TGIF (and S and S)

Another weekend has come and gone in the Williams household. I love the weekends. For a long time, my weekends did not feel much different than my weeks. Before the kids were in school there was very little to differentiate Saturday from any other day. Our schedules were wildly open every day, and although Mark was home more on the weekends, it wasn't enough to make them feel any different. Well, that has all changed. Now that Taylor is in kindergarten, and I am working a bit more throughout the week, Friday afternoons are greeted with much joy. And don't get me started on Saturday mornings! For one thing, I don't have to rise before the sun in order to feed, clothe and transport a little one to the bus stop. No, instead, I linger in bed while the kids watch a cartoon and stroll to the kitchen with chocolate chip waffles and smoothies on my mind.

This weekend did bring snow.

I have honestly been waiting for it, ready for it, determined to make some winter memories outdoors with the kids. But the thermometer did not want to rise above 19 degrees, and I just couldn't do it. Thankfully, no one asked me to. Next time, we'll do it. But for this weekend, we were content inside our cozy home, sheltered from the elements.

Another joy I've been relishing during the weekends is not just the increased family time but the enhancement of the quality of our time together. Mark and I cut the cord, so to speak, with our cable company last May, and it's been the best thing that we've done for this family. That, coupled with the children's emerging maturity, has opened up so many more activities to fill a weekend.

Like family games where nobody cries,

The introduction of new skills met with enthusiasm,

Evenings reading with Grandpa.

And even a game of catch thrown in there. (Pun intended.)

Of course, not all our children are old enough for these diversions, but lucky for us, Morgan is our most even-tempered child yet. Give her a pencil and some paper and she's one happy toddler. In fact, give her anything to carry, hold, hide, or explore and she's content.

I'm told such is often the case with the third child. With so much activity happening around them, they are never bored. And yet, they must also learn to be patient and self-soothe because after all, mommy's only got two hands. Lucky for her, Daddy's also got two hands.

And so does "Uncle Scott".

We finished our weekend with a visit from some good friends. It had been way too long since we've seen them.

I wasn't planning on writing much tonight. I just wanted to upload the weekend pictures so I'd be free to devote tomorrow's post solely to Valentine's day, but this blog has become so much more to me than a place to unload photos. It's given me the avenue to reflect on them, and with each passing post, my gratitude for all the blessings in my life intensifies. Thanks for reading. Come back tomorrow, because tomorrow's Valentine's post is going to be a doozy. At least I hope so. I'm going to do my best to transform a somewhat boring holiday (comparatively speaking) into something special. See you tomorrow!

The Week in Review

It's been almost a week since I last posted anything. I've continued to click that shutter button despite a bit of frustration this week. I truly believe that children are one of the most challenging subjects to photograph, and mine are no exception. They just never stop moving. Well, I powered through and got off a few decent images that I believe reflect their true spirits as well as the spirit of this family. So here's the highlights from our week. Enjoy.

SUNDAY:

Mark decided to teach Taylor how to carry in addition. She really got the hang of it and kept asking for more practice problems.

Mark was so proud of her that he took her (and Charlie) out for ice cream after dinner.

And that's all it took. A little extra attention, and she was back in his arms cuddling with her daddy that night during the Super Bowl.

The kids really enjoyed the Super Bowl and waited patiently for the commercials.

We sent them to bed right before half time and upon awakening both kids wanted to know who the victor was. Go Giants. Next year, it'll be the Bengals. (Hey, a girl can dream.)

MONDAY:

I found myself in charge of watching the four little ones, Charlie, Jacob, Addison, and Morgan, for 4 hours on Monday morning. In following suit with my favorite blogger, Kelle Hampton, I tried to "reframe the mundane" by dressing Morgan up in one of Taylor's retired princess dresses.

She worried me initially because she was not too happy with Addison. She has not been feeling well this week and seeing another baby in her mama's arms sent her over the edge.

With extra snuggles from mom and several sucks from the trusty thumb, she felt much better.

She began to embrace the idea of a real baby in her house. Literally.

Addison was all smiles as usual.

It reminded me of these days:

Of course back then, there weren't two active boys upstairs building a castle.

To close out our busy Monday, Grandma came over for dinner and played Uno and Charades with us.

TUESDAY brought more of the same. Math and princesses.

WEDNESDAY: Morgan and I found ourselves with a little extra time before we needed to pick up Charlie from preschool so I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

THURSDAY: More tears from this one.

More math from this one.

Taylor's reading book from school was the Three Bears. I'm amazed at how well she is progressing with her reading.

This one was written in play form so of course it needed to be performed. She even got Charlie on board. (Notice the three chairs of different sizes. I was impressed by that.)

The show was after dinner, but Morgan wasn't quite finished so it was a dinner show for her.

I love these kids.

After Taylor's show, it was Morgan's turn to entertain us. She discovered a discarded lamp shade just begging to be explored.

We have finally arrived at FRIDAY. I had a meeting so Grandpa came over to watch Charlie and Morgan. Morgan is still not feeling great so she snuck in some cuddles with her Grandpa. She's never been able to resist that comfy belly!

Mother Nature has finally decided to get with the program and give us some snow. So far it only looks like this.

But we are supposed to be getting more tonight. Who knows. Maybe I'll have some snow pictures for next week. Until then, I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Birthday wishes

Aside from our nation's forty-sixth super bowl, tomorrow also marks the birthday of my cousin, Alison. Alison loves my children so much as well as my sister Jessica's kids. They hold a special place in her heart, and let me tell you, the feeling is mutual. She has a way of making them feel special, and she always makes time to play with them at every family function. Which is why we jumped at the opportunity to surprise her at a lunch date this afternoon.

After eating, Alison took all three of the little ones to the play area. Then we topped it off with some yummy cupcakes that Aunt Jan brought.

Morgan is Alison's little buddy. In fact she's also her God-daughter. At first, Morgan was a little shy, because she hadn't seen Alison in a while. She came around, though, and had fun playing peek-a-boo with her big cousin.

Thanks for the great idea, Aunt Jan. We had a nice visit. Happy Birthday, Alison. We love you!!