Saddles, T-squares, and Sippy Cups

December 24, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! We love this time of year because the holidays bring together the things we love: family, friends, faith and food. It’s a time to reach out to neighbors and form new friendships, when no one needs an excuse to give a gift, sing a song, or share a plate of goodies. It’s a time of year when we get together with relatives and enjoy the happy mayhem of children, candy and new toys. And it’s time to reconnect with old friends who live far away and catch up on what has happened in the past year. Or maybe two years, since writing last year’s Christmas letter became a New Year’s resolution, and you know how that goes.

When last we wrote, we were living in West Lafayette, Indiana where Chris was attending graduate school at Purdue. So much has happened since then! Our third child was born in May 2010, a happy little girl who we named Sage. She has been a joyful addition to our family. At first, Noah and Ian weren’t sure what to do with a baby sister. But now that she is an enthusiastic toddler, she is a welcome playmate. We are also happy to relate that Chris finished his PhD program. Many thanks to everyone who supported us with their thoughts and prayers in the final weeks, and to Leah’s parents for hosting Leah and the kids for a month and a half while Chris finished writing his dissertation. The ink had barely dried on the page when he drove to Milwaukee and started a job as a mechanical engineer for a mining equipment manufacturer called Bucyrus.

We moved the family and our belongings to Wisconsin in October 2010. In only five years in Indiana, we accumulated a lot of stuff! A relocation package with professional movers was a welcome benefit of Chris’ first “real job”. We moved to a suburban community on the southwestern side of Milwaukee, on a quiet street with many other young families. We have really enjoyed living here. Everything is close by—school, shopping, work, church, even the airport is within 15 minutes’ drive. And there are plenty of things to do. The zoo and art museum are first rate, we went to a big-name concert and a NASCAR race (thanks for the tickets, Bucyrus!), there are beautiful views of Lake Michigan and several nice state parks not too far away for camping. Chris complains that the weather is too cold, but Leah and the boys agree that it’s not (except for January and February). If your travels bring you to Wisconsin (or Chicago—it’s only an hour away), please give us a ring. We would love to show you around.

Putting down roots in a new place has given us many opportunities to grow. We made new friends and organized a babysitting co-op group. Noah turned five and started kindergarten in September. He tells us that he likes school days better than home days, and his favorite subjects are lunch, science, and Spanish. His reading and writing skills have also blossomed. Ian started going to preschool twice a week, which he also enjoys very much. We don’t have enough wall space to display all the artwork that they bring home. Leah volunteered to serve on the board of directors for Ian’s preschool as the treasurer. She has dusted off her spreadsheet skills and developed new connections with the teachers and mothers. There were also changes at Chris’ work, where Bucyrus was acquired by Caterpillar last summer. His job description hasn’t changed too much; he is still designing hydraulic systems for huge mining excavators. He just doesn’t have to wear a tie to work anymore.

Perhaps the biggest news of the year was that Chris was called to serve as a bishop, the leader of our church congregation. It came as a surprise to all of us, especially him. When we moved to Milwaukee, we felt that it was where the Lord wanted us to be. Now we understand better the reasons why. It has been a challenging assignment for all of us, but we have felt much support from our friends at church and our Heavenly Father. Our faith and love for others has grown, along with our understanding of gospel principles. If you want to read more about it, look up Chris’ profile on mormon.org/me/5HR5

So that’s what we have been up to lately. For the latest updates, check out Leah’s blog at sippysaddles.blogspot.com. We would love to hear from you, too. Please give us a call or drop us a line and share what is going on in your life. Keep in touch!

Wishing you a memorable Christmas season and all the very best of the new year,

The Wisconsin Williamsons

Chris, Leah, Noah, Ian & Sage

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We got to spend Thanksgiving with my brother, Ian and his family.

We did last year too, and even though Noah was convinced the drive took the same amount of time, we were very thankful that during the year Ian's family had moved from Minneapolis to Huntley, about an hour and 45 minutes away.

Of course, I managed no pictures of the feast or even everyone at the table but there were a few shots of our time there.

As soon as we got there Sage disappeared. But I didn't worry. Oliver and Sophia kept careful watch over her the whole time we were there. It was a nice break!

The first time I thought I ought to check on her I found this...
I didn't even follow them up. I figured if the kids were that mindful of entertaining her, she was in good hands! We did see her occasionally. Well, sort of.
The light sabers were a huge hit (and I mean that both literally and figuratively) with our Star Wars fanatics who have never seen Star Wars.
Dessert was delicious. The boys even stopped to eat some:)

And the next morning, rolls with jam for breakfast.
We stayed the night be came home pretty quick in the morning since Sage hardly slept the whole time we were there. No nap, up all night, yeah, we called it quits and came home to put her down in her own bed.

We got some other things done though, which was nice. Like finding the huge woodpecker hole in our house while putting up Christmas lights.

We all played outside and helped and had a great time. I remember thinking I want to remember this day. It was fun and mostly, entirely happy.

That weekend the boys were lucky to have some time with dad and he made them a circuit. Nerdy, I know. But hey, they are their father's sons.
I got them a Bill Nye the Science Guy dvd about electricity at the library and they loved it. I kinda thought it might be boring to them but it was a favorite.
Now they go around the house finding all the electric things that have been tested by Underwriters Laboratories. No joke.
This really got their motors running. (Pun intended.)

We didn't get the wishbone out of the turkey but we saved one from a chicken we had during the week prior. Perfect timing to dry out and be ready for wishing by the time we got home from Uncle Ian's house.
Can you tell that this picture was taken before the pulling? Yeah, it went downhill from there.
But all in all, check it off as a great holiday weekend. Check, check, check, for family, food, safe travel, good job, great friends, healthy kids, shelter, clothing and a knowledge and deep gratitude for our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Check.