Family Pictures

We usually try to get a few snapshots of our family on Easter Sunday.  Since we were dressed up (the kids were wearing their Easter finery) and had Abby to take the photos, we had a few taken on Palm Sunday instead.

Abby and I, also, have several years worth of Easter pictures together.  Here's 2012!

The Williams Family...

P.S. Keep scrolling for more weekend fun!

Weekend Festivities!

We spent the weekend down south (in Salem) with lots of family.  Since most of my cousins and siblings live within a few hours of Salem, we all try to coordinate weekends we come 'home'.  It's fun for us big kids as well as all the little ones.  And, with the weather so nice, we spent a lot of time outside.  Which meant tired, dirty kids at the end of the day!  

One reason for choosing this weekend was a wedding shower for an old friend of mine, Laura Petrea.  On Saturday, my mom, Linda, Libby and I went to a lovely bridal shower brunch at The Badollet House in Salem.  It was so nice to catch up and celebrate with Laura (and meet the Mr).  

Libby and I with Laura

The very tasty banana bread we all got to take home!

Pretty much the rest of the weekend was spent hanging out and letting the little ones run like crazy outside.  On Sunday, we had a little Easter Egg Hunt since we were all together.  Enjoy some pictures of cousin craziness!

Ethan and Scout...Give these 2 a golf club and they are happy!

Ethan, Scout and Josiah trying to 'fix' the Barbie bug

A little garage ball!

Libby and her girls...Haley and Katie

Yes! They are as ornery as they look!

My Grandpa was in town and this was his first time meeting Nora.  

She likes him!!

Easter Egg Hunt time!

Letting them loose!

Pop helping Nora a little :)

Paige, Josiah, Finley and Haley

A very excited Ethan

And, he found one!

Haley was partial to the pink and purple eggs.

We also spent some time out at Grandma Karen and Grandpa's house.  While I was at the shower, Jared took the kids out, but since I had the camera, no pictures from that trip.  We did, however, make another trip out for dinner on Sunday night.  

Having a cupcake with Grandma Karen and Great-Grandma Diane

Enjoying a slow 4-wheeler ride with Grandpa

Trying to show off her new rolling skills...

But didn't quite make it.  

I stayed on Sunday night into Monday with the kids.  I took Ethan up to my dads 'distice' office, in hopes that he would get his teeth cleaned.  My dad took a look and ended up doing 4 sealants on him.  He did great!  And, next time we're in town, I'll just clean his teeth!

Pop and Ethan

He was such a big boy!  I'm so proud of him and how well he did!

Happy 5 Months!

Nora is 5 months old today!  She is so much fun and, of course, growing and changing everyday.  Because this blog is my journal/scrapbook, I like to list a few things she is liking and doing these days.

Love that toothless smile!!

She likes to chew on anything and everything.  Especially fingers...and they don't have to be her own.
Still no teeth, but I'm expecting one or two to pop through sometime soon.
She wears bibs most of the day so she isn't always wearing a wet shirt.
She is eating about every 4 hours, unless I need to feed her sooner for our schedule.
Still sleeping well, although, we have had some days begin before I'm ready.  Ideally she goes to bed around 9 and gets up around 7, but there have been a few 6am wake-up calls.
As mentioned in the previous post, she is starting to sit up on her own! Yay!
She loves her rice cereal.  We feed her that in the evenings, which usually doesn't happen until after Ethan goes to bed.
Has not rolled from back to belly yet, but is close.  However, we don't give her too much opportunity since she is on her belly or upright most of the time.
She has rolled from belly to back though.
Smiles and laughs a lot.  She is pretty much ticklish everywhere, especially under her neck and on her legs.
At home statistics: Weight: 16 lbs, Length: 26 in
And, of course, is a huge blessing to our family!

Sibling Love!

Ethan was in a very loving mood this afternoon.  He is always wanting to kiss Nora and he has told us on more than one occasion that 'when Nora grows up, she can give me kisses'.  He's so funny.  Jared was holding both kids this afternoon and Ethan told him to get up so he could sit and hold Nora.

Trying to make Nora laugh

Sweet kisses.  Never mind the smashed face :)

Such cute kids we have! 

Other exciting news...Nora can sit up!  I call it a 'tripod' sit, she topples easily and it doesn't last long, but it's a start. 

Such a big girl!!

All smiles...

...And she toppled :)

Spring is Here!!

This is our first spring at our new house, so I'm loving seeing all the springtime blooms around the house!  Here are a few pictures I snapped during our brief time outside this morning.

I have always loved Bradford Pear trees and now we have one!

I should have taken this a few days ago.  It's already starting to lose the flowers and turn green.

Lovely flowering tree.  Not sure what it is.

Close-up of the blooms

Azaleas in the front garden

There are also a few of these around...

Ethan brought in a 'sunflower' for me!  I had to put it in a vase :)

One day this week, we decided to have a picnic in the park to enjoy the day.  It was windy while we were eating so, in effort to keep our food/trash from blowing away, I didn't take any picnicking pictures.  But here is Ethan enjoying the park part!

He used to need help to just climb the steps at  this park, now he does this all by himself...tear.

And he told me he didn't want to swing in the 'baby swings' and that he wanted to 'go high as the sky'!

Happy Spring!!

Fun-Filled Weekend

We had a fun and busy weekend around here.  Saturday morning we headed out to the Decatur St. Patrick's Day parade.  We met the Maxey family there and Ethan and Braden enjoyed lots of candy.  At one point, we looked down and Ethan had a sucker in his mouth and another one unwrapped in his hand waiting on deck.  The parade was alright, very heavy into dogs, politicians and 'girls on roller skates' (roller derby girls).

Very intent on those suckers.

This is how Nora enjoyed the parade.  She isn't asleep here, just appears that way :).

Then on Saturday night, Dustin (Jared's brother) and Amanda came up to spend the night and his parents came up on Sunday.  We had a great Sunday hanging out and playing outside.

Swinging with Uncle Dustin and Amanda 

Grandma Karen and Grandpa hanging out with Nora

Grandma Karen and Nora

And Sunday evening, after our company left, we decided it was the perfect evening for some fishing!  So we loaded up and headed out to Judy's (a wonderful former co-worker) pond.  But not until after Jared dug up some worms.  Ethan was super excited and has his own pole.

Giving him a little instruction! 

Jared's fish on his first cast!

He's a natural!

And...done with the fishing.  On to running and eventually throwing dirt in the pond.

Beautiful pond view!

Ethan gave the fishing another try.  And caught a good sized catfish!  He cast it and helped reel it in!

Nora was there too, she just spend her time in the house.  Judy wasn't upset by that at all!  Besides it was a little windy and starting to cool off.

All in all, we had a great weekend!  I love the weekends!!  Especially with this beautiful weather :)!