Hats...some of our favorites...

Hats come in all shapes, sizes and forms at the Willard house...from the classic baseball cap to the Krispy Kreme paper cap to - well - we will let you see for yourselves how creative three boys can be!

Pickin' Peaches...yum, yum...

Peach pickin' is a favorite summer activity in the South. Our home-grown peaches are some of the best - anywhere! Even in the sweltering heat (it was in the 90's by 10:00 a.m.) Sam, Christopher and Fox were having fun! We picked enough to make some delicious home-made goodies. There is nothing better than some good 'ol peach pie topped with ice cream!

Water babies...splish - splash

That was then...this is now...

May 8, 2007

...the day that changed our lives forever...all of our lives. Enjoy a slide show through time as we reflect back on a year of memories. We celebrated one year of 'three Willard boys' on May 8, 2008. In appropriate fashion, we went out for a big Chinese dinner (surprise, surprise).

We thought that everyone would enjoy seeing how our little boys have changed in one year. We are so thankful to all of you who have supported us in this journey. It is truly a journey that will continue throughout our lives.

" Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. "

~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

Are we 'big boys' yet? Growing up with growing pains...

When it comes to boys, we have learned that all good things come in time...their time...not our time. We have also learned that a household with three boys aged 5, 3 and 2 presents a variety of challenges - or should I say opportunities? In this case, you will see some of our photo opportunities that presented themselves recently as our boys continue to grow, express their personalities, and become little Willard men.

In the case of the duct tape on the shoes...well that is a story within itself...and just a part of the little ones learning about respecting authority and rules at school. Given that, I will just let your imaginations run wild...

Mama and Daddy went to New Orleans and all we got were these silly hats and beads...Hmmm...

THE Birthday Cake! Oh my...

It has been a long time since we have seen anyone attack a cake like Matt went after the delicious chocolate on chocolate delicacy you see in these pics. It was truly the highlight of his day. His brothers helped him out and the remains, well...see for yourself the destruction that these three boys left behind.

Matthew is 3 Years Old!

Matt was 3 on March 22nd. We celebrated with a family party. Since this was his first birthday celebration, he was a bit overwhelmed. Once he realized that everything was for him and about him - well - that changed everything! Below are some pics to enjoy. He had a blast!

Matt and his gifts...some musical instruments...poor Mama and Daddy!
Roller skates and legos...just what a little guy wants for his birthday
Does Springsteen need a new band member? I can play a mean harmonica but I would have to be home early for bed!
Drum. Loud drum. Enough said.
My first time on roller skates. I did wobbly well...I mean really well.

Happy Easter from the Willards!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

1 Peter 1:3 - Praise God for a living hope!

It's egg huntin' time!

Easter time is fun time!

Here in Alabama, we love a good holiday and with children we just go all out. To kick off our Easter weekend, all of the grandkids gathered at Honey and D-Daddy's house for the annual dying of the Easter eggs...what a group! Alana, Christopher, Sam, Fox, Matt and Alex...they all had a blast. This was a new event for Matt and Alex. It was their first Easter and although they did not really understand a thing they certainly enjoyed getting dirty dying eggs! More Easter pics to come.

Group pics of the kids!

After recovering from my fabulous week in England, it was time to settle back into the 'real world' and get ready to celebrate Easter.

Easter is a time to celebrate God's amazing gift to mankind in the form of his risen Son. It is also time for the children to enjoy getting ready for the Easter Bunny's visit. This always includes photo-ops for days.

During our Easter festivities we had the brilliant idea to get six kids eight and under in age to pose for a few good pics in decent clothes. This was a larger undertaking than we estimated. The dogwood trees and flowers were just starting to bloom so we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful Spring colors and gets pics outside...however there are SO many distractions outside - especially for the little ones. After running off about 50+ pics we got about 5-8 decent ones. Thank heavens for digital cameras and that ever-favorite 'delete' button. I am posting the cutest ones with everyone actually looking at the camera!

Loving London

Arrival exhaustion...but I managed a smile!
JuJu in front of the train station in Greenwich where we stayed
Westminster Abbey...an amazingly peaceful and awesome place
Big Ben...need I say more?
London at night...just beautiful

As I have mentioned (ad nauseum I might add) London was one of my new favorite cities. I didn't go to London with any idea that I would really like it but once I got there it owned me. I recommend visiting my sis-in-law's blog to see some other pics from our trip: http://www.coloradowillards.blogspot.com/.

It's been a LONG time since we posted...

It's June...and what can I say? Keeping up with my blog in a timely fashion is not on the top of my priority list these days. I realize that as I write this my life must seem really tough...I mean I have a husband, three children, two dogs and a beautiful home YET I got a hall pass to go to London with my sister-in-law...yes, my sis-in-law...JuJu as she is fondly referred to throughout this blog.

Our trip came and went and it now seems like a dream three months later. As I continue my posts about our awesome trip to London...I realized that I would be remiss if I didn't thank some very important people:

Bob - my hubby first and foremost for holding down the fort while I was gone and for instantly giving me the green light for this trip with no hesitation. What a stud! I love 'ya babe.
JuJu - Marce - my sister in law - THANKS for inviting me!!!! What an awesome gift - time away, time with her, time with her parents, and time in what is now one of my fave cities. I can't wait for the next destination sista!
Dean and Becky - hosts with the most! Undeniably two of the best travelers that I have been around...foodies of the best kind...passionate about laughing, having fun, public transportation, theatre, history, coffee, and their daughter. These are two of the most generous and caring people and I appreciate their hospitality from the bottom of my heart!
Honey, D-Daddy and Mimi - always helping out when needed with the '3 Willard boys'...THANKS is just never enough for all that you do as grandparents.

I will continue by posting some more pics and a brief run down of some of the amazing things that did while in London. Enjoy...

Roberta and Marcy do London...