www.micahandlindsey.com

Micah has just informed me for the second time that I always spell my most used adjective - ridiculous - wrong. (I spell it rEdiculoous).  Too bad, I pride myself on being a pretty good speller and grammar aficionado — Whoops! So rather than go through every blog and change the spelling, I am simply saying I know it is wrong, and vowing to correctly spell it from this point forward!  Thanx hunny fore helpeeng wyth mi speling!

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!

“26 years ago today was the happiest day of my life.  I thought I had died and gone to Heaven….”.  Blah, blah, blah…mom is too nice.  26 years ago today was the day that my life -as I had known it- got interupted.  Here came this whiney and bratty little sister who always had to have one of everything I had.  Every time I went shopping, you had to come too.  Every time I started singing, you had to join in.  Each time I tattled on you, you tattled back on me. 

Now that we are older I thought it would be better.  But now every time I start to sing, you join in and try to harmonize.  Now every time I go shopping, you go too and tell me you have better style than I do.  And every time I tattle on you, you beat me up (because you are the bigger sister!)

Happy 26th, I am glad you showed up, but I will admit that every day I count my blessings for the few years I had to myself! XOXO, and can we consider the cake plate, I got you when you bought your condo, your birthday present?  Love, Lindsey

Happy Birthday Belly.  I love you, but stop bossing my mom around.  Love, Scout

(p.s.  your real bday present is putting 26. you’re welcome)

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!

Scout’s latest thing follows in his dad’s footsteps exactly!  I lay him on his back and give him my thumbs to hold.  He grabs them, and without any help at all, he does a full sit up.  Once he is sitting completely up, I lift my thumbs higher and with the support, he stands all the way up on his own power — so basically my thumbs give him something to hold and support him, but I don’t help at all.  I think it is safe to say that Scout definitely takes after his dad in the whole “do things early” baby stuff. 

Lately Scout has a habit of ferociously sucking on his lower arm.  Initially I tried to feed him or give him a plug, but he usually isn’t interested in either, and goes right back to his arm.  So at any given time he has a little hickey on one or both arms.  I wonder if he is teething at 3 months, which I have heard is a bit early, but I am not sure of any other explanation!

Micah was on a three day business trip and got back last night (Thursday) at about 8:00pm.  When he got home, he found the Brockbank and Clifford kids set loose in the house, as we were all in Los Angeles at the Family Feud auditions.  Rather than quietly sneak past the kids to unpack and get ready for Friday’s workday, he starts planning a fun night with the kids.  After he got shot down from Megan to take all of the kids to the Simpsons Movie (due to a 6 and 7 year old at a PG-13), he had another idea up his sleave.  He walked with all of the kids down to Blockbuster to pick out a DVD.  After they all voted on “Earnest Goes To Jail”, they walked back and Micah set up the “Dive-In Movie Theater”!  They all got their suits on and went swimming while the movie was playing on the movie screen next to the pool.  The kids thought it was the coolest thing EVER.  I didn’t get home until about 10:30, and saw all of the kids hanging out in the pool.  I hung out for no more than ten minutes when I was ordered to go and make hot chocolate for everyone.  The movie finished up at around 11:30, and after we cleaned everything up we went to bed at 12:15 am.  And without any complaints, he was up bright and early for work this morning!  It is all about the good times…..and I love that my husband is always game for a fun idea!

Last night, Tristen and I checked off another box of “things to do before I die”.  She, Megan, Trilby, Brook and I headed up to Los Angeles to try out for Family Feud.  We both have game show experience (I won $13,800 on Card Sharks, and she made a fool of herself on The Rich List), but we always wanted to do a show together with some family. 

When we got there, the production assistants went down a list of thing they were looking for , such as always say “Good answer” even if it is rediculous and dumb (they explained that “good answer” is part of pop culture now because of “the feud”), give an answer instead of standing there dumbfounded, and have lots of energy.  They said without these three, you didn’t have a shot of getting on.

They asked for two guinea pig families to show everyone how it was done, so obviously I volunteered us.  They told us that the team captain needed to introduce the family quickly by only saying their name and the names of the family and how they are related.  Like “I am Sally, this is my sister Jenny, my brother Adam,” etc.  So Tristen, our team captain, went first.  She said, “Hi, I’m Tristen…the tenth child of twelve children…”.  The guy put his arms in an X, because she obviously didn’t hear a thing he said and I announced, “John, she didn’t listen to directions.”  He said nope, and Tristen was absolutely clueless as to where she went wrong.  The audience laughed, and John went through the instructions again.  Luckily she got it right the second time through!

We were one of the last two families to try out - probably due to the fact that we were the last family to get there - one minute before the 7:00 cut off.  Every family was pretty good with a ton of energy, so in an attempt to make sure we got on, I turned into the Feud Nazi.  Because we went up as the guinea pig, I already saw our energy level, and how we worked as a team.  I told Trilby she needed to step it up a notch on the energy, Brook he needed to be quicker on the draw, and Megan that she needed to be thinking of answers before it was her turn!  I tried to tell Tristen she needed to listen to directions, but she thinks she know everything, and if she doesn’t listen to them, she is charming.  Whatever!  I was also the person who researched the game on the internet and found out stats on what we should focus on to win.  On our drive up, I had questions and I was quizing everyone and critiqueing their answers.  Everyone was into it except Tristen who after every lame answer would say, “It’s not all about winning, Lindsey.  It is about making memories and having a good time”.  I responded with…”Tristen…I bet we would make cooler memories and have a better time if we walk away with a fatter wallet”.

I didn’t really care if I was labeled the Feud Nazi, because I was the only one of the bunch who had succesfully done the whole game show thing.  I also wanted everyone to be at my level of the game so we could get on, and ultimately win!

It was finally our turn.  We got up there and Tristen had to face off first.  There were seven answers on the board, and we had to “name a state that has two words.”  Tristen buzzed in first and said South Carolina.  We have figured it out and there are only ten answers possible, and Tristen unfortunately got one of them that was not on the board.  The other team said New York and got the obvious top answer.  They went through, while we huddled, and got all but two.  We had the opportunity to steal it, and New Jersey gave us the win!

The next face off featured me.  There were seven answers on the board, “name something associated with an eskimo.”  I rung in first…with the top answer “Igloos”!!!!  We got to play, and Megan was next.  She said “fur” and got on the board.  Then things turned south.  Brook said “Alaska”  which I thought was a pretty decent answer but was a no go.  Then Trilby was up and said of all thing, “Seals”???  I yelled her name in a disapproving way, but when I saw the casting director shoot me a glance, quickly followed it up with clapping and yelling “good answer”!  By this time we had two strikes, and we still had ,”make memories, not money Tristen”, before it got to me, and I had the absolute best answer!  When it was her turn the time was almost up but at the last second she belted out “fishing”.  It was on the board, and I was next — thank goodness I already had an answer.  John read me the question, and I didn’t even listen because I was whispering to Megan, who was next, that my answer was a definite winner, so she needed to start thinking of her next answer.  I said verbatim…”I am going outside the box on this one John, but I have a good answer…”.  Now keep in mind, after igloo, this was the next best answer in my mind, and I was sure middle america would be on the same page as me.  “Ice Cream Sandwiches!”  My whole family was trying not cry/scream/laugh, and through gritted teeth clapped and said “good answer”!  John responded by building a fake box with his fingers and telling me, “Lindsey, this is the box,” then he pointed far away and said,  “and Lindsey you are way over here”.  Well, I was literally dumbfounded that I got an X.  Tristen called me an idiot under her breath, and I still couldn’t believe it wasn’t up there. 

The other team tried to steal with Mukluks, but got an X, and we won the game!  We cheered our way off the stage and it wasn’t until I saw my mom and she digustingly said, “did you mean Eskimo Pies” that I realized where I went wrong.  Whoops!  And I am sad to report that Eskimo Pies wasn’t up there either.

When we got in the car, I told everyone that I was proud of their energy and answers.  They told me they were only that energetic for fear of the lecture I was going to give them on the ride home.  And as far as the answers they gave….I didn’t have a foot to stand on.  I told them at least I made the host laugh, and because of the impression I left, thanks to me…..we will probably get on. 

Hopefully we get the postcard that says we are on…..Time will tell!

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!)

Happy three-month Birthday to the nicest, cutest and best baby boy in the world!