ME - Through my Daughters' Eyes

I saw these questions on a friend's blog and thought they would be fun to ask my girls. I asked them at different times so they wouldn't know what the other one said. The answers made me laugh!

1. What is something mom always says to you?

Joelle: No
Jillise: No

2. What makes mom happy?

Joelle: Uh, kisses
Jillise: Um, when I clean



3. What makes mom sad?

Joelle: When I don't do stuff when I don't clean.
Jillise: When I say no to her.



4. How does your mom make you laugh?

Joelle: Tickling my chin
Jillise: I don't know.


5. What was your mom like as a child?

Joelle: She was so little.
Jillise: I don't know much about that.



6. How old is your mom?

Joelle: Well... um... 25
Jillise: 33



7. How tall is your mom?

Joelle: As tall as a couch
Jillise: 4 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Joelle: Play the piano

Jillise: Be on her computer

9. What does your mom do when you are not around?

Joelle: Do something and stuff and other stuff with Jaren.
Jillise: She goes shopping.



10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

Joelle: Talent. Like when she becomes a singer.
Jillise: Folding clothes.



11. What is your mom really good at?

Joelle: Cleaning.
Jillise: *giggling* Folding clothes



12. What is your mom not so good at?

Joelle: She's not good at making houses.
Jillise: I don't know



13. What does your mom do for her job?

Joelle: On the computer.
Jillise: Um, works for Sheila and email people all day



14. What is your mom’s favorite food?

Joelle: Mmmm... Mac and Cheese
Jillise: Salad



15. What makes you proud of your mom?

Joelle: When she loves me.
Jillise: She cares for me.



16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Joelle: Uh, there's a farm cartoon and I think you could be the girl with red hair and she wears glasses. You could be her.
Jillise: Um, Tweety on Baby Looney Tunes



17. What do you and your mom do together?

Joelle: Make cookies.
Jillise: Shop



18. How are you and your mom the same?

Joelle: We don't get cold sores and Daddy and Jillise get cold sores.
Jillise: Our hair colors are almost the same.



19. How are you and your mom different?

Joelle: Your hair is short and my hair is long and you have glasses and I don't and you are taller than me.
Jillise: You have glasses and I don't.



20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Joelle: She shows me by hugging and kissing at night time.
Jillise: (long pause) You hug me and kiss me?

Breaking Dawn

****DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK AND ARE PLANNING TO***

I have been waiting for this book all summer. I am not a total Twilight Freak, but I have enjoyed the stories and I was really excited to see how all of the characters and plot twists come together and how she wraps everything up. I picked up my book yesterday at 11:00. I had cleaned my house the day before, done my grocery shopping, and informed Brian that he was going to be a single parent so I could read all day. I finished at about 10:45 last night. Here is what I thought.

It started out SO well. Typical Bella, typical Edward. Alice made me giggle. The wedding was written beautifully. I was really loving where things were headed. Even the honeymoon I was okay with. Then it was like someone else took over the writing for the books. I think that readers knew that s.e.x. was going to be part of this book - in some way shape or form. Seeing as the book is geared toward teens and the author is LDS I figured that the issue would be dealt with tactfully and discreetly. I was wrong. While there was never anything explicit, I was shocked at how often it was brought up. And glamorized. Yes, they are married. No, the "act" was never described. But I don't think that teenage girls need to be reading about how Edward broke the headboard to pieces or about how fantastic Bella though it was. Again. And Again. Stephenie (the author) put a paragraph in there right after the honeymoon where Bella says she is so glad that she waited and made sure that Edward was "the one" and that she can't imagine sharing something so personal with just anyone. I was so happy to read that paragraph and figured that the topic was now done. But then it is talked about and glamorized so many more times throughout the book that I have to think that half the teenagers are going to jump the first guy they find just so they can experience what Bella did.

Next topic. THE WHOLE JACOB SECTION. Blech. I think that Stephenie went a bit "Host" on us here. It was not romantic. It was not pretty. It was disturbing and gross. So she gets pregnant. Super. Great. I don't have an issue with that. The child chewing her way out of the womb? Bella drinking blood to satisfy the baby? Gross. I felt like I was reading The Fly, not this sweet story about first loves. I though the descriptions were graphic and grating. There was a part in there where I thought to myself that if I was reading this book as a stand alone story without the other three, I would have quit reading and not finished it. It simply wasn't interesting or good.

Third. I *did* enjoy the descriptions of her as a new vampire. I thought she did a good job of letting us experience this new body with Bella.

Fourth. The "conflict" and "resolution." I found this to be a HUGE cop out. I loved Eclipse because the tension built and built and built. And there was a REAL climax. I seriously thought in this book that she was just sweeping up all of the loose ends and tying them all up into what she thought was a pretty little package. It left me saying, "What??????" That's IT???? Sheesh. Enter Sleeping Beauty, Snow While, and Disney. After all the disturbing, ugly, graphic scenes from earlier in the book, the Volturi just go, "You're right." And walk away? Ta-da??

Rosalie. I don't know if we were supposed to sympathize with her or not, but I found her really annoying.

And Jacob. Don't get me started. I didn't find it as revolting as some people that he imprinted with Nessie (and I HATE the name). I just found it a last ditch effort to try to make everyone happy. I didn't see anything wrong with him going off and finding himself and being single. Or finding that Leah was his soul mate. But Bella's daughter? Spare me.

So. I didn't hate the book. I just really didn't like parts of it. I am very disappointed in it. I am disappointed in Stephenie. I think she tried to bow too much to what all the rabid fans wanted. The result is all over the place. In my mind, the wedding should have been at the end of Eclipse, he should have turned her into a vampire that night, and they end by running off together into the woods to be blissfully happy. I think in my head, that's how it will be.

Rochelle wants a rewrite. A reviewer I found online says she hopes that this has been one big "Punked" and that the real book will come out next week. I wish it were so.

Bottom line? I feel cheated. I feel like Stephenie let us all down. Especially after I stood up for her to a friend who thought she wasn't a proper LDS writer after hearing about "the paragraph" in Eclipse that I didn't find any problem with. But now I find myself in that camp. Is it fair to hold Stephenie up to those expectations and morals when she isn't writing an "LDS" book? I think so. Especially since her faith has been such a huge part of who she is and has been brought up in most of her interviews. And because she KNEW who she was writing to. She knew that her audience was comprised of mothers, daughters, LDS people, and especially young girls. Even without the sex I think the images that some of the other scenes put in my head were things I didn't want there.

Enough said. I'm stepping off my pedestal and putting on my flame retardant suit. Fire away.

Check this Out

http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

This is a satirical blog that basically makes fun of me. And you. All you Molly Mormon blogger housewives out there. Very funny. And a bit close to home sometimes. :)

Randomness for a Monday

I just dropped Jillise off at theater camp. This is the first year she has been old enough to go and I KNOW she will have a good time, but boy was she weepy when we dropped her off. Just my luck, she knew NO ONE registered this week, just some of the older kids who were helping to run the whole thing. So I helped her make friends with another cute girl who was sitting alone and we left. We'll pick her up at 3:00. Joelle is SO sad that she is going to be all alone this week. The performance is Friday night at 7:00 and it's free, if anyone wants to join us.

Facebook is amazing. For a long time I had an account and never used it. Then I started finding all these great random people from my past -- friends from High School, then friends from Junior High, and now I am finding all sorts of these great "kids" that I had as students more than ten years ago. And they are GROWN UPS. Many of the sweet little girls that I had as insecure 7th and 8th graders are returned missionaries. Some are married. Some have kids. Some have kids that are close in age to some of MY KIDS. That was strange to see. One of my former students is in MEDICAL SCHOOL. Eeek.

I have found friends from my ward in New York that I have been searching for for YEARS. One difficult thing about being a military child is that you move. A lot. And most of your friends are military brats, so they move. A lot. My family moved right after I finished high school, so I never got to go back and visit with old friends. I started college and lots touch with just about everyone. But I always wondered what everyone ended doing with their lives. Enter Facebook. I can see little pictures, say a little Hello or Happy Birthday. Find out where they are, and I'm good. Sometimes I will get to chat with someone for a few minutes and that is SO fun. All without having to call out of the blue and say, "This is Paige from 18 years ago... remember me???" Love it.

I still have Tim McGraw to blog about, my vacation, and some birthday stuff. I'll get to it. Eventually.

My Little Man is TWO!!!

Two years ago today, Jaren Michael decided to finally grace us with his presence. He decided to buck the trend the girls had set of coming EARLY and came one day before a scheduled induction to force him out. He was 8 lbs 4oz of attitude.

From the get go, I knew he was going to be different. He SCREAMED in the hospital. He was the baby that you hear from down the hallway and thank your lucky stars he isn't YOURS. I know that sounds horrible, but I remember thinking that after I had the girls and they would just squak when they were hungry and I could hear kids wailing in other rooms.

Most of you know it was a rocky start with him. Eight months of some difficult days and nights. Many "seasoned" moms told me that their children were like him, then they grew into the most delightful children. I remember hoping to high heaven that that would be the case. And lo and behold, it WAS. He is a true joy and I am so happy to have him around to make me smile.

Jaren is a true Frank Sinatra -- he wants to do things HIS WAY. From crawling, walking, talking, you name it. The ability had always been there, but until he had the desire, you weren't going to get it out of him. Once I figured that out and learned to relax I have really enjoyed watching him figure out this world around him.

Jaren loves music. He loves to dance, to sing, and to play with instruments.

He loves horses. He got to ride on a carousel and on a little 25 cent pony at the beach and he was in heaven. Once we got home he kept trying to chase poor Kramer around saying "Horsey, horsey." If Kramer was dumb enough to sit down, Jaren would try to hold him there and climb on his back.

Jaren is a great sleeper. When he gets tired he will grab his blanket and binkie out of the crib and that is our cue that it is naptime. He rarely puts up a fight at bedtime and really is a dream child in that respect.

He is a horribly picky eater. The only consistant things he will eat are waffles, cold cereal, pancakes (sensing a trend here?), spaghetti, spaghetti-os, pizza, chicken nuggets, chips, and mac and cheese. He likes most fruit but won't touch vegetables. The kid won't even eat cheese anymore. Or hotdogs. Whose child IS this, anyway???

Jaren loves to be outside. He likes the park and when we went for the first time this summer he climbed right up and went down the slide.

He gets SO excited when Daddy gets home from work.

He loves babies. At the pool yesterday he kept sitting right down by my friend Jenn who was holding her little girl and he would sidle right up and make eyes at her until she would put Josie in his lap. Then he would flirt with Josie. I think I'm in trouble.

He loves shoes. They don't have to be his.

He is a real talker now.

Happy Birthday, J-Man!!

(Oh, and I got a little collage of Joelle done, too. Go me!)

Happy Birthday, Joellie Bell!!

Five years ago today, Joelle Megan ___ (ack!! I put our last name in it -- had to take that out) decided to make her appearance. She was a delightful baby. I always said that if all babies were like Joelle, people would have dozens of them. She was easy going, she hardly cried, she loved to cuddle, and she was just so dang CUTE. And all of those things are still true today. Only now we can add clever, spunky, and witty to the list. I love that she wants nothing more than to sit and watch a movie on the couch with me. She loves to play Barbies and Polly Pockets and with babies. She is very loving and very girly. She loves mismatched clothes and doing things HER way. And I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Here is a Q&A with the birthday girl:

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Pink

Q: What is your favorite TV show or movie?
A: The Princess and the Pauper

Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Crystal and Maddie and Kylie

Q: What is your favorite thing to eat?
A: Cereal

Q: What is your favorite thing to do at home?
A: Watch TV

Q: Do you have any boyfriends?
A: Yes -- Payton

Q: What is your favorite thing to wear?
A: Dresses

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A Photographer

Q: Where is your favorite place to go?
A: Grandma's

I have to add some little things that came out of Joelle's mouth this past week on our vacation. She had us rolling. One night we pulled out all the old reel to reel movies and VHS tapes from when I was growing up. My mom told Joelle that we were going to watch some old movies. Joelle said, "From when you were a mom?" My mom answered, "Well, I am still a mom, but these are from before I was a grandma, when your mommy was little." Joelle then said, without skipping a beat, "Before you were wrinkly??" And my mom is NOT wrinkly. Everyone laughed and Joelle immediately realized that she said something wrong and got really embarrassed.

Later, we were watching some films where my little brother was being pretty whiney (as little children often are). He kept asking for my dad to come help him. This was the case for several different little movies in a row. Joelle piped up with, "Can't he do ANYTHING for himself???" Poor Jacob...

Happy Birthday, Joelle!! I love you!

I'm Alive

I can't exactly add the "and kicking" part. I'm too tired to kick. I'm sorry for the blog absense. I have been really trying to limit my computer time over the past few weeks and this past week I didn't touch the computer ONCE. I was at the beach for a little family reunion/vacation. Now I am back and just finished reading 87 Google Reader posts. Please don't be offended that I didn't comment on anyone's blog except for Jodi's announcement. No time.

So at some point I will update everyone on the 4th of July, the apron I won, the beach, the family birthday party, and whatever else I remember when my brain is returned to full functionality. Til then...