THANKSGIVING DAY

2nd review of Twilight

Matt came with me the second time I saw Twilight. Instead of a bunch of screaming teenagers, the audience consisted of bunches of couples. I don't know how much this altered my experience from the previous viewing, but it was MUCH better the second time while I tried to watch it from a "never read it before" point of view. (It also helped to be holding Matt's hand throughout!) Matt's response to my very hesitant inquiry as to how he liked it was, "Interesting..." (Woo hoo!) Then he kept asking questions (of course, all about the vampire aspect). The next morning you can imagine my jaw dropping when he told me he was considering reading it!

Back when I was reading it and he was mocking me, I told him he could learn a lot from Edward. Well, today I found out how correct that statement was. After his refusal to finish bathing the boys because of my criticisms, I attempted to block his way out of the bathroom. After a quick little struggle he stopped (while I kept "pushing" him) and looked down at me and said, "Do you know how easy it would be for me to move you? I'm a lot stronger than you." The meadow scene immediately flashed through my mind. Unfortunately, he wasn't hypothetically threatening my life, otherwise I could have responded appropriately and kissed him. Instead I gave a disappointed look and said, "That wasn't what you were supposed to learn from Edward!"

Twilight

A group of us gals (young and old) went to see twilight on opening night. I'm waiting to see how I feel after I see it again without the screaming teens (though that was pretty entertaining in and of itself!) But for now, I wasn't thrilled...

I Couldn't Wait!

I know, I'm horrible. I've been wanting to do this for over a week, but I've been exercising self control...until now. I just can't wait for Christmas and since it was getting cold and cloudy here today, I finally gave in and winterized my layout.

Happy Birthday Isaac (and Prince)!

Today is Isaac's fifth birthday and I wish I had something fun to report, but we're having his party next week, so for now we'll post about one of his best friend's party, who happens to have been born two days before Isaac.

Prince and Isaac became close friends last year in preschool. Prince is now in kindergarten and misses Isaac so much that one day his dad took him late to kindergarten just so he could stop by the preschool and see Isaac (they had lost our phone number).

Busy at work drawing on t-shirts. They LOVED this and Isaac wouldn't take his off for days! This was such a great brithday party idea.

While I was taking pictures of Isaac and Prince, Matt pointed out that Seth had joined up with a family we shared our lunch table with. Seth is pontificating on the facts of the new plastic snake he got in the pinata.

You can tell it had been 5 months since these friends had seen each other!

Seeing the World Through Someone Else's Glasses

This past Sunday there was a scheduled prop 8 protest outside of our church building. Many church members were a little worried and very cautious. It actually turned out to be a peaceful "silent" protest and there were only about 50 people there holding signs. So, even though I was mostly relieved, I have to admit I was a little disappointed too. A friend of ours was working "security" and talked with an ex-mormon protester. The protester said that he was baptized at 21, but when he came out he was excommunicated. He said he had nothing against the church per se, but was fighting for this cause. I can understand the prop H8ers point of view. I don't know if they can understand the other side, though. In a couple of attempts I have made to discuss the issue with H8ers, I have asked some questions but not received any answers. They tell me their point of view and when I ask questions (that are sincere to me) they end the coversation. I have resolved that this is an issue that both sides feel so strongly about that it is pointless and impossible to discuss. I wonder if anyone else has been able to have an enlightening conversation with opposing parties?

NATURE: Awesome and Awful

Since I was going to Pasadena for a bridesmaid fitting for my brother Micah's wedding, we decided to make a family trip of it and do our favorite little Monrovia Falls hike. We love this hike because it is all shaded and the boys can do the 1.6 mile round-trip "hike" on their own. A lizard! Exploring.
Now I can truthfully say that Isaac really is camoflauged! Can you find him? Can you see the waterfall?
We got to enjoy the smell of autmun leaves. Which really is just to say, the smell of dying leaves, which this trail has year-round. But at least it reminded me of beautiful fall trips up the canyon in Utah.

We are so blessed to have this beauty so close! As we got back to the nature center we ran into a ranger who we overheard on the walkie talkie. She was just going to get everyone off the mountain because all of their firefighters are out of town on multiple fires and they didn't want to risk another one.

This happened while we were hiking. I thought it was horrible, but at least it was in Yorba Linda so we wouldn't have to deal with it in Long Beach. But this is what we found as we entered Long Beach city limits:

This is not fog.

This is not a rain cloud.

This is not a sunset.

I got some of the falling ashes on video, but it was too hard to see. Crazy!

Veteran's Day At Griffith Observatory

Matt had Tuesday off, so we decided to finally take a long-awaited trip to Griffith Observatory because we haven't been since it was renovated a couple of years ago.

There were some new exhibits and an added level.

The best part was the show we saw in the planetarium which showed how water is on the earth and in the universe. It was pretty cool.

My favorite part of the observatory is apparently my boys' least favorite. They were hanging on for their lives! It was a lovely day, but I think Matt and I will have to come back on a date!

Seth and Snoopy: Two Of A Kind

We laughed so hard this year when we watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. If you remember the scene where Linus plays the piano and Snoopy cries when the music is "sad" and is happy when it is more upbeat and back and forth as he plays, then you'll understand. I really wish I could post this scene I'm talking about so you could directly compare.

He's been this way since he was a baby. It took me a good year to figure out his "sensitivity" to music.

How to lose 5 lbs in 24 hours

All you have to do is get the flu bug from your boys, throw up a couple of times and at the same time get a crimp that you don't know about in your insulin pump. Blood sugars go high, take insulin (and since you don't test often anyway, figure its fine). Test later, still high, figure it's from sickness, more insulin. Get desperately thristy, but can't keep a drop down. Figure you'd rather get a drop down than be that thristy and you'd rather vomit than feel nauseous anyway. Test blood, still high, take out pump, crimped, of course. Change pump. Notice each time you ralph you get weaker and weaker and your heart rate and breathing don't slow down either. Weigh yourself and notice you're 5 lbs. less than you were this morning. FINALLY! Oh, yeah, and your extremities are starting to feel numb.

Look at the clock, 12:15 am. Wake your barely asleep husband to tell him you're dying. Husband calls good friend Melissa who comes over to be with sleeping boys. Tell your husband you think you'll need an ambulance and friend agrees. Luckily, one more trip to the bathroom allows you to now be able to walk to the car and make the trip to the E.R.

How to get fast E.R. service:
While you were waiting for your friend to get to your house you have your husband write down a list of your symptoms in case you go into a coma on the way. You can barely walk into the hospital. While husband is trying to get you admitted and gives the nurse your list you lie right down on the waiting room floor because you can't even sit in a chair. The nurse comes around and tells the 2 other people waiting that he'll be right back for them, but he has to take care of you first. Husband puts you in a wheel chair and wheels you off to a room.

How to gain 5 lbs in 12 hours:
After debriefing staff and blood gets drawn, start the infusion of 3 bags of saline and some of potassium and magnesium. Also get an anti-nausea infusion that makes it all worth it. Once the nausea is gone, you can deal with anything. You can finally speak without slurring and after they take some arterial blood from your wrist, they move you to the critical care unit. Even though both of your arms are hooked up to different machines and monitoring devices you find a way to get a little bit of sleep.

Then it's morning and they bring you cream of wheat (which you've been wanting for the past few mornings) and the nurse says you need a diabetic meal so they bring another one with eggs and french toast. You're so hungry you eat both. Then for lunch they bring teriyaki/pineapple chicken with wild rice and steamed zuchinni with a wheat roll and pear. You find yourself wondering if Kaiser has stepped up their meals or if you're really just that starving. Go home and weigh yourself and wish you hadn't.
That day was election day. Even though Matt got a sub, he took the boys to his school so he could be there to do the mock election in his homeroom. What kind of great teacher, dad and husband is that? I was glad I was released in time to go vote, even though I could have voted in the hospital (who knew?).

30-Year Old Prophecy Fulfilled

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'

"This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."
~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell 1978

Vasquez Rocks

Last Saturday we went with the Browers to Vasquez Rocks. Matt has been wanting to take the boys there forever and we finally got to go. It was raining that day so I was super excited to get to finally feel some rain on my face (since it literally only rains in Long Beach in the early a.m. before I get up, much to my dismay.)

The first spout of rain happened not soon after we left the van, so we all hopped back in while it passed by. The new rain left enough water for a mini flash flood and since it's all rocks and sand it formed great little waterfalls and rivers for the kids to play in.

From then on out we just played around and took shelter under rocks for the brief spurts of rain that came and went. I wish I could have bottled the freshly wet rock and juniper scents that we got to enjoy that afternoon.

Tagged From The Other Side Of The World

It's true, my darling niece, Ewelina or "Evie", who lives in Poland, tagged me. So, I must submit.

Seven weird facts about me:

1. I feel like I can't breathe and get frantically claustrophobic when my legs and feet are under a blanket and someone sits or leans on them.

2. I told Fred Savage to "be quiet" once.

3. I've eaten dog (just like I expected, not too great).

4. ...And blood sausage (not too bad).

5. ...And silk worm larvae (crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Really gross).

6. One of my addictions is thrift store shopping. I go at least once a week.

7. I can literally sleep anytime, anywhere. I love it and can't get enough! I've been that way ever since I was a young child.

I'll open this up to anyone who would like to do it!

A MUST-SEE VIDEO FOR CHILDREN

Every child (and some of us adults, ahem) must watch this quick video of my darling niece and one of her many made up songs.

Happy Halloween!

For the 4th year in a row we went trick or treating on Second Street where all the businesses give out candy to the kids. This is the last year we'll get to do this with our good friends, the Fields before they move. : (

This is Isaac's new thing he does when crossing a street. I don't know if it's to stop the cars or because I told him he was too small for people in cars to see him.

One thing I haven't noticed until this year was the costumes the candy-givers were wearing. Luckily I don't think my boys did! I even have one picture that is so risque I can't post it! What's a street full of these girls without one of these:
Can you guess what Seth was for halloween? He decided to be a pain in the neck. By the end of the night, it was not such a happy halloween for him since he wasn't feeling well. He lasted a good while, though. This is the second year in a row he refused to wear a costume.

This was the first year we got to go with some other good friends, the Browers and Radcliffes. After our long trek down Second Street, we had a yummy dinner at BJ's. After that we went trick or treating in our friend's neighborhood. I wish we would have gotten a picture at the best house of all, the Johnson's. It was SO much fun with all the houses decorated and nice people giving out candy. I think we'll replace the crowds at 2nd Street next year for the traditional door to door.

Here's some pics of our extended Halloween at our ward fall festival on Saturday night, November 1st. I really wish I had known Seth was still sick, but it was too late by the time he threw up in the hallway.