FALL

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The seasons in California kind of all blend together. Going from there to Utah the seasons seemed very extreme. So far, here in Washington, it has been a nice easing into each. This has been the first really fallish weekend so far. We were going to camp but it was just too cold. We did spend the day fishing though and it was nice to not be among 100 other people at the lake. Pete caught a pretty nice rainbow trout. It's probably the biggest fish we have caught here. I'm glad we got a picture, because shortly after this the fish slipped out of Siobhans hands and was gone.
This was also the last weekend for the farm stand. I have bought all my produce right from the farm since we have lived here in Auburn. I am really going to miss it this winter. Yesterday, we bought a huge box of galas, golden delicious and pears and did a little canning. Pete and I are totally new to this and it was kind of trial and error but I think we did alright.
So, work being done we are holed up for the day. Playing games and making some homemade chicken noodle soup and bread. Sometimes, it's really nice to just take it slow..........

Sporto

Siobhan is off to a great start with softball. Baseball is the one sport my family has always enjoyed. Growing up we attended many, many Giants games. So, I actually really enjoyed watching her game yesterday. She really is just a natural athlete. She had a hit at each at bat and even scored a double. The coach told her she will have no problem making the varsity team next year. It's fun watching Siobhan, she is so happy and everybody likes her. They won 30-2 and I really felt bad for the other team. Pete even came home early to see her play and I know Siobhan really appreciated that. From her game we went straight to back to school night. Hans made a friend, or made up a friend as he calls it, at the game and he was at the barbeque also which made Hans' day. Oscar saw a friend from last school year that he had been trying to reach, as he was moved into a "genius school" as Oscar calls it. I enjoyed meeting all of Siobhans teachers. They all had great things to say about Siobhan and I was glad to learn that the teachers all have websites that I can get on and see the days homework assignments. Something Siobhan had "accidentally" forgot to mention.
So, everyone seemed to have fun. It was awesome how many boys just kind of lingered around trying to not be too obvious. I am sure Pat would have loved that. Oscar saw a girl from school who was not shy at all and came to tell us she had her eye on him. When Oscar thought we weren't looking he made the "I'm watching you" gesture, you know, the two fingers from the eyes to the person, towards her. I think that made my week." What did Olive enjoy?," you may ask. Nothing, she's Olive. Mostly she just covers her face so no one can look at her.

Eye of the Tiger

The day before yesterday we went to the zoo. It had been awhile and I really love going to the zoo. It was easy with just Hans and Olive since the older kids were at school. They get really excited. We hadn't seen the tigers that well since we've had our pass. It was sleeping this time around, behind a bunch of tall grass and as we were walking away he woke up and moved to this perfect spot. This was our first trip to the zoo without a stroller. I know it seems like such a small deal but each little bit means I no longer have little babies. I will miss all the fun things about having babies but I am glad to no longer have diapers around. If you add up all the years I have spent nursing it equals 10 years of my life. I know that they are not babies and I am trying hard not to treat them as such. Hans is fully out of baby phase, when we were watching a show the other night in bed he was cuddling with Pete and I thought he was asleep but as soon as there was kissing I heard "Lame". I guess I've just been a little melancholy thinking about how little time I have that they will be so happy to just be with me. 'Cus this is where we are heading. I spend a large portion of my day shuttling Siobhan around. We have one car. We would be happy to not have one at all but this state is actually less walkable that Utah. Pete takes a commuter train so that I can have the car because the kids need to be picked up and I have so many doctors appointments. Sunday, after picking Siobhan up from a friends she asked if that same friend could come over and that her mom would pick her up. I said yes because Oscar was at his party and I figured we wouldn't be doing anything. They had saved some money up and wanted to go to the movies. I said yes and walked them to theatre. I made sure they found out when it got out and where I would be. When I went to pick them up I waited 35 minutes! I even went into the theatre to get them but the lady wouldn't let me into the lobby without a ticket. Then Siobhan had the nerve to ask if she could sleep at her friends! On a school night! So, we are now two days into a two week grounding. There's other reasons, but you've suffered enough. Today is the first softball game and back to school night for Siobhans school. She has forgotten her work at home twice since school started so I am really curious to see what her teachers say. What was that about I mentioned about babies? Just in case there is someone thinking I am not mean let me add another story. You have all been regaled with my tales of video game obsession. I am not above making things up to teach my kids a lesson. When they are little it just makes things easier. Hans is sure that I will magically know if he has done something wrong and cannot lie to me. I recently told him that if he watched too much television or played too many video games he would go blind. I have also added that the eye will fall out. It scared him straight for awhile. Yesterday I really didn't feel very good and I sat on the couch with him and we played a game together. Throughout the game he must have declared me the best mother ever about 50 times. When it was time to turn it off the honeymoon was over. " I can see one of your eyes kind of bulging out Hans, you'll lose it if we don't stop." " I still have another one," he said. Well, this morning he woke up and one of his eyes was stuck shut. He stumbled into the living room yelling " I've gone blind! I'll never play video games again." With that job done, my next will be to convince Siobhan that the number of pimples that are cropping up on her are directly related to the number of clothes she leaves lying on the floor.

Strange Brew

Today was a big day here. The big red circle on the calendar indicated that today is beer day. One last check on the hydrometer. There was a little stress concerning syphoning from one bucket to the other. The book said to rinse your mouth with vodka and suck on the tube. Pete did that but is trying to come up with a better idea for next round.
Olive was first to wonder what was going on. She bottled one beer before returning to Spongebob Squarepants.
Hans didn't get interested until the last bottle.
So, there it is. Pete's first batch of home brewed beer. We still have a few weeks until it's ready to drink. It's pretty labor intensive so I really hope that it's good. Pete is so excited. He can't wait to taste it and move on to some new recipes.
Maybe the next one will be good and strong. Something that will really put some hair on your chest,........ or your face.

This post will make Luisa sad

Poor Hans has had a difficult time with withdrawal. He thought maybe it was just the Nintendo DS that he was being kept from and begs to play the regular Nintendo on the TV. I have been pulling out as many ideas as I can to keep him entertained. They say the first 24 hours are the hardest. Yesterday I made cupcakes and let Hans and Olive frost them. I don't think I need to tell you how much frosting actually made it to the cupcakes themselves. It's been pretty busy this week. With the start of school comes the start of the birthday parties. Siobhan and Oscar both have parties tomorrow on opposite sides of town,up two different canyons. They are both really excited, especially Oscar. It reminded me of last year when we first moved here and Oscar was invited to a party. He became fast friends with this boy who ended up spending all free time at our house. He drove us mad but Luisa absolutely loved him. Siobhan nicknamed him Periwinkle but it backfired when he deemed her Siobhanwinkle and made plans for a future relationship. He called no less than 3 times a day and left the longest, most heartfelt messages for Oscar. He ate with us several times and never failed to compliment the meal at least twice. He said hello to Pete so many times in one visit that Pete started to have nightmares about it. I was really happy that Oscar had met a friend that he really enjoyed playing with so I didn't mind. Soon though it was just too much. He out-Haskelled even Eddie Haskell himself. Eventually, a Lego diamond centered confrontation strained the relationship and we haven't seen much of him lately. Two nights ago at dinner I asked Oscar how school was and he said that a girl in his class may be suspended. I asked what happened and Oscar said she had choked a boy on the playground. Pete and I knew who it was immediately, even Siobhan asked right off it was this boy. I felt really bad for him but, as Pete said it was bound to happen. I wondered what would happen to the girl, she is new to the school and there is such strict policy these days concerning fighting. Yesterday Oscar came home and said that she didn't even get detention. That's good because I think Pete invited her over for dinner.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Hans has a super addictive personality. I think he gets it from both Pete and I. The Nintendo DS has been the worst. It has been a source of endless tears and drama. Hans cannot stop playing once he starts. There is always one more thing he wants to do. " Just one more easy level!" he'll cry. So we have had to put them up for awhile until he can function as a person again. With the Nintendo gone he is back on the Legos. There is always Legos around. They are the one toy that is played with daily. We own thousands and thousands of Legos. Still, there is always a few that are fought over. At the end of last school year when I cleaned Oscars' backpack out he had a brown bag of Legos that he had been taking back and forth between school so that Hans wouldn't play with them. There are some up on shelves, hidden. There are some stored in discreet shoe boxes. Oscar has caught of friends that have messed with his Legos. This is where Oscar is headed. Hans is quickly catching up and never is without a Lego guy in his pocket. I put him to bed at night and tuck him in, but this is how I find him in the mornings. ....

Pete is not a fan of the Legos and would love to throw them all away. To help relieve the Lego stress we like to keep plenty of beer on hand. In the spirit of trying to be more self sustaining he is brewing his own beer. This is the trial batch. I hope it's good. Now we just need some good ideas for the labels. Anyone?

I think Pete is probably over it but I cannot get enough of Flight of the Conchords. Best show ever! Jemaine is my favorite so one more just because.....

Picture This

Last night we had everybody over since my Dad and Sharon left this morning. I hadn't seen Malachi in a few weeks and he looks like he grew in double time. He is also walking and eating pickles. The other reason to have a party was we had yet to celebrate two birthdays. Elijah is now 13 and I am really having to myself back from posting some really awesome Elijah baby pictures. He is the oldest of the Sheppard grandkids. My first visit to Seattle was when he was born and

I will never forget holding him for the first time. He is a really good kid and I love him very much. Another boy I love very much is Saul. I was 6 months pregnant with Olive when I found out Saul was on the way. A week later he was born making him 3 years old three months before Olive. Saul calls me Marty and I love it. Can you guess what he got for his birthday? It was fun to have everybody over. I had such a great visit with my Dad and Sharon. It was good that the kids got to catch up with each other. I won't lie though, it is A LOT of work to feed them, clean up and try to keep things semi- orderly. I love these kids with all my heart but trying to arrange a picture for Grandpa was nothing short of ridiculous. I could feel my blood pressure rising. The promise of cake is the only thing I have found that will tame 10 kids for two minutes.
You have to just keep shooting. Between my dad and I we must have taken 50 pictures just hoping one would be good. Then, there's a lapse in flashes and they assume they're done. All hell breaks loose again and I check out my pictures. I see this and it makes all the work worth it.........

All's Fair in love and war

My Dad and Sharon are in town this week and we have been having a good time. Pete and I take the kids to the fair every year and I was glad that it worked out to go this week because Dad enjoys the fair as much as I do. Plus, I made Olive a special pig dress she had been waiting to wear. Siobhan and Oscar stayed home to go with us. Luisa says that most all schools in Washington do a fair field trip, but theirs doesn't so I figured that it would be alright. I always enjoy the home arts and high school arts categories. We asked Oscar to stand next to this Oscar picture and it wasn't until now that I realize they have the same smile.

Pete enjoyed the fair this year also. I was happy he came because he hurt his back at work on Monday. He liked the Advil booth and this back massager thing. I can't wait until the year he buys a massaging recliner at the fair in true John Lindgren style. It's entirely possible that Oscar may be checking his pulse to make sure he is still alive. He perked up once we got to the collections exhibit in the Hobby Lobby. The Legos brought him back to life.


So, pretty fun overall. It's been a nice week, but as can happen when there's a group it sometimes gets stressful, which leaves me feeling a little like this................

Baby Mania

This is my niece Magnolia, she is 3 months younger than Hans. Today she became a new big sister. Congratulations to Aaron ,Tara and Maggie. I am so happy for you all and can't wait to hear what name you choose!

This is Hans. He is having some serious issues about growing older. He does not want to grow up and leave me. I have assured him that he can be with me always but he just wants to stay 4. Sometimes, I wish he could. He is the best medicine ever. This has been going on for a few days. He really cries. Not upset, angry cries, just sad sobbing and it just breaks my heart. It's hard to see him so serious because he is about the goofiest kid ever. He's kind of cheered up today and wanted to see some pictures. So today I pulled out some baby pictures of him. He was super excited because apparently I never told him that he was born with a blanket on.
Underneath that picture, this picture made it's way in. This is Siobhan at 4 and Oscar at 2. Hans said, " Look, that's when Oscar had that really big head!" I think these pictures were just the thing today.

Hello, I'm Matilda.........

Today is my grandmothers birthday. Her name was Matilda Paredes and she is who I am named for. If she was alive she would be 90 years old today. She passed away in March of 2000, three months after I moved to Utah. I grew up very close to my Grandma, as my sisters did. We saw her daily growing up and I continued that until I moved away. I spent most of my free time with her and she was so special to me. The last memory of my Grandma that I have before leaving is sitting on her bed and holding her hand. I remember at the time staring at her hand. We had been talking and Grandma had told me her hopes for me and for what I would teach Siobhan and Oscar. After that we just sat, holding hands and I just stared at them. I really wanted to remember exactly what they looked like. They had spent years stroking our hair, making us meals, getting us dressed and sometimes, spanking us. She devoted her life to us. She was the reason I had a hard time leaving. When she had her stroke my parents flew me home and we stayed at the hospital with her. I felt such guilt for leaving her, she had asked that we stay.

When my grandmother left I had a really hard time. I did really bad things and acted really badly towards a lot of people who loved me. I was completely lost without her and didn't really want to be here anymore. Siobhan and Oscar were my two bright spots. Siobhan said she came to her at night and that was a big comfort to me. I still have a really hard time without her. I don't talk about her much because it is too difficult. Some may think I have forgotten her but I think of her everyday. She is why I have become a better person. I want to live up to our name. I imagine her watching me now and looking over my babies. How I wish she could have known Hans and Olive. And Pete. I ask her, "How am I doing grandma pajama?" Sometimes I pretend she is riding in the car with me like she used to. I tell her how my life is now. I think it's pretty good. And now when I meet people I don't say "You can call me Mattie", I say proudly, " Hello, I'm Matilda."

School

Today is the first day of school. Siobhan needs school. She is too active and social and we are just not cool enough. She would not let me get out of the car but I did make her give me a kiss goodbye. Tomorrow she will start taking the bus again and she is really happy about that. Oscar started today also. He was very excited, I think. He planned his outfit and had everything laid out and waiting this morning. Oscar is reserved and shy. I can hardly watch him wait for school to start, he always just makes me feel sad. I know that he is fine and just an observer. I however, worry about him and committed the unthinkable by crying when it was time for him to go to class and I told him I will miss him today. I think by fourth grade mothers should have this down.

I had to be at the school today because the PTA sponsored coffee and treats to moms dropping their kids off. I joined the PTA this year and should probably avoid talking about how involved I have become. Last night we had a back to school barbecue and the kids and I set up all the tables and chairs. We also helped take down all the chairs and tables.I have become best friends with the school janitor and today a few people around the school came up tell me that I was a huge help and they are excited that I am on the PTA this year. I am super happy about that because my sole reason for joining is that Oscar really wanted me to. He was so happy about it. Now all the school staff knows him and it was nice today that everybody knew him by name. Also, today when I was finishing up the coffee thing Oscar was in the multi doing PE. It's all about sport stacking and Oscar wants to be good at it. I think my goodbye was forgiven though, he did point me out and tell all his friends, "that's my mom".
Besides school starting I am also excited today because, after years of trying, finally I have pumpkins growing. A few of them are really decent size also. I have 9 or 10 now I think and I hope they all make it.

We also planted tomatoes again this year since we have always had good luck with them. Somehow seeds got scattered or dropped. I'm not really sure, but we have plants everywhere loaded with tomatoes. They just kind of spread. I'm glad Pete likes tomatoes because there is going to be a lot.

So long summer ........

Well, school starts Wednesday. Tomorrow is Oscars back to school barbecue and this was the last weekend of summer. It has been fun to be here this summer. Lots of new stuff to explore and we have done A LOT.
Siobhan will be playing fast pitch softball this fall and practise starts the first day of school. We bought the equipment and played a game of our own the night before last.

Hans really enjoyed the game but doesn't quite get the concept of bases. He just hits, then chases the ball.
Olive skips the game entirely and just brings the huge Barbie suitcase, full of barbie and polly pocket, she has been dragging everywhere to play in the dugout. By the way, she also drags this into bed at night. We also went fishing this weekend but were back on our routine of not catching anything. Oscar however, did catch his first fish unassisted. He was on his own and caught and reeled in this guy.
He was extremely proud, as were we. Unfortunately, when we headed over to the river a little later he accidentally hooked Olives hair. No one was hurt and Pete got him back on the horse. I think Oscar is going to be more athletic than we had anticipated. He has excelled in basketball and is begging to play softball. For two non -sports fan kind of people I am seeing many sporting events in our future.