'Merica

Cousins

 We started the 4th of July at Lagoon for Kid's day! G & Chris have kept the Kid's Day tradition alive and this is the second year in a row. It was yet again another glorious day at the park. The weather was great- outside the random thunder/rain storm in the middle of the afternoon but that calmed the clouds and the sunshine and made it great. Mc yet again roamed around with her cousins while the boys, Mark and I hit the smaller rides. This was the year Mc finally conquered Colossus and she LOVED it. Still working on Kingston to go on some real roller coasters. Maybe next year.

We left Lagoon to head to Ty and Jade's new house that is right around the corner and participated in the Stadium of Tyler. We are ever so grateful every year that Tyler spends $$$$ on loads of fireworks and offers to put on a show. This year was epic. The kids had a blast and I was in charge of the tunes again. A summer night on the fourth of July cannot be beat.

I love dressing my family all patriotic like. I love BBQ'ing, fireworks, some Neil Diamond on a bluetooth speaker and watching my kids take it all in. I fondly remember my fourth of July's and love sharing that with my kiddos. 

Free Willies

Me, Bree and Toby (who was petrified)

The Hulk turns 5.

F I V E

A whole hand! Five years old. Going to Kindergarten. Obsessed with Transformers. Favorite present: BotBots. Chose Olive Garden for your birthday dinner- ate pizza and fries. Content playing solo or running around with the neighborhood boys. You have mastered swimming lessons (roll, chicken/airplane/soldier). I love that you still come in and snuggle in the mornings. You love baths, getting dirty and candy. 

You are the best listener and most days have the cleanest room out of any of the kids. I also love that you still call Kingston and Mckinley collectively, "the kids". You are kind and tender and sometimes still let me snuggle and smooch you during the day. You go to bed and instantly fall asleep with all your stuffed animal friends and toys crammed in tight next to you. 

It's going to be a little hard sending you off to school every day. Just glad that we still get to spend our mornings together and have our lunches at Firehouse Subs.

We love you huge, Lorenzo Niels.  

I want to be the BEST I can

Kingston Grant Williamson made the decision to be baptized to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a beautiful day! You were such a lucky boy and got to have your OWN baptism day (which was unheard of in our ward with so many kids!). I was lucky to be the Primary President and get to speak at your baptism and be the first to welcome you to the ward (I also got to give you a smooch which I don't get to do with any of the other kids). You picked Mimi to give the talk on Baptism, Grandma Mary Ann to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and Uncle Dave and Ty Thomas to give the prayers. Dad gave you a beautiful confirmation blessing. I had a front row seat and my heart almost burst when I saw you sitting there in your suit surrounded by all the men we love holding the priesthood and exercising the power of God.

We also opted to do donuts and chocolate milk in the parking lot after and that was the best decision of my life- no need to clean my house, people didn't have to bring anything, no mess. It was perfect. We will be doing the same thing for Enzo's.

All in all, a perfect day. A day where you can't help but feel how much our Heavenly Father loves us and is proud of our decisions.

Williamson Men

Your own table! You made a lego temple and a lego 8. 

F O R E V E R Williamsons 

All the boys- Cole Blackhurst, Noah Bigler, the Mero boys (Carter and Emmitt), Mason Richman and Cash. 

Gr8 to be 8.

Kington Grant. You're 8. I can't believe it. You put on your suit to go and get your baptism pictures and I was for sure not ready to see my tiny boy looking so much like a grown up missionary (that day will be here before I know it). You are kind. You are easily swayed by gifts or a dollar. You have a lady fan club (mostly Rebecca Bennion) and everyone knows you by your birthmark. You are a cool kid that makes everyone feel included and always chooses the right. 

giving Rebecca a ride home on your pegs

That smile. 

 All you wanted for your birthday was a penny board (a small skate board) and Legos. You are ALL boy. You love being outside, eating candy and gum for a meal, being dirty, playing with your best friends Emmitt, Noah, Porter, Mason and Cash and staying up late. You like to think you are "not scared" of Stranger Things or El Chupicabra but deep down, you still are- usually we find you at the foot of our bed every night.

eight. 

Tradition says you get to pick where me and dad take you for dinner- this year, Benihana. You LOVED it! The flying shrimp, the rice and the ice cream at the end. It was so fun seeing your face! We had two other couples celebrating birthdays at our table and they all sang to you and wished you a Happy Birthday.

Benihana Boy

Primary birthday sign, penny board and your rocket

 At Boondocks, if you go ON your birthday you get to do everything for free. You and dad raced go carts, played laser tag and arcade games and spent the afternoon together. Dad said you were quite the race car driver.

Kingston, we love you. You are the perfect middle child- the catalyst to all the good and crazy in our lives. We love you more than legos, more than gum, more than Godzilla, Pacific Rim and El Chupicabra. We love you more than egg rolls, more than a million dollars, more than robots. WE LOVE YOU.

You give me fever.

I had the summer all planned out. $2 Tuesdays at the pool, movies, late nights, sun tans, popsicles, a few nights in Park City, the Bees game.... not exactly how the first week of summer started. I had gone to the pool with a friend- I thought I was amply sun screened- got a smidge burned on my chest and the tops of my legs. Went to High Fitness- business as usual. Fast forward to 6/19 (Wednesday)- I woke up with stomach pain, cramping. I was not happy because I had LOADS of things to do that day in addition to having to be on camera for a work meeting. I got up and showered, took Enzo to summer camp (9:00 AM) and came home to get on my meeting.

Two minutes into my meeting I start to sweat. And then freeze to death.

Then I start to shiver and feel like my hands and feet are going to be sheared right off like giant ice cubes.

I go to pick up Enzo. Barely make it to Miss Amy's. Call dad to come and get the kids. In so much pain. I clearly looked distraught because a couple teenage girls in the car next to me are yelling, "are you ok?!?!", "No, I am dying. But I am almost home and I will be fine.". They offered to follow me home. Nice of them.

I get home. Barely make it to my bed and then my breathing slows down, becomes labored. Mom and dad come and get the kids. Mark tells them to not leave me home alone. Insta Care ("We can't do anything for you") then to the ER. My heart starts to feel tight. My fingers are immobilized.

101.5 fever. Five hours in the ER. Two bags of fluid. Morphine (whew! That stuff is amazing). Tests- blood and urine. EKG. "There is nothing wrong with you." Awesome. $1600 later.

I left the ER feeling a little better. Felt like I could eat a hamburger but I am sure glad I didn't. About 6 PM I started getting sick again and welcomed vomit and diarrhea to the party.

I have NEVER been that sick in my entire life. Ever. I vow to never drink another Gatorade and probably will never eat a graham cracker again as long as I live.

I didn't wear clothes for almost a week. Didn't eat solid food. Showered for a total of 2 hours a day (the only time my body felt ok and I just dreaded getting out because I would freeze). Got to be babysat by my Mother in Law- bless her and her willingness to do my stairs 100 times a day to remind me to drink something every 30 min. Mom and dad kept the kids for a few days. Bree massaged my feet and my back, brought food and made sure to remind me that I can't die, ever. Mark drove back and forth from Park City every single day to be with me at night. Neighbors brought food and took my kids.

Still the illness remains a mystery but what is VERY clear is how many people rallied to save me from an untimely death. It's really a blessing to be well. I may hate summer messes and sticky floors but I hate being sick even more.

Alice Cooper said it best.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER! 

Another year in the books!

Mc finished 4th grade with Mrs Blaney and had a great year! She struggled a little bit with Math (heaven help us in 5th grade) but LOVED her teacher. Mrs Blaney was a trooper. What Mc didn't know is that Mrs Blaney was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year and the Wednesdays when she wasn't at school, she was off getting treatment. I had to break the news after school was out that her cancer was terminal and that the school had hoped she would make it through the summer. She always had a smile and pushed Mc to do her best work. They worked hard on the 4th grade Utah assembly where they sang all about Utah and Mc got to square dance with her Valentine.

Mckinley and Mrs Blaney

Kingston  finished 2nd grade with Mrs Butikofer. She was an amazing teacher and was perfect for Kingston. He came into 2nd grade with the sloppiest handwriting and left with a love of STEM and much nicer penmanship. She really gave the kids a love of Math and Science and made the year amazing. They did a 2nd grade play (see post of the Donkey of Bremin Town) and did a puppet show where the kids all made/sewed/painted their own puppets. I had the privilege of spending a few Fridays in his class helping hot glue costumes, design hair and stick costumes. Sadly, Enzo won't get to have this teacher either- she is moving to a new school next year.

Uni the Unicorn

Mrs Butikofer's Class

Both kids earned their Mountain Lion award- they had additional tasks they had to do throughout the year and they both made it! The funny thing is the closer the kids inch to 6th grade the smaller the group of kids that earn the award. Here's hoping for Mt Lions every year!

Enzo finished up his 2nd and final year of preschool. I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to Miss Amy. She was a godsend! She was the perfect teacher for Enzo and prepared him to enter kindergarten knowing how to write his name, count, do simple math, read a few sight words, knowing his colors, shapes and alphabet and kind of liking to color. She really is the best. 

walking into preschool on his last day

Enzo & Miss Amy

a Day for Mothers

My nuggets. 

My last Mother's Day at prek. Enzo said he loves me "because she takes me to the store to buy me Transformers".

Being a mom is hard. The end.

That's really all it would take to sum up a Mother's Day post. It's so much work but, out of all the work I have done, it is the most rewarding. I imagine that someday- it will feel like two minutes and 300 years all in the same breath- I will look back longingly and wish I had one more day to do things different. I am grateful for my Snuglets. I am grateful that Heavenly Father trusted me enough to send these three strong willed, blonde haired, blue eyes kiddos to be in my care through this mortal existence. That take a LOT of trust- he knew I would struggle. He knew I would feel like a failure but he knew at the end of the day, I would do ANYTHING for these kids. They are my greatest accomplishment and I can't wait to watch what they do with their lives and to be a part of that journey.