Twilight...at midnight

Staying up way past bedtime...

Waiting an hour in line and another in the theater...

Straining my neck from the 3rd row...

Listening to girls squeal and guys guffaw...

Getting home at 3am and heading off to work 5 hours later...

...and was it all worth it?

Uhmm...yeah!

I can't deny I went into this thinking I would hate it. I had visions of a super cheesy teenage love story drama unfolding before my eyes...yet again (yes I loved...and hated the books). And it's true...that's exactly what the movie was...but there was something more to it that really appealed to me. I had serious doubts when I heard they were making this movie. I thought it was done too quickly, which would mean cutting corners on quality etc. I also worried that the characters would not meet my expectations and that they would alter key aspects of the books. So I walked into the theater prepared for the worst, and I believe that is why I walked out of it with two thumbs up (or at least one and a half). In our group there were a lot of mixed reactions, a few people were disappointed that it wasn't truer to the book, others thought is was way too cheesy etc. etc. But we determined that our varied reactions all depended on our initial expectations...and who we were sitting next to! (A little advice...don't see this with your husband if he's a "tough guy" or with a friend who's never read the books and already knows she will hate the movie).

I really loved the way the movie was filmed, loved the lighting and the pace, and I was absolutely drawn in by the music and the scenery of the Pacific Northwest (it helps that I lived there for a year and a half, so it brought back fond memories). I quickly adjusted to the characters and found that the adaptation from book to movie was done better than I expected. Of course...it was still super cheesy! And yes I had some guffaws of my own, and a little bit of disappointment, but all in all I think I'll add this one to my A list.

So....what did you think?

Halloween '08

"Looky there Cap'n...them's comin' fer our booty!"

We sat down for a little candy break at the trunk-or-treat party, and Baby O warns Cap'n Snack that mama's laid claim on the Twix bars!


Snacker had a blast carving pumpkins with daddy this year...or more accurately, he had a blast playing in the slop!




And we all had a good time at our friends costume party where mommy and daddy went as ourselves...super geeks! :)

Skater boy

The skate board has made it's way out of hiding. When he turned two, Mr. Snack got a super cool skate board for his b-day from super cool cousin Harley. But given the fact that my Snackie was still just a baby (at least in my eyes), I kept it tucked away for a while - only emerging at rare times, only to be used on the carpet...and only in a sitting position! Then we took our annual pilgrimage to Utah again this past August, and again out came the Long Boards and of course Snackie and Harley could never get enough of them! So I resolved that maybe the boy is ready to be...a boy (with the proper safety gear of course!). Suddenly he's not a toddler anymore, he's ready for action all the time now, climbing crazy things, zooming out of control on his big wheel, and wanting to ride his skate board...every day....first thing in the morning...before bathroom visits...before breakfast...before getting dressed...before we're even AWAKE! But dang, ain't he cute.

Snackie demonstrates his best skateboarding "trick"...a head stand...sans skateboard! :)

Pumpkin patch kids

Snackie & Baby O chat about life and pumpkin patches, and the weather (yes it's still dang hot here in Texas!)

I had be pretty quick with the camera to catch these two in such sweet poses...pumpkin patches are just too much fun to be slowed down by taking pictures!

Snack & his buddies had a blast together bouncing and running and wrestling and laughing.

(we only had one kid fall off the 4 foot high hay bales...I'd say that's not too shabby!)

Mama had some fun too, it's always nice to get out and about with the kids (and the moms!). Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to work on my back flips this year...sorry to disappoint you all.

To Kill a Fish

When I was growing up our cats would often show their love for us by leaving lovely little treasures of dead mice or birds on our doorstep. And although we were entirely repulsed by the sight of these gifts, they brought a certain degree of happiness with them in knowing that we really were appreciated. This pretty much describes the way I felt when this beauty showed up on my doorstep, courtesy of a neighbor we do adore. My reaction was a sore sight, according to Bryce, because my son now believes that fish are the cause of all that is evil in the world. And it may well be true! What you're looking at is a real, live, genuine, bottom feeding Texas Catfish -sitting on (what used to be) my lovely cutting board. And I do mean live. Not only was I disgusted by a fish about to be gutted in my kitchen, but I was entirely distressed by the fact that it was still moving...and suffering...however small it's brain is. I begged Bryce to put it out of it's misery quickly - which is the only reason I didn't take the time to set up a gutting station OUTSIDE. I removed Snackie from the room (the tasks of "hunting and gathering" will likely not exist in the LaughAtme household...we simply enjoy our weekly grocery store outings too much, so seeing daddy kill a fish at age 3 would probably only instill fear in the boy), and poor Bryce set to the awful task of killing and gutting the fish. And of course...then eating the fish. I am certain that it will disappoint many of you (ahem...Chewy) to know that I do not enjoy eating fish, but the first and last time I tried catfish I found it similar to slurping pond scum through a straw - something I generally try to avoid doing. So, no, I did not partake. Nor did I partake of the lovely soup our friends offered when they invited us over for dinner later that evening. And just watching as everyone "fished" tiny little bones out of their mouths as they ate, reinforced my decision.

So...just in case y'all were feeling a desire to share some love, just know that I do prefer Chocolate & Toffee cookies over catfish any day.

a little smooch anyone?

Dear Mama Willy,

Remember that time you crashed into the wall at the institute building? It was a slow little bump as you pulled into the parking spot, but still...totally Willy...and totally "Animony" of you :)

So, we've got another "Animony" incident going on. Your babies (Dillio & myself) are currently on the BLOCKED list for your blog. You gotta INVITE us to view it Mama! And we somehow don't have an email address or other way of contacting you! So unless you want the two of us beating down your door there in WA (we may have to do that anyway), please invite us to be readers of your blog...then we can reciprocate the love you give.

Love,
Sister C

(sorry all you other readers...this was the only way)

It's not a Mullet

Check out the new do. For almost 10 years now I've been "all talk" and no "sit down, let me get my scissors." I think I've been complaining about my hair...ever since I've had hair! In my younger years I had "gorgeous wavy curls" which grew out into long straight stringy locks to about my butt, which eventually got up to around shoulder length, and stayed there...for too long. The thing is, I'm not a "girly" girl. I don't enjoy painting my toenails, I'm not into pretty pink bows and I hate, hate, hate styling my hair. So technically I'm the kind of girl who needs a "get up and go" haircut, but my fear of looking like a boy (or worse) always stood in my way. I wondered if I'd be able figure out how to style it once it was cut (I honestly can't work a curling iron), and worried about freakish things like "what if my hair bugs out into crazy curls!" So needless to say, it took a lot of courage to sit down in a hair salon and say the words, "I want a pixie cut."...but as my luck would have it I happened to get the one stylist in the salon (a place carefully selected and recommended by two separate friends) with whom I had a slight language barrier...she was Mexican...I was not. I got a blank stare and a "huh?" response. After recovering from my urge to run screaming through the plate glass window, I did my best to describe what I wanted, only to realize later, as I gave the descriptoin to my friends, that it sure sounded like I wanted a totally rockin' mullet --->

So it turns out the language barrier helped the situation...or possibly this nice stylist couldn't bring herself to admit that she did understand what I was describing - so as to save me from myself! Anyway, I must say I'm pleased with the result. It's very easy to style...almost wash and go...no blow dryer, and no curling brush. It's certainly not as short on top as I really wanted, but this is a big step for me, and this will allow me to work my way up to the actual pixie cut. But I think next time I'll go in with a picture to aid me in my description because, though I love it and all, the whole mullet thing...ain't my thing.

They keep growing and growing and...

These kids are growing so fast I have to be careful not to blink, so I figured it must be time for another update so the grandma's and the grandpa's etc. etc. can keep up with us!

Sir Snackie is my energizer bunny these days. He goes and goes and never seems to loose the wiggles. We enjoyed a slight cool down out here and started getting outside on some walks again so he's been enjoying some "cruisin' fun" on his "motorcycle." He's my biggest helper around the house - helping clean tubs and "fold" laundry, and my best helper with Baby O - always watching out for her safety and making sure she's happy. He tolerates her pulling his hair and loves it when she "hugs" him, always calling out to me, "she loves me mommy, she loves me!" His sense of humor is also developing quite well, he loves to quote, "There are no spices, where are the chips" (Nacho Libre) when I hand him his lunch, and it seems he is destined for greatness musically, "playing" his guitar and learning new songs with Bryce all the time.

Baby O is my little angel. A sweet little girl who only needs the simple things in life to make her happy (too bad some of those "simple" things are needed at odd hours of the night like 2am and 4am). She is not at all interested in any form of spoon feeding yet (she reacts to a spoon coming toward her like a pencil headed for her eye) but she is very interested in "going places." She gets around in a variety of ways, her latest skill is getting up on all fours and rocking back-and-forth then sort of face planting it - which gets her a few inches forward - then going at it again. Bryce loves to place toys just out of her reach to see her work at getting them, and of course we all cheer and chant for her as she struggles...and eventually achieves her goal! She's turning out to be a very social, smart and inquisitive little girl, happiest when there are people around to squeal at with delight, and always interested in studying new things very carefully...before chewing on them!

it's my birthday and I'll eat what I want to, eat what I want to...

...you would cry too if it happened to you. Ok...so I'm not exactly crying about all the wonderful treatment (and treats) I received for my birthday, but come scale time and I might start! This year brought a feeling of elderly-ness and a lot terrific foods, here's how it went:

• Made from scratch chocolate cupcakes with a heavenly frosting, from a friend
• Lunch with the girls at Fuddruckers (heavy on the dippin' sauces & soda mix-ins)
• Bryce's marvelous dinner of Carbonarra, Caesar salad, and fresh strawberry's & kiwi (topped with a sugar glaze of course!)
• A strawberry's and red velvet ice cream cake from Cold Stone
• A gift of "Sublime" white chocolate candies
• 2 inch thick homemade brownies with Milky Way's melted inside, from another friend

...and the scale says, "ouch, they may love you - but I sure don't! Go take a walk...or two."

thirty...one

Pictured LtoR: Shaka, Laurel(age..4?), Jar-head

This little girl aint so little anymore. Why does 31 seem soooo much older than 30?

LiFe uNsCRIpteD tAg

I was double teamed here - both Kara as well as Shaka tagged me with this one. For some reason they want to know exactly how messy I am in my every day life ;)

So here's how it works. You cannot clean, straighten, or prep. You must grab the camera and start snapping pics of specific places (it's amazing how much of a mess can be hidden simply by angling the camera one way or another). So behold...my life:

1. The kitchen sinkWe were at an art show last night, so dinner didn't happen until around 8pm...that's a pretty good excuse for dirty dishes this morning...right?

2. Fridge

3. Laundry room

not much to see here...just my 25 year old washer (note my dryer in number 5)

4. Bathrooms/toilets

it's usually not a good idea to get too close to my toilets

5. Favorite room

this is where we spend the most time, that little couch is also my favorite place to take a cat nap...whenever I can (ha ha ha)

6. Bedroom

Yes...I actually do make my bed most days. I find that doing so makes my day run smoother...go figure.

7. Closet

8. Favorite pair of shoes

I'm a super picky shoe shopper! So when I fell in love with these at first sight I knew I had to buy them. They're perfect for me.

9. My kids/hubby

10. Me

When I remembered about doing this tag I was actually standing in the bathroom doing my hair. As you can see I got a little carried away with the camera, but I was having so much fun I couldn't stop (I was actually taking pictures of myself as I made fun of myself in the mirror...the dirty, spotted, streaky mirror).

Kudos to Kara

(sorry Kara, these pics were just toooooo awesome not to share!)

I brought Bryce some leftover cake from a baby shower last night, and as he gobbled it up for breakfast this morning he exclaimed, "that's the best cake I've ever had." Of course I didn't need to tell him that our friend Kara had made it, he knows well enough that she is an amazing baker. So he then proceeded to tell me that I should, "take baking lessons from her." I felt you all cringe at that one...but I didn't cringe one bit. He and I both know that I can't bake/don't desire to bake...even to save my life, and his statement was said in the same way someone might say, "you should learn Chinese" or more accurately in my case, "you should create a Universe." Bryce would LOVE to have the kind of yummy treats around our house on a daily basis that you find at the Nelsens, but the truth is I really have no desire to bake. I mean I do wish I had the ability to make wonderful yummy things if the mood arose, but it would only really be worth it to me if they simply appeared in my oven without the labor involved, and the mess to clean up afterwards...or better yet...it would be nice if they simply appeared...on my doorstep! But until that day I'm sure Bryce will survive on the yummy BlueBell Popsicles in the freezer, and the store bought sugar cookies on the counter. :)

"Where am I?"

Shaka want's to know where I am...and so do I!!

It's so hard to get back into the swing of things after vacation (I think I left my brain in Utah). I look around my house and can't even figure out where everything goes in order to put it away! But despite the mess, the piles of mail, and the missing family & friends out west, it is nice to be back home.

We had a fabulous vacation. It seems there is never a shortage of things to do when we go to Utah. Bryce & The Snack can't get enough of the mountains etc. and I never tire of spending time with family. I was especially excited about being able to spend time with two of my sisters on this trip since they are in Utah & Idaho going to school. And it was nice to be able to make a short trip up to Idaho to see (and introduce Bryce and the kids to) some relatives I haven't seen in around 10 years! We covered a lot of ground on this vacation, had a lot of fun times (including two weddings), and took a TON of pictures! So I'll try to share a few (of the 562) with you....so check out the slide show...

My family ROCKED the 80's!

No doubt about it...you all wish you were as cool as this clan! Is there anyone out there who can claim that the 80's didn't "claim" them at some point, in some way? Even my dad was totally rockin' his Magnum PI mustache! Gotta love old pics. I'm in Utah right now hijacking my sisters computer...and she's got all these terrific old pics on it, so I couldn't resist sharing...so...can you tell which one is me?

It's Baby O time!

Some long overdue pics of this sweet face

Summer Reading

I don't know where that term comes from, for me, "Summer" and "reading" go together as well as "motherhood" and "sleeping!"

I suppose if I spent my Summers lying on a beach somewhere, then Summer might bring time for reading...but then again...if I were lying on a beach somewhere it would likely mean that my children were off eating sand somewhere. Heck...never mind "Summer reading" - reading in general probably means that my kids are off eating sand somewhere!

With that said, this is what I'm "reading" this summer:
Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal. I know, I know! Ooo what a page turner! But you've got to understand, I've decided that I have a little OCD when it comes to reading. I get these feelings of guilt if I just pick up a random novel. In general a book has to come to me highly recommended, or I don't trust it to be worth my time. During the day the kids need tending, at night the house needs tending, and on top of that I have a backlog of Ensigns and Readers Digests that need reading (and here is where the OCD comes in...I must read a magazine from cover to cover...or why pay for it!). But this summer I determined that I need to do more for "me." By that I mean I need to better myself, so I did a little self survey to find out what really interests me, and what of those things could be beneficial to both myself and my family. This is one of the interests I came up with. I really do enjoy learning about, and practicing, healthful habits. I didn't select this book based on any recommendations (risky, I know), I simply chose it off the library shelf because it was the most currently published book on nutrition - and it's proven to be a good find so far. Ok, so I've only read the first chapter, but already my perception of what is healthy has been changed! And, my conspiracy theorist brother will appreciate this, I've learned that we are foolish to trust the federal government to inform us of what is healthy and not healthy. Did you know the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine won a lawsuit against the government for the over promotion of meat and dairy products in the original Food Guide Pyramid. It seems the USDA is also effected by lobbyists and big money corporations - just like any other part of government! This is the reason they recently changed the food guide pyramid...but for the last 15 years this country has been becoming obese based on the recommendations of the federal government! Ohhhh the tangled web we weave....look at the health care problems this has created! And it seems this is just he tip of the iceburg with this book. I'm excited to read & share more, so watch for future posts...if my "Summer reading" works out.

So...what are you reading this Summer?

Just another reason...

...why we love the Dad-n so much! Bryce will usually take a day or two of the week and whip up a tasty meal for us. Today's meal was worth a post (this one is for you laina).

We're not big on burgers around here, so Bryce bought some burger sized Portabella mushroom tops and fried them up. He added cheese, and bacon on the side. Very tasty! Better than a burger any day honestly, and I'm generally not a huge mushroom fan (even eating this I couldn't really look too closely at it...looks like squid or something!).

Bryce also whipped up his summer time specialty - Pasta Salad. Bryce makes one of the few pasta salads that I actually like. It's a very lite, simple salad - not doused with dressings etc. Vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, cucumber, garlic, whole milk mozzarella (fresh is best...hard to get that in Texas!), freshly grated parmesan, olive oil, salt, and a good al dente pasta. Yummers.

Bryce's Day

Daddy, we think you're the best! Thanks for making every day so much fun!

Happy Father's day

We love you!