School Pictures 2021

Oh how I love the adorable (and sometimes awkwardness) of school pictures! Line them all up and they show the beautiful journey of growing up. Missing teeth, adult teeth, longer hair, first curls, nervous smiles ... I love all of it! School pictures this year ...

Liam, age 7, first grade 

Lyla, age 4, preschool

Liam and Lyla Meet Rosie

My mom stayed with the kids while we were in the hospital having Rosie and they had so much fun! She spoiled them with Subway for lunch one day and choosing a toy from the store. I'm not sure we were even missed. ;) We were so glad to have her so close by this time!

We also left them each a gift to open while we were gone. They had treats and new 'big brother'/'big sister' sweatshirts inside for when they met their new baby sister!

One of the most special moments after Rosie was born was bringing her home to meet her big brother and sister! Liam was at school at first but Lyla was on a bike ride with my mom out front when we pulled up and she came running! I had to work hard to keep it together seeing this moment and the joy it brought to her world letting her hold her baby sister for the first time ...

Lyla has adored her from the moment they met! She is so good with her (maybe a little too smothering at times? haha) and incredibly helpful. I know these two girls will be the best of friends and I'm glad they have each other to go through life with. 

She kept giggling and commenting on all the noises and facial expressions Rosie made as she slept. haha 

When Liam got home from school he too came swiftly through the door looking for his baby sister. While he has been more reserved and hesitant to hold her, you can tell how much he loves her from the way he talks about her in his prayers. 

This will forever be my favorite and one that I'll always cherish. All three of my babies... <3

Can't wait to watch them grow up together!

It's a ...

 A beautiful baby GIRL joined our family early Sunday morning on September 12th!! She was the BEST surprise in the whole world and is everything we've ever dreamed of!! We are all so in love with her!

Meet Rosie June Williamson 

8 lbs., 5 oz.  |  21 1/2 in. long  |  6:23 am

If there was a moment in my life where I can truly say prayers are real and that mine was heard, it was the night I went into labor. After several false starts including my contractions going from 5 minutes apart to completely stopping after arriving to the hospital and getting hooked up to all of the monitors, I really didn't think I we would be staying. In fact, I was asking to go home. Due to undiagnosed preeclampsia (I knew the excessive swelling and numbness in my hands and feet were not normal!), I wasn't given the choice to go home and was facing an induction in the morning. Between the prayer I had in my heart my whole pregnancy to go into labor on my own and moving positions every few minutes, I managed to start my contractions back up again and they progressed all through the night until finally reaching 10 centimeters early in the morning. 

I handed the camera over to Nic to capture the board in our room and discovered later that he had captured me mid-contractions too. I'm grateful for these photos from those raw moments ... they take me straight back to that quiet dark hospital room, just the two of us. Heaven felt so close as I worked through each contraction that brought Rosie into our arms. <3

Funny story ... they wrote "Nic to announce gender" on our board but as I was delivering her, our doctor caught the first glimpse and mentioned to the nurse that "she" had her umbilical cord wrapped around her body in several directions. She said it so quickly that I hardly had the time to register before looking to Nic and hearing him say, "It's a GIRL!!!" It was the best surprise I've ever had!!!

Right then and there I cried the happiest tears. SHE was here and she was so so perfect!! While she was a surprise, my mother's intuition told me girl my whole pregnancy so looking into her eyes, I felt like I knew it was her all along. Everyone else in our family was hoping for a girl and I was just so grateful everyone's wishes came true. 

Sucking her tiny thumb!

I spent my entire pregnancy praying we wouldn't have to experience the NICU again. When she came out crying and was placed in my arms, I felt the biggest flood of relief hearing those strong lungs. The very first thing she wanted to do was nurse and latched right away. It was the most amazing experience spending the next two hours just letting her do her thing while we took in every last tiny inch of her. 

I fall more in love with this dad every time I see the way he looks at our children. Girl dad x2! 

After delivery, we moved rooms and Rosie got to come with us!! Again, I could not believe it, it was heaven for me having her stay. They pushed this bassinet beside our QUEEN size bed (amazing!!) and after a long night, we all fell asleep for a little while. 

This little green outfit we brought for a baby boy, it turns out is absolutely perfect on a baby girl. <3

For the next 24 hours, I really didn't get much sleep ... between blood pressure checks around the clock and wanting to hold her in my arms. I didn't care one bit because I couldn't stop looking at her.

That sweet little hospital hat with the bow on it melted my heart! This is pretty much the only time she has ever taken a binkie too by the way. haha 

A little about her name ... before we ever officially decided to have a third baby but while we were discussing it on a date one afternoon, I asked Nic if he liked the name Rosie. He told me he loved it and I remember smiling because it's not always easy agreeing on baby names. We struggled our whole pregnancy trying to pick a boy name but our girl name never changed. There were so many moments throughout my pregnancy where her name came up like a sign from heaven. One night during my first trimester when I was incredibly sick, we watched 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' for some comic relief and one of the main characters in the movie was named Rosie. Then there was the baby blanket company I bought my first swaddle for this baby from and their pink one was called 'Rosie'. Or the one night I was snuggled in bed with Lyla reading one of her favorite books and she pointed to a picture of roses and said, "that's my favorite flower". She was meant to be Rosie. Her middle name didn't come as easy. We spent our whole hospital stay trying to decide. In the final hour before being discharged, we chose June. The two people who love her most in the world were born in the month of June. <3

So in love with those tiny lips and button nose.

Straight from heaven and with a head of hair just like her brother and sister!

She completes our family perfectly and are soaking up every minute as a family of FIVE! 

We all love you so much, Rosie!

Lyla turns FOUR!

 Lyla girl turned FOUR on September 8th! 

I had a bunch of contractions the night before her birthday and prayed so hard the baby would stay in there one more day so I wouldn't miss celebrating Lyla on her special day. So grateful those prayers were heard!

We started her the day with our birthday tradition of a stack of old fashioned donuts and a sparkler candle. I loved watching her reaction shift from shy to beaming over being the center of attention as we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her! I truly think it was one of her favorite parts about her day.

Luckily it was late start Wednesday for Liam so we had enough time to let her open her presents before he had to leave on the bus. Pretty sure this was her second favorite part about her special day. ;)

The thing she wanted most was a pink light up scooter! How cute is her reaction as she opened it?!

Some of my favorite things about 4 year old Lyla ...

She is my best helper and says every day, "I'm going to help mom throw away the stinky diapers." haha

She wraps her arms around my neck at bedtime and squeezes tight.

She loves to ride her bike and her scooter around the neighborhood. 

She is incredibly friendly and says "hi" to anyone she passes.

She knows all of her colors, can count to 20, and can write her name.

She is so independent and wants to do everything herself.

Her smile still lights up her whole face just like it has since she was a baby.

She saves every single piece of mail, receipt, magazine, and paper she can find and calls it "her work". haha (a.k.a. she won't throw anything away, that part is not as endearing for someone like me who is the opposite of a pack rat/hoarder/collector at heart).

She loves filling bags, purses, boxes, and suitcases full of toys and carting them around with her wherever she goes. 

She loves playing house and school just like I did when I was her age.

She loves stuffed animals and playing dress up. 

She's loves to wear pink from head to toe but is a tomboy at heart and is always in a pair of tennis shoes over anything else. 

I couldn't not love this four year old more!!!

My favorite picture from her special day <3

She is so silly and always knows how to make me laugh!

She got to go to her favorite place on her birthday ... preschool! She wore a birthday crown, shared treats with her friends, and invited me to come visit and help her share her VIP poster with her class. 

Then she rode her scooter until the sun went down!

Happy Birthday Lyla! We love you so much!!