Feel Goods

Matt and I have had a blast teaching the Valiant 11 class this last year! Our class is a ton of fun and our kids are brilliant (sometimes obnoxiously so). Well, this last Sunday was our last class together since they will all be moving on to Valiant 12 and then mutual. Matt and I have been a little nervous about getting our new class next year because we have gotten comfortable with the kids we have and will be getting a couple new kids with some behavioral problems. Well, last week a member of the presidency pulled us aside and asked if we would be okay if they combined the Valiant 10 class with ours next year since the class is only two kids. One of the kids is only there every other weekend since his parents are divorced, so its basically been a little girl by herself most of the year. The little boy who comes every other week is autistic, so even though we're only tacking on two kids to our class, it will still be a handful. Good thing he adores Matt!

Anyway, on Sunday they gave us our new manuals and, much to our surprise, we are teaching the Valiant 9 and 10 class next year instead of the 10 and 11 year-olds like we thought. So we are getting the kids fresh from junior primary who just got baptized this last year. We were looking over the roll (since these kids are from junior primary we don't know any of them at all!) and four of our kids next year are younger sisters of the kids we had this last year. Funny, huh? I mentioned this to a couple of the girls sitting next to me during closing exercises and two of the boys sitting in front of me overheard. Their response was "Oh man, we wanted to be in your class next year!" Talk about making you feel good! I guess Matt and I have a reputation in the primary for being the coolest teachers ever. I can't say I blame them all for wanting to be in our class, we do have a lot of fun! It will be interesting to see what the new year brings and its always fun to see the changes that come with a new age group. Starting next week, we will have taught in Nursery, Sunbeams, CTR 5, Valiant 11, Valiant 10, and now Valiant 9.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me...some hot pink pajama pants! They are long and super comfy! I've worn them to bed every night since. My pj bottoms were all starting to get a bit snug, so they'll never fit when I'm not pregnant, but they are perfect for right now!

My true love got a chocolate orange. It was the only approved treat for 12 days this year. Chocolate oranges are Matt's favorite and they are only around once a year.

The kids got some stuffed animals to rip apart.

We spent Christmas with my family this year and we had a blast! It is always fun when all six kids, three spouses, two nephews, and three grand-dogs get together. We stayed the night at my parent's house Christmas eve and spent all day with them on Christmas, with a visit to Matt's parents as well. We played a lot of games, the guys built an awesome snow fort in the yard with all the snow (I'm talking ginormous! It comfortably fit five adults inside), and we just relaxed together. Friday night a bunch of us went and did sealings at the temple. It was really fun to be able to go as a family! We were originally going to go home Friday, but it snowed a lot so we decided to stay. Then we were going to go home Saturday morning, but Matt went over to Logan and Kristine's to help with their basement. So we made it home Saturday night at about 5:30pm. I had a baby shower at 6:00. I think this is going to be our last year doing the whole over-nighter thing. We had a lot of fun, but by the end, the kids were pretty restless.

My roommates threw Raylyn and I a joint baby shower. She is also having a girl in February. The shower was going to be a few weeks ago, but the snow made us have to change the date. Thank goodness it didn't snow more on Saturday! Its always a blast to get together with my old roommates! Last time we were together, three of them were pregnant so it was fun to catch up and meet all their beautiful babies. Thanks again girls!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

My true love gave to me...Snowman socks! They aren't only snowman socks, but they are snowman TOE SOCKS! If you can't tell, I really love fun socks!

My true love got the movie "Bullet-Proof Monk".

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

I'm Back!

For some a week may not seem like much of a hiatus, but for me it feels like an eternity since the last time I signed on! I appreciate all your comments, but I feel like I need to clear a few things up. I LOVE when people comment on our blog, so please don't ever stop! I did not take a break just because of comments left on my postings. I took a break after multiple instances where people told me (through texts, e-mails, and phone calls) that my opinion was wrong and/or so offensive that I needed to remove it from my blog. Oh, and being told I'm a horrible person. That one made me feel super happy inside too. So please don't ever stop leaving me comments! I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, most of the time I can see both sides of an argument anyway. It's being told my opinion is wrong or rude that made me take a brief break. You (those of you who commented) are all right. If someone chooses to take my intended humor and twist it into something else, that's their problem. I've said my peace. I'm dropping the subject now.

Matt and I have been having a lot of fun with Twelve Days this year! It's really fun, and sometimes challenging, to come up with gift ideas for under $5 but I think we've outdone ourselves this year! We have given each other some really fun things! I also forgot to mention we had a "no food" stipulation this year since baby doesn't have much of a sweet tooth and Matt is trying to eat better. So here are the updates on Twelve Days:

The dogs, of course, have continued getting their Christmas cookies each day. Its really cute! They've gotten used to the time when we do Twelve Day gifts now, so they sit by the counter and look up at the box, just waiting for that special treat.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...A metal bookmark. It's pretty and has pink hearts on it! It's because all my other bookmarks tend to bend and tear. So thoughtful!

My true love got a yo-yo ball.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a super cute snowman ornament.

My true love got a three pack of gum, so when he's tempted to snack he has something to chew on.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...A "grow-your-own" gingerbread man, snowman, and tree. Just add water! He also gave me some Christmas tree earrings.

My true love got a new beanie for snowboarding.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Fuzzy socks! I'm even wearing them right now! So comfy!

My true love also got socks! But his were boring and white. We had a mishap involving some cherry chapstick and a load of whites that left him with all pink polka-dotted socks.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...the movie "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". One of my favorites!

My true love got a long-sleeve blue shirt. It looks super hot on him.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...Pink princess silly putty! Oh yes, they make princess silly putty.

My true love got a Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer little golden book.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...An island calendar full of happy pictures of happy beaches and happy sunshine. I hate snow!

My true love got some new chapstick.

Only two days left!! Can you believe it? I'm so excited for Christmas! And also for New Years! Matt and I are having a party at our place this year. We're having a "Clue" themed party; beginning our night with a murder mystery dinner that was written by yours truly, followed by games like Clue and Mafia and then ending our evening with watching the movie Clue. I've made you all jealous now, haven't I? We actually still have a couple spots open for the murder mystery dinner, so if you don't have plans that night (or our plans sound like more fun) let me know! I would love to invite everyone, but I know many of you live too far away and others have plans with their families. If you're interested in coming let me know and I'll get you an invitation!

Whiplash

I really enjoy blogging!  I mean, I am super addicted and I love it!  I love feeling connected to friends and family members who I otherwise would not know the goings-on of their day-to-day lives!  I love having a place to write about my feelings and opinions, if for no one else but myself!  I recently discovered, however, that my opinions tend to be offensive to others.  When I share my opinion about something, I usually try to make it funny but I have learned that my sense of humor is completely lost on some people, as it differs from their own.  I said I'm not a big fan of trunk-or-treats, and you'd think I punched Mickey Mouse in the face.  We don't want to reveal the name of our baby until she is born, and people acted like we spit on the prophet himself.  I shared my thoughts on the Twilight movie, and I might as well have pushed a handicap child in front of a moving train.  Then I revealed I didn't like being harrassed by men in red suits (give me black any day of the week.  Brown, sure) but people seemed to think I was standing on my soapbox, burning bibles.  Well, hold on to your seats cause I don't like bacon, I think football is boring, and Robert Pattinson is possibly one of the ugliest human beings I've ever laid eyes on.  Having gotten that out of my system, I think it is time I take a hiatus from the blogging world.  I need to focus on my book anyway and it will give people time to recover from the verbal whiplash I seem to have caused with my tongue.    

On the Third Day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me...two wooden ornaments and a 'JOY' sign with a snowman on it for me to paint!

My true love received the movie Fletch.

The kids each got another cookie.

The Santa Contradiction

* WARNING *
The following contains much sarcasm and should only be read by those with a sense of humor.

There is an increasing number of people who need to see psychiatrists in our country and many of them end up blaming their parents for the problems in their lives. Now around this time of year I can't help but wonder if some of these accusations are somewhat accurate and not just the selfish ramblings of an adult who never learned to take responsibility for their own agency. One major value we teach our children from a very young age is honesty. We beat it into them that they always need to tell the truth, because the punishment for lying is far worse than the punishment for the thing which they are lying about. And yet from the time they are teeny babies we, as parents, lie to our children. You lost a tooth? That's wonderful! Now put it under your pillow before you go to bed and a special fairy will sneak into your room while you are asleep and slip a dollar under your pillow in exchange for the dead tooth. Wonder where all that candy comes from on Easter? Well there's this giant bunny who comes to our house at night and leaves a basket full for you. Then there is Christmas. One night a year when an old, fat man dressed in red, flies around the world with his reindeer, slips down the chimney, and leaves a bunch of presents for you under a tree. Now I absolutely love Christmas! I love the excitement, the magic, the colors...but does anyone else see the irony in lying to our children for 5, 7, 10 years about the existence of Santa Claus when we encourage them to be truthful all year? I'm all for teaching our children to have and use their imaginations (hello, creative writing major). But what is the difference between our telling our children that all the presents under the tree were left there by Santa Claus and a little boy saying a giant bird flew in through the window when mom asks about her broken lamp? Both instances promote the use of creativity and the imagination, do they not? How can we expect our children to know the difference between right and wrong when we ourselves sit on the grey line, balancing in the middle, several times a year?

This debate has been going through my head lately with the impending birth of Gertrude. (FYI that's the name my mom and I have been using to refer to she-who-has-not-yet-been-named.) I don't want my child to be the one going to preschool or kindergarten and telling all the kids that Santa isn't real. I have every intention of keeping this lie alive. Why? Because its fun! There is something magical about going to bed Christmas Eve and seeing the big empty-bottom tree and waking up Christmas morning to see it chock full of bright packages all ready and waiting to be opened. I was one of those children who believed in Santa for quite some time. Like most kids, I didn't want to let the magic go. I even snuck behind the tree a few times when I was getting older and still wanted to believe, just to try and catch him in action. But I was always caught and sent to bed. However, the dream of Santa only lived in my mind. I had a perfect image of him at the North Pole with Mrs. Claus and all the toys and elves getting ready for that special night each year. Never once, as far back as I can remember, did I ever believe those Santa imposters at the mall were the real guy. I can remember at a very young age thinking how silly it was for children to think that the real Santa had time to come to the mall or show up to work or family parties. Maybe it was because I had my own image in my mind and none of the want-to-be's ever measured up. It goes along the same lines of turning your favorite fictional books into movies. They are never nearly as good. Why? Because the images you cooked up in your own mind are so much better!

Now I'm not sure where my irrational hatred for fake Santa's stems from. It might be that never once in my life have I believed they are real and resented them for trying to pretend that they were. Or maybe its because I've witnessed so many parents force their screaming babies and toddlers onto his lap in an effort to get some cute pictures. Whatever the case I hate, hate HATE fake Santa Claus's. The closest thing I can compare it to are those otherwise perfectly normal adults who have a fear of clowns. I'm not afraid of fake Santa, I merely despise him. When my children are old enough to understand who Santa is and they ask me if they can go visit him at the mall to sit on his lap and have their picture taken, fine. I will suck it up and take them. But I will NEVER take my children to sit on his lap unless they want to. (Sorry grandparents if you were hoping for pictures of my baby sitting on the lap of a stranger) Again, it stems back to the contradiction of parenting. Never, never talk to strangers! Here, sit on this strange man's lap and accept candy from him...I dunno, the whole thing freaks me out. I prefer to keep Santa a fictional character in my mind's eye. Making him "real" ruins the whole thing for me.

The reason behind this ranting is my family had their annual Christmas party last night. I have always loved my family's Christmas party! We eat yummy food, visit, and play an enormous game of white elephant. But this year a dark cloud hung over the party. His name: fake Santa Claus. There he was, my nemesis. Forcing us to sing and get up and dance and then...sit on his lap. I have always LOVED the fact that my family doesn't do the whole "Santa thing" at our parties. My friends would tell me horror stories of their family parties and still being forced to sit on his lap when they were in high school and I thought how lucky I was that my family never did that. The thought of having some stranger show up at a family event and take control never really appealed to me. Then I found out for the first year ever, my family had hired a Santa and for a brief moment considered skipping the party altogether. But I had been looking forward to the party so I decided to not be a Scrooge and just enjoy being with family. We ate dinner, visited, played our white elephant game; things were going great! Santa showed up and it was fun to see how excited (and somewhat terrified) the little kids all got. I sat back in the kitchen, away from the man I despise, and enjoyed watching the kids have a ball. He forced us to sing...not my favorite, but I joined in. Then he wanted everyone to get up and dance. Nothin' doin. I was having bad cramps at the party (nothing to worry about, just normal pregnancy stuff) but I knew from experience the best way to deal with the pain was to remain seated. Then the whole sit on his lap, tell him what you want, get a candy cane thing started. I was just fine in my spot in the kitchen, watching from afar. But then, when I thought I was safe, he turned around and told me it was my turn. I said no, but that wasn't good enough. He took it upon himself to come over and try and get me to participate. I don't know about you, but when I don't feel good I just like to be left alone. Add that to my irrational hatred for the imposter sitting next to me and I was one step away from punching the old man in the face. It took every ounce of self control I possess to not let my pregnancy hormones take reign and scream a string of profanities (because there were children present). I honestly do not know what the guy's deal was. I was sitting away from where he was, I clearly had "buzz off" stamped to my forhead and he was still as pushy as can be trying to get me to talk to him. Matt knows of my loathing for fake Santa and he agreed the guy was being way too pushy. I normally do not reveal this strange quirk I have to people, I normally just let them think I am being "shy" or "bah-humbug" at such Christmas parties when he and I are both present. But I lost it last night and feel my family needs to understand why. (Even if they don't understand it). I finally screamed at the guy that I wasn't feeling good and burst into tears. This was my worst mistake. I got the creep off my back, yes. But for the rest of the party everyone thought I was really sick and they were all worried about me. I had cramps, yes. I was in pain, yes. But the biggest part of my pain left when fake Santa drove away.

If my family deems it necessary to bring fake Santa back again next year, I can only hope that he keeps his distance. Otherwise the kids are going to get more of a show than they bargained for when I whip out my Taser.

On the First Day of Christmas...

One of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions in my family is doing the Twelve Days of Christmas. Starting December 14th and every morning up until Christmas, there was always a small gift on the table for each of us. The gifts ranged anywhere from tic tacs or gum on a Sunday morning to small toys, Christmas socks, or candy. Matt and I have kept this tradition alive every year since we got married, and I love it! We have a price limit per day (or we might get a little carried away) but its so fun to buy each other small things and open them each day. The dogs always get a little something too. Yesterday was the first day for Twelve Days this year!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a pair of snowman scissors! They are so cute! He told me they are for wrapping Christmas gifts. =)

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a book called "If Dogs Could Talk". Its full of pictures of dogs with captions of what they look like they are saying. Its really funny!

My true love received a CD on the first day of a mix of daddy/daughter songs.

And on the second day he got a reindeer ornament. (we give each other ornaments every year too.)

Our kids got a different Christmas cookie for each of the days so far. And although they look pretty good and smell like honey, yes, they are for dogs.

I Love...

I Love watching my belly expand! My whole life (with the exception of one dark summer) I have always had a flat tummy. I'm not just talking skinny; but would look hot in a bikini, put super models to shame, type flat tummy. And now I find myself squealing with delight every morning when I look in the mirror and see the snails-pace expansion going on around my middle.

I Love feeling her move! Every time she kicks, wiggles, and practices somersaults inside my belly I get a big smile on my face. On Thanksgiving we went and saw the new James Bond movie and she was moving for the full two hours. Probably because that is a Very loud movie, but I enjoyed it even with the constant interruptions. She is very strong! I'm surprised at how well I can feel her this early. Matt is excited because I keep saying she has strong soccer legs.

I Love having boobs! I've always been rather lacking in this area, but its nice to feel more "blessed" even if its only for a little while.

I Love having an excuse! I can eat as much as I want, and no one says anything. I can take a nap in the afternoon, and no one says anything. I can cry at silly things, and no one says anything. I can be completely honest and blunt, and no one says anything. They just laugh and say how much they will miss the pregnant me.

I Love how every woman in the world has my back! When I started feeling sick at church, a lady in my ward handed me some crackers and told me to eat. When Matt and I were walking into work on a snowy day a lady I work with looked at Matt and said "Don't you dare let her fall!" I've had more offers for used cribs and other supplies than I can even keep track of.

I Love looking at cute girl outfits and little pink dresses at the store! I can actually look at baby things now and know I will be getting them soon.

I Love showers! I have always enjoyed going to baby showers and this weekend my roommates are throwing me my first one! (Its a joint shower with another roommate who is also pregnant and due in February) It will be very different being on the receiving end this time. I'm excited!

Trimming the Tree

Matt and I spent the last two nights decorating for Christmas. I just love putting up Christmas decorations while listening to Christmas music and sipping hot cocoa! This time of year is so fun! We are still only using a small 3 foot tree that my aunt gave us for our first Christmas (Thanks Bonnie!) We figure we'll spring for a bigger tree when the kiddies start coming. Even though most likely no one else is going to see our decorations, we still had a ball putting them up! These are just a few pictures Matt took of our front room.

100 Things

I'm totally copying all those who have done this already, but I too was curious and wanted to see how many I had done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (Technically both my "children" were adopted)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the statue of liberty (Went right after 9/11 and they wouldn't let people go to the top)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon (Walked, not ran)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (lunar yes, sun no)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (Even had an Amish guy hit on me)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the great wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold girl scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (Only because the company was moving)
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (Working on it! Have been published in a magazine though)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (I'm halfway there)
95. Seen the alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

I have done 65 out of 100. Not too bad for only being 24, but it looks to me like I need to travel more!

Jeff Dunham

I am so excited!!! Matt and I purchased tickets today to see Jeff Dunham live at the Energy Solutions Arena on January 22nd! Tickets are kinda pricey, but we both really wanted to go so we decided to buy them for each other as our Christmas presents this year. Merry Christmas to me! We are going with a group of friends and we'll be sitting in the lower bowl, so its sure to be a fun night! If you don't know who Jeff Dunham is, he's a hilarious comedian/ventriloquist. I've included a clip from youtube of him with one of my favorite puppets, Peanut. Enjoy! I'll be enjoying it live in 57 days!!

Drumroll Please

I put all eleven names of those who guessed 'girl' in a container and my lovely assistant, Matthew, pulled out the name. And the winner is.....Errin Johnson! (Which is quite convenient since she sits next to me at work.) Errin will be receiving a lovely pink bag filled with a bag of all pink M&M's, a bag of assorted pink jelly bellies, pink lemonade, pink heart socks, pink nail polish, pink lip gloss, pink Barbie bubble bath, pink lotion, a pink pad of paper, a pink pen, pink dangly earrings, and some pink stickers. Congratulations Errin!

Twilight: The Movie

The following are my opinions of the movie. If you don't like them I am sorry, but that's why they are called opinions. If you've read the book, this won't spoil anything for you. We all know how it ends. I do have to admit I liked the movie better than I thought I would! When I saw the previews, they made me laugh out loud so I wasn't sure if I would go and see it. But then a group of ladies from work invited me to come along. We met at the Tripp's house for dinner beforehand. Jessica is so cute and she had a whole dinner planned to go along with the Twilight theme. We ate Volturi meatballs with blood sauce, garlic bread, vegetarian salad, and royal red velvet cake with ice cream and strawberry sauce for dessert. We drank a red punch out of "blood-stained" cups and Jessica had a bowl of red apples for the centerpiece. It was awesome!

After we enjoyed our fabulous meal, we sat and talked for awhile before heading over to the theater. (The great thing about assigned seats - we got there 5 minutes before the movie began). I've heard people say they think the movie moved too fast or that it didn't follow the book well enough, but I think they covered the story pretty well for it being a book turned movie. And I thought the pacing was perfect. I never felt lost or anything. The music they chose for the movie, however, was awful! I think the random assortment of background noise took away from the scenes, rather than added to them. There were scenes that I wanted to end just so the music would stop!

There were a few scenes that made many people in our theater laugh out loud. When Bella walks into the biology class for the first time and Edward covers his nose and looks like he is going to puke, most of the theater found this hysterical. Also when Edward is "running" through the trees, it looks like he's riding a bike. So funny! When Edward shows himself in the sunlight for the first time and he is supposed to look like he's covered in diamonds, he looks like he's just sweating really bad. That scene got a few good giggles. I wish they had just left out the scene when Carlisle transforms Edward. It looked like an awkward love scene. And others that topped the list were when Edward rescues Bella from the guys in the alley and he growls or something at them (I thought it sounded like he burped). I wish Edward had done more than merely make a noise in their direction! When Alice rips off James' head...pretty darn funny, and at the end when Edward is sucking the venom from Bella's hand and he can't stop. The look on his face is just so funny it was impossible not to laugh. Can't describe it, just such a funny face.

Scenes I loved include any scenes with the Cullens! I LOVED the Cullens!! Every one of them played their roles so perfectly! I wish there had been more scenes with them and that we could have gotten to know them better! Carlisle was absolute perfection! He hit that part dead on. When he first appears though, he is wearing Way too much white makeup. Several of the girls I was with wanted to reach up and scrape his makeup off. I'm not sure why they made the Cullens so white. Esme, even though we didn't see her much, was motherly and sweet. Exactly as she was supposed to be. I was impressed with how good they made Rosalie look. When I saw who was cast, I didn't think she was pretty enough, but she looked beautiful and she was perfectly rude to Bella. Emmet was one of my favorites! He had very few lines but everything he said was funny and brought out the charm of his sweet, teddy-bear character. Alice was exactly like I pictured. Funny and sweet and a little quirky. And Jasper just made me laugh. He was so straight-faced and calm, yet uneasy about being friends with a human. As my friend Kim put it "He was so awkward in that "I don't know how to be friends with my food" way. Nicely worded Kim. But I did hate that they left out Jasper's ability. Why not even mention it? I also loved the scenes with the high school kids. Mike and Jessica and Eric and all of them channeled their characters better than I could have imagined. They were so goofy and immature and just portrayed the high school scene so well! Charlie was the perfect dad for Bella. Wasn't really sure how to talk to her and he had some great lines. I also liked the evil vampires. James was perfectly creepy and just so evil. And Victoria played her part very well. I wish the scary and tense scenes with them had been a bit more scary and tense, but the actors did well with the cheesy dialogue and poor special effects they were given to work with. Jacob was also great. He was very realistic and lovable. I just wonder how they are going to make him big enough for the next movies...??

I thought the movie was fun and entertaining but my biggest problem with it was the chemistry between Bella and Edward. There was NONE!! This is supposed to be a passionate story about love and romance but the two of them made the process seem painful. Their dialogue was so robotic and awkward with each other! Which worked well in the beginning, when Edward is trying to be her friend and resist her smell and Bella isn't sure about him, but then when they were supposed to be getting closer to each other and fall in love...nothing! It was like watching two people who can barely stand each other being forced into a scene together! Don't even get me started on the kissing scenes, which were just too painful to relive. Maybe if they had more time to develop their relationship or if we had heard them talking once in awhile rather than cheesy music playing while it showed them talking...I don't know. But I was seriously disappointed in the portrayal of their relationship.

When Robert Pattinson was cast as Edward, I was very upset. I do not think he is good looking AT ALL! But I have to admit there were a few scenes when they made him look really good. And I thought "If only he could act, I would actually be okay with his playing Edward." He portrayed Edward well in many ways, but his words had zero emotion behind them. Which doesn't work well when he is talking to someone he supposedly loves. I really hope he loosens up a little from his monotone delivery by the next movie. I also think the super red lips was too over-the top. He looked like he was wearing lipstick throughout the entire movie and I'm not sure what was up with his hair. It kept growing! By the end, he looked like he had an Elvis do that didn't even fit in the frame.

Kristen Stewart can't act. Just the plain and simple truth of it. Unfortunately enough I have had to endure her poor attempts in more than one movie. What I have learned is that she plays the same character in every movie. She can't distinguish between characters and plays very different roles the same way every time. She always had a sour look on her face and her eyes were as dead-pan as Robert's voice. No emotion. The funniest scene with her was when she was dying in the end. Instead of sounding like she was in pain, it sounded like she was having an orgasm. Very awkward to watch.

In conclusion, I loved every single character in the movie with the exception of Edward and Bella. I thought everyone else played their characters extremely well with the amount of screen time and dialogue they were given. But I hold on to the hope that they will both better their acting skills by the next movie.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Matt and I were both really hoping for a girl first, so we were very excited to find out it was a girl! Everything looks perfect and she is exactly where she is supposed to be (size wise and everything). Hold on tight, the winner of the drawing will be announced tonight!

Awww man!!!

Personally, I am not a big fan of the whole blog tagging thing. In my opinion the only place where there should be any tagging is on a school playground or a laser tag arena. However, Kristine tagged me with some sort of photo thing and people keep getting after me about how I don't post on this blog anymore. All I've got to say is that I live with a woman who has a degree in English and is on the verge of becoming a professional author. Now I ask you, who do you think would do a better job of detailing our adventures, the author or the computer nerd? I rest my case. Stacy says that this should be an easy post for me so here it goes. This is the 4th picture in my 4th folder of photos.


This is a sheep. Neat, huh? I knew you'd be impressed. This was taken last year for a book that Stacy wrote for our friends and family as a Christmas present. We went to the petting zoo at Gardener Villiage and I had to be very carefull not to get any of the kids there in the pictures as I didn't want any of the parents thinking that I was some sort of petifile. Another fun part about our trip to the petting zoo was the little billy goat that kept trying to put the moves on Stacy. At least I think that's what he was doing. He kept head-butting her in the butt. Pretty funny. Anyways, this is the part where I'm supposed to tag someone else, but I'm not going to. Tagging someone would be against my morale principes. Till next time. Keep reading our blog and keep your pets away from grease fires.

Cookies, Movement and the Flu

Keep in mind, this isn't even all of the cookies.

Here's a closer look. Some of them are really cute, but notice the amount of candy and frosting on some of them. Its like a cavity waiting to happen!

Saturday was our final primary party with this year's Valiant 11 class. Every week the kids get points (1-10) based on how well they behaved during class. Then when the class reaches 100 points, we have a party. Our first class party was games at our house, then we combined two parties and had a swimming/pizza party, and on Saturday we decorated holiday cookies and brought them to the primary presidency. So Friday after work, Matt and I made 116 sugar cookies. It seems like a lot, I know. We wanted to have enough for the kids to be able to eat some while they decorated, plus enough for them to bring some home to their families, and enough for the five people we were taking them to in the ward. The kids had a blast! Although the cookies started out with so much frosting and candy on top, the average person would not be able to fit in in their mouth! The goal among the boys was "I'm going to make this so gross that no one will want to eat it!" Awesome. I think the favorite part of the day was leaving the cookies on the porches and getting to doorbell ditch the primary leaders. Then we played Catch Phrase at our house until their parents came and it was hilarious! Watching six kids, hopped up on sugar, screaming out details to get the rest of us to say a word. Sobaka and Kutse also enjoyed the party very much! Not only did they get a special treat of chocolate chips (stopped that one real quick) but the kids had a blast playing tug-o-war and wrestling with them. Sobaka was passed out for the rest of the night. Whereas Kutse seems to gain strength from being played with and was bouncing off the walls the rest of the night.

I wasn't feeling very good on Saturday, and had to sit down a lot, but I put on a happy face so we could enjoy the party. But as the night progressed, I felt worse and worse. I couldn't keep anything down (which hasn't been a problem for weeks). Matt went to the Real game with his sister that night and Breezy came over to have a girl's night. I felt bad she spent the evening having to listen to me vomit instead. But, thinking it was just a bad pregnancy day, I pushed through and we did end up having a good time. We got some dinner, played Mario Party, and then watched a few episodes of Gilmore girls. After Matt got home from the game, I got a lot worse and ended up crashing in bed. Sunday I woke up with a fever and spent the next two days in bed. Turns out I had the stomach flu. And yes, I even followed the advice from my doctor and got a flu shot a couple weeks ago. But as she explained to me at my appointment, the flu shot is for the respiratory flu and I got a different strand of the stomach flu. I'm just lucky I guess! Now I really hope, after making all those cookies the night before, that six children in my neighborhood don't come down with a case of the flu. However, as Matt pointed out, their parents will just think they got it at school. =) But now Matt is sick in bed today. He wasn't feeling good yesterday or the night before, but was so sick this morning he couldn't fight it anymore and had to stay in bed. Poor guy!

As for the baby update, since I get asked several times a day, I felt it move for the first time last week. Very cool! But weird too. I've felt it move a few times since then. It always happens at night when I'm laying in bed. Probably because I'm holding still enough that I can actually notice it. I had a few people describe it to me like a butterfly in your stomach. But it didn't feel anything like a butterfly to me. I can't describe it, but it felt stronger than that.

Well, that was our weekend. How was yours?

Vote to Win!

Wow, I feel like such an intense blogger! Three posts in two days! So Matt and I find out the sex of the baby in 12 days. YAY!! Anyway, we want to share our excitement with all of you so, through the inspiration of my sister, we thought it would be fun to make a game out of it. Here is what you do:

1. Vote on the right column whether you think we are having a boy or a girl. (If you've already voted, don't worry about it. Or if you're like my sister you've voted several times, hoping to make the baby a girl through sheer willpower.)

2. Then, leave us a comment telling us what you voted for. (If you don't know how to leave a comment, e-mail me! I don't want anyone to miss out due to "technical" difficulties.)

3. On the 25th, after our ultrasound, we will have a drawing. If the baby is a girl, all those who voted girl will be entered in the drawing. If its a boy, all those who voted for boy will be entered in the drawing.

4. We will then announce the winner on our blog! The winner will be receiving the fabulous prize of assorted pink or blue items! (They won't be baby items, just a basket of fun things to match the 'color' of the sex).

If you live further than driving distance or out of state, don't let that stop you from entering! There is a fabulous newfangled system called UPS who is more than willing to deliver your prize right to your door! Tell your friends and family to vote. The more who enter the merrier!

Girl's Day

Every three months the women on my mom's side of the family get together for a girl's day. Its always a lot of fun and relaxing! For November girl's day we thought it would be fun to have an over-nighter. On Friday I met my aunt Bonnie and Grandma at my mom's house around 5:00. The four of us drove to Park City to get settled into our room. We turned on a movie and snacked and chatted while we waited for my two sisters, Kristine and Julie, to arrive. Once all of us were there we went out to dinner. The food was super yummy, but I did feel jipped on my salad. I ordered a side salad that consisted of lettuce and cucumbers. No tomatoes or nothin'! But my steak was excellent and the horseradish mashed potatoes were super good. Anyway, after our meal we went back to the hotel room and just talked and laughed for a long time. This is one of my favorite things about girl's day! I love sitting around with the girls talking, and getting away from all worries and stress. We finished the movie we had started earlier and then got to bed after midnight.

Saturday we got up and brought breakfast back to the room so we could visit more while we ate and got our things together. Then we went to the outlet stores and enjoyed shopping for a couple hours. I wasn't too interested in the clothing stores, since I can't buy anything right now, but my mom and I had a ball in the baby store. They had a really cute baby store and everything was on sale for really good prices. If Matt and I knew what we were having, I'm sure we could have bought the kid's entire wardrobe there! My mom did buy us a really cute, soft blanket that matches the baby's room and a cute puppy stuffed animal that rattles. Those two things are the very first baby items we have gotten. Yay! After we were done shopping we decided to head to main street for lunch. We took a nice walk down the length of main street (it was cool to check out all the shops) but decided in the end that we were ready to go back to Salt Lake. My only regret is we never made it into the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

We drove back to Salt Lake and had a late lunch at Marie Calenders. When we got back to my mom's house everyone was ready to head home. I realized I had left my pillow at the hotel in Park City, so my sweet sister Julie offered to drive me back. (Thank goodness Park City isn't very far) She dropped me off in Layton on her way back to Logan and thus concluded our trip. Thanks ladies! It was a blast!

Celebrity Look-alikes

I'm not sure what I think. Do you think its very accurate?

Tell me I don't want a kitten

Cats have never appealed to me before. I've never minded them, but being allergic has always kept me at a distance. Then I got married and we moved into Matt's parent's basement. They have two cats. Suddenly, I'm not allergic anymore! At least not to the extent I was before. Its totally true what they say, if you spend enough time with something you are allergic to, you can build up the immunities you need to handle being around it!

Now Matt loves cats. He's always grown up with them and I've promised him we can have a cat someday. But suddenly, everywhere we go I see adorable kittens and he is the one who has to be the grownup and tell me "not now". Tell me I don't want a kitten!

I don't know if its my nurturing instincts kicking in and I just want another tiny animal to care for, but I seriously want a kitten! Matt tells me to think logically. Wait till we have a house with a garage, for the litter box. Wait till you are home all day and can watch the kitten and care for it. Wait until you aren't pregnant, so you don't have to worry about the germs and cleaning up after it. Tell me I don't want a kitten!

If we got a kitten, my family would never come over again! Most of my siblings are allergic to cats and would have problems being in our house if we got a kitty. Tell me I don't want a kitten!

I need some help, because my will power is almost gone! I have come very close to calling a few people with ads on KSL for adorable little kittens. Every time we drive by the Humane Society sign I pick out which cats I think are the cutest. And every time we go to the pet store to get dog food, I stroll by the kitties for sale and ache to take one home. Tell me I don't want a kitten!

What's in a Name?

As everyone knows, one of the biggest questions you get asked while pregnant is "So what names are you thinking about?" Some people have their names picked out from the moment they find out they are pregnant. "If its a boy its going to be ____ and if its a girl its going to be ____." That is perfectly fine and works well for some people. Matt and I, however, are not those people. I firmly believe you can't know the name for sure until you see the child. Don't get me wrong, Matt and I have names picked out. We have it narrowed down and will probably be 99.9% sure of the child's name by the time we find out the sex. But we are not going to tell anybody the name, or any names we like for that matter, until the baby is born. We have many reasons for not wanting to share the name until his or her birth day and here is why:

I had a friend who was trying to decide between three names she liked. She told her mother-in-law the names and her mother-in-law really liked one of them. So she went out and bought a whole bunch of stuff with that name on it. Well, then my friend was stuck. I probably would have changed the name out of spite, but she was nice about it and her son was thereby named by his grandmother.

I have another friend who told her family the name they had chosen. The family then spent the next two hours making fun of the name. Coming up with nicknames and ways that child could be tortured for having that name in elementary school. After that, the name was ruined for them and they ended up changing it to something else by the time the baby was born.

Bad associations. When my sister told me they were naming their son Joshua, I was less than thrilled. I dated a guy named Josh and he turned out to be a really big jerk. So until little Josh was born, I had bad associations with that name. The minute I held my new tiny nephew I knew the name Joshua was perfect and I've loved it ever since. But I almost wish I hadn't known his name until I saw him. Then I wouldn't have had those bad associations to begin with.

Another person I know had her little girl's name all picked out from the time she knew what she was having. She loved this name and had wanted to use it for a daughter for many years. Her little girl was born and she looked at her tiny little face, and the name didn't fit. She just didn't like it for her daughter once she had seen her.

Matt and I went out to dinner with his family Saturday night and it was really funny because when the name question came up, we started like we usually do and threw out ridiculous names. "We're thinking Rastis Bo-didilly or Thadeus for a boy and Christina Miss for a girl." (Chris Miss Carroll, get it?) They laughed but didn't drop the subject like most people do when we throw out funny names. They wanted to know what names we were thinking of. So we told them how we wanted to keep it a secret until the baby was born. They didn't seem to like that very much. We told them a few reasons why we weren't sharing our choices with anyone, but they still tried to convince us that they wouldn't do or say anything to ruin a name for us. Nor would they name the child for us. I don't really believe they would do anything to ruin a name for us, I don't really believe anyone would, but I still want to keep it a secret, sorry. So you can ask, you can suggest, and you can pester all you want. But I'm sorry, no names for you.

Its here!

Election day is finally here! Woo-hoo! Soon all this campaigning and annoying crap will be over!! Personally, I don't see the point in voting in the state of Utah. We will always be Republican. That's just the way it is. But alas, I will go after work and vote anyway. I will do my civic duty, but I will not be doing it with a heart full of song.

An Ode to My Squishy

"I shall call him Squishy
And he shall be mine
And he shall be my Squishy"
-Dory, Finding Nemo

Oh my Squishy, so soft and warm
How I love that you mold to my form
My sleep has improved so much since that day
That I found you at Wal Mart in the huge metal tray
Your furry half rests gently under my face
While the silky smooth remains securely in place
Between my knees, you perfectly reside
To prevent tossing and turning at my husband's side
Your long, tender body holds baby and me
Until the time I must get up to pee
But when I return, there you await
To lull me back through dream's happy gate
You've saved my back from aching each night
Oh my dear Squishy, you sure treat me right
So please continue to bless me with sleep
And alas, my Squishy, by my side you will keep

All About Matt

I got husband tagged! I've been tagged a lot lately, but I really liked this one so I am going to do it anyway. But please, no one tag me for awhile, I need a break!

1. What is his name? Matthew M. Carroll
2. Who eats more? In one sitting, he can definitely eat more, but I eat a lot more frequently.
3. Who said "I love you" first? Him! I wanted to say it, but I was waiting.
4. Who is taller? We are EXACTLY the same height.
5. Who is smarter? Depends on the subject. I am better with English, but when it comes to computers, I'm the dunce in the corner compared to him.
6. Who is more sensitive? Hello! Pregnant! Need I say more?
7. Who does the laundry? We both do. He probably does more loads, and then I fold and hang up the clothes more.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Looking at it from the foot of the bed, I do.
9. Who pays the bills? Mostly Matt.
10. Who cooks more? I used to cook every night, with the exception of special occasions. Matt would always help me when I needed an extra set of hands too. Now, however, he makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner since I can't handle being in the kitchen. Such a sweet guy!
11. What meals do you cook together? Our two favorites to make together are wan tons and tacos. (He makes the homemade tortilla shells while I cook meat, grate cheese, and chop veggies.
12. Who is more stubborn? Neither of us is all that stubborn, we are both pretty "go with the flow".
13. Who is the first to admit they're wrong? Usually that's the only thing we argue about. "I'm sorry, I was wrong, its my fault." "No, I'm sorry. I was wrong."
14. Who has more siblings? Me. I have five, he has one.15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I'm going to answer this one by saying one of Matt's favorite quotes: "I wear the pants, but she washes them, folds them, and puts them away. So if I want to know where they are, I have to be nice."
16. What do you like to do together? EVERYTHING! We especially love going to, or renting, movies. We have the same taste concerning most movies, which makes it great! Also camping, hiking, boating, walking, cleaning, cooking, swimming, babysitting, shopping, playing games, playing mario party, and if we had the money, traveling.
17. Who eats more sweets? We both enjoy our fair share of goodies.
18. Guilty pleasures? Downloading illegal movies, and bags. Not like girly handbags, but Matt has an obsession with backpacks and other such bags.
19. How did you meet? He was the "class president" in my seminary class our senior year of high school.
20. Who asked who out first? I asked him to a girl's choice dance when the first guy I asked said no (he had already gotten asked).
21. Who kissed who first? He kissed me, but I made it rather difficult by laying with my head in his lap. Its an awkward position to try and kiss someone in. Try it.
22. Who proposed? Definitely Matt! He had everything planned out perfectly!
23. His best feature? There are so many to choose from! But I will answer this one in two words: soccer player. He has got the best calves I have ever seen!
24. What is his greatest quality? Again, too many to choose from! But I love that he is always serving other people! He never just sits and watches, he is always the first one on his feet to lend a helping hand, no matter where we are or what the circumstances are.

I tag anyone with a husband they want to brag about! Bonnie, Kristine, Aubrey, Laurie, Haylie, Julie, Stacy, Janae, Lissa, or Ashlee....any takers?

Fun Times

Last Friday Matt and I went to see his cousin in Thriller at Kingsbury Hall. If you've never been, I recommend it. We had a lot of fun! Some of the acts were quite honestly a bit lame, but the majority were very entertaining. Before the show started Matt and I were sitting in our seats looking over the program. All the dancers were wandering around the audience in their zombie costumes trying to scare people. This little boy came up right behind me and was trying desperately to scare me. I've worked at a haunted house...people in costume just don't scare me. So Matt and I are looking through our program and one of the main dancers in this 11 year old kid who is a super professional dancer. Not only has he traveled the world performing and won countless competitions, but he also teaches dance at a studio in salt lake. The 11 year old kid teaches! Dang! So after reading his rather extensive bio I said "Wow, this kid's a freak!" Meaning I can't believe an 11 year old has accomplished so much. The little zombie behind me is still trying to frighten me at this point and he even goes so far as to stick his head between Matt and I and try to breathe loudly. I finally turned around and said "Look, you can try whatever you want, but you aren't going to scare me." A few minutes later he finally got the hint and took off. Then the show started and wouldn't you know it, the kid who had tried to scare me was down there center stage moving around like he owned the place. The very same kid I had called a freak. No wonder he wouldn't leave me alone!

Yesterday was our 3rd anniversary. Matt and I decided (that morning on our way to work) that we wanted to take the day off. So we spent the whole day together and had a lot of fun! We went to a movie, got ice cream and pretzels at the mall, went to dinner, and later rented a redbox to conclude our evening. It was a wonderful, relaxing day! It was so great to spend the entire day with my honey!!

Today was Matt's birthday! Happy birthday Matt! I told him I wanted to take him to dinner for his birthday after work, only he didn't know that I invited a bunch of our friends to meet us there. We all met at Bonsai and had a lot of fun. Then afterwards, we went to Breezy's house and played games. It was a really fun evening, and hopefully a nice surprise.

Our brilliant chef at work
Catching Shrimp

The whole gang
(Steve, Breezy, Matt, Me, Suzy, Bryan, Ricci)

4 Random Things

I got tagged. Again. Matt hates the whole tagging concept, but I think its kinda fun sometimes, especially when each time I get tagged its completely different questions.

4 Things I like about my husband:
1. He is the sweetest man on the planet
2. He always makes me laugh
3. We can talk about ANYTHING (and we do)
4. He is super good with kids

4 Movies I can watch more than once
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. Hairspray
3. Music and Lyrics
4. Enchanted

4 TV shows I watch (Since we don't get TV, my shows are all viewed via the internet or DVD)
1. The Office
2. My Boys
3. Scrubs
4. Gilmore girls

4 Places I've been
1. New York City
2. Washington DC
3. Disneyland
4. Disney World

4 People I email regularly
1. Matt
2. Errin
3. Rose
4. Mom

4 Favorite foods
1. Sushi
2. Lobster/Crab/Shrimp
3. Steak
4. Salad

4 Places I would like to visit
1. Latvija
2. Hawaii (with my hubby this time)
3. Ireland/Scotland
4. Caribbean

4 Things I am looking forward to in the next year
1. Having a baby
2. Getting the nursery ready
3. Baby showers
4. Finding out the sex of the baby

4 People I tag
1. Julie (you need to be initiated since you're new)
2. Janae
3. Stacy
4. Dana