It's All Fun and Good

An unedited story by Janai Williams (Age 6):

One day a family went to the beach and They where having fun at the beach They where having a good day That day they where having a fun day The parents and children where having a very good day and it was hot that day and after they where playing They got out of the water They where having a very very good time at the beach that day It was a good good day to day and They where surfing and surfing is fun to.

The End.

The "Egg"speriment

Janai turned in her first grade science project today. Perhaps you are thinking the same thing that I was... and the answer is yes, these days kids have science projects in the first grade! And no, you didn't have to do such a thing way back when. Anyhoo... the only instructions were that the project be neat and age appropriate. I don't know about you, but there's something about neat and age-appropriate first grade science that left me a little stumped. But, we finally came up with a project idea for our little scientist. Of course, it ended up being simple kitchen chemistry at it's best.

Problem: Can I remove the shell of a raw egg without breaking the whole egg?

Hypothesis: Right inside the shell of the egg is a part of the egg called the memberbrains (that would be membranes). Memberbraines are tough and there are two of them. if I can remove the shell without breaking the memberbrains, I think the egg will stay together.

Materials: Glass jar, egg, vinegar

Procedure: I cleaned the jar. I filled the jar with vinegar. I added two eggs to the jar filled with vinegar. I let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Results: See for yourself! The vinegar ate away the shell and I made a naked egg! It feels like jello and I can see the yolk moving around.

It turns out that a second grader also did a naked egg project with a different spin on it. She looked at different liquids that could be used to remove the shell (water, vinegar, sprite) - what an overachiever! Of course, only the vinegar works. It's the 5% acetic acid in vinegar that reacts with the egg shell which is made of calcium carbonate. So she did all of that work for nothing!

The Five Love Languages

On Tuesday night as I was leaving a late dinner for work, James called to let me know that we had received a request to share our "love language" story in front of several thousand people at the Wednesday night service at Lakewood Church the next day. Dr. Paul was planning to teach the fourth message in a series entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It?" and he was looking for a couple to share their story. He thought of us.


So the pressure was on. I stayed up late Tuesday night typing up our story - that James and I speak two very different love languages (http://www.5lovelanguages.com/). James' love language is physical touch, and mine is acts of service. As I tried to craft the story, my very supportive and loving husband went to sleep on me. Go figure. So just like I'm the designated family blogger, I was the designated speaker on Wednesday night!


When we took the stage, we were pretty nervous. I've given many technical talks and presentations, but usually I have Powerpoint to lean on, and never have I had an audience of 5000 staring at me. The lights were bright and even though I have near perfect vision, that 11-point font that I typed in turned out to not be the best of ideas! I stumbled over a few words, but I guess that was to be expected.

All in all, many were touched by our story. Watch us online at www.lakewood.cc/pages/watchonline.aspx. Look for the April 7, 2010 message. We show up at around the 50-minute marker. Enjoy!

Extreme Makeover - Williams Home Edition

As is always the case at this time of the year, I began to get a decorating itch. But I'm usually too cheap to do anything to soothe the itch. So this year, we decided on the cheapest decorating option ... painting. After looking through every color swatch in Home Depot and Sherwin Williams and tapping the inner-interior-decorating-skills of a good friend, we decided to go bold, yet warm. The colors don't show up accurately in the photos, but take a look:

Almond Toast for the living room and major halls:

Brown Cinnamon for the kitchen:

And my all time favorite... Baked Clay for the master bedroom:

Easter Sunday 2010

My children would not really cooperate for a nice Easter photo, so this is the best I have to share with you this year! Nana Cathy visited us in TX a few weeks ago. As always, she came bearing gifts. So we had our share of Easter outfits to choose from. We picked these because... well, they both matched!

We hope you had a great Easter. He is Risen!

Kinky to Straight!

I finally couldn't take it anymore! Managing Janai's hair was beginning to take it's toll on me. So I gave in... I did it... and there's really nothing any of you can do about it! But if it makes you feel any better, I didn't go all the way. Instead of an all out "relaxer", I had my stylist put a "softener" on Janai's hair. It's essentially a mild chemical that texturizes the hair. So ya see... chemistry is great for alot of reasons!

A work in progress...

The final product...

Skates and Snakes

Well... it's time to catch up on blogging! I've spent a few posts talking about the many birthday parties that Janai gets to attend. Earlier this year we (ahem...I mean, Janai) had the most fun at two of her classmates' parties. I refer to these as SKATES and SNAKES.

SKATES - Speaks for itself. Remember Princess Hilary from last year (see 3/17/09 post)? Well, this year she had a skating party at the local rink. And while there was nothing super special about the party, I realized that at six years old, Janai had never been skating. And even more funny, Janai's mom (that would be me) had not been on a pair of skates in probably 20 years. And that, my friends, was entertainment! Here's a blurry shot of Janai working on her skating skills!

SNAKES? Well Little Mr. Matthew's parents hosted his 6th birthday party in their home. They invited a number of guests, including a few slimey friends. Here's a shot of Janai with one of the party crashers. Kids... they have no fear!

Super Late Super Bowl Posting

This year, superbowl festivities were hosted by The Crawfords. Chef Boy-Ar-Steve put together a master spread for the rest of us to enjoy. Here are a few random shots.

Go Buffs!

These are exciting times in the Williams household. Just last week, James was named the new Head Football Coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator at Fort Bend Marshall High School! Many of you know that this has been a career goal for James - to change the lives of young people through athletics. With the position comes a lot of responsibility. So keep James and our family in your prayers. We know that God doesn't provide opportunities without also giving your everything you need to be successful!

Here is an article published in the from the FortBend Sun:

http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/01/22/fort_bend_sun/sports/sws_-_marshall_football_coach.txt

Go Buffalo!

Beauty a la Groovy

Janai celebrated her 6th birthday in early January. After much negotiation, I managed to bribe her into not having a big birthday bash. Instead, we celebrated for a few days. Her birthday landed on a Tuesday. James dropped off "Princess and the Frog" cupcakes and ice cream to share with all of her classmates at school. Later that evening, we had dinner as a family at a restaurant of Janai's choosing... or maybe not! She actually wanted Red Lobster, but we've done the mommy-daughter date there too many times before. So we introduced her to Joe's Crab Shack instead. She ordered the crab legs, and of course mommy had to crack and pick the crabs while she gobbled away. Where I grew up, in order to eat crabs, you had to know how to crack them for yourself!

On the following Saturday, I took Janai and her friend Jasmine for an appointment at Beauty a la Groovy. There they had manicures, pedicures, up-dos, and make-up done. We followed that up with a girls' lunch at Olive Garden. This somehow turned into a slumber party that included an evening of movies and popcorn. On Sunday, we went to church, had brunch, dinner... and Jazz left in the evening. So much for a smaller birthday shin-dig!

Good Hair

While I often use this blog as a forum to embarrass my children, the time has come for a little self-embarrassment. This post is inspired by Chris Rock's new documentary "Good Hair". While I havent actually seen the movie, I can certainly appreciate its theme of African American women and the time and money spent managing their hair.

I recently wore my hair in microbraids. For this, I visited an African braid shop where two Senagalese women teamed up to put in a ton of braids using human hair extensions. $150 for the labor, $45 for the hair, 6 hours, and 2 Tylenol later, I came out with a very versatile and manageable hair-do. It was perfect as I was in the middle of a very busy season at work and not having to deal with my hair was a bonus.

Well those things couldn't stay in forever, but, I certainly got my money's worth. After 3 months, I started the task of removing the braids. Needless to say, the process took days. I eventually had to call in my sitter for help, and we tackled the last few in 3 hours! When all was said and done I looked like a mad woman! (Note... this shot was intentionally taken from behind so that if you ever tried to use it against me, I can claim it's not me!)

But a few short hours later, I visited my stylist in Houston for a good relaxing, washing, conditioning, flat ironing... and Voila... GOOD HAIR!

'Canes vs. Tors

While the remants of Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on the east coast, a few storms were brewing in the southwest. And if you've ever wondered whether a hurricane or a tornado is stronger, we got the answer on Saturday. The Hightower Hurricanes stormed over the Galveston Ball Tornadoes in a 48-21 R1 playoff win. Next up... "Canes take on Beaumont Westbrook at Galena Park ISD stadium on Saturday at 1pm. Hope to see you there!

Courting Gen Y

A few weeks back, I was interviewed by C&EN News for this article, which appears in the November 1st issue. Check it out.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/87/8744cover3.html

9-and-Oh My God, Is This Season Going to Be As Long As the Last One?

The 2009 Hightower Hurricanes ended regular season play with a record of 9-0. James' defense has dominated with the first string holding the opposing teams to an average of 2.2. points per game. This has earned them the spot as the #1 defense in the state. The 'Canes will face Willowridge High School in the District Playoffs this coming Saturday. While I certainly look forward to another great playoff run, something about the prospect of high school football at Christmas time makes me cringe.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/6695628.html

Proud Pee-Pee

Jay has decided not to wait for us to potty train him. A few weeks ago, he said"I potty! I potty!". Those words were followed by a frantic move to get his pants down, and yank his diaper off. Next came the full speed sprint to the potty. James and I took the "yeah right" attitude, and decided to just let him entertain himself. Well... he actually did go potty and he's been occasionally going on his own ever since with no direction from us. He's so proud of his pee-pee that he trots it around, showing it to each of us, before sending it to its final demise. After the flush comes a self-awarded "yay" accompanied with lots of hand clapping. Here's a shot of the big guy proudly prouncing around with pee in hand. Luckily all boy parts are concealed.

Red, Blue - GO EAGLES!

Janai started cheerleading in the Pearland Football League this summer. She really enjoys it, even though she is the youngest person on her squad and often has a hard time focusing. Here is a shot of her at the first game. The cheerleaders were in tanks/shorts because the people who made the uniforms did a pretty poor job, so they all were sent back and are in the process of being made by a different vendor.




Anyway, the Eagles won this game. Lady Long Legs then trotted around in the boyshorts and tank for the rest of the day. It's hard to tell here, but the tank has a megaphone on it and reads "Go Eagles". The funny thing is, we went to James' game later that evening (Reminder: Janai still dressed as shown above), where his Hightower Hurricanes were taking on the Eisenhower (you guessed it) Eagles. Way to cheer for the other team Janai!

School Dayz

We are two weeks into the school year here in TX. Janai started the first grade, and in case you need to be reminded ... first graders don't take naps! What has mommy learned over the last two weeks? Well, I've learned that first grade costs too much! Reality check... they use real books... lots of real books... reading books and work books that cost up to $300! (Is this college?) Oh, and a Spanish book ($10)... and a dictionary from Scholastic ($10), and a supply fee ($100). Oh, and lest I forget the tuition!!

Jay started in Toddler I. If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I was a little shocked that my little 22-month old has to wear a uniform to school. But as the last few weeks have gone by, I must admit that it makes my life so much easier. Nana has complained that we haven't posted pictures of the kiddos in their uniforms. So, here's a shot of mini-me and mini-him finishing up breakfast this morning at school.

Talking Head

Earlier this year, the pediatrician was in a bit of a panic because Jay wasn't clearly saying any words. I was never concerned because I could tell that he was communicating, but simply choosing not to do so verbally. The pediatrician ordered a home visit by a speech therapist - and she reached the same conclusion that I did. Well we were both right. In his own timing, Jay has started to become more vocal and is quite the talking head. It is pretty entertaining. Here is an excerpt from the Jay Dictionary:

WOO WOO WOO - is what the dog says - and the sheep, goats, elephants, birds. You name it, it says WOO WOO WOO

BAAAHH- it's not what the sheep says. When you do something that he doesn't like, you're BAAAHH (BAD).

DOWN - This one is pretty clear.

AHPANE- Airplane.

INOPLAY - means I WANT TO PLAY... say it fast enough, and it makes perfect sense.

NOMO- means NO MORE.

OUT - This one is pretty clear.

BIRRRR- Nope, it's 100 degrees in TX, so this one doesn't mean that it's cold. Instead, its a BIRD.

HOT- Pretty clear, except it doesn't matter whether it's really hot, room temperature, or cold. (and you have to see the hand signals that go with this one)

BOO - Why are you scared? He's just pointing out the color BLUE.

OUTSHY - means OUTSIDE.

NYENYE - This has dual meaning. He could be saying GOOD NIGHT, or calling his big sister NAI NAI

More to come...

A New Gig

It seems that I have yet again been a disappointment to my blog followers. I didn't find time to post a single blog in the month of June. I could blame it (as I have in previous blogs) on Facebook... or the 10-day vacation... or downright laziness. But there's something else that has me tied up these days. I have accepted a new role at Dow as the R&D Leader for Strategic Recruitment and the Research Assignments Program. For me, this is a great opportunity to work in an area where I have true passion. For you, it means perhaps less frequent postings and updates on the Williams Family happenings ( I know... you're probably devastated :-). The good news is that the blog is here to stay. And I promise you that as I can get to it, the updates will come. Keep holding me accountable.

The Graduate

My... how time flies! Janai recently graduated from kindergarten at Silverline Montessori School. Now the real work begins in the first grade. Here are a few shots from the big day.

Janai during the pomp and circumstance (check out the hair!)

Janai and classmates after the ceremony (remember Princess Hilary?)

Janai at home after the ceremony posing with tulips from daddy.