“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.