Baby Daddys ** new post below**

Happy Fathers Day! Today I want to pay tribute to the fathers in my life. John has been such a great father in law. I truly enjoy my time with him. He is funny and complementary. My kids adore him and everyday my husband becomes more like him. I have missed him dearly this past year and a half. I would like to tell him I love him and I hope he would see this, but he avoids the computer.
Mr. Sculleybones, it has been a hard road for you and I. I have grown to love you and really enjoy spending time with you. I am grateful for the things you have made me own up to and learn. I am deeply sorry for the time I wasted being immature when I could have been cracking wise with you. I find it funny sometimes how much we really have in common. Things like a passionate love for talk radio and wildlife. You are an awesome grandfather. Every one of your 11 grandkids loves you. I am always touched at the time and energy you put into them. I hope that they make up for the grief we gave you. I love you.

I was so happy when I found this photo a few weeks back. The hats! The dresses! The boots! Can you tell how much we adore our dad? Recently at my LDS (local donut shop) I was chit chatting with my friend there that owns it. I had gone in with my mom. He asked how many siblings I had and I told him just us three girls. His wife laughed and said that they also had three girls. He showed me a picture and it was not unlike this one, besides the fact that they are Cambodian. Three girls, clearly in love with their dad. I know there is that old cliche of all girls being daddy's girls. I only believe slightly in that. It depends on the dad and we were given an exceptional one. My dad has always been fun to be with. I know that my sisters and I have always felt protective of him. We all have such different relationships with him. I know that we all want to be with him right now as he is grieving. Alex is there and I am so happy about that, but I would love to be there and try and make him laugh. Growing up my dad spent a lot of time with us. He knew our friends and who we liked. He helped with homework and attended our events. I have no complaints, I feel blessed that he was my dad and I love him so very much. I enjoy looking back at the old photos on this blog. It makes me remember just how much fun our family had together. Which leads me to my next favorite dad. Pete has been a great dad thus far. My only complaint is that he hasn't worked very hard on different hairstyles and he has yet to show up with a perm.
Of course we all know where the sun rises and sets. That would be on his beloved baby girl. There is just something about Pete and Olive. That is not to say that he isn't equally in love with our other kids. Hans is his guy and he is so encouraging in all his artistic endeavours.It is a difficult thing to have a step family and I think there are sometimes bumps along the way. But he loves Siobhan and Oscar just the same as Hans and Olive. The fact that Pete has worked so hard to get the kids here and take such care of us makes me love him even more. I know that it is a lot of work having four kids and I appreciate all the effort. Thank you for taking such good care of us. Thank you for cooking so often and helping to make sure we always eat together as a family every night. Thank you for all the fun places you take us and all the outings. Thank you for being my partner in raising such amazing, beautiful children. Thank you for your patience when the dress isn't right or there is one more picture that has to be drawn before bed. For "I need a ride" and "I need more lunch money" for "I don't know where the mouthwash went" and " please can we go to Short Stop" for the "mug" and for the messes. I love you so much and I cannot wait for our trip. Someday we'll be alone together for more than 5 minutes and I bet you we will miss it all, so thank you for making it possible for me to soak it all up now. I hope you have an awesome fathers day.

My biscuits are burning!

We finally had some nice weather today so I took the kids to the water park. They were so excited to wear bathing suits and get wet. I am realizing that this is the last summer before Hans starts school and boy am I not ready for that. The things he says are just amazing. He is so entertaining. Last week my Mom asked him if the shoes he was wearing were a pair she had bought him. He answered yes and waited a few seconds before adding, " I just said that to make you feel good about yourself." People are always saying how little he is. It's true, he is just so tiny and cut. I try to not say that around him anymore since he has started to have a problem with it. He does eat. Quite a bit actually. He ate this whole baguette sandwich today and all the while declaring, " I am really getting into this sandwich!"
Olive, bless her heart, wants to have girlfriends sooo bad. She watches little girls like they are aliens. She is fascinated and follows them, taking note of their every move. She will eventually try to integrate herself into their play and sometimes it works. Other times though, it is totally obvious she mostly plays with two boys. Like today when she kept sticking her behind in the water yelling "My buns are on fire!" Totally not girly.
I have to say how proud I am of these kids. I have had several compliments in the last few weeks about how well behaved they have been in the stores with me. Today though was an exciting day for them. I stopped in to take a quick look at one of my favorite, teeny tiny thrift stores. There was an elderly lady there that kept eyeing the kids. I thought she was annoyed, especially when Olive started bawling for a toy. I sat down and explained that we were not buying toys today, we were going to be heading to the water park and started for the door. The lady stopped us at the door and asked me if she could buy them a beanie baby. First off, my kids LOVE beanie babies, they all have names and they are all considered babies. Second, I was floored. I told her she didn't need to do that, and she said " I know I don't have to, I want to." In that one sentence she sounded so like my Grandma that I almost cried. So, she bought them not one or two, but three each. I protested but she said, just let an old lady be happy. She did ask them for a hug, which they did. Even I gave her a hug. She made our day. She told them they were good kids and she was happy that they listened to their Mama and were polite. She said she was happy that theywould have some new friends to take to the park. So, here are the new friends. God bless that lady, she wouldn't tell me her name but I will not soon forget her. Not for the gifts but for making me feel that, for just a minute, I was with my own Grandma again.

"You don't handle baby mama drama at a school function."

So, Tuesday was an incredibly crazy day. I picked my mom up from the ferry on Monday to spend a couple of days with us and attend Georgies Kindergarten graduation. Tuesday morning I heard about my Grandpa, about two hours later I received a call from Oscars school. He had a fever and needed to be picked up. He has been having some serious stomach aches the last few weeks and the doctors are doing some tests to try and find out what's going on. We managed to pull it together and get to the graduation. We left early, my Mom had bought Georgie an outfit and we wanted time to get her dressed. Also, we had been advised that these graduations are VERY well attended and I needed to make sure that Mrs. Doubtfire Mom had a seat. The ceremony was great. It is a different crowd. I think there were about 120 graduates and I counted 4 white kids. I loved it, it was a fun atmosphere. So many people! Aunts and Uncle and cousins and grandparents, standing room only. I was really impressed, I have never seen so much support and enthusiasm from families. They were loud and vocal and the kids were really fun and cute. I love seeing Luisa in her environment. She works as the school secretary and has been a part of Zion prep since Elijah started there in Kindergarten. She has a lot of friends and everybody loves her. I had a lot of competition for Solomon. The fact that he peed both down the front of my shirt and my pants makes me feel like he made his choice.
Here is where the story takes a turn. Following the ceremony, everybody was to head from the auditorium to the cafeteria to receive diplomas and have cake(yeah!). I had wisely left the littlest kids home and just brought Siobhan and Oscar. Nicoe and Siobhan were taking their sweet time in the bathroom so my Mom said to take the boys and head over for cake ( I think she knew I was anxious I would not get a piece). I had Silas, Oscar, Saul and Elijah. We made our way from one end to the other where Silas then decided he needed to use the bathroom. I told him to hurry, we would wait by the door for him. I decided to call Pete and let him know what was up. Two seconds into the call, the first punch was thrown and it was an all out brawl from there. Kids were flying, a little boy was knocked down and bawling. I started screaming" Grab the baby!", over and over. There was a man with his little girl that ducked behind a door. This wasn't across the room, this was RIGHT NEXT TO US. I grabbed the little boy and my boys and yelled to Elijah to get Silas ,we were leaving. You may have an inkling that I do not keep my cool in situations. Silas was gone, nowhere to be found in the bathroom. I was worried that my mom was in the cafeteria on the other side of the melee. I knew Georgie was. People started running out the doors and apparently my Mom was heading in and realized something had gone wrong. I came out the other doors in what can only be described as a state of pure hysteria. Something I will never live down, I am sure. I managed to pull it together when I realized my Mom was likely going to slap me if I didn't. It was two sisters, one with a little girl that had graduated that jumped the dad. I guess there was preexisting tension that had turned violent before. This I found out by the talk around me, which is also where I picked up todays title, a direct quote. I am no stranger to fights. My issue is the fact that we were at a Kindergarten graduation. It was so sad to hear parents walking out telling their kids they would have a special cake and party for them at home. The kids were upset and scared. At least I gave everyone something additional to talk about. No one will not soon forget the urine soaked white lady that went hysterical. In the end, the little boy was retrieved, his mom had been involved. Silas walked out from where the fight was, totally oblivious. Saul hit his head on the door in the rush to get out. I gathered all the kids into the car. Elijah laughed and said he knew something would happen. Luisa was totally composed. The cops came and took reports. I went back for cake.

A.F. Sheppard

Yesterday, my Grandfather passed away. He went by Fred, but his full name was Arthur Frederick Sheppard. He raised three sons and a daughter and retired as a postman. I thank God that the end was peaceful and that my Dad was with him. He has always been active and healthy and had been declining the last few years. I really cannot believe he is gone. I have not spent lots of time with Grandpa but he has always been around. I have just always counted on the fact that I still had a living grandparent. I am lucky for all the time I was given with him. I wish that I had been able to have known my Grandmother, she died when I was just a baby. I share her middle name, Jane. I am happy that they are together again.

I formed my images of my Grandmother by listening intently every time there was a story told about her. I remember one time my Grandpa allowed me to look through a book of letters and cards they had exchanged, most of them during the war. It wasn't long before Esther, my step grandmother of the last 30 years, came upon us and told my Grandpa to put it away but I remember the feeling like she was right there with us. I have imagined her as always being by me, sort of a guardian angel and I wonder how Grandpa will play in this. I hope he will be around also. He has a great sense of humor. He has always been very grand and I have always loved how he talks. He was born in Florida and had a very "southern" way of speaking. He had a difficult childhood and upbringing. My Dad recently told me he was going to run away and join the circus when he was younger. Instead, he joined the Navy. He was based at Point Sur when he met my Grandma and one of my favorite stories is of him walking to see her. That is somewhere around 13 or 14 miles. The story is foggy and I'm sure I will be corrected but I believe there was a time limit on his leave and it may have been raining. Either way, the story has always seemed very romantic to me.
My Grandpa was a kind, loving man. I will miss him but I am happy that he is at peace and with my Grandma. I was unsure of posting this here. Nobody close to me has passed on since I have been blogging. But, this has been the place where I have chronicled my life. I feel I have written a lot about the people I love and this is befitting for someone that has been a big part of who I am. So, in memoery of my grandfather, I would like to make this weeks list about memories. Here are five memories I have of my Grandpa Fred......

#1. He called us Honeychild. Yes, it is one word, the way I heard it.The inflection and accent just cannot be matched or duplicated. And he always used the Jane in conjunction with my first name.

#2. One time when we were driving through the tunnel in Monterey I begged him to honk the horn, like everybody else does. He just said" Only MR's honk in the tunnel." I have never forgotten that.

#3. Riding in his car. He had a chocolate brown, little boxy BMW that had sheepskin seat covers and leather seats. They were the softest things I have ever sat on.

#4. Watching him stretch in the morning when I spent the night. He would change his calendar everyday and stretch. He tried on his Navy uniform every year on his birthday. That was how he judged his fitness. It almost always fit. When I stayed over he would fix breakfast. Jimmy Dean sausage and fresh squeezed orange juice.

#5. My grandpa always made me feel good about myself. Even when I felt horrible, he always told me I looked pretty. He always told me he was proud of my accomplishments. He took notice when I cut my hair.

I don't really know what else to say. This was a little harder than I thought. There are just too many memories. I cannot imagine what it is like for my Dad and I am thinking of him and praying for him. So let me end by thanking God for my time with Grandpa, the memories I have and the memories my children have. I love you Grandpa Fred, I hope you will come see me in my dreams. I will listen for you......

Spy Kids(and one adult)

I know I have posted already today but I have something new that's fun. Because I am mentally still 12 I had a lot of fun today. Pete had to work and Siobhan was hanging out at the mall with her other BFF Meaghan, who turned 13 today. So, Hans,Olive,Oscar and I went spying. Olive chose an appropriate spy outfit. I was this happy. We looked for about an hour before we spotted her. In that time I was a little stressed thinking she might have left the mall, which would have meant indefinite grounding.
Oscar claims to have awesome spying skills, but I felt I out spied him. He had the camo and Heely shoes but was not as inconspicuous as I would have liked. I wish I had taken a picture of Hans, who was really into it. He brought a doctors bag full of paraphernalia and when she ran he screamed"She's running! Catch her!" Still, we had a good 15 minutes or so until she noticed us. Then, she ran to the bathroom in horror.
I can't wait until she gets home to talk about it.

I Do at Voodoo

Yesterday was National Doughnut Day. The only thing that I love more than there actually being a day dedicated to doughnuts, is the fact that Luisa called me to tell me. Oscar, Hans and I are definitely doughnut connoisseurs. The girls do not like doughnuts, Pete is not a huge fan either. The boys and I like to plan vacations around the best doughnut places. We have been saving Voodoo doughnuts for a really special trip. Don't think that I haven't been planning out a renewing of the vows either. After years of experimentation, I came across a really good cake doughnut recipe, which the boys and I enjoyed a great deal. Yesterday, I tried the Krispy Kreme recipe out of Top Secret Recipes. It was not really that great, but I wanted to post them because I feel that the bottom left doughnut looks like the sacred heart. I will save it, maybe my Mom would like it. Most definitely though my dad will enjoy this. Perhaps it would compliment his holy toast. We are back to softball season here. Siobhan is playing in the Parks and Rec league with one of her two best friends, Elena. Today was picture day. I think she looks exactly like her Auntie Norah in this picture.
There has yet to be a game, they start next week. I am impressed with how well Siobhan has been playing. Now if she can let up on the socializing, maybe she will see the ball coming.

clap,clap,stomp stomp

This past weekend we were in Sequim, helping(?) my Mom and John with their garage sale. While I was there I looked through some of my Moms pictures, supervised of course. I am queen of taking pictures of pictures. Eventually I would like to copy some but for now this serves my purpose. I also really love the size of the old, square photos. I think I am going to try to start using my Kodak Instamatic a little. Anyway, I took this photo because it so captures how I think of my Grandpa Fred. Out in his garden. "Good,good," to this and a "glorious," to that and a "hmm, hmmm,hmmm". Permed and mutton chopped, he has always been very stylish. Sadly, on my way home from Sequim I heard he had suffered a stroke. At this time he is still in the hospital and although doing well, is struggling along. I hope all the best for him,please say a prayer for him. And my Dad also, I wish I could be there for him. To lighten the mood and hopefully make him laugh a little I am going to share this photo. Also, I don't want Alex to think I post embarrassing photos of her only. This was during the "Let's Get Physical" craze. I believe it is my 9th birthday. I wore this, at my party,with friends from school. Don't ever let it be said that I cannot laugh at myself.

Also, I posted a picture as part of my Alex birthday post where my shorts were riding high. My Mom made a comment that we were always pulling them up. I know my dad has backed the theory that it was my Mom and here is a little proof.....
Also, during my photo searching I was able to find a little slice of history. You may recall this post involving some maroon corduroys. Well, look what I found!
And this!
And this! They got a lot of wear! Also, don't think the mullet in the first picture went unnoticed.
Now to the last order of business. It is Wednesday and I am feeling a little redeemed to have found there has been some computer issues and not just a lack of interest. It has been an odd time around here. Emotions are high, the weather has been miserable and school is winding down. I feel in a limbo and am sad that there is a lot I haven't done that I have wanted to lately. Siobhan and Oscar will be with their Dad for 5 weeks and I am already having anxiety over that. I am loving my time with my Mom but I still really miss Utah. So, to try and push myself over this hump today's list will be 5 plans for summer! Here is some of mine....

#1. First will be Mt.Rushmore/Deadwood/Yellowstone. Only two weeks. Also, there is a possibility that Ryan and Trisha will be in Yellowstone when we are. I hope so, we are keeping our fingers crossed!

#2. Next trip will be to Utah for Cooper and Chases 1st birthday!! A week in Salt Lake City will be great. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting Melissa's new baby girl!

#3. I plan on picking buckets of blueberries,strawberries and blackberries this year. Last year I didn't pick enough and this year I plan on making a lot of jam. U-pick season starts this week!

#4. Lot's of sewing.

#5. I want to ride my bike along the trail that goes from my house all the way downtown Seattle. I may have to stay overnight though in order to ride back. Hint,hint Pete.

For Jocelyn

I have enjoyed hearing about my niece Jocelyn's love for insects recently. I remember my cousin Mary had a way with bugs when she was young and flies would land on her hand and stay. She actually kept one as a pet. I have tried to be patient with the bug fascination. Ants were hard for me and luckily worms were the top choice for awhile, until Olive started eating them. Hans has had several bug homes and once kept a dead ladybug in an old recipe box I had. I felt so bad, he fed it and noted how it liked to sleep on its back. Olive even advised him that it was dead but he just got mad at her. "It's just asleep OLIVE!" Yesterday, Pete noticed this spider nest in the front yard. It was just a big dark ball until he touched it and thousands of baby spiders spread out. They are seriously tiny. Spiders are Pete's arch enemies, as Hans would say. I remember when I stayed over at his place he once asked me to kill a spider before he got in the shower. But, they do take care of the other pests and they are kind of cute, in a Charlotte's Web sort of way. Plus, they have just been fun to watch. When there is a little movement, they all scatter, only to work back into a tight ball.
Tonight before dark, I went out to check on them and most were gone. Then I noticed a line of web from the bottom of the flower bed to the top of the rain gutter. There was the clump on the roof and a steady line of spiders making their way up. So fun to watch. A few actually sent a web out and floated away. Just like the movie!
And here is the remaining ones. What a great nature lesson, right on the front porch. I am happy that the kids have such a love and interest in living creatures. So, thank you Jocelyn for sharing with us and we hope you like the spiders.

You say it's your birthday, it's her birthday too!

Today is a dual birthday. Luisa and Sharon share the same day. I was going to pull out some Sharon pictures but I just haven't made it up to the attic. I am not really sure how I don't have recent ones on my computer. The thing about it is that Sharon is the most easy going person I know and will not be bothered in the least by this. I will never forget meeting Sharon for the first time. My Dad did not want her in the house. We had been in limbo on house renovations and it was just my dad and us girls and it was not pretty. He sent Pat and I out to keep her entertained while he dressed. I am sure we made complete fools of ourselves, but she came back and soon enough she was our step mom. Sharon is at complete ease with who she is and I am always impressed with that. She is always a sounding board for us and tells us what we need to hear, not what we want. She gives me great advice and has taught me a great many life lessons. Right now she and my dad are taking care of my grandparents. They live upstairs and handle the house and meals and getting them around. It has been difficult for them and I really admire them for doing that. I really,really love her and I hope she has a great day today.
Now, onto Luisa. Today she is 33. Two years younger than me and two older than Alex. Growing up we always looked alike. We got a lot of "Are you twins?" but we really could not have been more different.
Luisa has always been more quiet. I would say she is way more strong willed though. She was always happy to hang out and read or watch TV with Grandma. She was happy and easygoing, but when you made her mad...watch out. She would bite her hand and the kicking would commence.
She was always a peacemaker. I remember several times that my Mother would have us cornered,trying to figure who did what and Luisa would always confess. Most often she had not been the culprit, but she would take the heat. She has always been happy to do anything for us.
You probably know already, but my sister has 7 kids. It's a lot of work and Luisa works full time in addition to the kids. She is a loving mother. She adores each of her kids and not enough is said about the good things that she has done for them. They are devoted to her and when I try to lure them away to come live with me(yes you baby Seven) they always want their Mom. Except Malachi, he is Nicoes(much to Petes dismay).

Luisa is an avid reader. We are alike in that way. We are both fast, intense readers. We love both trashy magazines and great literary works. She has passed this onto her daughter and it is fun to see Nicoe, like her Mom, doing something with one hand and a book in the other.
It has been really interesting, living close, us three. I will not lie and say it hasn't been without difficulties. It is hard to be adults and not be able to jump in and take over with Luisa. That has always been the way. She is older now and doesn't do what I tell her like when we were young. She is her own person and has her own way. She has made a life for herself here, independent of me and I need to respect that. I have enjoyed being with her. I have always had a close relationship with Luisa.
This picture most represents us in my mind. I was a brat and Luisa smoothed things over. We shared a bed until middle school when we moved into the converted garage together. Sometimes now, when we are talking, she will remind me of something I used to say or do and it makes me realize that she knows more about me than I do sometimes. That's how it is with Luisa, she just knows me, like it or not and I hope she know same goes the other way. I will never abandon her, I will always be behind her, pushing her and making her mad, but I just want to be there for her and try to help. She is toto to my Dorothy and Raggedy Andy to my Raggedy Ann. I love you Luisa and I hope that you have a truly enjoyable day.
'

Fear Factory

Yesterday, the boys and I did a little room rearranging. Oscar has had a loft bed for while now. You may remember it from here. Well, he has really not liked it since we moved here. The train makes it shake and he has been scared that he will fall on Hans. While cleaning it and getting ready for disassembling he fell off from the top and I caught him midair. So now I get to remind him of that time I saved his life. He was really scared and shook for a good half hour, I felt bad for him, there is not a lot that scares him.
Siobhan is scared of dolls. And one particular picture I have of a doll. I keep it up and make it talk to her and she does not like it. I have put it in her room once or twice and she gets pretty angry. Olive has a life size barbie that she removes from her bedroom at night.She cannot sleep with it in the same room.
Olive is scared of everything, noise, fast movement, not getting her way.
Hans is scared of really different things. Right now he refuses to go upstairs without a chaperon. He will not go on his own, I have tried talking to him about it but he just says he is scared. HE has told me that he hears talking and he doesn't know who it is. He is also scared of people dying. At least twice a day he makes sure that I am not old and I am not going to die. He asks if his Dad will always be alive and that we will never leave him. This makes me so sad. I don't know how to respond because I want to explain the cycle of life but I do not want to make him afraid that we are going away anytime soon. I had this fear about my Grandma growing up and I hated that constant fear of her being gone.
My kids actually are really happy and well adjusted, this is just an example of some of their fears. See where I'm going? That's right, I am still posting lists and this week is 5 things that you are scared of.

#1. The dark. I have slept with either a night light or bathroom light on my whole life. Pete has to have dark to sleep though so that has been a big adjustment for me. Luckily we have always lived near streetlights and I get light that way. Also, sometimes I "accidentally" leave the bathroom light on.

#2. Ants. I just don't like them and they creep me out really bad. Pete bought Hans an ant farm when we lived in Utah and it was gross.

#3. Mice. The kids love to talk about the time a mouse ran across our living room and I jumped in the table.

#4. Knives. Alex and I recently talked about this. I cannot pick up a knife without getting the chills. I am not sure why. Sharon says maybe a past life I died by knife. Could be....

#5. The last one is somewhat related to past lives. When Siobhan was about two months old, I went to a past life Halloween party with my Dad and Sharon. I guess my Dad wasn't aware you were to dress as something you were in a past life and he went as a prisoner. The best part was when everyone went in a circle and described their past life and why they had worn the costume they did. Boy was his face red! Anyway, on the way home Sharon explained a little about her belief in reincarnation and past lives. It was really interesting but the part I had a hard time with is that my newborn daughter and I would not be together forever. This is my last fear. I would have to say that I DO believe that my family and I will always be together, that is just what I feel in my heart. My fear is of that unknown, the what ifs. That was just the first time as a mother that I realized how fierce that love is for your children. The fear of ever losing them is the greatest of all.

Hans is Fierce

Siobhan and Oscar had yesterday and today out of school. I had intended on using the last of our zoo pass but Olive is sick. So, instead we are in bed watching Cinderella and Aristocats over and over again. In between we are reading all of the Olivia books, her favorites. Hans is working on some new looks and begging for some new dress ups. He tried out the angry eyebrows. Pete once gave our dog angry eyebrows and I think we laughed for about a week. Hans has also been working on this shield. It protects your mouth while you ride your bike. As he likes to say, "you can't talk without a mouth."
My favorite though, is this new helmet. Hans spends at least 75% of his day creating. He always has paper and scissors by his side. I recently introduced him to spray glue. We have been pressing flowers recently. He truly LOVES flowers and plants. Once I glued a pressed flower onto paper, it opened a whole new world for him. He was not happy with how this came out. He wanted the leaf to stand straight up on the side and kind of shade the side of his face. I love it though. I am seeing Project Runway in his future.

It takes a Village

I had intended on posting Tuesday. I knew yesterday was going to be busy. Pete came back from his brother Zaks wedding(congratulations!) and I was a chaperon for Oscars school field trip to Tillicum Village. I think we all know how it went last year when I volunteered to chaperon a school trip. Luckily, this year I had my mom and John and they stayed with the little ones and Oscar and i had a great day. This is how they prepared the salmon, over the alder wood fire. There was a Native American dance performance and they showed some local dances and had an amazing stage. I really enjoyed this and I wished that a few more of the students were able to appreciate it.
There wasn't a whole lot of free time to explore, although there is much to do o the island. Mostly the boys in my group wanted to see the gift shop and it was here that I found out that not a lot of 10 year olds have a grasp on the concept of how much you have vs. the price of an item. I am even more proud of Oscars skills now in that department. The trip involved a ferry ride and a bus ride on a sight seeing bus. IT HAD TV'S INSIDE!! The kids were so excited about that. Upon return, I had planned to run home,change my clothes, pick Pete up at the airport and head back downtown for his Star Academy dinner. I had bought a dress and even wore heels! I walked the airport for an hour, sure I was in the right place, I called my mom and Pete had already called her, so I waited for a call back and finally, ten minutes after we should have been there, I found him. I guess I was wrong. Not unusual. So we missed the dinner and came back home for the excitement of Idol,which my Mom and John have been following. So, overall a pretty exciting week. I guess the same went for Pete. Kim has the best pictures to sum that up.
All this leaves us with the list. I've been trying to come up with something but have kind of hit a mental block on it. I know last weeks list seemed like we had done it before, I think it was similar to another one. This will probably feel the same. I bought Pete a Zune for Christmas this past year and it proved to be his most favorite present to date. I found one on pretty cheap on Craigslist so I now have one also. I can't wait to download the Office episodes to watch on our trip. But for now I have enjoyed picking out all my songs to put on it. So, here are 5 of my favorite songs(right now)..........

#1. Shake Some Action by The Flamin' Groovies

#2. Rest My Head Against the Wall by Heatmiser

#3. Everything is Everything by Lauryn Hill

#4. Up in the Sky by The Anniversary

#5. Anything by The Doors or George Michael. Right now these are my two favorites. Anybody else want to see George Michael live this summer?

A.R.S (W)

Today Alex is 31 years old. She is my youngest sister, although when people have to guess they always assume she is the oldest. Not because I look particularly young or she looks old in any way, just that she is an in charge, take control type, usually associated with being the oldest. Maybe this is actually more a third child trait. She and Pete are very alike, which is funny to me. I think they annoy each other sometimes because they are both so opinionated and have the same personality.
I admire this about her. She is in charge of herself and does what she needs to, to feel like she is making the right decisions in her life. I have always been a little jealous of how confident she is. She will talk with anyone and say what is on her mind. She is so comfortable in her own skin. She is able to plan what she wants and take the steps to make it happen the way she intends it to. Alexs' high school years are amongst my favorite. We spent a lot of time together and had a lot of fun. She was a big part of my wedding to Patrick and I was pregnant when I attended her graduation.She came to the hospital when Siobhan was born and we accompanied her to her moving day when she went to college at San Fransisco. I also made that drive to visit her a couple of times. Both when she was in school and later when she was working and living in a cute apartment.

I have also envied her freedom sometimes. Being able to come and go as she pleased. She always has said she liked being on her own and valued her independence. As she has gotten older though, she is ready to start her own family and I am excited to be a part in witnessing that. This is where I have the experience and I cannot wait to throw around my two cents.

I know Alex will maybe be upset about this picture, but it is one of my favorites. When she finally married David, after a good 15 of years of his,in his own words, "being obsessed with Alex", we all felt like we were the ones winning. We have campaigned and loved David for a long time. It makes me so happy to see how much she loves him. Especially after seeing how much he has loved her for so long. Also, if ever there is a "Goodfellas 2" this look just might get the baconater a part.
This picture should make up for the last. What a beautiful couple. I was glad that I was a part of Alexs' wedding. It was a beautiful day, in pure Alex style, it was also a great party. I wish I knew how to photoshop though so that I could give David a perm in this picture.
I love my sister. We have had some rough days between us, but she has always been there for me. She came to my wedding to Pete when we were hardly able to say 10 words to each other. We have learned to accept how different our lives are and respect each others decisions. I have really valued our time spent together recently. As I watch Olive grow, all my mom and I can say is "What an Alex.", this following picture pretty much seals the deal. I have enjoyed my position of older sister, I have watched Alex grow and become such a great person and a loving wife. I don't know if I ever told her this, but growing up I had recurring nightmares about her being hurt. I won't go into the details of it, but they were awful and I always nursed her back to health in those dreams. I felt such a worry for her and was constantly on watch. Alex drove a kid car of our 6 foot high deck and landed on concrete once. Another time she dove into the deep end of the pool, unable to swim. She has always bounced back, no harm done. But I have always had that feeling that I should protect her. Even as an adult, I can complain all day about something that Alex said or did that I took wrong and hurt my feelings, but the second there is agreement I defend her. She is my sister, you can't get between that. One of the three Sheppard girls and that is just a bond that cannot be undone. I love you Alex, I enjoy my time and talks with you. I hope you have a great birthday. Also, could the shorts get any higher?