Some fun family photos

A few weeks ago I got to take some family pictures for Kevin's brother's family. It was a little chilly that afternoon, one of the few cold days we get here in Houston, but the kids did pretty well with it which is more than I would have been able to say for my own kids. It was so fun to get together with them and it's always fun to try to get little kids to actually look at the camera & smile. If anyone has any tips for that, I'm all open for ideas!

Here are a few pictures of my very cute extended family!

Their cute little girl Katelyn, she's just loves Halli and asks her to be her big sister all the time!

Blake, who is just three months younger than Lexie, and was the first Williams grandson, after 8 granddaughters.

I hear that Katelyn is a daddy's girl, and I completely believe it!

Thanks guys for letting me take your pictures, I can use all the practice I can get!

Sometimes ya just wanna take a picture

We have been having some absolutely BEAUTIFUL weather here this past week, and I just had to get the girls outside to enjoy it.

We've been homebound for quite some time with a stomach bug that went through two girls, and after that cabin fever we're loving being outside. I also decided to take a few pictures, cause I haven't done that much lately, and I like the practice.

So for no real reason, other than they are the cutest girls I know, I have way too many fun photos of Lexie and Peyton enjoying the weather. Halli was at school, but the way she's been lately about having her picture taken, I'm sure she was glad.

We sure do love these little girls, and it just seems like they're growing up way too fast. Hopefully I can do a better job of slowing down and trying to enjoy this little time I have with them.

I once read somewhere that when our kids are babies, the memories of that time are ours, but as they get older, their memories become more and more their own, and we get to have less and less with them. I can totally see that, now that most of Halli's day has absolutely nothing to do with me or her family, and I will have no memories of that time in her life, whereas she will have (hopefully) wonderful memories of her school days.

I'm gonna miss these memories with them as they grow up, so I really need to soak it in now.

We love a good long weekend, time for projects!

Before I can write anything else down, I've got to say that I think I know the cutest little sunbeam ever, and although today was the third sunday of the new year, it was her first day to go to primary! Sadly, I wasn't able to go because Lexie isn't feeling so hot, but I hear Peyton did awesome and she sure came home in a great mood!

My sweet little Peyton after church today. She was all smiles and Halli said she did great and learned a new song! I'm glad it went well, I was a little worried that it might be tough for her. Luckily her best bud Braden was there, and I heard she had his arm around him for a good part of sharing time. Thank goodness for good friends!

What do you do when it's raining out, all the girls are home, and hubby has work off too, cause of the rain? I made one simple remark to the girls, something like, "wanna clean out the playroom so we can paint and decorate it?" That lead to this.....

Bonus points if you can find Lexie in there.

It also lead to this, in the movie room.

And another picture of our slightly crowded hallway.

Seriously, Halli and Peyton did pretty much all of this before I made it upstairs. I did take my time though.:)

Lexie's stayed pretty entertained with toys everywhere too.

So we got to we got to painting and taping and painting some more. When you have a room with no door, and an 18 month old, your kinda limited on how often you can paint. So it's taking us a little longer than we would have liked, and the mess upstairs is getting a little old. We're gonna have a big garage sale sometime soon though.

See what I mean about an 18 month old and getting into stuff?

She thought she'd help too, putting up tape and drawing on the wall. Enjoy it while ya can!

The older girls basically ran around in their PJ's most of the day friday, and this was the only picture I got of Halli cause sometimes she seriously dislikes having her picture taken.

I just had to throw this one in there, cause look at our little business girl, isn't she cute?

And this is how we all feel right about now, and there's still ALOT to do upstairs! Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of the finished product, and our newly organized playroom soon!

Our life at the beginning of 2010

I saw this on another blog, and thought it was a great idea. A verbal (or written) snapshot of our life right now. I don't always take pictures, or document just what makes us who we are, the everyday little things that seem so inconsequential at the time. But those are the things that I'm really going to miss.

So here are a few little snippets that I hope will be able to capture our life now.

Halli is determined to learn how to cook. She'll take any scraps on the counter when I'm cooking and start cutting them up (with a plastic knife), to make some sort of concoction, then try to get her sisters to eat it.

Peyton desperately wants to go to school and is loving her weekly preschool we do with some friends in the ward.

Lexie is a fireball. She's starting to jump, and loves to be the center of attention whenever she's around new people.

All three girls are awake and going by 7am at the latest. Many times it's 6:30.

I'm being lazy and my house is generally a mess. Please call before you come over!:) I blame it on the pregnancy. What am I gonna do when were done having kids? I'll have to find another excuse!:)

Kevin and I are spending some time "decorating" a little. I put it in quotes cause there isn't too much we've done, just pulls in the kitchen, curtains and some much needed added storage, all in the kitchen. Next is the playroom, which desperately needs some help.

Kevin is gone...alot! Maybe I'm whining, but I've been spoiled. There's pick-up ball once a week, mutual, stake men's basketball, and on weekends, young men's basketball. I think I'm seeing a trend, Hopefully some of this tapers off before march madness or I'll NEVER see him!

We've just been moved into a new ward, because the large parkway ward was split. We've also moved into a new building. I haven't been yet because the girls were sick last week, but when we go back we'll have a new sunbeam, and Lexie is FINALLY in nursery! Not to mention Kevin is now the young men's president.

Lexie is finally learning some words that are really helping her communicate, and she's using them! I've seen a dramatic decrease in her screaming the last few days. She says milk, help, thanks mom (I love that one!), movie, book, pee pee, eat. That's not even to mention the names of objects and body parts that she knows. I love seeing her grow, and learn.

Halli is very independent, and loves to make her own lunches, and even breakfast some days.

Peyton is starting to draw people. Funny thing is they look exactly like Halli's did at this age, a head with arms and legs.

Halli is almost always grumpy and irritated after school. I don't know if she's tired, or hungry, but some day's she's just mean!

Lexie will always run for the door when she hears the chime, screaming "daddy", she's a total daddy's girl.

Lexie likes to wave bye to random people we pass in the store, and blow kisses to them. She's always getting smiles from it!

Because she wakes up so early, Peyton generally falls asleep on the couch 2-3 times per week. She does not wake up happy, ever.

Halli is, as always, a letter writing fool. She's started using word to type them, and print them out. I love her spelling!

Lexie thinks she's 5, and gets very upset when she doesn't get what her sisters get.

I'm sure there is so much more that I'll remember later, but for now, these are some of the things I really want to remember later. These are the hard times, little kids climbing all over me, crying no less than 5 times per day, per kid, and total dependency on me for nearly everything. But I know these are the times that I'll miss. I hear it often from women in the grocery store. When you're shopping with three kids running around and screaming, one of the things I'll hear most often from older women in passing is that it goes so fast, or to enjoy it while I can.

I really hope I can enjoy these days more that I do most days. It's hard sometimes to see the big picture when you're in the middle of it, but these girls are truly precious and I know that someday I'm going to miss their amazing little selves.

Wonderful news!

A little under two months ago, Kevin and I learned we were expecting baby #4.


We were excited and nervous after our last experience. At our first appointment we heard a good strong heartbeat, what a relief! I had no idea I would be as nervous as I was going into that ultrasound. After talking to the doctor, we also learned that there was what looked like an cyst on the umbilical cord. I asked the doctor if we should be worried about it and he stated that they are associated with stillbirth. That is obviously not something that anyone wants to hear. But he also told us that there was a decent chance that it would be gone at the next appointment.

I tried not to worry about it, since there was nothing I could do. We also found some studies online that all basically said there was only a slim chance that there would be problems. I've also felt a little more sick this time around, and because of that along with the issue with the umbilical cord Kevin was a little worried. It was really funny to listen to him asking if there was something wrong with me....uh, yeah! I'm pregnant! Totally new for him cause I really never feel sick with I'm pregnant, not to mention how incredibly exhausted I was this time, thank goodness it's pretty much gone.

Today I went in for my second appointment. Again we heard a strong heartbeat, and got some more good news when the doctor told us that everything looked great with the umbilical cord. In his words we couldn't have a more normal baby.

What a sense of relief and joy! We are so excited to welcome this little baby into our family in July, and that time can't come soon enough. Kevin is again hopeful that we'll be welcoming our first boy, and in two months he'll find out. But either way, we are just ecstatic that our baby is healthy and strong and we can't wait to meet him or her!

Time with the girls and baptism

No pictures today, because most of it was spent running errand with the girls while Kevin was at basketball with the young men. Sometimes it's fun to go out with the girls, and most of the time we can have fun, and enjoy each other and have time to talk and play. But then there are always bouts of crying and fighting mixed in there, when I wonder what in the world I'm doing taking all three out on a saturday. Luckily, I'm not above bribery, if only Lexie understood what it was!:)

Then after all our errands and basketball games were done, we headed to the stake center for a baptism. Cami, who was in my class two years ago when I was teaching CTR 6's, was baptised today. Crazy, cause that doesn't seem like it was that long ago, and here she is, already 8. Every time I go to a baptism, I'm reminded just how close it's getting for Halli.

She is growing up so quickly, and I can see her understanding and learning more every day. I'm sure that soon I'll be able to picture Peyton at that point, but for now she's still my little girl. Halli is different, she is seeming so old to me sometimes. She is looking and acting more grown up, and part of me is so excited for that. Excited to have time with her, to teach her girlie things, to go shopping, and have her actually enjoy it. (although I'm sure Kevin is DREADING that!). I'm Especially excited to see who she will become. What her passions will be and what she'll succeed at.

But then I realize just how old she really is, and that she's not so little anymore. She doesn't really sit on my lap at all anymore. I can barely lift her up at all because she's getting so big, and I don't really read her stories anymore, cause she wants to read them herself.

Sometimes, as a mother it's so hard to find that line between holding on and letting your kids go. Hopefully I can hold onto her little girl self, and remember her as she is now, without holding her back from growing up. She is an amazing and beautiful little girl, that I'm sure will suprise us many times over with just what she chooses to do in life.

18 months

It was a little late, but today I finally took Lexie in for her 18 month check-up. I'm so grateful Kevin was home to watch the other two girls, who by the way are doing WAY better since yesterday, and I didn't have to take them with me.

I don't think I've only taken one kid to the doctor since Peyton was born. I'll say, it was kinda nice to just be able to focus on my baby for a little while. She did great for the exam, and of course the shots, all four, were awful. When I had her on my lap afterwards and was trying to put her pants back on, she looked down and saw the bandaids. She kept pointing at them and talking her gibberish, I'm sure she was telling me all about what those mean ladies had just done to her. I hate that part, but she did amazingly well.

I don't remember her exact stats, and I left them in the car and decided that it just isn't worth it to go out and get them in this freezing weather. I do know that she was 50th percentile in height and 25th percentile in weight, I believe she was only 22lbs 7oz.

So here is our baby girl, being facinated by her shiny bandaids! By the way, the doctor said, before I even asked, that she may start her terrible twos soon, how weird is that? She also said it's totally normal that she's more aggressive with two older siblings to contend with. Good to know she's completely normal, hopefully we'll go through it all quickly.

We are constantly amazed by this sweet little girl and couldn't imagine not having her and her huge personality in our lives! Love ya cutie!