www.micahandlindsey.com

If you recall, I had a “mystery woman” who stole all of my Iwako Erasers recently.  Well, by careful retraction of events and stealth private investigation, I discovered it was Calin - my stinkpot niece.  She would never admit to it, until about two weeks ago, she casually mentioned, “Lindsey, you are SO boring now that you have a kid.  You haven’t even done anything about our war.”  So it is her!  My simple response was, “I am just waiting untilo you least expect it.”  She said, “yeah right” and had no faith in what I am capable of. 

I had the plan long ago, but it wasn’t until today I got to put my plan into action!  So on Calin’s first day of seventh grade, with her new Marc Jacobs bag on her shoulder….people are going to start whispering.  They are going to wonder if she forgot to shower or something….but then they are going to think something even worse may have happened, like she was REALLY nervous for her first day!  She might even wonder herself, what is going on.  But when she goes to grab her first pencil of the day….she is going to see that she shouldn’t mess with me….and that War Stinks!  Thanks for providing the diaper Scout!

For Lindsey’s 31st birthday dinner, she went, as she likes to say, “out of the box”–the cereal box that is.

First, we started with dessert.  Pat made a delicious pineapple upside-down cake–Lindsey’s second in as many days–and we devoured it instantly. 

Once the cake was sufficiently settled in our stomachs, we moved to the main course which was both a meal and an event.  But not a bit healthier than the cake. 

To end all childhood debates, we created the first-ever Sugar Cereal Bowl.  The competition that would determine once-and-for-all which Sugar Cereal is the greatest. 

 The six judges were selected from thousands of candidates; each possessed a sensitive palate and an iron stomach–or so they claimed.  Each judge had two bowls, one spoon, and a selection of milks that included 2%, skim, and vanilla soy.  In each pairing, judges could eat as much of each cereal as needed to determine their favorite of the two.  Excess milk and cereal would be deposited into the Junk Bowl between rounds.   

16 cereals were separated into two regions and four divisions, the pairing selections for the 1st round were selected randomly as follows:

Wheaties Region
Tony the Tiger Division
Honeycomb
Apple Jacks
Sugar Free Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Cocoa Puffs

Count Chocula Division
Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch
Froot Loops
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Chocolate Lucky Charms

Special K Region
Snap, Crackle, & Pop Division
Trix
Reese’s Puffs
Cap’n Crunch
Fruity Pebbles

Honey Bee Division
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Lucky Charms
Cookie Crisp
Cap’n Crunch Berries

Divisional Semi-Finals
The competition got started in the Tony the Tiger division, as Apple Jacks beat Honeycomb by a unanimous 6-0 vote, and Cocoa Puffs narrowly defeated Reduced Sugar Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a 3-3 tie breaker (Lindsey’s pick won). 

In the other half of the Wheaties region, Froot Loops beat Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch by a 4-2 margin, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch easily defeated Chocolate Lucky Charms 4-1 in the Count Chocula division.

The toughest division appeared to be Snap, Crackle, & Pop with four strong contenders–including both of Lindsey’s pre-competition favorites, Reese’s Puffs and Fruity Pebbles.  Reese’s Puffs defeated Trix 4-2, and in the upset of the competition, Cap’n Crunch defeated Fruity Pebbles 3-2.

Apple Cinnamon Cheerios somehow snuck into the Honey Bee division (named after its sister cereal’s mascot), but there would be no nepotism here.  In back-to-back landslides, Lucky Charms defeated Apple Cinnamon Cheerios 6-0 and Cap’n Crunch Berries defeated Cookie Crisp 5-0. 

Divisional Finals
By the time we reached the divisional finals three of the six judges had relinquished their positions.  Calin, Trilby, and Tristen had all dropped out due to stomach ailments, taste bud numbness, or any of another dozen excuses that none could back up with scientific evidence.  Only Micah, Lindsey, and Skylar remained to determine the Sugar Cereal Champion.

In the Tony the Tiger division, Apple Jacks destroyed Cocoa Puffs 3-0 to earn its place in the Wheaties regional finals.

In the Count Chocula division, Froot Loops smeared Cinnamon Toast Crunch 3-0 and earned a trip to the Wheaties regional finals.

In the Snap, Crackle, & Pop division, which was suddenly wide open, Reese’s Puffs narrowly defeated Cap’n Crunch 2-1 and saw its way to the Special K regional finals where it would meet Cap’n Crunch Berries who had waltzed into the regional finals with a 3-0 victory over Lucky Charms.

Regional Finals
The regional finals were both heated battles, worthy of all the pre-taste hype surrounding the event.  Froot Loops was the first to reach the Sugar Cereal Championship by defeating Apple Jacks 2-1 in a fierce battle that was not without its share of controversy.  Rumors of judge tampering ran rampant after Skylar appeared to change her vote to match Lindsey’s; slow-motion replay could neither confirm nor deny the accusations so the results stood as reported.  However the voting process would be changed to a blind vote for the remainder of the competition.

The Special K regional final was an epic slugfest.  Cap’n Crunch Berries defeated Reese’s Puffs 2-1 setting the stage for the long-awaited Sugar Cereal Championship.

Championship
The Championship was a battle of cereal heavyweights.  Froot Loops, the lone survivor from the Wheaties region, squared off against the Special K region champ Cap’n Crunch Berries. 

Lindsey had voted for the winning cereal in each of the preceding 14 matches, so odds makers anxiously awaited her vote.  Tension mounted when she revealed that she had voted for Cap’n Crunch Berries, but in a late charge Froot Loops cornered the final two votes to claim the first-ever Sugar Cereal Championship. 

Talk about a perfect birthday!  You made it so fun, nice and relaxing…just the way I like it. XOXO

Exhausted after a long day’s work!

Skylar and I have a new obsession…Iwako Erasers!  They are these Japanese erasers that look exactly like whatever they are supposed to be and have interchangeable parts (like the fish comes apart and has the bone skeleton underneath).  Such as - fruits, vegetables, any food, scissors, cars, and they are coming out with a helicopter this month!  I know it is ridiculous, but Skylar and I have SO much fun collecting, trading and displaying them.  (Think Garbage Pail Kids, Pogs, and Beenie Babies).  We started out with about 20 and when we really need to splurge, we go out and buy one or two.  So far we have a ton of classic stories that have stemmed from our collections, but I will only recount a few:

1. We have official trades where we sit down and everything is timed out.  We get 10 minutes to look over all the Iwakos, ten minutes to trade and ten minutes to display them on our shelf.  During the look over, I always try and show Skylar the worst ones and talk about how cool they are.  For example, I was telling her how cool the (lame) Eggplant Iwako was because it was a deep purple - like none other either of us has.  Like clockwork, she took the eggplant on her second pick — freeing up the pink tulip for me!  After we trade, we do a little trash talking about how cool our picks are, and then we go to the shelf to set them up for everyone to see.  Mine looks really good, but Skylar has a hard time using different levels and props.  I keep telling her she just doesn’t have the eye for it, but as she gets older, she may develop that eye.  She just responds by flicking one of my Iwakos so it falls down, but I don’t really care because all I have to do is put it upright again.  She had finally had it when I called Gary Samuelian and asked if he would come over and help her.  I told him his visual merchandising background just might be able to help salvage her side of the shelf.  Gary thinks we are both crazy, but did offer his assistance.  Skylar just rolled her eyes, walked away, and next time I saw my collection my penguin’s nose was the whale’s water spout, and the top of my pineapple was a surfboard — she had changed all of the parts on my erasers so none of them went together.

2.  We display our collections on the same shelf of my closet.  Between our collections is a bottle of hand sanitizer, that must be used before we touch any of the collector’s items.  (The hard fast rule is that you can’t touch the other person’s collection without permission, but in bouts of teasing, we have both been know to break that rule.)  One day Calin walked in while we were both reorganizing our displays, and rolled her eyes…BUT tried to handle almost every one of them.  She acted like she didn’t care, but I knew she got the Iwako bug and really wanted a piece!  As she walked away, making fun of our obsession, I asked her if she wanted to start her own collection.  She quickly and eagerly responded, “Yes…but how will I buy them?”  I told her with her own money, and she disgustingly said, “forget it.”  As she walked away, I was trying to explain that if she didn’t spend her own money she wouldn’t have the same appreciation for her Iwakos that we did, and like any adult I was wise in my words.  She was long gone before I finished, but I think she got the gyst.  I entered my closet a couple of hours later and noticed everything was misplaced.  My heart skipped a beat when I thought my Iwakos had been terrorized, but both Skylar’s and my collections were safe.  But on the shelf next to our display was a printed sign that read, “CALIN’S COLLECTION! DO NOT TOUCH WITHOUT SANITIZER!”  And the shelf was full of different colored bouncy balls.  DUH — doesn’t she know that you can get those at ANY grocery store for 25 cents.  Ours are hard to find and are at least $1.75!

3.  Skylar and I both have a hard time remembering to put on our seatbelts in the car.  Trilby has tried everything from scolding to giving out bribes, but nothing has worked so far.  When we were in the car one day, and she was getting in trouble for not belting up, I said, “Skylar, I will make you a deal.  Anytime you catch me without my seatbelt you get to choose an Iwako from my collection.  But if I catch you, I get one of  yours!”  She was all over the deal and the games began!  She caught me the first time, and the second time.  I was so irritated, so I started trying to distract her when we started up the car.  I subsequently got her three times.  At this point I was one up on her.  Not to be outdone, as soon as she would get in the car she would get her belt on very quietly.  Then the second I turned the key she would get me.  I told her we had to wait until the end of the driveway, and she said, “yeah right”.  Then I told her that she had to wait until I at least backed out of the garage, but she won’t go for that either. So at the moment, she has gotten me 6 times, and I am still at 2.  What a rip off!  But I guess it taught us both a good lesson……be really sneaky when you are in the midst of a competition.

My mother thinks I am out of my mind, but Skylar thinks I am the coolest! Micah is slightly embarassed, and thinks I am funny because I love anything miniature!  If anyone out there has an Iwako collection themselves, please let me know and we can make an appointment for you to come over and join in on one of our trades! Also, if anyone asks what I want for my birthday at the end of this month…The new helicopter and jet sets would really be one up on Skylar!

PLEASE READ— IF ANYONE KNOWs OF SOMEONE LIVING IN JAPAN, I REALLY WANT TO BUY THE BOX OF 300, BUT THE WHOLE WEBSITE IS IN JAPANESE, AND I NEED SOMEONE OVER THERE TO BUY IT FOR ME.  THANKS FOR THE HELP!

I just went to admire my collection, and it is like there was an earthquake?!!!  Skylar, you are SO dead for knocking them all over!

Family Feud…HERE WE COME!  We were told that the postcard that said we will be on would come within two weeks, so I suppose that because we got it in 3 business days, it is a VERY good sign!  Like I said before, “going outside of the box” really got someone’s attention — Namely, the casting director!  I guess taking one for the team -AKA- looking like a fool, really did the trick!

I heard on the news that American Idol was coming to San Diego, so I immediately called my BFF Gary and said to plan on going down.  We called Tristen and she was game too.  I obviously brought Scout, so we also had Skylar “the Nanny” along.  So the five of us headed down at 3:30 in the morning to have a day full of excitement and exhaustion.  Gary has an amazing voice and sounds like Frankie Valley and Justin Timberlake put together.  We were already making plans for him to buy me a Range Rover when he won, just like Kelly Clarkson did for her best friend.  Tristen has kind of a nasaley and throaty voice that is a mix of the 90’s pop icon Erkel and a frog in heat. 

He sang Candy Girl and was amazing…..she sang T and A from the broadway musical “A Chorus Line”.  I couldn’t go down to where the judges were, but after Tristen sang, the entire group around her started applauding and laughing, and Gary said it was a riot.  Tristen said Gary was great, and both went on to the 2nd round - Tristen was there for the jokers I guess?!  (think William Hung)  It stopped after that, and after a long day, we were glad to be on the road.  I will say that the best part of the day was when we got there on Monday morning and were within the first 20 people to go into the stadium, when people had been there since Friday waiting.  We might not be the best singers in the world…but we are definitely the best finaglers!

(This picture is when we sat in the handicapped section and Tristen slept while Gary Text messaged.  Because we sat here, Gary and Tristen were in the first group to go and see the judges for the first time.  Keep in mind, we called a friend who also was trying out, and at 8:00pm he still hadn’t seen the judges for the first round!)

It has been exactly one week that I have been home, and I am finally recovered to write some of our memories down.  We had a great time, but it was not your typical vacation where you are relaxed at all times.  This is the type of vacation where afterwards….I need another vacation.  It was my mom with all of the girls (Trilby, Megan, Ashley, Tristen and me), and nine kids.  We stopped in St. George for Broadway is the Desert, and then headed to Provo for the remainder of the trip.  We have all of our favorite stops, such as:

Los Hermanos

  After eating, I set up wheelbarrow, three-legged and skipping races for the kids.  Jake was the ultimate winner, although we had to tell Trey that he was to avoid a serious meltdown!

Then everyone went to Seven Peaks.  This was my first year not going, but sitting in 110 degree heat with a 2 month old sounded miserable!

We headed to a great park up the canyon.  There is a great knee high stream, a big grass area and a rope swing I wanted to put Scout on (in the hammock attachment, but I got vetoed even though it was completely safe!) 

Our next stop was ice blocking.  I don’t know how we have so much fun zooming down the hill on blocks of ice, but it never fails to be a good time.  The ultimate this time was when my mom got on a block and challanged me and Trilby to a race!  Trilby smoked us all, but my mom had a pretty good showing!

We also went to the Paul Mitchell hair school to all get treatments.  Most of us got deep conditioning treatments and scalp massages.  However, Trey REALLY wanted orange hair like his older brothers.  Megan was completely against dying his hair, but Tristen and I kept telling her she wasn’t a fun mom, and she finally relented.  Jake also got to dye his hair dark brown!  What a cool mom - and it looked totally cute on both of them.  Afterwards, Trey was literally hopping and skipping around he thought his hair was so cool.  He was taken back when his mom told it would be normal by school.  He disagreed and happily said it would ALWAYS be orange.  When Megan explained how when hair grew, the color grew with it, he was totally bummed out!  How classic!

We also visited my Grandma Bean.

We saw Ashley’s new house.

There were many other things we did, but one of my favorites was when I challanged all of the kids to a jumbo jaw breaker lick-a-thon.  I bought them all a super sized “breaker”, and told them that the first one finished won a really cool prize.  They were under the false impression that it would take an hour or so.  But since I used to do this when I was a kid, I knew it would be days.  I cautioned them about the rough/bumpy stage of the breaker, but none of them listened and ALL got bloody tongues!  Some quit, and it was down to Cade, Jake and Skylar.  Jake was the closest to finishing at only half way, and Cade was right behind him.  Skylar just never conceded even though she was the total long shot.  I have to say that not one of them finished by the deadline of the end of the trip, and nobody got the prize. (Which was going to be $20.00)  Too bad, but I loved to see who was competetive, everyone’s strategy, and most of all the trash talk!  I may have taught them a little myself.  (I laugh, because all of my sisters keep saying that I better watch out because they are going to teach Scout all of the obnoxious things I taught their kids.  I just say, “You will have to beat me ot the punch!”)

And Finally….here are some pictures of the best traveling baby in the world!  He was down by 10:00 pm every night, and I would have to wake him up at 8:00 am to eat.  He was happy the whole time getting passed around to everyone.  He didn’t make a peep unless he was hungry or tired.  And he was perfect in the 5 hour car rides!  Three cheers to Scout!

THE END!

Yes, it’s a tradition.  Whenever the family gets together (mostly whenever the Brockbank kids are around) I get in my Speedo and spend the day tanning my thighs.  The kids think it’s the most disgusting thing on earth, and I’m all about the good laugh.  I’ve gotten some good mileage out of the new pink version. 

Lindsey has her tradition too.  Not to be outdone, she finds the ugliest bathing suit she can find, steals one of the kid’s goggles, and refuses to put on sunblock.  It’s all in good fun. 

I suppose she is the ultimate winner–she beat me in Bocce ball.

Every so often I get the total itch to do something fun.  So this time around, I planned a 50’s drive-in party!  We had a handful of couples over for BBQ’d burgers, milkshakes, hula hooping, music and a drive-in movie.  I kind of put it together at the last minute, but it turned out to be a blast. 

We had all of the cars back up to the movie screen, and Scummy Tacky and my sister Tristen were roller-skating waitresses.  But in the end, Tristen’s stint on skates was short lived because she took two major falls within the first minute.  It was hilarious. - especially the part where she was on the ground, face down, begging B. Tacky to get her skates off because she broke her tailbone! Her limp throughout the night had everyone feeling bad, but I kept cracking up everytime I saw it, and told her she better invest in one of those donuts you sit on for a broker tailbone.  On the other hand, Scummy proved to be awesome at the whole 50’s thing.  She did great on the skates, dominated the hula hoop, and even won a $100 bet that will go unnamed.

The burgers were fabulous.  I must say Micah and I are a great team on the grill.  Britni made the shakes that were some of the best I have ever had.  We then all sat back in the trunks of our cars and watched American Graffiti. I didn’t die over the movie, so I just socialized while Micah and Scout hung out watching the flick!

When it was all over, Micah broke out the DDR, and we have some new people hooked.  Namely Andrew Lark who was very impressive, Doug Jolley who picked it up quickly (see the picture of Doug and Micah, and notice Micah squatting like a russian dancer - I think he was either taunting Doug or showing off!), and Mary Jolley who wants to follow in my footsteps and go into labor from DDR.

We had such a fun time, and can’t wait to do more things throughout the summer! And most importantly…PLEASE NOTE….my hair was in a beehive!  It looks more along the lines of “the bride of Frankenstein”,  but it is supposed to be the ever classic 50’s beehive!