Williams Family Reunion 2010

It's been three years since our last Williams Family Reunion and we were missing a couple members this year (including Mom and Abuelo who passed away in the last year), but it was a wonderful time spent with family. Nothing beats time with nothing but family and playing and talking and eating. We loved it! Thank you to Abuela for putting us up together in a hotel and for all who planned the great activities! Here are the pictures:

Can you tell the beach was COLD!? The sun didn't come out until we were almost ready to leave and even then the wind kept us in our jackets! It was still beautiful to be there and the kids braved it in swimsuits.
The happy couple at the beach. I'd forgotten a jacket so I am sporting a sweet sweater from Abuela.

The kids had so much fun digging in the sand at the beach!

Owen couldn't get enough of it! And when I say that, I mean he couldn't get enough sand to eat! I dug so many handfuls of sand out of his mouth. He just kept shoveling it in! He was SO HAPPY. BOYS!

Here he is! We had to take his shovel away b/c he kept flinging sand all over everyone! He was in his own sandy world.

There were 7 babies born in 2009 to the extended Williams' family. Aren't they cute little bobos?!

Here is our family on the Fourth of July! I got festive this year and dressed us all up. It makes the holiday so much more fun. I love the Fourth of July! (not sure what's going on with Owen's face...what can I say...he's one!)

Elly and Owen on the Fourth...talk about melt my heart.

As tradition holds, Abuela has the children participate in Olympics! Here is Elly and some of her cousins during the opening ceremonies.

One of the events was the 50 foot dash! Here they are getting ready!

Then the little babies got a turn! Don't they look excited?

Then there was the "high jump" or "low duck" if you are Elly.

The medals ceremony was a proud moment for her! A chocolate gold coin medal!

The kids getting ready for the annual parade! We decorate our strollers, bikes, scooters, lawn mowers, you name it. Then we march them up and down the street while we blare music from the outside speakers. The neighbors all come out to watch and some even join in!

Andrew was our GRAND MARSHALL this year! It is a BIG responsibility and he did a great job! I love the contrast between his huge flag and Elly's tiny one. She had fun marching up and down the street with her grand marshall daddy.

Here we come on one of our many passees. We just keep marching back and forth and back and forth for as long as we want!

The grand marshall and his proud assistant.

There were lots of mommies with strollers this year so we spiced things up and started a stroller brigade! We marched in patterns and weaves and criss-crosses, it was hilarious and AWESOME. I hadn't laughed that hard in a while. Definitely best parade ever.

The R. Williams Family spent the last day in CA together and we stopped by the Newport Beach Temple. BEAUTIFUL! We also went to Newport Beach and the pier. We had lunch down at the water...it was great! Another cold day though with even a little rain. The beach was PACKED, seriously almost no sand showing for all the bodies covering it. I couldn't believe people were actually in the water and in swimsuits! What you see us in now is what we wore to the beach!

It was a wonderful Fourth of July. We missed Mom, of course. Whenever we get together as a family it makes me miss Mom, but it also makes me think she must be happy to see us together. I have been blessed with the BEST family ever. Good thing we'll always have each other no matter what, even after this life. I can't wait to see what that's going to be like.