It's practically here!

 
Christmas is upon us! It has been full of all the things little kids find exciting and magical. The daily advents, Christmas lights, and the never-used-enough "you better watch out, you better not cry" to lure them into cleaning their rooms and behaving at church.

We have had fun listening to Mc mispronounce the traditional carols: "good tithings we bring to you and your kids" and keeping Kingston from touching all the ornaments on the tree. We have watched countless hours of the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", made sugar cookies, delivered neighbor gifts and played in the snow.

Mc wants a "soup case" (suitcase) and the Ston is asking for motorcycles and "struction site" (construction trucks).  Mark and I wish for a day to sleep in past 7 am and maybe, just maybe a potty trained little boy before the end of 2014! Here is hoping Santa brings you all you ask for!

Cindy Lou Who. Alex far exceeded herself with this hairdo.

Dickens Festival 2013 with Father Christmas. Mom brought a picture of me from 1984 to show him. He is still the best and cutest Santa around.

Preschool program poser.

Snow lady made with Alex. As you can see, Kingston was totally interested.

Filling in for "The Man in Red"



This is what happens when I say, "I need to take one to see if this works".



The fam- minus Brayden and Alina. They had left for the night.

For the past few Christmases, we have had the chance to buy gifts for children who are part of the Adoption Exchange of Utah. Kids who don't have homes, or families and move from place to place with everything they own in a garbage bag. My friend Lindsay heads up the project and every year, I wait for an email to carefully pick a family of kids that we can support. It has been a fun tradition and it always gets me that even my brothers (the gangster, too hard core for Christmas type) always get involved. This year we had a family of 4- two boys (6 & 7) and two girls (5 & 11 months). We had dinner and then hit the Target to buy their wants and needs from a list. My favorite part is thinking about these kiddos on Christmas morning. My brother Tyler says he always wishes he could "be there to see them open their presents"- I couldn't agree more.
We are SO blessed- my kids want for nothing and our family is so close. It only seems right to want to help these kids have what we have all had (gifts and people who care) since we can remember.

“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

It is impossible to believe that Halloween 2013 could have gone any better. The weather was perfect, the candy was plentiful and the kiddies had a blast. Mc was Miss Polite wishing everyone a "Happy Halloween" and yelling "Thank you!" as we ran from house to house. Kingston tried to keep up with the big kids (Mc, Brynlee and Devon) but in bell bottoms, that is hard for anyone to do.

 

The costumes were a hit. Only once did Kingston get mistaken for Captain America but the older crowd knew exactly who he was. Mckinley, as Alice was a perfect match and I have decided that I will gladly go as the protagonist to her costume every year as long as she will let me. This year, my friend Stefani, from Hawaii, allowed me to borrow the Queen of Hearts costume she had made. It was a fun costume and the make up was a treat. It is always fun to be someone else for a night, even if it is a murdering Queen with a love for blue eye shadow.

 

The kids carved pumpkins, ate mummy dogs at Mimi's, saw "Hocus Pocus" for the first time and stayed up WAY too late hopped up on sugar but in the end, this is what it's all about. And, if it wasn't for my kids, I wouldn't have had a breakfast of 100 Grands, Babe Ruths and Twix bars the day after.

Alice and the Queen at the Trunk or Treat

Evil Kneivel- this get up won him "Most Creative" at the trunk or treat.



The kiddies with Mrs McGonogal

Evil and Uncle TyTy.

Carving some punkins.

Mimi and her Halloween spread.

The Halloween tradition of napping in the car on the way to Mary Ann's. This year, Alice in Dreamland.

Now, Mark had a perfectly good Mad Hater costume that he opted not to wear but did find time to pose to be sure to make it on the blog for "posterity".

 

F I V E

Miss Mckinley Reese is five.

A whole month of celebrating the day you graced the world with your luscious locks and sweet smile. Alex was leaving for New Zealand for a month so you got to open your presents early via Facetime. Next, a day at preschool on your actual birthday with Skelton/Parachuters as your gift of choice to your class and a huge bag of loot from your darling preschool teachers.  Then off to lunch @ Hot Dog on a Stick at the Mall with Mimi, Papa and Britty to ride the train and carousel with a surprise visit from daddy. Sunday, a family party with the Lawrences- more presents, more cake and more fun. This past Sunday, we celebrated with the Williamsons and our new stuffed kitty "Pepper/Mr Whiskers/Mittens" was welcomed into our home.

The most exciting details of the actual day included you climbing into bed with us at your usual 5 AM call time sharing, "I feel five" and after leaving preschool, "I am 5, I think I talk different now". Five has been particularly good to mommy because we all know there is a rule that all five year olds have to try new foods at least once.

At five:
-You love playing pretend with make up, dress ups and dolls
- You are a whiz on the i-Pad and found Bobby's World in the OnDemand and have to watch it every day.
- You still don't like pizza, love all things chocolate and crispy shrimp
- You want to be a princess when you grow up
- You love mermaids
- You can buckle yourself in, dress yourself, brush your teeth and help with the silverware.
-Family Home Evening is only successful if there are "other people there" because that is what makes a family
- You are great at making friends
- Your hair sparks jealousy among the masses
- Your coloring is getting so much more precise and you love to write little notes
- You weighed 47 lbs @ your last appointment and didn't even cry when you got a shot.
- You have become a pro on a two wheeler with no training wheels and learned to swim this summer without floaties.


You have been such a blessing in our home and there is never a dull moment. It has been a life changing experience to watch you learn and grow and to find your own opinion. You have a strong will, a sweet and tender heart, an imagination, a stubborn streak and give the best hugs in the world. WE LOVE YOU!

The pretend, foam make up kit was a hit and will hopefully deter the marker faced brother in the next picture.

Said Marker Faced brother. You said you wanted to make him look like "a lady".

You and your best cousin, Brynlee.

Painting daddy's nails.

Our beautiful girl.

A house of Gearheads.

This pretty much sums of Mark Williamson. His passion, probably since birth, was for all things that had two wheels, went fast and I am sure terrified his mother. I remember seeing him the first time on his gun metal gray Honda CBR- hat backward, huge mutton-chop sideburns and taking the ladies for rides. Seeing him on that bike just added to all the reasons I knew Mr Williamson would be mine.

We had fun times riding that bike up the canyon, she was there the day he proposed and it was a sad day to see her go. Throughout our marriage, we have had MULTIPLE bikes at any given time in our garage and before kids, I looked forward to Springtime cruises on the back of the bike in the balmy AZ air. I rode on the back of a chopper going 100 miles and felt like I might fly off the small suction-cupped pad, sat in what seemed to be a recliner of comfort on a BMW cruiser and have held tight to my love on a Kawasaki police bike.

I guess I always knew it came with the territory, Mark and his bikes but little did I know the thrill of the road would be etched in the DNA of my children as well. Every day, seriously, Kingston talks about riding a motorcycle. Mark will take him out, set him on his knee or on the tank and cruise around the neighborhood. Mc rides as well and begs to go faster. To be honest, I think it's pretty cool. Mark and I have a vision of hanging out in the garage with our kids and their friends building cars, talking bikes and bonding over all things mechanical. All I have to say is I better step it up and stop crashing because soon enough, my kids will ride better than I do!

Kingston and some light reading.

Mckinley and daddy racing the bikes @ Fat Cats. Of course Mc picked the tatted, leather bikini lady rocking the ape hangers.

My sexy man at his recent track day.

Hugging the curves.

Up in flames.

Saturday started out as a good day. Farmer's Market, a nap with the kids. I hear Mc in the other room telling me there is smoke outside. I look out and see the neighbors having a party and assume they are BBQing. I walk out front and there are huge black smoke clouds. I can see the flames from a house five houses down the street.

There were SO many people on the street. People from all over. Watching this house and everything in it, burning. What seemed the most odd to me; how this became like a community "event". People I had never seen before flocking to this house, bringing their small children and caravanning from who knows where, to watch. Couples holding hands hopping the fireman's hose to get closer to the action. This human chaos, the "train wreck effect" was something I had never experienced. The he said/she said of what happened and the neighborhood  alive with people wanting to catch a glimpse and Facebook what was happening within walking distance of where we live.

Sierra was one of the girls who lived in the house. She needed shoes so I walked a pair down to talk to her. She seemed noticeably calm. Her dogs and her car were safe- unlike her roommate's truck that was burned in the carport (too dark to really see in the picture). Everything she owned was either ruined by fire or smoke. They were home when the fire started on their back patio and before they knew it, their house, the fence and the tree in their yard were engulfed.Those people woke up today with nothing. A life moving forward that would now be described in terms of "post-fire" and "pre-fire".

Heartbreaking. I couldn't help but think what would happen and how I would feel to watch as everything I owned- baby books, wedding albums, journals, important papers and all those things that have been accumulated over a lifetime, were being washed down the street in ash. Those things can never be replaced or replicated. We got a chance to contribute at church today all after a Sunday School lesson centered on "rescuing" those around us. Poignant and humbling.

I drive by this house multiple times a day. Today, on the way to church it looks like the owners had been there trying to sort through anything that they could save. Piles of wet, charred belongings on the front lawn. It's a good reminder. A good way to re-center and to feel blessed that our strivings to be better, and do better, are usually voluntary and prompted without the destructive flames of house fire hurrying us to make the choice of what we value most.

We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.

It happened today for the first time in our marriage- our two vehicles paid off. As I drove in my car that I now owned outright, it felt a little weird. We, the Williamsons, have no car payments. What seemed like a day that would never come, has happened and it feels pretty good. Dave Ramsey may be a little coo coo, and puts a serious damper on my Target trips,  but it felt really awesome to make that last payment and to hear the little lady on the other end tell me, "Congrats" like I was welcoming a new member to my family.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to go out and purchase the new Dodge Durango, a Honda Pilot or even a BMW (who wouldn't) but there is something to be said for that glimpse into financial freedom.




Kingston isn't so sure that life can be as fulfilling without an M5 Beamer.



Next stop GQ

This kid. For real. I could eat him up.

 

This was a great way to get his two year old pictures out of the way, score a new tie and get to see my son on the Littlest Prince page. Thanks, Kacey for the hook up!

Not our first Pre-K rodeo.

Our back to school dinner commenced at "that Robin place" (Red Robin) per Mc's request. This is year #2 that a corn dog was your dinner of choice followed by a cupcake from "The Tooth Fairy" (Sweet Tooth Fairy). You were so excited to come home and get a blessing from daddy. He blessed you to make friends and to be nice, especially to your brother, and to remember your Heavenly Father loves you.

Your first day was awesome. You were so excited to see your friends and with Katy Perry's "Roar" in your back pocket, you were ready to be a "champion"- that you were kiddo! Miss Jessica said you did great and it was like you never missed a beat from last year. You were SO ready to go to Kindergarten this year but I am sure you will love this year too.



 

Thanks for the action shot, Alex.

Picked out your shirt and leggings. It's really great that color blocking and "not matching" is in.






Favorite picture of the morning. Kingston was sad to see his sissy go and gave her a sweet hug before she left.

Road Rash- no greater call.

As you may recall, my 2013 resolution was to get back on the Trail 90 and get some "seat time" as to more confidently ride my pink beauty. Well, Mark tuned her up for me a couple weeks ago and I have been cruising around, changing gears and maneuvering (in my mind) WAY better than before.

Friday night, we decided on the usual outing- Mark & Kingston on his Trail 90, me on my Trail 90, Mc on her bicycle. There was a challenge, we had our niece Brynlee who was not about to ride on the trike, so we had to get creative. I decided I would ride with Mc to the church, when we got back Mark could take Brynlee while I watched Mc & K. Mc was a little upset that our routine was ruined and that we could only go to the church. I finally got her to decide that was a good idea and we started off. Not one second after I started going I hear Mc yell, "WAHOOOO" and take off right into the side of my bike. It seemed that her tire was stuck under my front fender and she was now parallel to my bike.  I totally went into panic mode- I was going to run over my kid! I wasn't sure what to do and all I could think was if I ran over her (my weight plus the bike's) we were in major trouble. Being the amazingly stellar mother I am, I sacrificed my body (and my favorite pair of TOMS) to save my child the road rash which would ensue. Pink bike crash #2, dropped the "S" bomb and Mc takes off unscathed from the carnage that just took place. She comes back, I tell her to go tell Mark and I sat to compose myself. Mark pulled up with all kids in the car as I made my way back home- bleeding and the wind stinging my freshly ground beefed elbow, knee and hands.

The best part of the story was Mc sharing what had just happened with Mark. She rides home, he asks, "Where is your mom?", to which she calmly says, "Something happened.... Mom is bleeding at the church.". Cool as a cucumber. Awesome. She has no idea I just saved her life!! Mark got a good laugh at my expense ("you have had more road rashes on one bike than I have had my whole life"- thanks hon) and the Facebook sympathy was epic. Plus, it makes for a great story. Any fall you survive as an adult is a major accomplishment.

Mark said one of the fondest memories he has of his mom is her trying to ride the motorcycle they got as a family gift for Christmas. He so lovingly describes the wheel going into the air and her flying into a fence as the bike veers out of control. I am sure this one rates right up there. At least I am in good company- all about making these amazing memories for our children to cherish.

Day one. It's pretty fresh here. Much more brown and scabbish now.

The Prodigal Pooch

I had a small picture of a Boston Terrier on my desk from the day I started with University of Phoenix. I had it in my brain that when I got my first raise, I would be a getting a dog (much to Mark's dismay). Six months, a raise and I started prowling the newspaper (back when people did that) to find a dog. There was an ad for a 3 year old Boston in Chandler. We went to look at him- he was cute, spunky and just what I wanted. We brought him home to our 2 bedroom apartment and we had a family. He survived Mckinley, a move and the harsh winter of Utah. Then baby #2 arrived. Amidst potty training, a hormonal toddler and a brand new baby, 11 year old Cory started having accidents, anxiety attacks and really was unhappy. I made a tough decision to place him in another home. A woman from Provo came to get him. She had two older children and had wanted a Boston. I hugged my first baby good bye- bawled uncontrollably and Cory jumped in their Jeep and never looked back.

I often would think about what he was up to and Mark, so lovingly would remind me that he was probably dead. That was one of the major reasons I had to send him to a new family- I couldn't bear finding him in his kennel one morning dead. Thursday afternoon I got a call from a weird 916 area code number and habitually, let it go to voicemail. The caller was a woman from the microchip company and was calling to say "Someone has found your dog, Cory". I was floored. 13 years old. Still prowling the streets. Not surprising actually- it was cloudy, stormy and windy- Cory hated that and usually, would "walk" himself on days like that. I called the company back and was sad that I didn't know the new owners and was worried they would take him to the pound. She told me a woman had called and couldn't keep him but I could call and chat with her myself.

In my mind, I was set on calling and finding out Cory's condition. If he looked sad, or poorly taken care of, down to Provo I would go to bring him home. Michelle was her name and when she picked up the phone, I started to cry. She told me he was running in the road and through tears of her own, she said he looked great and, "He is so friendly. I would never have guessed he was 13". The new owners were spotted not far from her house and they had been looking diligently for an hour which made me glad that he was missed. She sent me a few pictures of my sweet boy. He looks older, more "salt and pepper" with the same little sad face that I loved so much. It made my heart happy to see him again.




I don't care. I love it.

I dread laundry day. Who doesn't? Laundry day at our house means Mc's favorite outfit of choice is clean and ready for the wearing. There is no convincing, no deterring. She would wear this every day if I would let her. The shorts are my favorite. Too small, rocking the Britney Spears exposed pockets. The shirt is one of those classy "burn out" shirts- Costco special. It kind of matches but not quite. Sometimes, she even goes so far as to dig it from the bottom of the laundry basket to wear it again. Mark is the "wear whatever you want" parent so on the weekends, hair untethered and options open you never know what you are going to get. We all have our favorites. And on that note, have you ever noticed when you get new clothes, say Christmas and you begin to rotate in the new stuff, what did you wear before? How did you ever look presentable in public before you got new stuff? Life's conundrum.

Hot Rods

Mark and I made a quick trip to pick up the newest member of our family this weekend. We made the drive all the way to Kingman, Arizona to pick up this little gem, a 1959 PV544 Volvo. We left Friday afternoon and broke up the drive by staying with Opa and Geri in St. George. We had delicious omelets for dinner, Opa shared stories of his immigration to Utah from Germany and we chatted until late.

Saturday morning we made the drive into Kingman. Man, what a dumpy little town! I was told it was the hot rod capital of the world but let's not forget, the Unabomber also hailed from Kingman. Mr. Alan Frost was waiting for our arrival and there she was, begging us to take her away from the 6 dogs, hourly screeching of  trains and 115 degree weather that was threatening to permanently ruin her already fading paint.  

She should be a fun little project and Mark is already scheming what she will look like when she is done. We both always wanted a Sunday Driver and cool car to take on dates. Miss Luy Frost should fit the bill perfectly.

The last time she was registered was in January 1980, California. Her namesake, Luy after her plates and Frost after the dude we bought the car from.



Mark and Alan Frost. I appreciated his loose fitting, half buttoned plaid shirt and that he lovingly tucked his greasy pony tail into his hat. He told some off colored stories and shared his political views all free of charge while I waited for Mark to load the car.



Her little smile was rather heart warming.

I had originally not planned on coming on this trip however; Mark knows me too well and with the lure of Rod Stewart, I was in 100%. So after getting Luy on the trailer, we drove back to Vegas to get ready for Rod. We decided to eat at the Caesar's Palace buffet (since Rod was playing in the Colloseum) and it was delish. I ALMOST tried my first oyster on the half shell- rather put off by the smell. I made up for it by eating a plate stuffed full of jumbo shrimp and King Crab. Another plate full of sushi and spring rolls. Another plate with truffled gratin potatoes and Kobe beef sliders. And finally, a plate of dessert. Now, the rest of the buffet was memorable but the dessert- off the chain. The crème brulee, all the fancy little samplers of custards, cobblers, gourmet cupcakes, cookies and pies. There was a station making fresh crepes, a serve yourself candy bar, gelato and these amazing little treats on sticks. It was worth every penny.

On to my highlight of the trip- Hot Rod,  who put on an excellent show! There was a whole section of seating not full so the usher told us we could move about 10 rows closer so that we did. Rod was classy and well dressed (even down to his snazzy socks). He did however forget the words in "Young Turks" and had to take a break about every other song- I said to fix his hair, Mark said he was taking a nap. All in all, a good show and one I was happy to check off the list.

I would say they were too pretty to eat but I would be lying.

Horrible picture taken by a dude that had never used a Smartphone.

Rod (we're now on a first name basis) kicked soccer balls into the crowd and had quite the foot- this one came to the 2nd Mezzanine but, so unluckily landed with a guy who was drunk, kept taking off his clothes and pelvic thrusting everything. He was nice enough to let me take a picture.

Rod & his saxophone player.