O Christmas Tree

I cannot remember a time in my almost 29 (29! Can you believe it? Only 22 shopping days left for you to find the perfect birthday gift for yours truly) years of life when we've ever, ever, EVER gotten the Christmas tree up as early as we did this year. That's right, the 1st day of December is not even over yet, and here we are, the house decorated with us basking in all sorts of Christmas loveliness. Wow! (A quick happy birthday shout out to one of my oldest friends, Becca. I know you're reading this and even though it's the end of the day, I thought about you a lot today. Happy birthday!).

The kiddos and I trekked out in surprisingly frigid December temps to pick up this year's tree. Everett was over the moon excited and literally did not stop talking, bouncing or running for the rest of the afternoon. This kid is way way excited about all things Christmas. He can't get over the lights in other people's yards or the fact that we have our very own Christmas tree IN THE HOUSE. Oh, to be three again!

Juliana and her Papa, who is of course sporting Alabama gear.

Heaven help me if the Crimson Tide doesn't win on Saturday.

That blur in the picture above? Yep, that's Everett, who has decided that running among Christmas trees is now one of his favorite things to do in December.
She walks! My little late bloomer really can and does walk, folks. A Christmas miracle indeed!

There were even snow flurries falling while we were scoping out the tree selection. Hence, Juliana's ruddy cheeks and red nose. She was not nearly as thrilled to be outside amongst the Christmas trees as was her brother.

And if that look doesn't say "Seriously, Mom, I'm not amused" I don't know what does.

It was a fun little excursion and the first time Everett has been really aware of what we were doing. He's now at a fun age where he's really understanding things. When we told him we were going to get a Christmas tree he said, "That will be wonderful!" And all afternoon he kept telling us how beautiful everything looked. Huh? Who are you and what did you do to my little boy?

Ah, here we go! Everett's quintessential face. This is the face he gives me nine times out of ten when I ask him to smile. The squinty eyes definitely come from me.

Once the perfect tree was picked and we were ready to get out of the cold, both Papa and the worker man had a follower as they took the tree to the car.But like most three year olds, he's easily distracted...
Tomorrow might be spent dispelling any notion that we'll be bringing a horse into the house as part of our Christmas decorations!

Fried Chicken

I was born and raised in the South to a dad from Birmingham, Alabama and a mom was is 100% Mexican. Even with this heritage, Will loves to tease me that I am neither very Southern nor very Mexican. I don't speak Spanish, I don't really identify with the Mexican culture, I don't like collared greens, okra, pecan pie, or boiled peanuts. I hardly have an accent (but that's debatable) and the list could go on. In fact, before I met Will I would say I only slightly liked country music.

Will, on the other hand, is very Southern. Although he doesn't normally have one, he can turn on a Southern accent with the drop of a hat. He loves all Southern foods, hunts, goes shooting, has worn Wranglers (yeah, I've never done that), has owned cowboy hats and big belt buckles, etc. Plus, he loves country music. Since we've been married my country music repertoire has grown ten fold. As evidenced by the music video below. This is "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band. The actual video doesn't begin until about 1:12, but definitely give it a listen. I think it's such a catchy tune and I love that it mentions Georgia Pines. Gosh, maybe I really AM Southern after all?

Where's Juliana?

We probably play the "Where's Juliana?" game a least three times a day. It's kind of like "Where's Waldo?" but about a million times easier. It consists of Juliana finding anything that can double as a blanket, throwing it over her head (it doesn't matter it if completely covers her head, or even her eyes) and then ripping it down uncovering a mischevious grin. This girl is so sly, she's got Everett, me, Will, Mama, and Papa playing it - repeatedly. Here are yesterday's lunchtime "Where's Juliana?" follies:

And again...

And in case you missed it the first two times:

Ta-da! Beat that Waldo.

Everett is Three!

We can hardly believe it's been three years since Everett came into our family. We love him a whole bunch and are glad we get to be his parents. He is a sweet, funny, imaginative boy and we love being able to watch him grow and learn. Happy 3rd birthday Everett!

2005

2006

2007

2008

P.S. - The correct answer to the previous post is: "Because the water went bye-bye". Apparently he got pretty distraught as he was watching the Yellow River run its course. I love how (un) logical his response was. Nothing beats getting mad at a river.

A Bad Mood?

Ten points and a ton of accolades to anyone who correctly guesses why in the world Everett's making the following expression.

Some hints:
* We went to the Yellow River Game Ranch, which is basically a pretty sweet petting zoo. Tons of animals, all of whom love to be fed peanuts, crackers and anything else.
* We went with our playgroup, so there were lots of friends for Everett to play and run around with.
* He was super excited and happy the entire time, except for this:

And this:
In case you missed it from the other side, here's another view:

Props for Picnics

When Will called me Wednesday morning and suggested we have a family picnic at the temple*, I thought it was a good idea. And it was! Wednesday's picnic lunch was one of those times when I felt totally at peace and content with my life. You know, when your kids are smiley and wonderful and you can't help but think, "They really ARE awesome!" No tantrum-throwing, no crying, no having to reprimand Everett for trying to push Juliana down. It was just lovely and wonderful and I'm so glad I will forever have that memory of my little family.

Here's Juliana looking like she thinks Mom is a bit sneaky.

Fall is a beautiful time here and Wednesday was absolutely gorgeous. Blue skies, no clouds and enough airplane traffic to keep these two in constant amazement.

Thanks Will for having a bright idea!

*As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe the temple is the "House of the Lord." It is a sacred building, and it differs from our regular Sunday meetinghouses. In the temple we learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants. In addition, we participate in religious ceremonies that reach beyond mortality, such as eternal marriage (Will and I were married in the Atlanta Temple). Also, temple grounds are immaculately kept and maintained. There are 128 temples world-wide (and another 17 under construction), and the grounds at each temple are really beautiful and stunning.

Where The Wild Things Are

What's better than one monkey boy who likes to climb the stairs and hang onto the railings?

Why, two monkey children, of course!


It's funny how the second child thinks everything the older child does is automatically cool. Juliana wouldn't rest until she could be on the stairs, next to Everett, clinging for dear life.
Happy Halloween from the two animals.

Believe it or not, they actually have costumes. If they cooperate, I might actually be able to post pictures.

Here's the Scoop...

Some of you may know my friend, Heidi. We met our Freshman year at BYU, so we're going on 10 years of friendship. Heidi is one of the most unique people I know. To know Heidi is to love her. And since I know Heidi so well and have for so long, I know that when that girl extends a tag via her blog, she is SERIOUS. There is no "ignoring" or "forgetting" to complete a tag. There isn't even just "avoiding" it either. Nope, when Heidi tags, Heidi expects to see answers. And quickly! If you really want to see how her anger can be kindled against one who appears to have thwarted her tags, just read her comment on my last post. Yikes!

And so, for your reading pleasure (and as if you really wanted to know MORE useless facts about me), I now give you...MY ANSWERS TO HEIDI'S TAG! (Cue theme music)

1) Church calling you would HATE to have: First of all, hate is a strong word. I don't know that there are any that I would totally HATE. A few years ago I could've given you quite a list of callings I'd never, ever, ever want, but lately I've kind of mellowed. Maybe I'm maturing?!?! Hmm...But to answer the question, I'd have to say Scouts and most Relief Society callings. I'd rather stay in Young Women's forever.

2) Saying you say the most often: Alrighty, no way!, are you serious?, that's ridiculous, do you know (insert name)?, I was reading this blog and ...

3) Saying you hate to hear other people say: "Supposively" - the word is supposEDly folks! And even though I only have two kids, I'm sooooo over people trying to brag that their four month old is sitting up and really doing everything way ahead of schedule. "My son/daughter is really advanced for their age." Please! You know what? Most kids are average! It's not a crime if yours are too.

4) Most rotten thing you did today: Where to start? I almost threw Juliana out to the curb this morning sometime between 12:15 and 2:30 when not only would she not sleep, but she decided to throw in tons of really loud crying, fussing, head shaking, and sippy cup throwing. I'm sure Will felt the same when he was up with her from 2:30 until 4. Letting Everett watch 4 consecutive episodes of Little Einsteins. Getting super annoyed that Everett pooped in his underwear. That's all I can think of for now, but the day is still young.

5) Explain the fourth picture in the fourth folder on your computer: This one isn't any fun! This is a picture of a big bruise and some scratches on my right forearm after our August 2007 car accident. It's not a great picture of it because the bruise was actually a deeper blueish/purple color. That whole ordeal was/is not fun. And yes, we're still dealing with some of the effects of it. I am grateful, however, that this was the fourth picture and not something more embarrassing. I was 7 and 1/2 months pregnant and I was bruised all along where my seat belt was. Let's just say our lawyer has seen WAY more of my bruised body than I'm sure he ever wanted. Yeah. Yuck.

6) A picture you have of people you don't know: This was actually the hardest one to answer. Believe it or not, I don't have many pictures of people I don't know. Unlike some people, ahem, I don't think to take pictures of strangers in order to mock them on my blog later. That's because I'm just such a good person and never, ever rude or inconsiderate...but you know, that's just me. Anyway, this is from four years ago when Will and I went with John and Chelsea Phillips up to north Georgia for the Ellijay Apple Festival. This is Amicolola Falls and it's actually an awesome place in North Georgia to visit. There's a resort/hotel at the top of the falls and I've known a few people to honeymoon at Amicolola. And obviously, nothing screams "Rural North Georgia" quite like a guy in a Reel Tree hat.

7) Secret dream: To become a TV correspondent because I am particularly qualified in my specific field. This is not the same as a news anchor or reporter. And definitely not like a talk show host. I would just like to be brought in every now and then because I am particularly knowledgeable about a certain subject. Like Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN or Mary Katherine Ham on The O'Reilly Factor. Or Lisa Ling on Oprah. This, of course, would require that I actually BE super qualified at something, but I'm working on that.

8) Favorite place to spend money: The theater: both movie and musical. Few things beat watching a movie in the theater. Oh, and Barnes and Noble. I dream of one day having a library like the Beast did in "Beauty and the Beast". Although, I think having ladders in my library would be pretty risky. It wouldn't take long for me to fall off one of those.

9) Personal indulgence: Skin care products and make-up items. I love trying new soaps, lotions, powders, liners, shimmers, mascaras, eye shadows, etc. I usually tell Will that I've run out of stuff and I need new _____. I find myself especially drawn to products focused on giving myself a nice palette, ie, foundations, translucent powders, bronzers, concealers. I'm also a sucker for lip sticks, any kind that is different from the regular lip stick. This would include glossy kinds or the kind where you first put on the color and then the shimmer/shine.

10) Girl crush: Rebecca Romijn, Kelly Ripa, Heidi Klum, Megyn Kelly from Fox News, Stacy London...I can't think of any more right now.

11) 3 goals: 1 long term, 1 day to day, 1 silly:

Long term: Raise well-adjusted and responsible children

Day to day: Be on time to the two play dates we have planned for Wed and Thurs

Silly: Find at least one pair of jeans that fit my current figure (not the one I'm planning on having once I lose weight) really well. I'm so tired of ill-fitting denim.

12) 3 things you collect or obsess over:

1) Blogs - Can't get enough of 'em! Love stalking people on them. Love finding old friends. Or just really interesting people.

2) Chic-lit - Those silly fiction books usually about a young, 20-something single girl living in either NYC, London or San Francisco who has some kind of dating problem/fiasco, but ends up with the guy in the end. These books could not be considered serious literature in any way, shape or form, and are rarely worth the time it takes to read them, but like a moth to a flame I get drawn in every single time.

3) BBC period dramas. I LOVE these kind of movies! I've seen a lot of them, own quite a few, but there is always, always room for more flicks of sexy Englishmen with killer accents who snag the ladies.

My Wish Upon a Star

Remember this post? Well, October 24th has come and gone and guess who was front and center for an opening night viewing of High School Musical 3 (or HSM 3 for those in the know)? Me!

I cannot adequately describe the viewing experience, but it was so awesomely funny that I giggle just thinking about it. To be in a theater packed with teens and pre-teens alike, who took every opportunity to squeal, hoot, holler and shout every time Zac Efron, I mean, Troy Bolton, did just about anything, was hilarious. I knew I was in for a good time when the opening shot of the movie was a close-up of Zac in his East High Wildcats basketball uniform, all sweaty from being, naturally, the star player. All the girls went berserk screaming and their reactions did not disappoint for the rest of the show. I realized I had really been missing something by not watching the first two movies with teenage girls. They are in love with that Troy Bolton, I tell you what.

The movie itself was actually pretty decent. Much better than HSM2. The singing and dancing were awesome and yes, the movie was just as cheesy as its predecessors. I loved it! Special thanks to Will who in addition to simply being awesome for offering to take me to see this, especially on opening night, by also scored major brownie points for just sitting there and letting me enjoy it without complaining about its cheese factor or the throngs of screaming girls. Thanks Love!

RIP: Rocket and Big Jet

Officials are looking for the driver of a black, two door Thunderbird with Georgia plates. It is thought that the driver of this vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run accident at approximately 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of October 25th, 2008.

There were no witnesses, but those who happened upon the accident shortly after it occurred were shocked. Words like "tragedy" "careless" "thoughtless" and even "barbaric" were used to describe the crime scene. Everyone seemed to have a difficult time making sense of the injustice. What kind of person would so decidedly destroy a child's beloved playthings? Who could be that cruel? What kind of world do we live in if Rocket and Big Jet weren't safe in their own driveway? What is this world coming to?

Immediately after the accident, Everett ran to their sides. "Rocket and Big Jet have a boo boo!" he exclaimed. "The car gave them a boo boo." Investigators have several leads, but no arrests have been made. If you, or anyone you know, has any information regarding who may be responsible, please let us know. Officials are hoping the perpetrator will turn themselves (or should we say HERself) in shortly.

Rocket and Big Jet

September 2008-October 25, 2008

One Man's Junk...

I would never think to crumple cupcake liners and fill the underside of over-sized Legos, but then again, I'm not almost three and sadly, my imagination is in no way as developed or inventive as Everett's.

(Look closely and you'll notice Everett's "friends" are making their ever-present appearance yet again)

Nice, Everett. Really, really nice. And no, I have no idea how many cupcake liners I threw away. A small price to pay for the smile and giddiness this little project encouraged.

Flying High

What's cooler than your average run-of-the-mill playground?

One that's right next to an AIRPORT, of course!

There's a local airport not too far from here, which is quite different and much smaller than that big ole International Airport down the road. This one is just for little Cessnas and the like. And some genius (I'm serious here, whoever thought this up was really firing on all cylinders that morning) decided to build a playground in the middle of the airport. I took the kidlets there last week and they loved it. Especially Everett.

They had fun swinging,

looking for helicopters (which Everett has put on his wish list about 50 times already. "Mommy, I wanna go up in a hel-o-copter." "Really, Buddy? Ask Dad about that.")

Maneuvering their own airplane,

(Trust me, this took some coordination...)

And overall just enjoying the planes and noise. It was great. Definitely on our list of super cool playgrounds that we simply must visit again.

As an added perk, all that noise and hubbub led to some serious sleeping on the way home. Yahoo! I love it when Juliana falls asleep in the car seat. She transitions to her crib beautifully which makes it easy peasy lemon squeezy for me.

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I've always been kind of a nerd when it comes to music. It's just not my thing. I've never been up-to-date on current artists and songs. I confuse artists all the time and I'm forever mixing up lyrics and then singing them very loudly and very incorrectly at the top of my lungs. I haven't been to a ton of concerts (like maybe 5 total). Overall, I'm just kind of a dork - musically speaking. Whenever I turn on the radio these days I'm completely mystified as to who's singing and what the name of the song is. So, I've enlisted Paula's help to get me up to speed. I'm tired of being one of "those" moms who listens to easy listening and is always complaining about music these days and what are those kids listening to and I can't believe they call this music and gosh, songs where so much better when I was in high school. I've decided to take hold of my musical reigns and actually try to improve. Here's a partial list Paula made for me of songs that I should try:

Rihanna-Don't Stop the Music, Umbrella

Jason Mraz- I'm Yours, You and I Both

Cobie Caillet- The Little Things

Jesse McCartney-Leavin'

Fergie- Big Girls Don't Cry, Here I Come, Glamorous

Sara Bareilles-Love Song, Bottle It Up

Natasha Bedingfield-Love Like This

Augustana-Boston

Leona Lewis-Better In Time, Bleeding Love

Josh Kelley-Amazing, Solid Ground

Ingrid Michaelson

Michelle Branch- Breathe

Jack Johnson

Ben Harper

Madonna-Hung Up

Finger 11- I Will Keep Your Memory Vague, Paralyzer, One Thing

Paolo Nutini-New Shoes

O.A.R- Love and Memories

Nelly and Christina A-Tilt Ya Head Back

I'm slightly embarrassed by how many of those artists I've never heard of. Pathetic, I know. But, I would like your help. Why else do I keep up this blog except to throw out questions into blogland and beg for answers. So please, tell me - what's in these days? Any songs I simply must download? This is my cry for help. Please help me! *************************************************************

Will and I saw Wicked last Friday night. It was awesome! I was a little concerned that it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it did not disappoint. The music is catchy and fun and the dialogue is funny and entertaining. I also really enjoyed the departure from the novel. Talk about a huge improvement! I've been listening to the soundtrack all week and I just love it. It's times like these that I wish my life were a musical. I get this way every now and then. Like whenever I watch Newsies, listen to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat or Les Miserables soundtrack and now, when I listen to the Wicked soundtrack. How neat would my life be if I could spontaneously burst into song and dance. Sigh, if only! Who's with me on this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?