I'm Thankful

Last night I talked to a really good friend of mine. I haven't talked to her in a long time and it was great to hear her voice. The circumstances that prompted us to get in touch were kind of sad but it's amazing what an old friend can do to cheer you up. We reminisced and laughed and I felt like I was in high school again. (I mean that only in a good way). So I'm thankful for old friends and for new friends. I have such wonderfully creative friends who are awesome mothers, teachers, artists and everything else. They inspire me.

Mystery, Intrigue, just plain corny and some not so great 80's music

Am I describing an episode of Saved By the Bell? No- just our weekend movie night...

So every weekend we have family movie night and we watched some pretty good ones this weekend. I'll start with Nancy Drew. We really enjoyed watching this as a family. I loved the retro clothes that Nancy wore and her roadster. The girls thought it was funny and a little scary at times (but not scary enough to cause nightmares). Alan liked watching it with us and Keith fell asleep...I don't know if it didn't interest him or if it was just past his bedtime. It was a great family film. However the next day Emily said, " I didn't get that movie we watched" and I said "What's not to get- it's a mystery and Nancy Drew solves it". "Who's Nancy Drew again?" Hmmm....maybe Emily fell asleep too, but she did laugh when she was supposed to laugh and get scared when she was supposed to get scared sooooo...who knows what happened. I would recommend it even for couples if you're just in the mood for good clean fun.

I mentioned Keith fell asleep. I think it was in protest because he lost the vote when deciding what to watch first. His pick was Journey to the Center of the Earth. Alan and I had seen this in the theatre and so I didn't watch it on Saturday afternoon with Emily and Keith (Wendi was at a Mud Run with her best friend...I'll post that later). I got enough of this in the theater and so I felt no need to watch it again. Yeah, it's corny but there's a dinosaur so what's not to like? (According to Keith)

And now we get to the 80's music...I also got Transformers the movie for Keith. No, not the most recent action packed midriff (how do you spell that anyway) showing blockbuster. (What kind of mother do you think I am?- he's 5.) Nope, I got the ORIGINAL...yep, the animated 1980's version. It had all the workings of a great 1980's animated film. Rad animation with way over done detail (sort of worn and faded looking), plot line and script that no child could ever follow and some kind of hard rock 80's tunes that fit in not at all. Keith lost interest after about 10 minutes and asked to watch "the center of the earth" again. Why is it that we look back on the 80's with nostalgic longing only to be disappointed when experiencing them again? I refuse to watch the Goonies again for this exact reason. But I do put Wendi's hair in a side pony every now and then...you know just to reminisce on the good old days.

So the last and final review...my favorite...The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. This was our "date night" movie on Saturday night. I laughed, I cried, I think Alexis Bledel is really gorgeous in this film. Costas has kind of a big nose, but I knew that from the first one. I said to Alan, "Wasn't that the best movie?" What he said..."Well, I wouldn't say it was the best...I mean, it's not one that I'll keep in the dvd player and watch continuously like Pride and Prejudice but, you know it passes, it touched me" For those of you who don't know my husband you might think that that was a sincere response. No, it wasn't... but he made me laugh.

Well, that's it in our weekend movie review. This weekend I'm going to see Twilight with some girls from my ward. Ashamedly, I'm excited, I won't deny it but I don't have high expectations. I'll let you know what I think.

Emily's baptism

Here's some pictures from Emily's baptism. It was a really nice day. She invited her teacher and some friends so it was nice to be able to talk to them about our beliefs and it was great that they came to support her on her special day.

Emily's birthday

Alan and I took Emily out for her 8th birthday. We started out at Outback but after waiting 45 minutes I asked what was taking so long they said they were looking for a table that was big enough to fit us. Ummmm.....there's just the three of us, or rather 2 1/2 because Emily's just a half size little person. And really if you're being technical Alan and I aren't exactly large people either, some might say we were small. So we went to Red Robin and had hamburgers. It was a good time and Emily felt special because the waitress said how much she loved Emily's outfit...a salmon colored sweater dress, leggings and some silver flats...yes, very cute if I must say so myself. She told everyone that the waitress had given her a compliment and said she was very pretty and Wendi immediately said, "Well that's cause you are". It was one of those moments as a parent when you say, wow, I really have nice kids.

Painter Kids Productions

Can you say the next Ron Howard?






When I was a kid my brothers and I made several small films such as these. (Of course, they were a little higher standard, these are clearly amature.) We had so much fun staging robberies and rescues we used our wagon as a stagecoach and I'd wear my mom's slip and cowboy boots. Of course I was always the damsel in distress (being the only damsel in my family). The kids were a getting a little bored the other day (it's been fall break this week) so I let them make their own movies. I'm quite proud of my little producers and it was a lot of fun reminiscing on good times...I wonder where those old movies are? I hope you enjoy as much as I did, but of course being their mother I am a little biased.

Looking for a sitter

My kids overheard me calling different babysitters last night. We have several awesome girls in our ward, so I am lucky. Unfortunately the top two were busy already. The following debate ensued...(names have been changed to protect individuals privacy and feelings)

Me: "Well, M and K are busy so I'll have to call someone else"

Wendi and Emily: Mom, don't call _______, just don't call her"

Me: "Why"

Wendi and Emily: "She's really mean and bossy. She makes us do stuff."

Me: "Like what?"

Girls: "I don't know, like chores and stuff, she's just really bossy"

Me: "Well, is she meaner and bossier than me?" "You should be pretty used to mean and bossy, with me as your mom"

Wendi, the ever honest one hesitates just a little: "ummmm, well, ummm"

Emily, ever my champion and defender hesitates just a slight bit less than Wendi: "No, you're not mean and bossy, well, she's meaner and bossier than you"

Wendi, still undecided and not sure if the truth is better left unsaid, and yet not willing to lie so bold faced as her sister:"ummmm, well, hmmmm"

Me, not wanting to cause Wendi to have a brain hemmorage, I change the subject to something lighter: "What movie are we going to rent"

P.S. We rented Speed Racer which I thought pretty violent given it was a kids' movie and it used profanity several times in the movie. I fast forwarded to the race parts, but I wouldn't rent it if you haven't seen it yet.

Conversations with my kids...

This one I overheard between Wendi and Emily:

Wendi: "Emily, did you know that flowers have male and female parts?"
Emily: "What?"
Wendi: "You know, flowers...they have male and female parts?"
Emily: "What does that mean!?"
Wendi: (in a very exasperated tone) "You know, like a man and a woman"
Emily: (looking as if it was made not a bit clearer) "Oooohhh..."

This one we had yesterday in the car. I had stopped and got a soda because I had a headache and because, well, I wanted one. Nothing goes unobserved by my children though.

Me: drinking a soda
Choir of children: I want a soda, I want a soda...I'm thirsty...I need a drink (whine, whine, whine..this goes on throughout the whole conversation, like the doo-wop kids or something)
Me: No
Wendi: Mom, is drinking soda good for the baby?
Me: (after some deliberation) I don't drink it every day, a little bit doesn't hurt.
Wendi: But you didn't say it was good for the baby
Me: It's fine for the baby
Wendi: I really don't think you should drink that soda mom.
Other kids: Sodaaaaaa, we want a sodaaaaaa....

Oh, the wisdom of nearly-9-year-olds.

A week or so after school started my sister in law said Emily had mentioned that she didn't have friends at school. I was surprised because Emily is constantly getting invited to friends' houses and has many friends so I asked her about it.

Me: "Emily, Sara told me that you said you don't have any friends at school, do you feel like you have friends at school?"
Emily: "What?"
Me: "Sara told me you said you didn't have friends, is that true?"
Emily: "What?"
Me: "So, you do have friends at school?"
Emily: "Um, yeah, can I go to Alec's house then on Friday?"

Sara later said that Emily had ammended her statement by saying she had lots of friends but no special friend, like Madelyn. (Her cousin). If she had told me that I would have told her that it's really rare to find anyone as special as Madelyn and she's just lucky to have been born into the same family as her best friend. We're sad that Maddy lives so far away in Kansas though.