saying goodbye is hard to do...

sad news. nemo jr. has passed. he was swimming a bit slowly today and i thought he looked strange. after jackson and i woke up from a nap, i walked in the kitchen and saw him laying on the bottom of the tank.

told jackson. he was very interested to see the dead fish being as that's what he had been expecting all along. he would keep coming up to the tank and say "hi, dead nemo."

harrison took it well when he got home from school but had a bit of blaming to do. i was blamed because i was the fish food distributor. after i explained that i really hadn't fed him too much he blamed jackson saying that he must have banged on the tank. it must be someones fault right?

maybe we'll get a beta.

Our BIG Three Year Old!

A Birthday Tribute to our Big Three Year Old!!!

Jackson Reed Williams

April 19, 2005

8lbs 14oz, 21 inches, 9:04 am

Mommy with her two boys!

My little prince


Baby Announcement Photo

Harrison 3 1/2 and Jackson 6 months old


1st Birthday Party

1 Year Old

2 Years Old


3 Years Old

FIRST "Birthday" trip to FL to visit Mimi & Papa without Mommy, Daddy, & Harrison!!!! Can you tell he's excited to be there? :)

This little Jackson of ours, or "little J" as we like to call him sometimes, just brightens our world! He is the life of the party and our own little comedian! He keeps us laughing and we love every minute of it. How blessed we are to have him as part of our family! When I found out I was having another boy, my conclusion was that he will look exactly like his big brother Harrison. I never expected to have a blonde haired, blue eyed, ball of wild energy! While he wasn't what I was expecting, he is everything I could have dreamed of! This little boy is so passionate about everything he does. He loves with all of his heart and he loves people. He wants so badly to love on, hug, kiss, touch, however he can get his hands on everyone around him! He is SO different than his brother it isn't even funny but they are unique and we love them each for who they are!

Lord THANK YOU SO much for this precious boy you've given to us. We can't imagine life without our Jackson. He is tough and sometimes more wild and difficult than I think I can handle but I know you picked us to be his parents and you believe we can do it. Help us to know how to guide him towards you and to love him as completely as we can. Help us to always come to you when we are confused and unsure of what to do with him. I pray that he would choose to love you and follow you at a young age and for all of his life, with the passionate heart he already displays. God thank you for these precious boys, what blessings they are in our lives!!!

My FIRST Haircut!!!

OK, not my first haircut exactly but the first time I have ever cut hair! :)


(to see a before picture, just scroll down a couple of posts and you'll get a good idea of how LONG his hair really has been! :)

Anyone who knows my boys knows how FAST their hair grows. I like longer hair styles on them but to keep them up is a challenge. Anyone who knows me knows I don't care to PAY for haircuts. My mom was a beautician for most of my life so justifying hair appointments for myself has been hard enough! Mom has cut the boys hair for most of their lives and since we used to see them about once a month I just lived with their hair getting a little bit long while we were waiting to see mom again. Anthony works in VA enough that he's able to stop in and get his, but with Harrison being in school this year, our trips to Ma-maw's haircutting salon have been harder to make and the boys hair has gotten longer, and longer, and longer....

So, the last time we were up in March I asked my mom for some pointers for cutting their hair and watched carefully. Mimi (Anthony's mom) was so excited that I wanted to try this...she doesn't care for long hair on boys and probably thinks they look like ragamuffins half the time that she offered to buy me some scissors and clippers. While she was here this past week, we headed off to ULTA and found a great little haircutting kit with everything I would need...scissors, clippers, and trimmers...and for a GREAT price.

Tonight, I attempted my first haircut on Harrison. He was a very willing participant and thought it was fun that mommy was going to try and cut his hair. I had my mom on the phone to help me through the initial getting started. I thought I may have gotten myself into a problem because when I started doing the clippers on the neck, I was holding them at a downward angle and it got a bit shorter than I had anticipated. Anthony about died thinking I had scalped poor Harrison. However, it was a lot of hair coming off 1. because it was SO long and 2. my position of the clippers. Fixed my hold and finished his neck. Then I moved on to the scissors and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I'm actually quite pleased with his new haircut and excited I'll be able to keep things up a bit more consistently! :) Yeah! I feel like I've really accomplished something tonight! :) I guess I got the hair cutting gene from my mom afterall! :)

I scream, you scream, we ALL scream for Ice Cream!!!

Josiah, Harrison, Mila, Jackson, & Camden

It's been so warm and beautiful here since the very much needed but very depressing week of rain we had! Last week we ended up playing outside everyday and enjoyed every single minute. One of the things we did was meet my dear friend Megan and her children at the park. It was so sunny and hot that Jackson and I (and Megan as I heard later) got a little too much sun. I didn't plan ahead and think about sunscreen. Guess I'm going to have to do that from now on. It was fun though and the kids had a lot of fun. The kids love hanging out with Aunt Megan and the kids! After we were all hot and sweaty we headed over to Sonic. We had lots of yummy ice cream and were able to sit in the shade, with a breeze and cool off. A perfect end to our fun day! Can't wait to do it again!!!!

Kickin' for the Cross

Harrison's been playing soccer on Saturday's at local church here. This is his first experience playing and he seems to be getting the hang of it. :) He's not very aggressive by nature so this is new for him...having to get right in there and try to kick! The program is a Christian one so they have a devotion in the middle. Very cool. Our boy has had a lot of sports to try out this year! T-Ball seems to be the favorite and Basketball holds a close second. It's so fun to see their interests start to develop! Go Harrison!!! I'm sure I'll be yelling that from the side lines for many years to come! :)

Happy one week birthday Nemo Jr.

our first pet

getting everything ready for our fish's new home

settled in...for the first few days little Nemo Jr. just starred at himself. i was worried he wouldn't make it but he's perked up for now!!! :)

one week later...Happy Birthday Nemo Jr.

i guess we've joined the world of fish. harrison's been asking for a fish for a few weeks. he really wanted a clown fish...like Nemo...but those require salt water tanks and we weren't willing to commit that much! so, we told him when he was ready to get a fresh water fish then we would go and get one. he refused to budge for a couple of weeks. on his trip to see Mimi & Papa they went to the pet store and Mimi convinced him to get some goldfish. they came home with four and they were all dead within four hours! harrison blamed Papa for over feeding them. they headed back to the store the next day and got two replacements. one died the next day but the other held on for the rest of his trip down there and just recently passed away this week. :)

so, when harrison got home from FL he was ready to get a fresh water fish. anthony mentioned that they may stop at the pet store after t-ball practice last tuesday night and i asked that he come home with a Beta fish...heard good things about them...and a bowl. i like the way they look and didn't want a tank. well, the sales person tried his best to talk harrison in the Beta but he would hear nothing of it. they ended up coming home with a goldfish and a tank. nothing of which i sent them to get! the tank is 1 gallon and it's grown on me. it's on the kitchen counter but i had really envisioned a bowl. next time i'll tag along! :)

jackson was hilarious the night the fish came home. he had heard all the talk of the fish dying in FL so he kept coming around the corner while anthony was setting things up and asking "fish die yet?" he's so funny. i started to get him ready for bed and he said "no, no, wanna see fish die." hilarious!

so far, Nemo Jr. is doing well and has made it to his one week birthday! i've been surprised how much i actually enjoy watching him swim around. harrison has been informed that if/when he dies we'll try a Beta fish. :) however, i keep hearing stories of people who've had a goldfish for a couple of years. maybe that will us??? who knows!!! :)

mommy's helper

i come in the playroom after putting Jackson to bed and find Harrison folding clothes. he hadn't been asked. he said he saw the clothes sitting on the chair and wanted to do something special for me. is this not the sweetest boy you have ever seen!!!! he blessed my heart!!!

catching you up and a visit to the emergency room...

1st. multiple posts below. trying to catch up from my break from blogging. still have a couple more things from this past week and then i'll feel up to date.

2nd. headed to the ER with Harrison this morning at 4:30am. he'd been complaining of stomach pain since yesterday afternoon and woke up around 2am crying and in pain. finally decided if he was in too much pain to sleep then it must be bad. ER doctor ruled out appendicitis so that was good. did an x-ray to find out that he is SEVERELY constipated. no clue of this...he's been "going", doesn't like to and definitely holds back but been "going". his bowels are backed up all the way to his rib cage. no wonder he's in so much pain. he'll be on a laxative for a week and we'll see our ped. this week to see what we can do to keep this from happening again. he's had these types of issues since he was a baby but i thought he had outgrown them. evidently not. i'll let you know what the doctor says...i'm just glad it wasn't something really serious!!!

Harrison leaves for Florida!!!

For the past three years, Harrison has been able to take a trip to FL to see his Mimi & Papa for his birthday. It's always a big deal and SO MUCH FUN!!! In the past he has only stayed about three days but this time he got to stay for 6 days and he was so excited. Mimi sent him home with a CD of pictures of all the fun they had so I'll be posting those soon. Doesn't he look so big!!! Jackson can't wait for his turn to leave on the 20th, after his birthday. He will only be there three days but I'm sure that will be enough "action" for Mimi & Papa to deal with! Plus, he's too little to stay any longer. I'm funny about that stuff!!! :)

Spring Kids Praise Concert

Harrison had his Kid's Praise Concert this past Sunday, March 30th. I always love these and he did such a great job. He had been practicing in the car and really knew his music! Jackson was just aching to get up on stage with everyone. The sad part of the evening was having to leave early because Jackson started pitching a fit while they were singing their second song. Anthony had to carry him out kicking and screaming...every parents nightmare...and then he had gotten himself so upset he wet his pants. It was not the evening we had planned in our minds! :) We still enjoyed it and loved seeing our boy up on that stage, praising Jesus!!!

A visit with the Schrodt Family!

Hiking in the woods! These boys LOVE going on hikes in our woods. Who knew it would be such a great place for the boys to go on adventures??? They hiked so far the second day that I went and picked them up in the car. Jacob and Jackson just kept going with the big boys, never letting on they might be tired! :)

Good buddies!



David so graciously spent three of his days off for Spring Break helping Anthony paint the house. He's a GREAT painter and we so appreciated his help! It was a great project to get out of the way before the baby comes. They painted the Kitchen, Living Room, Foyer, Halls, up the Stairs, and the hall up stairs. You probably don't want to know the dangerous ladder on the stairs plan they came up with. They spotted each other and no one was hurt so that was good! You'd be surprised to know that it was uneventful having the boys paint in a house with five children. The kids enjoyed each other so much they were hardly interested in what their daddies were up to and that it might be fun to get involved in a big mess. Thank the Lord! :) Anthony helped David move into two homes and VA and so David insisted on returning the favor. We still think it was awful generous of him to spend his vacation and drive three hours to help out! David and Katy are such special friends and find ways to bless us often! God is SO good to give us good friends!!!

More Easter egg hunting fun. Gotta use up what we've got!!! :)


I let Harrison ditch school on Tuesday to play with his company. I know, don't lecture me. Some things are more important! :) We spent one morning at Blue Jay park, which I LOVE, and went on some hikes together on the trails. The boys had so much fun and were thoroughly fascinated with the trails that said "foot traffic only". They said "we can go on these, we have feet". So cute! The next morning we spent at Lake Lynn feeding the ducks. We had some great times together!

Miss Callie!!! Such a sweet girl!!!

Callie snuggled right up to Anthony as they were getting ready to leave. She had been dealing with a bad cold...she and I both...and it was hard sometimes for her to feel up to having a good time. She found a comfy place in his lap and was just so cute!

Harrison played so hard while his friends were visiting. After they left, Anthony was putting Jackson to bed and Harrison colored a picture. After he was finished he sat down in his rocking chair, covered up, and went to sleep. I think this proves he was worn out from all that playing he did!!!

Thank you guys so much for coming to visit! We just love you to pieces and love having you all to ourselves! So glad David could make it this time and we can't wait to see you again!

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt/T-Ball/Easter Sunday

On the Saturday before Easter, March 22nd, our neighborhood had an Easter Egg Hunt for all the kids. I'm not kidding when I say that there were at least 50 kids up there! It was a lot of fun but very quick. I think most kids just got one egg and some didn't even get that many. There were some tears. I suspect they will try to have more eggs next year. :) Jackson had a good time and enjoyed the donut and orange juice that was offered. Mimi came along to document the activity while Papa went with Anthony & Harrison to his last Basketball game of the season. We then all met up for Harrison's T-Ball Practice.



Here are all my boys on Easter Sunday. Sadly, I didn't get to take a picture with them this year. I was on the Worship Team and had to leave for church at 6:30am. Needless to say, they weren't up and ready AND it was dark outside! ;) Mimi & Papa ended up having to leave that morning because the flights looked so bad for later in the afternoon so the boys dropped them off at the airport before church. We had a wonderful Turkey dinner in the crock-pot waiting for us when we got home and it was a wonderful Easter spent together as a family. However, next year, a family photo will certainly be on the list!!! :)