American Idol, Night 3 Auditions

Tonight, American Idol is in San Francisco. The show is only one hour tonight. In the opening segment Ryan Seacrest acknowledges that San Francisco is where both Katherine McPhee and William Hung were discovered. Will San Francisco be as good to American Idol this year?

We see a first for American Idol - a guy proposes to his girl while in line to audition, she says yes, and they get married while in line. There is video of the famous homes that are used in the opening of the sit-com Full House, and also a nice look back at the summer of 1967 when all the hippies went to Haight-Ashbury.

First up tonight was Tatianna Del Torro from San Juan Puerto Rico. She bills herself as a fulltime singerm model, film actor, musician, etc, etc. She is dressed in a formal gown. She states that she has seen a psychic who has claimed that Tatianna will definitely make the Top 12 on AI. She has a seriously annoying laugh. She sings "Never loved a man" by Aretha Franklin. Simon says NO, but the other judges liked her voice and send her through to Hollywood. Did I mention her annoying laugh?

Dean Anthony Bradford age 27 shows up in a horrible plaid sports jacket. My teenage son commented that this guy looks like one of the Geico cave men. He is an awful singer and just, well, weird.

29 year old Jesus Valenzuela is at auditions with his entire family including his two boys. He says, his family watches AI all the time and his boys convinced him to audition. Simon immediately says no, but Kara and Paula like him and Randy agrees. A golden ticket for Jesus.

Dalton Powell (18 yrs) is talking with Ryan Seacrest outside the audition room and while talking with Ryan, absentmindedly solves an entire Rubik's cube puzzle in a mere 24 seconds. Dalton sings "Baby Baby" in the worse sounding falsetto ever and never once opens his eyes. The judges say NO emphatically.

We begin to see from one auditioner to the next, that Simon irritates Kara just as much as he annoys Paula. There is much verbal sparring.

Next up is Akeela Askew-Gholston. She likes to sing gospel and has searched the internet for instructions on how to sing Gospel. She has all sorts of diagrams and pictures and talks to everybody about the parts of the body and thinks she is super knowledgeable about the right and wrong way to sing. She mis-pronounces words a lot. Akeela decides to sing an original composition she wrote called "Make Sweet Love". The judges do not like it at all, so she jumps right in with another original song which is equally as awful. Simon says every song sounds just the same. This woman will not quick talking. OMG! The judges send her packing. In her closing remarks (which go on and on and on and on) Akeela says " I should not have let Paula, Randy and Simon 'irractitate' me'.

In quick succession, we get just a snippet of auditions from John Twiford, Allison Traheta and Racquel Houghton - who are all wonderful and are sent to Hollywood. I give Racquel Houghton 3 stars and think we will see more of her!

Annie Murdock is next. She plays violin and piano. She sings "Summertime" and totally bombs. Simon even comments that she sounds like she is drunk - like drink a whole case drunk.

Adam Lambert, age 22, has an interesting backstory. He has been in musical theater since age 10 or so. Paula recognized him from a musical theater program "Wicked". Adams sings Bohemian Rhapsody. He gets comments such as pretty good, diverse, theatrical and brilliant. He gets a ticket to Hollywood.

Kai Kalama is the last audition. He takes care of his mother who as a seizure disorder, and at night he sings and is a musician. He wants to win AI so he can have a career and also so he can take care of his mother. Kai sings "Smoke Gets in You Eyes" by Smoky Robinson and personally, I thought he did a great job. I think that Kai is another one that bears watching. He gets 4 yeses and is sent to Hollywood.

In the end, only 12 people from the San Francisco auditions are sent through to Hollywood. Tomorrow night, AI is at Churchhill Downs in Louisville, KY.

In My Email In-Box Today

Got this in my in-box today from family friends Bob and Dee. I hope you get as much enjoyment from the visual as I did!

Today's Chuckle
You are on the bus when you suddenly realize ... you need to fart.
The music is really loud, so you time your farts with the beat. After
a couple of songs, you start to feel better as you approach your stop.
As you are leaving the bus, people are really staring you down, and
that's when you remember: you've been listening to your ipod.

Ahhhhhh.......I'm IT !!!!

Ahhhh....I'm IT!!
Actually, I wasn't tagged, I saw this over on Rachel's blog when I was reading her archives.

Here goes...What was I doing 10 years ago? Seriously? I'm not sure if I remember what I was doing 10 minutes ago. 10 years ago - at that point we were struggling with infertility - though in 6 months time - we would find out we were expecting twins in addition to our older son. I was working as a Human Resources Administrative Assistant at Cash America International. I had recently transferred into Human Resources from the Payroll Department. I had been in Payroll for 14 years cumulatively for 3 companies: Plano Builders Corporation (3 yrs), The Bombay Company (8 yrs) and Cash America (3 yrs).



5 things on my to-do list for today?
I'll go for tomorrow's list, since most of them are from today anyway!

1) finish the laundry (I never really get finished)
2) take Mike's work shirts to the cleaners.
3) write thank you notes (finish them)
4) take Megan to gymnastics
5) balance the checkbook


5 snacks I enjoy:
Snacks are the same thing as dessert, right?

1) tortilla chips and homemade salsa
2) cheese and crackers
3) ice cream
4) chocolate
5) chex mix - spicy



5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:(this is in no particular order)

1) Give some to our church
2) Pay off debt
3) Buy a new van for me and a new car for Mike.
4) Create college funds for all 3 kids.
5) Take a real honeymoon because we never did.
6) Take the kids on a true vacation, something we have never done. (I had to add an extra item)


5 bad habits:

1) Not exercising nearly enough
2) eating (eating too much, of course, I mean...we have to eat) (I like that Rachel!)
3) drinking too many Diet Cokes or Diet DP's
4) not going to church every Sunday
5) Not exercising like I should - that one is so bad, I am listing it twice.



5 places I've lived:

1) Fort Rucker, Alabama
2) Frankfort Germany
3) Richardson Texas
4) La Crescenta California
5) Fort Worth, Texas



5 jobs I've had:

1) Wife and mom - best and most rewarding, for SURE!!
2) Dairy Queen
3) Data Entry Operator
4) Payroll Supervisor
5) HR Administrative Assistant



Okay, that's a little about me. Forgive me but I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to play along, feel free...and post a comment so others can see what you wrote! Please.

Meet Sox

This is our dog Sox. She is an almost 10 year old Border Collie/Bernese Mountain Dog. She seems to have a mostly Border Collie look, but not so much the work ethic of a Border Collie.

My step-Brother J.D. and my Dad and StepMom owned her parents. Her father was Vick, the Bernese and her mother is Rosie, the Border Collie. The folks still have Rosie, but sadly, Vick is no longer with us.

Sox has been a really good dog. She is smart too. I often believe she understands the english language as she follows directions very well for me. Her annoying trait is barking when the doorbell rings. She has been wonderful with our kids. She is getting a bit gray around the muzzle now.

Here is Sox eating her Christmas rawhide treat!

Friday - not as freaky as LAST Friday

Generally speaking, today was a much more normal Friday that last week's freaky Friday. For those of you who don't already know, at my crossing guard job last Friday morning, I accidently drowned my Motorola SLVR cell phone, the really cool phone with iTunes on it. It died a quick and sticky death in a cup of diet coke. Because I can't really upgrade and replace my SLVR phone until February - I borrowed a flip phone from my Mom and had it activated at lunch time. Thanks Mom!

Afterwards, I ran home to do some computer work prior to afternoon guard duty, and when I got home I discoved that my computer monitor had burned out. WHAT ???!!!!!!!

Well, getting the monitor replaced was a bit of a challenge too. But, we got it done. At least now I can do my contract typing work!

This morning, my kids are out of school for a Teacher Prep Day and end of the first semester grading period. I planned ahead and booked all three kids well check-ups for 8:30 this morning. Knowing that the Metroplex highways are notoriously bad during rush hour, we left 1 hour and 5 minutes early for a 15 mile drive downtown and over near the zoo. Traffic was worse than usual and we were 15 minutes LATE for the appointment.

This tardiness caused the office staff to juggle early arrivals into our spots, and then when we arrived they had to work us into the schedule. After a 45 minute wait, we got called back. Things move quite well one you are actually in the exam room.

So, here are the stats:

Jason - my first born son who is 2 weeks from being 15 years old
5 ft 9 1/2 inches tall ( 3 inches in a year)
125 1/2 pounds

Ryan - Twin A - he turned 9 years old 2 weeks ago
4 ft 6 inches tall (also 3 inches in a year)
75 pounds

Megan - Twin B - she turned 9 years old 2 weeks ago
4 ft 5 inches tall (again, 3 inches in a year)
63 pounds

No one was due any shots this year and we had already done flu shots back in the fall. We made a stop at the lab and came away fine from there except for a little hiccup with Ryan during the finger stick. Not sure why, but he passed out cold. I think he was scared and maybe held his breath. The episode was over as quickly as it happened. But, it took a few minutes for him to gain some clarity back. He is absolutely fine tonight. Also - each child had hearing and vision screenings. Nothing too alarming there.

The weather here was cold again today, 25 degrees with a wind chill in the teens. I can't imagine what the mid-West is dealing with. All those sub-zero temperatures.

Tonight, Jason is at the movies, Megan is at open-gym at her gymnastics place and Ryan is having free rein on Xbox 360.

Stay warm where ever you are!

American Idol, Night 2 Auditions

The second night of American Idol (AI) auditions opens in Kansas City, Missouri. Jason Castro from season 7 is at the audition with his little brother. It will be interesting to see if Michael Castro (age 20) is as different a singer than Jason as they are different in looks. No dreadlocks on Michael.

First up was Chelsea Marquardt, age 20. She is very cute, and bills herself as "I am always shocking people with my big voice". Nothing could be farther from the truth, and Simon says she sounds "like cats jumping off the Empire State Bldg. and the sound it would make before it hit the floor." She gets 4 NO's.

Next was Ashley Anderson who says she will be singing a Leona Lewis song that was co-written by Simon Cowell "Footprints in the Sand" but then sang the wrong word in the lyrics - she sang FOOTSTEPS - and the judges stopped her and called her on the mistake. She corrected it and gave a good performance. Ashley gets 4 YES's.

Next came a commercial for American Idol featuring David Cook.

Casey Carlson is next singing "A Thousand Miles".. I thought she rushed through the song, but all the judges were pleased and passed her on to Hollywood.

The buildup for the next contestant was, well, too good to be true. Brian Hettler bills himself as having a big voice, studied classic opera and practiced singing hours and hours each night to get admitted into a conservatory - which apparently he didn't get into because he then quit music for 2 years. Brian also compared himself to Josh Groban. Brian sings an Aretha Franklin song which was simply unrecognizable to me. He sound more like he was channeling Elvis in freaky way. It was awful. Simon hated the whole audition and the other judges agreed. No golden ticket for Brian.

A montage was shown of crying, angry and otherwise disappointed losers. It was rather embarrassing the way these people act. Are they delusional? And one gal literally just kept screaming like someone had died.

Deandre Hopkins was next singing "Amazing Grace". It was amazingly horrible and she is amazingly tone deaf. NEXT.

22 year old Von Smith says he has a weird vocal range. He chooses "Over the Ranbow". He has a false start, tries again and then sings way too big - but then it turned into something rather nice if not powerful once he gained control of his nerves. He is a very interesting singer and the 4 judges send him thru to Hollywood.

Next up is Michael Castro, who admits that he just started singing 3 weeks ago. He decided that if Jason can do it, so can he. Some sibling rivalry is evident in the pre-audition footage. Michael says Jason is sort of 'girly'. Michael says he will sing "In Love with a Girl" by Gavin DeGraw. Paula says "not bad", Simon says he is "goodish", Kara says "you are a ballsy dude" and Randy also likes him. Michael Castro gets 4 YES's. Big brother Jason is "blown away" that his brother can sing.

And then the truly bizarre. Vaughn English wearing a weird yellow suit sings a nonsense song about, you guessed it, a banana. Ba-bye.

Matt Breitzke says he sings and plays guitar since he was a small boy. Matt sings "Ain't No Sunshine". He has a really nice voice - very soulful. Randy doesn't like him and says NO. Kara disagreed and said Matt has natural talent and says YES. Paula loves his tone, and says YES. Simon says "I agree with.......the girls! and further states that Matt was really good and has heart and ambition. Matt gets a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Next was Jasmine Joseph who had 1/2 purple 1/2 pink hair. She sings "Over the Rainbow" and is just horribly pitchy all over the place. My own husband says "She sounds like she is sitting on a box of nails!" The judges never said one word. They shook their heads and Jasmine turned and walked out.

Jessica Paige Furney is the next contestant whose back-story is told. She apparently lives with her hard of hearing grandma in some town billed as the Capital of the Wizard of Oz. She seems timid and quiet. She says she will sing Janis Joplin's 'Cry Baby" and she belts it. The judges are surprised and pleased. They send her to Hollywood, and by the way, Happy Birthday to Jessica. What a great present - going to the Hollywood round of AI.

Two sisters Asia and India are next up. They perform an original song "Cookies" and dedicate it to Randy. It was not good. Then the girls perform independently. Asia is turned away, but India gets to go to Hollywood.

Jamar Rogers age 26. Jamar has the strangest Mohawk ever. He sings "California Dreaming" too loudly and over sung to the point of getting pitchy. Yes amazingly, he gets a golden ticket!

All through this episode 28 year old music teacher Danny Goky(sp?) is billed as having a very sad story. Turns out, his wife died of a heart condition 4 weeks earlier and he is still grieving the loss. He considered NOT auditioning, but decided he would so that America can get to know his wife. He keeps his emotions in check and sings "I heard it through the Grapevine" Paula says Danny is soulful, Kara said "I am a fan!", Simon liked him and Randy declares "HE is the best we have seen!"

Anoop Desai is next, and is billed as a master music student. He sings "Thank You" and is really good, despite looking and dressing, well, geeky. He gets lots of tips from the judges and he is off to the next round in Hollywood.

Next was a montage of losers and geeks singing "Signed, sealed, delivered" They also showed a quick montage of extreme contestants: weird clothes, gimmicks, pets, ninja's. All the weirdness from nights one and two. Ugh.

Enter Andrew Lang singing "My Girl". He was very theatrical and gets a resounding NO from the judges.

28 year old Asa Barnes is a band director at a middle school. He sings "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson. Though contestants usually bomb singing Michael J. - Asa does a respectable job and gets 4 yes's from the judges.

Michael Nicewonder is the next contestant. He has obviously bleached hair in a chili bowl cut. He is wearing a medal around his neck that he won in elementary school for "best vocalization in music class" and stuck to the back is a fortune cookie fortune he likes. His mother doesn't think he can sing and he is at the audition to prove her wrong. He also states he is related to Hank Williams Jr. Michael sings two original songs - one to his mother and one for his grandmother. Both are just awful and the judges send him packing. He cries like a baby. I think he better get in some therapy. And soon. To say this audition was weird is a total understatement.

19 year old Dennis Brigham sings "With You" and suitably impresses all 4 judges. My husband and I were NOT impressed. Hmmmm.....

About 90 seconds of video was dedicated to Mia Conley age 27. She was sleeping in every single second right up to walking in for her audition. She might as well have been a nightmare. She was singing "Loving You" and she was just awful. She vehemently disagreed with the judges rejection and told them that "God will get you for not picking me". Sheesh.

The last contestant may have been the very best one. Lil Rounds, a mom of 3 kids and whose family was displaced by a tornado in Memphis steps up. She sings Stevie Wonders "All I Do" and is fantastic. Kara really likes her and says that she is a mixture of Fantasia and Mary J Blige. Paula loves her. Simon thinks she is fantastic and Randy says Best so far this season. She is a HOT ONE" Lil is humbled, awed, excited, etc. She may definitely be one to watch the rest of Season 8.

In the end, 27 people in Kansas City are put through to Hollywood. Next week they visit Louisville KY and Salt Lake City. Additional audition cities are San Juan, New York, Jacksonville and San Francisco. Clips following say that in the end 147 people will make it to Hollywood and that"Hell Week" is the most dramatic one ever.

American Idol

Last night was the first episode of American Idol, Season 8. The show opened with a montage look back at the prior seven seasons. It was a great trip down memory lane and showed mostly all the winners. I don't remember seeing Fantasia in the montage.

I didn't take notes, and I have slept since then, but I did like a gal named Emily Hughes who had lots of tattoos and wore a red dress. She belted out Barracuda and did a good job, I thought. She is already in a band - and had not told her band members about the AI audition. Not cool - but I think she will do well in Hollywood.

The new judge Kara DioGuardi - I like her. She fits in well. I had not heard of her - but seems like a lot of the AI hopefuls had done their homework and knew who she was. Simon kept pronouncing her name wrong. Typical. The correct pronunciation is CARE-UH and Simon insisted in calling her CAR-UH. I think she was getting annoyed.

I noticed that for the first full hour - the 4 judges voted unanimously - all were FOR a contestant and they were all 4 against. No hemming and hawing and sitting on the fence.

It got a little messier in the 2nd hour when bikini girl Katrina showed up. Randy and Simon didn't even need to hear her sing - they just said YES - you are through to Hollywood. Neither Kara nor Paula thought the girl could sing - and then Kara told Katrina "You don't have the chops to sing...." to Katrina and Katrina responded by insulting Kara. What was really funny was Paula's reaction to the insult, she jumped up and got all worked up over it.

Paula and Simon are still snarky to each other.

One of the funniest moments was a video of half a dozen girls aged 11 or so watching last season's final episode in which it was determined whether David Cook or David Archuleta would win American Idol. The suspense was terrible and the girls were frantic and unable to stand still while they prayed for David A. to win. I thought for sure one girl would wet herself. And then the moment of truth - David Cook wins! Girl about to wet herself collapses on the floor, another girls mouth dropped open (can you say cave?) and all the other girls screamed "NO!!" and began to cry. Priceless.

They also showed poor old Sanjaya and that little girl who just cried herself silly. She will never live that down.

In the end, they put through 27 singers from Arizona.

Looking forward to tonights episode. I think they are in Kansas City tonight.

The end of the semester

This week marks the end of the 1st semester of school. Jason has semester exams this week. He has 3 exams today(Pre-AP Biology, Art and Geography), 3 tomorrow (Algebra, German and Multimedia) and 2 on Thursday (Baseball/Athletics and Language Arts). Crazy. He has done a super job in 9th grade with his grades. At this moment he has 7 A's and 1 B, and the B is an 89. Not shabby at all!


Megan and Ryan are taking CBA's (Curriculum Benchmark Assessments) this week for 3rd grade. They are precursor tests before the state mandated Reading and Math tests they must take in March and April. Mike and I went to a parent meeting for the TAKS tests last night. These kids are expected to know so much. They are being taught strategies for test taking. On one hand - the strategies will be useful for life. On the other, wow, it is just so much.


They absolutely MUST pass the reading portion in order to promote to the 4th grade.

Take a look at the TAKS Reading Objectives:

OBJECTIVE 1: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURALLY DIVERSE WRITTEN TEXTS.

• prefixes and suffixes
• word identification using context clues
• read from a variety of genres
• use of dictionary and glossary
• synonyms and antonyms
• multi-meaning words
• re-tell events in a story
• produce summaries

OBJECTIVE 2: THE STUDENT WILL APPLY KNOWLEDGE OF LITERARY ELEMENTS TO UNDERSTAND CULTURALLY DIVERSE WRITTEN TEXTS.

• analyze characters (traits, feelings, relationships, & changes)
• importance of setting
• recognize story problem (plot)

OBJECTIVE 3: THE STUDENT WILL USE A VARIETY OF STRATEGIES TO ANALYZE CULTURALLY DIVERSE WRITTEN TEXTS.

• retell the order of important events
• represent text in different ways (story, maps, graphs & charts)
• distinguish between different forms of text and identify functions they serve (lists, newsletters, & signs)
• distinguish features of familiar genres (stories, poems, & informational texts)

OBJECTIVE 5: THE STUDENT WILL APPLY CRITICAL-=THINKING SKILLS TO ANALYZE CULTURALLY DIVERSE WRITTEN TEXTS.

• make and explain inferences
• causes and effects
• make predictions
• draw conclusions
• distinguish fact from opinion
• support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text

____________________________________________________________________

If that doesn't blow your mind, check out the Math TAKS Objectives for 3rd grade.

TAKS Math Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1: the student will demonstrate and understanding of numbers, operations, and quantitative reasoning.

• use place value to read and write #'s through 999,999
• compare and order whole #'s through 9,999
• value of a collection of coins and bills
• compare fractional parts
• use fraction names and symbols to describe fractional parts (denominators of 12 or less)
• model addition and subtraction using pictures, words, and numbers
• select addition or subtraction to solve problems with whole numbers through 999
• solve and record multiplication problems (one digit multiplier)
• use models to solve division problems and use number sentences to record the solutions
• round 2 digit numbers to the nearest 10
• round 3 digit numbers to the nearest 100
• estimate sums and differences

OBJECTIVE 2: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF PATTERNS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND ALGEBRAIC REASONING.

• whole number and geometric patterns
• identify patterns in multiplication facts
• multiplication and division fact families
• generate a table of paired numbers
• identify patterns in a table of related number pairs

OBJECTIVE 3: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF GEOMETRY AND SPATIAL REASONING.

• name, describe, and compare shapes and solids
• identify congruent shapes
• identify lines of symmetry
• locate and name points on a line using whole numbers

OBJECTIVE 4: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS AND USES OF MEASUREMENT.

• estimate and measure lengths using standard units (inch, foot, yard, centimeter, decimeter, and meter)
• perimeter of a shape
• area of a shape
• tell and write time shown on traditional and digital clocks
• use a thermometer to measure temperature
• measure to solve problems involving length, area, temperature, and time

OBJECTIVE 5: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

• collect, organize, record, and display data in pictographs and bar graphs
• interpret information from pictographs and bar graphs
• describe events as more likely, less likely, or equally likely

OBJECTIVE 6: THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATHEMATICAL PROCESSES AND TOOLS USED IN PROBLEM SOLVING.

• identify the mathematics in everyday situations
• use a problem solving model
• select or develop an appropriate problem-solving strategy (includes drawing a picture, looking for a pattern, systematic guessing and checking, acting it out, making a table, working a simpler problem, or working backwards to solve a problem)
• relate informal language to mathematical language and symbols
• make generalizations from patterns or sets of example and non-examples.

___________________________________________________________________

And there you have it. Now, ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER?

One perfect leaf - made of ice

It is a bit hard to see - but here is a picture of some ice we took off one of our shrubs! It is perfectly shaped just like the leaf it froze on. This was taken on January 5th.

The Fat Brothers - formerly known as Cheeze and Qwackers

Back on November 13th I blogged about our resident ducks "Cheeze and Qwackers". They have affectionately been re-named "The Fat Brothers" by Mike. This is because they have begun to show up quite often - sometimes just in reaction to seeing one of our vehicles drive into the driveway.

They visit most everyday and are quite comfortable around us. Especially me. Today, I came home from the grocery store and there they were, milling around the front yard making their little quacking/honking noises.

They also are beginning to get somewhat impatient. I spent some of my time with them laughing! Today, they craned their necks expectantly and occasionally even hopped to try to get to the slices of bread I was holding. They probably have a vertical hop of 2 inches.

Also today, they were catching some of the bread in mid-air. Too funny. They are such fun.

Megan gets the photography credit this day.

Megan's Creation

Megan has already developed a sense of [clothing] style for herself. She loves to put together outfits using the clothes she has. I actually think that she does a very good job for being barely 9 years old. This is what she wore to school yesterday:

Twilight - the books and the movie

**This is not intended to be a spoiler - or an actual review. Just sharing my thoughts!

I recently became aware of the "Twilight" book series through some of the moms at the elementary school. In November I read the first book and loved it. I got the 2nd book "New Moon" Thanksgiving week and loved it just as much. I just started the 3rd book "Eclipse" and it is equally as engaging. The 4th book in the series is "Breaking Dawn".

New Years Eve, Jason was at some friends house for the night, and Mike and the twins had some Rock Band planned on the Xbox. So, I took myself to the early showing of the movie "Twilight"

and was it ever great! I thought that the screen play did a lot to honor the original content of the book - some of the story was maybe combined to more succinctly move the story forward and keep the movie to 2 hours - but in general - I thought the movie portrayed the book very well.

I had also just read "Twilight" for a second time prior to seeing the movie. I am really glad that I read it the second time because I felt like Stephenie Meyer, the author, gave so much information [she inferred a lot] in that first book that I did not understand until I read it the second time.

In closing, these are good works of fiction and are thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to finishing the 3rd book and to reading the 4th. Also, I believe I heard the next movie is in the works, though I haven't heard a release date.

I highly recommend reading this series!

Megans hair cut - Before and Afterwards

Megan had approximately 5 inches of her hair cut off on December 22nd.

BEFORE

AFTER

Coleman Larson - UPDATE

On December 30th, I wrote about Coleman Larson - a little boy (he is a twin) who had pediatric cancer and requested that those of you who read my blog go read his CarePages updates and keep him in your prayers.



I received a CarePages update tonight that shared that Coleman lost his battle with cancer last night. Just over 24 hours ago.



Read the update now: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/ColemanScott/updates/1910023?client_code=default&ipc=mur



I did not know Coleman or his family, but I had been irresistably drawn to his story probably because I am so interested in twins and multiples in general. But I stayed an interested party partly because his mother Peggy constantly wrote of her faith in God's will and God's plans for her family. Her post tonight was incredible.

And so, I hope that if you are inclined, you will go and read Peggy's post. It doesn't dwell on the negative. Yes, I am sad for them - but also grateful that Coleman is free of the pain he endured.

Icicles

Saturday, January 3rd in North Texas was mostly a heat wave. By January standards in North Texas anyway. Overnight and into Sunday morning, the temperature dropped 50+ degrees.

Today it has been wet and drippy. The air temperature is 32 degrees on the bean and the drippy rain is causing icicles to form on most stationary objects.

I am crushed that the one picture I really thought ironic did not turn out - it was the solar panel that operates the flashing school zone signs at my crosswalk. Tons of icicles were hanging off of it.

So instead, I submit these for your approval:

This is the gas meter near my crosswalk. I thought it was pretty funny too.

I Don't Feel Tardy

I got Mike a new t-shirt for Christmas. The minute I saw it on Cafe Press, I knew he had to have it. Hilarious, huh? If you know Mike, you know how much a fan of Van Halen he is. If you still don't get it, try Googling the video "Hot for Teacher".

Lost Picture of Jamie

A dear family friend Susan sent me a batch of scanned pictures via email the other day. She was sorting out a big group of pictures her family has acquired over a few decades. Many of the ones Susan forwarded to me were pictures that I have seen recently and some I had forgotten about. It was a great trip down memory lane.

However, there was one photo taken of me that I have NEVER seen before. It totally cracked me up. In fact, I may have to make it one I use as an icon on some other applications. LOL.

Anyway - my mom and I have determined the picture must have been taken at Susan's in-laws house - Dorothy and Steve lived across the street from my maternal grandparents. We don't recognize the room, or the rug. Also - I had to be no older that 6 years old because I still have all my baby teeth. Without further ado, here is the picture!

Forgotten Christmas Picture

Recently I put together the compilation of Christmas Pictures taken through the years. I just found another one that was not included in that presentation. I think that the twins were just about to turn 3 years old. This photo was taken at the McMoms Christmas Party that year.

Cool custom Baby Gift !!

I met the coolest gal in blog world. Her blog is Huse Yo Mama and I really enjoyed her blog posts. They are so much fun to read. Several blog comments and emails later, and come to find out she has an Etsy store called Shut the Front Door ! And she and her friend Laura make some really cute custom items!

Back in October, Rachel worked with me to create the cutest 4 items for a baby shower gift set! Check out these ADORABLE three custom coordinated burp cloths AND a coordinated "Taggie" or "Lovey" blanket. The blanket has coordinated "tags" triple-stiched in between two coordinated fabrics. The different textures are perfect for providing tactile stimulation to babies and toddlers. Look at these items:

My many thanks to Rachel and Shut the Front Door for a great baby shower gift. I had the nicest thank you note from the mommy-to-be!!!

Happy 9th Birthday Megan & Ryan !!

Megan and Ryan are 9 years old today. We had a family celebration with Grammy and Poppy. They came over and ate black eyed peas to celebrate the New Year. We opened some presents and had some homemade birthday cake.

Here is their cake. I baked it myself! Jason is the photographer.
A 2nd photo of the yummy chocolate cake with chocolate chips inside.

Here are their presents from Grammy & Poppy and us.

Ryan with his stack.

Megan with hers.

Ryan reading his card!

Megan is so excited - she is moving in all her pictures!

Megan got the 'Personal Chef Trainer' for Nintendo DS

Ryan got 'Monster Lab' for Nintendo DS. Ryan had

also gotten a game for the Xbox 360 - but I don't seem to have a picture if that one.

Megan got some cute clotes from Justice for Girls. She is hurrying to see what else is underneath the box - what she has is a really cute brown short sweater - almost a bolero style.

This was a hit as well - a Spa Aromatherapy kit. She has already created some lip gloss, perfume and some bath fizzies. Very cute set!

Still excited over the spa set!

Last but not least, here are the twins while the family sings

'Happy Birthday' to them!