Dave's Take

Griselda had her run today. One of our friend's from Residency came up to run it with her. Thankfully we had highest temperature of the year today, 102, to make sure that nobody was cold. They both still did really well and had a great time. It was a girls only event and seemed pretty well attended. The aid stations that I saw were all manned by dudes wearing grass skirts and coconut shells. I saw a guy walking along the trail shouting words of encouragement wearing a girl's running skirt and carrying a faluza horn. Here are some pics of the running chicks....

 

 

 

JJ's new present

So this happened when Kaelan decided it would be "fun" to throw a plastic squirt gun into a pool full of little kids. I am thankful and sad at the same time.....he got JJ.....so that means he missed everyone else. Poor JJ!!!

Funny Momements

Having all four boys take a shower together makes for some pretty interesting situations with alot of funny ones as well. Tonight - funny moment #1 Daddy: Stop playing with the toys Haefan. Haefan: Ok. 30 seconds later, Haefan is still playing with the toys, slips on shampoo and falls. Haefan is now crying. Kaelan then points out that his bandaid has fallen off. Haefan now starts bawling. While all this is happening, Jeydan manages to slip and fall as well. So now Haefan is bawling, Jeydan is crying, and I am putting shampoo into Kaelan's hair. Kaelan then looks up at me, in all seriousness, and says, "That's not good." Awesome!!! One of those couldn't have said it any better momements. Tonight - Funny momment #2 Haefan while bawling gets soap in his eye. As every little kid he refuses to put his open eyes in the shower water. Lathan decides to help. He gets a cup of water. Lathan: Haefan, look at the tree. Haefan confused as to why there would be a tree in the shower opens his eyes. Lathan quickly throws a cup of water in his face. Problem solved. Now why didn't I think of that...that's because if I did it that would be inhumane abusive behavior. If Lathan does it, its just Lathan being a big brother. Man I love my kids. Dave

Dave's Take

Great quote today at church. A friend in our ward who was baptized last year and had a very "rough" childhood said, "I struggle with life, but I don't struggle with this. The gospel is perfect.". I couldn't have said it any better myself.

The school year is over. Lathan turned nine years old this week. He is my mile stone baby. He was born during the last year of medical school. So he has been through 4th year rotations, residency, private practice, and three moves. He is a great kid. Does well at school. Has an interest in books and asks some deep spiritual questions that make you stop and think. He is also getting bigger. He is rapidly approaching the height of his mother. He loves to stand next to her and be almost her size. He is doing swim team and water polo at the high school this summer. He also has a Stanford water polo camp that he is going to go to soon and a science camp down in San Jose. He is super excited for all the fun summer activities. For his birthday he got a kindle and has been reading nonstop.

Kaelan is also super excited for summer. As our "old man" of the family he is excited to play but dreads the idea of chores. He loves to hug and snuggle. Still wants to sit on Mom and Dad's lap when he can. He did awesome at school this year. Got into a shouting and pushing match with a girl and a teacher. That was fun. Got caught lying by his new favorite teacher, Mrs. Bickmore. He made it through the year though. Griselda and I have noticed that sugar is like his "crack" or "PCP". He gets wired. He becomes more energetic to the point of making bad decisions which almost always involve a crying youger brother. So, he is going on a sugar free diet. So far he is doing ok. We will see how long we all last.......we love our sugar!!

Jeydan is also excited to have started his summer. He gets to go to Kindergarten with his best friend Laker next year. The kindergarten is at the same school as Lathan and Kaelan so he feels super special. He is excited to have been signed up for soccer at the end of the summer. Soccer is definitely his favorite sport. He loves to run, push, kick, and score goals. He is biding his time until then by doing swim team with Kaelan and Lathan.

Haefan is in the endless summer phase right now. He is enjoying the good life of never having to go to school. He continues to grow up. His vocabulary is crazy old. He is still a little shrimp but seems to be getting a little bigger maybe. His size though definitely helps his coordination. That kid jumps of the 4th step, flies from bean bag to bean bag, and hits the trampoline with his older brothers. His arial awareness he definitely gets from his mom.

Griselda has her big run coming up next Saturday. She is running the inagural "She Rocks the Trails" run here in Auburn, California. She is doing the 25km race which ends up being around 15 miles. She is nervous and excited at the same time. She has been doing her training for the last few months and is really becoming quite a runner. She's got some fly new shoes that make her look like a "super star".......Speedy Gonzalez might be back! Andale Andale Apurete Apurete!!!! Arriba!!! Arriba!!!!Yip!!!Yip!!!

The Sierra Skeehan's are doing just fine. Looking forward to another summer in California filled with friends and family.

So to end I thought that I would share our funny story of the week.

Setting: Griselda is washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Kaelan is messing around with us upstairs. I am in the bedroom getting clothes put away. Action!!

Griselda: Oh, I still have to go to the bathroom, take a shower, and get ready.

Dave: Me too. Maybe we should do it together?

Silence.....

Kaelan: Daddy!!!! That is SSOOOOO inappropriate! (Griselda and I both start snickering)

Kaelan: Boys aren't supposed to take showers with girls. You aren't supposed to see girl's peepees.

Silence....(Griselda and I both start laughing unconrollably)

Kaelan: Daddy, have you seen Mama's peepee? (All laughing stops)

Dave: I think that is something you should go ask your mom about.

That was a crazy funny momement that I will NEVER forget.

Dave

 

Dave's Take

So, a busy week for everyone.

To celebrate our anniversary we went Las Vegas with another couple, our friends Beau and Monet. So, being non-drinking Mormons, not that I should have to clarify the non-drinking part, saying Mormon should be enough, but in Vegas who knows, we focused on the activities and food. We had to see the water show at the Bellagio. We rode the roller coaster at New York New York. We walked the strip. We drove by Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. We toured the Hoover Dam. We drove by the old Vegas strip. And we ate. We ate again. And we ate some more. Then after all was said and done, we laid by the wave pool at Mandalay Bay and floated on the endless river, which was actually only 300-400 feet long. We tried our best to avoid the half naked people or peep shows but unfortunately got a freebie at the beach as a future or past porn star mounted her "man" for a couple of hours. So either they were very comfortable with their sexuality or she had so many procedures done she couldn't tell where her stuff was and who was touching it. Only in Vegas.

We went to Barefoot Don's Running Store, owned and operated by a Mormon family, and got some new shoes for both Griselda and I. I had wanted to try on a pair of the Altra Lone Peak shoes from the Altra shoe company in Utah. Unfortunately their distribution to Cali is limited. So while in Vegas we went shopping and found a retailer just 1-2 miles from our hotel. With all the anticipation of finding the perfect shoe with a wide open toe box and good cushioning without any heel rise, I was really disappointed when they had a lateral mid foot rise/arch built in where my foot was flat. The shoes didn't work. The salesman had an alternative. The vibram five fingers. They just put out a new shoe with a rock plate made for trail running. I tried them on and I was sold. Here they are.

Felt funny at first with all my toes being separated. After a while though your feet forget and it feels great. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to try them on the trail. I will keep you posted. I am playing around with the idea of using them when I get to pace Griselda's friend Betsy for part of the Wasatch 100.

So while we were off remembering why we got married my parents were remembering why they didn't have more kids as 8 grand kids, a daughter, and a dog descended on their house like a flock of locust. They held them off with beach trips, zoo trips, amusement park trips, and lots of sugar. Anyway, all the grand kids were alive at the time of our return. Griselda then stuck around for a tide pool trip and a giant sequoia trip. The kids had a blast and passed out upon coming back to Auburn last night.

Griselda then got some girl time when Tricia Byrnes, from her snowboarding days, came into town for the weekend. They got to hang out last night, eat some good food, and catch up on old times. It's always fun to meet up with people you care about and those who care about you.

While Griselda was off "playing" with the kids, playing may not be the word that she would choose, I had to go to Washington DC for a committee meeting. After 10 hours of meetings I got to run around Alexandria, Virginia a little. Was fun to see some cool shops and historical places but the most exciting part for me was coming home to the family.

Thanks to my parents, heather, and my nieces and nephews for entertaining the boys while Griselda and I were gone. Looking forward to the start of summer and the chance to see some old friends.

 

Dave

Dave's Take

Kaelan's Dilema

So, Kaelan has always had asthma type symptoms whenever it hits allergy season or he developes a cold. We had him tested when we lived in Michigan and discovered that he had some sensitivities to certain foods such as wheat. Well, the allergy season has really hit him hard this year and so Griselda took him to get him further testing. It was only a blood draw which is really tough because Kaelan HATES needles. I am talking screaming at the top of his lungs, hitting, while attempting to run away. The exact opposite of a deer being caught in the headlights. Anyway, he had reactions to a ton of stuff. Now this wasn't the skin prick or scratch testing that is common, so the reactions are just numbers and can't be evaluated clinically. Griselda is about to go Nazi on his diet. He got a little sample this am when he had to eat corn Chex with almond milk. Griselda is hoping that this helps him not be so tired, improves His concentration, and just gives him more energy. That has yet to be seen.

Griselda is the Yin to my Yang. Obviously a western medicine trained doctor, although being a D.O. does make me lean a little towards alternative mind,body, and spirit stuff, while Griselda is a pure Latina eastern medicine, accupuncturing, herb taking, organic food junkie. Not to mention she is a democrat who actually likes Obama. That is a rant for another post. Makes for interesting household dynamics every four years or so. Anyway, she is going to be starting a yeast reduction and allergen elimination diet. Not only is Kaelan going to not be able to eat wheat, rice, oranges, bananas, and a ton of other things, all processed foods and sugar is gone. So, if all of us start dropping weight, are caught sneaking out to In and Out Burger late at night, or are crabbier than usual you know why. World, consider yourself warned.

Poor Kaelan.E

 

 

Dave

 

Dave's Take

Another week has gone by. 8 hours with a chain saw and then another 12 hauling away branches has left me in an interesting state. One, you really feel like a "man" when you watch a 50 foot tree fall and know that you did that. On the flip side, now the only thing stopping me from having a great back yard, is me, and lots of time and money. There is all this useable space that has to be filled. In our case with a 3 level tiered raised planter box garden complete with fencing. Currently we only have a two level garden with just two 4 x 8 foot garden boxes because that is all that we could fit. With all those trees down now the 3 row 3 tier garden is a definite possibility. That is going to take me a while to do. It took me almost two years with moving, starting a new job, and settling in California to get the little garden that we have put in. So in a few years we will have some great pics to share. As for right now all that would be there is some dead grass and a pile of wood that has to be split.

Lathan & Griselda's Conversation

Lathan: "Mom, how old do I have to be to use a chain saw?"

Griselda: "36, just like your Dad."

I guess growing up in the suburbs I never really had much use for a chain saw. Too bad Lathan, those suckers are fun.....

We also bought our first new car this week. We ended up buying a VW Golf TDI 4 door. Never would have thought that I would own a diesel VW. Especially not after my Dad and his VW rabbit back when I was a teenager. Thankfully my sister burned through that clutch in no time flat.

We also got a chase to catch a little of the solar eclipse today. We constructed a pin hole box/device from off the Internet to show us the eclipse while keeping our retinas healthy. Boys had a blast for 30 secs. Griselda and I lasted a little longer.

We are all starting to get pretty excited about this summer. We have a few anticipated trips coming up. Griselda and I are going to get away for a few days, sans kids, to Las Vegas with some friends. I know, what are a bunch of kid loving mormons going to do in Vegas? Who knows. Wait for the pictures.

We also have a Skeehan family reunion coming up in LA this summer. Nothing like a week on the beach to mellow a family out. The boys are excited to see their cousins, raise cain, play in the water, and see how much sand they can sneak into Nana and Pops rental house.

I have some professional committee meetings as well. Two meetings in Alexandria, VA / Washington D.C. and one in Phoenix, AZ. Ironic that my younger brother has lived in Phoenix for years and I have never visited him. Then finally when I have to go there on business, the guy up and moved to Denver a few weeks ago. Figures. As one of my trainers once said to a junior resident, not ever referring to me, "once again a day late and a dollar short." Sorry Dan. Maybe I will make it out to Denver someday.

We have a bunch of different activities this summer. We have swim team, water polo camps, runs, science camps, tennis, more running, canoeing, and hopefully some camping. Seems like as the kids get older the time we have to spend with them gets less and less. Makes you appreciate the time that you have with them. Sometimes I look at my professional life and think that I could be doing more but looking at my family, I think that I would rather be doing more with them instead.

We have a busy summer but would love to see everyone and anyone.

Dave

 

 

 

Dave's Take

So, figured I would focus on Griselda since its Mother's Day. She is an amazing woman. Mother of four busy, beautiful, and behaved little boys. Constantly busy beyond belief. Always involved in something from church, home schooling, teaching swim lessons, playing tennis, and on and on. The reason she is who she is, is due to her mother. Another truly amazing woman. It saddens both Griselda and I that our kids really have no remembrance or memories of their "abuelita.". Happy to think that one day we will all see her and others that we have lost again.

Griselda is getting ready for a 25km trail run in June. She has been running some longer distances with one of her friends. She is turning into quite a little runner. Really strange that she is out running nine miles while I am watching kids. Still feels weird to me. My fast twitch, explosive power,little fire cracker of a wife running distance. It is awesome.

Griselda is also busy with tennis. She is playing on a 3.5 team as a singles player. She is loving playing but really hates losing at all. Doesn't feel bad if she plays well and gets out played; however, she absolutely hates it when she makes too many mistakes and lets an equal or inferior player beat her.

She is also getting ready for a tough mudder race in September. She is getting some personal training help from a friend of hers at the Auburn Racket Club. That means she is definitely sore at least half of the weak after each session.

Life is good and busy. All are welcome to come and visit.....golden California.

Dave

 

 

Dave's Take

So the roles have reversed. Griselda is the one training for a run now. She is going to be running here in Auburn on June 16th for her first 25 km run. It is a women only event so all you ladies are welcome to come and join her. She is training for her Tough Mudder debut this September up at Northstar at Tahoe. So instead of me taking off to sneak in a run, the roles are reversed and I stay home with the kiddos.

Normally that makes the boys happy as "daddy time" seems to be a little more chaotic and a little less supervised than "mama time". Unfortunately it is spring time and I am finally working on our yard after three years. So it is digging, cutting, dragging, carrying, and a ton of whining and complaining. Builds character as they say. Really. Griselda and I realized that our boys can be tough but they don't know how to work. So, they are now helping garden, cutting down trees, and moving the rocks to the edge of the property. Hopefully all the hours of whining is worth it.

Otherwise the boys are doing great. They are anxiously awaiting the summer. Since moving to the golden state three years ago they are much more excited about going outside and being active. Thank goodness. Being around mountains, lakes, rivers, trails, etc...it is hard not to want to do things outdoors. Unless you worry about the mountain lions, snakes, ticks, etc...which occasionally sends Griselda into a frenzy.

 

Wish you all could be here with us. If you ever happen to be passing thru..

Dave

 

Dave's Take

So, it has been a long while since our last post. Obviously a lot has probably happened. Unfortunately I never have the patience to write down everything so here goes nothing.

First off, we are going to be getting a new car. We have it scheduled to be delivered on May 21st. We decided to go with the VW Golf 4 door TDI. Yep, it's a glorified diesel rabbit. Just like the one that my older sister buried in the ground when trying to learn to drive a stick. She ended up taking the whole rabbit concept a little too seriously. Watching her drive the poor car, it did truly appear to be hopping down the street as she tried to master both driving and using a stick and clutch at the same time. Currently driving two SUVs with the mpg being somewhere between 10-16. The idea of a car that gets 30-42 mpg is hard to imagine. We thought about a hybrid but couldn't swallow the look of a Prius and the Lexus version hatchback, although it drove wonderfully, wasn't something that we would consider giving to the kids when they get older. Plus, I am way too young to be driving a Lexus, whatever that means.

Griselda is playing USTA tennis again. She is currently 1-2 on the year. Playing really well. Has some sweet outfits. I have a few favorites. Glad she is playing just with the ladies though cuz she is smoking hot.

Lathan is enjoying school. He is swimming with the Bear River Swim Team. He has a lot of fun stuff planned this summer. He has a week long water polo camp at Stanford university in June. He has another camp at a science center in July. Then we have the Skeehan family beach vacation in August. He is really excited for his upcoming ninth birthday. It's tough watching all his brothers celebrate their birthdays while his is still months away.

Kaelan is also having fun at school. He does really well at Math. He also enjoys reading. He is really focused when doing something he likes and easily distracted if the task seems to mundane or boring. He is swimming as well and is gifted but has a hard time staying focused.

Jeydan loves his school even if he complains about going every morning. He is fascinated by whales and will constantly ask you what kind of whale eats this? Or what kind of whale eats that? Or what is your favorite whale? Currently his favorite is a humpback whale; however, he is fascinated that the sperm whale eats giant squid.

Haefan is growing....finally. He is till our midget. He loves to talk. Flirts with most people. Loves bossing fozzie bear, our dog, around. He split his head open on a church pew today and required some dermabond skin glue and some reassurance to his mama. He is now totally fine but still brings up the blood whenever he wants sympathy.

All the boys have had the chance of skiing this year. Living so close and with Griselda's past life snow sports are a winter staple in our household. We went up to Squaw Valley this winter and are up there this weekend as well. All the kids are becoming much better skiers inspite of the junky snow conditions this winter. We just bought our passes for next year and can't wait to try out all the boys on the snowboards. Hopefully some of Griselda's skill has rubbed off on them. Heaven help them, if they got my snow sport talent. I can ride but our 5 year old can ski circles around me if I am skiing.

This spring I have had a chance to do two great runs. In March I ran the Way Too Cool 50km race in Cool California. It is one of the most well known 50 km races. I felt great running this race and bettered my time by over an hour coming in at just under 5:30. I thought my training was adequate and began to taper for my first 50 mile race, the American River 50 Miler. It is the second largest 50 mile race in the USA and goes from Sacramento to our home in Auburn, California. Boy was that an experience i will never forget. The first 26 miles are on a paved bike path. The last 24 are on trails. I ended up getting a GI bug that manifested itself during the first 26 miles requiring a "break" every 30-40 mins. Let's just say that if you are exploring off the bike path along the American River Parkway, Watch Out!!!! Finally my stomach calmed down. I felt pretty solid from mile 26 - 40. At mile 41 I met up with my younger brother Pete. We were going to cruise the last 9 miles but ended up walking most of it due to a left quad issue. Swore I would never run distance again......a month later I am already looking for runs. What can I say. I enjoy the trails and can stand the pain. Call me what you will. Pete just calls me crazy.

Life here in California is great. Really nothing to complain about. Wish you were all here.




Dave



 

Bear River Swim Meet

Skeehan Weekend Update

So, we are officially a swimming family now. With two boys in, one chomping at the bit, and one trying to grow and get ready, pretty soon it will be a full car load of speedos, sunblock, and towels. Here is the latest swim meet that wasn't so much sun block as sleeping bags, blankets, coats, and warm showers.




On your mark, get set,......



Lathan's 50yd freestyle. He ended up winning his heat and taking second over all.



Our two boys starting side by side. Kaelan's still not quite comfortable with the block starts.



Kaelan's 50yd free. Pretty sweet considering this time last year he couldn't swim 12.5 yards.


Our little green eyed, smiley penguin...



Nothing quite like finishing the race with a bunch of friends. Kaelan is behind lathan, and the other two boys pictured are Lathan's friend Stowe and Kaelan's friend Kyle. They had a blast.



The boys can't believe it is finally over. Was pretty cool to see the boys race side by side.


Wrapping up the chilly day in November. Kaelan walked away with a seventh place in breast stroke 8y and under. Lathan won one first place and three second places for his events, also in 8y and under.

Lathan definitely takes after his dad, he starts at a good clip and really starts to pick up speed towards the end of his race.

Kaelan also takes after his dad and sometimes seems like he is in his own little world. In fact on one race, he almost missed starting because he wasn't listening for the starting gun. My little old man.....

Dave

Dave's Take

So, I thought that when we moved to the Sierra foothills that it would ruin lake camping for us. I mean, we live 500 yards from a lake, it has a sand beach, there is boating, fishing, swimming, etc... Why would it be fun to go and camp by a different lake? Boy, was I wrong.

We went camping this weekend with some friends up at Lake Valley Resevoir. It was a blast. They had rocks to climb, fires to build, rocks to throw, fish to catch (not that we actually saw any or caught any), and a lake to swim in. When asked what was the boys favorite part? They answered, "jumping off of rocks into the water and playing with the fire." It seems that living in the Sierra foothills has made camping in the foothills that much better. Instead of driving hours to find a camp site, we drive 45 mins. The highlight of the whole trip, making it down the stairs of our house with a cooler and not breaking any toes. That made the whole camping experience, that much better. Now if we had only brought our camera......

Dave

Dave's Take

So, with swim team finished, it almost seems like the end of the summer.....still a few weeks left though.

Haefan

Haefan is becoming a little fish. He loves putting his face under water and looking at his brothers and friends. He has also started to do push offs, big underwater jumps, and even kicks and big arms once in a while. Griselda has started potty training him and he has been out of daytime diapers for five days now. The kids is crazy-like independent and always wants to do everything himself.

JJ

Doing awesome with swim team. He just won most improved for the six and under group after dropping almost one minute off of his time at the league championship meet. He continues to be a sweetie who has a knack for punching, pinching, or kicking in all the unwanted spots. Trying to break him of that habit. Still no success yet.....



Look at that awesome two hand touch!

Kaelan

Also a great swimmer. He has really put a lot of effort into his swimming.......sometimes. He is either incredibly dedicated or messing around non-stop. No real in-between. He also is doing great with reading and looking forward to some beach and mountain camping in August.



eyeing the competition...

Lathan

Just won the coaches award for the eight and under group. He ended up taking second in the league for both of his individual events and breaking his best times ever at the same time. He also has been reading like mad to finish off his Harry Potter series this summer. He has to read the books before seeing the movies.



Lathans at the top of the screen and ends up out touching all the swimmers except the guy half a body length ahead. Great Job!!

Griselda

Having a lot of fun so far this summer. She has been busy volunteering for swim team, playing tennis, going rafting with Lathan, her brother Jason and his kids, and hanging out at the lake and pool. She got to try wake boarding this year thanks to some great friends and is now longing to get a boat for the boys to go out in. All the boys were smiling ear to ear while out on the boat, but none quite as much as JJ.

Dave

Loving California. Glad to be in the sun and somewhere where there is a lot to do outside. Trying to get ready for some longer runs this fall. Delayed training due to a broken left great toe. Crazy single person accident involving a cooler, two grocery bags, bare feet and stairs. Hard to explain what happened even though I was there. Hurt like crazy. Bled for a few hours. Hoping it's only going to slow me down for a week. We will see.



Definitely broken. Probably going to lose the nail. Sweet...


Pics coming soon.

Hello...for now...

Before you think that I might be restarting the blogfest, I thought I would let you down easy and confess that this will probably be the only thing you'll be getting out of me for a while. Summer is just too fun don't ya know?

The boys have been happily busy in the water everyday. We mix it up with lake swimming, pool swimming, swim team, and water gun wars. We have really been happy to take in the sun and soak in the lazy days of summer. "Lazy" is being used rather generously, though. Our schedule most days include swim lessons - both attending and teaching, hitting some tennis balls, swim team/swim meets, and fitting in a few tennis matches for mom in the middle somewhere.

The boys have really made the summer so much fun. I'm so proud of them. They really are best buddies. We occasionally have an opportunity for playdates, but I find that they see their friends around the lake quite a bit and that seems to work just great for everyone!

We really enjoyed our Fourth of July celebrations. Unfortunately for me, Dave was on call and I had the camera to document our fun times at the parade and beach at the lake for our Daddy, but alas, there was no memory card in the camera. I didn't realize that until 20+ pictures into the documentation. Ugh! Oh well. I was able to capture some cute moments at a different party a few days later.



Some of the more time-consuming activities we do is the local swim team. We have practices every evening and then meets every Saturday from the middle of June through all of July. This last meet we had (yesterday) the boys did SO well! Everyone improved their times tremendously. They really have all come a LONG way.

I really want to leave this story to Dave, but it's so funny, I may just have to settle for having it told twice. We took a friend with us this weekend to join us for some fun swim meet adventuring so that we could head off to a Truckee campsite straight from there and then fish and frolic until bedtime; and then return this morning in time to get cleaned up and ready for church. Well, long story short: we didn't make it. Here's the long middle:

We headed for the local pizza place, which by the way, was super yummy. We all stuffed our faces after just holding our hunger at the 7-hour meet. Then we proceeded to head the "back way" a.k.a. windy way through the mountain pass to get to Truckee. I felt a little off along the way, but that's not at all too uncommon. Haefan moaned at the very moment I felt weird, so I told Dave to mellow out on the banked turns in the big SUV. He resisted, insisting it had nothing to do with that. Okay. Well, whatever the case, I wanted to be more cautious about avoiding car-sickness. Finally about 20 later, Haefan puked, then puked again. Then again, each time a bit more projectile. Nasty and totally not contained. I had a towel in the front seat from the meet and so we threw it on him to catch what we could. Dave was impatiently raising his voice with dissatisfaction at my futile attempt to save some part of Haefan's person from being contaminated. In my defense, I don't have the reach that he does, so I'm guessing NOTHING would have satisfied him anyway. He just happened to be driving, decided it better not to stop, so I was the lone one attempting to do something about the fiasco. Finally I just threw up my hands in frustration, told him to pull over and told him to take over. He did. And did so like a champ. He took the messiest parts out of the car (child and towel) and then used wipes to clean out the car seat temporarily. We changed Haefan into his swimsuit and Dave walked down some steep boulders to wash all the grossness off of the soiled stuff. He definitely has some pioneer blood!

From there we continued on to the campsite, only to find that all the spaces were filled. Bummer! We were going to rough it at the Truckee house, but then reconsidered when we thought of how Haefan's puking could continue on through the night. I just didn't feel right doing that to Abuelo's house. On the way home, Timmy, our extra, puked from the car-sickening ride home. Ha! How's that? The funniest part of it all is that I brought 4 hats for the trip for the boys: 3 Lake of the Pines hats, and Lathan's special hat he bought himself with hard-earned tokens. The first time Haefan threw up, we threw the towel at him. The second time, we gave him a bucket - sorta - the hat. The third time? Hat number 2. Then when Timmy was about to join in the fun, he said, "throw me the hat!! Right now!!!" And both Dave and I thought, "huh?" We threw him the hat in just enough time. Good times! Gross times. We made it back home in one piece, and then gave all the boys (but Haefan) toast for a late-night snack. That's all I would do. I wasn't going to take any chances. Poor Timmy. We extended the invite to camp with us on the next trip because he definitely got a bummer of a deal. Either way, we had good family time and enjoyed the ride. :) Glass half-full, right?

I wish blogger would be nicer to me; but it's not looking good. I have so many videos to share and pictures, too! But it's not working YET AGAIN for me. I will start with this, then try the pics again at a different time. Sorry! I know, I know, the fun part is looking at the pictures. I just want to scream at blogger. AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! That's the reason for a long post. I'm just typing here, putting kids to bed, doing other odds and ends and STILL pics and videos have yet to successfully upload. Technology: a blessing and a curse.


Holy Hannah! I got one to go!!! This is a video off of the highway when we stopped the first time. Haefan is back in his stinky seat and in his swim suit, and Dave is wringing the towel from the river. Non-stop fun at our place!

Skeehan Snapshot

So, this summer is going awesome. Lets start oldest to youngest today.

Me (Dave)

I am finally starting to actually work on the yard. It's quite a daunting task when you live on a hillside and have over an acre of untouched landscaping with essentially zero working capital. Still, I have plans to finish off the terraces for the garden, level off a sitting area, make a trail with stairs down to the trampoline, and maybe put up some kind of awning. So just those four things will probably take a few years.



Griselda

Still a tennis playing fool. Won her last match, doubles, with some great shots. She likes to bounce around the court like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. The local club tennis pro says that she is opposite everyone that he has ever taught. She has no trouble running all over the court, her problem is that she gets there to soon and is so excited she ends up over doing it. He was SOOO right on with her........a ball of energy she is.



Lathan

He has headed back to pool. He is a monster with his free, back, and fly. He had his first official swim meet this weekend. He did great. He has finished his third Harry Potter book and quickly moved onto the fourth. He also finished up this years baseball season with a couple of big hits. Baseball became a lot more fun once he started hitting the ball.




Kaelan

Kaelan is excited to have started swim team this summer. He is a monster backstroker already, just like his older brother. He also is doing a great job with his butterfly, which is really surprising given the age. He has really started to get the swimming thing down. He is also going to try to start reading the Harry Potter books this summer also. He finished up his baseball season as well. He was playing right field and for the first time ever ran, yep that's right, he actually ran to get the ball. No sliding on the grass. No karate kicking in the outfield. He actually ran. So proud of him.




JJ

JJ is also on the local swim team. He is fast becoming the team favorite because the little guy just won't give up. He jumps / dives off the blocks. Streamlines like a pro. Everyone cheers for him. He loves it. Sometimes he seems to be going up and down instead of forward. He says that he gets a little frustrated because Kaelan always beats him. Such is the life of the younger brother, huh Pete and Dan???




JJ doesn't quite have the diving off the blocks thing down quite yet. He is defnitely getting closer though.

Haeafan

Haefan is, and probably always will be a handful. He loves to play, jump, swim, laugh, pout, flirt, and especially talk. Can't understand what he says all the time, but he loves to talk just the same. He and a friend go to every swim practice and take turns running into the baby pool, laughing, splashing, and eventually falling. He loves to wear goggles even though he doesn't like to get his face wet often. He can't wait to start swim team too. Sometimes he is a little too anxious and has to be corralled before he tries to join his older brothers in practice. Just like his bros he has to take a shower after swimming and be wrapped in a towel.



One day, these three kids will finish up all my failed gardening / landscaping projects for their mom. Until then, its caos in the Skeehan house, in a good, fun, busy way if that's possible.

Until next time.

Dave's Take

Here I go again. Trying to keep the habit up.

Haefan

Loves going to swim practice and swim meets. He doesn't actually swim but he loves wearing the swim cap just like his brothers and running around with goggles on his head all over the deck.

JJ

Doing some major crotch punching recently. Really gonna have to break him of that habit. He also started swimming and was able to make it 25 yards without stopping. There were a couple big arms thrown in between his kicking and side breathing. He has the cutest little belly while walking around in his speedo too.

Kaelan

Awesome swimmer. Swimming freaking butterfly as a six year old. The kid rocked the big arms and backstroke. So proud of him too.

Lathan

Is the backstroke monster. Cruised to first place before putting a dent in the side of the pool with his head. Also got baptized yesterday. When did he get so old?

Gris-freaking-elda

Rocked her solo in church. Made the most awesome cake. Business down the tubes but probably for the best. One mama can only juggle so many eggs before one drops and cracks. Learning more songs on the piano. Playing tennis like a champ. While handling church callings and her volunteer stuff.

Me

Working. Gonna try running again soon. Usually get one or two runs in a week. May try the local triathlon again this year. Griselda thinks I could get a better time and result this year than last. Might have to see for my self......

We're Back!!!!

Ok. Long time no blog. Today we have the whole family together to tell their story.

Boys

Favorite thing to do: have light saber wars with the family.
Favorite movie: Tron Legacy
Favorite song: Fireflies by Owl City
Favorite restaurant: Round table
Favorite video game: Batman and Robin Lego on the Wii

Haefan

Haefan has perfected the old west fast draw. He walks around the house whipping out his guns on anyone who gets in his way. He has heard about crocidile wrestling in Florida, and has introduced the sport of Fozzie Bear wrestling here in California. Talking each day more and more. He is constantly covered in bruises and scrapes due to his always having to keep up with his older brothers.

Jeydan ( a.k.a. JJ)

JJ has started his swim lessons again this year. He is training for his first shot at swim team. He looks really cute in his jammers and goggles. He loves to tease his younger brother Haefan. The pitter patter of little feet running and jumping with Haefan screaming right behind is constantly going on in our home, it seems. He is doing great with reading and often helps read any two to five letter words that we throw at him. He just learned how to ride a scooter, and loves to play ball with dad. He is continuing in his Jedi training having recently acquired Count Duko's light saber for his birthday.

Kaelan

Is fast becoming a great reader like his older brother. He is currently reading the Frog and Toad books that he got for his birthday. He also started swim lessons recently and is awesome at his dolphin kick and breast stroke. He too is going out for swim team this year. He is playing baseball with Lathan this year. He often gets bored while playing. So he can be seeing practicing his karate while playing pitcher, or trying various yoga poses out in the outfield. His coach isn't a fan, but who can argue with the downward dog or triple leg kicks.

Lathan

Reading anything and everything. He has finished the Percy Jackson series and is currently on book three of the Harry Potter series. He is anxiously awaiting his baptism which takes place in two weeks. He is also really excited for his birthday party. He is going to go horseback riding with some friends. He is doing great at swimming as well. Perfecting his butterfly and breast stroke the last couple of weeks at the stroke clinics. He is playing baseball with his best friend Weston and little bro Kaelan. He had a breakout game where he won the team ball and was named the MVP after going 3 for 3 on his at bats with two doubles, a single, and 5 rbi. He also made some really great plays on the field - holding one kid to only a single with a great throw to second base with what should have been likely a double or triple.

Griselda

Can you say amazing. Seriously. She is playing in two tennis leagues. Has started a business with a friend. Went to Women's Conference. Had a snowboard trip to Colorado with some medical school friends. All while trying to keep tabs on the four very active boys.

Dave

Just working. Sort of trying to get into better shape. Seems like the elusive 190's are always 2-3 pounds away. Guess exercising isn't enough. Gotta also restrict my caloric intake. Sat down one day and figured that I usually eat between 4000-5000 calories a day. Still can't figure out why dropping weight is so hard. Work is going great. California is still the best place to live.

We are all excited for summer to come. Lots of swimming, canoeing, fishing, running, biking, tennis playing, and a little bit of work in there too. I am sure that there is more to follow and pics should be on the way too. Unfortunately we lost our computer to a melted motherboard but have recently gone Mac and probably will never go back.

Dave, Griselda, and the boys.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Dear Friends,

I am so thankful to have had such wonderful people surround me throughout all my stages of life. I am most grateful for having been sealed to the MOST AWESOMEST husband of all time. Then adding in the best (and cutest!) kids ever?!?!? I really feel so blessed and so undeserving for so many of my blessings. I know I am not easy to live with. I am stuck in my ways and hard to reason with. I'm always right, you know. ;)

So to have met and known so many great people, most of whom are of the regular kind, living their lives quietly and humbly, and happy to be the best people they know how while leaving the limelight for others just astounds me in so many ways (yes, to those who are famous and on TV and getting showered with praise and $$$, I love you too, but a little less...ha ha). How could I have ever been so lucky??? I think it was Heavenly Father's way of countering some of the more difficult parts of life I've come to live with, which I must say are really very few; however, that brings me to my point of gratitude...

I am most grateful for the one who allowed me to become who am and I wish everyday that I still had that guidance and those arms to hug me: Mama, or Abuelita, as she had come to be known.

Dear Mama,

Thirty-five years ago today, gave birth to me. A little nugget of a person that had the spitfire soul of her daddy. You survived raising me and seeing my two big boys enter this world. Lathan still remembers you, and some days we all feel like your absence is just as fresh as it was 5 1/2 years ago. We miss you dearly.

I know that I am strong, and I know that that strength will carry me through the hard years of raising a family and beyond. You taught me well. Your lessons were received to the center of my core through your example. You loved me even though I was cruel. Those time I was ashamed to admit you were my mom because of your thick accent and/or broken English, you were patient and understanding. You served Mano and I without ever any sign of unwillingness. You made sure we were happy at all costs, I found out later, and never needed a thank you or recognition for your sacrifices. You were the MOST humble human being I've ever known. You were quiet and observant, but were quick to share a quiet, but firm opinion of my unattractive, or inappropriate behavior. Now being a mom, I see that you let a lot of things slide, but never at the cost of showing love, or support for whatever whim I may have had for pursuing different hobbies or passions (how realistic is it really to become a professional snowboarder when snow is a 4-hour commute away?).

I was a silly girl, and you loved me anyway. You loved David even more. I think back and wonder if it was because you knew what he was getting into and wanted him to feel your support. Good move. Very good move. He loves you and misses you almost as much as I do. Our boys love looking at pictures of you. It is hard on me to know that the two younger boys never had the benefit of your loving touch. How there are so many things I miss about you and so many more that I regret not knowing about you. You were my whole life for so long and yet I feel like there are things I know so little about you. I miss you. But more than that, I thank you. My greatest hope is that I can be the mother you were. Now if you were to ask me again what I want to be when I grow up, this time I will proudly say, "a dumb housewife." No tears about it all, I promise.

It seems to me that my mother was the most splendid woman I ever knew....I have met a lot of people knocking around the world since, but I have never met a more thoroughly refined woman than my mother. If I have amounted to anything, it will be due to her.-Charles Chaplin

Dave's Take

So, when Griselda and I were first married, anytime one of us managed to do something well we would say, "OK, I guess you are going to be the ______ person now." With that in mind, let me explain to you how I will never be the "teach the kids how to ski" person ever.

We have been going up to Tahoe each Monday to teach our kids how to ski. Griselda takes Lathan, Kaelan, and JJ in the morning and then I take them in the afternoon. During the morning time, Haefan and I go snow shoeing for a couple of miles. He likes to yell, go, go, go, go daddy. I feel like a sled dog sometimes but that is beside the point. So, on to our story. Last weekend was like any other except that JJ said he was too tired to ski in the afternoon so it was going to be me, Lathan and Kaelan. So we decided to go up to the mid mountain area just shy of the top of the mountain. Both boys have been told numerous times to stick together and this time was no different. That being said, once we were actually off the lift and on the run, Kaelan points his skis straight and Lathan cuts right towards the trees. No sweat. I just stay above them and make sure they can get up if they fall. How naive I was. Kaelan had no intention of stopping and is half way down the mountain before I know it. Lathan is stuck up in the trees now facing backwards down hill and scared stiff. I quickly ski over hoping to quickly remedy the situation and track down Kaelan. Unfortunately Lathan is freaking out about being backwards and won't listen to my instructions on how to turn around. I finally get him to try something, he spins around and we are golden. Five minutes wasted. One of two kids still alive and well. Another kid MIA. So I start to ski ahead thinking that Lathan will be right behind me. Nope. Now he is too nervous and is proceeding to cut back and forth across the run taking five minutes to go down what was a 10 second straight away just 10 minutes ago. Finally he starts to loosen up. He heads off to the side to see if he can jump on some of the little rollers. Then I see Kaelan, surrounded by adults, lying on the ground. I quickly ski over, tell them that I am his father, explain why I wasn't around, and tell them not to worry about calling ski patrol. Kaelan evidently twisted his leg. He won't stand up. Meanwhile Lathan has now disappeared and I have reverted back to one lost and one found kid. Great. Anyway, long story short Kaelan won't get up. Falls asleep face down in the snow. Becomes a snuggle bunny for one of the field mice that runs out of the ski patrol's blanket bag, until I yank him up off the snow scaring the patrol and Kaelan half to death. Crazy how quick adrenaline kicks in when there is a moused cuddling up to your kids cheek. I had him shoulder high before that mouse even new what happened. Anyway, Kaelan gets taken down the mountain on a sled. The ski patrol is skiing like a bat out of hell. I am trying not to become another ski patrol accident / problem while still searching for Lathan. Finally I find him. I quickly ski over leaving the ski patrol and sled flying down the slope like a run away train, hoping to catch up with the ski patrol later. Lathan is standing there with another member of the ski patrol. I once again quickly explain who I am, I am the negligent father who abandons his children...blah blah blah.... anyway, she releases him to me. I then discover that he doesn't have his skis. Evidently he had to go to the bathroom so he gave his skis to someone wearing a coat like mine who said that he would watch them for him. Great...... the ski patrol lady kindly tells me that she found him wandering over by the lift and sure enough we find his skis propped up against a sign. By now Kaelan could have been abducted, sold into slavery, who knows. Griselda is now calling me every 10 secs to ask for updates after a garbled telephone conversation that took place right before Kaelan was put on the sled. The conversation pretty much went like this:

Kaelan got hurt.

How?

I don't know I wasn't with him.

Why not?

I was with Lathan. Anyway, ski patrol is taking him down. He is fine. He says his leg hurt. Can you meet him? I have to run. I have to go find Lathan now......

WHAT?

love you bye...

So since I don't have time to stop and answer my phone, I sound like a cheesy wedding CD due to my choice of cool lovey ring tones for my hot wife, while carrying a pair of children skis, trying not to fall over while herding my other son in the right direction and simultaneously chastising him for leaving his skis with a stranger.

Anyway, no broken bones. Kaelan still is limping. And Griselda swears that the kids can never go skiing with me again.

Good times.

Wait a Second...

I'M ACTUALLY POSTING!!!!!

We have been a bit busy around here. I wish I could relay the amount of stuff that goes on here daily.

We are so excited to have so many wonderful activities and friends in our area that we find that we spend very little time at home.

Right after Christmas, we were so lucky to have our good friends from residency come and spend the New Years holiday with us. It was a wonderful sleep-over and we were able to get a good amount of playtime in for the kiddos, too.

Most recently, we have been going to the Sierra slopes in Lake Tahoe - specifically, Northstar at Tahoe - every weekend. Typically, we have been going to church, coming home for a Sunday dinner, then taking off in the evening for the cabin for a quick over-nighter and waking up to snow in the morning. Then after a fun day, we head home Monday evening for home. As for the kids: swim practice for Lathan, tennis lessons for Kaelan, and tennis for Mama at the Fitness club. JJ has been asking for some fun time, so we are working on getting him tennis time and he has been lucky enough to get some swimming, tennis, and play-dates in, too. Haefan is busy keeping up with Mama and he gets a lot of play time at the dance studio and has enjoyed every moment of it!

Lathan LOVES his swim activities. He really likes the idea of doing tennis with his best bud, but he understands that he can't have all the activities. He is in piano and doing very well. He is a natural with music and I am so proud of him. He works so hard to do well at everything he does. He is very hard on himself, so I have to be diligent about complimenting him and his efforts very often. He just completed his first swim meet with his swim team and although he swam really good times, he DQ'ed in 3 or (4 maybe?) of the 6 events. The two freestyle relays were DQ'ed because he missed the wall once doing his flip-turns. He DQ'ed in the butterfly portion of the 100-IM because when he dove in, his goggles came off and he used his hands to take them off and was ultimately DQ'ed for his illegal hand movements. On a side note, he swam the entire IM with the goggles in his hand! He was very impressive in the first freestyle swim because it was the first time he'd ever done a 200 in a meet! That's 8 long lengths (or laps) for a little body!!! Overall, he was such a stud. It's not easy doing an outdoor swim meet, doing 6 events in January!

Kaelan has been our Superman. He has come along, supported his brothers, been patient about homework, and has picked up tennis and skiing like he was born with it. He is so athletic, but his attention span length for things is fickle. He still is in love with both skiing and tennis, which tells me that we just haven't been focusing on the right stuff for him until now. He just thought he was such a super-stud last week that he broke all the ski rules we have as a family and went kamikaze down one of the runs and fell, twisting his leg a full 180-degrees into a stuck position (only strangers were around to help him) and hurting his shin so badly from the boot that he is now with crutches. He had the pleasure of going down on a sled, going to the first aid, getting x-rays, etc. Bottom line: he was with Dad and I will let him explain the chaos of what ensued on the "last run." We planned on taking the next few weeks off, anyway, so he got lucky that he's not missing much right now. He did miss school this whole week past because he couldn't walk at all, so he's been on independent study. It's been an interesting week :)

JJ has been a PRO on skis! He is so happy to go as fast as his brothers, but he is missing a key part to the process. He can't stop on demand. He needs a little work there, so until that happens, he is on the ski-leash. He is good at his turns and being aware of his surroundings - mostly, so it won't be long before we get Haefan out there! He is happy to be a Sunbeam, except he misses the church snacks dearly. His favorite things is listening to church songs while we drive. I have to admit that around 1pm in the afternoon, it's hard for me to take because it puts me to sleep while I'm driving. A bit scary sometimes, so now I have a bubble-gum stash in the car for those moments.

Haefan is my big boy that is so quick to join his brothers and their routines. He is busy on the slopes with Dad in the mornings in the backpack while Daddy snowshoes throughout the snow trails. He loves it and is quite demanding of Dad, always saying "GO!" when he slows down.

The dance studio is coming along and we are slowly building our enrollment. We are having issues with the heating and hoping (and praying) for a solution there; but other than that, we are going along with few hitches.

We were able to go a little bit slower this week because we had our very bestest friends from med school come out our direction for an unrelated missionary farewell. We had them stay the whole week with us and they put up with our toy room as their bedroom for their stay. They just left today and we are excited to see them someday soon! I can't even remember if I got any pictures of them, but I'm doubting that I did, sadly. Their two daughters are the exact same age as the two younger boys. At one point we had them, and my business partner's kids (two girls and a 1-yr old boy) running around the house while I was trying to just keep up with my own routine. I tried to describe it to Dave by saying it was like a round-robin where I would help one child, then the next, then the next - anything from potty, toys and sharing, drinking water, snacks, coloring activities, etc. - only to find that finally when all kids were ok, it would start again. So I felt like I was working so hard - to the point of exhaustion - only to realize that I had yet to get anything done! I don't know how those big families do it!! I had 9 kids here and I was at my limit at the end of 2 hours. Oh my!!! It was tough for me and took a few hours for me to decompress. I should say that this is with everyone behaving, mostly, and being really self-entertained. Yikes, I'm a wuss, I know.

Dave has been a fabulous husband and help throughout this entire New Year. We have been able to spend some time together on dates and even just hanging out in the evening, which just seems more precious than ever now.

Some of the big things we are gearing up for include a short cruise to Cabo San Lucas in a week, family visits, birthday season, a "man trip," and a girlie vacation. I also get a bonus girls weekend with a few close friends and I going out to Utah for Women's Conference at BYU in late April. I certainly have got my work cut out for me!


Old AND new pics were supposed to be uploaded for this VERY spot, but because I kept getting error messages, I gave up after an hour. I will try again sometime this week (I worked so hard to get all the pics off the camera and onto the computer that I can't just give up now!).

I hope you are all well and I would love to hear from you!
-g