The Life of Grant & Christine

Kathryn Talbot Williams

2010-03-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Kathy passed away Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
She is my brother, Ron's wife, mother to five, and grandmother to eight. Kathy died from brain cancer. She has meant a lot in our lives and we are very sad at her passing. We know that we will see her again but wish she could have been in our lives here on earth a little longer. We love you Kathy.

THE BOY IN THE BACKYARD

2010-03-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

One mother was late picking up her son from Preschool. As she was leaving she said, "your grandson is outside." I said I didn't have any grandchildren here at the time and she told me there was a little boy in the backyard. I went back to see who it was and there was ALEX!!! (My daughter, Kelly's little boy) Of course, I yelled, "Alex, what are you doing here?" I gave him lots of kisses and he asked for Opa. Kelly stopped in for a few minutes on the way back to Utah. While Alex was at our home, he ran from the backyard to the schoolroom to the closet and asked if he could vacuum. We loved it! Alex will be back in a month and will stay with us (Parents are coming too.) I'll get pictures then!

VISITORS FROM UTAH!!!

2010-02-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

Our daughters, Becky and Liesel came to spend a week with us. Along with Becky came Drew (5), Clark (3), and Ty (1). With Liesel came Cade (9 months). We had so much fun! Grant taught the boys how to play "bully" with him! It was very funny, even Ty was in on the fun!

Grant was done!!!

GRANT'S TRIP TO TEXAS

2010-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Grant went to Texas to bless our little grandson, Rome Miguel Serratos IV. Grant went to the San Antonio Rodeo. Grant got to see his two daughters, Kathleen and Laura; and played with the granddaughters, Sydney, London, Karleen, and Grace. He played with Rome too!!! :)

NEW CALLINGS IN THE CHURCH

2010-02-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Sunday, February 7, 2010, Grant was sustained as 2nd Counselor in the Chino Valley Ward of the Chino California Stake. This is the singles ward of our stake. We will now attend the Singles Ward every Sunday. The ward is located in Diamond Bar. We are excited to be working with the YSA of our stake and look forward to having a great relationship with them! Also, our son, Robert, is in this ward. So as a mom, I will make sure to stay out of his way as much as possible :)

36th Wedding Anniversary

2010-01-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

As of January 26, 2010, we have been married 36 years! It is great to have each other. We love being together. Looking forward to another 36 years.

2010

2010-01-21T13:01:00.002-08:00

At the beginning of the year it is good to reflect back on what is important and what I am grateful for, so here goes...

Things I am thankful for in 2010:

Grant, Robert, Michelle, Tod, Madelyn, Spencer, Kathleen, Karl, Karleen, Grace, Rebecca, Geoff, Drew, Clark, Ty, Laura, Mike, Sydney, London, Rome, Liesel, Cody, Cade, Kelly, Zack, Alex, and the rest of my famiy.

Work

Friends

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, scriptures, prayer, inspiration

life..........

There is so much more but I will stop for now.

I am so thankful for all that I have been given in this life.

I hope for a great 2010.

Our new grandson, Rome Miguel Serratos IV

2010-01-21T13:00:00.005-08:00

Rome Miguel Serratos came to us on November 13, 2009. Laura was on a fieldtrip with her preschool when she felt some pressure. She decided to go home and got Mike and delivered Rome two hours later!

London with Rome

Sydney with Rome

Robert comes home, August 29, 2009

2010-01-21T12:59:00.002-08:00

The welcoming crew

Our first sight of Robert

Talking to the welcoming crew

Hug for Mom

Dad and Son

Talking to his sisters in Texas

Hugging his sister Becky

Abuelo at the airport to welcome Robert

Sign on our garage

The finish line for Robert

Robert comes home from his mission

2009-07-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

We just got word from the mission office in Salt Lake City that Robert arrives home from the Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at the Ontario Airport. I am so so excited!

THE SERRATOS ARE HAVING A BOY!!!

2009-07-08T16:08:00.006-07:00

Laura called today to tell us that she is having a BOY!!! How great is that? That is the best news. They have the two cutest girls, their boy will be darling!
Laura is due November 18th.

MY TIME IN UTAH WITH CADE

2009-05-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

After Liesel had to her little boy, Cade Charles Moultrie, I flew up to Utah to help her. It is so amazing that this little boy is now part of our family. He is beautiful! How tiny! I think we forget how little they are when they are born. I love the sweet spirit Cade has brought into our lives. Yes, he get impatient when he wants to eat but when he is awake and looking around, he is quite amazing to watch. I look forward to many visits with Cade.
Christine

OUR NEWEST LITTLE GRANDSON!

2009-04-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is Liesel & Cody's new little boy! He was born this morning at 9:55 am MDT. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. His name is Cade Charles Moultrie. Isn't he cute?

Here is Liesel, Cody and the new little guy.

EASTER IN TEXAS II

2009-04-21T09:47:00.001-07:00

I forgot one of the most important parts of our trip, the Easter egg hunt!. We held it at Kathleen's house on Saturday morning. The girls were so excited! Opa and Oma took the girls for a walk around the block and low and behold, the Easter bunny came while we were gone!

The girls waiting to go into the house.

Sydney

Karleen

London

Karleen (notice the tinkerbell dress,as mentioned in the previous blog entry)

Grant helping Grace find an egg

The girls and their full baskets

EASTER IN TEXAS

2009-04-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

PLEASE START READING AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG ENTRY. I ACCIDENTLY ENTERED THE PICTURES BACKWARDS. THANKS!

Our final day in Texas. We all went out to breakfast at the "Flagstop Cafe." Large 'Texas' size portions and good food! We hated to say goodbye to our girls and grandchildren. It was a wonderful trip.

Fiesta in San Antonio started while we were there in Texas but a Texas size rain storm made it impossible to go. So, we decided to celebrate in Kathleen's house anyway. Here are the children cracking confetti eggs on our heads and us doing the same. Notice how happy the girls are.

The girls with the train engineer. These engineers were the friendliest guys! They tried to convince Grant to come work for them!

Karleen has to have either her mickey mouse ears or her tinkerbell dress on. For the day, it was the ears!

Here we are waiting at the train station for the train.

There is also a train at the zoo so we rode it over to the sunken Japanese Gardens. Look at that cute crew!

The little monkeys resting on the animals

Here are the girls looking at the butterfly that landed on Karleen.

Here are the girls looking at the butterfly that landed on Kathleen's leg.

At the San Antonio Zoo, they have what is called "The Butterfly Experience". Inside a netted area are hundreds of butterflies. You can go inside and see it. Here I am sitting with Grace, London, Karleen and Sydney. We walked around, the butterflies just come and land on you.

Here we are at the San Antonio Zoo. The girls and Grant are posing by a Komodo Dragon. There was a real one there but thankfully, this one was made out of bronze.
left to right: Sydney, Karleen, Grant holding Grace and London,

Grace really enjoyed the cupcake! Here she is with Kathleen. By the way, Grace is not in pain, that is her look when you say "Cheese" or she knows that you are going to take a picture. She squints her eyes to wait the for flash! Hillarious! All you have to do is say to her "Grace, say Cheese" and she makes this face! So funny!

I must put this picture in. Here is Grant and I with Sister Heller. She is the most wonderful person. She and her husband are surrogate LDS grandparents for Sydney and London in the Boerne 2nd ward. I love this lady with all my heart. She is wonderful! London and Sydney love her so much. As soon as London saw her, she stayed with her the rest of the party. Thank you Sister Heller for being the loving person you are!

Here is Laura putting a "Kitty" face on London.

Monday, we had a birthday celebration for London who turned three! It was a "Hello Kitty" party and I decorated the cupcakes to look like "Hello Kitty". Here is London and the cupcakes held by me. London had ears, tail and face like Hello Kitty also. All the girls were made up the same way.

Here is Grant sitting at the table with all four of our granddaughters. Sydney, London, Karleen and Grace in the high chair. Every morning London and Sydney would ask Grant to make "Opa's best scrambled eggies." Those eggs were the standard every morning in Texas!

Grace Cramer is a climber! At 16 months there isn't anything in the house she can't climb! She is repeatedly on top of something. Here she is on top of the kitchen table. Isn't she cute?

Don't you love this picture of Grace kissing Opa?

Here is Grant with London and Sydney in their new Easter dresses and ready for church.

Grant and I flew to Texas for Spring Break. We have two daughters and 4 grandchildren in the San Antonio area. Laura and Kathleen took turns letting us stay at their houses. It was great to be with them again.
The grandchildren always know I have a present for them so I made all four girls Easter pillowcases. Here London and Sydney are showing theirs.

QUILT FOR CLARK

2009-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Becky said that Clark insisted he be photographed with the quilt.

The quilt and pillowcase was for Clark's birthday. I have decided to keep a picture record of everything I make for my grandchildren and others. This quilt was made specifically for Clark because he is such a "Lightening McQueen" boy. Everything is CARS or Buzz Lightyear. He calls this "my new special quilt".

Clark Nielsen's birthday

2009-03-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

Clark at his birthday party

The CARS cake Becky and I made.

Clark, Ryder Romero, and Drew waiting for the candles to be lit.

Clark opening the CARS quilt I made him.

Clark playing with one of his presents.

Saturday, March 28th, was Clark's 3rd birthday. Since he was here in California, we had a family birthday party for him. The theme was, of course, Lightening McQueen from CARS, the movie. Becky and I secretly made hime a CARS cake. He was so excited when he saw it! I made him a CARS quilt and pillowcase. We had lots of fun and Clark had a great party.

DISNEYLAND WITH THE GRANDKIDS

2009-03-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and the kids waiting for the train

Rebecca, Ty, Clark, Madelyn, Spencer and Drew waiting for the train.

Michelle holding baby Ty.

Christine holding Ty

Rebecca holding Ty, Clark, Drew, Geoff and Grant on Small World

Grant with Spencer and Madelyn Overton, Michelle's children.

Grant, Clark and Drew waiting for a parade.

Christine with Drew and Clark Nielsen at a parade.

Rebecca, Geoff, Drew, Clark and Ty came down from Utah to take Clark to Disneyland for his 3rd birthday. We went to Disneyland on Thursday, March 26th and went to California Adventure on Friday, March 27th. Michelle, her daughter, Madelyn and her son, Spencer met us there also. We had a great time. The kids really enjoyed it. We took Becky's boys home early on Thursday so that Becky and Geoff could enjoy some time together. When Grant and I got to the tram, the boys were asleep so we couldn't get on the tram without waking the boys. We walked all the way from Disneyland to the parking structure! At first, we thought it wouldn't be a big deal. But, when you walk to the parking structure, it's a lot farther away than you think! I definitely got my walking in for Thursday. On Friday, in CA Adventure, we saw the cutest Pixar/Disney parade with all the pixar movie characters. Clark is really into Cars and Toy Story characters. This parade was more than he could stand! Great parade! Grant and I were very tired after two days of Disney! We're not a young as we used to be!!

6 MONTHS TO GO!!!

2009-03-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 15th marked 6 more months for Robert on his mission. He will be released from the Porto Alegre North Mission on September 15, 2009. The time has gone by fast! Our son really is enjoying his mission and I can't believe we are in the final 6 months. Our plans are to go and get him in Brazil. I hope that will become a reality.

BLESSING DAY FOR TY LAMAR NIELSEN

2009-03-17T13:31:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 15, 2009 Geoff blessed his little boy, our grandson, Ty Nielsen. He wore a little white tuxedo and his hair was sticking straight up with a curl at the end. What a beautiful blessing Geoff gave him. Both grandfathers were in attendance and participated in the blessing. Lots of relatives there. After the blessing, Rebecca made a delicious meal and we celebrated little Ty.

Top photo: Rebecca holding Ty, Drew, Geoff and Clark
Next photo: Grant and Christine with Ty

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

2009-03-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

YOUTH CONFERENCE

2009-03-07T07:27:00.001-08:00

Youth Conference for the Chino California Stake was this past weekend. Our theme was Serving our Savior or SOS. We were host parents. We were assigned 7 girls to stay with us. They were a great bunch of girls and we had fun with them. Our companion family were the Nathan and Debbie Nemrows with their boys. We spent some time there Friday evening having fun together. On Saturday morning we woke up the girls with "When you wish upon a star" music and hot chocolate. What a nice way to wake up! Each year at youth conference we have a service project. This year the youth had a carnival for handicapped youth. They had great music playing, everything was so festive! We were assigned the booth to paint faces. So that is why you see Grant inspecting to see that the painting was done well! He would stand out from the book and call people over to come and get their faces painted. As usual, Grant was a standout! Testimony meetings at youth conference are always the greatest. Grant and I were wondering if we had the quality of testimonies when we were this age that the youth of today have! Great conference!!!
Top picture:
Narissa Charles and Grant showing the "Serving our Savior" T-shirts
Next photo: Our girls at the face painting booth
Next photo: Our niece, Jennifer Williams with Grant at youth conference
Next photo: Grant and Christine (us!)

SIMMONS FAMILY REUNION

2009-03-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, February 21, 2009 we held a Simmons Famiy Reunion at our house. We also celebrated Kathy Clark's 80th birthday. We invited all decendents of John Lucias and Evelyn Mahala Simmons. We had about 40 people here. Jim Simmons and his Sister, Kathleen Clark were the two children of John and Evelyn who attended. We also had many grandchildren and great grandchildren here.
Frank Zak who is Debbie's husband - Louise's daughter, gave us a magic show. We were all delighted the the tricks.
We had a geneology chart showing everyone where they were in the chart, and also played get to know you games. We spent time getting re-acquainted with our relatives we haven't seen in a while, it was a great event.
Those attending were: Debbie and Frank Zak - daughter of Lousie; Stephanie and Dave Marsden - daughter of Betty; Jim and Claudia Simmons - son and wife; Kelly and Garo Ghazarian, daughter of Jim and their daughters, Sydney and Savannah; Kathleen Simmons Clark - daughter; Grant & Christine Clark - son of Kathleen; Michelle & Tod Overton, granddaughter of Kathleen Clark with their children, Madelyn and Spencer; Kathleen & Karl Cramer - granddaughter of Kathleen Clark with their daughters Karleen and Grace; Laura & Mike Serratos - granddaughter of Kathleen Clark and their daughters Sydney and London; Liesel Moultrie - granddaughtr of Kathleen Clark;
David Clark and Bonnie; son of Kathleen Clark. Kimberly and Justin King - granddaughter of Kathleen Clark; John & Nicole Clark with their daughter, Hailey;
John & Jeanna Clark - son of Kathleen Clark with their daughter, Jamie.

(More to come, I'm just getting started!)Pictures to follow

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANT !

2009-02-15T20:23:00.001-08:00

Today is Grant's 57th birthday. Lots of people at church wished him a Happy Birthday because Andy Anderson gave a talk and wished Grant a happy birthday in his talk. This evening, we celebrated with family and friends. It was a good day.
Karleen and Grace, our granddaughters, helped decorate the cake for Grant. Or maybe I should say helped eat the frosting.
From Top to bottom:
Top picture: Grant holding his birthday cake. We could only find one candle for hime to blow out!
Next picture: Grant blowing out his candle.
Next picture: Karleen and Grace Cramer helping "frost" the cake.
Next picture: Grant and Christine
Next picture: "Old" Larry, Patricia, and Jesse
Next picture: Dan Briggs, Kathleen and Karl Cramer, and Jim Norris
Next picture: Francesca and Franca Briggs, LaMar & Sonia Williams, Michelle Overton, Jennifer Williams, and Madelyn Overton, our granddaughter.

PAY IT FORWARD

2009-02-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Rules
1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.
2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Please take the button and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

I'm excited to pass this on! I got the idea from Amy Walker and love her, so I thought I would try it!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2009

2009-02-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

LEAVING UTAH

2009-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

I am leaving Utah to go back home. I really NEED to stay to help Becky. It's not with the baby that she needs help, it is with the other two boys! I went to lunch with my best friend, Karlyn Norton, yesterday and this is what happened while I was gone!
This is told by Rebecca herself:

"Today I had my first outing with all three by myself - we took Ty to the lab to get his blood drawn. It was a 30 minute trip, and actually went fairly smooth: Clark cried the whole time because he couldn't see the nurse drawing the blood, then he got mad and smacked the nurse on the bum thinking it was me. I told Clalrk to apologize to the nurse and he refused. Drew kept climbing up on a chair to try and see what was going on, and kept leaning all over the nurse for support - I kept having to take him down. Ty didn't like being poked, and so he cried the whole time too. I tried to give him a pacifier, but he can't keep it in his mouth very well - so it kept popping out. Between chastizing Clark for spanking the nurse, and trying to keep Drew off the chair, and trying to keep Ty quiet, nothing got accomplished except for the blood draw. I think the nurse was glad to see us go. :o) See? Very successful :o)"

GOOD LUCK BECKY!!!

PLAYING WITH MY GRANDSONS

2009-01-26T17:25:00.001-08:00

I am up in Provo, Utah because Rebecca just had her little boy, Ty, and I came to help her. Today, Monday, Jan. 26th, we went out in the front yard and played in the snow. Drew loved throwing snow at me and Clark was always asking me to make snowballs for him so he could throw them at me! We had a great time. The boys made snow angels in the front yard. It was cold but enjoyable. Afterwards, we came in and had hot chocolate! I'll be doing this again, that is for sure! Watch out Drew and Clark!!!!

35 YEARS !!!

2009-01-26T17:08:00.001-08:00

Today is the 35th anniversary of our wedding. This is the best choice I ever made in my life. I have the most wonderful marriage and a man that is the greatest ever!
I heard the song, "Remember When" by Alan Jackson and I think that sums up how we feel about each other. I love Grant with all my being! I am glad we are eternally bound. Happy Anniversary my love!

OUR NEW GRANDSON

2009-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

TY LAMAR NIELSEN arrived yesterday, January 20, 2009 at 7:35 p.m.

He weighs 7 pounds and 13 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long. As you can see he has dark hair.

Rebecca is doing fine and is glad to have this pregnancy over.

I can't wait to see him on Saturday when I will fly up for a week to help Becky.

Grant and I are thrilled for another grandson!

SATURDAY AT THE BEACH

2009-01-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Once again, we set off for a beautiful day at Huntington Beach. This time we took a few more people. My parents, LaMar & Sonia Williams went along with Franca, Francesca and Alessandro Briggs. Michelle, Tod, Madelyn & Spencer Overton went also. The day was absolutely beautiful! We rode bikes, walked to the pier, ate in the sun and just had a wonderful day relaxing at the beach. Who would have thought of enjoying warm weather at the beach in January!

8 MONTHS LEFT !

2009-01-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, January 15th, leaves exactly 8 months until Robert comes home from his mission in Brazil! Time flys by swiftly, and also slowly. When I miss my son, the time goes slow, but when looking at the whole of his mission, time has gone by fast. I can't wait to see him again! I look forward to being in the mission field and seeing him in his element. Eight months and counting!
Robert with his mission president, and the mission president's wife.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!

2009-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today, January 10, 2009 should be the dead of winter with cold weather and cold wind. Instead we have Santa Ana Wind conditions and 80 degrees at the beach! My sister, Patricia, my parents, Francesca Briggs and I went to Huntington Beach and went bike riding. I haven't been on a bike for a long long time! We rode for a couple of hours up and down the bike trail all along Huntington Beach. It was absolutely beautiful. The wind in our hair, the warm weather, the calm and peaceful nature of the beach, it was the greatest. I have a little red on my cheeks and forehead from the sun and it feels great! If the weather holds until next Saturday, we are going to do it again only this time we will have others with us.

HAPPY 2009 !!!

2009-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Grant and I had not planned on doing anything on New Year's Eve but that changed with a phone call from Kathy Cowan, our neighbor. We spent the evening at the Cowan's with Kathy & Tom Cowan and Jack & Connie Cullimore. We talked, ate and played 'Phase 10.' It was a nice evening and really enjoyed our neighbors. By the way, I beat everyone at Phase 10! I went through all 10 phases! First time ever!

CHRISTMAS DAY 2008

2008-12-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was wonderful as always. We had the wonderful company of Michelle's family and Kelly's family. That makes is great for empty nesters. We always make everyone wait up at the top of the stairs and then Grant turns on Boston Pops music and start down the stairs. We enjoyed watching the children open presents. Little Alex is just starting to rip paper but sure did like our gift of poppin' balls. After gifts are opened, we look at stockings. Grant got tickets to go to a Dodger game and Tod got tickets to his alumni, Cal State Long Beach sports. Afterwards we had a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice and milk. Afterwards it was time to go across the street to my sister's, Patricia, house and call Robert. We talked for about one and a half hours and enjoyed every minute. We also go to Abuela & Abuelo's house for dinner and more gifts. We had a great time!

Pictures: Tod, Michelle, Madelyn, Spencer, Zach, and Alex coming down the stairs; Madelyn and Spencer standing in front of the presents and tree; Madelyn with her american girl doll.; Grant, Christine, Zach and Kelly; Michelle helping Alex open a present; Alex, Madelyn and Spencer playing with a toy; Christmas breakfast.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2008

2008-12-30T09:26:00.001-08:00

One of our family traditions is to put our shoe under the tree before we go to bed on Christmas Eve night. This comes from the tradition that in Uruguay on January 6th all the children put their shoes out in the hallway and the 'three kings' come and put gifts under their shoe. So we have taken that tradition and incorporated it into our own tradition. We put the shoe under the tree and Santa puts gifts under that person's shoe. But...........first we have to do a shoe dance!!! We all get our shoe, turn on music and follow Grant in dancing around the bottom of the house. I, Christine, am the end! So the bottom picture is everyone getting ready to do the shoe dance: Michelle, Spencer, Grant, Tod, Madelyn, Zach and Kelly. The middle picture is Grant and Madelyn in the dance and the top picture is Spencer. He crashed on the chair just before the dance so we left him there!

Nativity at Abuela & Abuelo's

2008-12-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Sunday before Christmas, we go to my parent's , LaMar & Sonia Williams, home for our annual Nativity production. This evening always includes dinner, snacks, the acting out of the Nativity, Christmas songs, playing bells, and a visit from Santa Claus. Always friends are invited to join the famiy and enjoy the evening. This year Grant and I invited the Briggs to go with us. Dan, Franca, Francesca, and Alessandro Briggs. Ale became one of the shepherds. Also Pat Libby, her daughter, Denise and her daughters were also present. My brother, Larry and family were there as well as my sister, Patricia, and her family. We always have a great time and enjoy the production of Luke, chapter 2. Here are pictures: Spencer, as a shepherd, looking up to the angels; Abuela found Santa's sack and passed out gifts. My mom always says, "Don't open it!" She makes us all wait until everyone has a gift. The angels, including my granddaughter, Madelyn who is at the bottom; everyone taking pictures of the nativity finale. I thought it was funny to see how many people were taking pictures! The production crew: Larry, my brother, with the camera, Me, playing the piano, Grant in the back was the narrator, and terry & Louis who took over playing the piano for me. The Shepherds: Ryder Romero, my great nephew, Alessandro Briggs, our friend, and Spencer our grandson. The finale of the nativity play with my dad, LaMar Williams sitting on the left.

Shopping with the Grandchildren

2008-12-30T08:29:00.001-08:00

It is fun fun fun to go shopping with your grandchildren! I seem to like to buy books for them. Madelyn, 9, is an avid reader, and I am trying to get Spencer in the mood for reading. We also made a stop to "Fuzzywigs", a candy shop in the Shoppes. Of course, Spencer loved that store!

Christmas @ Grandma Clark's

2008-12-30T08:23:00.001-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas is always, "Christmas at Grandma Clark's house." This year we had the advantage of having more guests than usual. We had Grant's Uncle Jim and his wife, Claudia, Aunt Betty, Stephanie & Dave Marsden, Grant's cousin, plus Michelle, our daughter, and her family. Grant and I had a great time. There are always presents for the children and we adults play a Christmas Present game. Kind of like the white elephant game. We had a great dinner prepared by Stephanie and enjoyed each other's company. A great weekend!

SYDNEY IS "KNIGHTED"

2008-12-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

At Sydney's (Laura's daughter, 5) school, they honor those who are exceptional in the school values. Sydney was 'knighted' by the school knight, for showing compassion to her fellow classmates. She received a medal and also lit a candle with the rest of the school children who were knighted. This ceremony is only done four times a year. So.... well done Sydney!!!

A BOY!!!

2008-12-19T09:38:00.001-08:00

LIESEL & CODY Moultrie found out they are having a boy!

They had their appointment this past Tuesday, December 16th but tried to wait till their announcements were mailed to tell everyone. A huge snowstorm in Utah delayed mail to everyone so they called us! We are so excited for a new grandson in our family! Also, they moved up Liesel's due date to April 24th. That is even better news!

MISSIONARY DINNER

2008-12-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sunday eveing, December 14th, we invited the other couples from our ward, with missionaries to our house for a 'missionary dinner.' There are five families in our ward that currently have boys serving missions. Only the Kat family and the Reynoso family were able to attend this evening but we still had a great time. George Reynoso make a pork roast, Wendy Kat made a salad and we provided the rest. We sat and talked about our boys for a long time. It was a great evening. We plan on having another dinner in three months. From L to R - front row: Teri Reynoso, Christine Clark, Wendy Kat. Back row: George Reynoso, Grant Clark, Fred Kat.

OH CHRISTMAS TREE

2008-12-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

This is the first year in a long long time that it was just Grant and I decorating the tree. We haven't been without someone else since Michelle was a baby. So, we put on Christmas music and started decorating. the first picture is Grant stringing the lights on the tree and the second picture is the finished tree. What do you think?

THANKSGIVING

2008-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

We had a treat in having Cody and Liesel here for Thanksgiving this past weekend. (I love when my children come home!) Thursday, we spent with the Clark side of the family at Grant's brother's house. John and Jeanna always do a great job on Thanksgiving. All their chilren were there including their adorable granddaughter, Ivy. I was "Grandma Sister"to her. So all night she would say, "Grandma sister, could you please get me fishy crackers?" She is so darling!!!
Our daughter, Michelle and her family along with Liesel & Cody were there. Madelyn and Spencer loved playing with Jamie and Ivy. After dinner, we stayed and played games until it was time to go home.
On Friday, we went to my Mom & Dad's home for our traditional Friday Thanksgiving Dinner.
Since my Mom, Sonia, always had to work on Thanksgiving day, we started having Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. This year, my mom wanted to have it on Thursday. But everyone in the family didn't want her to change our Friday tradition, so we had it on Friday. Afterwards we went to Metro point, at South Coast Plaza, to listen to the band, to dance, wander around the stores and eat 'Cosi' warm bread right out of the oven! A good weekend to be had!
Thankful for: FAMILY & FRIENDS!!! Life is so so good!!!

GRANT'S TRIP TO UTAH

2008-11-24T07:56:00.001-08:00

Grant spent this past weekend in Utah. He went for the basketball tournament at BYU and also for the BYU vs. University of Utah football game. He stayed at Becky's house a few nights and also at Norton's house. He took toys for our grandkids to enjoy. He introduced the boys, Drew 4 and Clark 2, to donuts and chocolate milk. He also took them to Wendy's and showed them how to dip their french fries into the chocolate shakes and eat them! I'm sure Becky has a lot of "Un-doing" to do today, Monday, now that Opa is gone! BYU was undefeated in thebasketball tournament but lost the football game to University of Utah. Oh well, all in all it was a great weekend for him.

MY PREGNANT GIRLS

2008-11-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here are our girls and their cousin, Lisa. All pregnant at the same time! There are actually two more cousins on the Williams side of the family that are expecting also, Angela Williams and Amy Bang. Becky is due at the end of January, Liesel is due the beginning of May and Lisa is in March.

Aren't they cute! L to R Rebecca, Lisa, and Liesel

FIRE FIRE FIRE!!!

2008-11-17T07:52:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, November 15-16, 2008, proved to be a very tense weekend. Saturday morning we noticed smoke in the air so turned on the TV to notice that Corona was on fire at the corner of the 71 freeway and the 91 freeway. What happened next was very unexpected. The Santa Ana winds were blowing so the fire jumped the 91 freeway and started burning by Green Valley Road. It roared through the houses damaging many, up the hills, into Yorba Linda, and embers started fires in Brea. The fire burned houses by Kathleen's old place in Yorba Linda. Carbon Canyon became a hot spot so everyone fromt there was evacuated. Then the fire came over the hill towards Chino Hills. All of Butterfield ranch was evacuated as was Carbon Canyon. The fire eventually went into Tonner Canyon where it spread to Diamond Bar. Right now at this moment, Monday Morning, Nov. 17th, Ayala High school is being used as a red cross shelter. Grant went over Sunday morning where they were housing about 1,000 people. This evening, Monday, the Stake is providing dinner to about 450 people. Larry and Lorrie, my brother and sister-in-law, were packed up Sunday morning waiting for the evcuation order. Joe and Angela evacuated to my sister, Patricia's house. Patricia happened to be at the beach with my mom when all this broke out so she was stuck in Orange County because all the freeways around here were closed the 91, the 71, and the 57. Saturday night was erie to see the glow coming over the hills. We were surrounded by fire! No one slept very well. Now the fire is semi contained and the winds have died down. Many have lost homes but fortunately no one died.

GRANT DOES WORK

2008-11-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Grant and his partner "Jackie" sit at our dining room table and work. I thought it was funny that they always have the same pose when they are concentrating and thinking.

FIELDTRIP TO THE FIRESTATION !

2008-11-14T13:41:00.001-08:00

I took my preschool to the Chino Valley Fire Station on Peyton north of Grand Avenue in Chino Hills. The children loved it! We toured two trucks and the inside of the fire station. The children couldn't get enough. It was very interesting to the adults too. I like fieldtrips!!!

VETERANS DAY GET AWAY!

2008-11-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

Grant and I went away for the Veterans Day Holiday. We went to a Bed & Breakfast in the Temecula wine country. It is off the 15 freeway and down Rancho California Road. There are many wineries around this area plus it is so peaceful and quiet. Lots of rolling hills with grape vines or citrus groves around the area. Our B&B was up on a hill so we were able to watch the sunset in the hills and have a great view. For breakfast, the 1st course was fresh fruits of several kinds and juices out on the veranda.

The second course was fresh breads of all kinds and finally the entree was Eggs Florentine with grape tomatoes and goat cheese or champagne poached salmon with capers, a bagel, cream cheese, tomato, and onions. I took the salmon and Grant took the Eggs Florentine. We sat and visited with the other guests at the B&B for a while and then took a drive through the wine country.

We also drove to Old Towne Temecula and had lunch and went to the fun shops there.

All in all, it was a great get away and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

FAMILY

2008-10-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we got together with Christine's family (Williams) that are left in California. Ron came down from Washington State to see the parents. We had a big family dinner and visited until late in the night. It was great to see him again. It is always great to get together and visit.

From left to right: Back: Patricia, Larry, Ron, Christine. Sitting in front: the parents, Sonia and LaMar Williams

LOOK WHAT I HAVE!!!

2008-10-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

After 4 years without one, we are finally getting a fireplace mantel! I can't believe it is almost done. It will be varnished to match the kitchen cabinets. Now I can decorate!!

I will post the 'after' picture when it is done!

TRICK OR TREATING WITH THE ANIMALS

2008-10-28T15:32:00.001-07:00

Saturday, October 25, 2008, we went to Irvine Regional Park with Michelle, our oldest daughter and her children, Madelyn and Spencer. The Orange County Zoo is there. It specializes in animals who live in the southwestern habitat. They were having 'trick or treating' with the animals, so, Madelyn and Spencer dressed up in their Halloween costumes and met us there. The zoo had people all over the zoo passing out candy, helping the children with a scavenger hunt, and doing crafts with the children. We were all really impressed with the zoo!

Afterwards, we went over the the park's pumpkin patch and rode the train around the park. We also bought train whistles for Madelyn and Spencer so they could blow them as we rode the train. It is great to spend a day with our children and grandchildren!

BIRTHDAY TIME FOR CHRISTINE

2008-10-22T17:12:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday. I'm at the age that I'm not really sure I want to be celebrating birthdays anymore, but I love getting messages from my children and grandchildren singing "Happy Birthday". I woke up today happy to be alive ... grateful that I have a wonderful husband, great children, super grandchildren, good friends and extended family! Everything else is just extra!

TUACHAN THEATRE

2008-10-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, October 11, 2008 we took a fast trip up to St. George, Utah to see the play, Les Miserables, at the Tuachan Theatre. We left at 6:00 a.m. to get an early start. Dan & Franca Briggs went with us. We stopped at Peggy Sue's in Yermo, CA for breakfast. Franca & Dan had never been there and Grant thought it would be a fun place to go. After that we went straight up to St. George. Grant decided to show Franca the St. George temple and as we rounded the corner, we saw Liesel & Cody coming out of the temple grounds! We all went to Nielsen's frozen Custard to have a treat while waiting for our hotel rooms to be ready.

We stayed at the Coral Hills Hotel along with my parents, Patty, Larry, Lorrie, Lisa, Joel, Jakie, Liesel & Cody, and the Briggs.

That evening we went out to dinner at Cafe Rio, and then went to the theater. Was it ever cold!

The Tuachan theater is an outdoor theater and the temperature out there was about 40 degrees! We had lots of coats, blankets, hats and gloves to sit and watch the musical. It was a great performance and we enjoyed it a lot. The next morning found all of us down in the breakfast room at the hotel and then everyone started going home. It was fun to see our daughter, Liesel and her husband, Cody for one day. I am glad we went!

FIELDTRIP!!!

2008-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Since I have a pre-school, I arrange field trips all the time. Unfortunately, I don't get to enjoy them as much as the children and their parents do. As usual, I am in the background trying to make sure everything is going smoothly. This time we went to the Orange County Zoo, at the Irvine Regional Park, and their pumpkin patch and train ride. This is the first time that I have ever had t-shirts with my preschool logo on them. It was fun to see everyone in their shirts. It was a great day and everyone seemed to have a good time. Great place to go! So to enjoy it myself, I am going to take my California grandchildren there next Saturday!

The other things we did in September

2008-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

While we were in Utah for football games, we also saw our two daughters and their families.

We stayed with Becky, Geoff, Drew and Clark in Provo this past weekend and saw our Liesel & Cody on Saturday morning for breakfast. Grant and Geoff enjoyed the football game while Becky and I went shopping! We also went to Randy Norton's wedding on Friday, September 19th at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. (What a beautiful Hotel!) Friday morning Grant taught the boys (Drew & Clark) his famous 'horsey' ride and we also went to play at a park.

Pictures from top: Grant with Clark & Drew on the 'horsey' ride; Clark crawling through the playground; Grant and Drew doing karate moves like power rangers; Drew on the swing with his dad, Geoff, pushing him; At the wedding, Grant and Ed Norton eating cookies they had found while the rest of us were waiting for the reception to start.

BYU FOOTBALL IS HERE AGAIN !!!

2008-09-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

This is BYU playing against Wyoming. Grant was there just like he was at the BYU-UCLA game. And again, BYU held a shut-out game against Wyoming just like they did UCLA. HOW SWEET IT IS!!!

Romeros at their wedding!!! Joe, Angela, Ryder, and Cameron

2008-08-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Busy summer!!!

2008-08-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

It's time to start school again and I am hardly able to take a breathe before I start again. After the boys, Drew and Clark, left, Kathleen, Karl, Karleen and Grace arrived! Liesel, my 5th daughter, came in too! They were here for Joe and Angela Romero's wedding. I had a wonderful two weeks with those grandchildren. Then I boarded a plan with them for Texas so I could go watch Sydney (Laura's oldest) start Kindergarten! Now I am home trying to get my school room into shape to start on Wednesday, September 3rd. Here are pictures of my last month. Top to bottom: Grant with our 5th daughter, Liesel at the Romero Wedding; Sydney Serratos (our granddaughter from Texas) 1st day of school; London Serratos (another granddaughter from Texas) just smiling big; Liesel and Grace (another granddaughter from Texas) at the Romero Wedding.

TWO SWEET BOYS

2008-07-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

My little grandsons are going home on Saturday. I'm going to miss them. They have been with us for the last 3 weeks. Drew, (below) 4, and Clark, (right) 2, have been such a joy to us. We went to the beach together, and to the Aquarium, and swam in many pools, went out to dinner and lunch, and many more experiences. One sweet experience I had with Drew was, we would lie down on his bed and watch the airplanes on their flight pattern into LAX. We would sit and talk and have a nice conversation. Another sweet experience was Clark would come into bed with us in the middle of the night and snuggle up to us. How sweet is that! They are a lot of work but also a lot of fun! They are anxious to get back to their parents. Clark said yesterday, "Quick! We have to get up to Utah to my parents! Quick!"
It will be very quiet in the house after they leave, but not for long because next week Karl, Kathleen, Karleen and baby Grace will arrive on Wednesday!

EARTHQUAKE IN CHINO HILLS!

2008-07-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, July 29, 2008, at 11:22 a.m. we had an earthquake in our fair city. It was listed at 5.4 but it sure felt more than that! This one felt directly below us. Why? Because we could hear it coming! This is the second time I have heard an earthquake coming and I don't like the sound. This one sounded like a massive monster semi-truck bearing down on your house ready to tear it apart. It was a big rumbling sound. The first part of the earthquake was a big jolt upwards, then lots and lots of wavy action back and forth.
I was in preschool, so after the shaking was done, we headed outside so I could check the house. I have to look for gas leaks, water leaking, and house foundation shifting. After that, the children are allowed to come back in.
One of the most interesting things about this quake was that immediately after we didn't have phone (land lines) or cell phone service but we had internet. So that is how I communicated with everyone. We wanted to let our daughter, Rebecca, know her boys were safe and sound so I printed the information on myfamily.com and her facebook page. It worked! We could communicate that way. Isn't technology great?
Now, I am good for another 10 years before we have another quake!

ROBERT OUR SON

2008-07-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our only son, Robert, is on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil. He has been out 10 months now and is really enjoying being the with Saints in Brazil. He writes us weekly. I love hearing how he has grown and love the stories he tells us.

THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME BUT.........

2008-07-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is all new to me but I like looking at other blogs so why not try to do the same?
Being almost 55 does not mean you can't try new things!
So in the coming weeks, I'll start posting things about our lives
Talk again later!