The Williams Six

Goodbye, March. I will not miss you. Brett and I have been together a total of 11 days the entire month. We ALL had a nasty stomach bug, which included Caleb puking on me (literally). There were great times, of course....Caleb turned 5, Chloe enjoys dance class, and we've had a lot of fun! But, 20 days without my husband is 20 days too many!

As I mentioned yesterday, I ordered a new console for our TV. Thanks to Amazon.com, I received it in two days! (I could do an entire post about how much I love Amazon.) Even though it is a bit on the small side, proportionately speaking, I love the change! The new console matches the rest of our furniture much better, and it looks so much better. I really like the added storage, as well...so the ugly things are out of sight! You can't really tell, but there are bookshelves on the side. I am not sure what I will put there?! It is made for DVDs, but I take all of ours out of their boxes and put them in a disc magazine. It takes up way less space and it way more organized. Little changes make a huge difference, and I am so happy with this purchase!! Before: After:

While I absolutely hate spending even one moment apart from Brett, he's been gone for the last week and has one more day....to stay positive, I am trying to look at the silver lining (you know, the positive side to him being gone a week). - My to-do list is completely done. Bills paid. Laundry done. House clean. - I cleaned out our filing cabinet. Why did I still have my cable bill from 2009? I don't know. My kids loved shredding all of the documents. - I finally ordered a TV console (except it was only $179 when I ordered it...cool!). Our living room TV used to be in our basement. The current stand has always been ugly, but I've never minded it...until it was the focal point in our living room. Because we'll eventually buy a home, I did not want to splurge on a nice console (in case it doesn't fit in our next home), but I did want something more appealing in the meantime. Since we've decided to continue renting for awhile longer, I am trying to mak...

I. Hate. Potty. Training. As in, I hate it. More than anything. It is the one thing in parenting that frustrates me more than anything. Let's start with Caleb. I felt pressured to start potty training him when he was 2 and a 1/2. A couple of people around me made me feel like it needed to be done. One day, I started trying. It was the worst two days of my life. In tears, I called a dear friend who has potty trained her six children. Her advice: "Either Caleb isn't ready or you aren't ready, so just stop. Try again in a few months." I don't think either of us was ready. I was not ready for the commitment (it's a big undertaking, especially since I like to keep a full social schedule). Caleb did not seem to be grasping it. I know it was only two days, but he was making zero progress. When I decided to wait, a huge burden was lifted. That was the moment I realized I was trying to please those pressuring me, rather than do what I wanted to do. Br...

A few weeks ago, I wrote some household tips. I always love reading these from others, so I thought I'd share some I have learned through the years. In no particular order, this is what makes my life easier: - http://www.icantfindmyphone.com/ You're welcome. - Now you can get rid of your home phone. And save money. And time (no telemarketers!!). - Organize your kitchen. Spend a few minutes considering the most efficient way to organize your kitchen. This may mean putting things where they "don't belong" by normal standards. For instance, put cups and dishes closest to the dishwasher. They're heavy, so the less you have to carry them, the better. Put cooking utensils by the stove. Put potholders near the oven. You get the idea. - Trash your mail. When you get your mail, walk straight to the trash can/recycle bin, toss the junk. - Take everything off of your fridge. I have mixed feelings about this, though, to be honest. I love displaying my kid...

A few weeks ago, Caleb decided he was ready to play baseball. Unfortunately, it was too late to register for any leagues near us. Not wanting to wait until the fall, I found a place that offers t-ball lessons. It is a 9 week class, where they learn skills and scrimmage. Caleb is a reserved guy, so a small class seemed like a great transition to sports. He is actually much bolder than he used to be, but I still liked the idea of a slow introduction to sports. Caleb absolutely LOVES his class. There is only one other kid in the class, so it is basically a private lesson. How cool. Caleb is now obsessed with baseball. He wants to play in the backyard all the time. So cute! Brett took him to his first lesson and snapped these pictures for me (the nervous mom waiting at home....how lame am I!)

This is the face of mischief: Luke is so absolutely adorable. He is snuggly and makes me laugh so much. He loves to laugh, and it is so contagious! He loves to climb! Oh my! He climbs everything!! I smiled so big the other day. Caleb and Chloe watch cartoons while they eat breakfast. Yesterday, after he was done with his breakfast, Luke crawled up on the couch and sat with them!! So cute!! When I tell Luke not to touch stuff he shouldn't or climb on dangerous stuff, he just laughs and claps. I'm in trouble. At least he's cute!

I live in a climate where it is hot for 50 weeks a year. That is both wonderful and painful. I quite enjoy getting to be outside nearly every single day (unless its raining). However, I hate to be hot. I get grumpy when I am hot. It's March and already in the 80s. Realizing it's only going to get hotter, I decided that I needed to find some quality indoor activities. My friends told me about The Museum of Science and Discovery. It's a fantastic place to take kids. We got a membership so we can go often! The membership gets us in at 300 museums around the country, which is also fun! I took the kids today, and we had a blast! Caleb asked if we could go every day! I know this is so gross, but Luke looked so funny I couldn't help but laugh: I have another picture of him with an orange that he carried around most of the day, but it won't upload :( Caleb and Chloe loved playing in the cockpit: Airplane wheels: I know this will sound so dumb, but I had the ment...

While in the Keys... Me: Chloe, do you need to potty? Chloe: No Me: Ok, but don't pee in the hot tub. Chloe: I won't. I already peed in the big pool. When we unload from the car, Caleb unbuckles himself. I, then, put Luke in the stroller (if I need it). Lastly, I unbuckle Chloe. Almost every time I open the door to unbuckle her, she pretends to be asleep. Except that she has the biggest smile on her face (because she's so proud of herself for fake sleeping). It makes me laugh. Every single time! When complimenting Caleb, he always responds with "oh". Such a humble boy. Luke loves to scream. He screams all the time. If he wants something, he screams. He screams himself to sleep. My dad is very humored by his screaming. Luke is known for his screaming. Considering he barely made a noise his first year, it's forgivable. And he is so absolutely cute!! Caleb: Mom, did Dad learn anything in school when he was a kid?? Me: Yeah, why? Caleb: Then why ca...

One of my first friends I met in KC called me today. My friend, Allison, was first my neighbor then my friend. We first met when she brought me a meal after Caleb was born, even though we had just met the day before. I have shared this before, but I wondered if she was poisoning me because I didn't know a person could be so thoughtful. Her call was so refreshing to me! I've had a rough couple of days....nothing, in particular, just my once-in-awhile meltdown when the world seems it might just be ending. So, her call was very well timed. In talking, I got to thinking about our friendship. I still get homesick for my old home from time to time, and do you want to know what memory means more to me than most any other?? January 2010 was historically one of the worst winters in KC in decades. I was 9 months pregnant and completely snowed in for days. I normally never drove in winter weather, because if I didn't have to leave, I wouldn't risk it. However, after week...

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your encouraging emails and comments. My passion is to see marriages and family succeed and thrive. God has called me to this ministry, yet my whole hearted desire is to first do my own family well. Let's be honest: if I had a failing marriage and crazy kids, no one would listen to me. Realizing this, I have always put my desire to do this kind of ministry on the back burner. My kids will be grown by the time I'm 50, so that would give me 50 years to fulfill my call to ministry. Yet, in recent months God started nudging me to start now. So writing the Family First posts is really just a step in obeying Him. It truly means the world to me to hear your comments and feedback, so thank you sooooo much!! After writing the communication post last week, "believing the best" is immediately what popped into my head. The world can be a dark, lonely place. Jobs can be stressful. Friends can be hurtful. Strangers can ...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I absolutely LOVED this post by the Happy Home Fairy: Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Happy Home Fairy, I don’t understand why you endorse this drinking holiday! Let me just tell you something, St. Patrick was a pretty AMAZING man!! I love getting to tell the Happy Buddy about him every year when things are turning green. Today’s post will hopefully give you some facts about his life that you can impart to your Happy Buddies this week as you celebrate this wonderful season of St. Patrick magic. St. Patrick is one of the most celebrated religious figures around the world! At the age of 16, St. Patrick was kidnapped by a band of pirates from his hometown in the Roman British Isles (What?! St. Patrick is not even Irish?! It’s true!) and sold into slavery in Ireland. As a slave in Ireland, St. Patrick worked as a shepherd and drew close to the Lord while spending time in the fields with his sheep. But St. Patrick eventually escaped! He retur...

I have been doing some thinking lately about when we're going to start trying for our last child. While I am not ready to constantly puke (historically speaking) for the next four months, I am anxious to have our complete family. I do not like undone things. I am the opposite of a procrastinator (impulsive might be the word). When I decide something needs to be done, I do it. I am not saying that's always a good thing, but it's me. I like things complete. Done. Whole. I am so content with my family. I adore my little little ones and enjoy them so much. Yet, knowing we want one more child, I am excited to know my whole family. It is not that I want my kids to grow and be gone, but I am excited to be moving forward. Right now, I feel like we're in more of a holding pattern. Obviously, we are living life and not waiting for it to start....but we are not complete. And I am ready to be complete. Except I am not ready to get pregnant. So I am thinking maybe 4-5 ...

As you go about your day, pretend that everyone you meet has a sign on them that reads: Make me feel important today.

Brett bought our first house before we were ever dating. I absolutely loved our first home. I remember the first time I came to visit Brett when we were dating, I was really nervous that I would walk into a house full of black lacquer furniture with gold trim. I pictured Brett as having the ultimate bachelor pad, but I was very fortunate...his aunt, who had great taste, helped him buy his furniture! Even so, Brett wouldn't have actually bought awful furniture...he does have good taste, as well. When we got married, I moved right in. That house held so many memories for me, which I believe I have chronicled on my blog before. Moving in as a newlywed and bringing home three babies meant that most every memory I have of my family happened in that house. I have sentimental memories, and I also have a lot of learning experience memories. Such as learning that I'll never own a dog again. When God called us to move to south Florida, I wanted to buy immediately. Even though we ...

Things Chloe has said/asked from her bedroom tonight....when she should be sleeping... "Mommy, we forgot to talk about what Christmas decorations we are going to use." "Mommy, I'm hungry. Can I have some animal crackers?" "Mommy, is it my birthday?" (She was super excited at the possibility that it might be!) "I want animal crackers." "Mommy, it sounds like Caleb is playing. Does he ever sleep?"

Of all the wonderful experiences we had on our cruise, by far the best was meeting Pauline.... Our our cruise, we were both very excited to relax and enjoy the weekend. At our first stop in the Bahamas, a woman, named Pauline (pictured above), was selling jewelry. As Brett was praying (silently) for her, he felt that God showed him that she has pain in her feet due to circulation problems. Brett asked her, and sure enough, she did! He prayed for her, and this sweet woman was so full of faith. She instantly felt better and knew it was God who had healed her. She shared with us how the circulation problems began 17 years ago when she was pregnant with one of her five children. In her words, Pauline was absolutely amazed that God brought us to her to pray for her. She could not wait to return home that day to tell all of her children how much God loves her that he sent us all the way to the Bahamas to bless her. We marveled at the fact that even though we were o...

For Caleb's 5th birthday, we celebrated at our house with a few close friends. Caleb is really into pirates right now, so it was a fun theme! I am not typically one to go over the top for parties (partly because of our budget but partly because kids don't really care). For this one, I did a little more than usual, though, because Caleb's party is really important to him. He's been talking about it since his last one! The funny part to me is that I planned a few activities for the kids, but all they really wanted to do is play! That was, of course, fine with me, but it did make me laugh. I could've done nothing, and they would have been happy! The decor: (Luke was TERRIFIED of that pirate. It's 6' tall, so that's very understandable) I am not very crafty, so this cake was a definite labor of love. It was fun making it, but it took me awhile! Each child got to take their picture with this. I love things like this where you put your head through. I don'...

Chloe got make-up for Christmas. While she has a variety of colors, her favorite eyeshadow is black because it has "sparklies in it". You can see why its not so much my favorite.

For our 6th anniversary, Brett and I had the wonderful privilege of going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. We stopped in Nassau and CocoCay (RC's private island). Our vacation was wonderfully refreshing. While we've gone to weddings and conferences without kids through the years, we've not taken a true vacation since our honeymoon. Three babies in five years will do that to you! (Our staycation was like a vacation, but to me, a true vacation includes a tropical climate!). Leaving Miami The Miami Skyline We laughed a lot! This past year has been a tough one (lots of sickness, relocating, new job, starting over, etc), so it was a great time to get away and enjoy one another! The first night at dinner, we were laughing so hard that people around us were staring. The dinner tables on cruise ships are awkwardly close, so it is hard not to notice. The reason we could not stop laughing is because they were playing the Titanic movie soundtrack as background noise (the in...

Luke (who we affectionately refer to as Pookers and Pookadoodle) is so adorable. He is in that exhausting stage where he climbs on everything and often falls off. He can get on the couch, up the stairs, and on the kitchen table. I spend most of the time chasing him around. As exhausting as it can be, he is so darn cute. Like, I want to melt-every-day cute. I can't get enough of my sweet Doodle! (photographic proof)

I yesterday 's post to demonstrate the importance of communication. One word made me completely doubt Brett's devotion to me. Yet, he meant something so totally different. Talking through it allowed me to understand, yet had I never asked him to clarify, I may have wondered if he struggled with his commitment to me. How sad if I would have fought a totally unnecessary and untrue battle because I didn't talk it out. By purposing in my heart to work through every offense rather than letting them build up in my heart, it only took about two minutes to realize I was totally off in my thinking. Proper communication is absolutely essential to a healthy marriage. When two people come together, they are two very different people. Very much in love. But from very different upbringings. Even if you had similar upbringings, you're still vastly different....with different ways of communicating and different expectations in life. The only way to bridge that gap is to comm...

When Brett played football, each summer, he and his teammates flew to Wisconsin for a month of training camp. Any football wife can attest to the fact that this is the absolute worst month. The players work so hard, for so many hours that they get about 10 minutes (if that) to talk on the phone each day to their spouse. It is brutal. Definitely for the players but also for their families back home. Many people, namely military wives and families, have it much, much harder, but even still, it's hard! The summer Brett and I were engaged was my first experience with training camp. He left a few weeks after he proposed. During that time, I lived with my parents because I was working for my dad to save up money to buy Brett's wedding ring. The story of how God brought Brett and I together made no sense apart from realizing that God rarely makes sense (my life is proof of that). Long story short, I never thought Brett would like me, so when my parents asked about him, I pr...

Hilarious things Caleb said on his birthday: When I asked Caleb what he wanted to do while he was still four, he said, "Learn to write my S's and learn to read." He's never been one to aim low . Brett asked Caleb how it felt to be 5. He replied, "Like SO awesome!" As Caleb was eating his breakfast (cupcakes, of course), he said, "Hey Mom, do you know what birthday boys get for breakfast? Chocolate milk." Sounds good to me! When asked where he wanted to eat his birthday dinner, Caleb said, "At 'Happy Birthday Caleb'. That's a restaurant with my name on it."

I have the privilege of raising one of the finest boys who God has ever created. Caleb, my first born son, is 5 today. Five. Five. Even as I say it, I can hardly believe I have a five year old. Wow. What a tremendous five years it has been. Before Caleb was born, I knew his life was marked for greatness. We specifically named him Caleb after the one in the Bible because we love that Bible Caleb lived life with eyes of faith. When everyone else saw giants in the land, Caleb (and Joshua) trusted in the Lord and knew He was more than enough for any battle. As my first child, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with this boy. Becoming a mom was a lifelong dream of mine and I was so grateful God had fulfilled that dream so early in my life, but I was so clueless. I had read tons of books, taken classes, etc, yet I was still so clueless. Fortunately, God gave me a treasure of a son who would graciously help me navigate unfamiliar territory. Just a few weeks ago, I was apol...

Brett and I had the most amazing time on our cruise! Once I upload my pictures, I will do a real post about it. But for now, a certain first born son of mine turns 5 tomorrow. And my parents are visiting. I have a lot of preparations and a very busy weekend. So you'll hear about my cruise next week!