A Big Day

Today was a very big day for the Williamsons. After nearly 6 years of doing the apartment thing and dreaming, we have purchased our first home! This morning we closed on our house and it could not have gone any smoother. These past three months have however been quite a journey-a journey of faith, prayer, and emotion....but the Lord is faithful! We are beyond ourselves with how the Lord continues to bless our family. Sometimes we do get overwhelmed by all the big life changes we are going through right now (moving, new job, about to have another baby, buying a house.....) but He has carried us through all of it! I nearly teared up at the closing today just reflecting on it all. We move all of our things on Saturday and then I am sure I will be very busy obesssing, I mean planning, where everything will go and unpacking. So, what this post lacks in pictures (I hate posting without pics) it is made up for with emotion!

While Dada Is Away

Eric has been gone the past three days on a business trip. So while he was gone I decided to document how Everett and I passed the time. On Tuesday we stayed in all day. Everett loves to sit in this container and call it his "car."

We colored...or I mostly colored while Everett put the crayons in and out of the box.

By the afternoon I was going a bit stir crazy. I really am working on trying to relax because I know our lives will soon become chaotic once again. Note the Elmo in the background in the picture below. Elmo has become Everett's new best friend. He got an Elmo movie last week and I think he has watched it every day since. There is just something about Elmo and I can't resist when Everett asks for "Elmo Bovie."

On Tuesday night I made pasta for dinner. Everett is getting so good with using utensils. It was kind of funny us dining just the two of us. I told him we were on a special "date."

My plan was for us to get out on Wednesday morning. I was so disappointed when I saw it was snowing.....again. I barely slept the night before so I really was itching to get out. Instead we played inside all morning. After nap the snow had cleared and we headed out to my refuge, my happy place.....Target! I didn't really have anything I needed to get, so we had fun just roaming the aisles.

Everett isn't so sure about this new snack.....

A sweet lady who works here at Ridgecrest had given Everett a dollar, so we decided to buy a juice box.

Today was very fun. The weather was warm (43 degrees! ha!) so we went out again this morning. We went to Homegoods/TJ Maxx and found some very fun things. Everett even got a Sesame Street toy car as a special treat. We then went to Barnes and Noble to play with the "choo-choo" they have in the kids section.

We then went to Gymboree to pick out a layette for Hampton to wear home from the hospital. I haven't bought Hampton one thing this whole pregnancy, so that was really fun. Everett even said "Hanton" for the first time! Too cute!

We definitely missed Eric while he was gone. Everett has become very aware when he is away and many times would ask for "Dada." What a happy reunion it was tonight when he got home. He even brought a special treat...Jimmy Johns subs for dinner! We don't have one in our area so he picked some up on the way back today. He knows the way to this very pregnant girl's heart!

Funny Valentines

Although Eric's original Valentine's Day plans fell through, he came up with a great impromptu date! Well, we had the boy with us, but I'll still call it a date with both my boys. Eric surprised me with going to Greenville, SC (about an hour 15 min away) to go to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. I was so happy because I definitely had a hankerin for some fried pickles! Afterward, as an extra treat, we met some of our friends that live in the area for dessert. By that point we were well past Everett's nap and he was a little monster, but we still had a good time anyway. Overall, a very nice Valentine's Day. Next year, I will have three handsome guys to celebrate with!

Making a Temporary House a Home

Even though we are praying that our temporary housing is soon coming to an end, there are several things we have done to make it "home" including......

1.) A made bed. I make the bed every morning like I normally would because a made bed just feels better. I also keep up with all the cleaning type stuff (I must say however, we do have maid service who changes out towels and sheets and takes out the trash. I could get used to that!) Yet, cleaning makes me feel normal and helps keep my sanity in check as well!

2.) Family meals. Every night (excluding the nights Eric is out of town) we eat together as a family. This is something we weren't able to do in Louisville when Eric worked nights. Now mind you, the meals may have been frozen at some point (i.e. Stouffers Family Meals or pizza), but we are eating together and that is what matters!

3.) Games. Since we don't have television here, we have picked up a couple of games to play at night once Everett is asleep. It is actually been fun and something we may have not thought of to do if tv was able to be a distraction.

4.) Favorite DVD television series. As mentioned before we currently don't have t.v. however we have picked up a couple of DVD's such as Everyone Loves Raymond, Frasier, and King of Queens.

5.) Yankee Candles. Enough said. A Yankee Candle burning in the background just feels like home. I love them!

6.) Indulging in comfort food. This would include pizza, mac n cheese, favorite cereals, and diet/regular Coke.

7.) A cup of tea or hot chocolate. This is comfy especially when it is cold and snowing outside.

8.) A Routine. Having a routine for Everett and I during the week has also helped. It is a very loose schedule, but when we stay in we usually: have breakfast together, play, snack, watch a video, color, read books, eat lunch together, nap at the same time, snack, play, and get dinner ready. It has been tricky at times to find fun and interesting things for him to do and I think his toys are starting to get old, but we are making it work.

9.) The Simple Pleasures. Some examples of what this includes for me is: bubble baths, comfy blankets, reading magazines, and Bath and Body Works.

10.) Finally, and most importantly, loving each other and our babies both inside......

And out!

Excuse Me Mister!

Excuse me mister.....but who said you could grow up so fast!?! Everett is doing so many "big boy" things now like....
Learning to eat with a fork and a spoon. He has the fork mastered, but still spills a bit with the spoon. And drinking out of a juice box. He's learned he doesn't have to tip it up like a sippy.

He has done so well with learning how to complete a puzzle and with coloring. He can also name almost all the farm animals and count to three! His vocabulary has exploded and he imitates words so well now. We are so proud of our Everett Grey. Good thing another little baby boy is on his way or this mama just may not be able to take it!

Today's Happenings

Well it looks like another bad storm is headed our way. This time we decided to risk it and not flee.....we may regret that later. Soooo....this morning Everett and I decided we better get out and do something while we can. We have been cooped up all week so far, so it was nice. I looked up a consignment shop in Asheville and put it into GPS and we were off. I had a few favorite consigment shops I frequented in Louisville and I miss them! I now have to find some hotspots here. I am pretty picky when I go consigning. The item has to be in really good shape. Unless it is really cute, I usually only go for name-brand things. I also like to find things that are really unique and different. Here are my two finds today:

This little red wagon was so cute! I thought it would look really good on a shelf in the boys' room.
This definitely falls into the "unique" category. I thought Everett could pull this Patagonia vest off and I got it for way less than it retails for!

This afternoon I decided to trim Everett's hair. I just couldn't take it anymore! I really just focused on cutting the hair that was hanging over his ears, as well as shortening the length in the back. Here is a before picture-

And here is an after picture. I left a lot of the length on top and in the front. He did so well! He stayed so still, which was good because I was so nervous. I of course didn't want to cut him with the shears and I also didn't want to mess his hair up beyond repair. I cut Eric's hair, so now I can add Everett to my client list!

Little Faces in Odd Places

This morning I was sitting at the kitchen table when I heard this cute voice say..."Out. Mama. Help." I went in the kitchen to find Everett here. Oh how I love this boy!

Weekend with the Burkes

Last Friday Eric and I caught word that a horrible snow/ice storm was approaching the area. You could say we were a bit traumatized by the last snow/ice storm that visited us in December, so we were eager to high tail it out of here. Especially since there was the risk of losing power. Losing power in the winter, pregnant, and with a toddler did not at all seem do-able. Sooo....we called our good friends the Burkes who live in the Greenville area. We basically invited ourselves to their house for the weekend and they did not hesitate to welcome us! The snow and sleet were raining down just as we were driving out of Asheville. Thankfully the Lord protected us and our car even though some we saw some slipping and sliding. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend with the Burkes! Their son Wyatt is about 5 months younger than Everett and their second-born son is due on the exact date that Hampton is due! Thank you so much Burkes for hosting us for the weekend. Only being an hour and a half away now, we are sure to come back!

Wyatt and Everett playing
Eric and Chris "playing." They were playing Wii in this picture. We did not get a picture of Amy and I playing Wii (sword fighting) which according to the guys was definitely a comical sight.

Everett is all about Dada these days.

Everett and Wyatt looking out at their Dadas who were scraping the ice off of our cars.

Amy and I in all of our pregnant glory. I can't believe I am sharing this picture, because mercy, do I look big!

Gucky

Everett has a new word he has been using a lot lately. It is "gucky." This is his word for "yucky." It is so funny how he walks around finding things that are gucky. When I took this picture on my phone this morning I'm not sure what he was calling gucky. I just can't get over his scrunched up nose or his bedhead. I was so close to getting his hair cut the other day and now I am so glad I didn't go through with it. He has the shaggy, curly look and I can't give it up. He is just too much of a wild man to have a clean cut hair cut!