Instant Pudding...

I was lost to the world for a while there. We moved to a new apartment, and it took like a month to get our internet turned on...unbelievable!! Add to that that we were over on our cell minutes, so it was like living on the moon! How did people live without instantly being able to connect to each other? We live in an instant world...that's for sure.

But Hey...I'm back...pistachio anyone?

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."