My blog is all confused :) OK this is what "dinnertime" looks like around our house

OK--I had our sweet friend Emily Wakefield's husband, Reid (one of my brother's LIFELONG friends) fixed our blog last week--apparently I had been "posting" all the wrong way--so all the pics are at the bottom and I tried to "catch it up" as best as I could--but barring my internet illiteracy--I am going to just try to start over with today- :) we are beginning anew :) Here they are :)

Halle's first "big girl" hairstyle

Halle with her first "big girl hair style"--I finally got her hair into pigtails!! (even if they
only lasted about 10 minutes) She was so cute!!

Cason's first basketball

This was a baby gift from some friends of ours--I think it has become Chad's favorite one! :)

He has a huge grin on his face every time he plays with it!

Cason is sitting on his "throne"--doesn't he look regal? Where are his loyal subjects? (i.e Hogan)

Chad teaching Halle how to eat chicken noodle soup

A visit from Aunt Beth and Uncle Josh

Last weekend we were so excited to have my brother Josh and my sister in law, Beth come spend the night with us while they were in town from Ithaca, NY (where Josh is in business school at Cornell). We had SO much fun with them--they are expecting my first niece in October (Lilly Anna)-so there was lots of "practicing" going on (diapers, bottles, baby food) They were so cute--and very natural!! Halle has so much fun running around outside in the rain kicking the ball with Uncle Josh--they were so patient with our crazy life :) I think we were probably good birth control for their next baby :) We LOVE YOU GUYS!!

The Nilla Wafer Incident

After dinner the other night, I gave Halle the box (what was I thinking?) of Vanilla Wafers (her favorite) instead of just handing her a few cookies---I came back about 5 minutes later to witness the crime scene on the couch--this is what I saw



The guilty party (doesn't she look like "who me?")



Thankfully Hogan hadn't found it yet (there would have been NO cookies left, and one puking dog) :)

Lunch out with the girls :)

OK--I know we must all be crazy but this week my 3 sweet friends and I decided to venture out to Purple Cow with our 7 kids (we were SO outnumbered)-- for lunch :) Suffice it to say that by the end of it, Cason was screaming (exhausted and sick), Stacey (mommy of Sam and Emerson) almost went into labor from chasing her 2 kids across the restaurant (she is due in 3 weeks), Lucy was eating food off the floor under a table (her daddy would DIE), and Max fell off the bench onto the floor and SMACKED the back of his head HARD....all in a day's fun :) At some point someone looked around and said "our husbands could NEVER do this" and we all laughed (b/c she was so right) he he We had a blast and I think all of us mommies would lose our minds without each other :) Here is a hilarious picture of the 3 little girls (we were missing the boys and sweet Brooke (the big girl) :) Of course Halle would be the one trying to jump off the seat and NOT smiling :) I love you girls!!

Link to the Arboretum "104 degree" pictures

Here's the link to the pics we took last weekend at the arboretum--you'd never know it was 104 degrees, would you (Airbrushing does wonders) :) I especially love the one of Cason and Chad ! :)
http://urbankids.typepad.com/

Picture day for Halle and Cason

OK--I know we must have lost our minds, but we drug the kids out to the Arboretum Saturday morning to have pictures taken. I mean, it was ONLY 104 degrees!! (hello--I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old--what was I thinking??) Needless to say, there were no candids taken of the event--but suffice it to say that by the end of it, Chad and I were drenched in sweat (especially me), Cason was down to his diaper, and Halle had her swimsuit on (we were attempting to get her to "play" in the spitting frogs fountain (much to our avail). Everyone came home and took long naps that afternoon (of course, except for mom, who had to go grocery shopping :)-it's amazing what has become a "getaway" for me :) Hopefully SOME good pictures will come out (although I am not sure ANYONE smiled once except Chad and me :) We'll soon see!!!!!

July in the Williams' household :)

Where did July go? It flew by so quickly!! Both kids have been sick with something or other most of the month, so we have had to stay home a lot (and get very creative with our outside activities)--LOTS of fingerpainting, swimming in the froggy pool (which Halle LOVES) and reading books--not to mention dressing and undressing ALL of our dollies (who also got to go swimming yesterday) OOPS :) Hopefully everyone is on the mend now--we'll see :)

Chad has been super busy with work--he LOVES his new job--he gets to go into Operating Rooms every day and "assist" the docs with the procedure (verbally, anyway). It's a really cool job! I am so thankful he loves it so much! :)

My newest addiction is "Facebook"....I inadvertently got on it one day while the kids were napping, looking for an old high school friend, and within 24 hours had reconnected with about 20 old friends! it's so fun!

We are looking forward to my brother Josh and his wife Beth coming home in August (they live in NY and are pregnant with my first niece!!! (LILLY is due in October) yay!

Halle and Cason's weekend with Nonny and Poppy

Cason in his Hawaiian attire (from Nonny and Poppy)

Halle the "hula girl" with her "palm tree"

Nonny and Halle went for a swim in her pool

Poppy and Halle waking up baby Cason

Chad's parents were kind enough (and brave enough) to agree to stay with the kids while we went on a 5 year anniversary trip to Barton Creek in Austin. We had SO much fun, and somehow his parents survived the weekend and even said they had a great time! Halle and Cason behaved wonderfully (Cason even slept BETTER for Nonny than for mommy, of course) and they loved being with their grandparents for an extended period of time. Nonny was quite the good sport, getting in the froggy pool with Halle and waking up for 5 a.m. feedings with Cason (which is no easy feat). Poppy even changed a few diapers and had his "boo boo" Bandaid kissed about 3000 times by Halle! Altogether it was a wonderful getaway for Chad and me and we can't thank them enough!!

Halle and Cason at home

Here are some random pictures of Halle, Cason and their friends at home playing!

Fun weekend with "Uncle" Scott and Allie

Chad's best friend from high school, Scott, and his fiancee, Allie, visited us on their way to Jamaica last weekend! Halle had SO much fun with them--she wanted Uncle Scott to play with her nonstop (after the first 5 minutes of shyness :) and didn't want them to leave!!! She had him playing with her kitchen and kicking the ball and was cracking up at him pretty much the whole time he was here!!!It was so cute because Scott is quite a "big" guy (he works out all the time) and Halle thought he was so "neat" :) She wasn't afraid at all!! We all had a great time (especially mommy and daddy) hanging out with them---they are a really cute couple!! (and we LOVE Allie)

Halle's 2nd birthday party

Halle had her 2nd birthday party at our house in the backyard. It was a "butterfly" birthday party, and we rented a Strawberry Shortcake bounce house, which all the kids LOVED. It was the first birthday we have invited kids to, and it was SO fun! Halle had a ball! We couldn't get her to stop bouncing even into the evening after everyone was gone! and she LOVED her butterfly cake icing :) She had so much fun with all of her friends, and sweet grandmommy took care of Cason the whole time--we really appreciated that! Grandaddy videoed EVERYTHING (thanks again :)--And Aunt Elizabeth (Chad's brother's girlfriend) came ALL the way down from OKC to come!! that was so sweet! We sure missed Nonny and Poppy (who were in Hawaii)!! it was such a fun day!!