The Williams Family: May 2018

We got some tiki torches to go around our swimming pool! It has made the experience of swimming more magical when we are swimming at night surrounded by the fire. We have recently had a lot more late night swims. As a family, we created a theme song when we swim with the fire called, "This Girl is on Fire" by Alicia Keys. It is so adorable to hear all these little voices sing this song.

We have had this wood post in our backyard since we moved in and we decided to buy swings for the girls to enjoy. They were so excited when Derek put them up. Too bad that they only lasted 20 minutes because one of the hooks came out and Brinley fell to the ground. She is ok. We decided that we might just have to buy a swing set for this sweet crew.

I love this girls imagination. She built her own campfire!

Desi and Claire using their creativity and playing together.

It is fun to see Desi join in with the girls when they use their imagination together.

I soak up these moments! Giggles, laughter, and fun!

I have been looking online for a new wreath for my front door, but they cost so much and they aren't that pretty. So I am taking on my creative side and making my own. We had to make a couple of trips to Hobby Lobby (the sacrifices that we make to buy things on sale ha ha). So this last trip the girls came with me and found these adorable stuffed animals. They were so excited to use their own money (+ the 40% discount) to get these new toys.

Ever since we have gotten these, Claire will ask me everyday, "Mom, can we go to Hobby Lobby?"

Ashlyn had a field trip at her school and I was able to go! We went to the Pines Theater which is an older theater downtown Lufkin. We watched the movie Balto. We had a great time. It was really a lot of fun. I went to class with Ashlyn in the morning and was able to see what her teacher and class were like. It was cool to see all the different things hanging up around the room, that she has been telling me she's been learning about all year.

After the movie, Ashlyn needed to go to the bathroom so we stopped at McDonald's and also decided to get an ice cream cone for this girl. We had a great time together.

You can see all the different things she's learned about this year: shapes, different layers of earth

We love how Daddy is home during the week and we can do spontaneous activities like picnics at the park. These girls love adventure and fun.

They begged me to walk with them over to this bridge and they did races across it.

They are in their ready positions.

I love our community and the free events. The Art Museum did an event celebrating paint. One of the activities was using a robot that is in a shape as a ball and controlling it by using an ipad. The kids had a lot of fun.

After we went to the art room to paint with watercolors. It is fun to see the creativity that kids have when you give them a blank page and paint.

Brinley and I copied a picture that was hung in the room and they turned out great!

At the end of the activity, each kid got their own set of watercolors to take home.

The girls were so excited!

The girls are working in the backyard making their own fairy gardens using old pots that the girls found in our bushes. It is fun to see them working together and playing in nature.

After I got ready for church I walked into the kitchen and found these two got their own breakfast ready. These independent girls!

I did a braid for the first time on Desi and it made her look like a big girl. Everyone at church commented on how much older she looked that day. Where did my baby go?

After church we grilled pizzas

This weekend we went to the high school play Charlie Brown and each kid got a kite.

This mama is ready to be done with this pregnancy! My feet and hands are swollen, I am nauseous ALL THE TIME, and my energy feels depleted. My diet pepsi has been my survival!

(My face is bugged because Derek wanted to take my picture while I am enjoying my guilty pleasure of drinking my soda and sitting on my tush after a long day. He is on this mission to document everything that I complain about with this pregnancy because he wants me to remember that we are good with 5 kids. ha ha. I will save your time by not posting the many videos of my swollen feet and Derek pushing them in).

I love this sweet girl! I enjoy all the snuggles and cuddles from her.

She said, "Mom, take my picture with my unicorn!"

The excitement of the day was that the girls found a frog in our house! It was a fast little guy and we tried to get it out of the house and it went into a crack by the front door. The next day we found it in my shower!

(The frog is located on the wall in the photo).

The girls and I had cleanings this week. It is always fun to see Daddy at work and see his staff. The girls are like royalty when they go and they soak it up!

They passed the test!

Brinley has enjoyed this "Scribblex" app on the tablet. We discovered it from Grandpa Williams. He let the girls play with it on his iPad when he visited in February. Brinley could do it forever.

I (Derek) have been jogging more with the girls on my days off. It's been a lot of fun as we've had some beautiful weather. There is a branch off street that has beautiful homes and landscaping. We were looking at the flowers and Brinley demanded that they get a picture by these flowers. Sweet sisters.

Derek is the best! I have been having cravings for a McDonald's dipped cone and one occurred on our date night. Derek was dedicated and went to 3 different McDonald's to get me get one. That is true love!

(Love Derek's determination look ha ha)

Daddy running down the hall of the mall with the girls. I was wondering why we were getting so many funny looks from people.....a dad running down the hall with 4 girls with a big, pregnant mama waddling behind them. ha ha.

I was in the kitchen when I heard giggling and laughing. I peek around the corner and saw this and was wondering what was happening.

Ashlyn was performing a puppet show for this cute audience.

(It cracks me up that Ashlyn is hiding under a towel).

Ashlyn wrote her first love song called I'm Falling in Love!

We absolutely love the evenings when we can swim!

Derek came home from work early for lunch and he was thinking that maybe he should have lunch with Ashlyn. When he walked in the door I told him that I have been thinking about going to Ashlyn's school to go eat lunch with her....so we surprised her!

I found this channel on YouTube to teach your kids how to play the piano. The teacher is so kid friendly and it is entertaining for the kids to watch. They have been having a blast learning hot cross buns, the keys on the piano, and they get to go at their own pace. They are having a blast and I don't have to nag them to play.

A few weeks ago Ashlyn was sick with a cough and stayed at home for a few days.. It was fun to have her home and it made me excited for summer. Well the day she went back, the girls and I surprised her and took her out of school for lunch. I am glad we went because she wasn't herself and said that she wasn't feeling that great. We went home and she sleep for a few hours. She needed that extra rest. It is moments like these that I am grateful to be a stay at home mom!

These girls love to get their picture taken on these chairs every time we go to get Ash.

Brinley had transportation day at preschool. She was so excited to take her Razor to school.

I can't remember if I posted this picture before, but there was one particular day that I was very sick and I was exhausted. There was so much to do and I asked the kids to clean the kitchen and they did it without complaining! It was a great help!