Memento

Hans has been asking lately how long it will be until my tattoos wash off. When I tell them they won't he is amazed. My kids are always writing on themselves, Siobhan included. When I was younger I remember how much I loved my Dads tattoos. I thought they were beautiful. I will also admit that I felt especially cool when he showed up for parent night at school and all my friends would marvel at how awesome my parents were.
I am glad that I held off on my first few tattoo ideas, being as I was too young. Otherwise I may have Charlie Brown or The Oregon State duck. Instead I chose as my first tattoo, the Mickeys bee. Nothing says youth like a malt liquor logo. While I am not thrilled with it, I would never cover it up because it is a mark from my life at that time. I also broke one of my Dads cardinal rules and had a boyfriends name tattooed on me. I will try to drill this rule into my kids heads as well and hope they will heed the advice. For now, I will let them play with the sharpies, safe in the knowledge that I can wash it away. I so hope that Hans will never tattoo his own name on his legs, Memento style. P.S. Thank you for all the kind words to Oscar. He has been in heaven discussing all his ideas for his blog. Why didn't I do this sooner? I will admit that it is interesting having the shoe on the other foot. He has had free reign and the secret pictures have me on edge. I can't wait until Siobhan comes home from her sleepover and gives Oscar another subject. So, thanks again.

P.P.S. It was awesome to see you on there Trisha. I am sad that we didn't see you more in Salt Lake, we miss you. Oscar is so happy that you left a comment. Now you need to get into the lists with us!!

All In The Family

I'd like to share the following photos that Oscar took on our trip. He has turned in to quite a shutterbug. He is using my old Cannon powershot and is really getting good at it. I love that he tries out different things and is not intimidated by settings orbuttons, like I am. He has a different perspective, being 10 and all. I am not good at photography but I love pictures. They tell a story and a good story is what I love best.
So, I hope you will enjoy the newest blogger on the block. Oscar has been asking for awhile and tonight is his premiere. We are having a little issue figuring out how to change profiles so if you see that mine says I enjoy Legos or that Oscar is married to Pete, please do not be alarmed. I am excited to share a world that I enjoy with my son. He is fun and interesting and I look forward to seeing things through his eyes. So you can find Oscar here.

Shame and Scandal

Last night was the big performance. Pete stayed home with OJ and Hans. Last concert he spent all but 5 minutes of it walking the hall with Olive. I really enjoyed my time out with the two older kids. Siobhan kept up her tradition of bringing her horn home to practice, that only happens the day of a performance. I kept up my tradition of embarrassing Oscar with my witty comments and observations. Something I definitely picked up from attending concerts with my Dad. Oscar not only shrank in horror but actually shushed me when reading over the program I deemed one of the song titles to be "intriguing". I clapped for the soloists, a common practice, and he was mortified that I started it. From my experiences, that is what you do, right? Siobhan could not be more pleased with the evening as the horn player from the other schools band "is totally hot" and she was put in charge of advising him as such. She did not let me get a good picture of her, she hid behind music and stands so this is as good as it gets. I did take them for Ice Cream afterwards. Pete has put the kibosh on sugar in the house so I have been forced to "run out for milk" and sneak in as much as I can. That soothed the sting of embarrassment for them. Pete says I am a tease, that I tease all the time. I am trying to curb that a little. Oscar did also laugh a lot last night, we had fun. Even he is starting to catch on to the Sheppard sense of humor. He did, after all, find the humor in this, anyone else? I have a couple of things I have been working on this week and if I get it together today I may post again. For now I'm going to end with this song because it makes me really happy....

Phoning It In....

I guess I still haven't quite gotten back into my groove here. I am kind of stumped as to what to write about today. Tonight is Siobhans band concert which I am sure will bring me plenty of fodder for tomorrow. Today I guess I will just leave you with the following article from The Onion, which I just love. This is how I feel. I read certain blogs EVERY DAY. I have to know what is new,what's going on. Nothing is too trivial for me. Another of my sister in laws started a blog and so now I have another to add to my list of daily habits. I started this blog recording my kids events and lives and have slowly realized it is becoming more often stories about me. I am justifying this by saying that it is for my children to read about me when they are older because really once you start this silly blogging stuff, you just can't stop....

Entire Blogosphere Stunned By Blogger's Special Weekend Post

NEW YORK—In what is being called a seminal moment in Internet history, a rare weekend post by 25-year-old blogger Ben Tiedemann on his...

Tonight at 7

Ahhh! I am falling behind today and will be so sad if I don't get a list up here. It feels like I am not the only one. Everybody I have spoken with recently has shared the same sentiment. There is just not enough time to get everything done in a day. Pete and Hans have started our seeds for this years vegetable garden. We composted last year and had some great compost to add when we turned the soil. I am really excited to see what will come up this year. I worked a little on the front yard but then I realized that Easter is in March and not April and I had big plans for some new Easter outfits. When will I fit in all the TV watching that fell behind from vacation? I don't really watch that much TV, the kids take care of that. Hans and Olive mostly just watch Spongebob. It is on in the morning, right when Oscar is getting ready to leave for school so it is a convenient distraction.There are some shows we love to watch together. Planet Earth, Dirty Jobs, Cash Cab. Pete and I both have a hard time even listening to some of the shows Siobhan and Oscar will watch. Hannah Montana, Drake and Josh, Suite Life of Zach and Cody. My grandma was a huge TV watcher. She didn't drive or work outside the home and she lived for her stories. Ryans Hope, All my Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. Those were staples. It was not even a consideration to ask if she would like to go out between the hours of Eleven and Three. I remember Laverne and Shirley, Barney, Mamas Family and Alice being regulars in the later afternoon. I'll still watch those shows just for the feeling of Grandmas house it will give me. So, I guess it's pretty obvious what this weeks list is. What are your favorite TV shows? This is another one that if I go back a ways I can probably rack up quite a list, so here's my five......

#1. First I would say any British comedy. My favorite is Are You Being Served?, another Grandmas house favorite. I also love As Time Goes By, To the Manor Born, Keeping Up Appearances, Last of the Summer Wine. All of them. My favorite time of night for years was between 10 and 11pm when everyone was asleep and it was Brit Com hour in Salt Lake. I miss that.

#2. No Reservations. This one Pete and I watch together. I like Anthony Bourdains sense of humor and the a lot of the food looks so good. That has always been something I have always loved about Pete. He would watch cooking shows and then the next day make what he saw. He is a lot of fun to cook with.

#3. A Haunting. My Mom and I found that we both watched this and it was fun to discuss episodes with her. I do believe in ghosts and this show scares and fascinates me at the same time.

#4. The Office both British and American versions. I think I may have enjoyed the BBC Office a teensy bit more. I loved this series. Ricky Gervais is a pure genius.

#5. I think the TV show that Pete and I may have enjoyed the most together is My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss. Just like most of our favorite shows(Arrested Development,sure to be on Petes list) it was cancelled and we were never able to finish the season. I loved this show. It was hilarious. It was a reality show that contestants were competing for a position with a large corporation that was completely bogus. I guess I just don't have that much sympathy for reality show "celebrities" because I could not stop laughing at these poor people. The things they would put up with for a chance to work for someone they knew nothing about. The catch phrase became a staple for Pete and I,Get the hell out of my office!!

O.R.- Federal Butt Inspector

I feel that I have done a great disservice to my older son. He was a dream on this trip. Helpful with all the kids. He played and entertained and took a million pictures, which I hope to get permission to share here. Oscar is just so cool and I would like to share a few things about him. He is a list maker, like his mom. He recently has entertained the thought of bleaching his hair. He grabbed a napkin at Grandma Double R's and proceeded to take a survey. No word yet on his decision, but he has some opinions now. This is a little gem that I came across the day we left. Oscar sails about a million paper planes a day. He tracks and records their attributes and flight patterns. I mistakenly assumed this was a run of the mill FBI plane for awhile until I got close enough to read the rest.
I think I have mentioned his habit of "collecting" items from the trash? He became a lunch time helper to the school janitor and has earned both service awards and coupons for free meals. An ingenious idea on the part of the restaurant. Who takes their kid without buying the whole family dinner? The real perk to this job though is the amount of dumpster diving that can take place without any hassle. He has bottles of white out and pads of administrative stickers. These are from the preschool downstairs. Oscar has used them for his new pastime. Finding out every ones address and phone # in his class. It is a coup among 4th grade boys to know where their sweetheart resides and Oscar is the go to man.
And this is where he sleeps. This is how is bed always looks. Yep, there is a helmet,cardboard box, scads of papers,scissors,remote car, tons of books,pens,stickers,box of Petes old business card, anything you need. I asked for tape yesterday but he played dumb.In the long run I ended up bartering for it with a piece of string he had been eyeing. I would like to say that his bed looks uncomfortable but truthfully mine would probably be the same if I didn't have Pete to keep me in check. So, I just wanted to add my ode to Oscar. I know I already posted but just had to share my love for my special boy.

North Pole/South Pole

I have to say, I was really proud of how well behaved Olive actually was. She was mostly in a really good mood and played pretty well with the other kids. I felt really bad for her on the last day though. She had an abscess and had to have a tooth pulled. Jeremy put out quite an effort to do it for us but in the end we went to Grandma Sharrons dentist. As Sharron pointed out, it probably was better she didn't associate Jeremy with that experience. You may recall from this post that I don't do well seeing the kids in any amount of pain. So,thankfully Sharron went with Pete. Olive got a Barbie out of it(actually two, she had to have a baby also) and I was a little relieved in hearing that the dentist felt that this was caused by teeth grinding. I really appreciated all Jeremys effort and concern. What a great dentist. Hans did pretty well also. He fancies himself the ringleader. He is by far the loudest and most obnoxious in a group. He relishes the attention and I heard more than once on this trip from Pete that Hans needs to be tested for ADD. He is extremely active and does not stop for a second. He loved being with Landon and Darwin and though they are girls he adores Magnolia

and Jocelyn. But right now Cooper and Chase are his two favorite guys. He is totally entertained with just thinking about matching things. Halfway through the trip in the middle of the night he asked what the bottom of the Earth looked like. We explained and he asked how people could stand on it, again we explained and Pete talked a little about the North and South poles. Hans decided that Chase and Cooper could be called North and South pole. "Okay Hans, good thinking ,let's get to sleep." " What about God," Hans continued, " If he made everything,who made him?" And this is why I sleep only a handful of hours a night.
Nathan is a really laid back, happy baby. He is really attached to Annisha and it made me a little sad to not have a little one so excited about me anymore. He is a cuddly boy and in Annishas absence he did allow me to hold him which made my day.
Alex and Davids was fun. I was really impressed with Portland. Alex is an excellent hostess and made us feel very at home even though she forgot to send me back with shoes and purses. I have really enjoyed all my time with Alex recently. I love talking with her and we have a lot of fun together. Portland is an awesome town and the neighborhoods are great. We took a walk along the water and crossed over the bridge which freaked me out a bit but what a great walk. My legs are still burning.

It's really kind of interesting to watch Petes family. I have no brothers, only two sisters. Petes family is all so different yet so the same. The way the girls watch over their brothers is really entertaining. They are like mother hens. I wonder how my kids will relate to each other as they get older. I also wonder what it will be like if we do move back. Will the cousins always remain close? Who will be the troublemaker(my vote is Hans)? Who will be the informant? Will they stick together as a gang or gang up on each other? There's bound to be lots more kids, will there be different age groups playing together?How will the Moms hold up?When will Pete take to wearing a jumpsuit? Will I still be blogging it all? Lots of questions, maybe I will wait and beat Hans to the punch and ask Pete around 11 tonight....

Jiggety Jog

We are back! I will admit that it's a little nice to be back home. Lot's of clean up and lot's of missing everyone. We had such a good time. We were finally able to meet Roseanna and she is an absolute doll. She was really sick when we arrived but I'm glad we were able to see her and Tara. Olive was in absolute heaven with the girls. There was a lot of dress up and Barbie playing. A few tears and hurt feelings but I think that overall they got along well. I am a constantly amazed at how similar the girls sometimes look or act. You can definitely tell they are cousins. Pete likes to call them the Lindgren Girls- next generation.
It was really nice to see Annisha and Jeremy. It would be nice to live close to them. I enjoyed spending time with them and Jocelyn and Nathan. I have never seen a happier boy in my life. Pete and I got lucky on their last night and were able to hold him for quite awhile. I'm grateful for our growing friendship.
I don't even know what to say about Kim. She is my best good friend. I love her a lot. It is always nice to see her. I cherish our time talking and her boys are just the sweetest things. I look forward to watching them grow up and hope to be close to them. Hans is fascinated with the twins and anything that comes in pairs are instantly compared to Cooper and Chase.
I have such a struggle with myself over wanting to be here and there. But when I see all these kids together I want to be a part of it. Or, I should say, I want my kids to be a part of it. They truly love each other and I love them. Even Oscar was picking out houses. I won't lie. There are fights and hurt feelings and little jabs at each other. But, they manage. I think the same could be said for the adults. A lot of personalities and opinions. But, we all manage and things can be quickly forgiven and forgotten.

So, I still have a LOT of pictures and I plan on sharing them all. I feel like I need a week of blogging and that's just what I plan on. A post a day! Thank you for a wonderful visit. Alex and David included. We had an awesome time in Portland and it gave us another place to love and ponder. For now I guess we'll start our spring clean and get back to our routine. Olive woke up crying that the sun rose this morning so I guess she's home.

Home.

I had good intentions of a list last week but preparations got in the way. We made it to Utah without any rain or snow and apparently missed a pretty big storm. There is a ton of snow here but it's nice and sunny and I have really been enjoying it. The kids are having so much fun fun with their cousins. There have been a few sleepovers and Olive has been going to school with Grandma.
I am so happy to be back in Utah. I love it here, it's just home. We have a few days left but I am already sad about leaving. We are going to stop in on Team Weitzman on the way back to Washington. I am excited to see Portland (and the Weitzmans!) , I haven't been downtown before. That will be something to look forward to. Right now though I am enjoying being with our family. I am writing this from Kims house where we just had lunch and I am awaiting some pie. The boys are adorable and just the sweetest babies. It was kind of like a blog reunion to be with both Kim and Annisha and I am actively trying to recruit some new bloggers.

So, since I am here and on the computer I will add my Wednesday list now. There are so many stories to tell but I want to enjoy my visiting so, it will wait for our return. Pete and I have enjoyed some time on our own which doesn't often happen and we have looked around at some houses. I love my family in the Northwest, but Utah is just my home. Where have you lived? Five might be hard on this list but I'm not too creative right now. Maybe you can supplement with where you would like to live. Here's mine...

#1. Pacific Grove,Ca. Best town ever!

#2. Salinas, Ca. I liked this for the fact that we lived two blocks from Pats parents.

#3. Salt Lake City,Utah. I moved here the first day of the new millenium! I lived here for five years and could not wait to move. Hindsight is 20/20.

#4. Auburn,Wa. This has been a good experience for us. I have really enjoyed Washington, it is a beautiful place.

#5. I think one place I have always wanted to live would be San Luis Obispo. That was our other choice when Pat and I moved to SLC but it was pricey. I think in the big picture it was just meant to be Utah but man Slo town is nice.

I miss my blog and can't wait to update you all on our travels. I am also excited to see how my fellow bloggers, or the bloggin' trifecta felt about our time together. Miss everyone and be back soon!

SEVEN.

Today we went to the Lunar New Year festival in the International district. It was a lot of people but well worth it. We had some lunch and caught some dragons out in the street. The fireworks were LOUD! Hans was a little taken aback but played brave afterward and talked about how cool they were.
Really though, this whole weekend was overshadowed by the fact that my sister Luisa had a baby yesterday. I haven't mentioned that she was pregnant because I didn't know. That's right, I have seen her a lot lately and had no clue. Yesterday morning my mom called to tell me baby seven was here. She named him Solomon, but I am calling him Seven.
The last three babies were surprises. I think we knew about Saul a couple of weeks ahead, Malachi a couple of days. This baby was after the fact. Luisa said she went in with bad cramps and twenty minutes later he was here. I actually knew she was pregnant back at the end of summer. I told Pete and he agreed but then no information came forth and we let the idea go. This baby is gorgeous. His hair is so black and soft and shiny. He is such a joy to hold and kiss. I am already in love with him. we drove them home from the hospital and he was so good in the car. At the hospital he was wide awake and just looked at me as I held him. I hope that he will grow to be healthy and happy. I hope that Luisa will recover quickly and that she will find a new way to manage a house with seven kids. I still am really at a loss for what to say or think. It is a shocking development. The only thing I am sure of regarding the situation is that I love my sister and all my nieces and nephews. I wish them only the best. So, welcome to the world baby Seven, Nina loves you.

Pink Ladies

When I was young I always had long hair. My mom is skilled in the braiding area and would always do our hair. When the braids came out we would have huge hair. Our hair is thick and I was never into the big and long hair when I was little. When I was twelve or thirteen I started cutting it. I wanted short hair in the worst way, much to my mothers dismay. So, I played around with that for awhile and when I turned fifteen, I started coloring it. I never went with the boxes, I went straight to the beauty supply and started mixing my own. The first color was red, it turned out a Ronald McDonald sort of color. I kept at it though. When I was 16 I showed up at my moms birthday having had shaved it off. Pete did my hair every other week when I was bleaching it out and I actually enjoyed that color quite a bit. My sister in law Kim has done my hair numerous times. As a matter of fact she did my hair for my sisters wedding two years ago. That was the last time, I stopped cutting and dyeing it after that.It is super long and completely 100% natural. My hair is super healthy and grows really fast. I hope Siobhan's hair will hold up as well as mine has. She has the bug. She started the cutting phase about two years ago and this week we made the jump to color. I am a pretty liberal mom, this I know. My mom nailed it though yesterday when she said, " She's not doing drugs or getting into trouble, let her have her indivduality." I agree. Twelve now, is not what twelve was 10 years ago. I am amazed at some of the goings on at her school and am so grateful that Siobhan is such a good girl. So, we bleached and colored and she is so happy. Nothing drastic, just the ends. Like mother,like daughter. I can't wait to see her bald.

Where have you been?

There's something about a road trip that is just so exciting to me. Even with the kids in tow. They started traveling as babies and they are good at it. We've made the Utah-California trip dozens of times. Hans has always been an excellent traveler. No complaining, enjoys being in the car. Oscar is the same. It helps that they both are able to read,draw, play games, without being sick. Siobhan requires heavy dosing of Dramamine to get through. She usually wakes up about five minutes from our destination to ask how much longer. It never fails that the second she is awake is when we first start to hear crying from someone. Ahhh, being the oldest. Here are some pants I made for Olive. She wanted to show her belly. She also chose this pose. I love these pants. Super wide leg and fitted through the top. They zip on the side and have darts. These were fun to make because I was able to try out a couple of different presser feet.
My favorite way to travel is by train. I love Amtrak. It's just a relaxing way to travel, though at night it turns into kind of a party. I feel like I'm in a different era when I travel by train. Siobhan and Oscar have made a couple of trips on the train. I'm hoping that Olive and Hans will get the chance in the near future. Traveling is such an event. The planning and anticipation. With the kids I always have to start packing a week in advance and I love to make them new things to take along. I am particularly happy with this dress and luckily enough Olive likes it as well. Pete and I were lucky as kids, to go on a lot of trips with our families. We have tried to carry on that tradition with our kids. We are really looking forward to this trip. Jeremy and Annisha will also be making the journey and I do not envy them that flight with two little ones. I am excited to see them.
So, as we prepare for next weeks departure, I think we should list our five favorite vacations we have taken. Here we go....

#1. I can't choose one, but every summer vacation growing up, with my parents and grandma. She came along on all our vacations and I cherish those memories. We always went to Nevada, Arizona and rounded out the trip on the way back with Disneyland. We always drove. Even a tiny Mazda station wagon. Six people, all the suitcases through the desert in August. No air conditioning. Sometimes we crossed over into Mexico as well.

#2. Hawaii. My freshman year of high school. I went with the Orchestra. First plane ride, first trip without my parents. We stayed a week and it was fun.

#3. Seattle. When Pete and I had known each other for three months we came for a visit to see my sister. That was a big step for us, I think. I had so much fun on that trip. I don't think there was a dive bar we didn't visit. We talked ourselves hoarse.

#4. Yellowstone. Awesome,awesome vacation. Pete is really great at planning out what he calls our "weekend warrior" trips. This was over a three day weekend and I had so much fun. We are planning to go back this year for a little longer. There is still a lot I haven't seen. The kids will alway associate this trip with the beginning of their KOA cabin obsessions.

#5. Disneyland. I cannot tell you how much love I have for Disneyland. Pete does not agree, but I could live there. I have been lucky to have gone dozens and dozens of times but a couple really stand out. When Pat and I took Siobhan when she was about four and she wore her Little Mermaid bathing suit. Watching her talk to Ariel was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. She was in heaven and I will always remember her excitement. Also, when April, Brittney and I went on a whim one morning when I was visiting her in San Diego. We stayed at the most dive hotel and stayed up late talking even after we closed Disneyland. I had a blast with them. Just us girls and Samantha, Siobhan and Oscar. Such a good, good time.

#6. I have been good about keeping it at five but I have to add one more. The first trip I went on with just my dad and sisters after my parents divorced. He took my sisters and I on a vacation and it was a little different but so much fun. I will not forget Luisa sitting in a coat and black turtleneck in Laughlin,Nevada in August. The "turns" with the radio. Hollywood, where I got a skinhead girl shirt. The stewser lane, potatoes O'brien, ..really good memories for me.

I will post a list next week before I leave and Kim has assured me I can post from her house. So, I guess I need not worry about withdrawals. I'll be back before that however. As always, can't wait to see your list!

Sequim - Home of the Sculleys

This weekend we made it to Sequim to see my mom. It was nice to get away from Auburn for awhile. The Olympic peninsula is awesome. The mountains are right there and the ocean is right there. What a great place. Sequim is very rural and this is the view from my moms living room window at the house they are staying in. It was fun to see the horses and pigs. Last week Hans and I had a discussion about where our food comes from, which I think was what promted the cat as a healthy choice question. So, it was from a different prespective that he viewed them. We did not notice any cows however, which Hans says are great because "they pee milk". We took a little hike down to the Dungeness Spit. It was cold but well worth it. You can look across and see Canada which Siobhan loved. The deer here look much healthier than the PG deer back home. I cannot wait for summer to camp here.
We also spotted several Eagles. We watched these two for awhile. They are beautiful. We got lucky and also saw them both take flight. They are huge.
So, we had a really nice, relaxing weekend. We also went into Port Angeles and that was nice . My mom put an offer on a house but no word yet on the reulting decision. I myself am moving on to packing up for our trip to Utah next week. I am looking forward to it but am a little concerned about the weather. I guess I shouldn't bring my flip flops.