Eggs

My mom let the kids have these eggs and sticker things to decorate.

Parker made three and said he made them for me:

So Sweet!!!

You are my flower

I Luv U

And just plain flowers

New Glasses

I got two new pairs of glasses, and I LOVE them:

And the best part is I bought them online and both pairs plus the eye exam were cheaper than I used to pay for a single pair!

At Last!

Anybody remember this post way back when? (two years ago....)

Well my plan was to get to my pre-baby weight after having Aria--- and I finally did it!
Aria is only two and a half and I finally no longer carry any weight that I gained during her pregnancy. Now, 2.5 years may seem like a long time- but since I've gone and had another baby since then- I'm calling this a win!

Last time I weighed this much was about here:

November 2008- when I got pregnant with Aria

P.S.- can you believe how tiny (and cute) Parker was?!

Working Girl

I have some depressing news to share. I got a job. Technically this should be really good news, and it is in a lot of ways, since my fabulous husband got laid-off last January.
Yes, I said last January. As in: over a year ago.
I know I never blogged about it. But is that something you 'announce' on your blog? "Hey guess what?!?!? We're jobless and poor!"
Plus, I was confident that my intelligent, hard-working husband would have a new job in no time.
well, that didn't work out so I applied for and took a job. It doesn't pay a lot, but it will help.
Anyway, the reason this is depressing news is that it means I will have to leave my babies during the day.
With the commute I'll be gone for over 9 hours, 5 days a week. I know that is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to spend at work- but it's killing me to lose that much time with my kids.

P.S. Jason has a job interview tomorrow... pray for him please :)

Cakes

As many of us are, I was busy baking over the holidays, and in addition to cookies and such I got to make cakes.

Here they are, so that I can look back in 20 years and laugh at my cake-making abilities.

Basic Christmas tree cake for a ward party:

I was very rushed to decorate this so it's a bit plain, but no big deal, because...

They cut the cakes in the kitchen before they served them, so it actually made NO difference how it was decorated. So even though it was a really quick decorating job- it was still unnecessary.

Parker's Birthday cake, of course he wanted Peter Pan.

The cake ended up being a total mess, I really need to work on my fondant modeling skills, but my little birthday boy was happy, so I was happy.

The one thing I do like about this cake is Michael. He has the little butt fold thing on his pajamas, and he's holding his little teddy bear. The rest I could do without, but I like the little Michael figurine.

And cupcakes for my Dad's 50th birthday party.

Simple Vanilla-on-chocolate and chocolate-on-vanilla alternations.

I do actually really like the way the cupcakes turned out, but that's probably because it they were really simple.

And, a cake for one of my beehive's birthdays:

If you add a B-flat and and E-flat to the key signature (I didn't have room), then it is the beginning of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'

But I think it looks better upside-down

Then it is nothing :(

I had fun making the cakes, and hope that someday I'll have some real skill- I just have to keep making these 'practice' cakes.

Why I Want to Homeschool

This post is long and possibly boring to some of you- skip it if you want, just skim it if you prefer. Or read it all to understand why I want to home school my kids... since most people wonder why. Plus it will be good for me to have this written down, someday when I think "WHY? WHY? WHY AM I DOING THIS?" I can look back and remember some of the reasons I feel this is so important.

Social Skills
First, I'll address the number one concern I hear from people when I say I want to home school:
Generally something like "Aren't you worried about their social skills?"
NO.

I like to quote another homeschool mother: “I have nothing kind to say about the sort of socialization that occurs in schools, the children are thrown into single-age, often very large groups with no meaningful interactions with adults.”

The public school's primary job is to "educate". Socializing is discouraged in most settings. Children are not supposed to talk in the classroom,  or the hallway and some schools say not even in the cafeteria. So... most socializing takes place on the playground; the values most children learn at recess do not exactly align with the better morals of society. Issues such as bullying, drugs, sexual talk and actions, and the establishment of an unfair pecking order, etc...do not really meet up with the norms of adult life. Where in the "real world" or workplace are adults expected to interact with 20 to 30 people of their own age and not those who are younger or older?

I'm willing to say that 75% or more of my socializing that took place during school hours came in the form of writing/passing notes. Another 'not real' form of socializing. Most real social interaction happened after school.

Also, I've known several people who were home schooled who are more emotionally/socially mature than I am. And while in the public school system I met plenty of social retards.
Homeschooling does not mean being a social misfit, and public school is not a guarantee of normalcy.
So NO---I'm not worried about it.

Relationships
On a related note, I am greatly encouraged by what I read about relationships in home school families.
I've been doing a lot of reading from home school families about what works for them and curriculum ideas, how they plan and execute, etc.

Well, across the board I read stuff about how home school teenagers are not disrespectful and rude to their parents. They are generally not rebellious. They are kind polite and hard-working.

I've even read from mothers who talked about how bad their teenagers attitude had become, and then they started homeschooling- and within months the child was kinder, more positive, and had a much healthier and more open relationship with their parents and siblings. So even after public school and peer pressure has convinced a child that he is 'supposed' to dislike his parents and such- the damage can be reversed through home school.

I believe absolutely that:
"...There is no generation gap. That is another tool of the devil. Your most important friendships should be with your own brothers and sisters and with your father and mother. Love your family. Be loyal to them. Have a genuine concern for your brothers and sisters. Help carry their load” --Ezra Taft Benson
And:
"Another face of pride is...generation gaps..." --Ezra Taft Benson
It is not required for teenagers to hate their parents, it is a lie that a child will hear repeated often from much of society.
I want good quality relationships with my children, and I believe that this can best be achieved through homeschooling them.

Self-paced, Individualized Education
A woman I know, has an 11 year old son who has been diagnosed with some sensory disorders and anxiety disorder. His anxiety disorder causes him trouble in school. He gets less than 50% on every test he takes because he can't handle the stress of taking the test, even if he knows the information. The mother spent 2 years working with the school to get an individualized education plan (IEP) for her son. Basically she wanted the teachers to give him tests without calling it a 'test'- just call it a worksheet or something. It would still reveal how much he learned about the subject without him freaking out. They refused... you can only have an IEP if your child is on behavioral medication. No matter that he is DIAGNOSED with the disorder, since they are trying to use counselling and such instead of medications, there is nothing the school can do to help him. I really believe this boy would do well in a home school situation. He needs someone who understands his unique needs to help him succeed.

When I was in first grade, we had workbooks that we did our math out of. I finished my ENTIRE math book before Christmas break. So what do you think they did? Get me a 2nd grade math book? Recommend me for some gifted program? Nope. For the rest of the year I spent math time everyday playing board games with the down syndrome girl in the back of the class. Ev-er-y-day! Yep- they didn't give the girl who's great a math a chance to get ahead. And they completely gave up on educating the down syndrome girl.

In home school- my kids will be able to work 'ahead' and excel as much as they want- I will NOT hold them back, and if I have a child with a learning disability I won't just give up and let them fail- they will learn, at a slower pace, but they will continue to learn instead of just being pushed through.

Another example in Math: I was always good at math, it was always very easy for me... so in math class I never took notes-- I didn't need to. I got A's on all my tests without taking notes and without studying. In my Algebra class we learned how to derive the quadratic equation from the Pythagorean theorem. It was a copious amount of note taking that I didn't bother with. The next day I had memorized the quadratic equation (more than I could say for most of the other students, I'm sure) then we were given an open note pop quiz on how to derive the quadratic formula. I got 5% on the test because I was able to write the memorized formula down- and that was it. It seemed (and still does seem) completely unfair. I was punished and failed a test because I was smart enough to not need to take notes. Some other kids who were dumb as rocks got A's on that test because they didn't have to think: they just copied down their notes. This is not what education should be about!

I believe education should be for learning, not for memorizing something long enough to regurgitate it on a test and then forgetting it forever. This, however, is not how government run schools feel.

Curriculum
I don't like the ridiculous curriculum of public schools. I remember my high school world history class. We spent a couple weeks on Greek Mythology. And another couple weeks on Roman Mythology. And then we had another test comparing Greek Mythology to Roman Mythology. MYTHOLOGY=FAKE but we spent most of the semester learning about it.
In this history class, did I learn about The crusades, the inquisition, WWI? No
Any history at all that took place in Asia, Africa, Australia or South America (This was WORLD history after all)? No.
WWII? A little.
I remember studying, in detail, the disgusting gory symptoms of the black plague. Quality education there people: symptoms of a practically nonexistent disease, and myths.

Also, in my American history class we watched Forest Gump. Twice. Somehow I think there could have been a better use of my time.

Also, in some states, all textbooks will now refrain from saying the words 'marriage' 'husband' or 'wife' So remember Martha Washington? You know... George Washington's Life partner? Stupid, right? I don't need my kids being taught that kind of politically correct garbage.

Also, I can objectively teach some things (like evolution) to my kids. I believe in evolution, I just don't believe in an atheistic 'natrural' origin to life. There is NO proof that life began in some "primordial organic soup" (as my biology book this semester calls it) NONE! They only have indirect evidence that it could be possible. But it is taught like fact. Do public schools teach the controversy that actually surrounds The Evolutionary Origin theory? Do they teach children about how statistically unlikely (see: impossible) it would be to have life spontaneously generate, and then survive, reproduce and mutate into the incredibly diverse living world we live in now? NO.
Honest/Fair Evaluation of My Child's Performance
This is a story from my former Visiting Teaching companion (who is now homeschooling her youngest child) She's sure her son has some kind of learning disorder, and he was attending the preschool that is run by our local school district. (So this is the same as public school) He was 5 years old about to start kindergarten and he knew only a couple of letters (but didn't know their corresponding sounds), he couldn't really count, and he could only identify some basic shapes and colors. A bit behind for a 5 year old, right? End of the year Parent teacher conferences:
Teacher: Your son is so smart
Mother: Really?
Teacher: Yeah, you can just tell he really gets it.
Mother: Are you sure? (then lists some of his struggles)
Teacher: Oh, well yeah, but you can just tell that somewhere, deep down, he gets it.
Mother: riiiight....

They refused to honestly tell her that her son was behind. Apparently that particular school felt that it was unfair to admit that some children are more or less advanced than others. How will that attitude help him in the real world?? He'll be in for a real shock when he gets fired from job after job, because growing up everyone said he was smart and never tried to teach him to make up for his learning deficiencies.

In our school district they have this program called 'Character Counts' (I have no idea if this program is throughout AZ or even throughout the nation) But anyway, it's supposed to reward kids who not only work hard in academics, but model good attitudes and behaviors. Thus, "Character Counts". Talking to a mother in out ward, her daughter was upset that she didn't win character counts even once all year, since someone wins every month and you get some good prizes, I guess. Well the girl and mother ask her teacher why she never got character counts, she thinks she deserved it. The teacher said that yes, this girl absolutely deserved the award, repeatedly. But it wouldn't be fair to give the award to some girl who really exhibits good character. (Did you get that???) The teacher told her that since this girl was already modeling good character and would continue to do so- she didn't need the prize. It was better to give it to the kids who don't normally try for good character traits, but could use some encouragement, to feel good about themselves.

Two different examples both show that public schools are unwilling to honestly evaluate a child's performance. It wouldn't be 'nice' to let some child think that they aren't equal to every other child around them. How on earth are these kids ever expected to improve if they are constantly being lied to about their shortcomings? That's how you get morons on American Idol who swear that everyone they know tells them how great they are at singing- No one was ever willing to tell them they weren't in tune! It's not ever going to be beneficial to spare someones feeling by lying to them.

I teach piano lessons to 3 siblings. When they mess up should I just tell them what great piano players they are? That wouldn't help them- if they are ever going to succeed at playing the piano I have to tell them when they play the wrong note, or the wrong rhythm. I'm not mean about it, but I'm honest. I do praise them when they do well. But, again, I'm honest about it. Apparently however, if I were a public run educational institution I would just pat them on the back and tell them they are such good piano players. And then they would never learn to play a song correctly.

I do not want my children handicapped by the public school system, or like the girl in my ward, to have truly positive qualities ignored because they are 'good enough' to not need encouragement.
Temptations
This is a reason for homeschooling that I don't feel as strongly about, but Jason seems to think this is a heavy hitter when it comes to reasons to home school our kids.

How many stupid decisions do teenagers make because of peer pressure? I think it's a lot. Regardless  of the severity of the bad decisions, I think I can correctly say that most bad decisions made by high school students are mostly influenced by peer pressure.
And the reason I don't feel too strongly about this is that there are still temptations around in the world, and they will still deal with peer pressure in college and in the work force.
BUT... you also are more likely to have your head on straight by the time you get to college. So yes, there will be continued pressure to follow the crowd, but I think the pressure will be greatly abated, and therefore easier to resist. So even if this isn't super important to me, I still think it's a valid point.


So this isn't 100% comprehensive, there are too many reasons to list them all, but it gives you a good idea of why I want to home school my kids.

Family on the Brain

I've been thinking a lot about families lately. (No, mom... I'm NOT pregnant)

Anyway, I think it's weird how many people (including total strangers who have no business worrying about my family size) will just assume I'm done having kids. Or act confused when I say I want a big family.

I found this interesting article about the strangeness of people judging parents and large families.
Contempt of Large Families

And... I found this article about a woman, in France, who wrote a book 40 reasons not to have kids The article is depressing. She's a complete psychopath. Does she even realize her two kids will read her words someday and know they were said about them?
In the article she explains one of her "I really regret having kids" days. ummm.... I sounds to me like you regret having kids partially because they aren't well behaved- guess what??? That's YOUR fault!!! It is. It's not maybe her fault: it is her fault.
This is something that I actually think about a lot. I hear parents of obnoxious kids talk about how they totally don't want more, because they couldn't handle another one like the few they have. At first I would think "I wouldn't want more either if I had your kids" but then I realize that I WILL NOT have their kids***. I pay attention to my children. I discipline them. I love them. My kids will (and do) have rough moments and bad days... But I can pretty much guarantee that my kids will never be those obnoxious brats that make you regret having kids- because I will TAKE CARE OF THEM
Here's the article:
Lousy Mother Hates Her Kids
Her other reasons, of course, all have to do with stupidity and selfishness.

But to counter that here are two more uplifting lists:
40 reasons TO have kids
100 reasons to have kids
These ideas make more sense to me
I really don't like that it has become popular/acceptable to dis your spouse and/or kids.

While we're on the subject of families: I love my role in the home. It's a different set of challenges, but there is nothing as miraculous as teaching and loving children. I do not feel like I am stuck in the home or that I have no outlet. I am happy and love my 'job' as mom. but I do sometimes feel a little lame when someone asks and I say "I'm 'just' a stay at home Mother" But I really, I know I'm not 'just' anything. I am a mother. I am raising and teaching the next generation. (or a small part of it) My job is not lame at all.
Here's a video I liked about a woman's role:

I especially like his feminist joke :)

Ask Doug: Women working outside the home from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

***I also get this when I talk about wanting to home school. I get lots of answers like "Oh, you would never want to home school my son- he's awful" or "When they are teenagers you'll be begging to get rid of them" Well, maybe- if I were you and I were dumb enough to raise your kind of kids.

So this is kind of a random post, but it's been on my mind. You can disregard it if you would like- I'm just venting I guess

Concert List

I was looking through some old journals and I remembered how often I used to go to concerts. I loved concerts. I've survived my share of mosh pits, and I have successfully crowd-surfed multiple times.
This might come as news to some people, as getting married and having babies has tamed me quite a bit.
Anyway, I thought I would throw together a list of bands I've seen in concert just for funsies.

But there are some disclaimers about the list.
1st: It does not include 100% of bands I have seen, I can't remember them all. For example who opened for the Aquabats? I think it might have been the Rx Bandits, but since I'm not sure I'm not listing them as a band I've seen. So there are numerous opening acts that I have SEEN in concert but are not listed here.
2nd: I don't like 100% of bands listed here. For example: Britney Spears, a friend of mine was given tickets for her birthday and had just had a falling out with several of her closest friends. I was her only option so she took me- I had a good time even though Miss Spears lacks vocal talent.
3rd: There are several bands here that I saw before I truly appreciated their music. I'm a bigger fan now and wish I could see them again. Examples: Weezer and Coheed and Cambria
4th: Most bands I've only seen in concert once. The stars (*) are show bands that I have seen multiple times. Each star equals one concert

Without any further ado........

98 Degrees
Adam Panic
All-American Rejects
American Hi-Fi
Aquabats
The Ataris
Atreyu
Authority Zero
Avenged Seven Fold
Bad Religion
****Before Braille
Billy Idol
Blues Traveler
Britney Spears
Cake
Chronic Future
Coheed and Cambria
Collective Soul
Deanna Carter
Denver Harbor
Dexter Freebish
Don't Miss the Big
DramaRama
Everclear
Face to Face
Fall Out Boy
Finch
Flogging Molly
***The Format
G-Love (no special sauce)
Goldfinger
Good Charlotte
Greeley Estates
Hawthorne Weights
Hot Water Music
IMA Robot
Interpol
Jimmy Eat World
Keith Urban
Kenny Chesney
Kings of Leon
**LetGo
Limbeck
Lit
Live
**Mink Rebellion
MxPx
My Chemical Romance
A New Found Glory
Nickelback
No Doubt
No Use for a Name
The Offspring
PeachCake
PennyWise
Pepper
Phunk Junkeez
Plain White Tees
Presidents of the United States of America
Rise Against
Ruebens Accomplice
Senses Fail
Simple Plan
Slightly Stoopid
Social Distortion
Something Corporate
The Starting Line
The Stilhetto Formal
Story of the Year
Sugarcult
Sum 41
Taking Back Sunday
Third Approach
Three Doors Down
Tiger Army
The Transit War
U2
Unwritten Law
The Vandals
Weezer
Yellowcard

The best story I have about these concerts is the 2nd time I saw Mink Rebellion. At the end of their set they said they would come out and sign stuff for everyone (the singer signed the back of my shirt) My friend Nicole and I went near the stage to ask where they would go to do the signing. Nicole asked the drummer, who turned to me and said "whoa, I went to school with you" I said something brilliant like "ummm, really?" He took off his sunglasses and sure enough it was David Hubbard who I went to High school with. But what really makes that fabulous is that it was the second time I saw them in concert, I had also seen his former band (Greeley Estates) in concert and not known he was the drummer, and I had a picture of him (and the band) on my wall for a month because of this calendar I had. I didn't even realize it was David looking at me from the collage of band pictures.
Anyway, there's a little piece of my past for anyone who is interested.

Back to School

Guess what? I'm starting school again!

I'm going to have to take it slowly, but I'm really excited- I am taking two online classes (7 credit hours) this semester.

My classes officially start on Tuesday.

Wish me luck- or better yet- pray for me: with school and teaching piano lessons, and taking care of my kids and cooking and cleaning at home, plus all the hours I spend on my calling in the YW presidency (and I don't have an advisor)- I feel like I might be busy :) But a good kind of busy for sure.

I just thought I would share- I'm really happy about this, I wish I had focused more on school before- but it's never too late, right?

And the best part is {drumroll..........} I'm majoring in Culinary Arts. Just looking at my list of required courses makes me all kinds of excited.

Anyway, I guess if you notice a drop in my blog posting you'll know that I'm busy with worthier causes.

I *heart* Cake Wrecks

So Cake Wrecks is basically my favorite website. Ever.
Well, another Blog I read (Cup a Dee Cakes) Was having a give away for a free autographed CakeWrecks book. And guess what?!?!?! I won!!!
Now, I can have CakeWrecks with me wherever I go... or something like that

Anyway, the moral of the story is I'm awesome for winning (even if it was random) and you should all read Cake Wrecks because it's the best blog EVER!

Lots of Posts

I loaded pictures onto the computer tonight, and looking through them I saw a lot of little stuff that I would like to post.
Well, this might seem totally nuts but, for whatever reason I kept feeling like I wanted to get it all posted before Aria's birthday*. I know it doesn't really make sense, but it just feels like all the stuff that happened before her birthday should get posted before that time.
Crazy, I know, but it's my blog not yours- so enjoy the large amount of updates.

*I'm completely heart-broken that my baby girl turns one on Saturday. Why has this gone by so fast?

Happy Mother's Day to Me

For Mother's Day Jason and Parker made me breakfast in bed. Parker thought that giving me food in bed was HILARIOUS! Then we went to church (of course). Later, we had dinner at my parents, and stopped by Jason's parents too. It was a nice day.

A couple of weeks ago, we took advantage of another free make-and-take craft at Michael's. Both of the kids made me Mother's Day magnets to show their love for me.
I love them!

Parker made this one with just a tiny bit of help:

He said it was a cake with 2 candles- how cute is he?

Aria 'made' this one with quite a lot of help from Jason:

I love being a mother, and I couldn't ask for a better job.

It's Genetic

Look like my kids to you?
Well, these pictures are of Jason and me- but I bet I could probably pass them off as pictures of Parker and Aria.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my twenty-fifth birthday.
My children gave me a gift this morning: they were ridiculously easy. They are normally pretty well behaved, but this morning I sat down on the couch to feed Aria, and apparently she was super hungry, it took about 40 minutes. And what was Parker doing during this time? He was leaned up against me and inspecting one of his toy trains in detail, for about 35 of those 40 minutes. Fortunately I had a book with me. So I got to sit and read 'Screwtape Letters' while cuddling both of my kids.
Fabulous Morning!
And now Jason is gone. He is at a campout with the young women in our ward. Sad. Because tonight will be our first night apart since we've been married.
But he's taking me out for my birthday this weekend.
Twenty-Five sounds old. Maybe someday it will sink in that I'm really an adult; I sure don't feel like one.

I was Tagged

3 Names I go by

1. Jennifer

2. Jenper

3. J.P.

3 Jobs I have had

1. Wells Fargo- Teller, Banker, Manager

2. Montessori Day Schools- Teacher Assistant/Outdoor Environment

3. Mommy and Wife

3 places I have lived

1. Surprise

2. Mesa

3. Phoenix

Pretty exciting huh? Well if you can believe it- I've also lived in Glendale and Peoria!!!

3 favorite Drinks

1. Milk

2. Milk

3. Water

3 TV shows I watch

1. The Duggars. aka: 17, 18, or 19 kids and counting

2. The Office

3. Glee

3 Places I have been

1. The Top of the Eiffel Tower

2. The bottom of the Grand Canyon

3. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan! (Okay, so that's not very exciting, but I could only think of two really cool places so my third is something lame--sorry mom-- it's lame)

3 People who text me regularly

1. Ummmmm,

2. I don't really text,

3. but April Chavez does text me pretty often

3 Favorite Foods

1. Twice Baked Potatoes

2. Mushroom Rice

3. Fruit Smoothies

3 Favorite Books

1. Pride and Prejudice

2. Hunger Games and Catching Fire

3. Well, I don't know if counts as an all-time fav, but I'm currently reading 'A Case For Christianity' and I am loving it!

3 Favorite Colors

1. Navy Blue

2. Chocolate Brown

3. Pink

3 Favorite Hobbies

1. Crafts (Scrapbooking, cardmaking, sewing, cake decorating)

2. Reading

3. Blog Stalking

3 Things you can always find in my Refrigerator

1. Milk

2. Cheese

3. Fresh Produce

3 Things I do everyday

1. Shower

2. Cook

3. Clean

3 Things I am Good at

1. Saving Money

2. Sewing Skirts

3. Being a mom

3 People I Tag

1.

2.

3.Umm, I don't know, I hate this part.... but everybody do it! I love to see people do stuff like this!

I'm Watching You

Parker is with me a lot. (like 24/7)
So he picks up on things, even when I think he isn't watching.
Unfortunately, this includes one time when I got really annoyed while driving and I heard the words "douche-bag" echoed back to me from the back seat.
OOPS
However, that is not always the case. More often I set a good example (or at least not a really, really bad example)

The amount that Parker watches me became apparent when Parker began playing 'grocery shopping' at home. I was surprised by how much of the shopping routine he copied. All I did was put the food out, he remembered all of the other steps.

After I spread the food out for him to go shopping:

Browsing the merchandise:

Then Parker checks out.

He slides all of his food over the top of his plane and with each item he says "beep"

Then he points to things and says stuff like "six pounds, seven dollars"*

Then he uses a piece of paper that he calls 'coupons'

He slides his card:And pretends to sign his name.

Then he drives 'home' and puts his groceries away:
I love this kid and it is so amazing to watch him learn and grow. And I love his growing imagination.


*I do price match when I go grocery shopping so when I check out I have to tell the cashier how much things are, usually meat and produce, so I say something like "A dollar fifty a pound"

New Stroller

I was already at my pre-pregnancy weight by this point after I had Parker. This time my weight loss is not working so well (I blame the holidays) Aria is almost six months and I still have 11 pounds to lose.
So, I used a gift card that I got for Christmas and I ordered a double jogging stroller
I'm excited, I just need to fill the tires and get going. And the timing couldn't be better the weather is going to be gorgeous here in AZ soon, so I'll have plenty of chances to get outside

Pre-Baby Weight Here I Come!

I'm actually excited for Movies

I don't often like movies.
Most of the are lame.
They're predictable and cheezy.
But there are a few movies that I'm actually excited about.
I am super excited to see Alice in Wonderland. I love Tim Burton. And of course who doesn't love Helena Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp? I have already informed Jason that he will be taking me to see this for my birthday in March.
Also, there are three movies that have been announced, but are not scheduled until 2011 that I am also excited about.
The Host: Based on Stephenie Meyer's best book. I think this one might be hard to do, since there is a double narrator. But I love the story, so I hope it's done well.
The Uglies: Of course based on the book. I think this one will work even better as a movie than it did as a book.
And the movie that had better be the most awesome thing to ever grace the silver screen; The Hunger Games!!!! I absolutely love this book. I hope it's intense and interesting and dark and gruesome (but not much blood and gore) I can't wait for this one! Is it 2011 yet???

And of course who isn't excited for the Harry Potter movies?

Books 2009

This year I wanted to keep up my habit of reading more and watching TV less. I watched TV less, but I also read less-too bad

TV and movies are generally lame, I mostly watched the Office and Glee. We only watched a handful of movies through the year. But the one thing that Jason and I watched that I really loved was Flight of the Conchords. It's hilarious. Seriously. It's a show on HBO, and we borrowed the DVDs from the library. Funniest show. EVER.

Here are the books I read in 2009:

Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
Marked- P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast
City of Bones- Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes- Cassandra Clare
City of Glass- Cassandra Clare
Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins
The Prophet of Yonwood- Jeanne Duprau
The Diamond of Darkhold- Jeanne Duprau
Love in the Time of Cholera- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw- Jeff Kinney
Fire of the Covenant- Gerald N. Lund
Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta
Wicked Lovely- Melissa Marr
Madapple- Chirstina Meldrum
The Host- Stephenie Meyer
The City and The City- China Mieville
Eragon- Christopher Paolini
Eldest- Christopher Paolini
Brisngr- Christopher Paolini
The Adoration of Jenna Fox- Mary E. Pearson
Burn- Suzanne Phillips
Here Lies Arthur- Philip Reeve
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling
Much Ado About Nothing- William Shakespeare
The Hand You're Dealt- Paul Volponi
Impossible- Nancy Werlin

Since I read a lot I constantly have people asking for recommendations about what book to read. My recommendation would be that everyone, everywhere should read The Hunger Games (and the sequel Catching Fire). I've gotten some of my family and friends to read it and everyone loves it. Almost everyone reads it in 24 hours or less because it's impossible to put it down once you start.

Other than that my favs were Pride and Prejudice (of course), Madapple, and of course I would always recommend the Harry Potter series

Slow Down!

Today is December 22nd. So 2 years ago today was Parker's due date. Of course that means that's only six days until my little boy turns two years old! *tear*
So that means that Christmas two years ago I was pregnant with Parker, and last year at Christmas I was pregnant with Aria. Of course this year I'm not pregnant... I don't think, (maybe I should go check so I don't end up on TLC.)
Anyway, I can't believe that it has been two whole years since I was sitting around impatiently waiting for Parker to make his arrival. I know that every mom says it, but it has gone by so fast.