The Absence of Solitude

Recap of the past week---The Muppets

I just did not feel like blogging last week but now that I have things I want to remember, I am back this week. Maybe even with a post a day!

Last Wednesday the two little kids had a play-date and then Allen took over while I went to Mandy's house to get started on the Thanksgiving preparations. We made our pies, cheese balls, and got a couple of other things underway so we could have a more stress-free Thursday. After we were done, we met up with the rest of my family and Matt to see The Muppets. People, have you seen this yet? If not, please do. It was so great. I literally smiled from beginning to end (except when I got a little teary when Kermit sang The Rainbow Connection) just like one of the reviews said you would do if you grew up watching The Muppets. My kids have only seen a couple of the movies but still absolutely enjoyed it, even Jillian was rocking out to the songs, shaking her little body and be-boppin' her head. It was the cutest thing ever!

 

 

Mandy snapped this picture of Lauren and Ethan in front of the big movie display outside of the theater.

We all left singing Mahna-Mahna and were still singing it during the Turkey Trot the next morning.

(And yes, I read the Slate article that was on MSN about the origin of the song but it's still catchy and my kids don't need to know about the article.) :)

It was a great way to start our Thanksgiving vacation! We all want to see it again, if that tells you how much we liked it.

 

Odds and Ends Today

I don't have a whole lot to blog about right now so it's just randomness today. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with my to-do list and I have a few projects in the works. I will post some pictures when they are complete. We are also heading into the last couple few weeks of school and Ethan and Lauren have started the countdown. The last few days have definitely felt like summer!

So here are the odds and ends:

1. Last week I got my very first traffic ticket. Not only was it my first ticket but it was my first time getting pulled over for a traffic violation. And I didn't even realize I had done anything wrong...I got a ticket for not using a blinker when turning!!! Not even a warning, people! It is so lame and I go to traffic court next week to find out the damage. Ugh. The whole thing was a bit ridiculous in my opinion; like the officers coming up both sides of my van, peering into the windows then asking me to roll them all down. When they see the kids, one of them says, "Oh, you just have kids in here?" I am driving a mini-van! What did he think I had in here!?!

2. This little Jilli-Bean has three new favorite words: Um, No, and Mine. She uses them often and the the one that cracks me up is "Um." I will ask her a question like, "Where are your shoes?" And she looks at me, kind of shrugs her shoulders, puts her arms out in front of her with her palms up and says, "Ummm..." It's super cute! 

3. I wish I had a photo for the spontaneous dancing that was going on in the kitchen the other day. The kids were listening to different songs programmed on the keyboard and the Tango started playing. Ethan asked if it was the Salsa dance and I told him it was the Tango. He grabbed Lauren and proceeds to do the Tango back and forth across the kitchen. It was so random--Where did he learn the difference between a Salsa and a Tango and how did know how to do it? It was one of those times I wish to remember when they are not getting along so well because it was about the sweetest thing ever! 

 
 
4. Memorial Day we had breakfast with Matt, Mandy and Mandy's mother, Ruth. Then we went furniture shopping. I finally found a couch for the living room. Yay! We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up a couple of projects I had going on in the girls' room and then we let the kids wash the cars and play in the water.  Who knew a water hose could be so entertaining. We quickly realized that if we wanted the cars to stay clean after they were washed they need to immediately go back into the garage...they kept getting sprayed by the little ones.

 
 
5. Have you seen Jane Eyre yet? If not, find a theater and see it. I absolutely loved it. Of course the book is always better but this adaptation is wonderful! And the casting was perfect. I want go see it again, like today. Speaking of movies, Allen took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 2 and they all really enjoyed it. Allen and Ethan both thought it was better than the first one.

That's about it for today's edition...

 
 

I can't wait! Can you?

 

obsessive

This post is for all you ladies that love the Twilight series and sometimes think you just might be teetering on the edge of obsessive. Well, put your worries aside because my niece has nothing on you! Mind you she is only 17, though. And don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the series.

Around the holidays we were over at my sister-in-law's house playing games a lot. One night I went upstairs to check on the kids and peeked into my niece's room. I was in shock! I knew she loved Twilight but I guess I didn't realize how obsessed she had become with the books and especially the character of Edward. 

The following pictures are of her room:

                                        Three of the corners of the room.

                        

                      

                        

                        

            She has a few sets of the books. Some to read and some for keepsakes.

                        

                                     Her bulletin board and nightstand.

                        

I think she has seen the movie at least ten times, went to the Galleria (camped out all night) to meet several of the actors, has read every magazine that ever had any kind of blurb about the movie, has collector cards, a book bag, and several t-shirts.

See what I mean? I bet you feel a little better now knowing you are not this obsessed, right? The crazy thing is that two days later I was in her room and she had so many more posters up on the wall and had reorganized them by character. Each character had a section, basically she has Twilight wallpaper in her room. AWESOME!!!

To read my past post for today go HERE.

Movie review

HAIRSPRAY was absolutely fantastic.  We loved it!!!  As Allen said, " I haven't had that much fun at the movies in a long time."  It was such a fun and entertaining movie.  I am going to get the soundtrack today.  Last night after seeing it I was a little mad at myself for not going to see the Broadway production when it came here last year.  I definitely want to see that now.  I also want to go see the movie again. The music hasn't left my head yet.  Highly recommend it!

And this cutie Zac Efron makes me want to go rent High School Musical. Ethan has seen it, but I have never sat down and watched the whole thing.  Maybe I will today while Allen is reading Harry Potter.  And did you know he just signed on to do a remake of Footloose? Can't wait!

The kid kills me

Ethan's imagination or maybe it's just the thought process of a four year old just makes me crack up.  Yesterday we were talking about the movie coming on tonight, The Ten Commandments, and the conversation between Allen and Ethan went something like this:

Allen: We are going to watch a movie tomorrow about Moses. Do you know who Moses is?

Ethan: Yes, he parted the waters with a stick.

Allen: Yeah and who did he hear in the burning bush??

Ethan: He heard Jesus.  I don't know why Jesus would hide in a bush. They are so prickly. 

Allen: Yeah, I guess the could be prickly, but I don't think it hurt Jesus.

Ethan: Really? Do you think he had a force field around him or something?

Allen: Yeah, something like that!?!

That's about all going on around here.  I am in the middle of sewing pioneer bonnets for the girls going on the Pioneer Trek this week.  It is my first real sewing project and I think it is going pretty well so far.  I will post pictures later of the finished bonnet.  Maybe I can get Lauren to model it. 

I *Heart* Reese Witherspoon!

She won! I totally thought Felicity Huffman would win, with all the hype she has gotten lately.  Reese was so incredibly adorable tonight.  She was so sweet talking about her parents and grandmother.  I thought it was funny how she would start talking with a twang when she would metion something that had to do with being from the South.  She did do a great job in "Walk the Line" and deserved the win. So, so, so CUTE!

And I cannot believe Crash won for Best Picture. What an upset!  Also, did anyone else notice how so many of the dresses were the same neutral, skin tone color. Kinda boring.  I thought Nicole Kidman looked fantastic as well as Michelle Williams. Poor Jennifer Garner and her near fall. She saved it pretty well with her curtsy and "I do my own stunts" comment.  I actually enjoyed watching tonight.

One more thing: Did anyone see the Jamba Juice skit on SNL? It was so funny. I will have to see if I can find a clip of it.