Does Twilight "Suck The Brains Out of Teenagers"?

As most of you know, I am a fan of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - albeit a reluctant fan. My cousin, Jessica, first pushed the books on me and I easily declined them thinking 'thanks, but I'm not into romance books involving vampires'. Then, I began to hear more and more reviews. Everywhere I turned someone was raving about the books. After Sharon issued a challenge to see what I was missing, I gave in. And rather quickly, I was totally hooked - reading the pages as quickly as I could, yet crying each time I finished a chapter because I knew the books would come to an end all too quickly. So, here I sit, anxiously awaiting my preorderd copy of the 4th book to come out in a few weeks, and the movie to be released in a few months. I stumbled across an article about the books on MSN this afternoon critiquing the way Bella is portrayed as a helpless female, and how Edward is a stalker snob. It was definately something I wasn't expecting to hear. Here's part of the review:

I'm going to brave that pain and say it anyway: Edward is a complete prig.
It's not just that he sneaks into Bella's room to watch her sleep -- that's more stalker than prissy, anyway. It's also not just that he drives a Volvo, the car of choice for priggish drivers who obsess about side airbag safety.
Nor is it that his skin sparkles like gems in the sunlight. However gag-worthy this might be, he can't help it if he has pores that Madonna, Nicole Kidman and other alabaster celebrities would envy.
For me, the last straw really is that he is more obsessed about wedding planning than any groom should be. That makes him a terrible role model for teen girls, who will grow up to face real-life mates who don't know the difference between cummerbunds and canapés, and who will also make rude faces when asked for an opinion on either.
Seriously, though, there's a dark side to priggishness, and that's condescension. Bella and Edward aren't equals. Edward knows it -- he's stronger, his senses are sharper and he's nearly immortal. He constantly has to protect Bella. He even leaves her temporarily to do just that. Bella, meanwhile, settles for a lesser college so she can be with her boyfriend. Augh!
So what does that tell our teen girls to crave? A relationship with someone they worship, rather than someone they can work with through the various challenges of life?
However much I enjoyed the books -- and I read every one, twice -- that's my fundamental concern with them as a parent. Bella constantly needs rescuing and protection. Her vulnerability fuels her desirability, for it's not just a vampire who wants her. A werewolf does, too.
This is where it's worth making a comparison to "Harry Potter." Harry solved his own problems. When he needed rescuing, his friends -- who had complementary talents and courage-quotients -- came to his aid.
Bella doesn't really have friends, at least not among her peers. She hangs out with werewolves and vampires, any one of whom could eat (or drink) her for lunch.
She's as far from being a kick-ass heroine as she can get. She's clumsy and weak. Yes, she has her attractions. She's a devoted daughter who never complains about all the cooking she has to do for her hapless dad.
But girls would be much better off following in Hermione's footsteps. Now there was a girl who could cast a spell, throw a punch, and catch the eye of an international Quidditch star (only to lose interest because he wasn't intellectual enough).

Personally, I think the book was refreshing. I thought it did a wonderful job describing the feelings of falling in love. It was imaginative and creative, and did its job by taking me away into the story. The characters have values and ethics, and with it being a worldwide hit, it's encouraging people to read.

Am I wrong? What are your feelings about the books?

History of my blog

To commemorate my 200th post, I am pulling up pictures and links to posts from the past. So much has changed since October of last year! Thanks for enjoying the ride with me!

The Price Of A Child - a great little reminder post

This is a picture of Cris' foot two weeks after he was burned. Don't know the story? Here's the links to a few of the posts:

Pray for Cris Today

Thanks!

Pictures

Foot Update

2008

Seeing Eye to Eye

I Love Him

100 Things About Me

My 200th Post!

Wow, that came up way too quickly. I'd been watching my post count, knowing this day was coming, yet I find myself completely unprepared. I had wanted to post a fun, thought provoking topic or maybe a hilarious, side-aching story, however, I can think of neither. Considering my level of unpreparedness, I probably should have waited a day or two to gather my thoughts and put this milestone to good use. But, I just couldn't do it. Patience is not my virtue.

Plus, I wanted to tell you about McKenzie and Alli. On Sunday, the baby (who is now around three pounds and VERY active and strong!) wouldn't hold still. For hours, she rolled, kicked, flipped and pounded each of my internal organs. At work, we laughed at how many people had a hard time having a conversation while looking at my face - their eyes kept focusing on my tumbling stomach, which would suddenly shift and bounce and change shapes. By the time I got home, my stomach was a little sore. Alli had picked her favorite punching bag spots and refused to kick anything else. I laid down on the couch for a minute to rest, and giggled as I watched her little elbow (I think it was an elbow? maybe a heel?) protrude from my side. It would stick out close to an inch and hide for 10 seconds before popping back out. I called McKenzie over to show her, and she wasnt quite sure what to think. (She'd seen and felt some movement, but nothing quite like this) When I convinced her that it didnt hurt mommy, I put her hand on the spot. Soon, she got a good feel and her jaw feel open! "Baby touched me! Hello Alson! She likes me, mommy!" I reassured her, and she was willing to feel again. This time though, she didnt quite know what to think. She was excited and proud... but a little creeped out too. She pulled her hand away and wiped it on her pants. She ran in the other room to grab Cris, and placed his hand to feel too. This went on for 1o minutes or so, and after each little kick, McKenzie would hug my tummy and give the baby a big kiss "Love you Alson!" That night she kept talking about being a big sister and helping with Allison. But, as of now, Allison is still not allowed on the swing set. lol. But, McKenzie says she's more than happy to give the baby her bed and she'll take over moms and dads. Funny girl!

Tuesday Tell All: Summer is Sweet

It seems like all my careful meal planning gets thrown out the window during the summer. We tend to take a far more casual dining approach. Which often means Popsicles and fruit for lunch or hot dogs and cookies for dinner.

What are your favorite summertime treats?

McKenzie and I have been all about strawberries and bananas this summer. It's been rare when there aren't some of each stocked in the fridge. We love to cut them up and snack on them all day long. Thinking about winter and having less of a fruit variety makes me a little sad.

Other favorite treats are shaved ice, slurpees and fruit juice popcicles. Yum!

Whether it's pregnancy cravings or sheer laziness, I've lately been a little too inclined to indulge in Cris' adoration for Taco Bell. The Nacho Bell Grande calls to me, what can I say? Some days making dinner can be too much of a hassle! :)

Memory Lane

I was tagged through Jessica's blog, so here goes!

This will be fun especially if everyone and I do mean EVERYONE will join in! This is just too fun to pass up! Here are the directions: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!!!!!!! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave a memory of you in my comments. Let's see who can come up with the funniest memory! Please keep it going. ENJOY:)

The Nursery & Baby Names

I finally made up my mind and ordered the crib set for the new baby's room. Someday, I'll get to de-officing the room and it will eventually be painted. I'm thinking a light shade of pale yellow, which I think will look nice with the white shutters, trim, and closet doors. I'm hoping to find some prints to hang on the wall that will match the comforter. If you see anything, let me know!

In other news, Cris has been teaching McKenzie the new baby's name, so I guess that's my signal that discussions are over? LOL! Cris picked out McKenzie's name 5 years before she was born, and would not consider any other options. Normally, I would think that would bother me, but I found it incredibly endearing, and loved seeing him involved and full of excitement and pride. This time, I suggested the name 'Allison' when we very first found out we were pregnant. He didn't say much about it, but refused to talk about anything else - only throwing the name 'Bob' out whenever I really harped on him for some input. Very helpful. And now within the last few weeks, he's been referring to her as Alli (spelling is still up for debate), and has McKenzie on the bandwagon too (when McKenzie isn't calling the baby 'coyote'). I love the name, but my only misgiving is my blogging buddy, Alison, whom I've recently reconnected with after several years of absense. Hopefully, she doesnt consider me too much of a stalker.

We are still undecided on a middle name, so until then, you may want to keep yours hidden from us! :)

Tuesday Tell All: Pioneers

In the state of Utah, July 24th is a holiday called Pioneer Day. A pioneer is defined as "one who is the first to do something", or "one who opens up the way for others".
Using this definition, tell us about pioneers in your family.

I'd have to say that my Grandma Dona is a pioneer. She's not the typical grandmother type: I dont think I have ever once seen her make cookies, and the only pancakes I've had at her house came straight from the freezer. But, I wouldnt trade any amount of cookies or a floury apron for her. She's a firecracker! She's always on the go, always styling, and loves to have a good time. But, more than entertaining, my grandma is inspiring. She overcame a difficult childhood, and together with my Grandpa Bruce, built a business they worked tirelessly at. They invested so much time and energy, along with considerable risk into their business, and through that determination built a successful staple of their community. Without women like my grandmother paving the way, women in business (and probably life in general) wouldn't have near the respect and equality they do now. She's also a great example of what you can achieve in life when you work hard, have ethics, and determination to see something through. I know you don't read this, Grams, but I love you!

Here's a link to the business they built. http://www.petersonsmarketplace.com/

"Helping" mom with the laundry

So, there I am, doing a little laundry while McKenzie follows me around. I notice she is digging in the hamper of dirty clothes. She's entertained, so I let her play while I fold the sheets coming out of the dryer. I peek around the corner, and see her adjust the panties on her head, take a few steps back and tackle the hamper like a linebacker. She then jumps on top and begins blabbering nonsense words REALLY loudly. What I wouldnt give to know what was running through her imagination! And luckily the camera was within reach - this will be excellent footage to torment her with when she is older! ;)

Did you know?

I got this email, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I've been meaning to share for a while, but am just now finally getting around to it.

DID YOU KNOW?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-l ow and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cup cakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in nar- row openings.

Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing pan ty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.

Measuring Cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump o ut the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car . When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the fil- ter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well .. the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

An Impromptu Camping Trip

My fathers work hit and unexpected hault when some parts were backordered, so he and my mother decided to pack up the tent and head out camping for the week. They called me and work on Monday, laid the guilt on thick, and somehow convinced me to go. I dashed home and did a literal 15 minute packing job, scooped McKenzie up from the babysitters and we were on our way!

We went to Boulder Mountain, up an incredibly bumpy and steep road (it took us over an hour and half to go 2.5 miles) but were rewarded with a remote campsite, no neighbors, good fishing, and 5 lakes within a mile of our tent.

We spent the days fishing, eating camping food (why does everything taste better when eaten around a campfire?), exploring, hiding from the thundershowers, riding the 4wheeler, and just having fun. McKenzie had SO much fun! She was a wonderful little girl, even if she was covered head to toe in dirt (which my parents delighted in seeing, knowing how much I hate sticky hands and smudged faces)

McKenzie had fun fishing. She played on the shore most of the time, and would help us reel in a fish when we hooked one. She also got to ride in the inflatable raft with Grandma and I, while we fished. One evening while my parents were out fishing on the lake, I fished a little from the shore with her. Not getting any bites, I gave up and sat down with her to play in the dirt. After a few minutes, she pointed to my pole and asked if she could fish. I threw out the spinner and was going to appease her by letting her reel it in empty a few times, but she surprised me by catching a nice cut-throat on the first cast.

The picture above is of a fish McKenzie and Grandpa caught and cooked for breakfast. It really freaked her out to think about eating a fish - let alone touching one.

She's going to hate me for this picture later, but I have to brag a little! Not one accident! Do you know how much nicer it is to go camping without diapers? Maybe one more trip this year, and then maybe again in two more years? I am excited for the new baby, but the thought of diapers is a little depressing right now, especially after a great week!



McKenzie is in love with the 4-wheeler! Especially when she gets to ride with Grandma Jodi! Big hills still make her a little nervous (so does thunder and smoke, but thats a whole other story)

On Thursday we moved camps closer to Lower Bowns reservoir for a change of scenery. McKenzie loved all of the pinecones and wildflowers in the meadows near our camp.

Grandpa doesn't know that I got footage of him on camera, but I couldnt resist taking this picture from afar. My dad was helping McKenzie pick a bouquet of wildflowers for my mom. Awww!

Here's the bouquet, just before Grandma arrived back at camp.

Surprising Grandma

McKenzie was playing with my camera this morning and took this picture. I thought it was an intertesting perspective. Oh my little photographer!

From my camp chair, looking up.

The cool air was so comfortable. It was so relaxing just to sit and enjoy the fresh air - without sweating! Of course, the scent of bug spray was a little bit of a trade off...

I made my dad stop at one of the scenic lookouts - where he was snubbed in French by some snooty tourists! (True story.) I wish this picture did the view justice! The change in scenery from desert, to pine forest, to lake, to red plateaus amazes me. We truly do live in a beautiful place!

I have too many pictures of the red plateaus I took outside of Torrey. Isn't it amazing?

Since Cris had to stay home and work, I havent seen him since Sunday evening. I was hoping to catch up with him tonight, but some major malfunction at work called his attention to the night shift this week, so he left for work about an hour before we got home. Someday I'll get to see hubby. And someday McKenzie will tell him all of the things she's been dying to share with him. For now, I am in a mad rush trying to get the laundry done before work starts in 9 hours. And I may take another shower just to make sure the campfire/bug spray/fish scent is completely gone! It was a great week though. I have a wonderful family and loved spending time with them. So much so, I slept 4 nights on a dinky little blow up mattress in a tent while being quite pregnant. Tell me I'm not a devoted daughter/mother! Ha! :)

Tummy Watch: Week 26

Whats for lunch?

Today, McKenzie wanted chicken nuggets for lunch. I cannot eat chicken nuggets without mashed potatoes and chicken gravy (I'm a product of Grantsville Elementary, what can I say?) So, I boiled up my organic baby red potatoes and cooked up some gravy while the nuggets baked. Lots of work (and dirty dishes) for a silly summer time lunch for two!

Anyway, this got me thinking about summer lunches at my house growing up. My mom occassionally made my father a grilled Spam sandwhich (blech!) when he'd come home for lunch. But, by far, the most unusual thing we had was... uh... I honestly dont know what it was called! My mom would slice hotdogs lengthwise, fill them with leftover mashed potatoes and cover them with cheese before baking them. It sounds horrible, but some days it didnt taste too bad - especially if I convinced her to use Velveeta instead of cheddar. However, I can say I've never made this in my own home.

What I want to know is what's the weirdest thing you make for lunch? Leave a comment or write a post of your own.

Dew Family Fun

Yesterday evening we went over to Cris' parents for a BBQ. We ate way too much good food and had lots of fun visiting with everyone. Unfortunately, Alex and Whitney weren't able to stay for very long, but it was still good to see them! Grandpa Randy also unveiled the horse tire swing he installed in the back yard. McKenzie was in love with it! And she was even more excited when we remembered that her cowboy hat happened to be in the car!

Do you like the safety glasses look? Cris had to come straight from work, so he was stylin'!

Isn't that a devilish grin?

Liberty Quiz

Here's a little American quiz that I had fun doing. Some questions are easy, some I had to make a complete guess at. Leave a comment with your score. Mine was a 20.

http://games.toast.net/independence/

My lips are burning!

...and not in a good way, either.

I just want you all to know what a good wife I am. Yes, I am publicly patting myself on the back, but if you saw my red, irritated and swollen face, you would understand why. In fact, you may think I under-congratulated myself. (hey, it could happen, right? lol)

My husband has a mild obsession with salsa. He loves it. To him, everything is a little better with salsa on top. Doritos? Absolutely. Chicken Cor'don Bleu? Check. And since he hates salad dressing, I've seen him use salsa in it's place. In fact, if he ate ice cream, I wouldnt be shocked to see him pass the fudge toppings for a jar of Pace. You get the picture.

Being the thoughtful and ambitious wife that I am, I decided to make him homemade salsa this afternoon. And since he likes it spicy, I added a few extra peppers (being sure to only use the small ones, since they have a more 'quality burn') for his enjoyment. I know the dangers of peppers, so I washed my hands very well when I was finsihed. I loaded the dishwasher, and I washed again. Then, I decided to snack on a piece of brownie left from dessert last night - again washing my hands. Thats THREE handwashes, and then I was off to enjoy a few minutes of blog reading time. I sat my elbow on the desk while I read a post, and rested my face in my palm. Bad idea! After a few minutes my face suddenly started to burn. I ran into the bathroom to wash my face, but the damage was done. The left side of my face from just below my nose to under my chin is red, blotchy and swollen. I am having a "feeling sexy" day.

But thats not the worst part. Even though I have washed my hands several more times, I am still frightened to go to the bathroom. WHAAAA!

Welcome!

My cousin, Brandon, and his family welcomed a brand new baby last week. I'm so excited to finally have pictures to drool over, and couldn't resist posting them. Isn't he a doll?

Alexander Edmund Peterson was born July 3rd at 1:37:37.
He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long.
Mom and baby are doing great!

Welcome Alexander!

Tagged

I was tagged by Alison yesterday. Here we go!

Favorite person (outside family): I couldn’t think of a good answer, so I decided on a fictional one – Edward from Twilight.

Favorite food: Right now, it would have to be a hot, buttery, salty pretzel from the food court at the mall. YUM!

Quirks: I bite my fingernails. I know it’s gross, but when I get stressed out I can’t help it! I may grow them out for 2 or 3 months, but when that stress level rises and I have time to sit down alone and mull things over, the gnawing begins.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? I’ll ask him when he gets home from work and update this later! Stay tuned

Any regrets in life? I wish I would have made a better effort to stay close to my friends from school.

Favorite Charity/Cause: My parents would often take us shopping for Christmas presents for the children in Primary Childrens Hospital (they were so good to my brother there when he had heart surgery). It was a special feeling I’ll always remember.

Favorite Blog recently? I have a list of them on the sidebar! My favorites would have to be those who update their blogs often. (Hint, hint, Kambree!)

Something you can't get enough of: Ice cold bottled water. (It’s not the same from a tap, sorry) I have several a day.

Worst job you’ve ever had: The fuel desk at Flying J when they first opened in Lakepoint. There were nasty people there, I often had to work past mid-night even though I was still in high school, and I even had a stalker there.

What job would you pay NOT to have? One that would keep me away from home days at a time. Or one that involves unpleasant smells.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? I don’t have a specific answer, but I guess I’m always curious to find out what people really think of me. Although, I’d probably regret hearing what was said!

Favorite Bible verse right now? Luke 4:18 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recover of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

Guilty Pleasure: Right now its Chewy Chips A’hoy cookies, kept cold in the fridge.

Got any confessions? My brother hurt his leg playing basketball before class when we were in high school, but he didn’t say anything to anyone and just hobbled around the entire day. His horrible limping (really, it wasn’t even a limp – kind of a hop, shuffle and moan) was making people laugh and tease him. Instead of helping him, I told him he should knock it off, or go home and stop embarrassing himself if he couldn’t be normal. He found out his ankle was broken that night, and I’ve always felt bad for how I treated him that day and not helping him when I could have.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? Hmmm… so many things come to mind. I have two contenders: wood floors in our living room or lazer hair removal to never shave my legs again!

Favorite thing about your house? The view of the mountain behind us and being able to watch deer graze while we eat dinner

Least favorite thing about your house? The basement still isn’t finished.

One thing you are bad at? One thing? HAH! There are so many! I’d have to say I rarely make the bed when I get out of it. No matter how clean the rest of the house may be, I often slack in our room. However, I HAVE to make the bed before I get into it at night.

One thing you’re good at? Target shooting on the Wii – just try to beat me! ;)

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? We’d have time together on weekends, or another whole day during the week.

Who would you like to meet someday? This answer changes almost daily. Right now, I would like to meet the hostages who were released from Columbia after 5 years.

What makes you feel sexy? Sexy is not in my vocabulary at this stage of pregnancy, sorry.

Who is your real life hero? My dad – he knows everything. Literally.

When are you most relaxed? When the house is clean, dinner is planned, and my family is spending quality time together. That feels like a successful day!

What stresses you out? Too much going on at once.

What can you not live without? Sticky mooches from McKenzie

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? I don’t think all blogs are narcissistic, but if some are, who cares? It’s a great way to brag up your family and nobody has to read them, right?

I'll tag: Leann, Jessica and Sara

Tuesday Tell All: What Makes You Proud To Be An American?

If I had to sum it all up in one word, it would have to be ‘choice’.

America is amazing because of our undeniable power to choose. We are free to live where we want, we can choose where we work, how we worship, what we want to study and how we behave. Beyond that, we have been given the ability to choose our leadership. Even more amazing, we can choose to disagree with our government!

I am so proud to be an American, and I am humbled by those who selflessly sacrifice for my freedoms. I am thankful I was given a chance to tour Washington D.C. and visit important landmarks in our American history. One of the memories of that trip that will never fade was the amazing feeling of awe I experienced walking through Arlington National Cemetery. I was with a group of rowdy 8th graders that day, but without being asked, a reverent hush fell over our group. I was astonished by the miles and miles of white crosses dotting the grass in even patterns, unable to comprehend the number of lives they represented and what they gave up for me. I know that the number of graves in Arlington is miniscule compared to the actual number who’ve paid the ultimate price, but it’s a figure I’m sad to say I may never comprehend. However, I will continue to try… and to teach my children the same.

This fall, we’ll be asked to make another choice, and cast our vote for President and other officials. Sometimes, I think we can take this responsibility lightly, but I urge everyone to make time to accomplish this task. Compared to the sacrifices of others, waiting in line to voice your choice is such a simple request. Honor your power to choose, and don’t forget to vote.

Any Napolean Dynamite Fans Out There?

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw these two cruising the parade route yesterday. Good stuff!

4th of July Pics

We had a great 4th, and hope everyone else did, too!

Our neighborhood has a block party breakfast for the 4th of July, so that was a great way to start things off. Afterwards, we met my family for the Grantsville parade. It was HOT, but very fun! The only hitch came when in the middle of the parade McKenzie insisted she needed to go potty NOW! Since the nearest potty was a 10 minute walk away, we had to improvise - sorry to the lilac bush she watered behind the car, we were a little desperate! We went to the city park for the games and car show, too. It was fun seeing people I haven't seen for years. We had some lunch, a nap, a waterfight and Malory made a nice dinner for all of us. We played wth sparklers and fireworks, until the big show started at night. It was a wonderful day and I am so glad I got to spend it with my family!

Yummy taffy! Chilling and waiting for the parade to start.

Checking out the parade

"Hey princesses! You forgot to throw candy!"

This was the first year she's been able to do sparlers

She LOVED the fireworks, which was a relief! Last year, they scared her so much she clawed at her face, making it bleed. This year she finally relaxed and had fun pointing out all of the colors as they exploded through the sky. She went down the row sitting on everyones lap but mine while she gave out commentary on the fireworks. What a funny girl!

Baby Countdown

100 days left!

I'm not sure if I should say 'only' or 'still' 100 days left before the baby is due. There is something about pregnancy that makes the time fly by, yet drag at a snails pace, too. The nursery isnt ready, and I haven't stocked up on diapers and other supplies so this milemarker makes me feel a little bit of pressure - even though there is plenty of time. Yet, it also makes it seem like my stomach will surely explode if we allow this little girl to continue to grow for another 100 days!

Hurry up! Slow down! But mostly, just get here safe and healthy. We love you baby girl!

Tuesday Tell All: Touch

A few of my favorites:

• Holding a sick child
• Playing softball and getting a good, solid hit
• Big hugs
• First kisses
• That tired/satisfied feeling you get when finishing a big project
• Squeezes from my little girl
• Foot massages
• Having a full stomach after a really good meal
• A hot bath
• Sunshine on my hair
• Driving alone with the music loud and the windows down
• Being held by the one you love