I collect Trash

It's true. 
I'd say that about a third of the things in our house were pulled from someone's trash.
Don't judge me...just go with it.
I get a thrill from perusing people's driveways on big item pick up day...finding projects and pieces that I can either easily fix, paint, or even just use as is. 
My problem is that I tend to pick up too many of those project pieces. I see so much potential in things and think..."oh, that would look so good if..."
Except then I remember I have three kids under the age of 5. Hmmm.
Insert womp womp sound here.
BUT, yesterday I got a surge of creativity...combined with an hour of energy...and an ugly chair. 
The stars had aligned.
Two houses down from us, I found this:

and then I grabbed this (plus a little spray paint):

and created this:
                                                                       

And now we have one less folding chair in our kitchen.

Yes, you read that right.

So, thank you neighbors for adding to my trash pile.

You will not be forgotten.

a little peak...

I feel like life has been chaotic lately.  I mean, I don't know WHY (insert sarcasm here).  

The days go so fast and so many things happen.  Today, for example.  I threw the girls into the tub for a quick, VERY needed bath after breakfast.  Not only was the bath needed, but it's always a good little activity on a morning when you need something to do besides PBS.  Anyway, the girls were in there no more than 5 minutes before I hear McLean yell, " Haze is pooping! Haze is pooping! Haze is pooping in the bath!"
Oh geeze.
So, the quick bath turned into a good half an hour ordeal that included cleaning the bathtub (also much needed I might add.  So, maybe I should be thankful for the excuse).  And actually, once I started cleaning the tub, I realized the toilet needed a good scrub. SO, the whole bathroom got cleaned.
Which is good, don't get me wrong.
It's just that this is how the days go lately.  I never seem to get a complete thought or expectation out of my brain and into action before I am forced to move in a completely different direction.
Have you ever read that book, If you give a Mouse a Cookie?
The cute little mouse wants a cookie but then that reminds him that he's thirsty, so he wants a drink.  After the drink, he notices a picture on the refrigerator and decides he wants to color...it's on and on...as he is continuously moving to the next thing because of what just happened.  The cookie was the simple part.  The rest wasn't planned, it just happened circumstantially.
That's how I feel our life is. I just keep moving to the next thing because of what the previous thing reminded me of.

There are a lot of days I laugh.
There are a lot of days I feel stressed out.
I don't like the chaos, but I also thrive in it....it's a weird phenomenon.

I am constantly reminded that in my seemingly "out of control" circumstances, that I can feel peace because of who IS in control.  It is freeing and peaceful to realize that through it all...the mounds of dishes, the endless piles, the poop in the tub, the laundry, the floor filled with toys, the half finished projects, the un-checked off lists... Jesus is the reason I live.
I realize that sounds so "churchy," but when you believe it, it is the only way to say it.
I have hope outside of my accomplishments. Which is a good thing, because it doesn't seem like there are many of those these days.
That very hope is in Jesus- who died on a cross for all of my self righteous, selfish, vain, and prideful attempts at looking like mom of the year just for the simple fact of feeling good about myself or showing others how well I did it.

So, there you go.
A bit of jumbled literary confusion there...but I am just attempting to put my thoughts onto the page right now...and I think I will just click "publish" and not even look back.  Mostly, I am trying to realign my own heart...so welcome to it.

I haven't posted Christmas yet, so here are the pictures to prove it happened.

Kory and I tried really hard this year not to spend a lot of money.  But somehow, there was still an overwhelming abundance of presents under the tree.
I always wrestle a little with how much to give our kids, how to help them be grateful, and when it's ok to splurge a little too.
I think as parents, it's so fun to get just the right thing for your kids.  I always love giving my kids gifts.  But it never fails that my joy of giving is never quite as equally matched as they experience the "get" part of the presents.  I know they are just kids, but it makes my heart a little sad to watch as they rip through the paper to get to the gift and then move right along to the next thing.
This year more than others, I realize that I want to help change that...somehow.
I want to start good traditions in our home.  That is something we haven't quite nailed down yet.  I want them to be things that facilitate thankfulness, generosity& graciousness.
I need to process that a little more.

Christmas night we spend at the Merrills in Jammies with soup.  Its always a fun time with cousins.  The kids were wiped out and so Shaun the Sheep was a wonderful little quiet activity...

baby Dale with Kate and Joel

This is how you know it was a good day.  

Christmas Eve at my Grandmother's house. The kids hand out gifts while my dad plays Santa.

Big things have happened...

Ugh...I promised I wouldn't get all in a tizzy with myself for not posting.  Too late. I feel the guilt. I have missed posting the memories. And now I have memory constipation. That's right...you read it right.  Too many things I want to say and not enough space or time.  That's the definition. Look it up for yourself.
So for the sake of my brain, I might just have to start doing short and quick.  I can clear the brain and post the memories.  Like a New Years cleanse.
Okay, let's stop with the analogies.
Mostly, I want to remind myself that I began this blog for our family.  I have been terrible about baby books, scrap books, photo albums, you name it.  I haven't recorded the Millions of things I have wanted to remember.  Thus the blog.  Last year it was one of my New Year's goals to begin writing down the things that are so precious to my heart.  I want to keep those things in a tangible way so that someday I can look back when I realize I have forgotten...or to share with my kids when they are grown all the ways their mother took PERFECT (insert sarcasm here) care of them.
So, here we are another year later and I have limped to the finish.  But it's okay.  the point is that I am trying.  Before I wasn't even attempting.  Now at least I have a point to jump from. So, instead of saying this year I will post more, or I will DO better (because we all know I wont)-I will just continue to try.  I will stay focussed on the root of the issue...preserving the memory.  I hope THIS will be what stimulates writing (also, insert spiritual lesson here: The reason for my own LIFE- Jesus is our REDEEMER!  THAT is the point.  That is the reason I live...not to DO or PLEASE or BE COMFORTABLE or in CONTROL or ACCOMPLISH X number of "good things"...but to let all I do bring glory to GOD because he has saved me from myself, something I could never do in the first place). PHEW.
SO, with all of that said....let's cleanse.

We've had some big things happen in our life the past couple of months.
My life has LITerally changed when my parents and sweet husband found our family a dishwasher.  (When I say FOUND, that's what I mean...as in FREE on craigslist.  You laugh, but when the budget is as tight as ours, you just keep handwashing those dang dishes hoping a miracle happens...like the free section on craigslist).  So, my dad and a sweet friend of the family as well as Kory knocked out our precious cabinets and drawers for the sake of something better....

       

The next big event was selling my little Jetta...we closed a chapter in our book as I waved goodbye to my beloved little car.  It could have been the pregnancy hormones, or the realization that I would soon be crossing into "mom" territory with a minivan, but I might have almost shed a little tear as it drove down the street with it's new owner.  

The man who bought it was giving it to his 16 year old daughter for her birthday.  He was literally driving it from our house to his daughters birthday party.  I might have given him a big red bow for the car and a birthday card for his daughter. 

And lastly, but most importantly, we welcomed one last big thing in our life on November 27th.  Dale Cooper Williams finally made his entrance into the world!  Weighing in at 8lbs 7oz, he definitely was a big thing. Everything went so smoothly, and it's funny how life just kept on moving right along.  

We enjoyed peace and quiet in the hospital for two days and then jumped right back into life at home, getting ready for Christmas, and taking care of the other two kiddos.  

McLean was smitten from the beginning and Hazel just a smile of oblivion.   

He is named after Kory's grandfather Dale Cooper, who we pray that our own Dale takes after.  

Kory's grandpa is a generous, humble, hard-working, caring man that raised 4 kids of his own who tell amazingly hilarious, fun, and crazy stories of their upbringing.  I hope our own little Dale will be so kind to us when he is grown.  Welcome to the chaos, little man.

Oops...I missed a season. And why I hate walnut trees

Well, I have officially missed documenting the season of Fall.  Now I have to give you the details in a nutshell...which, speaking of nutshells...we have a few in our life.

Our yard has three HUGE walnut trees that somehow we just glossed over as we considered this house to move into. A tip: if you find walnut trees in the yard of the house you might move into...please consider walking away. quickly. "Oh...it'll be no big deal," we thought whimsically to ourselves as we toured the house.  And, actually, last year was a good ease into life with our walnut trees.  "This isn't so bad," I'd say to Kory. Apparently they are cyclical trees...producing walnuts on a three year cycle. Last year: Few walnuts. This year: the mother load of all walnuts.  I kid you not that I was afraid to take my children outside for a few weeks for fear they might be hit on the head with a large green "ball" as Hazel calls them..suffering a major concussion or worse.  When the softest wind would blow through the trees they would pound the roof like we were in a war zone. I almost sprain an ankle every time I take the girls to the back yard.

We are trying to sell our car (sniffle, and more on that later), and the dealer who was looking to buy it says that it has some hail damage.  I refrained from explaining that is wasn't hail but large nuts falling from our trees. I just nodded in agreement with him.

You think I'm being dramatic.
I am.
But it's all true.

So, what do you do with a million walnuts.  If you were smart, you'd sell them. Do I have the time for this?
No.
So, we create games out of picking them up.  Seeing as I have an enormous belly right now, I am happy to have McLean help me, ever so slow as the process may be for rolling them down her slide into a bucket one by one.  Hazel is actually a lot of help too, as she is super into putting things INTO other things (like herself into anything that she will fit in. Again, more on this later).
Sooo, anyway.
What else were we busy with this Fall? Well, here you go...a Seaon in pictures.

HAZEL'S HAIR FINALLY FIT INTO PIGTAILS.
 LOOK CLOSE. THEY'RE THERE.

WE CELEBRATED MAC'S 4TH BIRTHDAY...WITH AN
OVERLY FROSTED COOKIE CAKE AND HER COUSINS.
IT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU TURN 4... AND YOUR
MOM IS PREGNANT. SORRY BABE...NEXT YEAR IT'S A
NON-PROCESSED HOMEMADE
TREAT FOR YOU..
AND MAYBE EVEN A BIG PARTY.

TRIED CATCHING SOME "HOPPERS" AT THE RED BARN FARM IN WESTON.
AND AS SCARED OF BUGS AS MCLEAN CLAIMS SHE IS, THIS WAS GREAT FUN FOR HER.

TOOK GREAT NAPS

PICKED THE PERFECT PUMPKIN

GOT A HAIRCUT...FROM DAD

AND KISSES FROM MOM

DRIED SOME HERBS

ATE LOTS OF CANDY AND LOOKED REALLY CUTE

Whew.  It's gone so fast...it always does.  

And I still need to document the story of Hazel falling down our laundry shoot....oh, and my ER visit.

Wait, I guess I just did. Yes, she fell down our laundry shoot. Didn't cry. Just was a little bewildered. I ran downstairs to rescue her and she just had a deer in the headlights look.  Later that weekend I also went to the ER because I couldn't walk. Like, I got stuck down in our basement because I couldn't lift my leg up to walk up the stairs. 

It went like this:

Couldn't function.

Went to Urgent care.

They said, H no, you are too preggers to help (say what?!)

Went to the Er.

They put me in a wheel chair .

Got admitted to labor and delivery to make sure I wasn't in labor. (I'm not. my back hurts).

Was super dehydrated.

Got an IV and meds.

Spent the day with silence and my hubby.

Read people magazine in peace and Kory watched a football game.

Went back home to reality.

 

Whelp...there ya go. I suppose that really is the Fall in a nutshell....this little boy in coming into rock our world in a couple of weeks and he has yet to get an official name.  Poor guy. He doesn't even know what's coming. I'll get a little more serious next post and let you into my thoughts on life lately...things like control issues sin and Jesus. Good stuff like that.

Until next time...

So Long Summer...Parting is such sweet sorrow

Getting ready to ride the "Motorcycle Boat"

Well, I suppose we did pretty good.
We started with a Summer list back in May (oh, the love of a list...how it motivates the soul), and we did almost all of the things we wanted to this Summer.


For the last few weeks I have been longing for Fall....puhleeze come faster cool crisp mornings I would think. My growing belly is creating a furnace in my body- constantly. But, now that it is officially here, I realize I will miss Summer, like I always do.

Check out the inflatable swimsuit with water wings...classic.

These last few weeks we have been able to take advantage of visiting both Kory and I's grandparents...mine at the Lake of the Ozarks, and Kory's at his great grandparents ranch in Wichita.
The girls had so much fun playing in the sun and water.  Both weekends were a great time for us as a family.

It's always such an effort to get out of town, but I am always so glad we do it.  Sometimes you need to literally leave your home so you can just BE instead of feeling guilted into working on the millions of projects facing you at home or filling time running around doing whatever comes up.  I find that when we leave, our conversations are more intentional, our time with the kids more focussed, and we are overall healthier afterward than when we left.    

While we were at Richera- which is the name of Kory's grandparents ranch, it was literally 95 degrees one day and about 65 the next.

climbing trees in the "enchanted forrest"

driving the "tractor" all by themselves!

We took our niece, Ivy, and the girls literally ran around this couple hundred acre piece of land in their underwear one day and sweats the next. They had so much fun exploring and running and it was SO fun to watch.  They are growing up WAY too fast and McLean especially continues to amaze me the things she says or the grown up way she looks or how she helps me out with Hazel.  It's amazing...and it makes times like these last few weekends so precious.  

could you be ANY cuter?!

feeding cow 61 and apple

So...here's to another great Summer.
A baby is coming this Fall and then Winter we will hunker down and just enjoy...lots to look forward to

me and the babes...taking a little walk

Oh, and PS...did I mention Kory let McLean shoot a gun...yes. yes, he did.

birthday-palooza

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl...who will be the youngest for only a few more months. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong, I am pumped for this new little BOY to enter our life (yes, a boy...this might be part of my nostalgia here...just give me my moment okay?)...but every milestone that sweet little Hazey passes now, I think...it wont be the same with this next baby (again, give me my moment here, people....I know a Boy will be so much fun...just sayin, all I know are girls).

No cute little Summer rompers and pink jelly's I got on clearance at the GAP.  No teeny tiny pink bikinis and little bows...

only guns and and wrestling and hunting and dirt and worms.
I can get used to it. really. i can.

actually, I used to think all I wanted was a house full of boys...





ANYWAAAAY...this post is about Haze..as we affectionately call her these days.  She has been amazing these past few weeks...trying to say words, walking all over the place, and just pretty much being super cute.  She is still so content and smiles all the time.  I literally pray that her Joy would only be made COMPLETE with Jesus as her Lord and that her contentedness for life would give her peace and patience...she is a sweet little girl.



We had a low key little birthday party...made some desserts and called it a day.  It was 95 degrees, but I think everyone still enjoyed the cold beer, blowing fans and jimmy rigged sound system...all in Williams fashion.  My sweet friend Jami took these amazing pics...which, shameless plug, please hire her for your wedding, party, family portraits, whatever...just get her. she's good...she'll put you at ease...she'll take good pics-actually, you might pee your pants from laughing too much with her, so bring and extra change of clothes. Go here to check her out: twiceoverproductions

I love the one of Kory's Aunt holding Hazel (she's wiping off a spoon in the pic), because she just looked like she was enjoying the moment so much...and I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was  feeding my one year old the dessert that I had put coconut rum into the whipped cream....hmm....oh well.
(what's a birthday party without a couple of different dessert options, hmm? the "Kids" section and the "adults" section. Sounds good, doesn't it?)

It was good times...and made me think that we need to invite people over more often.  I am often subconscious about the "potential" that our house holds....you know, you just SEE that beautiful landscape and paved driveway and addition on the back...but it's just NOT there....well...I need to get over it and just enjoy the relationships and love that surround the house. Slap on the hand for me...and conviction for anyone else? anyone?? okay....well....let me know.
Happy Birthday to my little girl, just the same.