The Willistons

Pictures from June-October

2014-11-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Again!

2014-11-06T10:17:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since my last post. It is so hard for me to find the time, but I really want to make the effort to keep this online scrapbook of our family so I am going to play catch up over the past several months! Since Andrew's birthday we had a great summer playing at the pool. We went to the beach with Garnett and her family, and just enjoyed staying busy with VBS and other summer activities. In August we bought a lot, sold our house, and started school! In September we moved to a rental home while we start the process of building our dream home! We took the big boys to their first MSU game in Mobile. All three boys attend school now. Matthew and Thomas go half days so I get them about 1, and Andrew goes one day a week to Mother's morning out. You would think with all three in school now I would have more time, but I guess I am good with filling up my vacant time with business of running errands, volunteering, and household chores-not to mention the huge task of moving! Matthew is doing wonderful! He is in Pre-K4 this year. He played flag football, which was so fun to watch, attended his first Saints game with us, had his 5th birthday at the Kroc center, was star student for the first 9 weeks in his class, and is beginning to read! We are so proud of him! He always impresses us and is a great son and brother! Thomas has started Pre-K 3 and is doing great! He is FINALLY completely potty trained (what a journey that has been), usually has green apples at school every day, and keeps us laughing all the time! He is such a funny little boy whom we love dearly! He adores Matthew still, but I have noticed him having more independence from him now. He loves playing with Legos these days and builds and creates things all afternoon. Andrew is just talking away now. He can say many words and mimics everything we say and do. His favorite things to say is "I want that" and "I want juice". He loves to play with dinosaurs and trains just like his brothers. He always wants to play with his big brothers. He loves to climb anything and everything so he needs a constant eye on him now. He only has 4 teeth which he didn't get until he was about 16 months old. He is truly the sweetest and best little baby! Paul and I are so blessed with these three amazing little boys! We couldn't imagine life without them. We are so use to chaos now that I think we would be so bored without something crazy happening on a daily basis;) I will post as many pics as I can of events over the past several months.

Summer and Andrew turns one!

2014-06-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

This summer has been great so far! The big boys are swimming everyday and went to VBS. We also had a nice trip to Orange Beach with my sister's family. I am enjoying having everyone home. I thought I would need to stay busy but it has been nice being on our own schedule. Matthew and Thomas are truly best friends. If they are not together they are asking where the other one is. They are side by side everywhere we go and enjoy playing together so much! As for little Andrew, he is doing great! He just had his first birthday! He is walking now, still no teeth, says mama and yay, clapping, waving bye bye, and so interested in all the boys toys! He has been such a blessing to our family and is so calm and easy! I am praying he stays that way! He is happy all the time and rarely fusses. He sleeps well, eats ok, and loves to kiss on mama! His one year check up went great! He weighed 18 lbs and 2.5 oz (7%) and was 28 3/4 in long (11%) He is right on track and she was very impressed that he was walking already.

Our Mountain Trip

2014-05-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the Smoky Mountains for Easter with Paul's family and had a blast. Our view from the cabin was amazing! We rode the Great Smoky Mountain Train. Thomas has a deep love for trains and just stared out the window the whole time. He loved it, as did the rest of us.

catch up

2014-04-04T08:45:00.002-07:00

Matthew and Thomas have both started soccer. Thomas just finished up his practices. He liked it but mainly just ran off and we had to chase him down to get him to join the group. Matthew seems to be enjoying it but gets tired after the first 30-45 mins. They are playing much better together now. Thomas is no longer napping because he wants to play with Matthew when he gets home from school. They are both still great big brothers to Andrew. Andrew is crawling and cruising now. He is still a great baby. Very laid back and goes with the flow. I do drag him around everywhere, but he is such a trooper even if he has to skip a nap. He already appears to be a picky eater. He loves yogurt, but most of the other stuff I have to force feed. He is still doing baby food. I have just started introducing more table food, which he seems to like but still isn't completely ready for. At his 9 month check up he weighed 16 lbs 14 ozs (8%) and was 28" long (33%). He is right on track, and we are so happy with him!

Happy Birthday Thomas

2014-02-21T06:53:00.001-08:00

Thomas turned three on the 13th. He had the best time at Lynn Meadows for his party. All of his friends came to help him celebrate. Happy Birthday Thomas! Both boys have started soccer. Matthew will actually be playing games, Thomas is just practicing but seems to love it! We are enjoying watching them. Andrew is officially mobile. He is crawling all over. He is such a happy, sweet baby. The boys still adore him and love interacting with him more now. It is fun to watch them. Matthew and Thomas have gotten to where they play really well together so that has been great!

A few pictures from Christmas

2014-01-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

What we have been up to

2013-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

December is always a busy month. Matthew had his school play. He was an alligator elf and did great!I think he enjoys getting on stage and dancing. He never seems scared and looks like he has a good time. We took the kids to Christmas in the Oaks in New Orleans. We rode the train, carousel, and looked at all the lights. The boys had a blast! We have been decorating the house, making cookies, wrapping presents, and finding Sam (our elf). Matthew is really excited about Christmas this year. I think he has a good understanding of Santa and what Christmas is about this year! We are all really looking forward to seeing everyone over the holidays, and the boys can't wait to play with their cousins! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

6 months

2013-12-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

Andrew had his 6 month check up. He is still doing amazing! The doctor is not concerned about him at all and says he is right on track! He weighed 14 lb 11 oz (6%) and was 26 1/4 in (35%). He is rolling all over the place. He can get up on all fours so I bet he will be crawling within the next month. He talks all the time and is such a happy, good baby. He loves to be held and cuddle with you. He is such a sweet baby. We started cereal and he seems to like it. He opens up his mouth and takes it very well. So far he is a clean eater :)

pumpkin patch, Halloween, and bike ride

2013-11-08T13:28:00.001-08:00

Matthew had his first field trip to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. He even got to ride the big yellow school bus! He loved it. The big boys were Buzz lightyear for Halloween and Andrew was Superman during the day and a pumpkin at night. Matthew got a new bike for his birthday so Thomas got Matthew's old bike. We took our first family bike ride the other day. It was nice having both boys on a bike!

2 months and 4 months

2013-10-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I think I forgot to post about Andrew's 2 month check up so I am going to double up. 2 Month check up was great! He weighed 10 lbs 2 ozs (10%) and was 20 3/4 in long (5%) The doctor was very impressed with his weight gain since birth and didn't foresee him having any delays from being early. 4 Month check up was today. He also checked out great! He weighed 12 lbs 15 oz (6%) and was 24 3/4 in long (34%) She wasn't too concerned about him not gaining more. I did check Matthew's numbers and Andrew was almost exactly the same as him and 2 and 4 months so I am not worried at all. Andrew is cooing and laughing a lot these days. His tummy seems to be more mature now so he isn't as gassy as he has been. He is rolling over and sleeping anywhere from 8-10 hrs at night. He loves to be held and played with. He kicks his arms and legs around like he is dancing all the time. He loves taking baths and is a great baby. He does get fussy a lot and has been drooling so I think he has already started teething. It seems to bother him more that it did Matthew and Thomas. He loves his wubanub! Here are a few pictures of him

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2013-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Matthew's 4th birthday at the Kroc Center. I didn't get many pictures of the actually party :( but did get some of the cake and eating of the cake. They all had a blast though! Sunday we went to Matthew's favorite place...The Zoo. Here are some pictures!

Update on the Willistons

2013-10-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Life with three boys has been an adjustment for us, but we are loving it. We have been to the beach, pumpkin patch, and Matthew had his first performance within the past month. He did so good. I even got a little teary eyed watching him. It was so sweet! Andrew is doing good. He is starting to drool alot now. He is talking and laughing and loves to be held and played with. The boys love their baby brother, especially Thomas. If he is crying, Thomas runs to get his paci to help him feel better. Matthew just turned 4 so we have his party coming up this weekend so I will post pictures from that soon.

The Insectarium

2013-09-04T07:55:00.001-07:00

We made our way over to New Orleans this past weekend. Our first out of town family outing. We went to the Insectarium. The boys loved it. Life with three boys has been pretty crazy for us lately but we are hanging in here ;)

more pictures

2013-08-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Williston boys

2013-07-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

They LOVE their new baby brother!

Andrew Kirk Williston

2013-06-22T10:14:00.002-07:00

Andrew Kirk Williston was born Tuesday, June 18 at 5:06 am. He weighed 6lbs 5ozs and 19 inches long. He was 5 weeks early, I wasn't due until July 20. The best way to describe him is perfect!!! The story of Andrew's birth. The prior Thursday morning at 6 am, my water broke. We went to the hospital, and they admitted me. We checked his lung development and is was at 21. It needed to get to 50. So we decided to wait and retest in 2 days. So Saturday it was 34. So we said to wait two more days and retest and it should be there or close right? Well Sunday night from about 1-6 am I started having contractions. The dr said we would continue to wait as long as he was still looking good and my temperature was not rising as a risk of infection since my water had broken for over 24 hrs unless I went into labor on my own. He said he wouldn't stop it. So Monday I had dilated to 4cm, but the contractions had stopped. So now I am even more at risk for infection since I was now dilated too! We got his lung test back and it actually had gone down to 30. I was so upset and confused. I just knew he would be at 50 or close. I think my dr was ready to induce at that point because I was 5 days out with my water broken and dilated! I really didn't want to get induced because I knew every day/hour counted in helping his lungs get more mature. So I asked it we could retest to see if the results were accurate. I just knew there had to have been a mistake. They were all confused too and said that usually doesn't happen. So I tried for from 9-3 to get enough fluid to retest, finally got it, had to be sent to New Orleans to be tested. We got the results back about 8 that night, and it was still 30. I was so upset. I was about to the point where I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait it out, but I knew I had to try. The dr said just see what happens tonight, and we will decide on a plan tomorrow, probably will have to induce. Well Monday night I started contracting again and went into labor on my own. We had talked to the neonatologist earlier that day to go over what to expect if he were to come at this point. Labor and delivery went extremely fast and at 5:06 am Andrew was welcomed into our world. They had a bed ready in the NICU for him, but he came out crying and did great!!! He had no issues or concerns at all. He was absolutely perfect! We are all so impressed by him and how well he is doing! He is still doing great! He has been such a good baby too. He eats well, sleeps well, and isn't too fussy at all! I would even say he has been the easiest so far! I know God had a hand in all of this and just feel so blessed! My pregnancy was a challenging one, but the outcome of it couldn't have been better!! God is good! We love you Andrew! The boys have welcomed him into our family! They say I love you Andrew all the time and love to look at him. At first Thomas wasn't sure about him. He would point to him and say "what's that?" I would say it is your brother Andrew and he would say "Matthew is my brother" Now he is saying "I love Andrew" so sweet. Matthew loved him from day one, even when I was pregnant. I am looking forward to spending time with Andrew and getting back to doing things with Matthew and Thomas again that I couldn't do when I was pregnant. During my pregnancy I had to be careful and couldn't do too much. Matthew can't wait for me to race him and pick him up again. Thomas can't wait for me to be able to pick him up again too! This has definitely been a journey, but I am glad we made it and have a beautiful, healthy baby boy! I am over the moon in love with him!

Getting ready for summer

2013-05-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

The boys are done with school, so I guess summer has officially started. What's been going on with us? Matthew has really gotten interested in his bike and has gotten really good at riding it. He goes for bike rides with daddy while Thomas pulls the wagon. I took Matthew to the Marine institute. He had a great time. He enjoyed the touch tanks with sharks and stingrays, the shark tooth fossil dig, and seeing the dolphins. Thomas has started potty training this past week. He has done really well with it. He wears his underwear all day except for naps and night time. I still haven't taken him out yet, but he seems to get the concept pretty well with a few accidents, if any a day. Yay Thomas!! I am looking forward to the summer and the arrival of baby Williston. It will be challenging keeping the boys busy enough and me being at the end of my pregnancy in this heat! Luckily I have great help with the boys so I think we can do it!

pictures and the beach

2013-04-30T11:55:00.002-07:00

Here are a few recent pictures of the boys. We also went to the beach last weekend and had a great time. The boys LOVED it. We had a house on the beach so it was so nice being able to go back and forth as needed. So much fun! I can't figure out how to write under the pictures anymore since it has changed...so pictures in order: Boys are sharing a room now, Thomas riding his tractor, Matthew and his dinosaurs, playing on the beach with Nana and PawPaw, destroying a sandcastle, and sliding in the sand! We had a great time1

Easter Pictures

2013-04-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Thomas!!

2013-02-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thomas' 2nd birthday this past weekend. We just had a few people over to celebrate with us, but it was great! We had a dinosaur birthday party. Thomas had his 2 yr check up last week also. He did great. The dr was very impressed with him. He weighed 27.2 lbs (33%) and was 33% in height. Here are some party pictures:

Pictures

2013-02-11T06:43:00.002-08:00

Napping in the car. Tough stuff

Matthew at the Marine Institute. He loves dolphins!

Daddy's little helper in the kitchen. Paul took him to the grocery store. He picked out some green beans and noodles (neither of which he will eat)Paul let him help make it.

Enjoying the dinner he helped prepare! I couldn't believe it. However, he did get a burn on the finger from touching the stove the next meal he helped with :(

New Orleans Zoo

God is good!

2013-02-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Prayers have been answered! I had another Dr appmt today and all my complications seem to have resolved and everything is looking good! We are so relieved to hear that! We also found out we are having another BOY! That's right, we will have 3 boys now! It will be wild here, but we are so excited and feel so blessed! God is good!

Complications

2013-01-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

Well I am almost 15 weeks. The past few weeks I have been having some complications. I have been going in about once a week to get an ultrasound. Throughout this all the baby looks great! It was playing with its feet, smacking its mouth, moving all over the place, and has a strong heartbeat! Please keep us in your prayers though. I am having to take it easy and try and rest as much as I can, which is hard with 2 little boys! We are just praying for improvement. Each week seems to get a little better, but it is something that is just unpredictable as for how long it will go on! This had been very scary and tough for us, but seeing the baby each week is reassuring! Thanks in advance for the prayers!

What's been going on?

2013-01-04T07:39:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in forever! We had a good Christmas and Happy New Year! We enjoyed seeing Paul's family that came into town over the holidays. We spent a lot of time with them. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go to West Point this year. Everyone was sick! Most are on the mends now and getting better! I haven't taken any recent pictures either..sorry! We went to New Orleans to the Aquarium and Celebration in the Oaks. Paul and I went to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. It was fun to get away without chasing kids. Over the holidays we did a lot of fun, Christmas stuff like Seeing Santa at the parade, Yacht Club, and Mall. We made gingerbread houses and train with friends, saw Disney on Ice. An update on the boys: Matthew- Loves alligators and crocodiles, still loves dinosaurs too, but think he favors the alligators now. He still has a deep love of animals, any kind! He gets our laundry baskets and turns them into Arks for the animals. I even gave him his own basket, but somehow he keeps reclaiming our laundry baskets. He is getting much bigger and more mature. We had a phase he went through where he was a tough cookie, but seems to be back to normal now. He still refers to Thomas as "baby", but usually is looking out for his little brother. Thomas- Loves basketball and basketball goals. He has a love of any kind of ball/sports. He speaks very well and talks all the time. He adores Matthew and does everything he does. He also likes to take our laundry baskets and make them boats. He is all over the place so it is much more challenging now for me to take them both places. Matthew for the most part will mind and stay close to me, but Thomas is like a loose cannon. Either one can also throw a fit at any given moment, so I am much more selective about where I take them both. Since they both go to school, I try to take them places one on one while the other is in school. As for Paul and I, God has blessed up with our 3rd baby!! We are due July 20. We are excited and looking forward to having another child. Matthew will be almost 4 and Thomas will be about 2.5 when the baby comes so I am looking forward to having 2 good big brothers to help out ;) Hope everyone had a great Holiday season!