Mayah The Writer

Ariel and I went shopping this afternoon and left the kids home with Duane. When we got home, we discovered a story (or possibly a poem???) that Mayah wrote, all by herself. No joke. Duane swears he didn't help her write it.

Here it is:

Are words like, Flopping, Hopping, Stopping and Narrow part of the kindergarten curriculum now? Because, when I was in kindergarten, I was reading words like Fat, Pat, Mat and Cat. Have things changed so drastically since I was five?

I swear I'm not one of those people who insist that their kid is themostamazingsuperspecialgeniuskidever, but, Mayah keeps surprising us. I mean, really surprising us.

I'm going to have to talk to her teacher after the holiday break, to see if this is normal. Because, really, I don't know.

Amazon Is The Devil

So, we went to my brothers house for Thanksgiving this year, and he had just purchased Rayman Raving Rabbid's TV Party for their Wii system. Right off, it was a favorite with all the kids because they could all play it and it's pretty cute to boot.

Ever since then Mayah has been talking about the game, asking for it non-stop, and we don't even have a Wii system...yet. She's even been drawing pictures of the cute bunnies from the game. Duane and I have found the whole thing amusing. Really.

Well, it is funny up until the point when your five-year-old gets on the computer and actually purchases the game. Okay, to be fair, she purchased the wrong game. She actually purchased Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, which, it turns out, is another game altogether.

But, she is only five...

I know, I should be mad at myself for letting my five-year-old daughter on the computer to begin with. Don't worry, I am. But, I'm also furious with Amazon. You see, apparently there is something called '1-click' and it's just sitting there, all innocent-looking, on a little orange colored button on the right-side of the screen. It just says 'Buy now with 1-Click'. You don't even need to SIGN IN.

YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO PLACE ANYTHING IN THE CART!

All you have to do is push that innocent-looking button and BAM, you've got yourself a game for a Wii system that you don't even own yet.

Oh, and, she really did purchase it. REALLY. Aaand, even though she just barely purchased it, it's too late to cancel the order. Already!

Apparently Amazon is really on top of things because my invoice says: "We are preparing these items for shipment and this portion of your order cannot be canceled or changed."

The best part: We should have it by December 24th. Talk about insane luck.

Amazon. Is. Evil.

Okay! Just One More, I Swear.

So, I'm supposed to be cleaning because Ariel is coming to visit, TONIGHT. But my Malia and Matilda are sick and between taking care of them and all the cleaning, I'm tired. So, I'm taking a break and watching viral videos.

I LOVE this one:



I wish I could travel around the world, DANCING!!!

P.S. Mayah wants me to type her name, so I am. MAYAH. MAYAH!!!

Ariel Is Coming To Town

Yep. Ariel is going to be here tonight. We couldn't be more excited!

Ode To Joy

This is probably one of the cutest viral videos of 2008.

Remember Beaker?

LOST: Season 5

That's right, Duane and I are 'LOSTIES' (and proud of it!). Aaaaand, we're basically counting down the days until January 21st.

Check out the following clip! (don't forget to mute the music player)

So, a funny (???) thing happened...

Okay, so, Duane and I went out on a (real) date tonight because his parents are in town and wanted to give us a date night before they left (By-the-way, thanks Lee and Marilyn).

So...

We went to the Temple and then we went a restaurant afterward. The former was nice, as it always is. The latter was...hilarious? Maybe?

As you can tell, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about our time at the restaurant. The food wasn't the problem. Actually, the food was quite good as we were at a nice sushi restaurant. It was the insane girl fight that broke out in the middle of the restaurant while we were eating that has me amused/semi-horrified.

First things first: Everyone knows that girl fights are vicious. Because girls are mean. Really, really mean. And, they (we) love pulling hair, scratching, punching, kicking and spitting. They (we) also like to get the last word (read: punch/kick) in edge-wise. So, girl fights can last a while if no one intervenes.

Aaaand, apparently things get worse when alcohol is involved.

Yes, that's right, we witnessed a full-blown drunken cat-fight while we were eating (dinner and a show!!!).



These girls were so loud/wild, everyone in the restaurant watched. Even the kitchen staff came out of the kitchen to gawk. At one point, a server yelled "Call The Police!" at one of her colleagues.

I don't know if the cops were called because they didn't show up. At all.

Eventually the fight traveled to the lobby/waiting area and that's when things escalated (read: got more ridiculous). You see, that's when one of the girls got her hands on a long (-ish) bamboo pole and started beating the other girl with it. I don't know if that would actually hurt since bamboo is hollow, but the girl was swinging with all her might, so...yeah.

Just so you all know, this was a proper girl-fight. There was screaming, biting, punching, kicking, hair-pulling, and name calling.

It was...AWESOME!

Um...

I saw the movie early this morning. It was...um...uh...

So, I had a lot of fun with my friends. Really, I did. Plus, we went out to eat at J. Alexanders before going to the theater and the food was really good. I ordered some good chocolate cake and shared it with-

...Okay, I'll stop avoiding the subject.

Truth is, I found it incredibly funny (but only when it wasn't supposed to be funny). I laughed quite a bit - more then is acceptable at a movie about vampires. I did try to keep my giggles under wraps though. Really, I did. Luckily, I had a REALLY bored teenage boy to my right and an equally amused fan (a friend of a friend) to my left, so they didn't mind my giggles. At all.

In fact, they were laughing, too.

My friends liked the movie, though, which I think is cool (I really mean this).

A few things about the movie (don't worry, I don't give away any major details. And if you have read the book you already know whats going to happen anyway, so...):

1. Let's just say it's a lot like Breaking Dawn - either you love it or you hate it.

2. Edward is a bit of a 'close talker'.

3. Jacob Black has incredibly white teeth. Like, REALLY white. It's distracting (Think Ross from that episode of 'Friends' - You know which one I'm talking about).

4. Whoever did the makeup for Carlisle went a little pancake-happy on him. He looks like an albino. It's incredibly distracting. He's almost whiter then Jacob Black's teeth. Almost.

5. My friends said Stephenie Meyer is actually in the movie (but I didn't notice since I was busy laughing), so keep an eye out. Apparently she's in the background somewhere (In the cafe...but there are a few cafe scenes. I think they said it's in the second cafe scene...I can't remember).

6. I think the actor that plays James is far better looking then Robert Pattinson and I'm not the kind of girl that likes long hair on a guy.

7. The actress that plays Victoria is cool. Perfect for the role, actually.

8. Jasper reminds me of Edward Scissor-hands, without the scissor-hands. You'll see what I mean when you see the movie.

9. The cinematography is odd.

10. Special-effects are...um...not so special.

11. The Director didn't know how to direct.

12. Actors didn't know how to act (actually, I think it was the directing, not the acting. I think)

13. The majority of people really seemed to like the movie...

14. ...I was in the minority. : (

(seriously, I am sad about that)

Don't worry. Like I said, a lot of people liked the movie. I'm just incredibly picky when it comes to movies ('Incredibly picky' is an understatement. Let's just say I've seen far too many movies for my own good).

Dang you, Stephenie Meyer!

I have a confession to make. Despite my absolute loathing of Breaking Dawn, I'm still super psyched about the Twilight movie, and...I'm going to the Thursday/Friday midnight showing with my friends. The tickets are purchased, Duane's cool with it so basically everything is set to go (I know, Kristi, I still owe you money and you'll totally get it the second I stop being lazy and actually go to the bank).

Stephenie Meyer isn't a literary genius by any stretch of the imagination, but she still tells a good story. And I am hopelessly addicted to the first three books in the Twilight series, especially New Moon. But Twilight is good, too. Dang Stephenie Meyer! Why are her stories so addictive? I still can't figure it out. I don't even like Edward and Bella (*gasp*).

I'm sorta spazzing out here. Sort of. Really, I'm more excited about the night out more then anything...okay, I'm lying, I'm totally excited about the movie.

Here's to hoping it sucks (pun intended)!

Oh and I just took one of those lame quizzes, just for fun. Guess what?!? I'm Jacob Black. Sa-weeeeet!

(Yeah, I know. There is something wrong with me , but I'm not alone in my excitement. Admit it, you're going to see the movie, too.)

Q & A with Mayah

My friend, Renae K., tagged me a while ago (okay, almost two months ago) to do a Question & Answer session with Mayah. So, without further ado...

1. What is something mom always says to you? "Get you"
(??? - Apparently I'm always threatening to 'get her'.)

2. What makes mom happy? "You can have a pet"
(In Mayah's mind, animals make everything better, so a pet would make me happy...not. Cute answer though.)

Mayah around four months old (The sand is propping her up).

3. What makes mom sad? "problems"
(This is true. Problems do make me sad. I love this answer, by-the-way.)

4. How does your mom make you laugh? "tickle me"

5. What was your mom like as a child? "You were a girl"

6. How old is your mom? "Ummm...I don't know"

Mayah at about eighteen months of age

7. How tall is your mom? "Big"

8. What is her favorite thing to do? "Ummm... clean up the toys."
(False. This answer is false. Funny, cuz I'm always saying how much I DON'T like cleaning up her toys when she makes a mess.)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? "I don't know."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "Ummm...for things."

Mayah loves wearing goggles. A lot.

11. What is your mom really good at? "Uh...making hot cereal."
(I make her malt-o-meal - 'hot cereal' - for breakfast, a lot, but only because she always asks for it. It's good to hear that there are no complaints.)

12. What is your mom not very good at? "Sleeping."
(This is completely true. If I have to choose between sleeping and 'me time' - any time after the kids go to sleep - I always pick 'me time'. Always.)

13. What does your mom do for her job? "Clean."
(*Sigh* I do clean. A lot. My girls are like tornadoes - tiny, adorable, silly, lovable tornadoes with the ability to devastate everything in their path(s). Good thing I love them.)

14. What is your mom's favorite food? "Cake."

15. What makes you proud of your mom? "When she makes breakfast."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "A princess."

She's almost four in this picture

17. What do you and your mom do together? "Um...to go to school."
(I think she means, I help get her ready for school.)

18. How are you and your mom the same? "Both girls"

19. How are you and your mom different? "I am small."
(And I am not.)

20. How do you know your mom loves you? "You take me to the park."
(Unfortunately I don't do that often enough. I'll have to do that more, especially if she really thinks park trips equal love, which they do, in a way.)

This is my absolute favorite picture of Mayah. She's such a beach girl.

As I was asking Mayah these questions, I realized I don't talk to her enough, nor do I spend enough quality time with her, which is incredibly sad. I don't know how it got this way. I'm going to put extra effort into doing special things with Mayah from now on.

Okay, so, I tag Sarah G. (and Abby), Kristi H. (and Bradyn), aaaaaand Morgan W. (Gracey). Actually, I tag everyone who sees this, so if you're reading this now, consider yourself tagged.

Feeling Inspired

I was going to write an elaborate story about why I'm feeling inspired but I really can't say it in words, at least not my words.

Visit adailyscoop.blogspot.com and read what has been inspiring me (you really must skip back to this post and go from there. Warning: You will cry).

All I will say is, I feel inspired to take pleasure in all the little things; to not take anything for granted. I feel inspired to be a better mother to my daughters.

Note: The blog I linked you to belongs to a friend of a friend.

Living in a van down by the river...

Don't worry, we haven't moved into a van (yet). We're still living in an apartment complex by a forested area. I got your attention though (Hee).

After my election night posts, I thought I'd lighten things up by doing another short update:

Duane is losing weight and looking great. In fact, he's lost so much weight he had to have his suit taken in and purchase new clothing because his old stuff was falling off of him. Lucky guy. As soon as I purchase a battery charger for our camera battery, I'll take some pictures and post them here. Until then, you'll just have to take my word for it.

After watching October Sky a few weeks ago, Duane thought it would be fun to purchase a rocket kit so he and the girls could build one and launch it. They haven't built it yet, but they will soon. Don't worry, it's just one of those little ones, nothing dangerous.

Our three girls keep me busy. Mayah and Malia are best friends and mortal enemies - They're 'frenemies' sisters. Needless to say, I play referee quite a bit, which is so fun. During the month of October, when I wasn't putting a stop to all the sisterly violence (seriously, they're worse then little boys), I was sewing Halloween costumes for the girls. I made Mayah a Princess Jasmine costume and Malia an Ariel costume (Ariel the Mermaid, not big sister Ariel) using this pattern. Matilda was a flower, but I didn't sew her costume.

I just finished reading, Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou. It's a quick read, just a collection of short essays and poems. It's quite good. If anyone wants to borrow it, let me know.

Ariel is keeping herself busy at BYU. She has a boyfriend, she really likes her roommates and, from what I can tell, she seems to be having a lot of fun in Provo. Apparently she's going to be tutoring kids at Provo High, which I just found out about (I hope she's getting paid for it).

Mayah is no longer obsessed with fire safety, although she still prays that we will 'be safe and not play with fires'. Her current worry is about stranger danger, which is fine with me - I want her to stay away from strangers. Mayah's favorite thing to do these days is make cards and give them to us. She also makes wrapping paper and wraps gifts (various toys of hers) and gives them to me. She really is a sweetheart (despite all the fighting she does with Malia). Oh, and Duane taught her who Barak Obama is so whenever he's on TV, she stops everything and watches. She likes watching Obama (sigh).

Malia really loves taking care of Matilda. It's quite cute actually, she is constantly handing me a bottle and telling me to feed the baby or change her diaper (even if she isn't hungry or stinky). Duane and I were really worried that Malia would have a difficult time with Matilda but she isn't (she never has).

Matilda started crawling soon after the last family update (you know, the 'musical' one). She's all over the place and is almost able to pull herself up to the standing position. She loves the vacuum especially when it's on, which makes it difficult for me to vacuum because she crawls after me (or rather, the vacuum) until she's able to climb on it. Matilda is a complete Daddy's girl. When Duane gets home from work, she crawls to him, giggling the whole time. When he's holding her, she's got an 'I just won the lottery' grin plastered on her face. It's really quite adorable.

Um...I suppose that is all the news we have for now. Please keep us (and Ford Motor Company, heck, the US economy) in your prayers because I really don't want to be living in a van down by the river (who would?).

Whatever (I'm not surprised).

Barak Obama is the next President. Fine. Whatever. I'll live (I think).

I was not a huge fan of McCain, but I voted for McCain because I couldn't in good conscience vote for Obama (no matter how much Duane was campaigning for him). No, I'm not racist, so please don't go there. Heck, I'm hardly even a Republican. I just don't believe Obama has it in him to lead this country in the right direction (quite frankly, I'm frightened about what he plans on doing) and there is so much about Obama's background that SCARES me.

I guess I can be happy for the African American community. They're super excited. That's cool (I'm not being sarcastic here).

It's too bad that McCain didn't win. I was looking forward to seeing him go 'Double Maverick' on everyone. Oh well...

My Brother Is Awesome

I have five older brothers, all of which are awesome and I love them equally. This post is about the brother that is one year older then me. His name is Perry. When we were growing up, we weren't super close (okay, we didn't really talk much), but we're family which is why we were always loyal to each other. Now that we're adults, we get along.

Anyway (getting to the point), Perry is in the army. He and one of my other brothers, Paul, enlisted about five (six?) years ago. Currently, Perry is in the Middle East and he just posted something thought provoking at our family website. I liked it so much, I'm posting an excerpt of it here:

"Random thought...I watched The Freedom Writers last night and was very touched and recommend it. There is nothing inappropriate (language etc) but it deals with gangs and the Holocaust. It has Hillary Swank in it and that caused hesitation, but in the desert beggars can't be choosers. I think I enjoyed it so much because it really helps to remind the audience that we are all people with hopes, dreams and our own personal trials. Since being deployed I have thought a great deal about the Iraqi, Afghan and other people out here...I am grateful for the gospel and teaching me that they are all children of our Father in Heaven with their own hopes, dreams and challenges. They are good people and deserve the chance to have the same freedoms that we enjoy. This war isn't a war about oil, money or anything other then a corridor for the gospel to enter the Middle East. Every base and country that I have been to has a service members group with Sunday Sacrament Meeting, home teachers, and the priesthood. It is an amazing sight to behold the Gospel of Jesus Christ move forward to all corners of the Earth.

I'm not sure how the election this Tuesday will turn out, though I have a pretty good guess, but it really will not change the course of where this world is headed or the progression of the Church.

Time away from family, friends and the "conveniences" of life always help me to appreciate all that I have been given. Have a good Sunday and week!"

My brother is awesome.

Perry and his wife Sarah

Election 2008: Pick Your Poison

Happy Election Day! I hope everyone got out to vote. I voted...yesterday (by absentee ballot).

I went to the city clerks office, got my ballot and voted. It really was as simple as that. Okay, not totally because we couldn't leave the building with our ballots, which makes sense, but we were all crammed into a tiny room with limited chairs and no writing surfaces. I ended up sitting on the ground and filling my ballot out on my knee while trying to control Malia (P.S. We named her Malia before we even heard of Barack Obama. So please, don't think we named her after that man's daughter, because we didn't).

Anyway, I can't wait until it's over (because I am sick of hearing about Obama from Duane. Ugh...he is almost as bad as 'Obama girl'. He never reads this blog, HA! Oh, and I'm bitter for obvious reasons).

Alive and Well (the musical)

Hey friends and family that still check here from time to time. Sorry I haven't done anything with this for a long time. I have no valid excuse for all the slackin', heck its not even like there was anything good on TV to distract me (which is funny because I'm getting going on the blogging thing again just as the new fall season starts up).

Anyway, this isn't going to be all that neat of an update. I just wanted everyone to know that we're all alive and well.

Duane's busy at work, like always but I am not complaining. We're just grateful that he has a good job and a steady paycheck. He's been getting in shape and is looking great. He's lost about 30 lbs in the last year (go Duane)

I'm not doing much these days. I've been reading a lot about politics but I hate thinking about it afterward because I tend to get all angry about it. I especially don't bring up politics with Duane because we do not agree about much these days (politically speaking). I'll let you guess who's the crazy conservative and who's the glue-sniffin' liberal (without all the glue-sniffin', of course).

Ariel is attending fall semester at BYU, playing the field (NOT! She says there is no one to date and I laughed hysterically because she's a BYU, but whatever). Ariel does keep herself busy doing whatever it is that zoobies do. She's also working at hogi yogi and at the stadium during football games as an usher. GO COUGARS!!!

Mayah's in kindergarten and she loves it. When she's not learning about firesafety at school (her current obsession is telling me how we'll get out of the house in case of a fire. Poor thing is sort of traumatized by all the firesafety talk. She had a nightmare about one the other night. So sad! but I digress...), she's spending time playing with Malia. They get along pretty well but they also love hurting eachother because...well, I don't know why, but they love beating up on eachother.

Malia cut her hair (yes, her beautiful curls are now messed up) the other day and I just about cried. She is obsessed with dogs and horses. Her favorite thing to do is pull Mayah's hair (I'm trying to put a stop to that). She loves dressing up in 'dancing dresses' and dancing. The girl has got some serious rhythm, too.

Matilda is up on all fours, scooting herself around but not yet crawling. She plays quite well by herself and is a good baby. She's such a happy baby and is always smiling at everyone. We call her 'Matilda Joy' because she is so happy and often joke about changing her middle name to 'Joy' (but we won't because we're lazy).

So that's our news. Nothing awsome, no pictures (because I lost our battery charger...I have the worst luck with cameras and their accesories) or anything but I did change the background and I added a new playlist (which is what makes this post 'musical'). The music is less mainstream but I love it because it's not being played on the radio or in stores or even on television shows. It's mostly mellow music but some is a little more upbeat. I hope all my readers enjoy listening to my playlist.

We're Phelps Phans

What can I say about the guy? Um...he's freakin' amazing! Duane and I have really enjoyed watching him swim his way into the history books. Eight Gold Metals! GO PHELPS!

My review of Breaking Dawn

*Warning, the following review contains 'Breaking Dawn' spoilers*

I wanted to love this book; to read it over and over until my head exploded. I tried to love it, even after page 360, and my complete disappointment of Jacob imprinting – on Bella’s mutant baby, no less. But I kept reading because I just knew that Stephenie was going to make it up to me.

The more I read, the more difficult it became for me to finish. I am ashamed to say I endured the torture ‘til the bitter end – and oh was it bitter or rather so sickeningly sweet it caused me to throw up in my mouth a little. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about happy endings but not at the expense of a good plot.

Breaking Dawn could have been an amazing ending to a pretty good series. To say I am disappointed with this book doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. In all honesty, this book ruined the entire series for me. I no longer have the desire to pick up any of the other books – which, I used to love. There is no way I could read them again now that I know the ending is so redonculous (rE-D'on-kU-lus; Adjective, used when the word ridiculous just isn't enough).

This book started off okay, with Bella angsting about having to drive a flashy car and getting married at such a young age – Classic Bella, am I right? But after the wedding and even the majority of the honeymoon, things went downhill. Bella, pregnant? Really? But, I was willing to forgive that particular plot twist even though it defied Mrs. Meyers canon about vampires. And she never said it wasn’t possible for a human to get pregnant after having sex with a vampire, so I simply shrugged my shoulders went with it.

I’ll admit that I liked the Jacob chapters, despite the fact that Edward offers Bella to Jacob so long as Jacob can convince Bella to abort the abomination that they’ve created with Edwards magical vampire sperm. Edward was watching his 'true love' die and it was torturing him, so of course he lost touch with reality - Totally understandable (although completely icky as well) so I hand-waved that; forgave it. I started getting aggravated when Bella was totally drawing Jacob back in (unbeknownst to us, the readers, it’s only because she’s pregnant with his future bride. More about that atrocity later) and setting him up for more heartbreak. Classic selfish Bella that we love to hate.

I really hoped that Jacob would find the ability to move past his love of Bella on his own. I don’t know about anyone else but I am getting sick of the ‘I-cannot-live-without-you’ kind of “love” (more like freaky obsession) that has been going on in these novels. It is possible to heal from a broken heart and actually MOVE ON and even fall in love again.

It seemed as though Stephenie was going to have that happen, that Leah and Jacob might deepen their friendship and discover that they actually care for each other. But no, that would erase Jacob from Bella’s life and we couldn’t have that. No. Jacob gets to imprint on the abomination that is Renesmee. Lucky him! Now Jacob doesn’t actually have to work to heal his broken heart. Oh and of course, lucky Bella for being able to keep Jacob in her life forever (I hate you, Bella Swan-Cullen).

Now on to the delivery of Renesmee. WOW, talk about a joyous occasion. What with Bella vomiting a 'fountain of blood'; the breaking of bones (Bella's back was snapped); the c-section preformed with Edwards mouth (yes, I just said MOUTH); little Renesmee sucking mama’s blood and mama flat lining after all was said and done, it’s too bad they didn’t get the whole thing on film.

Renesmee, hmmm…where to start? I’m not even going to touch the subject of her name with a ten-foot-pole. I’m just going to say that the way she’s described in the novel, sounds more like the 'Bride of Chucky' instead of some super cute baby. All the rapid growing, blood drinking and mind-melding was in no way endearing, it was weird.

Considering that the romance was non-existant in the last 3/4 of this novel, it totally lacked in cute Bella and Edward moments. All we got was kinky, tantric, vampire sex that had the potential to go for days or even weeks (yes, Bella actually thinks about that being a possibility). YIKES AND...JUST YIKES!

Isn't it just super great that Bella gets to keep Charlie in her life? It proves that you really can have your (blood) cake and eat it too. I love that the sheriff in town doesn't even want to know anything about the vampires in town, unless it is entirely necessary. Apparently ignorance really is bliss.

Oh and I loved how Renee, Bella's mom, just disappeared into obscurity. She didn't even call when Bella was supposedly in lockdown with some deadly Brazilian disease. Seriously though, when did Renee go from being the overbearing mother who would FREAK OUT about not hearing from Bella every day, to one that could care less what the crap happened to her?

The epic battle was more like an epic failure. The whole book was building up to the fight in the woods and then nothing happened. Talk about anti-climatic. I found that I was just as disappointed as the Romanian vampires were. The only casualty was Irina and it's not like she was important enough to be broken up over.

Despite the fact that I am a huge Jacob fan, I would have been okay with him dying to protect the little monster he'd imprinted on. I mean, JK Rowling killed DUMBLEDORE, for crying out loud. Stephenie could have killed just ONE of her precious characters. By doing so, she would have been able to breathe some life into this flaming pile of garbage.

And It seemed to me that by avoiding a fight the Cullens just woke a sleeping giant. Based on the conversation they were having after the "battle", it seems to me that they knew the Volturi were going to come back and attempt pick them off one-by-one. Wow talk about a victory! But why worry when Bella has mad vampire skillz? Am I right?

Worst line from this book: "Goodbye, Jacob, my brother... my son." *shutter* *cringe* *shutter*

The last few pages when Bella lifted her "shield" for Edward, so he could read her mind, wasn't all that bad. I liked that part, to tell you the truth. I also liked learning more about Leah Clearwater (in the Jacob chapters). In all honesty, it was the rest of the book that was horrendous.

TWO ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS WAY DOWN!

(Edited on Sunday August 17, 2008)

Olympics opening ceremony

Anyone that didn't see it the the olympic opening ceremony totally missed out. It was AMAZING! I've never seen anything like it and I've watched every single Olympic opening ceremony since I was 5 (1984 - Los Angeles).

Duane and I let the girls stay up late so they could watch the opening ceremony with us. We also ate chinese food while we watched. It was really fun. I know the girls really enjoyed staying up extra late with us (even if they really didn't know exactly what we were watching).

Martial arts dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Lighted dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/David Phillip)

An artist performs, suspended by wires during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

A dancer performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Performers cheer during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Fireworks light the sky over the National Aquatics Center (L) and the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images)

The Olympic rings are illuminated during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Artists perform around an illuminated Globe during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Percussionists with their Fou drums stand prior to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Jewel Samad)

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Joe Klamar )

Percussionists take part in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing's iconic national stadium was set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation's ancient history and its rise as a modern power. (AFP PHOTO / Olivier Morin)

Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

An artist in a space suit performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Not exactly 'The Dark Knight'

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Just for fun!

The other day Ariel reminded me of cute youtube video of two little boys named Charlie and Harry starring in 'Charlie bit me - again!'. I let Mayah and Malia see it and now it's one of their favorite youtube videos (In order to hear the following videos, mute the music player on my page).



Mayah and Malia also really enjoy 'Charlie the Unicorn'. You have no idea how much we hear 'Chaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrlie' around our house.



Duane discovered this next one and showed it to the girls about a year ago. It has been their favorite ever since. It features Elmo and Andrea Bocelli. It is too adorable for words. Just watch and you will see what I mean.

Lil' Miss Smartypants

So yeah, I finally got a spare minute to get back on here so I could edit my family reunion post and publish it. When I logged in, I was surprised to find that I had already published something about my family's reunion. I was like, "I really don't remember publishing this. Am I really getting so old that my memory is slipping?".

Turns out that I am not suffering from dementia. Mayah DID, in fact, add the labels and then somehow managed to publish the whole dang thing. Smart girl.

Galan Family Reunion

Not everyone knows this, but every year my family has a reunion at Camp Pendleton, CA. We camp out on the beach. Literally, ON THE BEACH. It's like heaven. We love it! Duane and I attempt to attend every year but aren't always successful. Luckily, we were able to attend the reunion this year. And yes, we had so much fun!!!