Twilight part 2

Now that both children are happy and quiet, I can focus on a real review of the movie. The movie was about 2 hours long, but it defiantly went by fast. I loved it from the beginning. However, I hated some of the previews that went with the movie. One creeped me out. Yuck! Anyway, the characters did a great job. I pictured Rosalie a little more beautiful, but her attitude was great. Alice was exactly what I pictured. Carlisle and Esme didn't really look like I thought they would, but again the acting was great. Overall, I think the actors really captured the characters very well. I was wondering how the movie was going to be made because a lot of the book is in Bella's head, but they did great. I am excited that they are going to make a second one. It was a low budget film, and it grossed a lot of money. The next book "Eclipse" is not one of my favorites. It is very depressing and dark, yet it is very important to the rest of the story. I wonder how that movie will go over? Anyway, I did like the movie. I hope all of the actors will stay with it. I am very excited to see the movies progress. Again I hope the author will reconsider publishing "Midnight Sun".

Twilight

I loved the movie. It was a good adaptation from the book. Of course things were different. There were some big changes, but they are acceptable. I don't own the first book, I have the rest of them. It seems to me that there was information in the movie from Midnight Sun, but I don't have the book to compare. I will own this movie. I think I would watch again, today. My husband liked it as well. He would like to read the books. I think Edward is more moody than I pictured him. Sorry this post is so choppy. I have 2 very grumpy kids.

Go to the movie. If you do something good will happen. (You'll watch a great movie;0)

Black Friday

Every year I say to myself "Do I really need to go out at 6 in the morning to buy presents on a way over stretched budget?" The answer seem to always be yes! I seem to find 1 or 2 things I need. So below is my summary of my shopping experience. We started at 6:00 am, my mom went with me. First, we went to Roberts. I know! I said no more scrap-crap, but the binders were $10. I had to. Plus I sucked my parents into buying my Christmas from there. I know it's cheesy, but I love what I got! Roberts was very crowed, shopping carts couldn't make it through, but people were very polite. For example my mom had a question on a product and a complete stranger asked the sales associate for her. Plus, a very nice guy opened the doors for us when we left.

After Roberts we headed to Home Depot. I hate this store on regular days! They had sold out of the items my mom wanted to buy. Next store please.

Next, we went to Shopko. I'm afraid this store is on my bad list now. I probably won't go beck on Black Friday. The product that I wanted was sold out by 6:30. I found some really cute stuff, like cloths on sale so I wasn't too upset. Then we got into line. We stood in line for 2 hours. Not impressed. I was feeling a bit hungry by then, but we needed to go on.

Then it was to Deseret Book. I love that store, the atmosphere was so quiet and peaceful. They had soft Christmas music in the background. The store was busy, but not packed. I wanted to take some of the spirit I felt in the store and bottle for my last store...

(Darth Vader music please) Wal-Mart. They had $6 movies. My husband loves to watch movies. It's more of a hobby than a pass time. Really, I'm not kidding. So, while I was there my mom and I split a breakfast sandwich for McDonald's and away we went. It's wasn't to bad except in the electronic department. That was scary. I didn't go to the toy department, so maybe that was bad too.

Now I'm home and I feel good about my shopping. I still want to check online for some items, but I can do that at my leisure. My family is all asleep and I am taking a moment to blog. Yea. I saw a quote today that I do want to keep in mind this season.

"The season is not about presents, but rather His presence"

I liked that. Oh yea, my parents watch my kids last night while I saw "Twilight". That will be tomorrows post!

Thanksgiving and Facebook

Okay, I know this title makes no sense, but I wanted to talk about both things. I love Thanksgiving. This morning when my girls were in bed with me and my husband for our morning cuddles, I asked McKayla what she was thankful for. She told me "mommy, daddy and baby sister." Isn't that cute? I didn't have to threaten her, she is simply a sweet little girl. We then went around the family saying what we are thankful for and what makes us happy. Of course Ariana had little to say on this matter, but she did giggle in delight as the family laughed and played together. I am so grateful for my family. They make me happier than I ever thought imaginable. I am grateful for my religion because it is a life line and path in this crazy world. I am grateful for good food because I am going to eat a lot of it very soon. I am grateful for all my friends and extended family that make this holiday season wonderful. I haven't told McKayla that it is almost time for Christmas.

The other half of my post is about Facebook. I'm not really sure why I joined. I don't have the foggiest idea what I am doing. I have found a couple of people from high school. This brings up a whole new level of weirdness. I did not enjoy my last year of high school. There are many reasons ranging from others' mistreatment of me and my own personal choices. Anyhow, I need to work through my severe anger and dislike for anything having to do with my high school days and this is the first step. Kind of crazy huh? I know most people are using Facebook to find all of their long lost friends, but I am using it to find peace with my past. Hum, enough philosophy. I don't how to use it, but at least I can pretend!

Below is a couple of cute shots I got of my two girls yesterday.

Midnight Sun

I am completely addicted to the Twilight Saga. These books helped me get through the final weeks of pregnancy. During the time that I couldn't sleep because I was so huge, I would turn to these books over and over. I finally allowed myself to read Midnight Sun. Again, I am hooked. I wanted to find a way to ask the author to continue with this project. I found a web page petitioning the author. If you love these books as much as I do, then go to this web address.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?saveMNS

That's Gross!

I consider myself a fairly clean person. I try to keep my house at a minimal disaster and up to health code. Then something gross sneaks into my day. Here is what happened, I keep a play toy in the kitchen for Ariana. It is a little saucer thing that I can sit her in and she can play while I work in the kitchen. It's a great arrangement. I was walking by the toy yesterday when all the sudden I stopped. It was gross. How on earth did it get so dirty? My question is this; how long has it been so incredibly dirty? Do other parents not notice the grim on their kids toys until the grim comes alive and starts playing with the toy on its own? Did I just put myself into the eternal "bad mother" role? Will Ariana need therapy because of the dirt. Well anyway, I took some disinfectant and cleaned the toy. It is now clean. Still, how embarrassing!

Action shot of the dancing princess jumping on her trampoline.

Me, Myself, and I

Chad was going to do this post, but he is exiled to his parents house until he catches up on homework. We are hoping that he will finish everything up in two weeks. We will then get a three week break from grad school. But, I'm getting side tracked. Here I am!

Favorite Foods: I'm still going to have to say pasta. I love it!.

Movie: This one is hard. I'm pretty picky about what I watch, but I like a movie that it doesn't feel like I have been watching for 1 1/2 hours. If time doesn't fly, I won't watch.

Sayings: "Are you kidding me?" Yes, this is where McKayla picked it up.

Toys: My scrap-crap.

Places to go: Now that I am home more I like to go out. I love being outside when the weather is nice. I also like to try new places as long as the price is reasonable.

Color: Clear. I know this is not a color, but this is my answer.

Dislikes: Paying bills, doctors, my feet being cold, shopping, and sea food. I prefer my meat to live on land.

Drinks: I like water. However, if we are going out to eat and I don't get a dessert, I will order a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

This is me in a nut shell. I hope you learned something new.

The One and Only Chad

So I get to write a a post about my amazing husband! We have been married for 8 1/2 years. Wow. He is a great person and my very best friend. I am glad that I am married to him. Chad is a great singer, listener, and father. He simply dotes his attention on his two daughters. He sometimes gets in trouble because he should be doing homework but instead he is playing with the kids.

Favorite Foods: Apple pie, peanut butter, muffins, cookies and milk, and cereal with milk.

Movies: All of them. He loves to watch movies. He really likes super hero movies.

Sayings: "Sure"

Toys: Expensive PS2 or exercise equipment.

Places to go: He like to be home because he is never here that much.

Color: Green.

Dislikes: Paperwork, typing, polices, coconut, and mean people.

Drinks: Milk, juice, and pretty much anything.

This is my wonderful Chad. He is a great guy; in case you didn't know.

SheetLoad of Cards - Free Monthly eZine: You still have time...

SheetLoad of Cards - Free Monthly eZine: You still have time...

Caterpillar

When my Ariana was born she liked to eat. She liked to eat and eat and eat. Both of my children have books that inspire me and make me think of them. They receive these book names before they come home from the hospital. Ariana is "The Very Hungary Caterpillar". It's still true to this day. Yet, she is smaller than McKayla was at this point. Go figure. (McKayla's book is "Where the Wild Things Are"). Ariana has a smile that lights up her whole face. It is hard to get on camera, but I did my best.

Favorite Foods: Umm...nursing. I'm leaving it at that.

Movie: None! She is only 7 months old.

Sayings: Mamamamamam. Bababababababa. Dadadadadad.

Toys: Electrical cords, papers, and rubber spatulas. I know we are looking at years of therapy for this.

Places to go: No where. She would like to stay in her jammies all day and play in mom and dad's bed with the whole family there tucked underneath the blankets.

Color: Can she tell things like that yet? Okay, she can, but she can't tell us.

Dislikes: Mom leaving her line of vision, being with someone other than mom, being in her car seat, and having to eat real food when she wants to nurse.

Drinks: "I'll have what you're having, please."

We are so grateful for this funny girl. McKayla is so independent, and we wanted one that would need parents, careful what you wish for!

All About McKayla

I tried to do this post yesterday, but my computer froze up. I am trying again.


I love this picture of McKayla because it shows what a great imagination she has. She brought this outfit to me and asked me to make her beautiful. She wanted to be a dancing princess. I think it is great!

McKayla likes and dislikes all sorts of crazy things. So, here is a list just about McKayla.

Favorite Foods: fried rice, hot dogs, pudding, bananas, yogurt, and anything chocolate.

Favorite movies: Just about anything animated. She rotates through all of our movies on a regular basis. Princesses are very high on the list.

Favorite Sayings: "Are you kidding me?" "But you want to." "You're my hero."

Places to go: Anywhere but home.

Colors: Pink or what ever she feels like.

Dislikes: Cleaning her room, washing her hair, and going to bed.

Drinks: She loves soda pop. She only gets this when we go out to eat, so it's a treat. She also likes milk and juice.

This is my crazy, but lovable child.

Goober Heads

So, I tried coming up with something silly to call McKayla when she wasn't listening to me. I started calling her a goober head. Yes, this is my own language. Whenever she wouldn't listen I would ask if she was being a goober head. Well, now when I don't listen to her, I'm the goober head.

Okay, so now that you all know I'm a goober head, look at my two cute kids!

Look at that cute girl!

Don't call the fashion police. This is what she wanted to wear.

Leaves Still Falling

I have been working on my yard for the past couple of days. I have bagged 15 bags this time. I am still not done. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I am hoping that I only have maybe 10 bags left. So far I have bagged 29 bags of leaves total. I wonder how that compares to last year? I'm not sure, but this year I am feeling good about my yard work. I want to do so much more. I wanted to put in my pond this fall and fertilize and put down grass seed. Alas, I have not. Good intentions, no money or time. Sigh. That's okay because I still love my yard.

Okay, so this is not my yard, but wouldn't it be nice if it was?

Places to Go and Things to Do

Ariana is up and going. She can crawl any where she wants. She loves being where ever her sister is. This morning Chad found her on the bottom step trying to go up stairs after McKayla. She was upset because she worked really hard and only got one step out of the way. I don't want her working on stairs. I don't want her standing up to things and trying to be as big as McKayla. I want her to stay my snugly baby. Sorry there is no picture of the stair incident. I need to recharge my camera batteries. Oh Man!

The Curse is Gone and so is my Brain

I was able to cook a batch of rolls and an apple crisp yesterday and they both turned out. Well, the apple crisp had too much crisp to it. My husband and I thought it would be delicious to double the topping part on the recipe. I think in the end we might have tripled it. I can't quite remember. Anyway, that was not a curse, that was experimentation. The rolls turned out good and nothing fell flat.

Now about my brain. I think I am losing it. Last night, Chad and I stayed up late watching TV and then I wanted to read a book. I turned off the light at 1:00am. I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, but sleep was not happening. Not to worry, at 2:00am McKayla woke up crying because she wet the bed. Then Ariana wanted to eat at 2:30am. Then McKayla climbed into bed with us from about 3:30-4:30am. Oh yea, then Ariana needed to eat again at 5:00. Then I needed to get up for church so no sleeping in for me. Rats! I know in some far distant future I miss these nights with my kids, but today is not it. I feel like I have done pretty good all day, until about 5:15pm. Now I am ready for a nap. I don't think I'll get it, but maybe if I am a good girl Santa will bring me some sleep and sanity for Christmas.

Proposition 8

I debated all day whether or not to write this blog. I know there are a lot of high emotions on this subject. I hope to write a good blog that expresses my feelings, yet does not offend others. I understand that the gay population is upset over not having the right to get married. I can empathize with their situation. I would have voted for proposition 8, I'm not going to deny it, but I can still empathize. What I am upset about is the anger and vandalism that is coming from being upset. Part of what makes the USA so different is that laws can be changed by a majority of citizens. In this case over 50% of those in California voted yes on Proposition 8. I do not believe that 50% of California's population is LDS. I can't quote to you the percentage, but I really don't think it is 50 %. There were other groups such as Catholics, Baptist, and other Christians. No, probably not everyone who is a Christian voted yes. My point is the LDS population did not take away the gay's rights. The church did put in money for advertising, but in the end people made the choice. A law was put up for action and the people voted. Over half of California voted yes. Why is all of the vandalism and hate going on then? I would have been disappointed if proposition 8 got voted down, but I would not threaten to kill, burn down their hangouts, send mysterious powder to disrupt their activities, or commit hate crimes against their property. It makes me feel sad to read blogs were people are calling for temples to be burned down and the LDS population be persecuted. I feel sick to my stomach that in America people are so upset when the population votes against their wishes. You don't see supporters of McCain acting this way with the loss of the election. I thought we were better than this as a nation. I do feel anger. I try not to because anger is a secondary emotion. I guess I feel worry, fear and sadness that people are like that. I do understand that it is not everyone who was against proposition 8, it is a small group. I hope and pray that those who are behind the hate crimes will stop. I hope that LDS people everywhere can continue in peace, I hope that people on both sides of the issue will be safe from harm and not give into anger. There is enough hate and anger in this world, we don't need more.

Cards

I'm going to try to sell some cards in Arco. Below are some I made. Some of the ideas I got from Karen Lloyd. Most I made up out of my head. What do you think? Really, comment please. I need feedback.

The Curse of the Kitchen

I may have mentioned once or twice...okay a lot, that I love to cook. I enjoy eating too. Well my kitchen has been cursed. So, if you are the one that sent that nasty little curse, I'm sorry for whatever I did. Really. Think I'm joking? Everything has gone flat that I have made. My cookies went flat, my muffins went flat, and then my zucchini bread fell flat. Now these thing still taste good, but they look bad. These are recipes I have made hundreds of times. Why are they not working? I wondered if the humidity had something to do with it. I stopped running my humidifier for a couple of days and the rain let up so yesterday I baked some bread. It looked great! Nice and golden brown, fluffy and Oh so good. I had to try a bite. Ugg...I forgot the salt. NOOOOO! The curse is still on. Drat. I was going to make cookies for some people in my church, but at this point I'm not sure the gesture would convey the love intended.

Christmas Cards, Over Spending and Truth

So, I have officially started on my Christmas cards. I am about 1/2 way done. This year's model was easy and not too expensive. I felt really good about that. Thanks to those who responded, your ideas helped. I was feeling festive and frugal. Yea!

Then the Wall Flower scrapbook thing came to town. I made up for my cheap cards over and over again. I know, with economy the way it is, what was I thinking? Well...I wasn't. I saw really cute, cheap scrapbook stuff. However, I can justify it by saying that I won't buy any more scrapbook stuff for years because I stocked up. But is this true? Am I really being honest with myself? No, not really. I can say that I will use it all up. I do use everything I buy. I don't normally impulse buy. I plan, I price compare, I use coupons and then I make it stretch as far as possible. Well, at least I can say my husband didn't mind because he went with me, both days. He is great.

Now I just need to find an outlet store with scrapbook glues and lots of it. I always seem to run out of glue.

Christmas Music

Normally I would have a fit over hearing Wal-Mart play Christmas music in November. However, they put together a nice instrumental piece that I really enjoyed today as a growled at peer-shoppers. I almost felt okay with Wal-Mart. This lasted the first 15 minutes into my shopping experience, then my normal rage filled self came out. I see this as a victory. I really do. For 15 whole minutes I did not have visions of running over the people in front of me that stopped and looked at every single item while rudely leaving their cart in the middle of the isle so no one could pass. I guess for a moment there could be peace on earth.

Life with 2 girls

I love my kids. Life with 2 kids is very interesting. Let me show you what I mean.

Toys at the table.

Even the cat cannot escape. Often he is subjected to being wrapped in a blanket or he is being chased.

Messes everywhere. This took McKayla about 2 minutes to create.

Getting into places where I don't think they should be yet. I'm not ready for her to be standing up to things.

You find them in the oddest places. I didn't expect McKayla to pretend to sleep in Ariana's pack and play.

Happy B-day Granny D.

Yesterday was my grandmother's 79th birthday. I forgot to call, but I wanted to let her know that I love her and admire her. So here is a blog post dedicated to my grandmother and how great she is.

Grandma came up to Idaho this year for my brother Jayme's wedding. She came to our house and McKayla shared all of her toys with her. It was very cute.

My grandma has been there for us kids as long as I can remember. She always has a peice of advice or quick wit to pass on. I hope you had a great day granny.

Family Pictures

Today we went to JC Penny's to get our family picture done. The appointment was at 9:00am. This was great. We were the only ones in the studio. The store was not even open yet. We did a gold and silver theme. Do you know how hard it is to find a gold accented shirt without looking horrible? I settled for a cream shirt with some gold beads on it. It's not too bad. We did the usual rushing around this morning, racing to the store, and then tyring to look calm and relaxed while we got our picture taken. The kids were great! Ariana was not too smiley, but she was not crying. McKayla was a total ham. We will get our pictures back on the 18th. So I will be able to send out my Christmas cards the 1st of December. Yea! So you can now all look forward to the pictures and cards.

Below is a Thanksgiving pumpkin shot. I thought it was cute.

Imagination

I remember as a kid being able to play for hours outside. I'm not sure why, but I seemed to enjoy playing by myself often. Don't get me wrong. My poor older brothers had to play in my doll house more than they wanted to. I remember sitting in one place and letting my mind drift to a whole different world. Before my eyes, whole new places or scenarios would play out. I now see this starting to happen with McKayla. I heard her saying "help, help" in her room yesterday. When I went to check on her she told me that she hadn't said anything. I know I wasn't going crazy. Then I noticed that she had her little people out and she was playing with them. Also, she started saying "there's a scary -----, at the door." Now this could range from a ghost to a care bear to a spider to a cookie. Then, she would race you to the door and conquer the scary object, while fully knowing she had saved our lives once again and she deserved a cookie in payment. Another thing she has done is taken objects that are not toys and found a way to entertain herself with them. Ariana' s pack and play has some little bars that help hold up a changing table part if you want to put it in. McKayla has used these 4 small parts to make a witches broom to fly on, a dinosaur footprint, a peacock and the letter "A". I am amazed at her. Yes, she still loves movies, but she can transport herself back into a place where we as adults seem to leave somewhere along the way. Her imagination is wonderful and I love to see her thinking and coming up with games. I always want her to be this creative and to allow me to tag along for the ride.

Jedi McKayla

McKayla does really well with her speech now. I was very worried about it for a long time. She does not confuse the "I" and "me" parts of her speech like some small children. However, she does talk like a Jedi using the famous Jedi mind trick. I'm not sure where she gets it from. She has not seen any of the Star Wars movies. She will ask for something. "Mom, can I have friends over?" I will tell her not right now or not today. She will then reply "But, you want to let me have friends over. You want to mom." This Jedi talk is very prevalent though out the the day. Lots of time "I" want to give her a drink, or play ponies or give her a cookies. Sometimes the Jedi talk works, and I wonder if her power will grow as she gets older. She has not yet begun to talk like Yoda.

Below is a tribute to Star Wars done at the Pumpkin Walk we went to on Halloween.

The Dentist

McKayla went to the dentist today. This is the second time in her life. She did pretty well. She allowed them to use the little mirror to count her teeth and she allowed them to brush about 2-3 teeth. I don't think she liked the taste of the tooth paste. Anyway, next time she will have all of her teeth cleaned. The dentist said her teeth look good and to keep up the flossing. McKayla said that she liked that dentist.

The Dawn of the Next 4 Years

Okay, the election is over. I am glad. I will admit that I did not vote for our current president, but as a family we are now ready to support our new leaders. To be honest I didn't really feel like there was a candidate that represented me. I feel we are not really a government of the people, by the people, and for the people any more. I feel that the amount of money spent on the campaigns are an example that only the top few percent of Americans can even run for elected office. I feel sad for this. I feel that there are Americans that might do a good job as president, but they can never afford to run. Okay, off the soap box.

I am hopeful for the next four years. It will do no good to grumble and complain about what has happened during the election or the past years. Rather, as a nation I hope we can come together to heal our nation and lead it in a way that is prosperous and pleasing to our Heavenly Father. I hope to make a better America for my children, and I hope that the new leaders of our nation

will sincerely try to do this as well.

To close I will post a picture of what we hold dear:

Splish Splash

Our local library is so cool. They have lots of programs throughout the year to encourage reading. The last one they did was a family reading program. If you read 40 picture books to your kids then you received a family swim pass to the Aquatic Center. McKayla insisted on reading about 10 books per day because she really wanted to go swimming. This is a big change for her. Well, we went last night. The pool was cooler than expected. I think I was expecting it to be the same temperature as my brother's pool down in SLC. His pool was about 96 degrees. It was nice. This pool was cold compared to that. The girls had a good time. We swam for about 40 minutes. They both had blue lips, and were shivering. McKayla found a kick board at the pool and played with that a lot. Ariana floated around in a little tube thing. I think she might have had more fun if she could have splashed more. McKayla told me that she had fun and we should go again next week. I don't think we will. However, the girls slept really well last night.


We bundled up Ariana after we got done swimming. She was cold.


McKayla always tries too hard to smile. I try to tell her to relax and nothing happens.


Here is Chad and both girls entering the pool. Notice that McKayla is getting in by herself.

A Card Survey

Below is a picture of my Christmas Card. It is a prototype. Any suggestions or comments? I will do the mass production soon and finish them by December 1st. These were quick and easy to make. Our family letter is on the inside.

New Program

I borrowed a computer program from my mom this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it does some neat things like black and white photos. On the other hand, I don't know how to work it and it saves things in really odd ways. I had about 150 photos that I wanted to play with and it took me a couple of tries to figure out how to save them. All in all, I think I can learn to love this program if I just play with it some more. Below are some pictures that I played with.

This is me on Halloween.

My brother Jake and McKayla.

Ariana