Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Jenny

I have started and erased this post so many times...not sure exactly how to start it or what to say. I want to do Jenny justice with my words describing what is happening in her life. I want so badly to tug at your hearts so fervently that you all pray for her family and her son.

But, words cannot do justice to the things that Jenny, Wes, Aubri and their sweet son are going through right now.

Jen and Wes were so proud to announce on their blog that they found out at 18 weeks they had a new man in their lives. They were soon-to-be parents of a little boy. Aubri was a soon-to-be big sister to Wesley Adam Mills. My hearts soared for them.

However, what should have been an exciting happy time in their lives, suddenly fell sad. During their routine ultrasound, Jen and Wes found out that Wesley has a birth defect. He was diagnosed with Anencephaly. The prognosis for baby Wesley is grim. Their hearts are broken.

My words cannot express the sadness I feel for them. I cannot imagine what they must be feeling. However, I do know they are both clinging tightly to each other and even tighter to the promises and love of God.

Please, go here to read the Mills family blog. She wrote this post that brought me to tears. Her heart is breaking for her son and the short time on earth that they will have with him. However, she is still looking to God, thanking Him and praying.

Keep Jenny and her family in your prayers. They can use all the support they can get.

Jenny, I love you dearly. I apologize that the words are not as eloquent as I would have liked them to be.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Williamson Girls Play Soccer - First Game

Saturday was a BIG day in our house! Both Emma and Hannah had their first soccer games of the season. They had LOTS of support cheering them on. Travis, Catherine, Honey, Daddy Brooks, Grammy and I all came to the games.

Hannah was up first...


She was so excited to get a chance to play, but they only play 3 on 3. So, the coach did the line up as fair as it can get. Jersey #s 1-3 first, followed by 4-6, etc. :) Hannah was in the second group. She waited patiently with her teammates.


Finally, it was her turn! She was so excited as she pranced out on to the field. We were laughing to hard. She is so cute out there running after the ball. She kind of lags back, but finally got a chance to kick it! When she did, she looked over at us with a big grin and clapped for herself. We were all so proud of Hannah.



(She even stopped the game because she had a "finger-mail"...a hang nail. I had to go out onto the field and take care of it. All was fine after that!)

Her coach is seriously a saint. Can you imagine coaching a team of 9 three-year olds, three of which were crying at one point during the game? Yeah...me neither.


Next up, Emma's game.

It was MUCH more serious than Hannah's game. She started and was pretty pumped about it. She played defense and did a great job keeping the ball out of the box. the goalie only had to keep one ball out of the goal.


The next period, Emma played goalie. I was a nervous wreck! This period, our girls were tired, so the other team spent TONS of time on our end of the field. Emma blocked EVERY.SINGLE.BALL that came in her box. One was just inches from the line, but my girl stopped it! We were so proud of her!


During the final period, Emma played on offense. She did pretty good on offense too. Unfortunately, she has her mother's speed, so she got out run to the ball a few times. But, a little girl on her team scored and they won 1-0!



Emma also got her mother's competitive nature. After the game, she kept saying "We won! We beat them!". Luckily, I am married to a wonderful man who took the time to explain to Emma about being a gracious winner.

We all had so much fun. This is the first real competition that either of the big girls have competed in. I cannot describe how happy and proud I was of my girls. Both of them were good sports, hustled and keep a smile on their faces the whole time! WAY TO GO, EMMA AND HANNAH!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sick Bambino

Catherine was sick with a little stomach virus a few days ago. She was PITIFUL! I stayed home with her to cuddle my sweet girl back to health. She did a lot of this...






Luckily, she is now back to her same old, food-slingin', sister-chasin', weeble-wobblin' self!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

First of First

Last Thursday, Emma started 1st grade. Every year when school starts, I get anxious. It's almost like I am nervous about school starting. Why would I be nervous? It's Emma going into a new class with a new teacher and new expectations. I have no reason to be nervous.

Last year, when she started kindergarten, I wrote this post. It was so true. Every time I read it, it brings tears to my eyes. So, this year, the night before school, I read it.

As I was reading it, I realized. It's not the nerves of her going to a new class. It's the nerves of a Mommy who sees her oldest daughter going from a little girl to a young lady. The start of the school year is a reminder of who she was, is and is so quickly becoming.

Days are passing like hours; weeks like days; years are passing like months. I feel like no matter how hard I try to cling to every moment I have with the girls, they are so fleeting and life is moving so quickly that its like watching a movie in fast forward. No matter how hard I try to watch all the scenes flying by, I cannot catch them and remember them all.

So, when Catherine is screaming to be held, Hannah is getting out of bed asking for the 15th cup of water and Emma is arguing with me about putting on make-up just to play in, I try to remember this. I try to remember that before long, no one is going to want me to hold them. No one is going to get up 15 times just so I can come tuck her in ONE.LAST.TIME. And the "make-up just to play in", will become make-up, a normal part of our lives.

So, with that said, here are some pics from the first day of school. Since Emma got to carry a back pack, Hannah was DYING to. So, I cleaned up Emma's old one for Hannah and slapped it on her back. She loved it. (that was short lived though...she hasn't wanted to take it since!). And, while I still teared up, I wasn't as emotional as I was last year! (I still blame that on the hormones from having a brand new baby!)






Emma is in a class with one of her best friends. Her teacher is so wonderful and has all kinds of cool reward systems in her class. Emma is having a ball already. Once again, it's going to be a good school year!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Reecey Baby and Beauty and the Beast

Friday night, Mer and Reece came over to play. I cooked spaghetti and we all ate. Then, we played and danced until the kids were too tired to play and dance anymore. It was so fun!



Sunday, the girls and I went to the Walton Arts Center to meet up with our friends Connie and Lauren. We were all going to see Beauty and the Beast. The girls (and the Mommy's) loved it. Hannah was so sad that it was over and Lolo wasn't coming to her house that I couldn't even get a decent picture after the show. We had a blast and I see more plays in the future for these girls!




Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Mrs. Potato Head

On Catherine's 1st birthday, all bottles went in the trash. So began her life eating "people" food.

She has always been a little skeptical of mashed potatoes. The first time I fed them to her, she spit them out and screamed bloody murder (no, they weren't hot). The second time, she took one bit, ate them and refused any more.

A few nights ago was the third time. Like they always say, "Third times a charm!"








Monday, August 2, 2010

Williamson Girls Play Soccer

Last Wednesday began a new chapter in the Williamson household.

Emma and Hannah started their first extra-ciricular activity: SOCCER!

(yes, Emma used to take gymnastics...that was short lived.)

Hannah had her first ever soccer practice first. She was SO excited to go. We got her in her soccer outfit, (its an outfit if it has a matching bow...and it did!). She was kicking her ball everywhere before we left talking about how she was going "to be the best soccer player in the whole Arkansas!".



Of course, it was a family affair. So we all loaded up and headed to practice. We got there and Hannah asked where Lolo was (her friend Lauren is playing, but they didn't manage to get on the same team.). I told her Lolo was on a different team and they didn't have practice together. Aaaaand...

QUE THE WATERWORKS!

Hannah cried the first half of practice and basically refused to participate. Finally, Travis (read: the patient parent) managed to get her to quit crying and at least try to do the games they were playing. So, she did. However, she refused to run...she didn't even walk, she SAUNTERED through the drills and kicked her ball up and down the field as if it were a piece of trash merely in her way.



All this time, I am going from mad, to embarrassed, to laughing, to nearly asking "whose child is that?". Finally, practice was over and I apologized profusely to her coach. As I am talking with him and he was telling me his son did the same thing a few years ago, I look over and see Hannah playing with a little girl on her team...KICKING THE BALL AND SMILING! (unfortunately, all the other parents were gone, so no one was there to witness the phenomenon.)

She has practice again tonight and promises she will "run, smile and mind". Here's hoping...

Emma had practice on Thursday night and of course, looked cute in her soccer outfit. She was excited, but admitted she was a little nervous.


We got there and met her coach. He is a little hard-core about soccer, but seems nice. The other girls arrived, some of whom had played soccer before and some hadn't. (Emma falls in the latter category).

They started off with some drills that scared me due to the sheer coordination that is required. Unfortunately, Travis and I thought Emma got my coordination (I can hardly walk and chew gum at the same time). However, we were pleasantly surprised. She managed through the drills quite well. Her one downfall is, if the coach wasn't looking, she wasn't doing. (I laughed a little. Travis did not!). She really enjoyed her practice and I saw improvement throughout the practice.



And so begins, Fall Soccer in the Williamson House. Stay tuned...