niamh and finn

niamh morade westover

2012-02-04T14:08:00.001-08:00

2.5 Years Of Spanish Immersion

2012-02-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

People ask me all the time how Niamh is doing in her Spanish Immersion Program. I always say she is doing well, she seems to understand the subjects that are taught in Spanish, and she is getting a little more confident speaking Spanish.

I take it all back. She's clueless.

She came to me today and said, Hey, look. I found this book on my bookshelf. It has one page in English and then the other page is in, like, Dutch or something.

¡Ay, Caramba! That's all I have to say.

She's No Hope Solo

2012-01-31T16:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday
Me: Niamh, I got an email from Coach Joe. He wants to know if you are going to play soccer this Spring.
Niamh: I don't know. Part of me says I should play and part of me says I shouldn't.
Me: Well, when your parts decide, let me know so I can let Coach Joe know if you are playing.

Today
Me: Niamh, did you think about your decision to play soccer?
Niamh: Yes, I did. I decided I am not going to play.
Me: OK, I respect your decision and will tell Coach Joe.
Niamh: Well, unless there is going to be a Pizza Party.
Me: There will probably be a Pizza Party at the end of the season.
Niamh: OK, then I'll play.
Me: Your dedication to the team is impressive.
Niamh: You're welcome.
Me: Yeah, that's what I'll tell Coach Joe...he's welcome to have someone who's playing for all the right reasons.

If only looking pretty were a sport...

Niamh's favorite playing position, on the sidelines sitting in my chair, hoping the coaches won't see her and send her on to the field.

Niamh least favorite playing position, on the field, running after the ball, hoping that pure luck will create contact between the ball and her foot.

U8 Team Incredibles, Fall 2011

My 6 Year Old Son

2012-01-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

In December, 6 years ago, we moved from LA to Seattle. I was about 33 weeks pregnant with Finn. It was really cold. There was snow on the ground. We didn't have anything warmer than zip up hoodies because it was 90° in The San Fernando Valley when we left. I took Niamh, who had just turned 2, to the downtown Seattle REI to buy cold weather gear. While we were there, I let her play on the old slide that was supposed to look like a hollowed out log (this predates the huge tree climbing structure that is there now). It was my little Niamh and 3 older boys on the slide. Those boys were wild. The only time they slid down the slide was when Niamh was on it and they were trying to knock her off. Otherwise, they stood at the top of the slide and jumped to the ground on top of each other in a pile. They were very loud, had a lot of energy, and I'm sure had each spent time in the ER for battle wounds. I remember holding my belly and thinking to myself, I hope the Ultrasonographer was wrong and you are actually a girl. I don't want a boy.
I'm no longer worried. Yesterday Finn turned 6 and he is a perfect mix of truck loving, rock kicking, airplane drawing, couch jumping, weapon wielding boy, and soft-hearted, cuddley, mama-loving sap (the latter thanks to his dad). Who could be worried about a kid who's Holy Trinity is Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, and Santa Claus?

Don't tell Finn, but I didn't try to make a reservation at the trampoline place where he wanted to have his party. I told him they were booked through August 2014.
I blame it on PTSD from the scene at the REI slide 6 years ago. If three young boys jumping from a slide in an outdoor recreation store could make me want to turn to Chinese Herbs to change the gender of my unborn child from male to female, imagine the remedy I'd seek if trapped in a trampoline room with 23 kindergarten boys.
The party was held at the Mountlake Terrace Pool. It was perfect. All kids had fun and no bones were broken.

Happy Birthday Finn.

Thanks to you, I know that not all boys are icky.

I love you, Pal.

Oh, and so we are clear. 20+ Kindergarten Boys are loud no matter where they are.

School Cancelled Due To Inclement Weather

2012-01-19T23:50:00.000-08:00

Niamh and Finn have been out of school all week!

Monday was MLK Day, and school has been cancelled the rest of the week because of crappy weather and icy road conditions.

LUCKY DUCKS. As a kid, what I wouldn't have given to have had school cancelled unexpectedly. It must be like receiving a surprise call from staffing at 5:30am to offer me a No Pay.

I remember in the Winter of 5th grade the heat at Immaculate Heart Of Mary School broke and instead of cancelling school, we were allowed to break dress code and wear sweats under our tartan uniform skirts. I thought that was a treat.

Today, we took advantage of the snow accumulation and went sledding at Gas Works Park with Katie and Simone. It was the most fun I've had sober all Winter.

On the way home, we had to stop for some supplies because no perfect school free snow day ends without a direct in the mouth squirt of reddi whip and hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.

And that, Children, is how you take advantage of a snow day.

Snowmageddon 2012

2012-01-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Lots of chatter on the news about the snow fall that is coming to Seattle tonight.

That is not snow in my basement that you see. Its dog bed #313.

I think I know who did it.

Guilty.

You're Dead Meat, Gus.

Why I Hate My Dogs-an essay by Fiona Shaw Westover

2012-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

I hate my dogs because at 2:00 this afternoon my well organized day ended and it was all their fault.

At 2:00 this afternoon, I arrived home from a lovely lunch with friends with plans to finish prepping dinner, complete my Web Based Training that is required before a training day for work tomorrow, and do some work on my Christmas slideshow. After that, I was going to get the kids from their after school program, do homework with Niamh, and have a healthy dinner that was in the works since yesterday when I put my organic boneless skinless chicken breasts in a delicious buttermilk and spice marinade.

Instead of completing my well organized list of tasks, I came home to 2 dogs surrounded by the insides of their dog bed. That sight completely derailed the rest of my day.

I cleaned up their mess so that it didn't get any worse. I threw away their 312th dog bed in 1 1/2 years. I put the breading on the chicken (hoping that we would still be able to eat a good meal tonight). I picked the kids up early from their after school program. We all sat in traffic for an hour on the way to Costco to get the 313th dog bed in 1 1/2 years. We all got lost on the way to Costco to get the 313th dog bed in 1 1/2 years because I took the Viaduct which I haven't taken since they tore part of it down and I couldn't figure out how to get across all the railroad tracks and dead ends to connect with 4th Ave.

When we got to Costco, the first thing we did was get pizza at the $1.50 cafe because I realized we wouldn't be eating my well balanced meal before 8pm.

We bought the dogs their 313th and 314th dog beds (because I was sure Dumb and Dumber weren't stopping at 313 dog beds destroyed), got in the car and headed home in more traffic.

But wait, the dogs piss me off even more!

When we got home, I turned on the oven, determined to eat some of my chicken tonight, and went down to feed the Butt Heads. Guess what! I used up the last of their f'ing overpriced dog food. WHICH MEANT I had to go out and get them more TONIGHT because I work in the morning and Steve won't be able to get them any before he goes to work tomorrow morning and the last thing I want is for the Little Shits to tear up their 313th dog bed in 1 1/2 years because they are hungry and mad.

OH EM GEE. I put the stupid chicken in the stupid oven, set 25 degrees cooler than the recipe stated, because I then put the stupid kids in the stupid car and left the house with the stupid chicken in the stupid oven to get the f'ing dogs their Limited Ingredient Dog Food because did I mention that Gus has food allergies? HE DOES.

When we got home, the chicken was almost done, Niamh confessed that she left her homework at school which was fine because it was 8:00 and we didn't have time to do homework anyway, the kids got ready for bed, I tasted the chicken which was divine, and the dogs fell asleep on their 313th bed in 1 1/2 years.

I hate them.

P.S. Make this recipe. Its delicious.

Two Great January Birthdays

2012-01-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

Finn's birthday is in a couple of weeks. He was having his afternoon snack today and he said to me, Mama, do you know someone special who is having a birthday soon?

Me: I sure do know someone special who is having his birthday soon!

Finn: Yeah, his name is Martin.

Me: Huh? Who?

Finn: Martin. He was a really good man who did a lot of really good things for people and his birthday is next week.

Me: Oh, Martin Luther King. Yes, he was a really good man. Did you know you were supposed to be born on Martin's same birthday but you slept in another 5 days?

Niamh: Yeah, I knew that. That's why when Finn was in your tummy I thought you were going to name him Martin Luther King.

Me: Yep, but we thought that might be a little weird.

Is Daddy Awake Yet?

2012-01-08T22:27:00.000-08:00

That's all Finn said when he came upstairs in his Baby GAP jammies, with his modified Nerf machine gun hanging at his knees, below his pull up.

Is Daddy awake yet?

I asked him why he wanted Daddy to get up.

So I can shoot him, he replied.

I can't decide if the "under the sea" themed PJs and brightly colored plastic gun make this innocent enough to keep me from enrolling him in tap class.

What The Holidays Do To Your Body

2011-12-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Forget what they say happens to your waist line between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

I'm much more concerned with what happens to your teeth.

Top left tooth lost first week of December. She lost it in her sleep. We still haven't found it. Its presumed to have been swallowed.

Bottom right tooth. Lost Dec 22. Finn's 1st lost tooth. It probably could have lasted another week but he wiggled it intensely every moment he had his hands free.

Top right tooth. Lost Dec 26th. This one gave everyone the willies on Christmas because it started bleeding and twisted around and back and forth. The Westovers don't have strong stomachs for such sights.

Around here, teeth have been falling out so fast that the Tooth Fairy booked a room at The Edgewater so she can stay close by.

My Dream

2011-12-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

Remember how last year (and all the years before last year) we sat on the floor to open Christmas gifts?

Remember my dream of sitting on a couch to open Christmas gifts?

Well, my dream came true.

Oh what a difference a couch makes.

Merry Christmas.

Onslaught of photos to come.

For now, we are in sugar overload and the day is just getting started.

Sucking Up to Santa

2011-12-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Niamh left this card and wrapped gift for Elfa to bring to Santa a few days ago.

Niamh is no dummy. She knows who to suck up to this time of year.

Dear Santa, I hope that it is not too cold so I made you a scarf. Love, Niamh

(she gets her "d's" and "b's" mixed up)

Elfa felt it was more his size than Santa's so he has been wearing it on his trips between the N Pole and Seattle.

Dog People

2011-12-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

This is how it usually starts. Someone is at the table, enjoying some hot chocolate, or posing for a photo.

Next thing you know, Fred sticks his wet little nose up from beneath the table. He gives just a slight nudge in your belly to let you know he is there and would like some attention.

Then, he quickly pulls himself up and is right in your face, demanding some attention, or maybe more than what you were already giving him.

Once he's up, its Game Over. Freddie wins.

And then, because we are Dog People, we reward this appalling behavior with a big hug.

Later, we tell our friends and visitors that we can't understand why the dogs won't obey when we say NO, Get Down!

I guess Fred is just too stupid to learn that he's not supposed to be on our laps at the table.

The message was pretty clear. Don't you think?

Password Protected

2011-12-11T22:35:00.001-08:00

Apparently we now need a password (or pazwrd) to get in to Niamh's room.

NOTV seems to work pretty well for me.

The Bearded One (Sneek Peek)

2011-12-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

Serioiusly, Finn, loosen up. You look a little tense. Its just Santa.

There we go.

This guy was chatty. Well worth our wait. Niamh politely answered his inquiries. When he asked what she wanted him to bring her, she said, Surprise me.

I think that Finn needed a drink after this visit with Santa.He was tense. It may have something to do with some of the behavior Santa noticed with Finn recently. But that's just speculation.

8 Candles In The Candelabra

2011-12-02T10:40:00.001-08:00

Nov. 26 marked 8 years of Niamh's survival with us.

We opened a few gifts, we had an ice skating party, and we had some cake made by Steve.

Finn wasn't happy that it wasn't his birthday. We saw this face a lot on November 26th.

Note the pout.

Lucky for Niamh, Finn doesn't hold grudges.

Niamh didn't want to have a party with her friends this year. She sweetly declared that she wanted to have a day with her family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents and go ice skating. I gave her the chance to change her mind, invite her BFFs, but she insisted, FAMILY ONLY! Is she getting soft in her old age?

Uncle Mike and Cousin Ems

Best Brother in the Universe who doesn't hold grudges for too long

Auntie Alethea, Uncle Erik, Cousins Isadora and Lincoln.

PS I love Lincoln. The Westover Boys are much nicer than the Westover Girls.

Scott Hamilton and Dorothy Hamill

Finn and I were gaining momentum for a sweet lift in this picture. He had me above his head and then we did some fast spinny things. It was amazing. Too bad it wasn't captured on film.

Since there were only 5 of us to eat this beauty that Steve made, we cut a few pieces and then told Niamh she could dig in, eat it with a fork, use her hands, or just lick it if she wanted.

Happy Birthday, Niamh. You've turned out pretty well considering you are the kid we test our parenting on first.
I love you.

Thanks 2011

2011-11-27T10:05:00.001-08:00

Cousin Emily, Finn, and Niamh

This marks 2 years in a row that penis was thrown around the dinner table. Er, um, the word penis that is. I'm pretty sure that Denny, The Patriarch, was the one who started the vulgarities both years. The Westovers are a fun bunch.

Another tradition, checking The Ledger. Steve's mom kept a ledger for each of her 4 children that kept count of the money they borrowed from her growing up. Gas, tuition, prom corsage, bike repairs, and who knows what else, its all there in great detail in the book. All but Steve have paid their debts. Correct me if I'm wrong, Pat, but I think Steve is still about $700+ in the hole. Don't expect payment in full until the front room of our house is fully furnished. Thanks for dinner, though!

Each year I am more and more thankful for my family near and far. If the Shaws promise to shout out body parts at the dinner table, we will book Thanksgiving 2012 in San Fransisco. You up for the challenge, Dad?

My Bests

2011-11-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

You know how you meet some people and you just click? You can't explain why, but you just really really like them?

Well, I really really like these gals.

5 years after meeting them I have lots of reasons why.

It goes way beyond the stripes.

Professional Parents

2011-11-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Niamh drew this picture of Steve and I at our jobs.

Steve works for Contour HD, doing something in Marketing. I don't really know what he does all day but the product is pretty awesome (and makes a great Christmas gift), he works hard, and really enjoys his job and co-workers.

I'm a Nurse in the ICU at Seattle Childrens Hospital.

The kids have visited us both at our jobs, so they've seen our work environments, and apparently pay close attention to what they see. Its a darn good thing neither of us work for a secret government agency because our cover would be blown with the accuracy of this drawing.

For Steve's office, Niamh drew a shelf with the cameras mounted to bike/ski/skate helmets, Daddy at his desk holding a document he is working on, and someone in front of the vending machine saying I'm hungry.

In the hospital, Niamh depicts a nurse charting at a desk, and me in front of a baby on a radiant warmer attached to bags of medicine. The baby looks pretty ill with his tongue hanging out and his eyes drawn as x's. They baby is saying Blech, which probably describes exactly how he's feeling.

Then, at the end of the day, Steve and I stand together looking totally dazed, exhausted, and void of expression.

Blech.

Hallo

2011-11-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

"HALLO!"

That's what my dad says whenever he greets someone.
"Hallo!"

He has an Irish accent but I'm not sure that has anything to do with how he says "Hallo!"

How my dad says "Hallo" has nothing to do with this post either. This post is about HALLOween. You can see how I got sidetracked.

The morning of Halloween, I got in trouble with Finn for not having any decorations up. Specifically, he wanted spider webs on our front door like the Berrymans have. I told him that I don't really have Halloween decorations to put up. Then he screamed at me, But our house isn't SPOOKY! Then I screamed back, Really? Because I'm terrified every time I pull in to the driveway or open the front door!
Then, I calmly reminded him that Halloween isn't about decorations and spook. Its about him getting candy from our neighbors, and me peeking inside their homes at their room decor when they open their doors. He agreed, our fight ended, he went to school, I thought about going to Archie McPhee's for spider webs, I got distracted again, then it was 3:30 and I had to pick the two up from school. Spider webs are definitely on my packing list for next year.
Here we go, the prep.

Our neighbor, Erin, had us and our posse of neighbor-friends over for a spaghetti feast before hitting the pavement. Thanks, Erin! Finn kept worrying about his lipstick as he ate his spaghetti.

Then off we went to take treats from neighbors and check out their entry rooms.

Kieran-Fire Truck and Fireman, Anjali-Box of Popcorn, Ella-Ballerina, Niamh-Devil, Rosie-Butterfly, Finn-Vampire, Neighbor Finn-Pirate

The loot was impressive (and so was the crown molding).

This last photo was taken moments before Finn went in to a hyperglycemic coma...but his lipstick was still in place.

The kid costumes were ok, but the real star of the show was....

LEGO MAN!

In his Lego Man Costume, Steve experienced what it would be like to be Cinderella at Disneyland. Children unknown to us would hug Steve and gaze up at him like they were in love. I think it was the most admiration Steve has ever received. I hope he enjoyed it.

Peace Out, Man. I'm going to go check Target for spider webs on sale.

Maybe a Little Understated

2011-10-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Steve said he ate "a little" of the Halloween candy and I might need to go buy some more.

Right, and I drank "a little" at Cousin Deirdre's wedding.

Dear Fred, Gus, and Steve

2011-10-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Fred,

Please stop digging in the yard and eating the carpet and dog beds. It makes me hate you a lot.

Love,

Forever Faithful to Eddy.

Dear Gus,

Please stop having diarrhea. It makes me hate you a lot.

Love,

Eddy's #1 Fan

Dear Steve,

Did you ever think Eddy was a perfect dog when he was alive?

I did.

Told you so.

Love,

Your Wife

Pumpkins 2011, Possibly the Last of the Patch

2011-10-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

Check the patch off the list of things I have to do as a Mom. If you know me, you know I detest crowds, fairs, parades, water parks, theme parks, zoos, petting zoos, pumpkin farms, and pretty much anything else that screams community and fun. I don’t know what happened in my youth. I simply can’t explain it. I’m happy with a couch and a television near a well stocked refrigerator. You can keep your kettle corn, hay rides, roller coasters, fried butter and the lines that come with them. BUT, I go to pumpkin farms because I love my kids. AND, I do my darndest to get outta there as soon as the gourds have been chosen and a few memories have been documented.

I’m happy to announce that Finn has put an end to the annual trip to the country to get pumpkins, and not a moment too soon because apparently Niamh is now 17 and posing for her senior photos on a tractor wheel.

Today, one day after our trip to the vast fields of Redmond, we were at QFC for groceries. Upon leaving the parking lot, Finn said, Hey, Mama, I see pumpkins over there (right next to the orange and apple carts). Why did we drive to the country when they have pumpkins right here?

I don’t remember what I said about why we leave the comforts of home to get pumpkins so far away in mud when we could just toss a few in the grocery cart next to the mini bagels. Whatever I said, it seemed silly to Finn. So, I asked him if next Halloween we could just get our pumpkins from the grocery store. He said, Yeah, the pumpkin patch has dirty pumpkins that are flat and sideways. The ones here are way more better.

Finn, I love you.

There Are Three Types of Matter, The Most Important One Is Liquid

2011-10-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

At dinner, Steve likes to quiz the kids. Sometimes its Math. Sometimes Spelling. Niamh and Finn love it.

The latest quiz was a Science question.

Steve: Finn, name a liquid.

Finn scrunched up his nose thinking, then gave his answer. Beer!

I should home school him. I've obviously taught him something.

SBAR, Television in the Morning

2011-10-04T23:04:00.001-07:00

Situation: Monday-Friday, between the minutes of 8:50-9:10am, we all hate each other.

Background: Niamh and Finn want nothing more than to sit in front of the television and rot before leaving for school.

I want nothing more than to sleep until 7:15am.

I need an hour and a half to get ready in the morning. I know its hard to believe that the results seen after my morning routine take 90 minutes to achieve. Believe it. It could be much worse.

You might also find it hard to believe that hard bonnet dryers still exist and that gals under the age of 72 use them. Believe it.

After I awake at 7:15am, I go to the kitchen, grind some beans, start some coffee. Then, I call Niamh and Finn to come up for breakfast. Finn has Raisin Bran, Niamh has Frosted Mini Wheats. I tell them that before they go down to watch more television, they have to get dressed, brush their teeth, have socks on and know where their shoes, coat, and backpack are. Then, I get in the shower and start the process of making me look like the me I am in public…..which is very different than the me I look like when I’m grinding my coffee beans.

8:45ish, I skip down from my closet yelling at Niamh and Finn that it is time to leave. They never seem to hear me the first 3 minutes I’m yelling. I refill my coffee.

8:50 arrives with a lot of yelling and threats.

They can never find their coats. Niamh always chooses the wrong shoes, as in flip flops in the rain or dress shoes for gym day. Finn always has on yesterdays socks. Niamh’s hair is always a tangled mess and she can’t find her brush. I’m mad because now its too late to walk and its ridiculous that we have to drive 6 blocks and IF YOU WOULD ONLY GET READY LIKE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO AND STOPPED WATCHING TELEVISION, WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS FIGHT EVERY DAY.

Yesterday it ended with NO MORE TELEVISION IN THE MORNINGS, EVER!

Assessment: This morning, they painted.

This is a mess that the adults will have to clean up. The adults in this house don’t like to clean up kid messes.

Recommendation: We need to negotiate a way Niamh and Finn can earn back television privileges.

Summer 2011

2011-09-25T22:57:00.001-07:00

The summer seems to be over. The kids are back in school. The temp is dropping. The nights are longer. My flip flop tan lines are disappearing. Elfa has already dropped in for a visit. I suppose its time to sum up the fun we had before we forget that the sun does occasionally shine in Seattle.

Don’t be fooled by the number of photos of the same people. This was not just one big trip. These were 3 trips, with the same friends, over and over and over. We have found our people, People. We have found that group of friends that we will grow our kids up with. We will have lots of memories together, good ones, bad ones, and I’m sure some scary ones. (Speaking of scary memories…I don’t think I lost Finn even once this summer.)

These are the gals I waste narcotics with every day. These are the gals I take my 15 minute breaks with. These are the gals I am constantly texting when I’m not at work. These are the gals I’ve named as emergency contacts for my kids. These are the gals Niamh is going to call when she wants someone to convince me that the prom dress she wants is worth the numbers on the price tag. These gals are top notch.

This summer was top notch.

Homework

2011-09-16T07:32:00.001-07:00

On Monday, Finn emerged from his classroom with his lunchbox in his hands and his back pack on his back. Usually, if he is carrying his lunch box, his bag his empty. Monday, he sensed there was something in his bag.

He said, Mama, there is something in my bag and I think its homework!!!! This was said with enthusiasm, not despair. He’s in Kindergarten, not 10th grade.

Today, Thursday, as I was getting dinner ready, I said to Niamh about 47 times Hey, Sweetie, can you please put your homework in your folder and get it all set for school tomorrow?

The 48th time I said it she responded, How about you do it and I sit in the lounge chair?

What do you mean?, I asked unassumingly.

How about you go to school and do my homework and I’ll sit in your lounge chair in the back yard?, she responded.

Ummmmm, I can only assume that my dear 7 year old daughter thinks that when she goes to school each day, I come home and sit in the REI lounge chair for 6 hours until it is time for me to go retrieve her and her dear brother from their grueling day in Elementary School, and she would rather switch places with me.

I don’t know how to respond to this kind of accusation/total misconception of what life is like as an adult with children and a full-time profession. However, if she thinks my life is admirable and enviable, well then, she better plan on a lot of studying for her degree. It has only just begun.

Let Freedom Reign

2011-09-08T23:33:00.001-07:00

I own two kids and as of yesterday, they are both full time students.

This is how the day went…

We took some odd photos of the kids on the dead, weed filled lawn.

We walked to school with packs full of school supplies. These days, school supplies are more kleenex, lysol wipes, and paper towels and less pencil cases, binders, and white out.

Along the way, Niamh and I discussed the logistics of her having class on the 4th floor of the building. I gave her encouragement and told her I was pretty sure she could handle the 4 flights of stairs. She offered the idea of riding in the elevator. I explained that the elevator was only for students who had difficulty walking up and down stairs. She claimed that it IS difficult for her to walk up stairs, the down part is ok. I told her she was ridiculous.

At the school we took some obligatory pics in front of The Gateway to Learning.

I love the photo above. Niamh is sticking a feather in Finn’s ear and Finn in elbowing Niamh.

Then, we found Jaya! Yay! We love Jaya!…and we ditched Niamh with her pals and brought Finn up to the Kindergarten playground.

At the Kindergartener holding area, Finn did his best to look scholarly.

The scholarly look lasted about 3 seconds when Daddy, voted Class Clown 10 years in a row in grades k-8 (you do the math), showed Finn the tried and true way to make all parents pass you up as first draft pick for a play date with their kid.

Then, I couldn’t stop snapping pics of Finn. He was pretty excited to be starting school. He was really excited to get to see Niamh at lunch. But, I think there was just a twinge of nerves creeping in too.

After Finn walked in the classroom, Steve and I joined the line of parents peering in the windows trying to see who’s kid it was we could all hear wailing. It wasn’t ours so we felt OK laughing about it.

Then, Steve and I walked home. Alone. Without Finn. Without Niamh. For the first time. Ever.

Then, Steve went to work. I had the day off. Alone. Without Finn. Without Niamh. Not for the first time ever, but this felt different.

I went shopping. For several hours. Alone. Without Finn. Without Niamh.

Then, 3:00 approached, and I sent Megan this message.

But, I did go.

Seeing Finn emerge happy from Senorita Ana’s classroom is what finally made me sad. I was kind of hoping he would run to me and squeeze me tight like he missed me so much and he never wanted to go back to school because there is no place like home, with Mommy.

That didn’t happen.

Next, we went in search of Niamh.

Somewhere between the Kindergarten playground and the front office of the school, Finn’s mood changed. He need to eat. Pronto. I hadn’t brought him a snack. That was a big mistake.

Finn planted himself on the curb, right next to the Principal’s parking spot, and refused to leave.

I took advantage of the extra time and grabbed a few snaps of Niamh, one of her (and my) most favorite people, Drew, and Drew’s little sister.

I don’t know the little boy in the photo below, but he was really proud of the cone full of candy that he got from his parents for his first day of school and asked if he could be in the photo with his cone.

Eventually, we got Finn home, gave him and Niamh a popcicle, and the two debriefed in the back yard. I’m sure Niamh brought up how much harder her day was because of the 4 flights of stairs she had to overcome.

With any luck, this full time student gig should last another 17 years or so. It sure was nice to miss them.

I Think They’ve Been In Montana Long Enough

2011-08-26T11:52:00.001-07:00

Steve and the kids are in Montana visiting Steve’s parents.

I think its time they came home.

Finn is wearing stripes and plaid. His shirt is on backwards. He has pretty bad bed head.

I suspect that if the camera turned on Steve, we’d see that he too would be wearing his clothes backwards or inside out, he’d be mismatched in multiple patterns, and I’m certain he hasn’t shaved in a week.

I’m not sure if I’m more disturbed by Finn’s appearance or his desire to shoot deer.

I’ve heard that Niamh is missing one of her front teeth.

I think its time my city kids came home. The country has not been kind to them.

I’d Return Him But I Lost The Receipt

2011-08-24T23:05:00.001-07:00

He’s a bad dog and he just doesn’t give a rip about it.

lime, mint, bacardi, triple sec, sweet and sour mix, simple syrup, splash of club soda

2011-08-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Living steps away from the liquor store

and growing mint in my yard is proving to be a magical combination.

Yes, I know mint is a weed. I say I grow it. Don't be so critical, You Big Jerk.

Smile

2011-08-16T00:09:00.001-07:00

Weathermen Lie

2011-08-16T00:07:00.001-07:00

It was supposed to be 67 degrees and rainy today. Lucky for us, it wasn’t. Lucky for us, we had a date planned with Drew. Lucky for us, Steve put the kids laundry away yesterday while I was at work. Lucky for us, I was able to leave the rest of the mess behind with minimal guilt and take the kids to Greenlake.

Niamh and Drew found a Ladybug in the wading pool. Their version of the story is a heroic one. They say they saved the Ladybug from drowning and did bystander CPR. The bug hung around on their fingers for a good 15 minutes before regaining her senses and flying off to a nearby tree.

In those 15 minutes, the three shared a lot. They named the gal Fingertip, because, duh, she played on their fingertips. Niamh and Drew made Fingertip a bed of leaves in a frisbee, pet her, and planned to take her home to live in a jar.

When Fingertip finally flew away, they were genuinely sad. I said to them, I’m sorry she’s gone. Fingertip was a good friend. Drew looked at me very seriously and said, She was a GREAT friend.

Then, moved by their involvement saving the life of another creature, Niamh and Drew decided that they would start a club. The mission of the club is to preserve nature. They are Head Masters, Jaya is Vice-Head Master, Finn is Treasurer, and I’m Secretary (because I’m the best speller). Currently, the club’s guidelines are still being drafted but they have already ruled out saving anything that stings or scratches, like bees and raccoons.

As Secretary, I’m supposed to ask for volunteers and donations. Finn says he needs some money to count and my wallet was empty.

Mr. Curiosity and Little Miss Know It All

2011-08-06T19:47:00.001-07:00

Finn: Momma, I got a question. Will there be a new world right away after this one gets fired up? **fired up= explodes in a fiery ball destroying everyone and everything.**

Me: Uh, I dunno, I’ll google it.

Niamh: Yeah, and then this world will be famous and there will be an Underground Tour for it. But, it will be an Under-Underground Tour because it will be under the last time Seattle got fired up.

Finn: Is the Sun bigger than the Earth?

Me: Uh, I dunno, I’ll google it.

Niamh: Yes, it is.

Finn: Momma, have you ever seen a dinosaur in real life?

Me: Uh, I dunno. Niamh? Care to answer?

Niamh: Yes, birds are dinosaurs. I read it in a book and a teacher at school told me that and the person at the zoo said that some birds are dinosaurs.

Then I turned the volume on the radio up.

Neglect

2011-08-05T10:54:00.001-07:00

The house, the kids, the dogs.

My CCRN, my husband, my blog.

All neglected.

I have some things to write about that date all the way back to June.

I have a few trips to post photos from. I’ve already forgotten the details of those trips thanks to the amnesic affects of ETOH, but, I’ll do my best to jot down some good stories.

As proof that we have indeed left the house this summer, here are a few pics to peruse.

I promise I’ll get around to posting more…right after I go to the gym and get the dogs trained.

What Happens When Mom And Dad Aren't Home

2011-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were in high school and you had that party when your parents were away for the weekend? (Or in my case, the party that my sister had because I was too scared to be caught doing anything so risque.)

Remember how worried you were that they would find out because even though you did such a good job taking all the actual bottles to the recycling center to get rid of the evidence, they found a bottle cap in the plants?

Somehow, parents just have a way of knowing things you are doing. I remember my parents questioning me in middle school about the person I was with who was smoking at the Belmont Public Library. Turns out, I was on the payphone outside the library and there was someone near me smoking. A family friend drove by the library, saw me, saw the delinquent, assumed it was someone I was there with, and phoned my mom to rat me out. GAWD!

Well, my advice to my kids is this: Don't have friends over and then use my camera to take photos of yourselves. I don't even know who half these kids are! And, what are they wearing? Beer Goggles?

9 Years Ago, Right About This Time

2011-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

If you get through the first 30 photos or so, you'll see that Steve did actually show up for the big event.

Happy Anniversary, Snookums.

Middle Aged

2011-06-19T14:19:00.001-07:00

I just found a To Do list in my badge holder at work. It had listed on it Spanx and Strapless Bra.

I must have had something really exciting planned.

Dear Dogs…

2011-06-15T23:40:00.001-07:00

I found this among a bunch of papers in Niamh’s room the other day. It was like finding treasure.

I love finding her notes and cards.

I love that she is writing to our two dumb dogs.

I wonder if she really thinks they can read.

I wonder if she ever gave them the card and it just ended up back in her room.

Would she have given it to Fred or Gus? Gus would be the one I’d think could read if I was 7 years old.

Have I ever written about when I was Niamh’s age and thought that our dog, Gypsy, was my grandfather reincarnated? I had never even met my grandfather. Obviously, I wanted to know him in some capacity.

I wouldn’t get undressed in front of my dog when I thought he was my grandfather reincarnated.

Kids are weird.

This note wasn’t dated but it looks like it was written when the dogs were neutered and had to wear cones.

This was the envelope.

Dear Dogs, I know that you want to get your cone off but I can’t do anything about it. Love, Niamh

This was the surprise drawing behind the little yellow sticky note.

Adorable stuff.

Hello, Beautiful

2011-06-14T22:44:00.001-07:00

Hi, Niamh. I haven’t forgot about you on this here little bliggity blog. You’re in school. You’re learning all about Eleanor Roosevelt and Eggs…en espanol, no mas! Summer break is just a week away and I’m ready to spend more time with you. I don’t get to see enough of your big green eyes, rosey posey lips, and cute choppy bangs. You’re beautiful. I Love You, You Little Turd.

P.S. That’s Not Real Money

2011-06-13T18:09:00.001-07:00

Everywhere we went today Finn would say, Mama, if you want to save money, you can’t buy stuff.

I’m tired of hearing it. Its now almost 6pm and he just said it to me again as I was ordering pizza for dinner.

How’d you like catsup with broccoli and greek yogurt for dinner? Huh, Mr. Rational.

Who taught you to budget, anyway? Sure wasn’t me.

Geez, step off, Buddy. I’ve sold your toys for cash before, and I’ll do it again.

Punk’d

2011-06-13T16:31:00.001-07:00

I made Finn a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and charred the heck out of it.

That’s the very first time I’ve ever burned grilled cheese, it was really weird.

Instead of just toss it, I thought' I’d serve it to Finn and see what he did. I had a back up grilled cheese ready, just in case tears started to flow.

Untitled from fiona westover on Vimeo.

True to Finn form, he was sweet. True to Finn form, he’ll eat anything.

I’m thinking of trying the same little experiment with Niamh but I’m pretty sure she’d send the sandwich back to the kitchen, fire the cook, and fire the waitress. In this case I’m the cook and the waitress so it would be like serving a double life sentence.

I Guess One Could Say She Is Well Read

2011-06-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

It’s the end of the year, so Niamh’s school librarian sends out emails to the parents reminding them to look for and return books that the kids have checked out. These are the last two titles I am to look for. “The Egg” and “Eleanor Roosevelt: fighter for social justice.”

Anyone else think that’s funny?

When The Television Goes Off

2011-06-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

We are pretty liberal with television time around here. We are part of a minority group, we realize that. We also allow them sugary treats if they've eaten enough "good" stuff throughout the day. We don't want our kids to grow up and lose their jobs because they finally have the freedom to watch The Real World and eat M&Ms willy nilly. So, we give it to them in small doses, ample enough to curb their cravings. Don't ask me to define "small doses".

That said, there are times when I turn the tube off and tell them there just won't be any more for the rest of the day. They can do just about anything they want to do, but they can't watch television, and they can't come in the kitchen and bug me.

Yesterday was one of those days, and this is what they did.

They drew a chess board and chess pieces and then played chess.

Steve and I don't know how to play chess, which leads me to conclude: they learned all about it from, yep, you guessed it, television!

Just Like His Mama

2011-06-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Scene: We are in the dream car, at a stop light. The light is red. An ambulance flies by with lights and sirens blaring. Niamh and Finn are in the car with me.

Finn: Mama, was that your ambulance? (He asks this about every ambulance we've seen since he got to tour the Children's Hospital Ambulance 2 years ago.)

Me: Nope. Not mine.

Finn: Can we follow it?

Me: Nope, you aren't supposed to do that, Kiddo.

Finn: But I want to see what happened to the people.

Friends, we just might have ourselves another ICU Nurse in the family.

I Like Boys Who Like Their Mothers

2011-06-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

When you're 5, posting it on your bike helmet is the same as getting it tattooed on your arm.

You know, Skipping burns more calories than running.-Phil Dunphy

2011-05-23T22:39:00.001-07:00

When we were in Maui, Meg noted that Steve is a lot like Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. I died laughing because she is so right.

Phil’s bio from the abc website reads : Phil Dunphy is the cool dad. That's his thang. At least, that's what he'd like us to believe. And you know what? We kinda do! Oh, sure, Phil has those "roll your eyes" moments that have us asking, "Is the guy for real?" You bet he is. As goofy as he may seem, Phil always has his heart in the right place. He dotes on his wife Claire and he constantly tries to bond with his three kids. Phil acts like a parent and talks like a peer. He calls it "peerenting."

If you know Steve, you are nodding your head right now in agreement.

What the bio doesn’t say, is that Phil’s (Steve’s) attempts to be such a cool dad often backfire on him.

This video is a pretty good example. In the video, Steve is playing “Kick The Can” with the kids. He’s fun. He’s energetic. He’s goofy. He’s bonding with his kids. He’s Phil Dunphy.

See what I mean!

Fools

2011-05-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

Somehow, another year has passed, and I have managed to continue to fool them in to believing I am the best mom in the world.

I worked on Mother’s Day, as a good mom providing for her family would do. When I came home after work, there were cards, flowers, a camera lens, and a performance by the kids waiting for me.

There was no dinner waiting for me, but it was Mother’s Day, not Wife’s Day, and the kids still aren’t allowed to cook anything beyond toaster waffles.

Flowers plucked from our neighbors yards.

Thanks, Reshma and Erin. I’m sure you understand, as it isn’t the first time this has happened.

Making the cards

From Niamh

Mom you are like the sun and the waves and you always help me when I am hurt. I love you mom. I really do. Love Niamh

Mom you (are) soft as a sheep. You hold me tight. I love you Mom.

“Things that I do with my mom”:Left to right, top to bottom. Shopping (That’s me with the purse, not Steve. She obviously still has gender issues with my short hair), Getting pedicures (note the remote control massage chairs), Eating dinner, cooking, at the park, groveling at my feet (I think).

From Finn

Finn. Love you. Thank you for taking me on the greatest trips. You are the best mom in the whole wide world. (he must have thought he was going to Hawaii with me)

The Performance

I have no idea what the specific movements in the performance meant, but they did it all for me and they did it flawlessly.

Happy Mother’s Day to me, a soft sheep, from my foolish little lambs.

Jekyll and Hyde

2011-05-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

I swear I have no idea where she gets her split personality from.

The People Of Hawaii Will Never Know The Feeling Of Wearing Tall Boots, Tights, And A Dress in 30 Degree Weather.

2011-05-19T00:00:00.001-07:00

He Wears His Heart On His Sleeve

2011-05-06T21:39:00.001-07:00

…and his meals on his face.

Fred

2011-04-17T22:20:00.001-07:00

Freddy…he’s a total pain in the ass. He barks so much that our neighbors wrote us a letter saying that their “quality of life” has declined since we got the dogs. He has eaten every dog bed I’ve bought within a day. Thanks to Fred, Gus has to sleep on the hard floor. Every time I turn my back, Fred is on the kitchen table. Fred has eaten the molding and drywall in the basement. He isn’t as muscular as Gus; he’s scrawny, he wouldn’t make it as a show dog.

BUT, Freddy is a love. He is determined to climb on a lap. He readjusts his position to be the dog closest to the human doing the petting. Gus lays down first, then Fred plops himself on top of Gus. He’s the cuddler and the nurturer. And, if you need your ears cleaned, he's your man...I mean dog.

Check The Weather. I Think Hell Froze Over.

2011-04-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

Do you see what is parked in my driveway!!!

You see it too, right? I’m not imagining its there?

MY DREAM CAR!!!

I know its not nice to boast, but I can’t help it.

It has curtains!

Just What I needed

2011-04-09T22:40:00.001-07:00

I came home from work tonight and found this waiting for me on the kitchen table.

Steve said he just found her making it. She gathered all the supplies herself. Her idea. Her words.

This is the nicest gift I have ever received.

Ahhhhhhh

2011-04-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. Everyone with a blog in Seattle is going to write something about the weather today. Can you blame them? It was something like 53 degrees. It didn’t rain at all. The skies were blue. The UPS guy was wearing shorts and whistling a happy tune with the robins in the trees. Fred and Gus stood in the yard with their necks stretched out, noses pointed toward the sky, absorbing as much warmth as they could. Finn and I walked to the post office and coffee, then picked up the good dog and walked to school to get Niamh, then dropped off Gus…I mean the good dog…and rode bikes to the park. We were outside. We were warm and dry. I turned the heat off in the house.

Note: I have no idea what a robin looks like or sounds like. It was the first bird breed that popped in to my head so I went with it.

I considered slipping in to my teeny weenie bikini and getting some color for our upcoming trip to Hawaii, but then the $165 package I bought at Seattle Sun Tan would go to waste.

I’ll stick with this bad boy instead.

And the cream that’s meant to help transform my Irish skin to that of someone born with an iota of pigment.

I’ll buy anything…but that’s not the point of this post…its just a fact.

5 in 1

2011-04-07T11:23:00.001-07:00

It all began with a scheduled play date with Drew.

The day before the play date, we made plans to have Hayden come over the next day, after school.

Hayden has a brother who is Finn’s age and who will start school next year with Finn, maybe even be in the same class. We thought it would be a great idea to introduce the two, so we also invited Wyatt to come over.

About 2 minutes after the double date was arranged, I realized we were double booked…Drew was already supposed to be coming over.

Because Drew, Hayden, and Niamh all hang together on the playground at school, we figured they wouldn’t mind sharing their play date. We would just have them all over to our house together!

A few hours later, I decided that I wanted Jaya to come over too. I miss the kid. We haven’t seen her ‘round here in a while. So, I texted her. I text Jaya directly because most of the time she texts back for her mom anyway.

Jaya was happy to join in the date!

Jaya wanted her mom to come to the party.

Sure, why not? I could use a friend there too. Welcome, Mel!

Shoot, we couldn’t have just 2/3 of the Parsons gals over. So, Sasha came too!

After they were all here, I just sat at the table with Mel and drank coffee.

Play happened. Broken glass happened. Crying happened. Sibling fights happened. Lots of laughing happened.

It was pretty much the same as any other afternoon at the Westover abode, just louder.

Wondering where Finn is?

He was hiding under the train table in the basement.

Shakira and Niamh, Pretty Much the Same Person

2011-03-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting months for this performance to happen.

Niamh’s class was one of the classes doing a dance performance at her school’s International Dinner Night. The night features performances from half of the classes at John Stanford International School, plus performances from the school’s BOC Kids (Bilingual Orientation Center). The “dinner” part of the night went away this year because norovirus was served for dinner the last 2 years. Ewwww. Having seen the entertainment provided by the kids, I doubt the pot luck was the reason folks went to the event.

One of Niamh’s teachers is a Zumba instructor, so she was the natural choice to choreograph the 1st Grade Spanish Class performance. The music she chose was Waka Waka, by Shakira. I have been listening to Shakira since I studied in Ecuador, which was way before Hips Don’t Lie, the song that made her famous in the USofA . I’m a huge fan.

Though Niamh and I listened to the song over and over and over, memorizing it in both Spanish and English, Niamh refused to let me see her practice the dance.

I know its really good to practice things more when you’re at home, Mama, and Jaya practices at home, but I just don’t want to. There is a reason we call her Lazy Legs.

Needless to say, I was very excited to see her class walk on to the stage and hear the opening holler of the song begin.

Needless to say, I was less than thrilled with my seating choice to video the performance once I realized Niamh was almost totally blocked from my sight, the lights were so bright that the kids faces were all blown out, and the 3rd grade boys I had positioned myself next to were very gassy.

Try to spot Niamh. She is second row, center stage, wearing a dark blue skirt with lighter blue belt. Featured in the front row are 3 of her besties, Hayden, Drew, and Jaya. Jaya is really enjoying herself. She practiced a lot.

Bueno, Damas y Caballeros, les presento El Primer Grado de Espanol y su interpretacion de Waka Waka!

Even though I couldn't see Niamh clearly the whole time, I had a HUGE smile on my face and tears in my eyes the whole time. There is something about watching my own kid and her friends on stage that confuses me emotionally.

There Can Be No Other Explanation

2011-03-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

I’m pretty sure that Finn, my sweet 5 year old, my boy who loves to cuddle and give kisses, my boy who can spend an entire day quietly at the table following the instructions in a LEGO book to build a fire truck, my boy who asks if we can buy his sister a lollipop when we are out and she is at school, I’m pretty sure that in a past life my boy was a beer guzzling frat guy.

Commandment Numero Uno

2011-03-24T23:04:00.001-07:00

Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me.

On Sundays I stand before them and they begin their worship ceremony.

We Have Yet To Catch A Leprechaun

2011-03-18T11:59:00.001-07:00

For the second year in a row, we didn’t catch the St. Paddy’s Day Leprechaun that comes to our house. We know he was here because he switched all our whole grain cereals for Lucky Charms, he peed in the toilet, and he made our milk green.

This year’s trap was a much simpler idea than last year’s trap. Niamh wanted to put duct tape down so that he would get stuck when walking toward the bowl of shiny gold coins and York Peppermint Pattys. This was something that her group did last year at her afterschool program. Last year, the Leprechaun’s shoes stuck to the tape, but the little rascal just took off his shoes and got away. So, she remedied that with a sign that asked him to take off his shoes.

Looks like what happened is he took off his shoes and in his stocking feet walked over the bridge toward the shiny loot. If you look closely at the picture you can see the fuzz from his white socks stuck to the tape. His socks just didn’t stick enough to the tape to trap him like a fly on fly paper.

I’ve got some ideas for next year. I’m not listening to the kids anymore. I’m more Irish than they are. I’m 100% Irish and they’ve been tainted by Steve’s DNA. I’m going to trap him in a box of Irish Oatmeal. You just wait and see.

Finn’s 5th Birthday

2011-03-17T23:26:00.001-07:00

Well, thank goodness Finn can’t access the internet, he doesn’t know there is a blog about him and his sister, and he can’t read. If he was knowledgeable about any of those things he’d know that his Mama is way behind in posting about his 5th birthday.

I’ve thought lot about posting about Finn’s birthday but the farther from the day it gets, the more pressure I feel to recap the event in detail. The more detail I try to remember, the more I regret not posting the day of the event. The more I realize I can’t remember, the older I feel. The older I feel, the sadder I get. The sadder I get, the more I visit the liquor store (conveniently) down the street. The more I visit the liquor store, the less money I have to buy my couch. The less money I have to buy my couch, the more I overtime I sign up for at work. The more overtime I work, the less time I have to post about Finn’s birthday. See where I’m going with this?

Hopefully when I’m 82 and Finn is 51, the following photos and minimal captions will tell the story of the birthday that celebrated his half decade of life.

Niamh went to school with a 7 painted on her face because she is not to be outdone by her brother…not even on his birthday.

At lunch with the Prentices and Sieberts. We really like them. 5 years has not cured Finn’s eye deviations.

Hadley Jane. My favorite UnWestover.

This is what happens when you say to Hadley “be silly.” She shows you her bootie. I’m pretty sure that after this photo, Hads said she was going to pee on all of us…and I laughed…and her Mom gave me “that look.”

This is the look that a 5 year old boy gives you when you give him books for his birthday for the sake of his mom. He looks at you like “Ummmm, is this a Lego set?”

This is the kind of cake the greatest Mom in the world makes. Wondering how I made it? Well, keep wondering. I had to suffer through tutorials and the search for a Lego mold, so should you.

(I’m cheap. For $5 I’ll tell you the secret how to make it.)

Heading downstairs for the “movie” part of the Movie Birthday Party.

This shot was taken from the disco balcony in our dining room. We’re cool.

Playing “Dancing Statues”.

I LOVE THIS FACE

The cake that looked great but tasted awful.

I believe that looks are everything.

The best group of Preschoolers in the Pacific NW!

I wish I could Age Enhance this 12 years to their senior year in high school.

A Whole Lotta Love

2011-03-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

Finn, I Love (x7) You. You are a great stuffed animal. I love pie too but I love you the best. Love, Niamh.

Dear Finn, You are playful. You are loveable. You are funny. I love you. You are strong. I love when you play with me. I love you Finn with all my heart.

Dear Dad, Are you strong. I love you. You scare me every minute. Love, Niamh. PS I love you.

Dear Mommy, I love you with all my heart. I love you Mommy because you are my mommy. From, Niamh.

So, In summary. Niamh loves Finn more than pie and she is clear that he is strong. Daddy scares her, and she questions his strength. And, she loves me because I’m her mommy.

Finn’s a lucky guy.

I’m No Sucker

2011-03-07T17:59:00.001-08:00

Niamh just approached me for another lollipop.

She looked pretty pathetic and explained that she needed another one because she accidently ate the first one too fast and she didn’t mean to. Please?

With practice, I have found its gets easier and easier to say No to this face.

Dog Training

2011-02-21T13:10:00.001-08:00

The pups are now 9 months old.

Training is going really well, thanks for asking.

You should come over and join us for lunch some day. I swear the table is clean.

Testing Testing 1 2 3

2011-02-21T00:50:00.001-08:00

I just got a Mac (I always feel like I should write and cheese after I write Mac). I had been using Windows Livewriter, a fabulously easy program on my PC, to blog with. I thought that surely there would be an equally user friendly blogging program available for Mac.

There ain’t.

So, I did something fancy and techy that I can’t explain, and now I am using a Windows program on a Mac (and cheese). That’s kind of like speaking Chinese in Mexico and being understood. Comprendes?

This is my test post to see if I was really successful. If this thing posts, you can call me a Nerd because I just did something I think is really Nerdy…though Nerds would probably not be impressed because Nerds do much more techy things than this. So do Middle Schoolers. I think my nephews could have done this in about 30 minutes. I’ve been trying to get this thing loaded and running for 4 days.

The addition of these photos of our Valentine’s Day Pancakes, Hearts and the Flu Virus, mean I have also added a Plug-In (A what?) to my account so that my photos saved on my Mac (and cheese) can be loaded on to the Microsoft program. Chinese in Mexico, People.

Oh My Gawd. What the heck did all that mean?

Words To Live By

2011-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Cassandra at the Chevron Station on 45th. Thanks!

Good Boy. Lucky Girl.

2011-02-04T16:21:00.001-08:00

This is what you get when you are a Good Boy out to lunch with Mommy and a lot of her favorite people. Its a tough life for this kid.

**Thanks for having us to lunch, Maree. I've missed you.**

This is what you get when you are a Lucky Girl and your brother says to Mommy in the candy store, Can we get a candy for Niamhy too? Its a tough life for this kid.

From The Archives

2011-01-31T22:40:00.001-08:00

I just found this as I was putting some recent videos on our external drive.

I’m so glad I found it because I might watch it every day for the next month. It was taken November 2009, a couple months before Finn’s 4th birthday. He is adorable.

I love him.

She IS An Athlete

2011-01-31T22:18:00.001-08:00

Grab an adult beverage for this one.

Jump roping is Niamh’s “sport” of choice.

What you are about to see is a “choreographed” end of season routine by Niamh’s after school Jump Rope Group. Much of the routine is improv by each kid. Some kids went home and thought about what they were going to do. Some kids (ahem, mine) thought they would just go with what the music moved them to do the moment of the performance. Or, they would just look to their neighbor and copy whatever they were doing.

I gotta say, I nearly died, and I did cry (cause I love her like my own), when Jaya had the spotlight. She had obviously prepared. The differences between those 2 best friends are many. Yin and Yang. Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison.

Niamh is in the grey and white striped shirt. Jaya is in the blue T with the peace sign.

Jump Rope is on Fridays after school. Most Saturdays, Niamh complains of muscle soreness. This is a REAL sport.

**The Instructor, a 5 time World Jump Rope Champion, was about 38 weeks pregnant at the end of the season. Whenever she jumped rope, I would pee in my pants as an empathetic gesture.**

Taking It Too Far

2011-01-30T17:51:00.001-08:00

Finn and I were playing Kinect Boxing and yelling out intimidations to each other.

You’re going down!

I’m gonna knock you out!

Watch it, Sucka, I’m the Champ!

You, know, harmless little things like that.

Then, Finn yells out, You shit in your pants!

Can you hear the record scratch and the room go silent and still? It did…for everyone except for Finn…he just kept on playing as if he had said I’m going to tickle you to death!

And that concludes yet another lesson in Don’t Say Anything In Front Of Your Kids That You Don’t Want Repeated.

**I’ll have a little conversation with Steve about Steve’s language around the kids.**

Elfa

2011-01-26T15:52:00.001-08:00

On December 3, 2010 we arrived home from dinner to find a wrapped package on our doorstep. There was a note attached that read something like this:

Dear Niamh and Finn,

You got 3 free days, but now I’m watching. Be good.

Love, Santa

Inside the pretty package was our very own Elf On The Shelf. We had heard about this elite group of Scout Elves from our great friends, The Prentices. We were insanely jealous of them for getting to host their very own Elf. Who said envy gets you nowhere? Envy got us our very own Elf On The Shelf.

Niamh and Finn jointly agreed to name him Elfa. (For the record, we have a stuffed cat named Kitty, dog named Puppy, Seal named Sealy, and who could forget the trio of pigs named Piggy, Liggy, and Ziggy. I was shocked that they didn’t name him Elfy).

Elfa watched the kids and their behavior every day from December 3rd-December 24th. Each night he would magically fly back to the North Pole and report to Santa their naughty and nice behavior. There was plenty of both. Then, in the morning hours before we all woke, Elfa would return to our home for another day of Scout Elf reconnaissance work for Mr. Nick. First thing Niamh and Finn did each morning was look for Elfa and see where he perched himself after his flight back to us.

There were a few days that Elfa didn’t move from the spot he was in the day prior. On those days, we usually found Daddy to blame for touching Elfa and taking away some of his magic and ability to fly. All it took was a day of rest and Elfa’s magic was restored.

Elfa and the kids had a special connection. Niamh and Finn would see him blink, wink, raise his arms, and turn his head. I never saw any of that. I think it must be a kid-elf kind of a thing. One day, Niamh even spotted Elfa at her school watching her. She said he was watching from behind a big air vent on the playground.

Elfa must have witnessed a lot of behavior that I missed, because in spite of the balance between naughty and nice behavior that I observed around here in December, the kids still got gifts from Santa on Christmas morning.

Elfa left them a gift too. Elfa gave them a set of walkie talkies. Since he left for the North Pole on December 24th, the kids have kept in contact with Elfa via the walkie talkies. Its usually hard to make out what he is saying to them because of all the static, and sometimes he gets interrupted by other Elves on the same radio frequency, but Niamh and Finn are satisfied just getting to hear his voice.

And, now when Finn can’t find something, he blames Elfa. He says that Elfa *poofed* it somewhere else!

See ya next year, Elfa. We will be waiting for you.

Loser

2011-01-26T01:21:00.001-08:00

All this because he wasn’t winning at Kinect bowling.

And he’s my mild mannered child.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-26T01:10:00.001-08:00

Nog. My Annual Contribution to gluttony. You’re welcome.

Going through these photos a month after they were taken, I realize I haven’t seen some of the gifts the kids were given since the day they were opened. I don’t think the kids know they are missing some toys. It must mean that Christmas wasn’t all about the toys, right? I guess it could also mean they got more stuff than they could keep track of, but I like the first possibility better.

Believe it or not, Christmas around here is pretty mellow. Steve and I don’t host anything. Can’t get any easier than that.

The schedule was Christmas Eve and Auntie Alex’s and Uncle Steve’s house. Christmas Day at home with just the four of us. Christmas Dinner at Uncle Erik’s and Aunt Alethea’s house. Easy as pie for Steve and me.

The Shaws are all in The Bay Area and we miss them at the holidays. But, we talk to them lots and they are kept well informed of Santa’s arrival and the kids’ reaction to their Christmas gifts. There is also this here blog to share the memories with them.

So, without too much more delay (as if 31 days after the big day isn’t long enough), I present to you OUR CHRISTMAS 2010.

Part 1. Christmas Eve at Auntie Alex’s and Uncle Steve’s house.

As always, the presentation of the table, the decorations, the meal, the chocolate mice…amazing. Alex, you have really screwed yourself. We will never celebrate a major holiday anywhere but your house. You do it too well. Dummy.

Finn isn’t usually allowed to shoot at people with guns, but, because it was Christmas, we made an exception.

The Kids and Steve, got these personalized shirts from Alex. Steve’s was the Gaelic spelling of his name. The first one below is for Cousin Lincoln. So cool.

This is the point in the evening when things got a little weird. Auntie Alex put pasties on herself and on Niamh and entered the two of them in the Ugly Christmas Sweater Competition.

It was a tough competition but Park won.

Yes, that’s a Fidel Castro piñata. Why? Is that odd? Like your grandpa wouldn’t want one too?

And, we had our annual visit from Bo Bo the Magic Dancing Bear.

Part 2. Christmas Day.

We are still recycling boxes and paper.

I love our tipsy tree.

After breakfast I put down the camera and didn’t pick it up until January. Steve got sick and spent the rest of Christmas in bed. We had the most delicious array of soups for dinner at Erik’s and Alethea’s for Christmas Dinner, a tradition I hope we continue….and another that keeps me from hosting a major meal.

Thank you to our generous family for spoiling us all another year. You guys make some pretty great holidays and some pretty great memories.

**Addendum** Photo credit for the good photos goes to Auntie Alex. Yes, she’s a great photographer too. Do her talents ever end? Nope. And, she’s nice. And, she lets her kids eat sugary cereal. Her kids are so lucky.

World’s Worst Nurse

2011-01-25T18:58:00.001-08:00

Today I had a minor little surgery on my wrist. I would call it a procedure but it turned out to be a little more surgery-like than I anticipated. For example, when they took me back to the OR instead of an exam room, and asked me about 10 times the last time I had food or drink as though they could smell the chocolate on my breath, and put a surgical cap on me, and placed 2 IVs, and an Anesthesiologist introduced herself, I started to think that maybe I should have followed my NPO instructions a bit better. I was supposed to be NPO at 7am, but I got up at 7:30. I had to eat…and have coffee…and a snack. It was more like 9am, or maybe just a little later. And I didn’t think one square of chocolate before leaving for the doctor’s office would hurt anything because chocolate melts and things that melt are emptied from your stomach faster leaving less risk for aspiration. Right? I’m sure I’ve read that.

People tell me all the time that they could never do my job, that it takes a special type of person to be a nurse. I work with so many different personality types that I always think Of course you could. Nurses are not the angels they are perceived to be. Today, I realized that its true, not anyone could be a nurse. It really does take a little bit of sacrifice and ability to anticipate the needs of someone else. Not everyone is capable of that. Take Steve for example….

Steve brought me home, talked on his cell phone the entire time because I was interrupting his busy day at work and people were calling him, he locked me outside in the back yard, and when he let me back in, he slapped me on the ass and left for work again.

My restrictions are self limited but I have a clunky partial cast and ACE wrap on my hand and forearm. I cant do much with my right hand, and right after we left the doc’s office, it was starting to hurt to even wiggle my fingers.

After Steve left, I was starving. Remember, I was NPO since 7am(ish). He left me with 6 bags of groceries to unpack, no lunch prepared, and hurting as the numbing medication was wearing off.

First, I tried to make lunch, but with one hand I couldn’t even spread peanut butter on bread. So, I ate carrots, grapes, and chocolate dipped in peanut butter.

Then, I wanted my Vicodin. Guess what? It is child proofed and with one hand I couldn’t open the bottle. I texted Steve that he was a bad word and I couldn’t open my pain meds. His response: Use my vise in the basement. Luckily, a neighbor was home and she aided me.

Now, with Peanut Butter, Vicodin, and Heineken, I am pain free, in a much better mood, and able to type with both hands. That’s all it took. Not too much to ask…if my loving husband had stuck around to hear me asking.

Steve is planning to get neutered in the near future. When he does, I think there might be a few pot holes and rail road crossings on the way home.

Santa Photo

2011-01-24T11:47:00.001-08:00

Finn joined us after a long day at the office. I’m glad he was able to unwind, let off some steam.

That’s right, I’m working my way through December posts.

It doesn’t even matter anymore what The Big Guy said to them, what they said to him, how excited they were waiting in line. Its done, really done, like a month ago done.

Historical photos found here.

I feel like I’m working behind a desk, trying to get work done for a long past deadline. Except I’m in my PJs, our contractor just came to the door and looked horrified by my appearance at 11:15am. I should be embarrassed. I’m just glad he didn’t see Finn. Finn is in his jammies too, he’s eating candy canes (to get me in the Christmas Spirit), he stinks, and he’s watched a week’s worth of television in one morning.

Birthday at the Movies

2011-01-18T23:20:00.001-08:00

About a million months ago Niamh turned 7. With the holidays, our thrice flooded basement, and my preoccupation with couches, I’ve neglected to tell the story of her birthday party.

Its been so long I can barely remember the details.

In an effort to avoid cleaning the house, we decided to take Niamh and 4 friends of her choosing to see the movie Tangled.

I will say this, I remember being surprised at who the trouble maker in the group was. Don’t be fooled by her innocent looks. Don’t be fooled, People. Keep a close eye on her. We found her in the bar at the theater…with a fake ID. (OK, I made up that last part.)

Jaya, Niamh, Hayden, Ava, and Drew

Again, but with Finn this time. Some day he will realize how lucky he is to be Niamh’s little brother.

I still love these two together. Jaya + Niamh = BFF

Look at Drew, she’s the third kid in the row. She spent a lot of the movie with her hands over her eyes. She is one of those funny kids that just can’t sit through any movie without getting scared. I found this out one day when she was over at our house and didn’t want to watch tv with Niamh and Jaya. What kid doesn’t want to watch television after school? When I finally got her to tell me why she didn’t want to sit with them, she said it was because she was afraid of the show they had on. It was The Care Bears: Adventures in Care-A-Lot. She’s a hopeless case.

Following the show, we had lunch at Gordon Biersch. Coincidentally, they serve really good, really large glasses of beer there. Gosh, that was such a nice surprise. Steve and I totally chose the restaurant based on proximity to the theater. I swear, we had no idea they were a brewery. Scouts honor.

And so, Niamh, that concludes your birthday post. I apologize that it did not get the attention it deserves. Next year, I’ll try harder. In the 7 weeks since your birthday, your Dad and I have really noticed you maturing. There are lots of hands on hips. Lots of eyes rolling. Lots of emotional meltdowns. You’re getting good at using just hand gestures to kick Daddy out of your room. Last week, when I asked you to pick up the books in your room and you said “And what are YOU doing right now, Mama, that you can’t do it?” Well, I started to cry inside. I’m terrified of age 15.

I love you, My Little Girl. Please, don’t change too much. I don’t think I can handle it.

A Very Urgent Matter

2011-01-03T23:09:00.001-08:00

I have things to post about that date back to November. Niamh’s birthday party to be specific. I’m going to have to lock myself up in an all night diner to get it done.

In High School I used to have to go to Denny’s right off Hwy 92 in Foster City and study until the wee hours of the morning. Then I’d take a nap and get up for Crew. I can’t believe my growth wasn’t stunted by my lack of sleep and young abuse of caffeine.

In College, it was Perkins in Lewisburg, PA, off the 15. I’d read Biology lessons and eat bread bowl soups and salads until I could no longer sit comfortably because my insides expanded to the point of pain with coffee soaked dough.

In Nursing School, Honey Bear and Zoka were the spots.

I’m a pathological procrastinator.

I don’t know what that means, I just made it up.

The more I have to do, the less of it I do. Crap just continues to pile up. The projects multiply because as I sit staring at all I have to do, I come up with more things I want to do. Then, instead of doing all the things I have to do, I waste time reorganizing kitchen cabinets.

I need to leave my house and all my distractions to get anything done.

Meredith? Liz? You out there? Wanna chime in about the desserts I’d feel the need to bake before sitting down to write a 10 page Spanish paper about a book I never read. Or how many times I rearranged the furniture in my 8’x10’ bedroom?

Its torture.

So, before I can blog about Niamh’s birthday, Piggy and Liggy, Santa Photos, Elfa, Christmas, and New Year’s, I need to stop obsessing about the couch I am going to buy. I sit and click back and forth between the same 3 furniture sites night after night. I’m scared I’ll make the wrong choice and Steve will never let me buy another couch. Our Living Room will remain void of a place for guests to sit and sip. We will never sit in comfort and open Christmas Gifts. We will always sit on the hard floor criss-cross-applesauce watching cardboard accumulate in a pile. I’ll continue to wonder if it would be weird if I tried to bend and stack the boxes in the shape of a chair so only my feet rested on the floor, not my rump, legs, and heels.

We need a couch.

I’m 36 years old. Steve is closer to 40. We should own Living Room furniture. Its kind of a status thing for me at this point. My neighbors don’t respect me and I’m certain its because of our sofalessness.

I know I have at least 4 or 5 faithful readers with good taste. I don’t want to name you because I think there are actually 8 readers in all and I don’t want to offend the other 3 or 4.

I need your help. You all know me. Ignore what you know about Steve when helping with this decision.

Here are some photos of our pathetic Living Room.

The Leather Mission Chair now sits where the big cardboard box is in front of the glass cabinets by the fireplace.

The trunk can go to hell. I’m tired looking at it.

Some day there will be short shelving under the picture by the front door and I can retire the round table to our bedroom. Steve needs a bedside table. Currently he uses the floor for books and alarm clock. Our bedroom is a whole different project.

I just bought two of those little round tables. I kind of love them. They will go next to, or in front of, the couch.

The couch will go against the wall where the little round table is now. An arm chair will some day join it to form an L shape sitting area.

Get the idea?

Here are the contenders.

Option 1 with In Room Example:

Option 2:

Option 3 with In Room Example:

Option 4 with In Room Example:

Option 5 with In Room Example:

The color will be neutral, probably along the lines of the last couch. I have pillows from Etsy all picked out. Some day, a solid color rug, but for now, my old poppy one will work just fine.

Please help me so I can get on with my life.

The kids need baths and we all need a home cooked meal.

Give A Guess

2010-12-31T00:27:00.001-08:00

Anyone? Anyone know what this says? No Westovers are allowed to answer.

I drew a blank. I hadn’t even had a sip of wine, my creative juices depend on grape juice. I was paralyzed.

Anyone else?

Dear, Santa… Bite Me

2010-12-20T05:48:00.001-08:00

Hey, Santa. Don’t choke on these cookies Friday night.

Its 5:40am and I’m just going to bed after baking, decorating, and cleaning up after your cookies. I think if I bump in to you as you come down my chimney, I might just shove them down your throat.

You better be bringing me something with 4 wheels that seats 7 with enough space for 2 dogs and my idea of the camping essentials.

I’m serious, don’t cross me, Old Man.

His Name Is Rocky

2010-12-20T00:21:00.001-08:00

Just after I fought back tears, begging Steve to please just help me because I was up until 3:30am wrapping gifts, got up at 7:15 to register Niamh and Finn for the next session of swim lessons, spent the rest of the morning at Target/GAP/QFC with only 1 cup of coffee, was dying to get the dogs to the park because they haven’t left their hallway for a week, and still had to get the kids to see Santa before Dec 26, bake and decorate Santa’s cookies, and make egg nog because I’m working the 3 days before Christmas Eve, a neighbor asked Steve if we knew the dog that was hanging out on the side of our house. (Holy run on sentence, Batman.)

Steve came in and told me there was a Pit Bull in the driveway. Me being the idiot that I am, I stopped what I was doing (which was making an even bigger mess in the house), and went to meet the doggie. He was a neutered male with no leash or collar (sounds familiar), who shied away from and barked at Steve, but came to me with just a little encouragement. I liked him right away because he liked me more than Steve. People usually like Steve more than me, but dogs are waaaaay smarter.

Steve was on his way out the door to work…on the Sunday before Christmas…and yelled to me as he got in his car, Looks like your day just got derailed. Bye.

Jerk.

So, Freddy and Gus had to wait to go to the park. Niamh and Finn had to wait to see Santa. Everything on my list of Must Dos today, got pushed to my much longer list of I Really Hope I Get These Things Done.

I asked Niamh and Finn, Fred and Gus to stay downstairs because this dog is a Pit Bull and I’m a racist. He was fine with me, but kids and Boxer puppies could be a totally different situation.

Within 2 minutes, the dog barfed on the floor and peed on my coat. The coat wasn’t really his fault though. He lifted his leg to pee on my dining room chair and my coat was hanging on the back. The coat was an unfortunate victim.

He had the most nauseating smell coming from his rear end, I knew that I couldn’t keep him in the house for long. After barfing and peeing, I was pretty sure I knew the next thing that was going to come from the inside out.

So, I posted a note on the forums of our neighborhood blog, called the Animal Shelter to see if someone reported him missing, and asked a few people on the street if they knew him. Then, we got in the car to take him to the Animal Shelter to see if he was micro chipped.

Have you ever read the book Walter the Farting Dog? I now believe it is possible for a dog’s gas to stop burglars from robbing a house. In the car, with nowhere to run from the smell, Niamh said it was making her eyes burn.

Speaking of Niamh, I asked her what we should call the dog because we didn’t know his name. She said Pimpy!

Pimpy!?, I said. Why Pimpy?

Because he’s a pimple.

Why is he a pimple?, I asked her.

You said he was a pimple, she said.

NO! He’s a Pit Bull, not a Pimple!

So, we took Pimpy to the shelter. He was chipped. His name is Rocky. He has a file at the shelter. Apparently Rocky is a regular at the shelter and his owner isn’t too quick to retrieve him. Twice in the past they have had to send her certified letters to tell her to come pick him up. Knowing their 72 hour policy before putting dogs up for adoption, and knowing that there are a lot more racists out there, my stomach sank thinking about what might become Rocky’s fate.

I don’t know what to do for him. He was very sweet, even buried his big square head in my stomach when I bent down to pet him, just like Eddy used to do. But, I don’t want him. I can’t have him.

If I give out his case number, will someone check in on him and maybe foster him? I really wish I hadn’t been the one to find him. I can’t handle the guilt of being the one to take him to the Animal Shelter.

Pimpy, I’m thinking of you, Pal. I’m sorry your Mom sucks. I’m sorry I can’t handle anything else in my house that isn’t fully responsible for their bladder and bowels. I’m sorry I judged you. I’m just plain old sorry.

Now, after taking Fred and Gus to the dog park, bathing them, and taking Niamh and Finn to see Santa, I’m in the kitchen, making 2 batches of cookies for Santa, wishing I had prioritized the Spiked Egg Nog over the cookies, hoping Pimpy finds a better home for the holidays. sigh. I miss Eddy.

Misinterpreted

2010-12-16T23:27:00.001-08:00

Niamh told her teacher that the dogs had surgery on their necks so they wouldn’t have babies.

I was dying thinking about Niamh putting together the information she knew. She knew the dogs had surgery so they wouldn’t have babies. She knew they were wearing cones on their necks. The logical assumption is that babies come out of dogs’ necks.

What worries me is she never questioned that assumption.

She also thinks this guy flies to the North Pole every night and tells Santa about her behavior towards her mother each day.

I’m thinking the magic of Christmas is going to last a few more years around here, and that I can keep telling her babies are made when a man kisses a woman he loves….or two male dogs lick each other’s faces.

Misery Loves Company

2010-12-13T00:25:00.001-08:00

Friday the boys were neutered (by a Vet who explained the surgery with the terms "balls and weiner").

They have 10 days with the cones.

Gus is lucky he’s got a brother willing to help him out.

Don’t judge me. I had an itch. This stupid thing wouldn’t let me get to it.

By Day 2 they were feeling better. Only 8 more days with the cones.

Its The Thought That Counts

2010-12-12T23:53:00.001-08:00

Hey, Pals. I am so sorry to tell you that I am unable to buy you the Christmas gifts I was planning this year. You see, our basement flooded, so, Steve and I will be buying drywall and sump pumps, new throw rugs and dog beds, baseboards and paint.

I’ve had to cash out the following gifts:

Meg- I had prepaid some sclero at Via Vascular. Dr. Jensen still has your chart. Drop my name. He knows me and my deep femoral veins well. The package was complete with compression stockings and and pedicure at HOA on Roosevelt.

Katie- I had bought you the cutest “something blue” for your wedding. Just because you aren’t getting it doesn’t mean you can continue to put off getting your effing dress. Get on it. April 29th is not so far away. (Believe me, my abs and I have been counting down the days until we see a bikini in Hawaii).

Aleah- There is this new brood of chicks that are disease resistant and have the most perfect fluffy yellow down. I had ordered you 4 of them. I’m sure they will find good homes (that aren’t haunted with the history yours has).

Julie- Custom bedding for the camper. Not that she needed custom sheets….she’s pretty perfect just as she is.

Brooke- Puerto Rican Coconut Egg Nog. You’re lucky. I’m making it anyway for myself and my brother-in-law, so I might as well make you a jug too. Kinda wish I had some right now.

Hope the rest of your Families’ and Friends’ basements are dry. I’d hate for your stocking to hang limp from the chimney’s.

Please Tilt Screen about 10 Degrees to the left

2010-11-29T22:52:00.001-08:00

Perhaps we were too quick to choose our tree.

Perhaps we should not have assumed a $70 tree would have been straight.

Perhaps scoliosis is not something that just happens to vertebrates.

Perhaps our house leans a little.

Perhaps its perfect.

Thanks

2010-11-27T15:46:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving, I didn’t bring my camera to dinner. Oops.

We travelled to Steve’s brother’s house in Snoqualmie to enjoy a meal with Uncle Mike, Auntie Michelle, Cousin Emily, Grandma Pat, and Grandpa Denny. The meal was delish, just the right amount of everything. No gluttony in The Westover Family…something I am still getting used to but it is probably better for me in the end. I exclaim out loud that I am so full, I can’t eat another bite. But really, I am just trying to fit in. Once a Shaw, always a Shaw. I can eat my body weight in one sitting. Just ask a Shaw. Don’t ask a Westover, I’ve never shown them what I can really do. They just wouldn’t understand.

Even without a camera to document the holiday and leave us with some photo memories, the night will still be memorable.

At some point during the meal, each adult called out a “private part”. Some used the more vulgar term for the private part they spoke of, ahem, Denny.

Steve raised his glass and said he was thankful for his wife who does everything around the house, all the laundry, all the cleaning, all the shopping, all the cooking, while he does nothing. Don’t ooohhhh and ahhhhh at what a great guy he is. He was mocking an argument we had earlier in the day. He was really being a jerk but Steve is one of those guys that ends an argument by being cute. Steve is annoying to be mad at. I always end up looking like the jerk because I sit in a corner with a scowl on my face. Arguing with Steve is never a fair fight.

So, this Thanksgiving, I was thankful for in-laws who cook for me, in-laws that can yell out penis during Thanksgiving dinner, a husband that generally ends the arguments, the Shaw stomach which means I never feel “uncomfortably full”, and these guys

Finn and Liam

2010-11-27T13:49:00.001-08:00

We were in San Francisco for my parents’ joint 70th birthday party last weekend. While there, Finn met his second cousin, Liam, for the first time. The two hit it off immediately. They are 3 months apart in age, share the same head shape, and are both goofs when a camera is around.

Check out the faces. I couldn’t stop laughing as I was going through my photos today. The only photos I have of them with a “normal” (relatively speaking) face, are those where they don’t know a camera is pointed at them.

Their Good Bye Hug. When they can write, they will be pen pals.

I’d Give Her a 2 on The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale

2010-11-26T20:56:00.001-08:00

This morning, my little girl became….a little girl with pierced ears. I’m not willing to allow her to be anything more than that just yet. Even though she sometimes thinks she’s 19, she’s not and she can’t argue with me about that fact.

I’ll start by telling a story about my little sister, Mairead, known to many as Mae Mae. When I was 7 years old, my Godmother, Eileen Bradley, gave me the gift of pierced ears for my birthday. This was controversial in my house because my parents did not approve of us having pierced ears. I don’t know what they thought it reflected in a young girl when she had cute little stud earrings, but apparently it was bad. Good Ole Eileen didn’t see it that way so she felt she’d help me out by gifting me pierced ears. You can’t give back a gift!

Because I got to have my ears pierced, my older sister had to have her ears pierced. That was only fair. And, because we got to have our ears pierced, Mairead had to have hers done as well. Mairead was only 3 years old. The jewelry store had just one person there so she did one ear at a time instead of the double whammy get it over with in one double hole punch with one machinist on each ear method.

The gal punched the first ear and Mairead was gone. She jumped out of the tall swivel chair, out of the store, and through Stanford Shopping Center. When we caught up to her, she refused to go back and have the other ear done. It took about a week to get her back there.

I did not tell Niamh that story until after both her ears were bejeweled. I don’t think it would have mattered because apparently all these years of Finn beating her up has made her tough.

Just in case she needed a hand to squeeze, she held mine. I was still able to video the procedure while Steve took photos.

Those Sneaks, they did it on the 2 count! All she said was It startled me.

When it was all over, we went to Taco Del Mar for a birthday burrito. It was Niamh’s choice of restaurant. We offered her Tutti Bella, Boom Noodle, Gorditos, Canlis. But, a girl wants what a girl wants and this girl wanted TDM.

Of course, her Bestie Jaya was there.

On a somewhat related note, because today commemorates the day I first experienced the joy of an epidural, I was reflecting on my amazing ability to labor and I remembered my birth ball. I love to buy stuff, and after attending my birth class, I was convinced that I needed to buy a birth ball. I don’t remember when or why I was supposed to use it. I do remember it wasn’t cheap and I had to have it. Somewhere in the beginning of my third trimester, our dog Eddy ate the birth ball. I had to buy another one. The second one wasn’t cheap either. I’m sure I also paid for express shipping just in case I went in to early labor. I had to have the birth ball available to me. Turns out, my labor was short lived and there was no time to bounce on the ball. Some time in the first few days Niamh was home, Eddy ate the second birth ball. It was his cry for attention. I didn’t deserve it. I’m sure if Eddy had paid closer attention to Niamh’s incessant loud screams for her own attention, Eddy would have felt I had suffered enough and he would have left me my birth ball to throw myself against when all sanity was lost. Instead I drank (I drink).

Cheers, Niamh. I love love love you.

The Last Time We Will See Our 6 Year Old Daughter

2010-11-26T00:17:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow Niamh will be SEVEN years old!!!

At 11:00 she gets her ears pierced which is what she hopes to be the start of a life adorned with jewels. Its tough to know your child’s dreams will never come true.

When I took this photo of her I said This is the last photo we will have of you as a 6 year old. Tomorrow you start growing hair on your chest.

She looked at me puzzled, peeked down her shirt and said Oh, I already have some. Do you still have hair on your chest?

Nope I replied. It falls off when you turn 9.

Happy Birthday, Niamh. I never knew life could be so challenging until I became your Mama.

I love you to bits.

My Sister-In-Law Is Really Cool, And So Are These Photos

2010-11-10T23:05:00.001-08:00

Steve’s sister, Alex, is really really cool. She’s the kind of person you want to find fault with because you want to find some reason not to like her. But, as hard as you try, she’s just too likeable, and nice, and creative, and generous, and tolerant of your raucous husband and kids, and she texts you back recipe requests and wine recommendations.

Our kids like her better than they like us. I think they would leave us for her in a heartbeat.

I would leave them for her in a heartbeat, too.

Whenever there is a Westover Family gathering, we go to Alex’s house. She has the best table decorations, a gigantic hot tub, and wine that she should not be wasting on me and Steve.

Last weekend, Steve’s parents came home from Montana for the Winter so we had a Westy gathering at Alex’s house. She had set up a photo booth in her entryway for us all to play with. I think that Steve and Niamh had the most fun with it. **I try not to say or write “Steve and Niamh” together. It was not intentional that we named our daughter a name that rhymes with her dad’s name. I usually try to separate their names in conversation by putting someone else’s name between theirs. For example, “Steve, Finn, and Niamh went to the park.” It was also not intentional that my name and Finn’s name are so similar. Steve and Niamh. Fiona and Finn. How vain. **If anyone reading this is wondering how S T E V E and N I A M H rhyme, maybe I just gave you a clue how to pronounce our daughter’s name.

In case someone else wants to replicate the photo booth, you will need a gigantic black piece of heavy fabric, an enormous frame to put the fabric on/over, a laptop computer, a fancy camera, a remote for the camera, and a tall tripod. Sounds easy, eh?

Alex, Grandma Pat, and Cousin Lincoln.

Thanks, Alex, for ALL you do for us. I hope you know we appreciate it. You Rock!

She Dreams of More

2010-11-10T22:17:00.001-08:00

Niamh: Mama, do you know what my dream car is?

Me: No, what is it?

Niamh: A limousine

Me: Why?

Niamh: Cause you get to demand things from the guy driving.

Me: How is that different from when I drive and you demand things from me?

Niamh: You say no.

Halloween Happened

2010-11-07T22:06:00.001-08:00

Halloween happened and if I don’t get moving on posting about it, Thanksgiving, Niamh’s Birthday, and Christmas will have happened too.

In this house, to our kids, Halloween is all about high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and dyes red 40 and blue 1. To kick off the frenzy that turns perfectly normal kids in to whining, crying, begging little turds, we had a pumpkin carving party here at the house.

What kind of Ding Bat invites a bunch of kids over to get high on juice and cupcakes, then hands them carving tools and lets them open up pumpkins on her living room floor?

Me. I’m a Ding Bat.

Then, there was The Monster Mash at Niamh’s School. The kids got dressed up the evening before Halloween for a night of games, Haunted House, pizza, and CANDY in the cafeteria and gym.

We saw our good friends Drew and Jaya there with their families.

In The Fortune Teller’s Tent, the Gypsy Lady told Finn that he liked dogs and owns two Boxer puppies. Finn, and Steve, were totally amazed at her accuracy.

Jaya doesn’t do Halloween costumes half-heartedly. The gal goes all out. Remember her costume last year?

Then, there was Halloween itself. A gorgeous Fall day. Before hitting the streets with my flask in my hand and the kids in the lead, we headed over to a neighbor’s house for some nourishment.

These were the cutest Thing 1 and Thing 2 I have seen.

I’m a big fan of doorway bouncers. Finn was about to go pro athlete with doorway bouncing when he outgrew the upper weight limit. He did tricks in it. He would spin himself around until the tethers were tight, then he’d lift his feet and unwind. He would also walk himself forward until he couldn’t go any further, lift his feet and get flung backwards. He did this endlessly.

What’s happening in the following photos is I am trying to get Finn to wear the space helmet he begged me to buy him for Halloween last year.

Finn: I don’t want to wear it.

Me: Here, Finn, I’ll open the visor so you can see. Wear it.

Finn: Nooooooo, I don’t want to.

Me: Wear it.

Neighbor taking photo and trying to get on with her life: Why don’t you have him hold it?

Me: Hold it, Finn. Cheese.

$5 to anyone who can guess what my costume was.

After a long walk up and down the block, the kids achieved their goal. They were whiney, they had sugar headaches, they sorted their stash, they made a few trades, and I’m sure they had a few pieces stolen by Daddy.

Just about every night since Halloween, they go through the torture of having to choose just one piece after dinner. Here, Finn leaves it up to chance with eenie meenie miney moe.

Hell=Pumpkins and Disneyland

2010-10-31T01:02:00.001-07:00

Think what you want to think about me.

Blame it on my childhood. Blame it on what I must really look like on the inside. Blame it on creepy clowns.

I don’t like fairs. I don’t want to go to Disneyland or fake wave water parks. And I also think the pumpkin patch on a warm Fall day might as well be a trip to a post office in Ecuador.

Ever been to a post office in Ecuador? How about Mexico? I’m going to go ahead and generalize about all post offices in Central and South America. There is no such thing as a line. There are too many people stressed about a simple non-emergency task like buying stamps. There aren’t enough employees and none of them like their job.

That’s like the pumpkin patch on a warm Fall day in Seattle. People are stressed about getting the pumpkin of their kids’ dreams. It must be round, and stable on its base, and big enough to carve the design of their kids’ dreams. There aren’t enough wheel barrows for the crowds of pumpkin pickers. Job satisfaction among pumpkin patch cashiers is low. And, while lines exist, they are ridiculously long and the people waiting in them loudly point out when you have entered the line in the middle, not the end. Infrastructure is lacking too. You can’t tell if you are in the line to get roasted corn, weigh your stupid gourd, buy leeks, send a package, or pick up mail from a PO Box.

We went to Carpinito Brothers Farm in Kent, instead of our usual South 47 Street Farm in Redmond, because we also had to go to IKEA which was in the same vicinity. We went from the pumpkin patch to IKEA. I needed a drink by the time we left the IKEA parking lot. If we vote Yes to initiative 1100, IKEA will likely start selling Swedish beer. That would help.

It was a truly beautiful day. The kids found some lovely pumpkins. We paid $19 to do a corn maze. And we never got our hands on a wheel barrow, so we had to lug our 50 lbs of squash through the crowds all by ourselves.

I’m only smiling on the outside. The same is NOT true for Finn. He was definitely smiling from head to hoof.

Finn got his head stuck in his ghost. I took the shot, we all walked away, and then noticed Finn wasn’t with us. Steve discovered him struggling to free his head of the cutout.

Even after all that effort, we still had to buy some pumpkins from the underground parking lot at Whole Foods. What irony.

Slainte

2010-10-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

Slainte: A common drinking toast in Ireland. Literally translates as “health”.

So, us Irish aren’t really drunks, we are just happy about our health and we celebrate it often and abundantly.

As promised to Katie (who’s blog I can no longer link to because she made it private and it is so annoying because I have to login every time I want to see if she posted anything new), and a few others who want to lead a “simplier” life, here is the recipe for the Vodka Punch from the Pumpkin Carving Party which I will someday get around to posting about.

I made half this volume and had some left over. I should really get some friends who are less wasteful.

750cc bottle of Skyy Infusions Passion Fruit Vodka

750cc bottle Sparkling Apple Cider

64oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail

1 Liter Ginger Ale

2 Cups Pineapple Juice

Mix and stir. Toast and laugh. A simplier evening will follow. If you want a simplier life, you’ll have to drink a lot of this often. I don’t endorse that behavior.

You know, I used to think I was a Rum Gal. Then I became a Gin Gal. Now I think I might be happy as a Vodka Gal.

I’ll always be a Beer Gal.

I’m blessed to be so easy to please.

While I’m at it, and because Christmas and Egg Nog are just around the corner, I’m going to share my recipe for the most delicious Puerto Rican Egg Nog you will ever put to your lips.

There is no diet version so just deal with it. Once you taste it, you won’t care about fitting in to your jeans anymore. You will simply want more.

When I brought this to Christmas at my in-laws’ home last year, my brother-in-law told me I am never allowed to come to his house again unless I have a jug of this with me.

14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

4 Egg Yolks (don’t even think about salmonella, it will ruin your night)

1-1 1/2 cups Puerto Rican White Rum. I used Cruzan Light Rum as a substitute because I didn’t live next door to the liquor store when I first made this. Start with a conservative amount because it can be overwhelming.

14 oz Coconut Milk

Generous sprinkle of Nutmeg

3/4 tsp Cinnamon

Mix everything together in a blender. Store in the coldest part of your refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Garnish with another sprinkle of Cinnamon.

Your Welcome.

Too Much For My Brain

2010-10-26T23:49:00.001-07:00

Tonight, in the 4.2 miles from Finn’s Day Care to home, Finn asked me about the following:

1. How did the Earth get made? (I went Big Bang on him)

2. How are babies made in your tummy? (I gave him a pretty G rated answer)

3. Can you tell me about ALL the machines you have at work? (I didn’t tell him about ALL of them)

4. What kind of machine makes noodles? (Finally, an easy one)

This was all way too much for my brain to handle after a long 12.5 hour shift.

I really wish I hadn’t thrown away that Vodka Punch from last night, or the brain cupcakes. I needed to put a little brain in my belly.

Does that make any sense?

I didn’t think so. Case in point.

Endless Pit

2010-10-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

For breakfast I had a piece of toast and coffee. Niamh had a bowl of cereal and a Go-Gurt. Steve still hasn’t eaten because he’s weird. Finn had a bowl of cereal, 2 Go-Gurts, toast, string cheese, an apple, a glass of milk, and washed it all down with a glass of water.

In about an hour he’ll ask for a snack.

Should I or Shouldn’t I?

2010-10-04T10:40:00.001-07:00

I probably shouldn’t, but I will. I’m going to share a short convo Niamh had with Steve yesterday.

Steve said they were watching television and a commercial came on for Viagara. Niamh asked him Daddy do you need that?

You can imagine Steve’s proud answer because after all, Steve is Steve, he’s eternally 14 years old…. as in Steve would giggle if I said something like Finn is in the yard playing with his balls….meaning a bunch of bouncy balls, not, well, you get it.

Anyhow, Steve said no, he didn’t need it. Niamh then said, Oh, because you’re a healthy male?

Another touching Father-Daughter moment at The Westover house.

I Beg Your Pardon

2010-10-03T23:20:00.001-07:00

It seems I made an assumption. I thought this was The Tooth Fairy. She doesn’t have wings. I should have known.

This is a photo of Niamh. I didn’t recognize her with her hair dyed brown. I do recognize the rainbow skirt. But the pumps? I have never let her wear heels. And, what in the world is on her head?

I asked her what the bubbles coming off of Mrs. Fairy meant and she was all like I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mommy. That’s a picture of me.

The self-portrait is Niamh thinking of ideas she wants to write about for the Writers’ Workshop at school.

She wants to write stories about: 1. Mommy (I’m excited, and maybe a little worried about this expose (please put an accent over the last e. I can’t figure out how to do it on the keyboard)) 2. Her tooth 3. ABC Alligators (a song using the alphabet in sign language) 4. Her Teacher (always a suck up)

So, People, there you have it. I made a mistake. So, sue me.

Coming Of Age

2010-10-01T23:10:00.001-07:00

Niamh lost her very first tooth.

It was wiggly for quite a long time. For about a year she has been forcing it to move back and forth.

I think she has wanted it out for a few reasons. 1) It means she is growing up. Niamh has been asking me if she can drive since she was about 18 months old. Losing a tooth is confirmation that she is actually getting older, and closer to driving age. 2) Jaya has already lost a couple of teeth. As Jaya’s Best Friend Forever, Niamh needed to have the same experience so that they can compare notes. 3) Niamh is a big fan of Fairies and the Tooth Fairy is, like, Queen of them all. 4) Niamh likes to put things under her pillow. Exhibits A and B.

The tooth finally came out as she was getting ready for bed. She was pulling her jammies over her head and the neck got caught on the tooth and snapped it out. She just looked at me, stuck her tongue out, and there it was, sitting on the end of her tongue.

Raise your hand if you just hunched over in the “I’m going to barf position.” Wiggly teeth make me queasy too.

She was obviously thinking a lot about this tooth and the Tooth Fairy at school as well. When Steve and I went to curriculum night, we found these in her folder. Please note the silly bandz the Tooth Fairy is wearing in the second picture. That Fairy is fly, Yo.

I don’t know what all those captions coming off of Mrs. Fairy mean, but I’ll ask her later and get back to y’all.

After the tooth came out, she paced her room saying things like Oh my god. Oh my god. I can’t believe it. Oh my god. Finn, just wait until YOU lose your first tooth. Oh my god. Just wait until she starts her menses, or kisses her first boy. There will be posts on those events, too.

So, she went to bed with her tooth under her pillow.

Finn went to bed with another note for the Tooth Fairy under his pillow giving permission to touch Pig.

The next morning, while I was at work, I called to hear how it all went. Did the Tooth Fairy pay her a visit?

Pay she did. Niamh got $5 from the gal! She also received the following note.

The next night was exciting too. Niamh discovered that the Tooth Fairy forgot her tooth on the bathroom sink! That was weird.

And so begin the awkward years.

This Little Problem I Have

2010-09-24T23:32:00.001-07:00

I keep buying jackets for Finn, forgetting that I’ve already bought jackets for Finn. I see something on sale, or in great consignment store condition, and I think “What a deal, Finn will fit in to that eventually.” Problem is, he never fits in to it now. So, we have 4 jackets that don’t fit, and one that looks like it is suddenly getting too small for him. Or, maybe it just looks small compared to the other ones that clearly won’t fit this winter.

Whenever I bring the new purchase home and open the closet to hang it up, I see all the other ones hanging there. Then I think, Oops, forgot about those ones. Well, I’ll just keep this one too. Eventually it will fit. Shut door. Lose memory. See deal on coat. Repeat.

I have the same problem with Niamh and shoes. She has 2 pairs that fit, and about 5 that don’t.

I’m sure Finn will fit these jackets perfectly next Summer, and grow out of them by next Winter.

P.S. I love this kid so much.