will

with perhaps the most eventful lead-up to birth, william zachary morrow entered the world on may 16 and became the newest member of the pilgreen family; boy #3 for his family and grandchild #9 for GJ.

most of you know of the times before will was born that caused erin to be in the hospital, and we all thank you for your prayers for she and will over those weeks.

everyone was very aware that will would need surgery when he was born, but the doctors could not be specific on when the surgery would be until after he was born and they got a better look at him. turned out, will was much more developed than the doctors anticipated and he was able to have surgery the day after he was born to fully heal his little body & get it working properly. from that point on, he has continued to improve with each and every day. just last night, erin & zach got to hold him for the first time. he is a fighter and totally beating the odds everyday. before we all know it, he will be home playing with his older brothers.

we love you baby will!

(a couple of these are courtesy of zach & erin. others are grainy due to cell phone camera with no light, sorry.)
one day old

ten days old

2 weeks, 1 day old

my baby brother is not a baby anymore!

last weekend, we were able to take a long weekend trip to alabama to celebrate tyler as he graduated high school. both graduation night and his party (and party preparation) were spent with family and friends and so many memories & laughs in between.

i still sometimes find it hard to believe that he (and my sister) are no longer little kiddos. instead, they have grown into fine young people who are going to do great things in this world.

i'm sure my parents would say that it seems like yesterday that we were this young. i just couldn't resist this picture though (of my brother that is)...

and he is so handsome now! congrats tyler! we love you

after the storm

while in alabama last week, we made our first stop in tuscaloosa. we realized on this trip that we both love tuscaloosa for different, but equally good, reasons. i love tuscaloosa because of all of the memories of going to school & living there for six years, as well as the friendships made all along the way. lee loves it because of the friendships we made during our first year of marriage there. so not only do we visit campus when we are in town, but we also often drive out to our first apartment. not that we can go inside, but it is still fun to think back to everything that happened that first year and has happened since.

on this particular trip however, we had our nostalgic moments but shared more moments of shock and awe as we drove through the storm-ravaged city that we hold dear. for the first time, we got to see the devastation in person from the tornado that passed through one month ago. i could not even remember some of the businesses that used to be along 15th street because there was nothing left of where they once stood. so many houses were destroyed. so many lives have been changed forever in that city and state. i pray our little package helped a few people. the city has so far to go to recover. i hope we can continue to help in some way.

one last positive note...we did conclude the day in tuscaloosa with lunch at city cafe and a long afternoon visit with our dear friends, adam and coriell, as well as their two cuties. such awesome, awesome friends.

playing at the park

life has been busy lately...for various reasons. sadly, this busy time of life has not warranted its fair share of pictures. however, i decided to document a low-key night of playing with our nephews and capture a few fun moments with them.

a little back story...to respect their privacy but help the situation make sense, one of the reasons this night was so fun is because zach, erin, joe, and miles were altogether and able to enjoy a relaxing evening together (and we were fortunate enough to enjoy it with them too). life has been a little unusual for them over the past month or so since erin has needed to stay in houston so doctors here could monitor her and baby will (whose arrival is just barely a week away). unfortunately, that has meant time away from zach and the boys. the moments they do get during their long weekends are extra special, particularly when everyone is healthy and enjoying their last few days as a family of four.

after sharing a little pizza, we all headed to our neighborhood park. these are just a few shots i got on my phone but i think they tell a pretty good story.