Fight Night

The boys hosted fight night for the much anticipated Jake Paul v Mike Tyson fight. Not pictured are aaron, Jake and Tate G, Kyle and Chase W, or Brendan and Finn H, who also came. The fight was basically a publicity joke but they liked the pre fights and all the hype and funny coverage of Tyson’s cheeks. 🫣

It was pretty loud and chaotic here! They had a fierce pose fur the group photo. Bear got to stay up late too and lived his best life with the big boys. The photo cropped him out but he’s standing by the sofa flexing lol  Soren loved anytime his 16 year old bff Tate is here. Soren showed off his abs and his “v cut” for the pic. I think Quincy’s flexy friends may have introduced a whole new level of vanity in our home. Corbin loves his reflection much too much. Haha! 

I made calzones for hours and they ate for hours. I also gave chase and Soren haircuts and got the guys fired up with a game of spicy uno between fights. 

A typical Tuesday night

Oh those Steezy Boys! I lie how much they love Corbin. Last night we had a drop in visit from Parker for Q and then they left to meet up with Ryan at Braums. Corbin went to the temple with the metfield teachers quorum and then to bball and then they came over to lift and get girl advice. They looked so cute huddled up together drafting up a text for Chase to ask a girl out, I had to snap a pic of their scheming school night shenanigans. I kicked them out at 10:30 and Q came in at 11. They made it to 6am seminary today big Corbin was crashed out by 9:30 tonight. Q went out again. Connecting to a new ward is harder than anticipated, but the Willy teens are determined to bring people together and keep a positive attitude even with a lot of change. They show up every time they are invited. Daylight savings is supposed to make the days shorter, but anyone with teenagers and little kids will tell you we are just burning the candle at both ends around here!

Friendsgiving

We had our third annual Friendsgiving with the Hayes. Meadows came too and it was perfect to have our people here for delicious food and always some good laughs and stories. As always I forgot to take many pics and as always we missed Tommy and Reese, and now Benny was missing as well. 

We hosted this year, and I set the table with the cutest mushroom tablescape. Aaron and Brendan called it a Smurf dinner, but I thought it was adorable. The little girls helped me set the table. They loved it! I didn’t use cloth napkins this time but I do have felt mushroom napkin rings that are so cute I could die. 

We afd turkey and trip tip (because Brigid/Sloane has Brendan wrapped around her pinkie and she asked), two kinds of potatoes, bacon wrapped green beans, a grape salad, homemade rolls, sausage stuffing, gravy, a cranberry dip, and l made a chocolate cheesecake. After dinner we ached from being too full, and had a typical visit with guitars and stories. Q and Corbin had some great laughs for group commentary, this time. It was a good night. I love friends who feel like family. I love when people feel comfortable in my home. It’s always easy breezy with this crowd. 

Fall Break for Willies

The Concert

DAYGLOW (and Sun Room opening) at the Pageant in St Louis. What a great show! Great venue, super family friendly. We were so gloss to the stage and on an elevated platform so it felt like front row, and the little guys had full visibility. Unforgettable night! 

Dayglow is Sloane’s favorite band. Probably because the lead singer is also named Sloan. A few dayglow songs got me through my commute to Fayetteville when I started school again and a few were happy Thursday Willy dance party songs for us during COVID lockdown days. 

Party animals man. 





The setlist! I love these tiny concert venues. Super intimate and everyone there is so friendly. 

The Zoo! 

St Louis Zoo is just the best! Bear got to see bears, Soren got to see his favorite animal, the rock hopper penguin, Q and Corbin took videos of puffins for mr finch, and we all loved the butterfly house. I discovered the paper kite butterfly and was captivated by its beauty. I think it was a spiritual experience to watch it fly around. They are huge and colorless and the most magical wonderful beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. They aren’t like other butterflies, they are kind of floppy and they don’t land for long! They really do look like a kite soaring around on gusts of wind. Really cool. 

Right before we left the exhibit, one of the paper kites we were tracking abd trying to capture a photo of landed on the woman next to us. So cool 

The Dance 

We made it home just in time for Corbin and Quincy to throw together some consumes for the Halloween tri stake dance in Springdale. They went to Braums with Fancy, Luey, Ethan V, and Gisele after. 

The Movie

We watched Wild Robot with the Hayes on their projector and made smores around the bonfire and got to FaceTime our missionaries (not at the same time lol but it was wonderful to see both Sister Willardson and Elder Hayes)




The Hike 

Hawksbill Crag with the most fun group of Seniors 

Things I’ll never catch up on

I attended a Relief Society meeting about personal history and record keeping and was reminded again why I should keep trying to blog. It’s not the full detailed stories like it used to be, but it’s something documented.  I’ll keep trying to catch up, even if it’s only a sporadic sampling of a very full life. Here we go:

1) I finished my wallpaper project in the guest room-that is no longer a guest room because we currently have neither a bed nor guests in there. It serves as a music practice room, and the plaid walls make me stupid happy even if I have not decided how to furnish the space now that the bed is being used in Corbin’s room. Someone come visit me and give me a reason to put up a guest bed! Anyway, cutting around all the window and door casings about killed me on Saturday and I was super sore Sunday. By Sunday afternoon I was so stiff I was limping and then I bent down to pick up a blanket and actually threw my back out like a dramatic movie scene. It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever experienced and I guess I’m an old lady now. I had to lay flat for nearly 24 hours because my muscles kept seizing and causing absurd pain. Who has time for this? Not I. 

2) know what else I don’t have time for? A rooster. Story time: this summer, a broody little hen at Tuckaway farm slipped away from her sisters and the coop to sit on a clutch of eggs she layed in a storage barn. On 4th of July, mama hen emerged from the barn with a half dozen baby chicks following her. These babies are the product of an americauna hen and a copper maran rooster, which will make them F1 Olive Eggers—a very desirable breed of hen to have. It’s not easy to acquire F1 olive Eggers. Americanas lay blue green eggs and marans lay dark burgundy brown speckled eggs. Their offspring, the F1, have potential to lay a speckled moody olive green colored egg that can only be produced in the first generation of this cross breed. Mary was stumped over what to do with baby chicks, because her large flock of hens would kill them off.  After they got to two of the chicks, I brought the remaining 4 home to add to our flock and we raised our 2nd batch of chicks this spring. Our first batch only had one survivor after a possum attack, so my kids were happy for 4 more babies to love on. 

Unfortunately, two are most definitely roosters and will have to go. We woke up to cock a doodle doo a few days ago and now I’m frantically trying to find homes for some roosters before they get too noisy and make a neighbor mad. But today as I was laying flat on my stupid back thinking about the things I’m was not accomplishing, I could hear an occasional crowing from my yard and moved “get rid of the misters” higher on the priority list. 

3) this little affirmation made me smile. Someone I love was recently taking about a mutual friend and how deserving that friend is of good things because they’re such a wonderful person. As they spoke so highly of the friend, my brain screamed “YOU! You are a good person! YOU ALSO deserve all the good things!” And I finally just interrupted and went right to full speed as I blurted out, “you deserve all this too!” I hope they believe me. I think my phone was listening in on the conversation because this meme came up in my feed and it’s proof that even Siri agrees they are just the best! 


4) we attended a ward social law weekend. I looked around and could only count 2 people I didn’t know. I feel very lucky to have this blessing of familiarity and hope to serve my new ward family well as a builder and connecter of friendships. 

5) sloanie’s fake glasses game is still going strong.

6) tiny bestie is almost 18!  Shes ready for it. One thing that makes Quincy and I similar is that we are both old souls but we have a very silly, quirky side, which makes us seem youthful. Quincy’s old spirit is just so easy and comfortable with anyone though. It’s a gift that will carry well with her into adulthood. She converses and compliments others so well and it’s genuine.  


7) speaking of besties, if you ever want to feel not good about your fashion choices, text photos of what you’re thinking about buying to your teenagers. Your self esteem will crumble immediately😂 but you will save so much money when you put back all of the clothes and question your cool-ness (that evidently never was). 

She knocked on these barrel pants but secretly wants a pair.

8)Corbin backed Quincy’s car out of the driveway for her the other night. A little heavy on the gas, but this was a very impressive first attempt at driving. 

How cute is that beanie?! I told him I might have to keep him home because if he shows up at the game in that outfit he might accidentally pull himself a girlfriend 😂😂. Corbin responded with This sweatshirt used to be bro Thebaud’s so now “I can feel

Adley’s aura on it!” Lol. 

9) I loved Sloane’s Vereran’s Day program! 50 Nifty is always a favorite, and I get emotional when they sing a medley of armed forces tunes and members of each branch stand and salute as their anthem is sung




10) we have a “dot!! Reese told us about. The dot system missionaries use for tracking contacts and making friends. I gave our missionaries haircuts last week and asked Elder Ward if we have a dot. We do! And next to the dot is a tiny scissors emoji 😍😍 

Elder Handley has brought 3 companions over for haircuts and this was my first time cutting his hair. He knows I’ve never cut Black hair before and was a great teacher! I’m honored he trusted me, and his tapered fade looked pretty good 🙌🏻 I was so nervous to ruin it though, and he laughed at my hesitation to pick out his hair. He was like “my mother could lift me up with that pick. You are not hurting my head. Pull!” 😂😂 by the end of the cut, they changed my contact in their phones to “Sistah” Willardson. I love these guys so much! 

  

11) I voted! Oooh this election was tough. Awful. Horrible. I am disappointed.

It was not easy to choose and I am grateful for my privilege to vote and I am proud of the choice I made. 

Following ejection day, I have to just not read social media commentary from any Trump supporters trying to offer assurance that no one should worry. It’s so pretentious to devalue someone’s experience. 

Arguing doesn’t help and I avoid that as well. I actually disagree with Kamala on many issues, and my vote for her was a vote against Trump. I want to say so many things about this election but I’m still jusr reeling in shock and disbelief that he was actually elected. How. How did this happen. I’m so disappointed by America. 

I hate abortion so so much. I hate the death penalty so very much. I hate genocide. I hate rape. I hate the porn industry. I hate marijuana and opioids. I hate outrageous taxes, housing, and gas prices. I hate homophobia. I hate inflation. I hate underfunded education. I hate racism. I hate Vladimir Putin. I feel like there should be zero celebrating over an election while there is so much human suffering. My only job now is to combat all of the hurt by loving everyone so big that it somehow heals the world.  

People’s responses to election results tell me more about who THEY are than anything else. To every apologetic trumper I felt like saying, “we aren’t sad because we lost an election. We are sad because EVERYONE in America just lost. We lost trust in our justice system, safety, hope, and humanity. It doesn’t matter to us if it saves money, if Trump is a “brilliant” businessperson. It feel like that’s a joke to prioritize financial benefits over human beings or you know, not being a criminal. If you’re laughing at this joke, you’re either not part of a marginalized group, or you’re not doing your part to protect them.

Aarons dad always used to say “we change people with love.”  So even though I am furious and hurt and disappointed, Imma LOVE bigger. And that starts with ignoring pointless arguments. If someone can’t at least admit they see that Trump is a hurtful person, they don’t want to see. So instead I’ll let my own actions be proof of what love can accomplish. Kids need to wake up every day to good examples of what good strong honest smart hardworking man and women with integrity look like. Let’s get up and get to work as examples. 

12) every photo of Sloane looks like she really goin through it rn 😂😂😂







13) our friend Greg turned 50 recently and his birthday celebration was a ruse movie invite/scavenger hunt around downtown Bentonville. We noticed we were the only Bella vista couple there and still felt right at home. Aaron jokes that it was a premonition of coming events, and the next day we were moved into the same ward. We just know it will all be fine with time. We had a great time at the bday for Greg.




14) two of the seminary teachers assigned to serve metfield youth are YSA’s who are recent college grads. They have become Quincy’s bffs. They met up with her at Benson Boone and have a great friendship. Quincy is in a new seminary class now with the ward change, but has been texting Luz for advice about college scholarship essays this week. I just love seeing supportive mentoring relationships like this. Thankful for people who love my kids. 

(Gracie D, Luz, Quincy) 


15) Soren has been playing hard on the weekends. There is a group of middle school friends who gather monthly at Smallwoods for night games and movies, and the metfield boys get together every weekend for whatever they can come up with. Usually it’s night games at Pendletons or bball and pickleball at metfield and then they walk over to Binghams. They recently came to our house for boba drinks, weight room, and ping pong. Soren will really miss being in this quorum, but they’ll continue to hang out. There are so many boys he can almost always find someone who wants to play. Endless fun. (Shown here: Sawyer H, Jarom D, Kellan W, Soren) 


16) there’s not much I won’t do for those orchestra kids. I’m their biggest fan. Here are Jerushia and I volunteering all day at All Region auditions. There were over 800 kids all paying instruments in the north commons all at once. It was something. Jerushia is a fellow VP and All Region is her baby. Everyone needed to talk to El Hefe every 5 seconds, I finally put her in a chair for 5 minutes of time out with a Closed sign on her 😂 She lasted 2 minutes before someone needed her again. It’s an honor to serve with these brilliant women. 


Quincy and milli’s last all region. They had to report at 7am and did get called up to audition until like 4pm. Quincy studied for EMR and polished up her college application essays. 

Corbin also had a very late afternoon audition so he lived his best life playing street football, brawl stars, and even left with me for an hour to give his friend Charlie a ride to work. Corbin felt really good about his audition and even though he didn’t make all region (super rare for 10th graders), he scored well. 

I found a few of Soren’s buddies there! Soren is still in middle school, so he cannot audition for all region, but Kellan and Sawyer got to audition with the junior high. Soren’s orchestra teacher emailed me and said that if he wants to, Soren can submit an audition video for honors orchestra in December. I think he might go for it. Nothing to lose! 

And speaking of orchestra, I’m VP for the boaters abd over fundraising, which I think was a mistake…maybe I saw the word “Fun” and got distracted? I’m not a skilled businesswoman with professional skills, but there’s not much I won’t do for those orchestra kids. To raise funds, I came up with a signature drink for concessions. Kinda like how when you go to a BYU game you HAVE to get a maple donut “cougar tail”. 

The BHS Tigers Blood Boba drink has arrived at the BHS arena and they are selling like crazy. We make a $4 profit off every drink sold. 

To raise hype, we’re having as boba day on a food day at BHS, and now some lucky person will be sporting the boba suit at the basketball games. I hate catalog sales and honestly most fundraisers, but here we are. Think it will bring in $6000? Anything for those kids. 

17) DODGERS WIN for the World Series! Aaron was so happy. Corbin loved the trash talk banter with Bishop Hayes (Yankees fan). Dodger win plus a BYU Hail Mary field goal in the holy war for the W made for VERY happy Willardson men last week! 

18) our dear friend Dan died after a short battle with ALS. Dan and my dad were buddies. They would go to lunch together often and my dad visited Dan almost daily when he was moved to hospice. I will really miss this friendship for my dad. Our two favorite memories with Dan are when he taught my boys how to use a metal detector to go treasure hunting at lake Ann pavilion. He tossed coins in the grass so they were successful in their search. Dan loved fish and we liked to invited him and Virginia over for dinner with us almost every time I made blackened salmon. Dan loved it so much he always bagged up the leftovers to take home. I loathe reheated fish and was happy to send it! He would ask when I was making it again and some of my kids would say “I hope never!” And they’d groan when he would bring it up because they don’t like fish. Now this fish has become a family favorite and it’s thanks to Dan’s positive talk and exposure therapy 😂. We will miss him. 


19) parent teacher conferences are funny at the high school. I always ask the teachers I don’t know to guess who my child is. It’s always a funny game and we have a little laugh. With the girls many of them guessed it, but only one knew Corbin is mine. This was a surprise because I think he looks more like me than any of my other children.  Corbin’s teachers all spoke so highly of him. He’s apparently a little charmer at school and adults love him. He's a dedicated student and keeps straight A’s. Great work Corbin! One of his teachers pulled up all

If his school photos on her screen and I died over the fire walk down memory lane. 

20) I was asked to sub in YW for a weeknight activity in metfield ward back in October. The girls carved pumpkins, ate snacks, and watched hocus pocus. This group of girls become very close in the past few months now that Quincy’s age is the seniors group. They take great care of each other and it has been nice to see Q with a group of girlfriends. 


21) oh Sunday school. This deserves its own post because my feelings for these emerging adults are SO big. Baylee snapped this pic a few weeks ago when Jennica was teaching and I added some engagement with the kids by putting their answers up on the board.

22) she thrifted this as a joke but I hope she believes it. 

Another glorious thrifting find! We’ve been to so many concerts the past 2 years we rarely buy shirts any more, but we had the idea to make some of them into pillow covers for Quincy and Reese’s college dorm apartments next year. Super fitting decor for my music lovers. 

We went to three concerts in 2 weeks in October and we already miss live music season. It’s our favorite thing to do together. Best gift you can give this girl is something to listen to. She likes all genres and her love language is a new vinyl or even just a “listen to this!” with a Spotify link. Aaron and I only had one similar album (Tom Petty’s Greatest hits)  when we started dating, but we share a love for concerts. It delights us to no end to share this love with our kids. 

22) aaron fixed the smoker! Also who’s that hottie in the backwards hat? 😍 the kids walked outside abd saw his bare toes and hurled. “Dad! Put the dogs away!” I guess bare feet are not to be exposed with sandals. The horror. 

23) Laura Hayes and I hit up Vintage market days. I spent a large fortune on yoders hand pies and a small fortune on these vintage chairs. They’re adjustable and I thought they’d be great for the music practice room (the kids always steal chairs from the dining table) 

But since they roll, they don’t like playing in them.  The kids LOVE having them at the dining table though so that’s where they live and they look pretty there. 

 We saw Julie and Christine Shaw there and got an annual photo to send to Reese, Fin, and Tommy, who are all out serving missions right now. It’s so fun when good friend’s children become friends too.  In our case I’m not really sure which happened first, kids or adults (Brendan and Aaron go back to college days and I grew up with Laura’s family) but we are so happy about it either way. 

24) Soren just started Suzuki book 3 and whipped right through Scherzo last night. He has a tiny vibrato developing and it’s mind blowing to hear my 6th grader play a piece that Quincy learned in Dec of 8th grade and Corbin learned in Dec of 7th grade. He works hard, sets a timer, and practices every day with a smile.  The Willy cellists got to join the Sugar Creek Ward Orchestra, which will play at the ward party in a few weeks. There are probably a half dozen too many cellos in ratio to the other strings, but we are so grateful they took us in anyway, and it will be a delight for all three of the kids to play together. I asked Quincy if she’s excited for an opportunity to be a leader since she’s in the back in chamber orchestra and she said “Just because we moved in and I play in a higher orchestra at school doesn’t earn me the privilege. I’m not taking that position from someone who’s been working for it. And beyond section leader, there are no chair positions in church orchestra.” Once again we are learning from her example.

Soren’s first time playing in an orchestra group. He loved it.