Williams Family Blog

My Latest Mtn Bike Adventure

2010-07-03T22:24:00.004-04:00

I took the afternoon off work on Friday to go ride my mountain bike at the local state park, because, for probably the only time the rest of this summer, the temps were below 80 degrees and the humidity was low so I HAD to take advantage of it. This was my first time back on the mountain bike on actual off-road trails since my weekend trip to Pisgah Nat'l Forest in North Carolina about a year and a half ago where, on about mile 38 of approximately 40 total miles we rode that weekend, I caught a tree with my right shoulder going way faster than I should have on a trail I was not familiar with. I believe that crash, while it didn't really hurt at the time, contributed to my need to have shoulder surgery in January of this year.

So, here I was. My first time back on the bike, and while I was just riding at the local state park, these are no easy trails so I didn't get much of a warm-up. My trip started at the bottom of the mountain on some moderate trails that eventually led to a paved road for a VERY steep climb to the rest of the trail system at the top of the mountain. When I took the paved road I decided to lock my front suspension to get better power from my pedals to the wheels to make my climb a bit easier. The problem was that I forgot to unlock my suspension when I resumed riding the rocky, rooty, skinny, uneven trails at the top of the mountain. I approached a large rock with a drop-off about a foot high that was perched on a downhill section of the trail. I thought nothing of it because it didn't look too bad and I've ridden it plenty of times with no incident. Unfortunately, because my front suspension was locked the momentem of the bike carried me off the drop off and kept on carrying me straight over the handlebars until I was face first in the dirt with my bike on top of me. If it had happened to someone else I'm sure I would have laughed hysterically because I KNOW it looked funny, but it wasn't funny this time because it happened to me and it HURT! The end result...

...a busted up forehead and bike helmet split completely in two (picture looking at inside front of helmet above). The helmet definitely did its job by absorbing most of the impact. If I hadn't been wearing it I would have been in a pretty bad situation, because, as it was, it took about 15 minutes for the dizzyness to wear off.

But, that's part of the allure of the sport...at least for me. Life can be boring (and severly damaging to your general fitness level) when you live 40+ hours per week in a cubicle so I jump at the opportunities to get outside, get some exercise, and add a little excitement to my day whenever they present themselves. Besides, my new scar is a good conversation starter! For example, the family and I were having lunch downtown today when a little boy (about 5-7ish) looked at me in the restaurant and asked, "Hey, what's wrong with your head?". Thanks, kid.

Palmer Walking

2010-06-30T18:16:00.004-04:00

The broken leg definitely set him back, but at just over 1 year old the boy is finally walking on his own. The two videos below were taken last weekend. Just a few days earlier, Mel and I were sitting in the floor across from each other and he would take one or two steps and then lunge for us knowing that we would catch him. Even more impressive is that last night (only four days after he really started walking on his own) I watched him climb by himself up the slide part of the pastic slide in the kitchen, turn around, and intentionally push himself off to slide back down...no help from anyone. Of course, he lost his balance hit his head and nearly freaked out, but whatever...

Trip to Morgantown, WV

2010-05-12T22:38:00.009-04:00

Okay, so the only reason I'm posting pics to the blog at 11:15pm on a weeknight is b/c Cassie already has pics up from our visit this past weekend. I can't say I'm surprised...she has no life to speak of. :) We had a great time and appreciate Cassie and Justin hosting us for a couple days.

Watching Harrison imitate Justin's laugh was one of the highlights of our trip to Morgantown last weekend. Lucky for you, Justin, his impersonation still needs some work.

Lucy enjoying her evening walk.

Harrison and Bailey had a great time playing together...especially in the playroom downstairs where they could be as loud as they wanted to be.

On Saturday, we took a little drive through Morgantown to see the sights. As you can see, Bailey was mesmerized!!!

I spent some time teaching Palmer the ropes of driving during a break in our trip home on Sunday. He now knows how to turn on the windshield wipers...in fact, he is quite skilled at it.

Bailey chillin in the backseat watching movies on our trip home. She certainly had plenty of time to do so. The night before we left to return home Palmer decided he didn't need to sleep much. The result was that he was asleep before we even got out of Morgantown. He woke up two hours later around lunchtime, but, after that, he slept off and on for the next five-and-a-half hours. We literally did not make a stop from the time we left New River Gorge in WV until we got to Greenville!

All in all, both the trip to WV and the trip home were quite successful and the kids did wonderfully.

Palmer's First Cast

2010-04-27T20:58:00.003-04:00

We're always excited to show off our childrens' "firsts"...first crawl, first word, first step. Well, how about their first real injury...like a broken tibia and fibula. At only 11 months old Palmer certainly beat me to my first cast. I think I was in middle school before I actually had anything casted. Luckily, P hasn't shown any annoyance at his new friend, it's not slowing him down from crawling all over the place, and he is only scheduled to wear it for three weeks.

We're not positive but we think it happened while he was sliding in Mel's lap down one of those big inflatable slides at "Pump It Up" here in Greenville. The only plausible explanation is that his foot got caught under Mel's leg as they went down the slide, b/c she says he started crying when they got to the bottom of the slide and pretty much didn't stop the rest of the time they were there. This all happened on Saturday morning (4/24). He was in a good bit of pain at times throughout the day on Saturday, but at that time we had no clue what the problem could be. We finally pinpointed to the area around his foot when we came up with our hypothesis about his foot getting caught during the slide. It wasn't bruised or ever swollen all that much so we figured he may have just sprained it. We gave him some infant Motrin which helped and decided to watch him throughout the weekend to see if it would get better.

It did, in fact, get better; although he couldn't support his weight on that leg when he tried to stand up and would topple over onto the floor. So, when that trend continued through Monday Mel set up a doc appointment for the following morning. Dr. Moll referred him to the hospital for x-rays whereupon we learned it was broken. I met them at the hospital (after having been at work for a whole 45 minutes) and a short time later I found myself holding him in the casting room having the kind of father-son bonding moment I didn't think I would be having this early on.

Good news is he should be better soon and that it was a very simple break that will heal up with no impact to his ankle joint. Let's just hope he doesn't manage to wiggle out of the cast during the next few weeks.

April Pics (Including Easter)

2010-04-13T23:04:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pictures from the month of April...yes, the month that is only 14 days old at the time of this post. This post is as big as many of my other posts that cover an entire month!

The daycare was closed on Good Friday so I took off work and kept the kids while Mel worked. We went to the zoo that morning and then met Mel for lunch downtown before heading home for a nap.

Bailey definitely enjoyed the animals and Palmer showed interest from time to time, as well.

Here we are at the church on Easter morning.

Bailey and Palmer on the church grounds Easter morning.

The kids hanging in front of our church. You know, its not THE most beautiful church I've ever seen but there is definitely something about it that I love. I guess that's a good thing, huh?

Palmer looks thouroughly unimpressed with the flowers Bailey is giving him. At-a-boy!!!

Bailey got a pig neck pillow, among other things, in her Easter basket. Mel picked it up for her b/c whenever we travel and Bailey falls asleep her head falls over b/c she is in an upright position. The only problem is that the neck pillow is a little too thick and it makes her look like she is wearing a neck brace. I'm not sure she'll ever actually fall asleep with it around her neck.

Since my birthday was on Easter I opened a few presents, as well. Palmer loved the tissue paper while Bailey loved helping me open the boxes.

Bailey with her Easter basket and the eggs she and Mel dyed.

We headed to the Greenville Drive game this past Friday night for the Drive's first Friday night game of the season. I know the kids are too backlit to really show up well but I wanted to post this pic anyway. We had great seats...second row off the visitor's dugout on the third base side.

Our stadium has a children's playground in the stadium that we visited a couple times throughout the game. Bailey, of course, was in her element.

Palmer had a good time in the playground too; although, we kept him away from the actual playground equipment b/c there were some crazy kids running around in there. Poor P wouldn't have survived long.

The Sunday following Easter our Sunday school class held our annual Easter egg hunt for the kids. It was supposed to be Palm Sunday but it got rained out. Unfortunately, a number of people were out of town (or watching the final round of The Masters) and didn't make it so the kids in the picture represent maybe one-half of the total number of children that belong to our class!

Bailey finding an Easter egg under a slide in the church's playground.

Here, Bailey is checking out what's inside one of the eggs she found.

Palmer at the Easter egg hunt.

Palmer Eating and Clapping

2010-04-13T22:24:00.003-04:00

Here's a short video of Palmer feeding himself and clapping. He's been doing this now for a couple weeks or so but I'm just now getting some video of it up on the blog. I hope everyone can see the video this time.

Bailey Wuz Here

2010-02-25T22:15:00.003-05:00

Sorry, buddy...get used to it. Actually, Palmer made out better than I did. I fell victim to Bailey and her stickers, as well. What's better (or worse, depending on your perspective) is that all this transpired while we waited for the pizza delivery guy to show up. By the time he finally did I had completely forgotten that my face was covered in stickers and I answered the door with a "what's up", wrote out the check, yelled at the dog for trying to jump up on the guy, and finished with a smooth "take it easy, man". Nice, Clark...real nice! Thanks goes out to Melanie and her friend, Rosemary, for pointing out the obvious to me AFTER I came back inside.

Second (and Potentially Last) Snow of 2010

2010-02-25T21:52:00.011-05:00

So, I've heard the videos from the previous post wouldn't play for most, if not all, people who attempted to view them. I think that's why God graced Greenville with a second snow...so I can post pictures instead of video this time.

Here we are in our driveway getting ready to do some sledding with Bailey. Poor Palmer was so bundled up I'm not sure he was able to move.

With the first snow, Pops just happened to be in town. With this snow, Grammy just happened to be in town. In fact, Grammy fought heavy snowfall all the way from Birmingham to Greenville on her way up. We're definitely glad she didn't wait one day later to come.

Bailey and Ava enjoyed playing with the snow piled up in the back of Quay's truck.

Me and Palmer.

Here's what our house looks like under 4 inches of snow. Cassie, how long has it been since y'all only had 4 inches on the ground?

Our dogwood in the front yard looked like a giant cotton plant.

First (and Potentially Only) Snow of 2010

2010-02-04T18:06:00.013-05:00

The last weekend in January 2010 we got a little snow and ice. Luckily, we knew it was coming so I went to Dick's Sporting Goods during my lunch break the day before the weather hit and bought an inflatable snow tube for Bailey. Pops happened to be staying with us that weekend and indicated that he had an automatic air pump we could use to inflate the 56" round tube. When we realized his pump wouldn't attach correctly to the tube's nozzle he heroically blew the entire thing up my mouth. Now that was one impressive display of hot air! :) The first day of the snow and ice we mostly spent inside b/c the wind was really cold, but we did get outside for a little while. Check out this footage...

The next day, Quay, Erica, and Ava came up from their house to join in on some more sledding. By this time Pops and left for home and since I'm currently nursing a surgically-repaired shoulder and couldn't very well go chasing Bailey down an ice-covered hill I devised an ingenious plan to tie a rope to one of the handles of the snow tube so I could stand at the top of our yard, push, and simply reel my daughter back in like a fish once the rope caught (all with my good arm, of course). We really only had one mishap when Quay gave the girls a slightly harder push than normal and Bailey shot off the tube into a perfect Pete Rose slide onto the street. Like any good dad I took my time coming to her rescue in favor of getting it all on camera. The drama lasted all of about 2 minutes when I plopped her right back on the tube and sent her down the hill again. After that, it was ancient history. Below, Quay is doing the pushing (and reeling) while Bailey and Ava shout out orders...this is not the footage of Bailey's Pete Rose imitation.

Even Oscar (Quay's dog) got in on the sledding action...

We finally did get Palmer out for awhile and set him down in the tube for a photo op, but that was about it. Next year, he'll be ready to rock, though.

November & December 2009

2010-01-23T14:38:00.015-05:00

In an effort to catch up to the new decade I am posting November and December 2009 pics in the same post. Enjoy!

Bailey hugging on Palmer in the front yard one afternoon.

Bailey wiping a booger...I mean, kissing Palmer.

Bailey helped me rake leaves in the backyard so, naturally, we took a break and played in them afterwards.

Bailey and Mel swinging on the rope swing I built earlier in the summer.

Palmer chilling on the deck on a warm November afternoon.

Palmer at Sugar Pops' and Gran's (Mel's parents) house during Thanksgiving.

Bailey and Palmer hanging out in the den. Bailey is actually sitting in an old wooden rocking chair that Big Daddy and Grandma (my grandparents) brought during a recent visit. This rocking chair has been in the family since at least I was Bailey's age and I think long before that, as well.

This was our Christmas card picture for 2009. It was kind of thrown together at the last minute but turned out pretty well.

While at Papa's and Grammy's (my parents) house for Christmas we took Bailey and her cousin, Harrison, on a wagon ride.

We made sure to get a four-generation picture of the guys while we were home for Christmas.

Bailey and Harrison eating Christmas Eve dinner at Big Daddy's and Grandma's house.

Instead of Christmas Eve dinner, Lucy (Harrison's little sister) decided to eat wooden blocks.

Grammy gave Palmer plenty of squeezes during Christmas. It's a good thing he hadn't just eaten.

Justin guarding the spread.

Christmas morning at Papa's and Grammy's house.

Cassie and Lucy opening presents.

Papa and Grammy got everyone Siberian-weather tobaggins for Christmas. Lucy wouldn't keep hers on long enough for our cameras to even focus.

We got Harrison a Black & Decker construction workers uniform and tools.

Palmer working on one of his presents.

Bailey got a baby doll that makes drinking noises, burps, falls to sleep and snores, wakes back up, laughs when you squeeze her tummy, and cries when you pinch her hand. To get her to laugh, Bailey puts her on the floor and uses her entire palm to push on her stomach. It looks a bit like she's giving her baby CPR.

Bailey and I went hunting for a Christmas tree and found the perfect one (that was too tall for our house and fell at least once after we finally got it up).

She didn't make much progress, but she gave it her best effort.

Go Tigers

2009-11-23T21:35:00.013-05:00

No, not those Tigers. The other Tigers. No, not the LSU Tigers either. The OTHER (non-SEC) Tigers. Yeah, the Clemson Tigers! Last Sunday, while enjoying an after-church meal at a local Meat-&-Three (Stax Original restaurant) with some friends of ours I was asked if Bailey and I would care to join my friend, Ryan, and his two year old son, Coleman, at the final Clemson home football game of the season. I haven't actually been to a college football game since before Bailey was born and she and Coleman are good buddies from school so it seemed like a no-brainer at the time. As the week wore on I slowly began to grasp the magnitude of what I had taken on. Seriously!?! I'm going to take my two year old daughter to a big time college football game...BY MYSELF...WITH NO HELP FROM MEL...OR MY MOM!?!

Luckily (and not surprisingly b/c Bailey is such a good kid) we both survived and had a wonderful time with the exception of a short run-in with a Clemson cop who apparently needed to validate himself by harrassing me b/c I was using a backpack as a diaper bag instead of a diaper bag as a diaper bag (supposedly, backpacks can conceal terrorist bombs but diaper bags are safe). Oh yeah, and the dual F-15 flyover 250 ft off the ground because it was military appreciation day nearly caused Bailey to crawl out of her skin and shred mine with her fingernails in the process.

DISCLAIMER: When Bailey is old enough to understand, we will explain to her why the SEC is far superior to all other conferences in the country.

Here we are the morning of the game practicing our "Go Tigers" cheer and proper shaker technique and etiquette. It turns out that the biggest difference I noticed between the Clemson game and Auburn games (I was told to look for differences since the two schools are so similar) was that hardly anyone at Clemson used these shakers during the game. At Auburn (and Alabama, for that matter) games, you can barely see the people in the stands when all the shakers are going.

Bailey and Coleman enjoying a pre-game tailgate lunch of pigs-in-the-blanket, cheetohs, and some Bojangles fried chicken strips and biscuits...YUMMY!!!

After lunch it was time to toss the old pigskin around. Hey, don't knock Coleman's throwing technique. Phillip Rivers has a jacked up throwing motion and we all know where it got him. Coleman may be onto something here!

Coleman cheesing it up for the camera.

Here we are at our seats inside the stadium. It took Bailey a few minutes to get used to the sights and sounds of the game and everything associated with it. The blue lollipop definitely helped. At some point late in the first quarter she spotted the Clemson mascot walking around behind the end zone and made it her sole purpose in life to spot him and point him out every few minutes thereafter.

Watchin' the Tiger Band perform as the sun sets behind the stadium.

By the time we made it home that night Bailey was pooped. I actually got carry her in the house, asleep on my shoulder, after a special day of fun with just the too of us (something I've always looked forward to doing). Great memories!!!

More October 09 Pics...Including HALLOWEEN Pics!

2009-10-31T23:35:00.045-04:00

The first half of October was a busy, busy time for us. Included in our activities were a day trip to the Georgia Aquarium to visit with Papa and Grammy; a weekend with Pops and Gran here in Greenville, which included a trip to Sky Top Apple Orchard in North Carolina; a one night visit with Adam (my cousin); and a visit from Big Daddy and Grand-mama.

The second half of the month was more of the same. It has included a Fall bike ride in the mountains for me with my buddy, Kev-O; a trip to Denver Downs Pumpkin Patch near Clemson, SC, with our Sunday school class and ALL our kids; a Fall Festival at church; a little Halloween trick-or-treating; and some general horsing around.

Somehow, we've managed to find time to fit work and school into our schedules, as well.

Below are some pics (basically in the order in which they happened) from the second half of the month of October.

Bike Ride in the Mountains (near Brevard, NC)

I took the opportunity to steal away from Greenville for a few hours last Saturday for a bike ride in the mountains with a friend of mine. The leaves were brightly colored, the rivers were full of water, and the air was just crisp enough that I almost needed a jacket during the ride, but not quite. Next time I ride with Kev-O I'm gonna have to teach him how to wait until someone smiles before snapping the pic.

See...I waited for him to smile! :) This is Kev-O being a good Greenville cyclist and sporting his Hincapie Sportswear jersey. George Hincapie, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong's for all seven of Lance's Tour de France wins, lives here in Greenville and his brother runs a cycling clothing company that is doing quite well nationwide.

Whoever paved this road had to have been a cyclist. It doesn't look it but this was a pretty steep drop off the back of the second mountain we climbed as part of our ride. The sketchy part was all the loose, wet leaves in the road that I fully expected to cause my tires to slip out from under me. Luckily, the tires stuck and I had a blast snaking down this mountain.

Here's another pic I shot of Kev-O from the top of one of the lesser climbs. Like I said, the colors of the leaves were really great and having deserted roads all to ourselves made the whole thing that much better.

Denver Downs Pumpkin Patch

The day after my bike ride our Sunday school class and all our kids took a trip to a pumpkin patch near Clemson, SC, called Denver Downs. It was a really cool place with a TON of stuff to do including hayrides, corn maize, pine straw maze (for the kiddos), a hay barn with rope swings in it, various games, and even a place to get some bbq. Here we are on the hayride.

Bailey and her friend Ryan enjoyed climbing on the pine straw bales that made up the pine straw maze. Ryan is thinking about jumping off the top of this one while Bailey is excitedly urging him on.

AND RYAN TAKES THE LEAP!!!

Not to be outdone by a boy Bailey takes the leap, as well. That's some pretty good hops for a two year old!

Bailey also enjoyed riding in "Ginger", one of the cows on the cow train being pulled around by a lady on a tractor. Nice Jordan imitation with the tongue thing by the way.

The next few pics are of members of our class and their kids while on the hayride. We had so many people there in our group we actually filled up an entire trailer. Starting with the extreme left is Jenn Byford and her son, "Little" Pete; Riggs, Nate, Stephanie, & Will Manning; and Alison Lupo and one of her twin daughters (Macy or Lydia).

Again, from the extreme left is Kathryn Sinclair and her son, McCain (not named for John even though he was born during John's Presidential campaign); and Anna Kate, Pete, Jenn, & "Little" Pete Byford.

From left: Jason, Melissa, & Ava Grace Payne; Ben, Ryan, Leslie, & Bryce Owens; and Ally, Tommy, Kathryn, & McCain Sinclair.

Jason, Melissa, & Ava Grace Payne. We invited the Paynes on the trip despite the fact that they had never been to our Sunday school class before. In fact, they had just joined the church the week before and Mel and I were their mentors (meaning we simply stood at the front of the church with them when they joined). They accepted our invitation and have since come to class, as well. As a side note, we happened to run into them a few weeks before while eating bbq in NC after visiting the apple orchard with Pops and Gran.

From left: Ryan and Coleman Burnett and Deidre and Sydney Jordan. Ryan's wife, Stephanie, was just out of the shot to the left and Deidre's husband, Matt, was right behind her.

From left: Bentley, Anna, Scott, & Lucas Thompson and us.

Halloween

Our jack-o-lantern...it has freckles!

Here's a shot of us trick-or-treating at one of only two stops for the night (it was rainy). This was taken by our next door neighbor. Bailey is wearing an authentic Japanese kimono picked up by some friends of the family during a recent trip to Japan while Palmer is dressed as a frog (complete with webbed fingers).

Bailey and Palmer hanging out on the front porch by the jack-o-lantern waiting for more trick-or-treaters to stop by.

"WHAT!?! You mean we have to GIVE the candy AWAY!!!"

"Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

"Is there a giant frog behind me?"

[Insert your own caption here.]

Bailey showing off her spoils for the evening.

Not sure what Bailey is doing here but it resulted in no harm to Palmer. For a second, there, we weren't so sure he was safe.

Random Pics

Palmer after one of his first high-chair meals. Some of it actually made it into his mouth, too!

Passed out after a big meal of rice cereal.

Bailey being Bailey.

Hanging out in the den. Palmer in the bumbo seat and Bailey in the wooden rocking chair Big Daddy and Grand-mama brought to us during their visit. This is the same rocking chair that I used to sit in at their house when I was Bailey's age and the same rocking chair, I'm sure, that my Dad sat in back in the day, too.

Again...Bailey being Bailey, but doing it in a cute dress.

Bailey's most recent favorite game is for us to chase her in circles throughout the house. The other day I did it with the digital camera in hand.

October...FINALLY!!!

2009-10-11T21:56:00.007-04:00

October…FINALLY!!!

October truly is my favorite month of the year. We’ve endured the heat and humidity of summer and are finally being granted a respite of cooler temps and crisp breezes. Unlike Mel, I LOVE the fact that it’s cool enough for jeans and long sleeves in the mornings and just warm enough for shorts in the afternoon.

So far, we’ve taken day trips each weekend in October with each set of grandparents and have had a really good time on both. The first weekend we drove to Atlanta to visit the Georgia Aquarium. This was Bailey’s first time there and she, along with the rest of us, had a blast. The second weekend Gran and Sugar-Pops (a.k.a. Paula & Paul) stayed with us and we all drove up to Sky Top Orchard to visit an apple orchard on a mountain top in Zirconia, NC. We followed it with a BBQ lunch at Hubba Bubba’s in Flat Rock, NC. It was good, but, as usual, not as good as what we’re used to back home in Alabama. Once again, all involved had a good time.

Georgia Aquarium

Williams family at the Georgia Aquarium

Bailey and Palmer had a great time with Grammy and Papa!

Bailey reaching to touch the rays and sharks.

Grammy giving Palmer one of more than a few hugs in front of the gift shop while Bailey and Papa were busy inside picking out the perfect stuffed penguin for a souvenir. It's funny, b/c I remember Dad used to try to avoid souvenir shops when Cassie and I were kids.

Bailey and Grammy (and baby penguin from the souvenir shop) looking up at the fish from the walk-through tunnel in the largest single aquarium in the world...almost 7 million gallons!!!

After our day inside the aquarium we spent some time in the park just outside the aquarium. The rain during the hours preceding our visit to Atlanta left the sky a beautiful blue color.

Atlanta is not my favorite city in the world (by far), but I have to admit the Olympic park (or whatever its called) is a really, really nice addition. Bailey had plenty of room to run her heart (and ours) out.

Another pic from inside the aquarium. This exhibit had actual waves that rolled across the surface of the water every few minutes so you could see what waves look like from underneath.

OUCH!!!

The main attraction. One of three whale sharks we saw in the giant aquarium.

Sky Top (apple) Orchard

I love this picture of Bailey.

Gran, Sugar-Pops, Bailey, & Palmer at the apple orchard in North Carolina. You may be able to tell that the leaves were just starting to change color up here.

Now its our turn to pose.

Bailey sitting on a pumpkin at the apple orchard.

A Few Recent Pics

2009-09-20T13:57:00.002-04:00

Palmer and I shortly after the AU vs West Virginia game started. AU was already losing 14-0 at this point so I was having to try hard to smile for the camera. Luckily, AU won the game 41-30.

Bailey playing in her tunnel. She and Mel wore Bama shirts yesterday while Palmer and I wore Auburn shirts. Next week, we'll switch...at least the kids will switch.

Palmer "playing" in the tunnel.

Palmer hanging out in the jumper seat.

Palmer Laughing

2009-09-20T13:49:00.002-04:00

Here is some video footage of Palmer laughing at his Mommy yesterday. Maybe he was laughing at the silly Alabama shirt she was wearing. :) Sorry the footage isn't the greatest, but I had to shoot it in the lowest-quality mode in order for it to upload. We don't have the greatest internet signal here at the house.

Cancun Trip

2009-09-08T21:38:00.015-04:00

Despite the ongoing Mexican drug wars and the fact that Mexico has been a hotbed for the H1N1 "swine" flu, Mel and I, along with her brother (Kenneth) and his wife (Meg) took a chance and spent Labor Day weekend in Cancun, Mexico...without children!!! It seems a bit counter-intuitive that we would plan a Mexican vacation during these tough economic times, especially considering the fact that we now have four (well, six if you count the dogs) mouths to feed, but this coming November marks our 5th wedding anniversary and we got a really, really good deal at the Westin Cancun Resort & Spa due to the fact that Mel works for a Westin property. So, we decided it was well worth a small chunk of change...and we were right. We had a really good time, save for one incident with a certain front desk manager of the hotel upon checkout that I won't go further into, but we're definitely happy to be back with Bailey and Palmer. Below are a few pics from our trip. I included some of the resort first and some of us at the end.

This was the main swimming pool that overlooked the Caribbean Sea and, yes, it had a swim-up bar and, yes, the bartender knew our room numbers by heart by the second day. Notice that there are not many people in this shot. Luckily for us, this was pretty much how it was the entire weekend...no crowds!!! We visited Cancun during the start of the hurricane season so tourist travel was fairly low. We didn't have to wake up early to reserve pool chairs or make reservations at restaurants, etc. It was great!!!

This is one of a series of four small, triangular pools with the Sea & Stones restaurant (under the grass hut) in the background. The four of us spent one entire afternoon in one of these small pools just relaxing and making fun of the Mexican girl in the thong bikini who was using the timer on her camera to take pics of herself posing in different locations on the beach. We didn't eat at the Sea and Stones restaurant b/c 1) it wasn't open every night and 2) we didn't get our 50% food discount at this restaurant. The description of the restaurant indicates that guests get to cook their food on hot stones and we noticed that at least part of the kitchen was located in a hut built directly into the sand on the beach. Pretty cool, I thought.

This is and the next pic provide a view of the other set of swimming pools from our 6th floor balcony. These pools were on the non-beach side of the hotel and received the afternoon sun.

As you can see, the two pools are offset a bit. The larger pool actually had a waterfall that emptied into the smaller pool a few feet below. Kenneth and I enjoyed going over the edge and then climbing back up into the larger pool a time or two. Then we decided that was enough physical activity for one day and proceeded to have another margarita in preparation for dinner and the Alabama / Virginia Tech game.

We caught a public bus from the front of the hotel to a club where we thought we would be able to catch the game. It turns out they only carry the NFL network so we decided to walk the strip to another sports bar our concierge had told us about. After all, the waitress at the first club said it was only a 10 minute walk. At least, 25 minutes later we arrived at Champions Sports Bar in the Marriott hotel. What we experienced next may have unknowingly changed our lives forever. Yes, we watched the Bama game but the highlight of the night was the fact that we also got to watch the Mexican national soccer team defeat Costa Rica in a Mexican sports bar packed to the brim with crazy Mexican soccer fans. Everytime Mexico scored, the bar, filled with only a couple hundred people, made enough noise to rival Bryant-Denny or Jordan-Hare stadiums on a Fall Saturday afternoon. By the second goal we too we screaming and cheering much to the delight of one old Mexican dude who thought we were pretty funny. Oh yeah, did I mention the disco ball and lights and the Mexican guy on the microphone who yelled "GOOOOOAAAALLLL" everytime Mexico scored? It was awesome and is a worthy addition to anyone's bucket list (i.e. list of things to do before you die).

Iguanas were all over the place. Mel and I came upon this one eating some kind of fruit out by the laguna.

Here we are on a morning walk after a very large breakfast. How 'bout I've got pretty good skills at self portraits and I don't even have a digital camera screen that flips around to the front.

Swimming in the turquoise blue waters of the Mexican Caribbean Sea. We also got to do some pretty decent snorkeling only about a quarter-mile walk down the beach from the hotel. How's that for convenience!

Mel and I swimming again with our hotel in the background.

Here are all four of us after eating at an authentic Mexican restaurant Kenneth and Meg discovered after talking with the concierge. If we look happy its probably b/c of the fact that the waiter brought us margaritas big enough to swim in!!! Luckily, we also had PLENTY of food to offset all that tequila.

Finally, here we all are after dinner on our first night in Mexico. We ate outside at one of the hotel's restaurants. As I mentioned, the crowds were sparse so there were literally only about three other tables of people besides us. We really enjoyed the fact that we had the property nearly to ourselves.

Palmer's First Smiles

2009-09-02T22:15:00.002-04:00

Palmer has been smiling and laughing consistently in response to our interactions with him for about a week now, but I have failed to catch it on camera until tonight. Here are a couple pics of Palmer smiling during his bath tonight. We've noticed that, like his sister, he too has dimples; just not as pronounced as Bailey's.

Dinner with the Williams

2009-08-22T22:45:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to looking for a grilling recipe online for Mahi Mahi filets today and, well, one thing led to another and this is what we ended up with. It's not often that we BOTH pitch in for dinner (usually one is cooking while the other is kid-wrangling); but tonight was an exception, so I thought I'd share.

I grilled the Mahi Mahi and vegetables (both brushed in a special sauce I found online) on the charcoal grill while Mel fried some okra and prepared some special cilantro-lime rice. The idea for cilantro-lime rice came to us while eating lunch at Chipotle, a new Mexican restaurant here in Greenville. That's what they use in their dishes and we figured it couldn't be too hard. Everything turned out really well and we both agreed these recipes were keepers.

Of course...

...the only problem with a big, awesome dinner is the big, not-awesome cleanup afterwards. Oh well, it was well worth it.

Toddler 1 Fieldtrip to Jump Zone

2009-08-22T22:28:00.010-04:00

A few weeks ago, Bailey's Toddler 1 class at daycare took a fieldtrip to Jump Zone for one last hoorah before moving up to the next class. Jump Zone is a warehouse that holds a few large inflatable slides and moonwalks as well as some playsets (which you can purchase for the low low price of $3,200). It took Bailey a little while to get warmed up to the place; in part, because of a 20ft tall Batman staring down at her from the front of one of the inflatables. Once she got going, though, she had a good time.

Here, Bailey is posing in front of all the different things to play on at Jump Zone. As you can see, the place is packed pretty tight. Luckily, no one else was there besides Bailey's class so they had the run of the place.

Bailey showing some skills by climbing the ladder by herself while smiling for the camera. She's a natural.

Ms. Cindy (one of Bailey's teachers) helping her out of the moonwalk.

Bailey diving headfirst into the Snow White inflatable. This one was pretty cool for the little-uns b/c it had a small jumping area inside as well as a short ladder up to a slide.

Bailey careening head-first down the aforementioned slide. Maybe we can find her a Cracker Jacks tatoo that reads, "Ain't skeered"!

Feeding the Ducks

2009-08-12T22:12:00.013-04:00

This past weekend I realized we had some old frozen hamburger buns in the freezer that we weren't going to eat so I decided to take Bailey over to the lake to feed the ducks. We've never tried feeding the ducks before so I was interested to see whether she would feed them herself or simply watch me do it. We started off with me holding Bailey and letting her throw food to them from the safety of my arms. Surprisingly, when I asked her after only a few minutes if she wanted down she said yes! We made it through with no incidents or newly embedded fears of quacking animals so I the trip was definitely a success!

Here come the ducks! You'll notice that this white duck (we'll call him Bob) seems to be in almost every picture. That's because he had no qualms about letting us know he was hungry and wanted food.

Here, Bob was employing his strategy of getting as close to Bailey and the food as he possibly could to try and take the food out of her hands. He also tried a few sneak attacks from behind. Luckily, I'm smarter and quicker than Bob so I was able to prevent him from nipping her hand.

Bailey smiling for the camera with, guess who...good ol' Bob not far behind.

Bailey and Bob just hangin out. Bailey was out of bread at this point, but Bob stuck close by just in case.

Bailey waving bye to all the ducks once they finally gave up on the possibility of more bread.

Here are some baby ducklings that we tried to feed. We decided it would be in their best interests to stop b/c they got trampled by all the other bigger ducks every time a piece of bread landed near them. And, yes, that's Bob in the background.

Mr. T Starter Kit

2009-08-12T21:56:00.004-04:00

I PITY THA' FOOL THAT...

Doesn't do exactly what "The Bae-Bae" says.

Makes "The Bae-Bae" eat all the food on "The Bae-Bae's" plate before giving "The Bae-Bae" yogurt.

Makes "The Bae-Bae" go to bed when "The Bae-Bae's" not ("yaaaawn") tired.

Takes "The Bae-Bae's" juice away just because "The Bae-Bae" threw it at Duncan's head.

The list goes on and on and on...

Cleveland Park

2009-07-26T14:00:00.013-04:00

We went to Cleveland Park near downtown Greenville yesterday morning to play around on the "little-kid" playground for awhile and had a pretty good time. We arrived shortly before the zoo opened for the day, which is likely the only reason we were able to find a parking spot. It didn't take long for the parking lots to fill up and a huge line to form at the zoo entrance. Luckily for us, we were just there for the playground. Check out a few pictures below:

Bailey sliding down the twisty slide.

At only two years old, I've already seen numerous flashes of climbing brilliance from my little girl. She reached the top of this 7-foot climbing wall with little to no assistance from me. Rest assured that as soon as she can fit in a climbing harness safely I'm gonna have her on a wall at the local climbing gym and then...onto the real stuff!!!

Palmer had a good time at the park, as well. At least, I assume he did, b/c he didn't cry any. :) Here, he's chillin in his carrier with me supervising while Bailey runs all over the playground with Mel trying to keep up.

One thing Bailey likes to do on any playground is find a crossbar and swing back and forth a few feet off the ground. She usually comes across such a crossbar at the top of the tallest slide on the playground leaving Mel and I to hope she doesn't slip when in a precarious position. One of the tricks of parenting a fearless toddler that we're having to learn is identifying the line between giving her some freedom and protecting her from unnecessary danger. Thankfully, Bailey has a pretty good grip and enough sense not to let go of the bar.

Mel and Palmer taking a break in the shade while I get ready to take my turn chasing Bailey.

Bailey crawling through a tunnel with Mel watching the background.

Me hanging out with Palmer for a few minutes.

I recently taught Bailey how to swing on her stomach and she, of course, loves it.

Gulf Shores 2009

2009-07-22T21:15:00.007-04:00

So, we made our annual trip to Gulf Shores a little earlier this month and, as usual, had a pretty darn good time. We split the trip into two days by making a stop in B'ham, where we got to see some old friends and their kids for a night. We had six adults, four two-year-olds, two babies, and two dogs running around and we somehow managed to put away a couple pizzas in the middle of it all. Yes, we are becoming more and more talented everyday. We made it to the Gulf for the 4th of July this year, which made for a crowded Gulf Shores (and Hwy 59), but a good time nonetheless. In fact, the city's fireworks show took place on a barge directly in front of our condo. We don't have a ton of pics from this year's trip, primarily because we were occupied with two kids instead of just one. (We may have to just hire a photographer if we have more kids.) But, I hope you enjoy the ones we do have.

Here's the new and improved Williams family wading in the not-so-warm waters of the Gulf.

Me, Mel, & Palmer on the beach.

Bailey really enjoyed playing the swimming pool at the Regada condo. Her understanding of a swimming pool is nothing more than a kiddie-pool with a built-in slide so the huge pool at the condo was awesome.

Palmer spent a lot of time, whether in the condo or by the pool, just snoozin'. As a result, I realized near the end of the trip that I didn't have many pics of him, b/c he didn't do anything active. Oh well, next year will be different.

Bailey, Grammy, and Papa on the beach.

Woody brought his sailboat over to the beach house we stayed in with Mel's family and we took full advantage of it. Bailey stayed ashore this year, but we may try to get her out on the boat next year. We saw a ton of dolphins this year and they got really close to the boat (as in coming out of the water within 3 feet of the boat)!

Bailey working on her sand castle. Uncle Kenneth and Gran taught her the technique of dripping wet sand over the top of the towers.

Bailey and Uncle Kenneth playing in the Gulf.

Bailey, cousin Katie, and Katie's friend, Camile, playing with bubbles on the back deck overlooking the beach.

A Busy Weekend

2009-06-18T12:06:00.006-04:00

Recently, I've received some positive feedback on my writing associated with this blog. I definitely appreciate the complements, b/c I am by no means a writer. Unfortunately, however, the quality of writing in this post is destined to under-achieve as it is the end of my first full week back to work since Palmer was born and I'm feeling it. So, to anyone who has complemented my writing recently please give me a pass this one time before withdrawing your complements. :)

Life has definitely been busy since Palmer arrived exactly two weeks ago so I've lincluded just a few snapshots of what we've been up to. (Actually, each of the pics below were taken during the first week after his arrival. You know...when the excitement and adrenaline were still flowing. We've spent the entire second week just trying to survive.)

The day I returned to work a nasty little storm blew through Greenville. I actually watched the rain approach the downtown area from the really-freaking-big window in my office (I always like to throw the fact that I have an awesome window with a view of the mountains in whenever I can...of course, my "office" is technically a cube but it's really-freaking-big too and has a door that shuts so its basically an office.) It only lasted about 15 minutes from start to finish but it took its toll, especially on our neighborhood. Mel called and told me we had a tree down that was blocking one of the streets so I knew I was in for some work when I got home. We were also left without power for about three hours. I was surprised to find that most of our neighborhood was littered with downed trees. We actually just lost the top half of one of our many trees, but it was enough to create over an hour's worth of work dragging it out of the street. Luckily, it landed about two feet shy of hitting our neighbor's van. I like Mel's comment, though, about it taking nothing more than a scratch to total his van. Either way, I'm glad not to have to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Bailey was being her usual too-cute-for-her-own-good self and playing away in the house. She LOVES the Mardi Gras beads that Grammy brought her last weekend. She still screams with excitement everytime she comes home from school and sees them lying around.

I just like this picture of Bailey b/c it shows off her gorgeous eyes.

Rosemary and her daughter, Amelia, came over for dinner the same evening of the storm. I was actually still cleaning up the tree debris when they arrived. Luckily, Rosemary cooked dinner for us at her house prior to the storm so we were able to enjoy a nice hot dinner even though we had no power at the time.

Rosemary is the Director of Music at our church and has become pretty good friends with Mel. (I like her too, of course.) Her husband, Joe, is in the military and just recently left for officer training for either three or six months somewhere in the Midwest. So, we make sure we give Rosemary and baby Amelia some company from time to time.

We also bought a double stroller for the kids and decided to give it a test drive through the neighborhood. Actually, we just walked back and forth along the one flat street in our neighborhood b/c it was really hot and that darn stroller is really hard to push up hills with both kids in it.

Here's a pic of Palmer doing one of the things he does...eat, sleep, cry, and nothing.

Me, Bailey, and Gran watched the rain hit the skylights in the den one afternoon.

Everyone, including myself, took on at least one project for one or both of the kids during the week. My project was to build an old-fashioned rope swing in the backyard for Bailey. It kind of turned into a personal vendetta against the idiot employee at Home Depot who acted like I was inept at woodwork and told me my only choice was to spend $25 on the pre-fabricated pastic one that they had for sale. Forget that, I thought. It actually turned out better than I expected. It's attached to about a 20ft rope so it swings well. I made the seat from a 1"x8"x12' piece of wood, and covered it in some cool indoor/outdoor fabric (this was Mel's idea) so Bailey doesn't get splinters in her rear end. Bailey really enjoys the swing, which is very satisfying to me, but Mel will probably tell you that I enjoy it more than Bailey.

Bailey getting a push from Daddy on the new swing.

Finally, of course, I spent a little time just hanging out with Palmer. Here, we were watching a little of Game 5 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and the Magic. If he looks a little unenthusiastic its b/c he's sad its not yet football season.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAILEY!!!

2009-06-16T09:05:00.004-04:00

Bailey is 2 years old today!!! What an amazing (and fast) two years it's been!

Happy Birthday, Bae Bae!!!

We love you!!!

- Mommy, Daddy, & Palmer

More Pics of the Family

2009-06-08T13:53:00.004-04:00

I've been off work since 5pm Thursday, yet I feel like I've barely had time to do some of the things I wanted to do during my time off...including keeping the blog updated with lots of good, quality pics. Instead, I have a few mediocre ones and even fewer good ones (Mel took the close-up of Palmer below). Here are a few more pics that have been taken since Sunday afternoon after three-fourths of the grandparent crew left for home.

Actually, this one may have been taken before and may have been included in the first post, but I doubt anyone will complain. Once again, though, your looking at the new and improved Williams family (sans the dogs). Those poor dogs pretty much get ignored these days. In fact, as I type this post I don't even know if they are inside or outside right now. Oh well.

Me and the kids. Let me tell you how heavy Bailey felt while holding Palmer at the same time! Wow! She also looks like a giant next to him, but she's doing an awesome job of being gentle with him and rubbing his head and belly instead of patting them (which is actually more like a pounding).

This is a great one of Palmer hugging on his Mommy.

Palmer was a little upset the other night so Bailey decided to come over and rub his belly and tell him "It's okay, Palmer". She's gonna be a great big sister.

Here's the close-up Mel took while sitting outside in the front yard. Mel, Palmer, & Gran were sitting under a couple shade trees while Bailey and I played in her new swimming pool (see below).

Bailey getting ready to hop in her new swimming pool with a built-in slide.

So, following along with the Jeff Foxworthy comment from a couple posts ago, Mel says I look a little redneck chilling in the plastic swimming pool in the front yard. I object to that statement for three reasons: 1) a two-year-old is within sight so I have a reasonable explanation for being here, 2) it was pretty stinking hot outside and that pool water felt really nice and cold, & 3) in order to qualify as a redneck I would at least need a beer in hand.

Palmer Scott Williams

2009-06-06T16:01:00.004-04:00

It's 4:15pm on Saturday and we've been home from the hospital for a few hours now. I wanted to post some pics while still at the hospital last night, but I just couldn't stay awake long enough. I don't function extremely well on less than 3 hours of sleep in a 41 hour period. I did get 8 hours of sleep last night, though, so I feel much better today. (As with Bailey, I highly recommend letting the hospital nursery take care of the baby at night.) Here are a few pics of Palmer and members of his fan club. I'll post more (and better) pictures of him shortly.

First, we have to see the "before" picture. This shot was taken Thursday morning before work. Mel went into labor Thursday night. That was cutting it pretty close!

Palmer and his Mommy shortly after birth. Mel had a model pregnancy and the labor and delivery went off without a hitch, as well. We couldn't have asked for anything better.

Me and my boy.

Palmer with his Papa & Grammy. Between us and Cassie's family, Palmer is their second grandson in approx two years time and their fourth grandchild in the same period of time. We're keeping them busy!

Palmer with his Pops (known by Bailey as Sugar-Pops) and Gran.

The Williams family: Scott, Melanie, Bailey, & Palmer.

Pool Time

2009-05-30T22:57:00.008-04:00

I'm thinking Jeff Foxworthy probably has a redneck joke for people who keep a swimming pool on the same back deck that is home to three bbq grills. If not, I'll sell him the rights to it b/c we're currently all over it. That's right. One gas grill. One charcoal grill. One grill that doesn't work but came with the house and is affixed to the deck and hasn't been removed in three years b/c I'm too lazy to crawl under the deck to remove it. Oh yeah, and one kiddie swimming pool. All on the back deck. Ahh...ain't South Carolina life grand?

This pic was taken moments "before" drinking the pool water from the shovel and moments "after" Mel and I told her not to. Sometimes I think independence is overrated. Why can't they just do what you tell them!?!

Bailey and Mel chilling by the pool.

Bailey and me chilling by the pool. Pasty-white looks good on babies, but not on daddies. I need some sun.

Also, the previously-mentioned "grill that doesn't work" is situated in the background. Maybe I can use it as a planter. :)

A little waterslide action! It's not all that action-packed really, b/c her feet hit the other side of the pool as soon as she clears the slide. This is actually last year's pool, which was plenty big enough for a one year old. We're about to upgrade to a bigger one with a built-in water slide!!! Ooh!!! I promise it will be action-packed once I lube the slide with baby oil. :)

Bailey looking cute as always.

"Oh my!!!" - Part 1

"Oh my!!!" - Part 2

The Kids' New Rooms

2009-05-30T22:08:00.007-04:00

So, I know it's kind-of late to be posting pictures of Bailey's and Palmer's new rooms seeing as how Palmer is due to arrive pretty much any day now. But, better late than never. The first set of pictures, obviously, are of Palmer's new room. We went with a nautical theme. This used to be Bailey's room, but we moved her over to the guest room. As with Bailey's nursery two years ago, Mel and her mom did a lot of great work.

This pic was taken from the doorway leading into the nursery. We left the layout of the room the same as it was when it was Bailey's room. In fact, the crib is the only piece of furniture that changed when the room was converted from Bailey to Palmer.

Palmer's crib. Mel's mom made the crib sheet out of some fabric that Mel and I found. The praying teddy bear is from Grammy and Papa and the cow on acid (I mean, the colorful cow) is from one of my friends, Joey and his wife and son.

Mel and her mom put together some drapes using the same fabric that was used for the crib sheet as well as some other coordinating fabric we found.

Here's another shot of the drapes.

Also, Mel had the great idea of punching grommets into the fabric and using rope to hang the drapes to continue with the nautical theme. Besides painting the room, punching the grommets in the drapes was one of my main contributions b/c it involved hitting things with a hammer.

Palmer's changing table and chifferobe. The ship's steering wheel above the changing table actually came from Lowe's. I found it one day when I was looking at grass seed. There was an isle with lots of yard porn (I mean, "decorations") and there it was. Why anyone would stick a ship's steering wheel in their yard is beyond me but I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

Here are a couple accents on top of the chifferobe. Mel cut and pasted some ships from the fabric used for the crib sheet and bottom of the drapes onto the lamp shade. We bought the ship on ebay and Grammy sent us the name train.

The three small shelves on the wall were leftover from Bailey's days in the nursery and we knew the camera would go on one but we needed something for the other two. These two nautical lamps were another ebay purchase and work perfectly.

Here's Palmer's hamper that Mel sowed some of the drapery fabric onto.

Mel also used some of the drapery fabric to create a "P" plaque to hang above Palmer's crib. We hung some more rope around it and plan to add some small cutouts of ship flags around the rope.

This is a view of Bailey's new room (formerly the guest room) from the doorway. We stuck with the same theme as she had in the nursery.

We converted her crib to a toddler bed. What better time to make that adjustment than when also adjusting to a new room. Bailey had a little trouble adjusting to the new room for a few nights (until we moved her clock over and the ticking sound we think did the trick), but she had no problem adjusting to the toddler bed. She rarely even gets out of it and she's only fallen out once.

We purchased a daybed (via craigslist) with a pop-up trundle (underneath) for guests to sleep on when they visit. There's no chance of anyone waking Bailey up once she's asleep. I just hope our guests can get some sleep with Bailey sawing logs just a few feet away. She can really put the saw to the wood sometimes.

This is Bailey's new dresser that Mel and her mom found at an antique furniture store just outside of Greenville. It's a great piece of furniture and is in great condition.

This bookshelf came free with the daybed we purchased through craigslist and works great in the corner of the room.

Trip to Mobile

2009-05-09T13:21:00.011-04:00

If you like pictures of Bailey (and why wouldn't you) this post is for you b/c it is full of them. We made the trek to Mobile, AL, for a weekend in April to see Cassie, Justin, Harrison, and the newest member of the family, Lucy. This was also our last opportunity to see them in Mobile as they will be packing up and moving to Morganton, WV, soon for the start of Justin's orthopoedic surgery residency!

Bailey enjoyed playing with and wearing Harrison's Mardi Gras beads.

Bailey crawling inside a long colorful tube of Harrison's. She and Harrison loved crawling in toward each other from either side.

The two cousins following bathtime.

Not many people know this, but whenever the moon is full Harrison morphs into a bat and flies around flashing people. Here, Cassie falls victim.

Bailey putting her shoes on all by herself and giving me an "I don't need your help, Daddy" look.

So, its not quite Summer yet, but that didn't stop us from filling the swimming pool with warm water from the bathtub so the big kids play for awhile.

Harrison having a little "flavored" water straight from the pool.

Papa taking some video of the kids playing in the pool. Mel is holding Lucy in the chair.

Bailey staying busy filling cups up with pool water. Maybe she was mixing up some more drinks for Harrison.

Bailey climbing to the top of the pool slide while Mel has a mild heart attack.

One, two, three, GO!!!

This is the look I got immediately following Bailey's slide into the water. What you didn't see was her losing her balance as she entered the water and going straight under. I've never seen her get to her feet as quickly as she did this time. No tears, though, and she even tried the slide once or twice more without any encouragement from us.

Bailey and Harrison practicing for the next big Olympic sport...the two person, co-ed luge.

This and the following pictures were taken at a local playground we visited for a bit Saturday evening. Bailey and Harrison loved running through the corridors, up the stairs, and sliding down the twisty slide.

This was a kind-of suspension bridge for little kids. It was a black mat suspended a few inches from a platform below so that is swayed and bounced as kids ran across it. Big fun for Bailey and Harrison except when bigger kids came flying through.

As you can see, I'm not enjoying myself or anything. I'm simply trying to keep up with Bailey.

Harrison going down the twisty slide.

Bailey going down the twisty slide.

Harrison again.

Bailey and Grammy atop the playground structure.

Bailey putting on the brakes mid-slide so she can play...

Peak-a-boo!!!

Running with a full head of steam toward the twisty slide for probably the 30th time.

Here she goes again with her adoring fans waiting at the bottom.

Harrison was quick to follow.

Bailey negotiating the tight corridors on the way up to the twisty slide.

Even Grammy got in on the action.

Harrison cruising down the slide.

Bailey showing a little style as she slides on her side.

Here I am helping Bailey and Harrison hold baby Lucy. This is the first time Bailey has held another baby and it just doesn't seem right that she's already old enough to do so.

Bailey's New Dance Moves

2009-05-08T22:05:00.006-04:00

So, Bailey showed off some of her new dance moves tonight. I promise I didn't teach her my moves...these are way too advanced for me.

Why Everyone Should Have A Dog

2009-05-01T22:14:00.002-04:00

Easter 2009

2009-04-21T22:36:00.008-04:00

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re about to leave the house for church, but, of course, we had to take at least a couple pictures of Bailey in her Easter dress first. We never know if Bailey is going to finish church in the same outfit she started in so we figured we’d better play it safe and get some pics upfront.

Well, the Easter dress survived two hours in the nursery so after church I took Bailey down the street to Reedy River Park to snap a few pictures before heading home. Mel had to sing in both the early and late service so I knew we had some time before she was done with church.

Here, Bailey is giving a great smile by a flower arrangement at the entrance to the park. She looks so much like a little girl in this picture instead of the baby I’m still used to.

Remember this picture from the blog from last Easter? Yes, that’s right. It was just one year ago that Bailey was playing in the grass in front of the church on Easter Sunday morning. She didn’t really have much of a choice back then because she couldn’t walk yet. How quickly things change…

Here, Bailey is once again sitting in the grass (this time at Falls Park instead of in front of the church) on Easter Sunday morning about one year later. She definitely has a choice of whether to sit or walk these days so I was a little surprised that she sat there so easily and let me take pictures (especially considering the fact that she doesn’t like the feel of grass poking her legs). It’s amazing to me how much difference one year makes when I compare these two pictures. I look forward to seeing what next year’s picture of Bailey (and Palmer) playing in the grass on Easter Sunday morning will look like.

Bailey in front of a colorful arrangement of flowers at Reedy River Park.

I tried my best to get her to look at the camera when I shot this pic, b/c I thought it looked really cool with the building in the background. Also, there were plenty of people at the park that morning so I had only a small window of opportunity with no one in the background. But, as is often the case, her attention had been captured by something else. I don’t remember what it was…I just know it wasn’t me. I think it is still a pretty cool picture, though.

After we returned home and had some lunch and a nap we had a small Easter egg hunt for Bailey in the front yard. Mel and Bailey had decorated some Easter eggs the night before so I assumed the task of hiding them Sunday afternoon. I originally hid nine eggs then returned inside to let Mel and Bailey know we were ready. Unbeknownst to me, Duncan and/or Molly (probably Molly) decided to partake of the Easter egg hunt, as well, while I was inside, because although I hid nine eggs only six existed when Bailey commenced her hunt.

By the way, this is Bailey’s new “smile-for-the-camera” smile. We’ll have to work on that one.

Bailey grabbing one of the few remaining Easter eggs that were lucky enough to survive the Easter egg massacre inflicted by one or both of the dogs.

On the Sunday before Easter, our Sunday school class had an Easter egg hunt for everyone’s kids at one of the couple’s home. We attempted to sit all the kids together so we could snap a few pics, but, of course, it worked better in theory than in practice. Here, Bailey is hanging with a couple of her friends, Coleman Burnett (left) and Riggs Manning (right). Riggs and Bailey are in the same daycare class and Coleman is just one class above her so they already know each other pretty well. I know she got caught in a lip-lock with Coleman once. I’m not sure about Riggs. I’m keeping my eye on Coleman.

There is also a link to a Shutterfly.com gallery of a bunch of pictures from the Grace class Easter egg hunt in case you interested in seeing more pictures (taken by a much better photographer than me and with a much better camera than mine). Click the link below or copy and paste it in your web browser to view more pictures.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8FcM2rZu0UcFw

My Future Climbing Partner

2009-04-13T16:43:00.003-04:00

Bailey was a girl on a mission yesterday when I snapped this picture with my cell phone. She had seen a frog in the flowerbed earlier in the day and decided she needed to find it again. The quickest way to where "Froggy" (as she called it) had last been spotted was straight up. I probably shouldn't have encouraged climbing on the retaining wall that holds up who knows how many pounds of dirt and soil, but I didn't care at the time. I was already planning our first father / daughter climbing trip! Look at that form...flawless!!!

If anyone needs any birthday / Christmas ideas for Bailey this year she can use the following: 1) climbing shoes and harness and 2) snowboard and boots!!!

Snow Day 2009

2009-03-04T21:05:00.007-05:00

The last 48 or so hours of February brought constant rain, which subsequently turned into about 12 hours of constant snow for the first day of March. In the end, we received 3-4 inches of the white stuff and suffered the loss of numerous tree branches. Check out some pics below.

Our house, with all the trees in our yard, always looks so good after a good snow.

"The Fam" on our one snowy day this winter.

This is not actually Bailey's first snowman. I just threw this together in a few minutes while Bailey was inside warming up. When she's ready we'll build a "for real" snowman.

Bailey contemplating who-knows-what.

Bailey and Ava got to spend some time together in the snow. Neither was really interested in playing with the other. I think they were too busy trying to make sense of what all this cold, white stuff was and why the rest of us kept making them keep their gloves on.

Zoo Trip w/ Grammy

2009-03-04T20:42:00.006-05:00

Mel (and Palmer) spent a weekend during February in the mountains of North Carolina attending a Methodist women's retreat, which left me at home all alone with the Bae-Bae. So, naturally, I called in reinforcements...Grammy. It was pretty cold that weekend, but we managed to sneak in a couple of hours at the Greenville Zoo Saturday afternoon. Following are a few pics.

Bailey and Grammy

Bailey and Daddy

In front of the elephant enclosure. The one in the foreground was interacting with people a good bit while the one in the background was busy spraying water all over its body with its trunk. Ever since the circus a few weeks earlier Bailey has been a big fan of elephants.

Bailey checking out the iguana. Surprisingly, she has been able to say the word "iguana" clearly since the very first time she tried it.

Bailey and Grammy in front of the giraffes.

The Boy Has A Name!!!

2009-02-15T22:27:00.004-05:00

Palmer Scott Williams

(He'll go by Palmer.)

I know that most of the people that check out our blog from time to time are family members so this is not news. I just wanted to make a quick post for those friends who do not know yet.

Bailey's First Trip to the Circus!!!

2009-02-15T21:52:00.005-05:00

One of the perks of working for the nicest hotel in town is that you sometimes get free tickets for some pretty good shows. Such was the case for last weekend's Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus in Greenville. Mel was offered the tickets so we thought we'd see what Bailey thought about it. Our suspicion was that it was going to be too loud for her or that all the action would be so far away that it wouldn't keep her attention for very long. But, like I said, we decided to try it out anyway since the tickets were free. Worst case scenario...Bailey freaks out and we're out of there in five minutes.

We reached our seats about two minutes before the show started. About three minutes later we realized that we had better get comfortable b/c we weren't going anywhere soon. From 3 - 5pm last Saturday, Bailey was totally focused on one thing...actually, lot's of things were going on but they were all in one central location. Mel and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than we expected, as well. All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

This was actually part of the finale, but it was a good overall shot of what the circus had to offer. There were also horses, zebras, tigers, and a wide array of pooches that did all sorts of tricks.

We had three seats so Mel and I spent some of the show being the bookends so Bailey could stand and move around in front of the seat in between us. Here, she's gripping the seatback in front of her excitedly watching whatever was going on at the time. It's probably a good thing that no one ever sat down in front of us.

"This is the coolest thing ever, Daddy!"

I can't be positive, but I'd bet the ranch that the elephants were on their way out into the arena. The elephant tricks were, by far, Bailey's favorite parts of the whole show. In fact, we've got her on the camcorder crying when she realized the elephants were leaving during one part of the show.

Me and my girl after the show. Thankfully, Bailey was old enough to enjoy the show and young enough not to know what cotton candy and circus souvenirs are. I doubt we'll be so lucky next year.

As I mentioned, I've got some video footage, as well, but I'm having trouble transferring both video and sound to the computer. Once I figure it out, I'll be sure to post some footage.

Le French Bailey

2009-02-07T10:29:00.003-05:00

This morning we discovered that Bailey apparently has a streak of French in her blood. Listen to her say the word "computer".

December 2008 Pics

2009-01-26T21:26:00.013-05:00

As usual, we had another busy month and, as usual, it was another wonderful month. There is no doubt that we are extraordinarily blessed with great families and friends, alike. We really enjoyed seeing and spending time with everyone. We got to see relatives that we haven’t seen in months and I even got to hang out with an old Auburn buddy one night over a plate of barbeque ribs and reminisce about past events that I probably shouldn’t share here.

While this was technically Bailey’s second Christmas, it was the first time she connected Christmas to something special. From her perspective, I imagine that first Christmas (at a little over six months old) was just another occasion where she was passed around to about fifty different people in four days. This Christmas was totally different and, while we told her a little about baby Jesus and she played regularly with our nativity set, Christmas light displays and Santa ruled the month. It was impossible for us to drive anywhere without hearing shouts of “MORE LIGHTS!!!” from the backseat. She also took great pleasure in pointing out everything that resembled Santa Claus by pointing and repeating “Ho-ho” until we acknowledged her. (Bailey’s version of Santa only says “ho” twice instead of three times.) Of course, the first time I sat her down on Santa’s lap and stepped away she was considerably less than excited, as you’ll see below.

So now we’re on into January and we’ve officially recovered from Christmas. We’ve ditched the tree; returned the decorations to their boxes for another year; purchased more storage shelves in an effort to keep Bailey’s stuff in check (I’ll let you know when we’ve figured out how to do that last part); and I’ve all but exhausted every cent on my Starbucks gift cards. Enjoy a few pics from throughout the month.

For the second straight year, we got our Christmas tree from a local tree farm just outside of Greenville. Bailey enjoyed being able to run around in the wide-open fields.

Mel and Bailey hunting down the perfect Christmas tree.

We took the picture for our Christmas cards at a Winter Wonderland setup in downtown Greenville one Sunday after church. I’m glad everyone cooperated for the pic b/c it was SERIOUSLY cold that morning and we all wanted to put our coats back on.

Bailey posing in front of downtown Greenville’s snow-capped mountains.

She loved the ornaments hanging from the garland, b/c she thought they were either balls or little balloons.

I was lucky enough to sneak away from work one afternoon and join Bailey and her friends from daycare for a little Christmas party. Not unexpectedly, Bailey was the last one still eating and somehow ended up with two Jello cups.

Messy…

Messier!!!

Ah yes…the previously mentioned visit with Santa. Santa looks about as thrilled with the experience as Bailey.

Like any good parent, I ignored the crying and pleas for help and made my daughter continue to sit on Santa’s lap long enough to snap a couple more pictures. Again, Santa looks none to thrilled.

Here, Bailey is practicing her present opening skills in preparation for the real thing Christmas morning.

Opening another present with Daddy.

Check out the cool lamb houseshoes!!!

I just felt like throwing in a picture of Jessie and Michael. It’s really cool to see how much they’ve grown up over the years.

Grammy and Pops with Bailey and Harrison in Decatur.

A rained-on Justin (Uncle Doc), Cassie, and Harrison in Decatur.

An UN-rained on me, Mel, and Bailey in Decatur.

Bailey really enjoyed the singing snowman and penguins…almost as much as the rest of us enjoyed listening to it over and over and over…

Of course, Harrison preferred Bailey’s bike and Bailey was perfectly happy with Harrison’s bike. Whatever floats their boats…for now!

Bailey discovered the horn!

Here, Bailey is on the verge of discovering just how far back she can lean without face planting over the back of the chair.

Bailey with Uncle Kenneth and Aunt Meg in Demopolis.

This is the Christmas dress that Mel made herself for Bailey this year. Great job, Mel! Although, that’s not what Bailey was thinking at the time when we made her wear the dress and take a picture.

This and the next few pics are of a private residence near Greenville. Every year, a couple of guys spend two months decorating their house, yard, and at least one neighbor’s yard and open it all up to the public. It was quite amazing, especially when you consider that the lights blinked in time with the music.

Bailey playing with the kitchen set that Mel and I got her for Christmas.

Of course, the box was PERFECT for making a house, too!

Bailey regularly enjoys riding on the horse that Uncle Kenneth and Aunt Meg got her, too.

Baby #2

2009-01-26T20:49:00.003-05:00

By now, pretty much everyone we know knows we're adding a little boy to the family so I won't make a grand announcement. I'll just post pictures. Enjoy!!!

Say hellow to Little Man!!! Hopefully I'll be able to post Little Man's actual name soon. We're not sure exactly what it is going to be at this point.

Another 3D view of Little Man.

A typical ultrasound pic.

Proof positive that Little Man is actually male. As the ultrasound technician said, "He's having a 'moment'."

The Many Faces of Bae-Bae

2008-11-10T23:14:00.004-05:00

Bailey was in a good mood during her bath a few nights ago and decided to grace the camera with a few signature facial expressions.

Playing in the Leaves

2008-11-10T22:35:00.005-05:00

We finally got a good amount of leaves on the ground this weekend so, naturally, we played in them. A few pics and a video follow:

Bailey waiving to the camera from atop her new slide.

Ready...Set...

Go!!!

Bailey really enjoyed playing in the leaves. We tried to get her to give a shout out to Harrison but for some reason she wasn't in much of a talkative mood.

I Voted!!!

2008-11-10T22:18:00.004-05:00

As everyone knows, the 2008 Presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain will undoubtedly go down in history. (Whether it will be for better or worse is up for debate.) Here, Bailey is proudly displaying her "I Voted" sticker signifying that she did her part in electing our country's next President. Unfortunately, her write-in vote for Opie (Gammy & Papa's new dog) didn't quite receive the majority of either the popular vote or the electoral college. Oh well, maybe in 2012.

October 2008

2008-11-03T20:40:00.023-05:00

October has been a great month! Much has happened with our family this month and, with the exception of one 24-hour period when I caught a stomach virus, it has all been positive. We have definitely been blessed. I guess our biggest news this month has been finding out that Mel is once again pregnant. It appears that Bae-Bae is going to be a big sister starting about the time she turns two years old. In fact, baby #2 is due June 10, 2009...just six days before Bailey’s second birthday! Unfortunately, our scanner is acting up so I haven’t been able to scan an image of the first ultrasound, but I will make sure I can post pics of the next ultrasound when we find out the sex of the baby and what he/she actually looks like. We were also lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents visit us here at our house this month. That was fun b/c we got to break the news about baby #2 to them. Finally, Mel and Bailey got to spend a weekend in Atlanta with Paul, Paula, Kenneth, & Meg while I spent a wonderful weekend camping in the North Carolina mountains with a great group of guys. All we did was camp and ride mountain bikes…42 miles of what mountain bikers “in the know” (that does not include me) say are some of the most rugged trails in the Southeast. I believe them. The trails in Pisgah National Forest make the trails at Oak Mountain back in Alabama seem like a sidewalk. My legs (which had to spin the pedals for 42 miles), shoulder (which got into a conflict with a tree trunk at about 15 mph), and hip (which got up close and personal with a large, pointy rock immediately following the aforementioned conflict) will definitely attest to that. Check out a few pics below from throughout the month.

Gan's & Pop's Visit

We spent a lazy afternoon near the mountains of South Carolina at Sue’s Country Kitchen where we all enjoyed some shopping and, most of all, some ice cream, frozen lemonade, and milkshakes. That is Table Rock Mountain looming in the background. It is about 400 ft of vertical granite cliff and, no, I haven’t climbed it.

Here are Paul and Bailey taking a stroll through the shops.

We also visited an eco-friendly house on campus at Furman University in Greenville. While none of us are in the picture I decided to include it b/c of the beautiful scenery from the porch. Furman really has one of if not the most beautiful college campuses I've ever seen.

Gammy's & Papa's Visit

Bailey started Halloween off in early October when Gammy & Papa gave her a plastic pumpkin for trick-or-treating and a new slide. Thanks, Gammy & Papa!!!

Bailey decided to give us all a little show in the front yard to show her appreciation for her new slide. Actually, this is how she shows where her belly button is.

Sky Top Apple Orchard

The following weekend Mel, Bailey, and I went to visit the Sky Top Apple Orchard near Flat Rock, NC. This place was literally perched on top of a mountain and offered some good views of the surrounding area. As you can see, they had plenty of pumpkins for sale, but we decided that we didn’t want one with warts. We joked that the reason their pumpkins had warts and most other pumpkins don’t is that their pumpkins are probably grown naturally; whereas typical pumpkins are probably grown in some bottle somewhere.

Of course, Sky Top Apple Orchard also had plenty of different types of apples that you can pick yourself straight from the trees. We found some Fuji apples that we picked on our own, but the Granny Smith apple trees had already been picked clean. We settled for mixing our self-picked Fuji apples with some pre-picked (but just as fresh) Granny Smiths. Sky Top also has sheep and goats (both of which Bailey was fond of watching but not saying “baa-baa” to) and they sell, among other products, homemade apple and pumpkin butter (I bought jars of both) as well as freshly made apple cider doughnuts (delicious).

Halloween

So, here we are with our soon-to-be jack-o-lantern that we bought…at the grocery store…having just chopped the top off.

Hmm...so this is what pumpkin brains look like.

It didn’t take long before Bailey was digging in and helping. Molly may look interested in what we are doing, but don’t let her fool you. She and Duncan were circling that pumpkin like sharks in the water b/c they liked eating the pumpkin’s innards.

This pic had to make the blog simply b/c of the panda bear on Bailey's booty.

Looking for more pumpkin brains to extract. Maybe the beginnings of a future surgeon? What do you think, Uncle Doc?

Ah...found some!!!

Mom and Bailey celebrating the finished product!!!

After the pumpkin-carving, Bailey decided that playing in the den while wearing her new toboggin was a good idea. Once again, I had to get some coverage of the panda bear booty.

Mom and Bailey after getting Bailey dressed in her crab costume that Mom made for her. Mel did an awesome job on the costume. She had to make it completely from scratch b/c she couldn’t find a crab costume.

Here is Bailey on Halloween evening getting ready to go trick-or-treating for the first time. She had her Teddy Grahams and her juice cup in hand and was just waiting for mom and dad to get things moving.

These next few pics were taken a couple of days after Halloween, b/c due to the time of day and the fact that Bailey had not had supper before trick-or-treating she was a little…well, crabby…by the end of it. Notice the crab legs coming out of the shell as well as the pincers on Bailey’s hands. Nice work, Mel. (Luckily for the Nandina, Bailey did not follow through with a belly flop onto the plant as it appears she is about to do.)

Trick-or-treat!!!

Ava and Quay came up for a visit while we were playing outside. As usual, it took a couple of minutes for them to warm up to each other, but as soon as they did they were in rare form.

Bailey and Ava playing peek-a-boo behind the porch banister.

And, finally, a few words from Bailey. For those of you who are not familiar with Bailey's vocabulary it is currently approaching the depth and complexity of mine. She just chooses to release a few choice words at a time.

September 2008

2008-10-12T22:16:00.003-04:00

We had some friends over to the house to watch football one evening and Bailey and Ava (from across the street) had a great time playing together. I don't remember what it was that caught their attention but Bailey thought it was hilarious. I have never seen this look from her before.

Two girls already starting to gossip.

Bailey's preferred route back to the top of the slide at the neighborhood playground.

August 2008

2008-10-12T22:04:00.002-04:00

Mmm...that's some good juice!!!

Bailey is sitting on my chest while I take these pictures. We were just hanging out at Cleveland Park in Greenville during Labor Day weekend while the U.S.A. professional cycling races were being held. Each lap was about 25 miles which meant we only saw the riders once every 45 minutes or so. So, we had plenty of time to play in the park in between laps.

I had to post one more. I thought these were cute pics.

Bailey spent part of a Sunday afternoon helping me water the plants outside. Now, she loves carrying her "wa-wa can" around whenever she is outside...especially when it actually has "wa-wa" in it.

Bailey posing in her flowery dress.

She was actually trying to crawl backwards up the front porch steps in this pic.

July 2008

2008-10-12T21:47:00.003-04:00

Bailey posing at Falls Park in Greenville

Nice drool stain on the dress.

The stone wall backdrop perfectly compliments Bailey's stone-cold stare.

So, here's Bailey's latest toy. Just kidding.

A little Summertime fun at the house.

A lull in the action.

Here we are, along with Coleman (one of Bailey's former classmates at daycare) posing on the giant bear at the Greenville Zoo. Bailey's "Infant 2" daycare class and everyone's parents took a Friday afternoon field trip to the zoo just before graduation to the "Toddler 1" class.

Melanie turned the ripe old...umm, young...age of 28 during the month of July. Bailey and I, of course, threw her a little surprise party. We didn't actually invite anyone. It was just a family affair, but we had a good time.

Melanie walking in from work surprised to see the dining room decorated for her birthday.

Pretty good decorating job for a 30 year old man and a 1+ year old baby, huh?

July 2008

2008-07-20T21:46:00.016-04:00

July 4th Weekend in Charleston, SC

Relaxing in Downtown Charleston

Here, Bailey is checking out the new digs in our penthouse suite at the Francis Marion hotel in downtown Charleston. This was just the sitting area. We had a full kitchen (shown below), two full bathrooms, and a separate bedroom. Melanie was able to get a cheap rate for us since this hotel is owned by the same man that owns The Westin in Greenville (the hotel for which Mel works) and we were lucky enough to get upgraded to the penthouse for no additional charge!!!

Of course, it came with a kitchen with no pots,pans, dishes, glasses, or, most importantly...FOOD!!!

Here we are, 3 years 364 days later, in the exact same spot at which Mel and I got engaged. Only this time, we've multiplied!!! Who knows...maybe there will be even more of us the next time we return to Charleston's pineapple fountain.

Bailey is demonstrating how she would execute a dive from the pier if Mel were to let go. Nevermind that we weren't actually over water yet. This pier is really cool, b/c it has tables and chairs down the length of it so it is a great place to relax after a day of walking around the city.

Me and Bailey on the pier. I'm not trying to look cool or anything by not smiling. I just wasn't paying any attention.

Bailey gave us this look, I'm sure, after us telling her for the umpteen-millionth time not to step in between the bars on the side of the pier.

Bailey checking out what's below the pier.

This was also taken from the pier. I'm not sure what she was doing here, but she looks cute doing it.

After we left the pier, we followed Bailey through the park for awhile. As you can tell, she obviously knew where she was going.

Back at the penthouse relaxing with a book. Note the cute dress. This was a birthday present from Quay, Erica, and Ava Scott from across the street.

Boone Hall Plantation

Saturday, we headed out to Isle of Palms to hang out with Quay, Erica, Ava, Joe, and Emily. On the way, however, we decided to pay a visit to Boone Hall plantation. While we didn't dare tour the inside of the mansion with a one year old we did spend some time in the butterfly garden (no pictures of that b/c the stupid camera batteries gave out as soon as we got there) and the surrounding areas. The picture above is the entrance to the plantation. The gravel road dead-ends into the front of the house. My only question is whether these oak trees were as magnificent and curved over the road like this back when the plantation was operational. The trees had to be planted to be lined up so perfectly but I doubt they were planted as mature trees. So I wonder if they were just saplings back when the Boone family lived here. If anyone knows fill me in.

This is about as close to the house as we got. Like I said, we weren't going to risk anything with Bailey in tow.

Here's Bailey walking around in the cool of the shade just outside a horse pasture. It was extremely hot and muggy in the sunshine.

Once we made it out to our friends' condo in Isle of Palms we all went swimming. This was actually Bailey's very first time in a real swimming pool. It took a few short minutes but she warmed up to it pretty quickly.

An afternoon thunderstorm forced us all inside. Bailey and Ava obviously wanted to be elsewhere.

At some point during our trip, Bailey had had enough and couldn't hold her eyes open any longer.

Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series @ James Island County Park

The main reason we went to Charleston during July 4th weekend is because Quay, Joe, and I were scheduled to compete in one of the Charleston Sprint Series triathlons held at James Island County Park. This was mine and Quay's age group getting set to start the swim portion (an open water lake swim slightly more than a quarter mile in length). If you enlarge the picture you can barely see me in a blue top in the front and center of the group. I had to be at the front at some point b/c I didn't think I would stay there long once the race started. And, I didn't.

Once again, enlarge the pic by clicking on it and you can pick out the blue of my race top. This was nearing the end of the swim.

Here I am on the bike. Unfortunately, the camera wasn't able to focus quickly enough to catch a pic of me before I passed by. I like to think it was b/c I was riding so fast. The bike portion of the race was a 13 mile loop with no hills.

Here I am getting through the run, the last portion of the race. The run was a 5k (3.1 miles) inside the park. This race was a great race for spectators b/c so much of it took place inside the park and within view of all the spectators.

FINALLY!!! THE FINISH LINE!!!

Actually, I didn't have that great of a race. I finished 140th out of 314 overall and 16th out of 29 in my age group. But, I did finish and I learned a few things from it that I will carry with me to the next race.

Gulf Shores, AL

Bailey and Mel getting ready to go swimming at The Regatta in Gulf Shores, AL.

Bailey and Harrison having a conversation while floating the day away.

Bailey amusing herself by splashing Harrison in the face.

Bailey in her first beach outfit of the week. She had about four different swimsuits to choose from.

Bailey and Harrison playing in the sand under the not-so-cool shade of a beach umbrella.

After a bit, they decided that they needed to work on their tans.

Harrison about to try to yank Bailey's hat off her head.

"Hmmm...I'm not so sure I want to go out there."

A little pep talk from dad helps.

Bailey and Gran playing in (i.e. constantly stepping in and out of) Bailey's swimming pool on the beach.

Posing for the camera.

Probably waiving at nothing. She gets a little wave happy sometimes.

Bailey, Mel, & Alston in an unusually calm Gulf of Mexico.

Alston, Bailey, & Mel

Alston, Bailey, and Scott (me)

Just floatin' around the Gulf.

Mel and Bailey walking down to the surf. Although Bailey wasn't sure about the surf at first, it didn't take her long to warm up to it. Once that happened, she was mostly done with the inflatable swimming pool. Waves are way better.

Bailey and Mel playing in the surf.

Bailey and Scott (me) playing in the surf.

Bailey having the time of her life running into and out of the surf.

Leaving tiny baby footprints in the wet sand while heading back out for another wave.

June 2008

2008-07-14T19:04:00.008-04:00

Bailey's 1st Birthday Party - June 16, 2008

Bailey's birthday cake. This one was for all of the party guests.

This is the cake that Bailey got all for herself.

Here she goes reaching for her first bite of cake.

Yummm!!!

Bailey in her birthday hat that Grammy gave her and eating birthday cake.

At this point, I don't think she had made it past the icing yet. But, if she's anything like her momma she didn't care, b/c the icing is the best part.

An icing goatee.

More of Bailey with her birthday cake.

Birthday Cookies at Daycare

Bailey and her friends got to celebrate her birthday during snacktime at daycare, as well. That's Bailey chug-a-lugging on the far side.

Bailey eating goldfish while waiting for birthday cookies.

Kaylee (left) and Lily (right) - twin sisters - patiently waiting for birthday cookies.

Ryan looking a little confused about something, but patiently waiting for birthday cookies, as well.

Tyler (left) and Ryan (right) reacting to something. Probably the realization that birthday cookies are near.

Weekend Fun

Bailey in her wagon with sippy-cup and juice-box holders (these only come on the top-of-the-line models). Bailey enjoys her wagon rides through the neighborhood b/c she gets to toss beach toys out along the way and watch momma and daddy pick them up.

Bailey and momma playing on the slide at the park near our house. It's great having a playground within wagon ride distance from the house.

Bailey and daddy about to slide.

Bailey waiting for daddy to swing her at the playground.

Bailey blowing a kiss (I think) while swinging.

Bailey playing in front of the playground equipment.

Bailey playing with her magnetic fridge farm...one of Bailey's favorite activities since her birthday.

Bailey doing her best white trash imitation while daddy takes future blackmail pictures from outside.

The Payback

2008-06-01T14:19:00.003-04:00

So, Kenneth sort-of played a little joke on me when I got married by replacing the Auburn car tag on the front of my Jeep with an Alabama car tag. I, of course, didn't realize it until Mel and I arrived at our hotel in Atlanta after the wedding and I walked out to the vehicle to get something. It was the middle of November and I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and no shoes or socks, b/c I thought it was going to be a quick trip to the Jeep and back. I ended up spending the next 20 minutes trying to unscrew with my bare fingers the bolts that held the Bama tag onto the front bumper of my vehicle. I have to admit...it was a nice one, Kenneth.
But, they say that what comes around goes around and three-and-a-half years later Kenneth's turn has come around! Enjoy!!!
P.S. Kenneth and Meg, I also left 57 individual "surprises" for you in your new apartment and, no, they're not condoms. Let's just say one must visit a "special" kind of store to obtain these goodies. You better find them all before any parents or other relatives have a chance to. It could prove to be a little embarrassing. Happy hunting, guys!!!

Much Has Happened in May 2008

2008-05-30T21:45:00.029-04:00

As is so often the case, another month has come and is nearly gone. Our schedules have slowed in some areas, but picked up in others.

Mel is finally enjoying a well-deserved summer break from doing a wonderful job of directing the 1st - 5th grade choir at church. The regular church choir is also switching to the summer schedule, which I think means they won’t practice every Wednesday night. Hopefully, Mel will find a little more time to relax, at least on Wednesdays.

I, on the other hand, have begun to step up my workouts in preparation for at least three triathlons, four cycling-only races (on the test track at the BMW performance center...how cool is that!?!), and probably a few running races, as well. Speaking of triathlons...congrats to Catherine Maum on finishing her first full-distance Ironman triathlon (2.5 mile ocean swim / 112 mile bike / 26.2 mile run) in Panama City, FL, near the end of 2007 and to Jennifer Timmis on completing her first ever tri, which happened to be a half-Ironman event earlier this month!!! Very impressive!!!

Much has been happening with members of our extended family, as well. Congrats again to Justin for graduating from medical school at the beginning of this month!!! We still hate that we couldn't make it to Mobile to see it in person. Double congrats to Kenneth on graduating from law school, moving from Lexington, VA, to Brentwood, TN, and getting married...all within the span of two weeks!!! Congrats, of course, to Meg as well on her recent marriage to Kenneth. And, last but not least, happy first birthday to Harrison!!! See below for pictures of some of these events. Oh yeah, there might be a few random pics of Bailey mixed in, as well. I know you're surprised and disappointed.

A Spring Picnic Lunch at Falls Park in Greenville

Recently, the boy scout troop at our church had a fundraiser in which they provided smoked chicken lunches to everyone after church. So, we decided to bring a change of clothes, a blanket, and our camera and have a picnic since it was such a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Bailey pulling up on my knee with one of the support towers to Greenville's one-of-a-kind arched suspension bridge that spans Reedy River Falls in the background.

Close-up. She still has those amazingly beautiful eyes.

Bailey and Melanie at the park.

Bailey and Melanie playing the head-bonking game.

Bailey is just realizing that part of her is not on the picnic blanket anymore. At the time of this pic, she hated the feel of grass and would do anything to avoid it. She's getting better now, but she's still not a big fan.

I think this time we intentionally set her in the grass to see how fast she could crawl back onto the picnic blanket. It didn't take her long.

Snack Time for Bailey

Bailey waving to dad after just having finished a Nutrigrain cereal bar.

She found another bite stuck somewhere on her bib.

"Do I have anything in my teeth?"

Kenneth's Graduation

The second weekend in May was Kenneth's graduation from the law school at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Yes, Kenneth is now a lawyer (let the jokes begin!!!)!

Kenneth with his juris doctor diploma and his W&L walking stick. I was definitely jealous of the walking sticks.

Kenneth and Meg immediately after graduation.

Kenneth, Paul, and Paula after graduation in front of a really old building on W&L's campus. (As a side note, THE Robert E. Lee is buried beneath a chapel somewhere on campus at W&L. Pretty cool...if your a Southener.)

Kenneth, Meg, and John and Barbara Spain (Meg's parents) after graduation in front of the same really old building.

Ahh...now for the really good-looking folks. Kenneth, me, Melanie, and Bailey after graduation in front of a different, but equally old, building on W&L's campus.

Kenneth said it best when he told Bailey that she was playing with a $100,000 tassle.

Kenneth's and Meg's Wedding
Two weeks after Kenneth's graduation we headed over to Brentwood, Tennessee, for Kenneth's and Meg's wedding.

Picture of the sanctuary at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, TN, in which Kenneth and Meg were married. You can't tell it from this picture as much, but the pulpit on the left was enormous! We joked that had this been a baptist church they probably would have had the baptismal pool up there, as well.

The altar at the front of the sanctuary.

I was surprised at how small their pipe organ was. Yeah right...this thing was so big the Phantom of the Opera would have wet his pants!

Kenneth, on his wedding day, getting his corsage pinned to his jacket by the wedding coordinator.

Kenneth and Meg, BEFORE the wedding ceremony (tisk, tisk), getting pictures made in front of the church.

From L to R: Mimi (Paul's mom), me, Bailey, Melanie, Meg, Kenneth, Paula, Paul, and Ms. Dinning (Paula's mom)

The bride's cake. It was decorated even more during the reception. I took this pic early in the day.

The groom's cake, of which I personally did not partake b/c of the Alabama "A".

Bailey and Melanie walking down the hall of the hotel on their way to the rehearsal dinner.

Harrison's Birthday and Bailey's Quasi-Birthday Parties
The day after Kenneth's and Meg's wedding my family had a birthday party for Harrison (it was his actual birthday) and a quasi-birthday party for Bailey (her birthday is not until June 16th but there were members of the extended Williams family who won't be able to make it to the real birthday party in Greenville and they wanted to give Bailey her presents).

The birthday kids wearing their birthday cake hats (complete with a single candle on top to represent their ages).

Harrison's cake.

Bailey's cupcake butterfly cake. We didn't actually give a cupcake to Bailey b/c we are going to wait until her real birthday to let her tear into her first cake.

Harrison opening one of his presents. This one is a drum with plenty of musical instruments inside.

Jackson (Harrison's other and slightly older cousin) giving Harrison instructions on the correct way to open a present.

Bailey opening one of her presents.

Bailey got this great lawn chair for her birthday. She enjoys sitting in it...as long as one of us are feeding her while she sits there. Otherwise, it's not long before she's off in search of more toys to play with.

Bailey camping out in the den kicked back in her lawn chair with one of her favorite toys...one half of a plastic Easter egg. Go figure.

BAILEY IS WALKING!!!!!

2008-04-26T21:44:00.005-04:00

Mine and Melanie's lives have changed dramatically since Bailey was born a little more than 10 months ago. Today, April 26, 2008, the winds of change have once again decided to blow in our direction.

It started last night when we were encouraging Bailey to take a couple of steps toward the two of us in the bedroom floor. She could stand on her own fairly well, but whenever she tried to take a step momentum and gravity took over and she would end up taking one or two more quick steps as she fell into our arms.

It seems that practice quickly makes perfect, though, because today, while at Ava's (Bailey's friend from across the street) first birthday party, Bailey actually began letting go of our hands and walking! After we got home Bailey decided to take a nap (b/c birthday parties are tiring) and then strut her stuff some more.

Check out the videos below:

Ready for Summertime

2008-04-01T23:19:00.005-04:00

Mel and Bailey (a.k.a. Bae-Bae) went shopping at Target today and came home with a few summertime items for Bae-Bae. Don't be fooled into thinking that these items were a hit with the little one. She tried to pull them off, but, HA-HA, they velcro!

Cool shades aren't quite as cool when you have a three-inch string of drool hanging from your bottom lip.

Notice those two pearly white teeth!

Duncan needs protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, too.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but Molly was completely freaked out by the combination of the hat stuck to her head and the camera pointed at her. She is a strange dog.

Duncan didn't seem to mind it, though.

Easter - March 23, 2008

2008-03-23T22:32:00.004-04:00

Today was Easter Sunday and, of course, Bailey was dressed to impress in a beautiful little Easter dress. We gave her her very first Easter basket and a present this morning. Then we went to church where Bailey celebrated our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection from the grave by playing with toys, sucking down a bottle (a.k.a. "ba-ba"), and promptly taking a long nap. To cap it all off, she she hunted Easter eggs in the den during the evening. All in all, it was a pretty good first Easter.

Here's Bailey with her Easter basket and her Step Start Walk n' Ride. In the position you see it in now, the Walk n' Ride will help Bailey walk while giving her something to hold onto. However, it also collapses so that she'll be able to sit on it and scoot around the house. Right now, she just sits on it stiff-legged so that the only way it will roll is if we push her on the kitchen or hardwood floors so her feet will slide.

It didn't take long before had had enough of the pictures and started digging into the Easter basket. After all, there were sweet potato as well as peach-flavored Puffs in there. There was also a book and stuffed Easter Tweety bird that Grammy and Granddaddy sent her.

After church, we took some pictures on the church lawn. This was Bailey's first time to sit directly on grass and I don't think she ever figured out what was pricking the backside of bare legs.

I don't know why, but, for some reason this picture strikes a chord within my soul. One of God's most precious gifts, a baby girl, entrusted to Melanie and myself, in her first Easter dress, playing barefoot on the church lawn on Easter Sunday. I thought these types of things stopped happening when The Andy Griffith Show went off the air. In reality, they still happen all the time, but, with our busy lifestyles, we just have to look a little harder.

The Williams family.

Easter, March 23, 2008

Buncombe Street United Methodist Church

Greenville, SC

Pulling Up

2008-03-23T22:16:00.003-04:00

Well, Bailey has been crawling for a couple weeks now and we think she has decided that walking is going to be the best way to get around because she is wasting no time in trying to learn how. It seems that as soon as she finally got the crawling thing down she all-of-a-sudden began pulling up on furniture, our legs, or pretty much whatever is within reach. She is growing so fast. As I'm sure every parent before us has felt, we love watching her develop and learn new things but we feel we are seeing our "baby" grow up a little too fast. Oh well. All we can do is sit back and enjoy.

Trip to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN

2008-03-11T22:05:00.004-04:00

A couple of weekends ago we met Gran & Pops and Uncle Kenneth & almost-Aunt Meg in Knoxville for a weekend of fun and relaxation. For a group that consists of four Alabama fans, one Auburn fan, and, I hate to admit it, one Tennessee fan, you wouldn’t think we would agree to meet in Knoxville and you definitely wouldn’t think we would willingly stay in a hotel within sight of Neyland Stadium, but the proximity to the cities in which we live, the fact that we got Mel‘s employee rate at the hotel, and, oh yeah, the overwhelming desire of the proud grandparents and aunt/uncle to spend time with the baby overshadowed everything else. (It‘s amazing how influential a tiny person who, at the time, could barely even say “da-da“ can be.)
During our stay, we decided to make the short drive into the East Tennessee mountains to spend a few hours visiting the Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg. Melanie, Bailey, and I have been to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which is considered the world’s best aquarium, and were surprised to discover that, while the Ripley’s Aquarium was smaller and didn’t have the big-time attractions like whale sharks and baluga whales, it was quite impressive and, in some ways, more enjoyable than the Georgia Aquarium, because we didn‘t have to fight huge crowds. Below are a few pics and some video clips (if I can get them to work) from our visit. Enjoy!

The good-ole’ family picture.

Bailey and Gran checking out some colorful fish. At the time of our trip to the Georgia Aquarium, Bailey was so young that she wouldn’t have cared less if we were in an airport terminal staring at prepaid cell phone cards, but at the time of this trip she was eight months old and was fascinated by the multi-colored fish swimming by. I predict a pretty cool saltwater aquarium in the future for the Williams household.

Bailey with her Gran and Pops, who definitely deserve a “Thank You” from all of us for setting up this weekend.

Above the surface of the shark tank was a huge, amazing mural of a tropical sky. Because the mural was too far away for my camera’s flash to reach, it looks like Bailey and Mel are hanging out at dusk in the tropics. By the way, yes, Mom, that is the shark tank behind Bailey, but there was a safety barrier out of sight between the edge of the water and the rocks Bailey is standing on so the only person at risk in this picture was Mel risking being spit-up on by Bailey.

There not whale sharks, but they’re big e-freakin-nuff for me!!! You can’t tell it in the pic, but these guys (or gals) were at least eight feet long!

Jellies + vinegar = lots of pain!!!

Lionfish. These fish are beautiful, but very poisonous. We won’t have any of these in our aquarium at home.

Crawling!!!

2008-03-05T08:21:00.003-05:00

Poor Dunky

2008-01-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

We're not sure how but Duncan injured his foot the other day and had to have his toenail clipped off near its base by the vet. In addition to being drugged and having his foot wrapped he got the pleasure of wearing this awesome lamp shade-looking thing for about 24 hours. He was none too thrilled. He couldn't actually get through the door of his kennel so we made him a pallet in the corner of the bedroom (where he sleeps most of the time anyway). He even got a heating pad to cover him because he had the chills when the drugs started wearing off.

He milked his infirmity for all it was worth by constantly giving us pitiful looks and whimpers. He acted more pitiful from having a toenail cut off than he did when he lost his manhood. Sissy.

Poor Dunky. He got to sleep on an extra soft pallet with pillows and a heating pad while Molly was locked in her kennel for the night with nothing but a towel. Spoiled. Definitely spoiled.

Bailey - Recent Pics

2008-01-29T22:33:00.001-05:00

Bailey turned 7 months old on January 16th and life revolves around playing with toys, playing with mom & dad, and...oh yeah, playing with toys. She is growing and learning new things so quickly that we are well aware of the fact that we are on borrowed time when it comes to her staying in the same spot we put her in. She's constantly trying to sit up on her own when we lie her on her back and she's rolling over better now (although she still has trouble getting over whichever arm happens to be on bottom). She is also in the beginning stages of crawling although she tends to travel backward and in a circle as opposed to moving forward. Her first tooth is starting to become a little more prominent (although it is not really prominent enough to show up in a pic yet) and she has started saying "Da-da", but she hasn't connected it with me yet. Right now, it's just a sound she likes to make. So, a lot has happened in the past month and I expect that things will start happening even faster in the coming months.

Bailey loves playing her piano, but she tends to enjoy flipping it over and trying to chew on the edges instead of playing songs.

It's easy to get distracted from the task of playing with one toy when so many other toys are lying around neglected.

Trying to figure out the best angle of attack before finally deciding to just try to cram it all into her mouth any way possible.

"You guys are looking at me like there's a pink frog on my head or something."

Where's Bailey?

Seriously! Where's Bailey?

PEAK-A-BOO!!!

(I don't think Bailey appreciated it as much as we did.)

This works great, at least it did, when mom or dad needed to get a quick shower. She likes to pull up on the sides now and laundry baskets aren't really designed to support the weight of 15+ pound babies leaning over the edge.

Dad stayed home with Bailey on her first snow day and we spent a few minutes playing outside.

Uh-oh!!! Somebody has Plumber's Disease!!!

Playing in the bathtub. One of her favorite bath games is trying to grab the soap suds that are floating in the water. Her other favorite bath game is making the biggest splashes possible.

That child has beautiful eyes!

Mom is being funny just off camera.

Arching her back has become a fun new game as of late. She's definitely buidling those arm and back muscles in preparation for crawling.

The two pictures below are actually from December when Auburn played AND BEAT Clemson in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. We watched the game at Quay, Erica, & Ava's house and chowed down on lots of good food that was in no way healthy for us. Quay has a big screen tv with Tivo so we spent the whole game rewinding and watching the big hits over and over. The actual game was probably over at least half an hour before we made it to the end.

Bailey and Ava, who turned nine months old this month, hanging out in their Auburn and Clemson outfits. The orange and blue of Auburn proved tougher than the orange and purple of Clemson in two ways: 1) AU won the game and 2) Bailey stayed up later than Ava.

Christmas 2007

2007-12-30T22:28:00.001-05:00

This Christmas has been one of the best ever due to the addition of some cute new faces. Below are some pics snapped during our Christmas vacation.

This is one of Bailey's better smiles that we've caught on camera. She is really excited because we're teaching her all about Santa Claus.

As a result, she decided that it would be a good idea to wear her Santa hat and sit by the Christmas tree to wait for him to arrive with presents. She soon got tired and fell asleep.

"Hmm...this better not be my only present, guys."

Along with presents come the Christmas things that aren't as much fun like family pictures.

Here is Bailey shortly before we even left Greenville to drive back to Alabama for Christmas. I guess all the excitement of Christmas was too much for her (or maybe she was catching up on sleep b/c she knew she would need extra energy for the many relatives she would soon have kissing her cheeks and trying to get her to laugh and smile).

Bailey, Harrison, and Scott trying to figure out how to use an abacus

Bailey quickly learned that the wrapping paper itself was more fun than the present inside.

Apparently, Harrison felt the same way about the box that his present came in.

Harrison getting some help from his great grandma opening his present.

Okay, we really didn't stage this one. Harrison and Bailey both wearing their Santa hats, sitting in front of their stockings, and holding hands on Christmas morning. Pretty cute, huh?

Of course, the moment passed when we all noticed and starting running for our cameras and distracted them. They must have thought we were a little crazy.

Bailey, Harrison, Grammy, & Granddaddy on Christmas morning.

This is a "Taggie" and is one of Bailey's favorite toys. It has tags sown all around the perimeter of the toy. Ironically, her favorite tag to suck on is the one tag that has the actual product information on it.

Bailey and mom on Christmas morning.

Bailey and her great grandparents on Christmas morning.

Harrison and his dad (Justin) on Christmas morning in matching Reggie Bush Saint's jerseys.

Baptism of Bailey Edith Williams

2007-12-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

Bailey Edith Williams was officially baptized by aspersion at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church on Sunday, December 30, 2007. In attendance were a number of family members as well as some friends. Following the church service during which the ceremony was performed, we all took turns making pictures and headed over to The Westin Poinsett Hotel for a special lunch. The first three pictures below were taken by a professional photographer one week before Bailey's baptism and showcase a 58 year old baptismal gown that was made by her Great Great Grandmother (maternal side) and has been passed down and worn by generations of relatives during their respective baptismal ceremonies. The remainder of the pictures below were taken subsequent to the ceremony.

This is a beatiful picture of Bailey in her baptismal gown. What you don't see, though, is Melanie and I off to the side acting foolish in order to get a smile out of her. It seemed that Bailey was a little stingy with the smiles when the camera was near.

This may be my favoite picture of Bailey yet and I don't think I'm alone. Just check out those big, beautiful eyes.

Yet another beautiful photograph of an amazing baby girl.

Bailey with her parents, uncle, both sets of grandparents, and one set of great grandparents immediately following the church service during which she was baptized. She is lucky to have such a loving family.

The Williams family.

Bailey with mom/dad and the Stutts family.

The extended Williams family

Our friends (Quay and Erica Scott) from across the street and their eight-month-old daughter (Ava) were nice enough to attend the ceremony and join us for luch afterwards. If only we knew what those two little girls were talking about. Whatever it is, it looks pretty interesting.

Bailey drinking water out of a glass with a little help from Mom. Surprisingly, neither Bailey nor Melanie got very wet as a result of this little experiment.

Grandpa, Grammy, Big Grandma, & Big Granddaddy enjoying lunch at The Westin Poinsett.

Quay, Uncle Kenneth, Pops, Melanie, and Bailey at lunch.

Gran talking to Billy Fallaw, the music director of Buncombe Street UMC. Originally, Billy's wife, Joanna Fallaw, was going to perform the baptismal ceremony, but caught an ill-timed case of strep throat and had to stay at home.

Great Granddaddy, Erica, Ava, and Quay at lunch.

Billy Fallaw with his two sons Will and Ross Fallaw. He also has a daughter, Ann Morgan, who was unable to attend, and, as previously mentioned, a wife, Joanna, who was at home sick. Today's church service was Billy's last to direct at Buncombe Street UMC. Unfortunately for us he has accepted a position at another Methodist church near the South Carolina coast. Joanna has also accepted a position as the full-time chaplain of a university in that area. Billy has done an absolutely wonderful job directing Buncombe Street's choir and our family has been lucky enough to develop a personal friendship with Billy, Joanna, and their family. We are very happy for their new opportunities, but will hate to see them go.

Thanksgiving 07

2007-12-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

Here we are at 10 til midnight on December 20th and I'm just now getting around to putting up some Thanksgiving pictures of Bailey. That's how it is around this time of year, though. We really didn't take many pics during Thanksgiving so I've only posted a few. We'll do a better job during Christmas.

Actually, we spent a large portion of our Thanksgiving in the car so there wasn't much to take pictures of. We left Greenville on Wednesday night after work and drove to Nashville, TN, where we met up with Kenneth and Meg, who were coming down from Roanoke, VA, and stayed in a Sheraton there. We awoke Thanksgiving morning and hopped back in the car and made the trip from Nashville to Dyersburg, TN, which is where Mel's paternal grandmother, Meme, and her aunt, Pat, live. We remained there until Saturday morning when we, once again, loaded up the truck and drove from there down to Decatur, AL, to spend some time with my family. Meg drove from Dyersburg to Alexander City, AL, to spend time with her family and Kenneth rode back to Huntsville, AL, with his parents. On Sunday morning, we jumped back in the car, picked Kenneth up in Huntsville, and headed up to Chattanooga, TN, where we met up with Meg. At this point, Meg and Kenneth headed back up to Roanoke and we drove down through Atlanta, GA, and back home, finally, to Greenville. All in all, we spent 24 hours in the car and drove nearly 1,100 miles. The most amazing thing is that Bailey never really got upset until the very end, but it was taken care of easily enough by Dad's rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (over and over for 40 miles). Thankfully, the good Lord saw fit to keep us safe during the whole trip and we had a great Thanksgiving.

Here we are at Meme's house in Dyersburg.

Bailey and cousin Harrison at Grandpa's (I think that's his grandparent name this week) and Grammy's house in Decatur.

Matching shirts, but, lucky for Bailey, not matching headgear.

Just kickin it with Harrison after a huge Thanksgiving dinner.

Saturday Fun

2007-11-10T22:35:00.000-05:00

Today is Saturday, November 10, 2007, and it is a beautiful Fall day. Bailey started her day off as so many do with a steaming hot cup of Starbucks coffee.

She got such a caffeine rush from the coffee that she had to find more caffeine. So, Mom introduced her to Dr. Pepper. We've created a monster!!!

Wide-eyed and ready to rock after her double shot of caffeine and sugar, Bailey spent some quality ExerSaucer time out on the back deck. It was a little breezy and cool so she opted for the hooded jacket, which, like most everything else, looked extremely cute on her.

It looks like some more of that caffeine and sugar just kicked in!

Sorry, Bailey. The plastic elephant does not have caffeine or sugar in it.

Still feeling good!

This smile is not quite as enthusiastic. Time for more Starbucks and Dr. Pepper!!!

First Hiking Trip

2007-11-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

We also spent some time at Paris Mountain State Park just outside of the Greenville city limits during Grammy’s and Grandpa’s visit where Bailey went on her first hiking trip. We started out on the Brissy Ridge Trail, turned onto a trail that doesn’t completely exist yet but was marked with flags, and ended up on the Firetower Trail.

This weekend was the first weekend in November so we had hoped that the color of the leaves would be a little prettier, but we haven't had much rain, the temps have been kind-of warm, and we weren't in the higher elevations. This tree, however, was beautiful! It really stood out from the rest of the forest.

The Brissy Ridge Trail is a great mountain biking trail that I frequently ride. I really enjoyed hiking it for a change, though, b/c I noticed a lot of things that are either a blur or that I don't see at all when on a bike. Paris Mountain doesn't allow mountain bikers to ride on Saturdays so that hikers don't have to worry about getting flattened. It's nice if you want to hike, but annoying if it is Saturday and you want to ride.

New Toy

2007-11-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Grammy and Grandpa came to visit Bailey and, what are their names…oh yeah, Scott and Melanie, this past weekend and brought Bailey some great new toys. The biggest and best, though, was a brand new ExerSaucer. Thank goodness, b/c Dad was about to buy a used one off of Ebay.

Halloween

2007-11-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

Obviously, this year was Bailey's first Halloween, so we decided to do it up right. We spent a Saturday morning before Halloween at a pumpkin patch in North Carolina where they had hot apple cider, a corn maze, a petting zoo, and, of course, tons of pumpkins. Then, on Halloween night Bailey dressed up in her angel costume but decided she had had enough before it was even time to go trick-or-treating.

"This is the pumpkin I want and this is the pumpkin I'm gonna get!"

“On second thought, I like the looks of that one over there, too.”

Mom and Bailey in her angel costume beside the two pumpkins she picked out at the pumpkin patch.

Dad with Bailey in her angel costume just before pass-out time.

Williams Family Blog

My Latest Mtn Bike Adventure

Palmer Walking

Trip to Morgantown, WV

Palmer's First Cast

More Palmer Videos

April Pics (Including Easter)

Palmer Eating and Clapping

Bailey Wuz Here

Second (and Potentially Last) Snow of 2010

First (and Potentially Only) Snow of 2010

November & December 2009

Go Tigers

More October 09 Pics...Including HALLOWEEN Pics!

October...FINALLY!!!

A Few Recent Pics

Palmer Laughing

Cancun Trip

Palmer's First Smiles

Dinner with the Williams

Toddler 1 Fieldtrip to Jump Zone

Feeding the Ducks

Mr. T Starter Kit

Cleveland Park

Gulf Shores 2009

A Busy Weekend

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BAILEY!!!

More Pics of the Family

Palmer Scott Williams

Pool Time

The Kids' New Rooms

Trip to Mobile

Bailey's New Dance Moves

Why Everyone Should Have A Dog

Easter 2009

My Future Climbing Partner

Snow Day 2009

Zoo Trip w/ Grammy

The Boy Has A Name!!!

Bailey's First Trip to the Circus!!!

Le French Bailey

December 2008 Pics

Baby #2

The Many Faces of Bae-Bae

Playing in the Leaves

I Voted!!!

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

July 2008

June 2008

The Payback

Much Has Happened in May 2008

BAILEY IS WALKING!!!!!

Ready for Summertime

Easter - March 23, 2008

Pulling Up

Trip to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN

Crawling!!!

Poor Dunky

Bailey - Recent Pics

Christmas 2007

Baptism of Bailey Edith Williams

Thanksgiving 07

Saturday Fun

First Hiking Trip

New Toy

Halloween