Where in the World are the Willis'

Ice Storm 2009

2009-01-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

Because we have lived in Arizona for the last 2 or 3 winters, we haven't gotten to experience the wonderful Oklahoma Ice storms, but all that has changed thanks to the storm that came in yesterday...and as you know boys will be boys so Toby and Tyler and Uncle Duck got out and enjoyed some fun in the ice, here are a few pics to show you how much fun they are having!

Monster Jam

2009-01-14T10:11:00.001-08:00

As a family Christmas present we got to go see Monster Jam in Tulsa, it was great. Toby, the boys and I had a fantastic time. Here are just a few pics from that! Also there was a little show with some motorcycles, that literally made my heart stop I told the boys they weren't allowed to ever do that. Seriously...it was talent, but still scary. Of course the boys LOVED it.

Toby starts Basketball

2009-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Our little athlete has chosen Basketball for the season. He is quite the stud..it was very cute to watch them all play.

Tyler goes to school

2009-01-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well we decided it was time for Tyler to spend some interactive time with kids his age. He was quite excited to go to school like bubba. He now goes one day a week for 5 hours..he is still adjusting to me leaving him there, but has a good time the rest of the day. I think it will work out just fine for him. Here he is going to school.

New Years/More Christmas

2009-01-14T09:32:00.001-08:00

For New Years Eve the rest of the Willis family came over and we did Christmas all over again. It was great to see the Willis family from Arkansas (minus Uncle Rai -- who we miss and can't wait for him to come home soon) and the other Willis family from OK was here (they headed to Colorado for Christmas this year we missed them and enjoyed them on New Years too). Toby and Tyler got new jammies from the Willis' from AR and Tylers are Batman, and he was quite the stud. Also Grandma from AR got the kids a cool tent thing as you will see in the pics that now separates the boys bed from ours in our room..haha :) We also didn't get to celebrate Abbis birthday with her, so we had a little party for her too.

Christmas morning

2009-01-14T09:12:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning the boys woke up ran downstairs to a very neat basketball goal and some VERY loud guns! We did our Christmas with them then, Uncle Rusty, Uncle Brandie (as Tyler calls her) came over and then we did our Christmas with them, Uncle Duck and Grandma & Grandpa, it was a very nice morning. Uncle Duck and Uncle Brandie fought with the Hulk gloves...that was quite hysterical. Tyler got a punching bag that he just took all his frustration out on. The boys also got a Wii and even Grandpa tried it out, it was great! We had a very blessed morning with everyone.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-14T09:01:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Toby wrote his yearly note to Santa, they opened new jammies and robes to wear and got milk and cookies out for Santa.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-08T13:48:00.001-08:00

While Toby was home this last weekend, he went over to storage and got our tree so we could also have our tree in the house for Christmas. The boys were thrilled as they decorated the tree!!! Daddy got it all set up and ready for the boys to get the ornaments on. TJ got so creative he had to climb UNDER the tree to get the back and Tyler loved putting all the ornaments in one place. It turned out just as pretty as ever and the boys were quite proud when they were done!

Last soccer game

2008-11-10T12:24:00.001-08:00

Soccer season is over for now. They had a great last game and won 2-1! Soccer has been such a blast we are going to miss it so much! At least we have the spring. Basketball is right around the corner and the fun begins all over again. Here is an awesome picture Toby took of Toby on the last game.

New Additions to the Willis Family

2008-11-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

So like I said in the last blog, The boys won 2 new goldfish at the fall festival, so here is Baby Fishy and Nemo! They now have a tank that they live in now, but I just haven't gotten a picture of that!

Where did October go?

2008-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

So October is gone..Not a lot of pictures were taken but it was a festive month with halloween and all so here are some pictures of that. Lets see we started the day with decorating pumpkins, then we moved on to carving the big pumpkin, then made so very YUMMY popcorn balls (as you can see the kids enjoyed eating them as they made them), then we got our costumes on and headed out trick or treating. Toby was a Ninja, Tyler was Batman, Austin was a Ninja too, and Ashley was Hannah Montana. OK so she absolutely HATED the wig, but I managed to get a very quick pic in it. The wig, then transferred to me briefly...and then about 30 minutes later it was irritating..Michelle and I wore our light up halloween shirts and some eyelashes..lol..that was our costume. Some of the pics are from halloween night and some our from Michelles churchs Fall Festival..which was a lot of fun and we now have 2 Goldfish named Baby Fishy and Nemo.

The boys Birthday

2008-09-23T11:31:00.001-07:00

2008-09-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

The rest of the pics

2008-09-23T11:00:00.003-07:00

As you can see it was a very eventful day! Here are a few pics that just wouldn't fit on the slideshow! As you can see by the end we were all wiped out!!! But it was a great day! For all that got to come, thank you, we really enjoyed having you all! And for those who couldn't make it, we sure missed you!!! And a special Thank You to my Mom, couldn't have done it without you! Thanks for the use of your property and for all your help making their birthday party a success! We love you!!

Our first Soccer experience

2008-09-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

TJ wanted to play soccer this season. He has always wanted to play before but we were never in a place long enough to be around for soccer sign up, so this year we signed him up and he is AWESOME! He is very aggressive and scored 3 goals they won 10-6 (although we are not supposed to keep score). Anyway, he enjoys it and has a ton of fun playing! My date was still wrong on the camera...dang it...anyway enjoy!

Our 11th Anniversary

2008-09-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Toby and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on Saturday! It was a busy day, it started with Tobys soccer game, then to a birthday party, then the kids went and stayed the night with Nana and Toby and I were able to go to take the motorcycle out and go to dinner and just spend the evening together. It was a great anniversary I am glad his weekend fell on our anniversary weekend, and then he had to fly back out Sunday and will be back in 2 weeks for the boys' birthday parties! Anyway, enjoy this is our wedding picture and then us today!

Our First Family Photo

2008-08-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Even though we are a month away from the kids being 7 & 3, this would be our "first professional" family picture. We decided to have our old time picture taken at SDC and it turned out great. The boys, of course, loved the guns and was the best part of having their photo taken!

Powder Keg

2008-08-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, well if you all remember when we were in Vegas, Toby decided against riding the roller coaster with me at NY NY, but this time was different. We rode the PowderKeg and as you can tell it was INTENSE! This is what the SDC website said about the ride.

PowderKeg ®

This explosive roller coaster sends riders into a thrill zone within seconds of climbing aboard, launching from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. A thrill ride unlike any other at the theme park, PowderKeg® combines the shocking speed of the compressed air-launch with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or "G" forces, and "floater" hills at speeds up to 64 miles per hour for a truly wild ride experience.

Branson Fun

2008-08-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

We took a mini-vacation this weekend to Branson, with Jaimie, Jenn and the kids. I did not take the camera into Silver Dollar City because I was afraid of killing our camera on the water rides. We had a great time and I only got a few pictures, but wanted to share.

Precious

2008-08-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

The first full week has started, which means homework. Part of Tobys everyday homework is to read for at least 20 minutes a day. Last night, he chose to read to his brother, which I found just so precious it brought me to tears. I captured the picture on my phone, so the picture isn't the best in resolution, so I made it black and white. Tyler was so captivated by the words Toby read and he stayed right next to him the whole time, it was too sweet for words..so here is the picture.

Toothless

2008-08-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Toby is growing up way too fast and last night he lost another tooth. He has lost a total of 7, 3 of which has been in the last couple of weeks and he has one more that should be coming out anytime (and he pulled 2 of them all by himself, which he was very proud of) Here is his toothless smile!

Umbrella

2008-08-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we went to Walmart and bought the boys their very own umbrellas, Toby chose Spiderman and Tyler chose Cars. This morning it wasn't raining but I caught some very cute shots of Tyler when we got home from dropping off bubba at school.

Toby's a 1st Grader

2008-08-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Tobys first day of 1st grade and he was so excited! We were up earlier and he couldn't wait to get his new clothes, shoes and backpack on (notice the AWESOME backpack Toby chose this year)! He looked sharp and when we got to school he got quiet, but was still excited...and informed me that I couldn't take a picture of him while we were in class..our little boy is now too "old" for that. Well you all know me, I couldn't handle that, so I snuck my camera out as I was walking out and called his name and I got a picture anyway...as you can tell its a little fuzzy, but I still got to take his picture. Anyway, he is home now and had a GREAT 1st day and now eating non-stop..I don't know what they do with those kids during the day, but he has eaten everything he can get his hands on! Enjoy the pictures. (I just noticed that for some reason the date is wrong on my camera..dang it!)

Brandie gets married!

2008-08-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Brandie and Rusty were married July 18th, and the wedding was just absolutely beautiful! Brandie looked like a princess, and everything went perfect! We are so happy for them! Congratulations to the newlyweds, we are so happy for them!!!!!

Pre-Wedding Tea

2008-08-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

The morning of the wedding we had an all girls tea at the Pink House!

Rehearsal & Dinner

2008-08-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Of course, camera in hand again, I took tons of pictures at rehearsal and at dinner. Look how happy the bride to be is!!!

Enjoying time with the family

2008-08-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some misc pictures I took just enjoying all the time we were having with the family! Raimie was really excited to ride Tobys motorcycle, getting all those boys together they all had to check out each others trucks and which one was louder, it was hysterical!

A visit with the Arkansas Willis'

2008-08-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

While Toby was on vacation for the 4th and for Brandies wedding we were able to make a quick but well worth it trip to Arkansas to see his brother, Rai and his family, while Rai was on leave from Iraq. It was such a good visit the kids played SO good together, they jumped on the trampoline, ran races and played and played. We were really glad we were able to make the trip over there!

Brandies Bachelorette Party

2008-08-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Brandies last night out as a bachelorette in style. Though, it was raining that did not stop us from having a GREAT time!!! There are some pictures that cannot be shown, but here are some of all of us having a good time. Our limo driver Jim took really good care of us!!! The first pic is with him and Amity!!!

The 4th of July

2008-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

It has been tradition for the last 10 years or so to have an annual 4th of July party with our family at Mimis and what a party it was. There was good food, good conversation, and awesome fireworks. Enjoy! (sidenote: Cash I still missed you for the sparkler dance!)

Papa turns 61

2008-07-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I know its been a while since I have posted anything but July has been extremely busy for us, so I am starting back at the beginning of July. My Daddy turned 61 and we had a little birthday party for him!

A fun day with the "Q's"

2008-06-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the boys and I were finally able to spend the day with my friends Jennifer & Jason and their 3 fantastic little boys! The morning started off rainy but we made it through that and went to the Blue Bell event in BA! It was awesome they had lots of jupiter jumps and ALL YOU COULD EAT ICE CREAM. The boys had so much fun playing together, you wouldn't know they hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years! They all really clicked, they were so funny they would get bored standing in line waiting to jump they would start wrestling they were too cute. After the Blue Bell event we went to Braedens boy scout picnic! They had hot dogs and hamburgers, they had a turle race and they had an ice cream eating contest and we are proud to say Toby took home 3rd place and got a metal, he was pumped, but a little sick after that..they also had a water balloon toss and water gun fights, they had a BLAST! Then we were off to Jenn & Jasons for some swimming in the pool, again, lots of fun, then when they were worn out they played some video games then at the end of the night, the boys wrestled with Jason. I have to say we had a GREAT time as you can see in the pics! Enjoy!!

A little more pool

2008-06-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of a different day in the pool! As you can tell Tyler seems more comfy wrapped up nice and snug in a towel!!

Pool fun with Uncle Jeffrey!

2008-06-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had some fun playing in the pool out at Mimis. Uncle Jeffrey had fun throwing the boys in the pool! It was a lot of fun and the kids were good and worn out by the end of the day!

Aunt M turns 34

2008-06-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Aunt M (as Tyler calls her) turned 34 and we had a little birthday party for her, we had lots of fun!

Our first visit with Baby Ryan

2008-06-27T09:22:00.001-07:00

We finally got to meet the newest edition to our family, our nephew, Ryan. He is an absolute DOLL! His grin is just contagious! He is absolutely wonderful, I wish my kids could have had his disposition, he is the happiest baby in the world and we just love him to pieces. We also got to see our neices for the first time in a very long time, and they are just wonderful young ladies! It was a great visit we really enjoyed seeing them and look forward to seeing the again in July!!!

Lost Lagoon

2008-05-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

In Sea World there is also a water park called The Lost Lagoon and we spent our last 2 days there. It was a lot of fun and so glad we had bought a waterproof camera . Tyler was tall enough to ride the sky tubin ride and he thought that was just great! TJ loved the wave pool the best, and being in a waterproof cast he was able to really enjoy the water! We couldn't take the smiles off their faces!!!

Sea World

2008-05-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

While we were here in San Antonio we went to Sea World 3 days in a row and by the last day we were completely worn out and sun burned, but had an absolute BLAST! We actually went 4 days, but the first day was just to check it out and see what we wanted to come back and do, so the second day we saw ALL of the shows, they were so awesome...The boys loved Shamu (as Tyler would call him Shampoo :)), the Viva show was awesome as well, it was a Dolphin show mixed with acrobats and they were pretty incredible. We saw the Penquins too and all Tyler could do was cry and hold his nose because it (in Tylers words, "IT STINKS IN HERE") It was hilarious and anyone who sees Tyler needs to ask him about the Penquins and he will hold his nose and tell you that same thing! Its hysterical! We also did a 4D show about pirates and that was pretty neat, again Tyler was so funny he would duck everytime a bee or spider would come after him and then we would take his glasses off and on to figure it all out.

TJ graduates from Kindergarten!

2008-05-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

Well 3 schools later, TJ is a Kindergarten graduate! He will enter the 1st grade next year somewhere in the US (haha) ! We are so proud of him!!!!!! They had a Kindergarten program where all the kids sang and danced, it was pretty cute! Enjoy!

Mother's Day

2008-05-20T08:14:00.001-07:00

For Mother's Day, my brother and I got together with our kids and took pictures for our Mom. I have to say the pictures turned out Awesome and we were successful in making Mom cry! We love ya, Mom!!!

The Playpark

2008-05-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

As the school year wound down we had one last field trip and it was to the Owasso Playpark, which was AWESOME! The boys had a blast!!!! And as you can tell his broken wrist did NOT slow TJ down!

TJs first bus ride

2008-05-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago before school was out they had 2 more field trips. We went to see the Wizard of Oz play and TJ and I were able to ride the bus. He seemed to like it, but slept on the way there and back..haha :) I, however, regressed back to junior high (the last time I was on a bus) boy how it brings back memories and the funny thing is, it still smelled the same, sweaty kids..haha :) Enjoy!

TJ fractures his wrist

2008-04-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on the playground, TJ fell off of a zip thing at school and now has a bone buckle fracture on his left wrist. We go see a bone specialist of Friday. We went to Blue Bell today for a field trip and got his first pictures of him in his splint and sling..poor baby.

Easter

2008-03-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

This morning we woke up at 6AM to a very excited little boy who was visited by the Easter Bunny! Then we hid the eggs in our pathetic rock backyard and the boys went hunting! They had a great time!!!

Off to Reno

2008-03-23T11:56:00.001-07:00

So, Toby had to do a little job up in Reno, so we tagged along...it was an extremely long trip up there, but had a great time. The hotel we stayed in had a heated indoor pool and arcade, the boys had an absolute BLAST with that!!! We went up to Lake Tahoe on the last day, and it was GORGEOUS. I am not a cold weather girl, but that is a place we would LOVE to go back to and visit again!

Vegas again!

2008-03-23T11:37:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we met Tobys parents in Vegas. They were there on a little vacation and since we were only still 2 hours away, we met them up there. They stayed at the Belagio and this time we stayed at the Venetian, which was an awesome place to stay. The boys could even take a bath and watch Spongebob, they thought that was the neatest thing ever...now they want a TV in their bathroom HAHA :). It was a lot of fun, it was a little cold there, but we still had a great time! We also took a trip back up to the Hoover Dam which is still amazing everytime we see it and Kent & Rhonda had never been, so I think they really enjoyed it too! We really enjoyed our visit!!!!

TJ wins 3rd place in the Science Fair

2008-03-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

So it has begun, the school TJ goes to had a school wide science fair and the kindergarteners were urged to participate, so we got some stuff together and helped TJ with his first science fair project! It was awesome and all his hard work paid off and he WON 3rd place in his science fair. The primary grades are k-3 and he won 3rd out of them! HE WAS SO EXCITED! Here he is showing off his 3rd place certificate, ribbon and his project!

TJ Gets Glasses

2008-02-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well it was inevitable, with my family history of poor vision our baby now has to wear glasses. I think he looks ADORABLE in them though, and he is so excited that he can finally see again! We are already talking about the year it will come that he is able to wear contacts, but for now we will see how he does with the glasses! Here he is!!!!

My 30th Birthday

2008-02-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, well the day officially came and my Mom did it up big! She brought me 30 roses, a Strawberry Shortcake cake, and lots of presents! When I was a little girl my Mom would make me a Strawberry Shortcake cakes for my birthdays, so that kept me young having another one for my milestone 30th birthday. Toby, who has been working out of town, surprised me and showed up in the driveway as I was coming home from picking up TJ from school....that too was GREAT! I Loved that he was able to be here. Also, My parents took us to dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant here in town and their (Toby, Dad & Moms)boss, who we all also consider part of our family, joined in our celebration at dinner and then everyone came over afterwards for cake and ice cream! It was a great birthday! The boys helped me blow out my candles and open my presents too, they are such good helpers and they did a great job too!

Our trip to Las Vegas!

2008-02-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

As an early birthday surprise, my wonderful husband took me to VEGAS! Oh my goodness, we had so much fun! Knowing our children were in GREAT hands with my Mom, we took off Saturday and headed to Sin City! When we got there we were able to go ahead and check into our room at the Mirage! Awesome hotel/casino! We got our stuff to the room and headed to grab a bite to eat, and then walked the strip, going in every hotel/casino along the way. There was A LOT of walking, but all completely worth it. When we got down to New York New York, I knew I wanted to ride the roller coaster, so I stood in line for the 45 minutes to ride the most amazing roller coaster, when we hit the top you could see some of the strip..and really if I wasn't too busy paying attention to the next loop, I would have probably noticed more of the strip. It was amazing. We left New York and headed back to the Mirage for a night of gambling! We sat at the slots for a total of 7 hours and were able to continue to recover the money we put it! We also got stuck in an elevator with another couple when we were headed to our room, so we were comped a free dinner at one of the restaurants in our hotel, so we went back down and ate and gambled some more! I think we finally went back to our room around 2:30! 8:00 the next morning we woke up, got ready and headed to Sigfried & Roys Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat! For those of you who know I love Dolphins, and there were 5 of them in their Dolphin Pool. We saw them up close, under water...and wait here is the best part!!!!! Toby bought us the VIP tour which allowed us to get on the platform and Dutchess the Dolphin came up there and we got to pet her and have our picture with her!!! COMPLETELY AMAZING! The entire trip was amazing as you will see in the pictures! We had the best time, and I have to say it was the best birthday present..sure makes turning 30 a bit easier, knowing I can still act like a 21 year old!!!!

Batman

2008-02-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

It is truly amazing to me how much our boys are so much like each other. Even though they are 4 years apart, Tyler is certainly following in Bubbas footsteps. This first picture was taken right before Tyler was born. Now, 2 1/2 years later, Tyler walked in with all the stuff (one glove missing) but still wanting to play batman, so I grabbed the camera and dug up this picture of TJ to show everyone how much they are alike!

4 Wheelin Fun

2008-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my brother, his wife and girls came up and they brought their four 4 wheelers. We also brought our little battery charged one for Tyler. As you can see we all had a good time! TJ even got to drive once with his Dad and once with his Auntie TA!

The Grand Canyon -- Last Day

2008-01-15T12:35:00.001-08:00

On our last day of our Grand Canyon trip, it was a little chillier than the first day, mainly because we got up and we were there by 8:00. It was still a great day! And again, the boys LOVED playing in the snow. We also took the Desert View trip this time and there was a tower that you could go to that overlooked part of the Canyon, it was all just amazing and beautiful. It was a great trip and really had a good time! Hope you all have enjoyed our pictures!!!

Our Hotel Stay

2008-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Like I said before, we decided to get a hotel this time. AND I am so happy we did. Our hotel was awesome! It had a 6 lane bowling alley, and a huge game room. When we finished at the Grand Canyon on Saturday we went back to the hotel to rest a little and then headed to the game room. The boys (all of them :)) had a great time. Toby even won 2 Nano Apple Ipods off of game! We were sooo excited!!!! We all had a great time playing games!!

The Grand Canyon -- 2nd time!

2008-01-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so because of our disappointing first go around, we decided to go back. This time we left on Saturday morning and decided to get a hotel, that way we wouldn't be rushed and we could enjoy our visit. The Canyon was beautiful and because it snowed the whole week before there was so much snow on the ground and in the Canyon to make it even more beautiful! And, thankfully there was snow, otherwise the kids would have been bored to death. You can tell that they had really never been able to play in snow, they had a blast!!!

Grand Canyon -- The first time

2008-01-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

2 weeks ago we set out to see the Grand Canyon, much to our surprise the weather was WRONG..and it wound up raining and snowing and the Canyon was fogged in and the visibility was 10 feet! We went ahead and went into the park, and the boys got to see snow and thats about it, but it was still a good day!

A Day at the Park

2008-01-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put these in before, but we went to the park a few days before Christmas. It was a little chilly, but the boys had a blast as you can tell!

Christmas Eve/Morning

2007-12-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

It has become a small new tradition Toby and I have started in our family that on Christmas Eve, we read the kids "twas the night before Christmas, we switch readers every year. The kids really love it, then we set out milk and cookies for Santa. The boys are really into Webkinz and that was the things they really ask for this year..so Santa left the boys 2 a piece and they were thrilled, I snuck in the living room after Santa left so I could take a few pictures before they woke up and everything was a mess :)!My Mom and Dad came over Christmas morning for breakfast and presents, we were so glad they were here with us! Little T did his own shopping this year at a little store they had at his school. As you can see, he picked out Nanas, Dads, Moms, & Tylers at school. Toby and I recieved flashlights that say Mom & Dad. Tyler recieved a cow, and Nana got a puppy that said Welcome. He could not find anything that had to do with motorcycles for Papa, so he and Dad went down to the local motorcycle store and found him a cute old man on a motorcycle. We were all thrilled with what little T picked us all our! He is so thoughtful and he was so proud that HE picked them out all by himself! He couldn't wait for us all to open our presents! I didn't even know what they were because he got to wrap them at school, it was really cool. We had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas with family

2007-12-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

It was another Christmas away from home, but my parents were here and my oldest brother and his family came over from Phoenix! Though we missed being at home at least we had some family around, and we had a really great time! And for all of you who didn't notice, Toby is letting his goatee (sp?) really grow! LOL

This is us

2007-12-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

Since Tobys brothers have started this, I just love looking at their blogs, so I thought we should do one for us. Here are a few pictures of us to get started.