Word Girl

Olive has been channeling Ms.Cleo the past few days. If you call now, for $9.95 she will probably whine or cry or call you a buckethead.

I seriously love words. Especially catch phrases and geographical slang. I bought Grandpa Fish a set of slang flashcards for Christmas to help him acclimate. Thanks to Silas we regularly use, oh snaps! Not snap, but snaps. Grip is another Williams favorite, as in "Someday I'll have a grip of money." We have a few family coined phrases as well. Having lived in a few different states now, I have picked up a few along the way. And to anybody that's wondering, Utah definitely has there own accent. I love the whole soda versus pop debate. I love that Pete noticed that I say on line and he says in line. But right now my new favorite is soft pants. This one is credited to Aaron and Tara. Soft pants as in pajamas or sweats. This is the best in a long while. Washington is a soft pants bonanza. Everybody here wears sweats on a regular everyday basis. I was so excited to have a new word for sweats. I recently found this site, to help feed my addiction. In addition to that, todays list will be 5 of your favorite phrases or words. I know we all have some. Especially Dad, seeing as he reads the dictionary and all. Here are mine...

#1. Sew Button. I must say this at least a dozen times a day. This I gleaned from Sharon.

#2. Chicken Banana. A few years back at the dinner table we started talking about something that embarrassed Oscar. Unable to handle the situation he blurted out chicken! followed a few seconds later by banana! Chicken Banana has been around ever since and is the most commonly used phrase in our house, by everybody. At least a dozen times a day. Really.

#3. Man oh manashewitz. Another one from my Jewish Mama.

#4. Cough due to cold. When the kids are upset or in a bad mood I always ask them "What's wrong?cough due to a cold?" Recently, on a recent sick day for me Oscar asked me the same and I can now rest easy that I passed it on to the kids.

#5. Bonanza. This one is straight from old Sculley Bones. John has a lot of good Boston sayings, but Freaken Bonanza is Petes favorite and he uses it often.

Luck of the Irish

Oscar is going to be a very rich man someday. He has a knack for making and holding onto money. He keeps really great accounting records and knows to the penny where his money has gone. He recently spent a large portion of his change jar on a video game he had been wanting. He can spend hours shopping on ebay. Mostly Pokemon related items. I didn't realize how familiar he was with ebay until I saw him type in Buy It Now Pokemon. He gave me very detailed instructions on when exactly to bid for him. Following those instructions, I was successful in winning. Now comes the difficult task of waiting for the item to arrive. To keep him busy and replenish his funds he has been asking for jobs to earn a little cash. He and Pete went back and forth over mowing the lawn for a bit and finally negotiated a price that we had available on hand. Four lottery scratchers that were $1 winners. Oscar likes being paid in scratchers. You may recall this isn't our first time exposing our children to gambling. So, Pete gave him the option of 4 dollars or 4 more scratchers and Oscar opted for the latter. Well, he won on two for a total of $12.00! Tripled his profit and he was beyond thrilled. Last night Pete cashed them in for him and Oscar asked for a ten and two more scratchers. Pete was happy about that idea and had planned a little lesson in his head about the temptation of gambling and how you don't always win. Then Oscar won 5 more dollars and the lesson went out the window. I guess it's luck of the Irish. Next up? The racetrack down the street.

Gargamel!

My days have been completely thrown off this past week and I forgot today was Wednesday. There has just been so much going on. So many things are occupying my mind and time right now. I was so excited to hear from my cousin Serena (Hi Serena!)when we returned. She and I are the same age, but she was born in Germany and has lived her entire life there. I was so excited to hear from her and then there was the added bonus of an invite to view her pictures on Flicker. Some old ones including our grandparents and some recent ones that allowed me to see my Aunt Barbara Jane and my other two cousins. Then, to add to the excitement,I heard from my cousin Josh who also has old family pictures up and I see that this is going to be an absolutely awesome way to share some old family pictures and memories. So, I have been hooked on Flicker and going through my own photos so that I can share in the fun even though there is so much else to be done. Some other things going on? Pete interviewed for a new position with Macys last week, there's all the unpacking from our trip to be done, summer is winding down and my baby boy will be starting school. It's just craziness right now. The big talk right now is what kind of backpack to choose. Pete asked,"Don't they already have backpacks?" But in my opinion, you have to start a new school year fresh. I love back to school. New start, new clothes, all the fresh school supplies. I remember the Lisa Frank portfolios, trapper keepers, pee chee folders. All good stuff. I once had a Mr.Peanut lunch box, a Holly Hobby lunchbox,a Beatles binder(passed down from my mom), but the best were the cartoon themed. I love cartoons. At least the cartoons from my youth. The new stuff doesn't interest me much. Except SpongeBob, I do enjoy that one occasionally with the kids. Hans is obsessed with cartoons and I have been trying to phase out a couple that I really don't care for. I wonder which he will remember as his favorite? I am a little disappointed that Saturday morning cartoons seem to be a thing of the past. There seems to be a few 24 hour cartoon channels going which has eliminated that anticipation for the weekend. I loved that feeling, after garage sales. Most likely at Grandmas, fighting with my sisters over who's turn it was to choose. So, here is 5 I enjoyed....

#1. Captain Caveman. I loved when I was on the tail end of a cold and had a scratchy throat because I thought I sounded like Taffy.

#2. Hair Bears. I have been told this is not real, but I remember it and here is a little proof.

#3. The Smurfs. Loved,loved,loved them. Bought a million of those little plastic figurines and stuffed animals. Last month Oscar bought an in the box smurf village and I bought him the bedding set at a thrift store in Salt Lake.

#4. Chilly Willy and Woody Woodpecker. I mostly associate these with my Grandpa. These two he enjoyed and would sign the themes to.

#5. Yogi Bear.

I am curious to see what formed your young mind. I am also curious to see what Hans will choose for a backpack. Oscar is set on Pokemon. Hans wants Kangaroo Jack. I may end up getting a plain backpack and embroidering a kangaroo on it. He only saw that movie once but he's obsessed. His favorite cartoon is Futurama, so I'm trying to talk him into a Bender pack. So, list it up! I know you are there! Especially you Dad....I'll be waiting!

Oh Snaps!

I forgot to tell you Siobhan and Oscars favorite parts! Siobhan managed to struggle through a week of us. She only had one sleepover the whole week! She is really a good girl. She played with the little kids and eavesdropped on gossip. She finished the first book in the Twilight series and started the on the second. She likes to hold all the babies and kids. I know it can be hard to be the oldest by so many years, but she did good.
For a thirteen year old. Oscar kind of relishes in being the older kid. He is pretty good with all the kids and will gladly sit and play with babies for an hour or so. He still was able to squeeze in some time to torture his little brother.
He did awesome on the hike. He stuck right by my side and checked on me. He made it all the way up and back down and really liked the cave. I'd have to say his favorite part though was a combination of Millies burgers, Banbury Cross donuts and 4 new packs of Pokemon cards. Okay, now that everybody has been represented I can give this blog a break until tomorrow

The Year of the Fruit Skirt

We are back home, as of last night. What a week! I always feel like we have so much time, but end up stumped as to how we weren't able to do everything we had thought we could. Then I remember.....big family. Anyway, our trip started off with Olive in her "fruit skirt". She has worn this for a better part of three weeks. Everyday. With pink kitten heels that have a bow on top. She did change it up a little in Utah by wearing nothing but underwear. Of course we started off the trip with several big things. First of all, I want to tell Kim that we absolutely chose to visit when we did, because we would not have missed the boys first birthday! It was so fun, these boys are adorable. So different, poor Chase was not into the cake at all, so Cooper took advantage and sampled a little of each. I wish I had a twin to score double desserts from.
It is really fun that the Runnells have a mini Kim and a mini Troy. Chase really resembles his mom and when I saw this picture I had to laugh, this is a complete and total Kim face.
There is no doubt in anyones mind that Cooper is the spitting image of his Dad. He is hilarious and the entertainer. Both boys were so fun to watch and I am so glad that we were there to see them right after they were born and then again for the big birthday! I sure love them.
Also taking place on Sunday was Delyla's baby blessing. I was beyond thrilled that Melissa passed her over in church and I got to hold her until it was over! She is so beautiful. I don't know how I didn't get a good picture in her dress, but she really doesn't need any adorning. She is just a doll. Hans and Landon picked up right where they left off. They have so much fun together. I am so happy that the kids all are so at ease with not only each other, but with me as well. I love that they come to me just as easy as they do their moms. It was great that Jeremy and Annisha have moved back and we were able to spend time with them as well. Jocelyn is such a fun girl. She is the only girl I have seen Hans allow to touch her. She is so outgoing and so sweet.
We went to Aunt Gretchens so Darwin could show us their new house. When Siobhan asked him on the first day of the trip how his new house was, he exclaimed,"Even awesomer than yours!" Darwin is also such a sweet little guy. It was kind of fun to see how much he has changed, definitely moving into the big boy territory.
Hans' favorite part of the trip was the goats at Darwins house. He has three and Hans could have spent the rest of the week with them. He fed them and walked them on a leash. He is still talking about them.
The highlight for Olive was her very first sleepover! She loved living at Aunt Taras and Uncle Aarons for a night. She is still begging for another night. I can't beleive she did it. I was so impressed how she behaved with Maggie. She was so happy to be with girls. Magnolia is a completely different kid from the last few years. We spent the afternoon at the Cottonwood Spa swimming and she just got right in and swam! She found Hans hilarious and they really enjoyed watching Strange Brew together. The best was listening to their awesome Canadian accents. Petes highlight, I would have to say, was all the rainbow trout they caught. Honestly, just pulled one out after another. Hans,Olive,Jocelyn,Siobhan,Oscar, and Nathan all caught a fish, or several. They were delicious and Pete was so happy to have a successful fishing trip. We all camped out on Friday, the entire Lindgren clan, less Zak and Rebecca. He is on his guard month.

We ended with a hike up to Timpanogos Cave. This is the crowd, pre hike. This was before I realized my fear of heights was going to be seriously tested and I would find out how steep the hike really was. I was sooo proud of these kids. They made it all the way up! They loved the cave and then made the hike all the way down. Of course, Olive was carried on her Dads shoulders, or soldiers as she calls them.
My favorite part? All the kids and their parents and the grandparents. It was so fun to be with everybody. To visit with the girls, to watch the kids play. In this picture, I am holding baby Roseanna Rae. She is a doll. Just talks and laughs. She let me hold her lots. So, overall a good trip. Actually, an amazingly great trip. I bought a new, bigger memory card and man can I hold a lot of pictures. I may try to put some up on flicker later. So, good to be back, I missed my blog and I can't wait to catch up with everyone!

Two Years Old

I missed it yesterday. It was my second blogging anniversary. I am so happy that I have stuck with this and chronicled two years of our life. It is so fun to look back and see how the kids (and grown ups) have changed. I am grateful for the connections that I have been able to maintain with my friends and family. I am excited for the renewed love of writing that I have found. Sharon really encouraged me with her praise and I have branched out and started writing short stories for fun. This blog has become such a part of my everyday routine. So, thank you for coming here to visit me and being a part of our life. I think this calls for more cake!

Foodies

The last few weeks I have been keeping a close eye on the blackberries around here. They are everywhere. Last year we had very little success in canning. I am a novice but determined, I tried again this year. Success! I have big plans for my pressure cooker (thanks Sharon!). I love the satisfaction of having food that I know came right from the source. It is hard work picking blackberries. I have a mild allergy to the pollen that comes off of it and man did my arms hurt for a couple of days. But what a lesson for the kids. I like that they know how much work goes into getting their food, be it from ourselves or others. All of my kids are pretty good eaters. Adventurous (except Oscar), and ravenous. I would say that I come from a long line of "foodies". We are all pretty passionate about food. We enjoy our shows, especially No Reservations and The Splendid Table. I am very excited for an upcoming broadcast where my sister Alex will be catering the event through her work. We like to try new things and experiment with new recipes. Ultimately though, we have our staple meals, the ones we always fall back on. So, let's branch out. What are your five most frequently used meals? Maybe we can get some ideas from each other! Here's my five.....

#1. Beans and tortillas. We have making pots and pots of beans this past year. This is my ultimate comfort food. My grandma had refried beans for every meal and I will never taste any like hers. A big plate with a warm flour tortilla is my favorite meal.

#2. Meatballs. Pete makes meatballs often. The kids love them and they are kind of his specialty.

#3. Brats. I never really cared for Bratwurst until I met Pete. Must be all the Oktoberfest. We eat a lot of bratwurst.

#4. Breakfast for dinner. Who doesn't love this? Pancakes and eggs? Come on, cannot beat that. Except if you add bacon.

#5. Pizza. I am a 15 year old boy when it comes to pizza. I could eat it everyday. Seriously. Every time we have pizza Pete says, "No pizza for at least 6 months." I love to make pizza from scratch. Pizza dough is so easy to make and then you can customize each individual pizza. I especially love mine with mushrooms, garlic(lots), onions, basil and artichoke hearts. Delicious.

The Gazette

In my family I am known as "The Gazette". I don't like to say it, but I love gossip. Not really even gossip, just to be the first to announce something. I live for the shocked or amazed faces as I unveil a new pregnancy or that someone tripped on the sidewalk. Doesn't matter what, I love to know it all. Not a flattering trait, but it is in my genes. So, I was very proud of myself that I managed to surprise Siobhan with a party upon her return from California. It was fun to have everybody here to celebrate. Her dad kept her entertained for the day while I set up. I had called her friends a few weeks ahead and she had a pretty fun crowd. We also had the entire Williams crew and my Mom and John and Alex.

It is so nice having her and Oscar back. WE had a great time. She received a lot of really nice presents. I was impresses that the boys that came brought her thoughtful gifts. Oscar bought her Sharpies.
So, Friday night was party night and a few ended up staying over and the boys hung around until about 10:30 or so. Pete made margaritas for the adults and we played cards and had a great time.
The next day, my mom took my sisters and I out for an afternoon in the city. We had a great lunch by the water and my mom bought me some awesome clothes for my birthday. It was such a great, special day. I liked this photo because it looks like Alex has a gimpy arm growing from her side.
Who had the most fun this weekend though? This guy.....

Happy 34th! I mean 35th....

Happy Birthday Matilda! This is a special guest post for my favorite girl. She is 35 today, a milestone.. There are so many words and so many photos that I could add but none would do justice to the way I feel about her. Through every trial she comes out smiling, and keeps me thinking straight. I love you! happy Birthday!