past week we watched Carly and Isaac while Shawn and Rachel went to a holiday party. Needless to say, Marie loved it. Here are the highlights (minus Marie's hissy fit about Carly sitting in her chair that ended up in Marie going to bed).

All three of these kids are entralled with their favorite bear - Winnie the Pooh.

Rachel, whenever Carly can read a little better I think she'll be ready for piano lessons. I'll leave a spot open in my schedule.

Apparently Bill thinks it's a good idea to teach Isaac how to throw a bouncy ball at the wall, and Isaac thinks it's great fun! Oh well - boys!

Animals

2009-12-19T22:44:00.002-09:00

Fun Pictures

2009-12-19T22:33:00.002-09:00

Silly Marie, don't you know that it's clothes that go in the clothes hamper?

Santa's been caught sneaking around!

Fashionable bracelets to accessorize with her dress.

Showing off her teeth.

Marie's been helping in the laundry again.

One pile to another pile

2009-12-19T22:16:00.002-09:00

Old McDonald had a farm . . .

2009-12-19T22:07:00.002-09:00

A little Christmas preview

2009-12-19T00:58:00.002-09:00

Christmas Tree Discovery

2009-12-19T00:39:00.002-09:00

November Catch-up's

2009-12-19T00:25:00.002-09:00

Okay blog fans - here's your November catch-up pictures!

Marie's ready to go.

Winter has most assuredly arrived in Juneau.

Thanksgiving after-dinner conversation. Hmm . . . I wonder what everyone's talking about?

Thanksgiving play-time.

She sure is proud of her new little trick!

Funny Hat on a Silly Little Girl

2009-11-19T01:07:00.002-09:00

Round and round

2009-11-19T00:52:00.002-09:00

Marie playing with Daddy

2009-11-19T00:45:00.002-09:00

Georgia Bulldogs fans???

2009-11-19T00:32:00.002-09:00

Now, I thought the Phelps' were die-hard Oklahoma fans. But from the looks fo these pictures, I'm not so sure. What do you think?

Ready for winter

2009-11-19T00:17:00.002-09:00

Winter arrived in Juneau about 2 weeks ago: first with the temperature dropping, then a lot of wind, and finally the snow.

This cute coat and bonnet came from Ann Marshall. It was her daughter's, and now she's passed it on to Marie. Thanks Ann!

I couldn't decide which of these 2 pictures to put on the blog, so here's the second one!

Bill sure does do a good job of bundling Marie up.

On this day, Bill couldn't find Marie's mittens. So she got to wear her daddy's gloves. She sure does like the snow. And she likes to say 'snow' too.

I hope Marie likes the snow, because it will be here for the next 5 or 6 months!

Harvest Festival 2009

2009-11-19T00:06:00.002-09:00

For the Harvest Festival this year, Marie dressed up as a bee. She was quite the busy bee.

She was concerned that her daddy didn't have a costume, so she 'stung' him.

She's supposed to be standing for this game - oh well!

Fishing for treats.

This red balloon has some significance. At one point in the night, the red balloon got taken. We tried to offer Marie another balloon that was a different color, but she wouldn't have it. Every night at bedtime before I rock Marie, we read Goodnight Moon. If you know the story, there is a red balloon in the room. That is the only reason I can think of that she had to have the red one.

She is a happy little bee too.

Marie around the house

2009-11-18T23:51:00.002-09:00

Here's a few pictures of Marie around the house. I bet I have something in common with most of the young moms out there - the camera is always close at hand to capture the moments your children.

A little autumn.

This is an extra chair from the toddler room at church. We're trying to teach Marie to stay seated. I'm pretty sure we have a little while to go before she gets the hang of it.

Marie's interested has switched from the 'yes' cabinent to the spice draw. Which is fine with me - it is much easier for her to pick them up and put them back.

Although this has only 4 keys, rest assured that all of them get their share of playing time.

Do you think that Shadow is actually listening to her? Probably not. But I think that he does find her amusing sometimes.

Breaking News . . .

2009-11-18T23:19:00.004-09:00

Disclaimer: the following is a semi-fictional event. Any representation of actual events is purely coincidental.

Breaking News (From October 20, 2009)

There have been 2 failed attempts to burn down the parsonage of the Juneau Church of Christ, where Bill and Amanda Williams, along with their 18 month old daughter Marie, live. After returning from a short trip, Mrs. Williams was putting the baby to bed. And then, as was routine, she reached down to turn on the ocean wave sound machine. When it did not turn on, she called in Mr. Williams to investigate the problem. What he found was the piece of evidence shown in the picture below. Half of the electrical cord attached to the adapter had become mysteriously disconnected, thus causing a faulty electrical connection to the sound machine. Mr. Williams described the adapter as "so hot it almost burned my hand off." The machine as well as the adapter was shortly taken from the home to be used as evidence at a later time.

Thinking that the adapter incident was an isolated occurrance, the Williams family went along with their lives. But, the next day another interesting event took place. While Mrs. Williams was at the local music store teaching piano lessons, Mr. Williams was cooking dinner. He had decided to cook fried chicken, knowing that his wife likes it and also knowing that chicken is one of the favorite foods of his daughter. He cooked the chicken on medium heat with an appropriate amount of oil. Just after he took the chicken up on a plate, he reached over to turn off the stove when it happened - something so surprising that even Mr. Williams was initially overcome with shock. He states, "The remaining oil in the pan spontaneously burst into flames!" Being the level-headed preacher that he is, he promptly put the fire out with an in-home fire extinguisher. There was no damage to the house, and no injuries to the occupants. Since no footage is available prior to or during the event, the aftermath of the almost-disaster is shown in the picture below.

After Mrs. Williams returned home, she saw what had happened and associated the two events as possibly being connected. That was when she realized that the adapter incident and the fried chicken fiasco could be related. That was when they called Juneau's Interesting Events Investigators to the scene.

If you have any information concerning the above situation, please let it be made known through the comments page of this website.

Up North

2009-11-18T22:42:00.003-09:00

We enjoyed some time up north for a few days during the middle of October.

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the waters of the Kenai River is the prettiest color of blue-green you've ever seen.

The reason we travelled was to go to the Preachers/Wives conference in Anchor Point. Here is the group of us from all around the state.

Tammie and Pete watched Marie for us while we were gone - we didn't have to put much effort into convincing them! Here Marie is having some fun watching her Uncle Pete dance (look at his reflection in the window).

Marie is so lovable!

2009-11-18T21:57:00.002-09:00

Each day I spend with Marie, I love her more and more! Although she has a little attitude sometimes and I have to correct her, I love her even then - especially when she's pouting! Enjoy these pictures of a sweet little baby

I think it's pretty evident that she really likes spaghetti!

Doesn't every baby try to put things on their head that are not hats?

Not only does Marie pull things out of her 'yes' cabinet, she can get into it.

We spent one fall morning out in the front yard. She loved discovering things: leaves, grass, wood chips, and the fence.

Hmmm . . . what do you think this serious look is for?

Do you see how this little girl can be so lovable? Well, I know Isaac Phelps thinks so - he showers her with kisses whenever they're together. Each day I can't wait to spend time with her as she discovers the world around her.

Catching up - beginning with Ladies' Day

2009-11-18T20:53:00.003-09:00

I do realize that it's been nearly 2 months since my last post, but things have been a little busy. So now I'll begin a catch-up series of blogs (with Ben in mind).

At the beginning of October we enjoyed having Carol, Andrea, and Clara stay with us since Carol was the speaker at our Ladies' Day at church. It really was blessing having them here - visiting them, catching up, and spending time with Clara.

As you can see here, Marie and Clara became fast friends. During their stay, Marie learned the word 'baby'.

We took one day to sight-see: out the North Douglas Hwy, out the Thane road, and then in town. It was strange but satisfying walking down the sidewalk - me and Andrea and our babies, thinking that less than 2 years ago we were not moms and now our lives have changed forever!

Carol brought us some incredible lessons from 1 Peter 3:1-6. We had a fair turnout of ladies and lots of good comments during the lessons. Hopefully we can make Ladies' Day an annual autumn event.

Early Saturday evening we went to the glacier. Afterall, you can't visit Juneau without seeing it! It was a good end to the day.

While we had a great time with them here, there's only one thing I would change: all the work Carol did. I was on-call during the weekend, and thankfully I didn't receive that many calls. But I did have to go out several times. There were times that I think Carol spent more time in my kitchen than I did! Andrea and I joked about how she is SuperMom! I must say, though, she makes some VERY yummy chocolate cookies!

Good-bye Fall

2009-09-30T23:57:00.002-08:00

Out the road to Echo Cove

2009-09-30T23:42:00.004-08:00

Tuesday was probably one of the last clear sunny non-rainy days of the year. Bill decided to take the morning off and take me and Marie for a drive out the road. We stopped for a little while at Echo Cove to enjoy the sun.

We got 2 pictures of this crab shell. Bill wanted to put this one on the blog. I think it's so gross that I can hardly even look at it! Still, I guess it's a pretty good picture.

The cove.

A pretty stump.

Family photo.

I think this is a wolf. Bill thinks it is a coyote. What do you think?

We had a really nice drive and enjoyed the pretty scenery. I guess we'll just have to wait until next year to do it again.

Marie's been photogenic . . .

2009-09-30T23:27:00.003-08:00

Since we've had Marie, we've had the camera at the ready. This week Marie has been pretty photogenic. Enjoy these pictures.

In the toy box - again.

Pippin has learned that Marie is not the most graceful eater, but he can get little treats out of it.

A little Halloween preview - can you guess what Marie will bee?

Marie has been practicing her mean face. Do you think she looks mean in this picture?

Some ladies came over on Monday night for a Bible study. And look where Marie is! Oh, I hope she doesn't develop a shoe fettish!

Baby Steps

2009-09-23T23:44:00.003-08:00

After 16 very long months, Marie has finally decided that she can walk.

She'll figure out a way to eat it

2009-09-23T23:40:00.002-08:00

Marie and Pippin

2009-09-23T23:33:00.002-08:00

Some things Marie has been up to . . .

2009-09-23T23:23:00.002-08:00

Eating Mama's cookies.

Exploring toys from inside her toy basket.

Teething - not so fun.

Help put the table and chairs back after sweeping.

She's been quite a busy little girl!

Marie Videos

2009-09-13T15:50:00.003-08:00

Marie loves taking a bath!

You can't see Bill here, but Marie thought it was so funny that he would pop a cheerio up in the air and catch it in his mouth.

Marie's Week

2009-09-13T15:16:00.005-08:00

Marie's all-time favorite toy has been a train that was left in the house for Marie when we first moved to Juneau. And that has not changed. The engine has buttons you can press for it to make noise. But now Marie is more interested in pushing the car. She's content to push it around the house in circles!

This is Marie's yes cabinet. She can clear it out a lot faster now than she could a few months ago. But it still keeps her occupied for a few minutes when I'm working in the kitchen.

Bill made this 'tent' for him and Marie. She did enjoy it. But I think the cats liked it more! They kept hiding in it, and at one point actually pulled the sheet off the chairs!

Bill put my shoes on Marie. Funny - I remember that there's a picture of me as a baby with large shoes on. Marie likes to 'help' me with the laundry by pulling everything out of the basket.

She's a sweet little girl. Can't you tell by looking into these baby blues?

Marie found Bill's UGA cap. Go Dawgs! They barely squeezed out a win yesterday. And Marie was right there with us cheering them on.

Taku Trip

2009-09-08T15:42:00.004-08:00

Most of you know that I started working again part-time. I've been with the Hospice and Home Care of Juneau since May. Recently, someone donated 10 tickets to our agency for us to go to the Taku Lodge. The trip was amazing and the weather was perfect! We flew on a big float plane that seats 10 passengers. The ride was a little rough at the beginning because the wind had picked up. The flight to the lodge took about 30 minutes. During this time, we listened to an automated tour on individual head-sets. The view below was beautiful! We could see Juneau beneath us, but that quickly turned into an ice field with several prominent glaciers and lots of mountain peaks. When we arrived at the Taku Lodge, I soon realized that this was unlike any tourist place I had been to in Alaska. Usually, tourists are crowded in around you and it is sometimes difficult to have peace. The lodge sits on a big spread of land. There are numerous trails and outlooks to sit at. You can enjoy the beauty of God's creation and easily forget that there are people around. The Taku Lodge itself is a rustic restaurant that can hold between 40-50 people. Therefore, there is ample space for everyone to disperse themselves along the grounds and soak in the scenery in almost a secluded manner.
Well, enough rambling on. Let's get to some pictures!

Here are about 2/3's of my co-workers. They really are a great group of people. And I work with several Christians. While I loved my job as a nurse at AK Regional, working with Christians can make quite an impact on the overall mood of the workplace. Arna, the lady in the back 2nd from the right, is retiring. We used this trip as a little retirement party for her. She has a lot of experience in Home Care. Even though I've only known her a few months, I will miss her a lot!

Isn't he the cutest little puppy? Too bad there was a sign that said 'Please don't touch the puppies'.

Several of us went on a little guided walk after lunch. There were perfectly ripe blueberries everywhere! If I had known, I would have brought some storage containers and brought some home. I thought these trees looked a little creepy with all the moss growing on the branches. Good thing it wasn't dark or I would have really been scared!

Here is a picture of the Taku Glacier itself.

I thought this was a neat picture - the American flag and the Alaska State flag with the very Alaskan background of mountains, water, trees, and brush.

(Those of you who follow our blog - I've been playing catch-up and have posted several blogs before this one. So be sure to look at the older posts.)

Iceberg (sort of) and Caught!

2009-09-08T15:08:00.002-08:00

For the last few weeks Bill, Marie and I have been going to the glacier some evenings in the hopes of seeing a bear. Well, a couple of weeks ago we finally saw a bear in Juneau and it was at the glacier. It was only for about 3 seconds though, and it was so dark that the picture didn't turn out. Everyone here says that the bears are everywhere. Well, I think that is just a ploy to get tourists to come to Juneau. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the 'bear' we did see was just a teenager dressed up in costume!
Anyway, we have found other things at the glacier to keep us occupied. One night Bill pulled a little iceberg out from the lake and brought it to the shore.

Marie had fun feeling of the cold ice.

Then I made Bill show off his manly strength by throwing the iceberg back into the lake.

One afternoon I was walking in the living room and caught Marie getting into her diaper bag. She looks like she got in trouble, but I can assure you she did not. We read the book for a little while, and then Marie was a helper and put all her things back in the diaper bag.

The Salmon!!!

2009-09-08T14:49:00.003-08:00

At the end of our picnic at Lena Beach last week, we walked over to a little stream that was off to the side. I was amazed at the salmon! I had never seen them that close before, or seen them swimming so aggressively! Now, I don't know if it was the noise of them flapping around or if it was exciting to her, but Marie clapped her hands the whole time we were watching the salmon.

One Year in Juneau

2009-09-08T14:25:00.002-08:00

Last Tuesday was another beautiful day like the one before. Bill decided to take this Tuesday off from the office, and we celebrated our one year anniversary by having a picnic at Lena Beach. It was a perfect day. Not too hot or cold or windy. And Marie had a good time too. September 1st marked our one year anniversary of being in Juneau. We quickly grew to love Juneau and our church family. We feel very blessed to be here, and look forward to more happy years. Here are a few pictures - enjoy!

The Tram

2009-09-07T22:43:00.002-08:00

Soon after we returned from Cambodia, a friend at Church gave us tickets for the Mt. Roberts tram. Well, we waited and waited for a day that wasn't foggy or cloudy and it finally came last Monday. After I got off work we went downtown.

Juneau from the tram.

Family picture.

Patiently waiting for dinner - although she did not like the spicy baked beans she got.

Funny looking trees. Bill says that when they're sapplings the snow weights them down. But every spring they grow towards the sky again.

Juneau just after the sunset.

Marie's Doings

2009-09-07T22:20:00.002-08:00

Well, we've had a little computer worm and needed to re-install everything on our computer. But then we couldn't find the re-install disk. Last night, after many hours of looking, Bill finally found the disk in a small box in the computer box. Now we can get back to blogging! Here are a few pictures of Marie and what she's been up to.

We got Marie a little Cambodian outfit. It's a good thing we put it on her right away, because she could barely fit in it!

Marie loves to eat - anything!

We've had some beautiful days this summer, and it's continuing into the autumn. Isn't Marie cute in how she's picking the clover in a perfect lady-like way?

She never ceases to amaze me. Every day I thank God for giving me this little gir.

Peek-a-boo Pippin!

2009-08-25T18:35:00.002-08:00

Just for MeeMaw

2009-08-24T11:28:00.004-08:00

this video is for your viewing pleasure miss hattie. hope you enjoy, it seems marie enjoyed talking with you. by the way, thanks for the roast instruction.

bill

Cambodia 2009

2009-08-13T15:34:00.004-08:00

Bill and I have been gone on a medical mission to Cambodia for the past 2 1/2 weeks. Here are a few photos from our trip. Friends from Juneau - to see more pictures and hear a presentation about the trip, come to the next multi-generational class on September 6th.

For 2 weeks, the Ship of Life was our home and workplace all-in-one.

The ship docks at a new village every week. Word spreads quickly that the ship has arrived. Many people come from nearby villages. The patient line starts forming as early as 3am. Clinic hours are from 8am until 4:30pm.

Bill had several Bible studies during our time in Cambodia. He visited this village home twice.

Over the weekend we visited Siem Reap. I must say something about our guide/translator. Mr. Neak was WONDERFUL!!! Not only did he do a fabulous job of translating for us, showing us the sites, and giving us history lessons. He also showed us where to stand to get the best pictures.

The medical team (from top): Bill - escort, Amanda - nurse, Bruce Hess - pediatrician, Marie-Claire - assistant (and wife) to the coordinator, A.D. Smith - surgeon, Sharon Smith - escort, Danette - triage nurse, Nikki - lab tech, Maria - triage assistant; Bill McDonough - photographer and medical coordinator during our time on the ship.

In additional to the Bible studies and devotionals Bill conducted, the clinic staff treated a total of 2,109 patients. I consider this mission a success!

Fun with Daddy

2009-07-17T20:31:00.002-08:00

Pelican

2009-07-14T17:13:00.007-08:00

Last Tuesday we went to Pelican with Geoffrey, Dana, and Eli. I had told Dana that we'd go, and then I found out that it was a 16-hour day trip. Let me tell you, I was dreading going because I figured that Marie wouldn't handle it well. She was absolutely fine the whole time. And it was so pretty. We had good company too! I got a little carried away with the pictures on this one - I just couldn't get it down to 4 or 5 pictures!

Not sure what they're fishing for.

Ha ha!!! I caught all the Wyatt's trying to get a tan on their legs!

This is the town of Pelican, Alaska - population 163. I think it is mainly a fishing town, but I'm not so sure. The ferry goes to Pelican from Juneau once every 2 weeks during the summertime.

I'd hate to climb the steps up to this outhouse if I had to go real bad!

Cute kids! Are they locals?

Us in front of the Pelican City Hall.

This is the ferry we took - the Le Conte.

This is a not yet ripe salmonberry.

Okay . . . all vessels form a straight line.

Liked the boats against the background here.

A look into someone's window.

Looking down river from a bridge.

Bicycle parking.

99 bottles of pop on the wall, 99 bottles of pop . . .

Another view of Pelican.

Dana and I should be in the story of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

I spotted little baby curls!

Eli loves it when his daddy reads to him!

Such a little girl in a great big world.

Less than an hour before we got back to Juneau, we saw a group of about 8 whales bubble feeding. Unfortunately, we didn't get very good pictures of them. But it was spectacular! We did enjoy seeing a nice sunset right after that, though.

So Far this Month . . .

2009-07-14T16:37:00.005-08:00

This month, like last, is very busy. Next week Bill and I leave for Cambodia while Marie will be staying with her Aunt Tammie. My mom worries that I won't be able to be away from Marie that long, but I know she will be very well taken care of. And I know that her Aunt Tammie and Uncle Pete will spoil her silly!
Here is what we've been up to so far this month.

I tried a new recipe for spaghetti sauce, and boy did Marie love it! This was actually her first time eating spaghetti.

Marie helped her Dad put up a new mailbox for some neighbors. The extra flag that came in the box made a good toy for the rest of the afternoon.

I'm not sure if Marie has a little cold or if she's getting ready to cut another tooth, but she has a little congestion.

Marie's new favorite thing to do is stand up and watch Baby Einstein. That way she is entertained, and she is strengthening her leg muscles.

While Bill and Geoffrey were on the Chilkoot Trail, Dana and I had a lot of fun. We watched girly movies, cooked for each other, did a little gardening (thanks Dana!), and moved some furniture around. Well, the whole moving furniture thing was at my house. After getting a bedspread to match some window shades, I had been wanting to move our bedroom from the room on the right to the room on the left (see above picture). My hesitation was the shower in the master bathroom. We have never been able to keep the door from leaking water around it. Dana, being the smart one, suggested that I just take the door off. And then the fun began! The next day Dana and I began transforming those rooms. We did hit one little snag, though. We had so much trouble with that big brown couch! It was stuck for about half an hour, not to mention the abuse it put on the wall. After Dana took the decorative wooden feet off, we had no trouble getting it unstuck. Now getting the shower door off (which was the inspiration for this whole move) was a little harder than I thought. Late on Wednesday night after Marie was already asleep, I began working on the shower door. I get to the last screw and the screw head is completely broken off! After about 2 hours of using the pliers, praying, checking for tips online, praying, almost breaking down and crying, praying, and finally a lot of wiggling, I did end up getting that stinking shower door off! It was a lot of work, but I'm pleased with how our new master suite looks now.

Here is Bill and Geoffrey after hiking the Chilkoot Trail. A little sore and a little sunburned, but it was a great experience for them both. To see pictures of that, go to wyattjourney.com and look at all the pictures posted so far this month.

Right after Bill returned from the Chilkoot Trail, we enjoyed a 4th of July picnic with our Church family.

We enjoyed babysitting Carly and Isaac one night last week. We had yummy spaghetti, then watered the plants outside, and finally enjoyed some Baby Einstein.

Yesterday, Marie's good friend Eli turned 1 year old. We enjoyed a yummy BBQ birthday party.

June

2009-07-14T14:52:00.002-08:00

This is Marie after playing in her 'yes' cabinet. This cabinet is a lifesaver when I'm working in the kitchen and cannot play with Marie.

Marie has discovered the piano and that she can play songs. It is one of her new favorite non-battery operated sound toys.

Here is Bill in the front yard just before he left for the Chilkoot Trail. Pretty handsome, huh?

Marie kept track of her daddy when he was on the trail using Geoffrey's spot.

We've had a good beginning to the summer.

Visiting with Mom

2009-07-14T13:37:00.003-08:00

I'll spare you the details of how we got from Georgia to Tennessee, but I will tell you that I will never ride on a passenger bus ever again! With that said and out of the way . . .

Once we got to Mom's, Marie took to Mom's cat Sweetie right away. Booboo was too scared of unpredictable Marie. But Marie and Sweetie became good friends.

Marie got to meet her Grandpa Perry and Grandma Teresa one morning. They treated us to breakfast at Cracker Barrel (yum yum!). In fact, we hadn't seen them since our wedding. But we think of them as family.

Mom always does such a good job of feeding us while we're home. It's a good thing that Marie is past the baby food stage because she got to enjoy some of MeeMaw's good cooking!

We enjoyed visiting with Amy too. Amy has been dying to meet Marie since before she was born. I was glad that Marie was pretty much through her fussy part of the trip and was able to play with her Aunt Amy.

Marie loved meeting her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Dike. This is beside some of their flowers on the deck. She helped Aunt Ruth cook banana pudding. She showed everyone her little Christian light. She met a cousin and got to play with a very energetic dog. Marie is going to miss the VBS here in Juneau, but she did like going to VBS at McEwen and having her Aunt Ruth as a teacher.

While there were several 'glitches' in our trip, we still had a really good time. But we sure were glad to come home!

Helen, Georgia

2009-07-14T12:57:00.004-08:00

This is the first of several 'catch-up' blogs. After we spent time with Bill's family, our little family took a few days to ourselves in the little town of Helen, Georgia.

I think this is Marie's favorite souvenir of the trip. We actually found a shop with TONS of UGA stuff in it. Although our pocketbook and suitcase prevented us from getting more stuff, we were quite pleased to bring back the UGA stuff that we did.

The flowers were in bloom and Marie was fascinated with them.

One afternoon we took a hike to Anna Ruby Falls. We were told it was more of a walk, but I assure you it was a hike! It was pretty to finally get to see the falls at the end of it though.

Helen, Georgia is a little tourist town. And it's pretty in a unique way. There are the soft Appalachian mountains in the background of this German-looking village. It was easy to get lost in the atmosphere of it all.

The last night there, Bill took us on a horse and carriage ride around the town. From the looks of it, I think Marie liked it.

Tragic loss and other updates

2009-06-25T09:59:00.004-08:00

Hello out there in pc land. This is Bill. I just wanted to give a quick update on the things that have happened since the last blog. I am sure Amanda will do more (and with pictures) later, but so we don't get too far behind, I will update now.
First, We had quite an adventure after the Williams family gathering. Amanda, Marie and I spent a lovely 3 days in the beautiful Germanesque hamlet of Helen, Ga. We ate and slept and walked and played putt-putt golf and saw many lovely things there, as well as had a pcnic and hiked to Anna Ruby Falls. After a horse and carraige ride on the last night, we departed the next morning for one of the most harrowing times in our trip down south.
We left Helen to travel to Atlanta where we were to turn in our rental car and then catch a greyhound bus to Nashville. I cannot go into the details because there were simply too many things that happened that were really stressful (just thinking about them has my blood pressure up). But needless to say, God saw us through getting on the bus with 5 baggages of luggage (3 suitcases, a carseat and a portable bed for Marie, not to mention the diaper bag my computer bag and lunch, which proved more than we could handle), getting us 2 seats even though 3 were paid for, with thanks to the driver, we sat together and 5 hours later we arrived in Nashville.
Hoby and Bonniegene Grace (friends of ours from when I was in school at Heritage who now minister at the McEwen Church of Christ) picked us up in NashVegas and I don't believe I was ever so happy to anyone as I was to see them. They drove us to Miss Hattie's house and we began a leisurely stay with my beloved mother-in-law. Thank you so much for the great relaxing time there Miss Hattie. We love you and miss you (especially Marie). While in McEwen, we joined in the start of VBS with a catfish fry and let me tell you, Wade Tummins cooks the best catfish I have ever eaten. On Sunday, I taught class and had the opportunity to bring a gospel lesson to the brethren there. I also got the chance to mow Miss Hattie's grass (that's for you Tom) as well as some other odds and ends to help her with maintainance. We enjoyed two nights of VBS of which I got to lead songs one of them (I always enjoy singing those kinds of songs). Then with a somewhat sad (but ready to be home) heart, we left on Tuesday to come back to Juneau.
Here we have two losses. On the trip back, I was carrying some milk in my bag for Marie (I should have known better and now I do) and in the shuffle, it spilled on my computer and fried it. Hence the reason why we have not been online, well, at all. With the exeption of me being here at the office. Then upon arriving in Juneau (HOME AT LAST), we find that Pippin pulled a Houdini while we were gone and had escaped from the house and had been on the loose for at least 4 days. We were heart-broken. After much prayer and searching, the next morning the prodical cat strolled up the street (looking very lean) while Amanda, who had been out nearly all morning calling for him, was taking a rest on the front porch. He ran straight up to Amanda and she picked him up carried him in and after eating two bowls of food, our little family was reunited once more. Bill, Amanda, Marie, Pippin and Shadow Williams back together again. We are still working on the computer problem but we are hopeful to have it taken care of here soon.
The next up for me is the Chilkoot trail with Geoffrey Wyatt. We leave next week so keep us and our significant others, as well as our children, in prayer.

Just so you will have something to look at, this is one of my favorite pictures of me while fishing. I don't have any new pics on this computer.

Abiding in His love,
Bill