becoming mobile and marshies

 I told Thatcher the other day that I really did not want to carry my overloaded laundry baskets upstairs, but daddy wouldn't be home for awhile, so i better go ahead and do it myself- well, I think he felt sorry for me b/c he has been working out ever since ;) It does look like he's doing pushups in this picture though!  Poor little guy- he sure is trying so hard to go somewhere, but inevitably, only moves backward!  Hehe!! Also, sorry for the bad photo quality in most of my posts- i really take most of my pictures with my phone, b/c its just easy and convenient! 

We also finally got some snow this week ( but i bet it will be 80 tomorrow ha!)

So for breakfast I had some oatmeal and some of my organic chai!! So yummy and such a good cold weather meal :)

The oatmeal is in one of the kids' big cupcake liner bowls- I got them last year at the Dollar General for like 20 cents a piece!! I just think they're cute :)

Thad has been working on our upstairs bathroom, and I was upstairs checking on the progress- meanwhile I let Jude have the bag of marshmallows thinking he would eat one and be done ( he loves mini marshmallows, but i had the peppermint ones, the huge campfire ones, and then the minis ) Well, he came upstairs and showed us his marshmallow man

Anyways, I stayed up there a little too long i guess b/c I came back downstairs and Jude had eaten all but 2 of the campfire marshmallows and most of the peppermint!!!!  Thankfully he still konked out at bedtime, but i wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with a bellyache from all the marshies sticking to his guts!!  Crazy boy!

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend, happy MLK day!!

MyHubbys birthday :)

No, hes not Japanese, no, hes not an eskimo- he just likes winter backpacking and pretending he's a samurai.  I also have to say how hard it was for me to find a picture of him by himself where he wasnt holding some kind of bug.....yeah, i really really like this guy, even maybe love him alot too :)  Happy Birthday old man babe, I love you :)

sweet babies, Christmas, and random

These silly kiddos are my heart :) I love them from their core to mine!!  I always struggle with what to blog about, or who even reads this, but I try keeping this blog up for any of my family that I don't get to see regularly and wants to keep up with my little family.  That being said, I guess I don't think about people who don't know me, or know my beliefs reading this ( which should really be foremost in my mind i suppose, just don't think it happens too often)  I wanted to clarify somethings from my last post, in case anyone thought I went off my rocker there for a minute ;) I am a very laid back person, granted I have opinions, but typically don''t get too riled up about much ( except faith and politics- imagine that!! ha! )  I had just been thinking and praying alot about my ladies ministry and what I could do differently to be more effective.  I want to have a ministry that is effective in not only reaching out to ppl but showing them Christ and their need for Him in their lives.  I just kept coming back to how I never want to turn someone away, or make quick judgement calls bc of how someone looks, acts, or talks.  I want everyone to be saved, but until then we can be waiting, in love, with the Good News!!

Back to my kids- boy oh boy!!  Thatcher is 5 months ( 6 months in about 2 weeks) and still NOT SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! ugh!! I never had this issue with the older two- I quickly trained them into good sleepers, but little man is not having the sleeping all night stuff- he wakes up every three hours to eat!   They are all in bed at 8, so that means I am feeding him again usually around 11, then somewhere around 2 in the morning and then again at around 5-6 a.m.  so really only two late night feedings, but still interrupted sleep, and its taking its toll!  Are any of you moms the kind of moms that can nap?  I cant! I literally just cant bc I have a 5 month old, but i just physically cant do it- I am on the go from the time I wake up until after i feed him at 11. These last couple of days though, I have been kind of dragging at breakfast ( and a grump, my kids would tell you)  But, I have been trying to motivate     myself with one of these tasty teas :)

as you can tell, Organic Chai is my favorite :) I have tried the other two, but just out of Thad''s mug, bc I always grab the chai- soooo good!! This tea is not much more expensive than any of the other store brands, but tastes sooo much better ( and prettier looking;) ) My brother got me the chai for Christmas, and got Thad some organic decaf coffee- such a good flavor also, and I even like it black- thats saying something bc usually I like a little coffee with my creamer ;) Speaking of Christmas- we had a wonderful one! We many lots of visits and trips to different places, but it was so good to see all of our families!  We decided this year to not get our kids any toys ( Daddy did sneak some HotWheels squinkies in for Jude though!) But, instead we decided to completely redo their playroom for them!! They love anything artsy or crafty, so we figured this would be perfect! I got a few before and after shots

 before:

After:

they are both rocking some bed head in that one ;)

We are so happy with how it turned out- and the kids really love it!!  for under the tree, they got crafts, paints, chalk, and they each also got a lite brite :) Thatcher enjoyed his first Christmas and after a couple houses, got the hang of ripping wrapping paper!  Thanks to all our families for hosting us through all the get togethers- we love you!  

Thad and I also decided to get each other something that we could do together this year- we both have been interested in bow hunting, and a good friend of ours gave Thad a really nice bow, so I got him arrows and some other accessories for Christmas.  I also got a bow from my brother ( completely decked out already) so we are excited to start learning how to shoot and eventually go hunting this September! I also got the Hunger Games series- the real books, bc I have them downloaded on my nook and a pair of Toms- that was the one thing I told Thad I really wanted :)

one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned!! I love them!

Okay, a few more things and I promise Im done- Thatcher is slowly making his way into the world of food- we tried some baby cereal while on vacation and he did not handle it well ( he devoured it though, just didn''t digest it well)  so after researching and waiting another month and a half, we are skipping cereal period and just going straight to homemade veggies- he has had sweet potatoes so far and has really loved them and tolerated them very well- I also have given him some over-steamed pieces of carrots and he liked those too.  I think Im leaning more towards whats called baby led weaning bc, although he has no teeth yet, he knows how to "chew" and I think he would really enjoy actual pieces of food rather than the pureed.  

Speaking of food- I found something I really like the other day while grocery shopping- not organic, but really cheap and so tasty!  I used on some tilapia and it was so good- Im not a big fish fan unless its very mild, so I always look for different ways to hide even a little bit of fishy flavor, well this worked great!!

I found it in the cheese aisle, and it was only a little over $2- and i could have done all the pieces of fish I had, but I only did 4 pieces and i had plenty left over ( i did not put the fish in the bag it comes with to coat it- i just kind of sprinkled it on, that way I could use the rest of the mixture for chicken another night)  

And last, Jude is still doing great with homeschooling, and I still love it!! He had Spirit Week this week, and did crazy hat day :)

 And Elsie has been "helping" me with dinner- the other night I let her "cook" it for me- the menu was, salad, chips, oyster crackers and cupcakes! Haha! She also loves being on our countertops!

She kept moving around and not letting me get a clear picture of her face, so this is the best I got! Okay, Im off, I will leave you with a few pictures that will speak for themselves :) I gotta go kiss some sweet baby lips!! 

Have a good week!

snatched a bit of time to blog

Wow- time has just really flown by this year! I cant believe that my kids are getting so big, its such a bittersweet thing to watch- my kids growing up.  I have been thinking a lot lately about my kids and how we are raising them ( do you all question every single thing you do as a parent?? I do!) There was this little girl, I overheard talking a few years ago who saw some boys skateboarding around on the sidewalk and made the comment " I bet they don't go to church" This just made my heart sad- she was young, and still very much influenced by her parents ( good and bad, as all our children are at a young age) but I thought, " boy, it sure is sad that we, as adult Christians make the same quick judgement calls on "certain" people.  These certain people can be whatever in christian society is deemed "bad" I know I may come across as a liberal, tolerant of all things kind of "christian" right now, but honestly I don't care. The point Im trying to get across ( to myself included, bc as much as we don't want to be, we can all be guilty of this at times) is that, as christians, we should show, give, spread, have LOVE!  I am in no way excusing or justifying things that are wrong ( the Bible is very clear about sin ) but, I have just been feeling like its so easy in our little christian bubble to look past people we judge as not looking the right way, not talking the right way, not being just like the cookie cutter christian is "supposed" to be.  God is love- yes, God is jealous, God will punish sin, but God is a loving God and is so outside of our realm of understanding that we cannot even begin to comprehend the love He has for us, and we are called children of God- lets show that to the world instead of quick judgements and harsh words.

Big sigh :) okay, the reason I said that whole spiel is because I am constantly reminding myself that the things I do, the things I say, and the way I act will have a direct effect on my children and how they do things, say things, and react to things.  I want my children to have love and compassion for other people and to understand what that means- to really care for other people.  I also, have been really wanting to teach them the importance of family, and spending time together as one- i know that i only have a certain amount of time before they won't want to spend time with us- they will have friends and other more "important" people to spend time with, but I hope we can instill a good family time routine, that will maybe even last through adolescents.  We did have a wonderful time with our family during the christmas holiday this year, but more on that later ( I haven't even caught you up on Thanksgiving- geesh!)   I have one last thought on this childrearing topic ;) I was talking to a good friend recently and told her how, when people compliment my children, I usually brush it off and say how they are rotten most of the time.  I told her how, when I think about it later, I always regret saying it, b/c, although I don't want people to, in anyway, get the idea that i think my kids are perfect or better than other kids ( b/c i know they are not) I also, don't want my kids to always get the message that even when they are well behaved it still isn't good enough, they are still rotten.  I think about how, as babies, we praise every little thing that they do- crawling, walking, learning to feed themselves, but then it just kind of stops there- then discipline sets in and we can sometimes over-criticise our children ( i still haven't figured out the balance of teaching my kids, and when to just let them be kids and remembering they will act like kids)  Anyways, I think we should be our kids biggest cheerleaders and always make sure they know we are so proud of them!

Last topic is FOOD!! How is it that i always end up talking about food, but I hate to cook it??  haha!! I do enjoy food though, at least the eating part! Anyways, we are slowly trying to make our way to more whole/organic foods and just healthier eating all around.  Its expensive, so I know there are things i just wont be able to afford to buy organic, but we are trying, and I am really enjoying it- it really makes such a difference in the way you feel.  I also want my kids to have healthy eating habits and not be picky eaters!!  I will keep you updated on how things are going and what adjustments we have made so far in another post, but we are liking it so far!! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to the new year!!

P.S. I did finish the book "Comes a Horseman"- really pretty good, kinda scary in some parts, but I liked it alright.  Not even half way through "Uncle Tom's Cabin" I think this will be one that I finish over time, but I really like it so far! Also, completely stopped reading "Mein Kampf" not sure if I will have the stamina and persistence to try that one again??  We shall see :)

Books! :)

I dont think I have any pics to go along with post- which is usually what determines what I write about. This post I just wanted to write about a few books I have read as of late.  I have read some really great things lately and I am so excited to share them! The first one that I read recently was called " The Debt" by Angela Hunt.  Wow!! Such a good read!! I was so blown away by this book- it had to have been the Lord that made me pick this out of all the others at the library- its exactly what I have been feeling about ministry and church- we need to start thinking outside our four walls and get our eyes off of our needs and look at the needs of others!! I guarantee you will not regret reading this one!  Also if you like non-fiction, I read, a long time ago, the book about the Jewish Dr who was forced to work in the concentration camp in Auschwitz- it is called "Auschwitz" by Miklos Nyiszli. A hard read in the fact that its just very descriptive, but a pretty short book- only about 200 pages.  Also, I have to bring up "The Hunger Games" series.  I usually never get secular fiction, just b/c sometimes it can be just as bad a rated R movie.  But I had heard so much about this series that I wanted to check it out- it was actually the first book i bought on my nook last year.  I couldn't put it down and within like a 5 day period I had bought and read all three and have read them all a few more times each since.  These books are pretty gory- in a war- like way, not in a blood and guts, scary movie way.  I am really looking forward to the movie adaptation of the first book, but kind of dreading it at the same time- as we all know the movie never does the book justice, and I have a feeling this one will definitely fall into that category.  I am currently reading 3 books ( eeek!! what am I thinking!!) one that my father in law gave me called "Comes a Horseman" which is pretty good, but kind of creepy.  I am also reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe- a classic, that I finally got around to picking up.  And lastly, Thad and I are reading "Mein Kampf" by Adolph Hitler.  I am so interested the the world war II era for some reason and love reading things from that time period.  I can tell this is going to be a hard read- its long and he was a very intelligent man, and writes that way, but I have always wanted to read it- so here it goes!  Anyways, hope one of you guys will pick one of these up and enjoy them!! What are you all reading now- what books do you recommend??

the rest of summer.....

This is my life- only finding time to blog at almost 12 at night!! Oh well, I guess! Anyways, been thinking alot about the church and what we are about.  This has alot to do with the outreach that we have been planning and praying about and for at our church.  About 2 months ago or so, our pastor shared with us something that the Lord had burdened his heart with.  For too long all of our churches have been reactive- never proactive- in our communities!  We need to actively pursue a relationship with the people in our community- we need to let them literally see the love and caring of Jesus through His church/people!  So we have joined our pastor and, I believe, the heart of God in this new outreach.  For the first month we simply ( but most importantly) PRAYED for our surrounding neighborhood.  Then we MET them- we went door to door with goodie bags and information about our service times and TALKED to our neighbors!  Our goal wasn't to ask them to come to our church- our goal was to show them that someone cares- WE CARE!  We did three nights going door to door, with varied reactions from people, most went well though.  Thad and I went out the last day ( Saturday) and it was awesome!! I had gone door to door before in the Philippines ( very intimidating mostly bc of the language barrier, but the people were hungry for the Lord!!) But it was really a great feeling to not just be the church sitting up on the hill, but to really be a place where people know they are welcome, and that no matter where you come from, or where you are in life- we genuinely care about you.  I was telling a friend the other day, that for about the past year the Lord has been speaking two very specific things to me. For the first while, it seemed like every time I would go to prayer, I just felt the Holy Spirit impressing on me to be reverent before the Lord.  I guess I would describe it like, how we tell our children that when they pray, to talk to God like he is your buddy ( which I know we can talk intimately with the Lord, and that that is a great way to describe prayer to our children) but, I felt like I should just stand in awe of the Lord- be totally aware and consumed with the fact that HE is holy, and righteous, and just and He in no way needs me, but I desperately am in need of Him!! Then the last part of that year, I felt like the Holy Spirit just always led me to pray specifically that the Lord would go before me and come behind me and be all around me, protect me, and guard me.  That He would provide for me and take care of me, that He LOVED me! I think, this is what people desperately need to hear- that God is holy and righteous, and demands that we strive after that in our own lives, but that He loves us with a greater love than we could ever fathom!!  I know I need to hear that! Anyways, I am so excited about what the Lord is doing in our church and in our little town!! 

I know my title said the rest of summer, so I'll get to it! :)  Jude had a birthday this summer and we had a pool party with all his friends

He is such a big kid now- ugh, I hate it! I want my kids to stay babies ;)  He had a great time and we are so thankful for all wonderful friends and family we have that came out to show Jude love on his birthday!  Jude got some serious cash for his big day, and he decided that he wanted to spend it on one big thing instead of alot of little toys.....it was daddy's idea ( isnt it always??)

The hamster is blurry, bc they are fast little guys, but he ended up getting two hamsters, a cage and all the accessories that go with hamsters.  He let Elsie name one ( she picked "Watermelon") and he named the other ( "Tommy", slightly less exciting, but more normal ha!)  Now, I know this ALWAYS happens, but who do you think cleans out the cage, and feeds and gives water to these little guys?? Thaaaat's right....ME!! Haha, why do moms always end up with these jobs?  

Jude also took swimming lessons this summer, and loved them!

The last few things we did this summer were church related- we had teen and junior camp, and our annual conference.  I made it out with the kids for two nights of teen camp, and they thought the play was so awesome!!

We made it to one night of junior camp, mainly bc I was 9 months pregnant and I was just plain tired, or we would have made out more than one night.  

I also sang on the worship team this year for conference again ( the week before my due date!! aaahh!!) But it was awesome and the speaker was awesome too!  Conference ended on a Thursday and I had Thatcher that next Tuesday!!  So since then we have been adjusting to having three kiddos! Thad took two weeks off work ( Thank You Jesus!!!!) and then my friend Nesa came and stayed with us for a week and helped me out with the kids and baby ( and we had VBS at church this same week!)

  Shew, Im tired again just thinking about this summer!  Life has started to slowly get back to normal and back in our routine.  The weather is cooling down and all the kids are in school ( we are homeschooling Jude- more on that next time maybe) and life is wonderful, and I am blessed!!  Well, Im falling asleep, goodnight friends :)

Im baaaaack!! ;)

Phew, its been a whirlwind around these parts as of late!! We have a new little guy around here who has taken up alot of our time and attention! Introducing Thatcher Elijah Dean Williams...

Such and awesome awesome day!! 

I was induced this time ( i was with Elsie also)

 and one of my closest friends ( who happens to be an awesome L&D nurse- love you Tricia!! ) delivered this sweet little blessing! He was 7lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long- exactly the same as big brother Jude! We are totally loving this little guy- he's such a chill baby ( thankfully!)  He just turned 8 weeks today, and is packing on the pounds- the only time in his life that double chins and fat rolls are adorable ;)  Anyways, so life around here has pretty much been on baby's schedule, but like I said, he is a pretty easy baby, so it hasn't been too bad.  Jude and Elsie are in love, and help out here and there with taking care of Thatcher. This is them on the morning I was going in for my induction ( they stayed with papaw)

These.kids.are.CRAZY!! HA!!  I love this picture- really shows their silly personalities :) We have had so much fun getting to know little Thatcher and growing our family!  

We've also been busy all summer learning to swim!!

 Jude has it pretty down pat, Elsie is almost there- the above picture is with their life jackets on- they are both now life-jacket free and jumping in and swimming under water ( Jude can do the deep end, but Elsie is still stuck in the shallows)  The pool got the cover put on last week b/c its starting to cool down here, but hopefully next year they will dive right in and not be afraid- the beginning of summer, they wouldn't even go under water, so we did swimming lessons with Jude, but he wouldn't at lessons either. One day they were swimming at papaws and Jude just decided he wasn't scared anymore and started swimming like a fish and Elsie soon followed suit!  

We also went on a short little vacation in May to West Virginia.  The hubby and I were invited to the Pastor and Wives retreat this year and then the 2 days following was our Women's retreat.  We had the kids stay with mamaw and papaw wednesday night for the Pastor and Wives retreat and then they rode with them on thursday for the Women's retreat and we stayed until saturday morning. Thad and I enjoyed our one night with no kids ( bc we knew it would be a LONG time before that ever happened again! haha) But I missed my babies and was so glad to see them thursday :) Thad pretty much entertained the kids for the rest of our stay bc I was in sessions for most of the rest of our time- I had such a great time and got to hang out with awesome women! Thad took the kids on lots of hikes and played on the playsets that were around the resort

We had a great time!!

Thad and Jude also took an overnight backpacking trip with our good friend Matt- they had fun doing manly stuff like hiking and building fires and making camp and you know, all that manly stuff....

Thad and Matt usually do a backpacking trip here a couple times a year ( Zeleski State Park) and Thad was so excited to bring Jude this time around! Although this trip was a little different bc they usually stay for more than one night and for some reason they always end up going when its like literally freezing out- or way way below freezing, or blizzard conditions, you  know, bc they're manly and stuff ;) Shew, this post is getting long and probably boring, unless you're me ;), but one more thing we did this summer was celebrate the 4th of July with family and fireworks :)

These pictures were taken on Thad's phone, so they are blurry, but the kids had so much fun that night, and Mamaw and aunt Jen had a surprise guest wanting to sit on their laps ;) 

These are Stag beetles and one somehow found its way onto Mendy's blanket then on Jennifer's lap the night of the fireworks- Jude later added them to his bug collection! I think him and Thad were the only ones excited about these scary guys!!  

Well, I stop boring you and end this one- I've got lots more to come ( Jude has had some cool stuff going on) so stayed tuned :)