Sweet babies...

My sister Melissa is due in less than 2 weeks with her second little lady. Her name will be Rylie Marie (Marie after her Auntie Allie!). I found this pic on my Mom's computer and thought it was so adorable I had to put it on. It makes me want another baby right now, even though i really don't yet. But who can resist babies?! I can't wait to be an Auntie again! It is such a joy, they're like your own children but you only get the fun parts. How cool is that relationship?! Sydney was the first, born in 2004. Chris and I got engaged 4 days before she was born, and I got to be there when she came out. After they took her home, I would go over almost every day after work and take a nap with Sydney sleeping on my chest. Something about a sleeping baby...

Movie Review: 3rd Edition

Yes, she can give a good review!! I saw Taken a few nights ago with my sisters, and it was fantastic! I didn't know much about it, but thought it might be very scary and possibly gory in some way. The way they make horror movies nowadays freaks me out and I even cringe at previews. Just a nightmare waiting to happen! But Heidi assured me it was only PG13 so it couldn't be bad at all ;) Not that I can't take R rated... I just can't take "scary movies" anymore. I'm talking about Saw, The Last House on the Left, and The Strangers, which I didn't even see but Jessica's synopsis and the fact that she wanted to puke was enough.

Anyways, back to Taken. I can't believe that Liam Neeson has not aged in like, 10 years! He was a bad-ass in this movie, playing an ex-CIA agent who gave it up to be with his daughter ( Maggie Grace from Lost), only to have her travel abroad and be kidnapped by human traffickers. Very suspenseful and action-packed. I will probably see it again because I know many who would love it. I also saw He's Just Not That Into You and it was also very good, great cast, funny and entertaining. Probably more chick-flick but guys would enjoy it too.

The Twilight Saga...

"If I was a germaphobe, I wouldn't be in Walmart." - My sister, Heidi.

This statement set off an abundance of laughter as Heidi and I braved the tense crowd at Walmart last night to buy copies of Twilight at 12:01 am. I know. That in itself is laughable. However, if you are a fan of the Twilight books, you are nodding your head and are right there with us. We waited in a line for a short time, our neck of the woods is more discreet if you will, so it went quite fast. They had a "party", with refreshments, and a yummy-looking cake with a picture of the Twilight cast on it. I made it known that I was going to get a piece, when Heidi proceeded to tell me that it was probably spit on and touched by sick kids. My friend Nicole is nodding her head right now. So I lost my appetite and grumpily called her a germaphobe. The sentence above was her reply and it was funny. I would have taken a picture of the cake to show you, like so many teens I saw (and giggled at), but that was taking it too far. Needless to say, as we got closer and the cake tempted us, Heidi gave in and we both had a piece. And it was delicious.

Twilight is the reason for my absence from blogging and God knows what else. I got reeled in and read all 4 books in a week and a half. One in 24 hours ;) . I'm not going to go into anything else, I'm sure many of you are tired of hearing the hype and the rest are way ahead of me ;) . So, I loved them. Great story, very suspenseful and emotional. Now I am back, with promises of many cute pictures soon to follow.

Things I Complain About vs Things I Am Thankful For

Just a little perspective... some things I have actually considered and it did help me to stop complaining/worrying a bit. I have always been a "glass is half-full" kinda girl. So perhaps it will give someone else a thought about why they should feel lucky.

1. I wish I had more money, but I am VERY thankful to have a roof over my head, heat, food for my family, and room for a lot of fun things.
2. I wish I was thin, but I am thankful that God gave me a body that works, and that I have the opportunity to get healthier.
3. I hate when there is drama in my family, but I am blessed to have a family where we are so close there is bound to be drama ;)
4. I hate getting up early, but I am thankful for every moment I have with Tristan, especially while he's so young.
5. I get very tired of cleaning, but I saw an Oprah where 10 families in a shelter complex had to share a vacuum and it made me very thankful.
6. I fight with Chris about many things that won't matter in a day, but I am very thankful that he is my husband and loves me ALL the time. And brings me flowers ;)
7. I wish I could afford a new wardrobe, but I am thankful to have enough clothes that I could give them away, and a husband who prefers me in sweats ;)

Movie Review 2nd Edition

So... sadly again no good reviews. My mom and I sat down last night and tried to pick a movie out. No winners. So I went "On Demand" and we picked out Changeling. Once again, the acting was phenomenal, the setting (1928 LA) was beautifully re-engineered, but the ending was terrible. Sorry to all those who have not seen it, but I MUST ruin it for you, because I cannot have it on my conscience that someone might have the same experience that I did. Excuse me while I go on a rampage...
The movie, as some of you know, is about a mother (Angelina Jolie) who comes home from work to find her 9 year old son gone. She goes to the police, doesn't get very much help, and 3 months later they produce a boy who they say is her son. But even as she laughably says 200 times, "He is NOT my son!", and provides proof that he is not, the LAPD continues to try and convince her that he is, and that she just doesn't recognize him after SO much time. The LAPD knows they probably made a mistake, but don't want to look bad in the press. So as she persists, they throw her into the psych ward! Now remember, this is a true story so you can imagine me, with my son in the next room sleeping, watching this poor woman go through all this, thinking every minute that her son is out there alone somewhere or worse. So I was fully convinced that she would find her son soon.
Not so fast. Then another plot comes in, where the police discover a man who has been killing little boys out in nowhere, and her son was identified as at least being kidnapped by this guy. No one knows if he was killed. And let me say, they go almost too far in letting the viewer know just what happened to these little boys. At least too far for me ;) . So she gets out of the psych ward, sues the LAPD and wins, and the killer taunts her a few times with whether or not he killed her boy. This goes on and I'm sure the ending will be worth all the pain. Nope. She never finds her son. NEVER! In the end they say she never stopped looking for him, but obviously never found out anything. I can appreciate that it was a true story, and that of course not all kidnappings have good endings, but come on! Give a girl a happy ending! Sigh...

Flowers, bloody tongues, and a haircut

Valentine's Day this year was great...I hung out with my son all day, went shopping, and after Chris got off work, he came home to a few gifts and a lot of kisses ;). We drank some delicious Italian wine and watched Superbad. So romantic... and I also got this lovely display the night before. Chris is good with flowers.

Tristan's 3rd haircut! Every time now he looks more and more like a little boy, not a baby...sad. But he looks sooo cute with a fauxhawk. He recieved many an adoring "aww..." when we went out shopping. I also got a new phone, after 2 hours on the phone with my company. I was supposed to be mailed one but it got messed up and they were out of stock, so I went to the corporate store. I am embarrassed to say, it kinda "does everything". But it's only because that was the free one they offered and it's a touch screen. Fun. I love it. I probably won't do anything on it but text, call, and maybe check the news or something. I can feel myself going over to the dark technology-advanced side already....

Tristan did not have a good morning. He was running, as he always does, and biffed it, as he usually does. But this time he went face down hard on his beloved guitar and bit his tongue severely. It looked bad. Yuck, poor kid. Nevertheless, he was still a champ and had fun the whole day. We even went to McDonald's after getting my phone and he was excited. Sadly, I didn't think about how hard it might be to eat chicken mcnuggets with a gouge in your tongue...Mommy of the Year, that's me.

25 Random Facts About Me

I got this idea from a cute blog I read and thought it would be fun so enjoy!

1. I only like cold beverages ICE COLD. Especially water.
2. I am obsessed with LOST. Not really a secret. I get so excited about it I jump up and down!
3. I can't stand listening to people chew. Chris gets annoyed because I'm always getting on him about it. I can't help it! I can't stand chewing with your mouth open either...
4. I don't have a favorite season. I love each one, and I'm ready for the next each time. God planned it well.
5. My favorite DS game is MarioKart. I play whenever I can.
6. My favorite easy dinner is Hamburger Helper. Love it.
7. I love the ocean. I could live at the beach and stare at it all day.
8. Hate cold days that are sunny! It's an oxymoron to me....choose one!
9. Since I was 12 I always wanted to name my son Gabriel Aidan. Guess you can tell we compromised with Tristan Gabriel.
10. I really want Invisalign. I need braces and don't want them.
11. My new favorite "treat" restaurant is Asado in Tacoma. "Treat" because it's pricy but SO worth every penny!
12. My favorite vacation growing up was going to Lincoln City, OR and staying on the beach at the Shilo Inn. Leavenworth comes in at a close second...
13. I hate being too busy. I love relaxing at home with my baby in sweats.
14. Chris and I have talked many times about moving to Greece for a year. Still considering it, although being so far away would be very hard.
15. I never really want a phone that "does everything". Give me a phone that calls people and has text messages and it's gold. I'm scared that one day that won't be an option. ;)
16. I wash my hands 10+ times a day. I hate dirty hands.
17. I'm not fearful of getting old. I am fearful of Tristan growing up too fast.
18. My favorite Tristan quirk is the sound he makes as he's falling asleep. It's a loud humming sound and he's done it ever since he was an infant. It gets louder when Chris rocks him. It's the sweetest thing...
19. I could watch Lord of the Rings EVERY night. Sometimes I have. Also not a secret.
20. I hope my son feels as though his Mommy loves him more than any mommy could love her son.
21. I wish I could get up every morning and go work out. I'm thinking about it, it's hard because I am a night owl and HATE getting up early.
22. Tom Jones' "At This Moment" can always make me cry.
23. I've never broken a bone. Knock on wood...
24. I hate cleaning my kitchen, but I could do laundry all day.
25. I love surveys. I fill them out whenever I can. Obviously.