2 Birthdays on 1 Special Day

 
It's not often that two special people get to share such a special day. I love you both very much and wish you a birthday of full of family, friends, love and happiness (and lots of goodies from the princess pinata).

Japan Photo Challenge

(Pictures of Sean and Hunter Japan March 2007) 
 

We are headed to Japan in 1 week! Despite the fact that I am not prepared at all I'm starting to get very excited (except for the plane ride with 3 kids). We will be visiting friends on the hot humid island of Shikoku and living on an orange farm for two weeks. In addition to sightseeing and visiting the kids will be going to a small Japanese school for a whole week!

We've started a 50 picture photo challenge for ourselves. I'm soliciting ideas so please email if you have any. Our goal is to find and take a picture of each of the items below. We welcome both obscure and and given ideas. We will post the complete list before we leave and will most definitely post all of our pictures when we return. Here's some great ideas we've already received:

1.Totoro
2.Flower we've never seen before
3.A beach sunrise(I'm a West Coast girl)
4.Orange Tree
5.People on a religious pilgrimage wearing their famous white coats
6.Matsuyama tart
7.Japanese student desk
8.A Japanese Fisherman
9.Shoes by the door
10.Woman in Kimono
11.MIKA
12.Family we are staying with
13.Our beds
14.Plane ride
15.Children at school.
16."Fishsticks" (whole fish on a stick)
17.Kendama
18.3 Funny English phrases written on t-shirts
19.Vending machines with coffee in a can, Pocari Sweat, beer, and hard alcohol
20.Soaking in an ofuro or onsen
21.Sitting next to someone sleeping on the train
22.Mt. Fuji
23.A Japanese castle
24.Punk/alternative youth or teen
25.Students in school uniform
26.Girls in groovy knee high socks wearing platform shoes
27.Pachinko parlor
28.Many neon signs in the evening in the cities
29.Shinkansen
30.Traditional Japanese food
31.Red ramen tent stands
32.Children in kimono
33.Couple getting married in their traditional kimono
34.Rice fields
35.Koi
36.Family eating at dinner
37.Table all set up for dinner
38.McDonald's and Starbucks signs
39.Monks in their tangerine colored robes.
40.Hello Kitty
41.Tofu shop
42.Picture of all 3 kids sleeping on the plane.
42.Mario
43.Luigi
44.Japanese doll
45.Japanese Buddha statue
46.Shinto shrine
47.Pagoda
48.Torii gate
49.Japanese garden
50.Shop with unusual sign
51.ukiyo-e print
52.Japanese tea house
53.Someone reading manga
54.Display of manga
55.Japanese flag
56.Maneki Neko or Beckoning Cat
57.Ikebana
58.Infamous square watermelons
59.Karaoke!!
60.Snack aisle
61.High-Tech Toilet
62.Dog/Dragon on rooftop to guard against evil.

HAPPY SUMMER!

Raspberries turning red... dinners in the backyard... sprinkler in use... sunscreen applied... it is most definitely summer!

p.s. I made some cds and covers of the Summer 2007 Mix. If you'd like one let me know.

Summer Sunshine

The first road trip of the summer started off with Bleu Star and Cajun "City Slicker" hamburgers at the Old West themed restaurant Calamity Jane's. Hamburgers and kid hot dogs were complemented with their famous delicious milkshakes that are blended in an old-fashioned metal shaker and served in tall milkshake glasses. Colleen and I shared an Apple Caramel milkshake with real apple pieces and the kid's bubblegum "bright blue" milkshake sitting on their end of the table stood out in the back in time joint. Just a little bit further up the road is Mountain Air Miniature Golf. We always pass it on our way home from the mountain but have never stopped before. It fit the Calamity Jane themed lunch very well. Gray loved the rusting wagon wheel obstacle on the course. Mountain Air is also some type of landscaping company so the mature greenery was visually pleasing along the course and provided much needed shade from the hot sun. Gray lasted 3 holes, Bryn lasted 10, Sarah and Colleen lasted 14, and Hunter could have played all day. A little panning for gold completed the afternoon before hopping back in the car for the ride home.

I love the first road road trip of the summer! It gets me in the mood for an updated Summer Mixed CD. So, here's my eclectic somewhat chick focused summer mix for 2007:

Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
The second time I've put this song on a summer list because I just can't stop myself.

Ooh La - The Kooks
Favorite song for the Summer of 2007.

Clumsy - Fergie
The song that makes me want to play coy with my husband.

Love Song - Sara Bareilles
She's a newbie for me and I was instantly drawn to her sultry voice.

Lazy Day Afternoon - Plain White T's
Will definitely snap you out of any Lazy Day Afternoon!

Sell Me Candy - Rihanna
Song #2 that makes me want to play coy with husband.

Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
Great song for a little reflective time during the road trip.

Drive My Car - The Beatles (does it need a link?)
What summer road trip would be complete without this song?

Do you Realize?? - The Flaming Lips
The depressing modern love song.

Silent House - Dixie Chicks
Freebie comfort song.

Puppet On a String - Detroit Cobras
A little surfer.. a little rock... a little 60s house wife gone rock'n'roll. Can't explain it. That's the way it makes me feel.

Leave My Kitten Alone - Detroit Cobras
Another Detroit Cobras freebie.

The Beauty in Ugly - Jason Mraz
In my opinion one of the best musicians around right now. Doesn't hurt that he's smokin' hot. Perfect song for Ugly Betty.

p.s. I recommend checking out "The Con" by Tegan and Sara when it's released on July 24th.

Leave My Teeth Alone

I know that almost all of us go to the dentist. It's suppose to be a normal mundane task that we must complete to in order to keep our pearly whites healthy. Well I just need to vent and say how much I really hate going to the dentist. To put it into perspective I once grabbed the arm of a dentist with a 10inch needle in his hand. I hate their silly sunglasses, all the minty stuff they put in my mouth, how hard they floss my teeth, the high pitch trilling sounds of the cleaning and drilling equipment, their criticism of my teeth, and how my dental insurance will only pay for the same dental cleaning and treatments that I've had for over 25 years. It's still the exact same experience I had when I was a kid. With the numerous technological advancements in my lifetime why in hell doesn't every one in American just have their teeth zapped with lasers and call it good. I applaud companies like Biolase and NASA (what?) who are helping us dentally challenge folks.

Oh yeah...I want a flat screen TV, headphones and maybe a video game or two when I go as well.


On the flip side I have a husband who has never had a cavity a day in his life and three kids who sit still as rocks in the dentist chair and look forward to visiting with the hygienist and dentist. I don't want to taint their young minds with my thoughts of the enemy so I always smile and pretend we're all having so much fun.

My now twice daily routine:
Tom's of Maine Toothpaste
Spit and Rinse
Floss
Rinse
ControlRx Vanilla Mint Flavor (icky!)
Spit no Rinse
Act Fluoride
Swish, Spit and Rinse
(That's longer than I spend on my hair.)

"The Littlest One"

Sarah and Mark

Eagle Scout Award Ceremony 2007

Wrestling Champ

Senior Prom 2007

I was 13 almost 14 when my littlest brother Mark was born. He was the 4th boy in a row! While I was too young to really understand the impact of brother after brother with the first two I most definitely realized my potential sisterless existence with the final two. I kneeled at the side of my bed every night for six months, after my mother announced she was 3-months pregnant with her fifth child, and prayed with all my might for a little sister.

Even though little Mark was not a sister I had so much fun playing little mommy and he was so adorable that I don't really remember being disappointed that he wasn't a sweet little girl. So here we are 18 years later and I can't believe that little Marky, the youngest of the Cinquini clan, just graduated from High School. The little boy who would pinch ladies bottoms at church, home and in the grocery store is an Eagle Scout, a State Wrestler, a college student, a boyfriend and a full fledged money earning workforce employee. I love you Marky, Marco, Mario....

p.s. You'll be happy to know that I was blessed with two sisters when I married Sean 10 years after Mark was born. And, Sean who grew up without any brothers was blessed with four.

Sarah and Gray

 
Today is the last day of the school year for Hunter and Bryn. While I'm very excited for our summer of fun to begin I'm already missing my special morning one-on-one time with Gray.

Summer of Fun:
*Create our own Pokemon cards
*Pick Strawberries and Raspberries
*Experiment with Diet Coke and Mentos
*Canoe down the Russian River
*Take apart a machine (mostly Hunter)
*Learn to draw perfect animals
*Be a tourist in Salem
*Hang out with friends in Japan
*Make Robots
*Check out the Ace Hotel Photo booth
*Family Reunion at Sunriver
*Roast marshmallows in the backyard fire pit
*Play on the beach with friends
*Karaoke and Luau Party
*Rose City Runaround
*Swimming Lessons
*Birthday Parties(Hunter, Bryn, and Gray)
*Relax.Relax.Relax

Point, Shoot, "Let me see!"

I'm sure throughout the past 200 years each generation of parents have marvelled at how lucky their kids are to live in such a time of great technological advancement (although they probably didn't phrase it that way in the 1800s). What 3 year-old nowadays doesn't expect to see the picture immediately after it is taken? My Sony Cybershot options were changed somehow and Gray became upset when the picture didn't immediately appear after it was taken. We fixed it and he was off with the camera. Very serious about his picture taking. Below are all Gray's pictures and have not been cropped or altered.
 


 
 
 

2950 that's me!

 
When Meegan called and asked if I'd like to join Portland Fit with her and train for the Portland Marathon I barely let her finish before saying yes. Training and running in a marathon has always been something I've wanted to do. I just never got up off the couch to do it. In the past ten weeks I've gone from a 1 mile running capability to finishing my first 1/2 marathon, met Geri a great addition to our running team, and discovered that hills are way more fun then long stretches of never ending blacktop. Most importantly I've enjoyed the company of Meegan and all our Paris Hilton bashing, our Saturday morning after run breakfasts and garage sales, and her continuous positive encouragement on those long long long runs.

Top 9 reasons to get a haircut

Here's a letter from my mother to my little brother Mark that I found taped to their fridge today.

Mark,
Tomorrow I need to take your picture for graduation announcements. I would like to present only facts to why you should get your hair trimmed. These are facts only and then you must make an informed decision.
1. Cooler for summer.
2. Less frizzy and less tangles.
3. To be an example to Howard Stern and Ozzie Osmond.
4. Dog will not attack you, thinking you are a rat.
5. Will not get caught in heavy machinery and possibly kill you.
6. So you won't get mistaken for a girl.
7. Save you from getting your hair caught in the car door.
8. Clean looking and smell better.
9. Better driving visibility.

OK, now you can make a really informed choice.
Love ya, Mom

I can never really tell when he gets a trim because of all that thick frizzy Cinquini hair so I hope the letter worked for mom. I know from listening to their conversations when we visit that hair trims are not the only Mark hair issues they have. My parents are constantly asking him to shave and they even have a rule that he has to shave twice a week and definitely before church. I'm assuming from Mark's graduation picture above with his girlfriend Molly that graduation day wasn't one of the required shaving days. I love my mother's creative and desperate letter and will so keep for future reference.

Flower Power

 
 
Somebody stop me! Wise Craft posted the tutorial for these fabric flowers over a year ago and I just found a wonderful use for them in Bryn's room and I can not stop. I'm having so much fun. It's so satisfying to accomplish something so adorable in such a short amount of time.

Indestructible Gray

With three children you'd think I would have experienced this before but the two older children never found it necessary to unbuckle their seat belts while the car was moving. Yesterday in my desperation to scare Grayson into never unbuckling his seat belt again I told him, "If we were to get into a car accident you could get really hurt and maybe even die." Grayson's reply, "No I wouldn't mom. I'm indestructible!" UGH!

p.s. Picture was taken on Mt.Hood during a family hike.

Summer Flowers

 
 
 

Greystoke

Here is where we find Grayson most of the time these days. The trees are actually only a few years old and should most definitely not be climbed upon but Grayzan's pure enjoyment in the trees is so so so much fun to watch.
 
Wait.. did you hear that? My enhanced senses tell me someone is calling me....

I'm coming Zoe!!!!