F is for FO SHIZZLE.
D is for DUUUUUDE!
V is for VENDETTA.

Sensational.

Jake took these photos while skiing with Ian after the big storm last week. They ski while Andrea is working and even have family ski days when she's not. That sun is setting over the ocean. It's way out there but if it was clear, you could see it. When it's clear you can see the ocean from the rim in Lake Arrowhead and when it's really, really clear you can even see Catalina Island! Home will always be home. There's just something about it. I love this second photo and the lift chair up in the corner. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Sensational. Wish I was there.

Starting very tiny, I had ski lessons once a week at Snow Valley during the wintertime. They were after school, night skiing. It didn't take me long to realize I could ditch class and my Mom would think I was in class. I remember convincing my friend, Ashley, to ditch with me once but otherwise, it was just me.

I couldn't stand my instructor that year. I thought I was really cool because I had some tight, black, stretchy ski pants. One week my instructor brought me her daughter's old, puffy, pink, traditional snow pants with suspenders. Apparently, she thought I just didn't have the right equipment when, in reality, I thought I was the cat's meow for wearing what the other girls were not. This offended me. I was eight, full of guile and skiing alone.

I remember one evening with Janna. We thought we were so cool because we could do the Bubblegum Trail. Janna crashed and her skis went off the side of a huge drop-off. It was getting dark and there were no night lights back there. Janna had to hike down to get her skis. I was inordinately terrified because I was raised on the following story and it's punchline: a book of matches would have saved his life. My parents were both ski instructors and my Dad was on Ski Patrol. The Patrol had to search the back side of Snow Valley for a missing man one day. My dad found him. Frozen. That has a way of sticking with a small child.

Comparable would be when my Mom found it appropriate to tell me, "If you wander off from me in the mall, someone might kidnap you, take you to the bathroom and cut your tongue out so you can't tell people who you are." I was frozen. In fear.

I have brought that up to her and she says she truly wasn't trying to be sensational, but saw it on the news. She was just doing her duty by giving me the facts. My Mom, always the realist. So, so, so terribly honest. If I ever got really sick as a kid and asked her, "Mom, am I going to die?" she would reply, "Well, I don't know, honey, but I don't think so." She turns 70 this March and she still ain't sugar coatin' nothin'! I still rely on her to give me the cold facts.

Happy Winter.

Williams - Nora Alexis

I am finally getting around to posting our great news. Herb beat me to the punch and posted on Facebook while I was in labor so I figured that it didn't matter how long it took me to post here.

As usual my OB's day off was the day I went into labor. I have never actually had my doctor deliver any of my babies. It is always their day off when I go into labor. My water actually broke on its own this time and I wasn't even in labor and didn't start having contractions for a couple of hours after it broke. Everything went well though and I chose to do a natural birth again. Herb's mom tells me that I was born to give birth because of how well I handle the pain so I might as well have 20.

Nora Alexis was born at 8:25am on January 13th. She is beautiful, she looks just like her brother and sister. Nora weighed 9lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. I knew she would be at least 9 lbs. She weighed the same amount as me when I was born. Why can't I have small babies? Mom said it hurts no matter what size they are but would it hurt less? Nora was even 9 days early which was quite a surprise, I thought she would last until next week. I am glad she didn't because she would have been much bigger. We are so happy she is here. I told Herb two hours before my water broke that I am finally tired of being pregnant. She must have been listening and decided to grant my wishes.

When the family came to visit us at the hospital, Herbie told them that "The Baby Got Out!"He also kept telling anyone who was holding her "My Baby!" Then when Herb's mom was holding her he said, "Be Careful, she breakable!" Whenever she cries, Herbie gets close to her and puts his finger to his lips and says, "Sh! Sh!" in a very kind sweet way.

Happy Birthday Nora!

Congrats Ci! 3 kids?!?!?! No way! This is the part where time flies away and we wonder how we're not in high school anymore isn't it. When you get a chance, give us the full breakdown.