Another Movie Review

WD and I went out to a movie earlier this week. We saw "I am Legend" with Will Smith. Will is a super actor, but the movie was no so great. I was disappointed more with the ending than anything else. I have to give cudos to the special effects people... great job. I would wait until this one comes out on DVD instead of seeing it on the big screen.

Movie Review of "Awake"

I really enjoyed the movie, "Awake". I like Jessica Alba and I loved the terrifying topic of “anesthetic awareness”. I never thought about being “awake” while undergoing surgery! I guess while most folks wouldn’t go crazy over this movie, I enjoyed it because it made me think about a topic I hadn’t thought of before, it was spooky, with spots of comedy, and it was only 84 minutes long (I guess I have a touch of ADD as I get older, because I can barely make it through a 2 hour movie anymore without getting fidgety or if at home, I fall asleep.) This flick has some strong language that you have to overlook and if you are squeamish, you’ll have to cover your eyes during surgery scenes. It’s not on the big screen anymore (I saw it last week), but it’s due to come out on DVD in March.

Christmas Morning

Check out our Christmas Slide Show at the bottom of my blog!

What a great time it was yesterday. WD and I were awakened at 6:45a.m. by the creaking of our bedroom door and a jubilant dog "pounce" by Chewee. Erin and Dylan said that they had already been downstairs and that Santa had indeed stopped by our house and left gifts. It was time to get up. Santa left two special notes in the Christmas tree which led Dylan to the hall closet where he found a Wii game system and Erin to her bedroom where she found a Dell desktop computer. After opening the other surprises left under the tree, WD tackled the game system in order to have it up and running downstairs on the big screen tv. I headed up to assemble Erin's computer. After installing the wireless network card, hooking up all the wires with the computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, speakers, etc, Erin was online and in business. She immediately logged onto the webkinz website where she registered the her new pet that Aunt Brandi and Uncle Brett gave her. It was very nice to see them enjoying their gifts.

"Christmas Rocks!"

Erin and Dylan were beside themselves with excitement. We spent Christmas Eve at their "Granny's" house with all of their cousins. It was wild and feverish squeals of delight as all the aunts and uncles passed out gifts to them, then as their Granny and Pawpaw doled out unique gifts bought just for each of them. Erin exclaimed as we drove home that night, "Christmas rocks at Granny's house!" I don't know what they were most excited about though... the gifts, the great food, or hanging out with all of the kiddos.

Here they all are piled on the couch... Hayden, Dylan, Zann, Caden, Erin, Blaise, Victoria, and Titus (it was hard to squeeze them all in!).

Erin couldn't believe she got a digital camera! Her pawpaw arranged for the extra memory card so that she could click away (up to 800 photos).

Dylan was so shocked that he finally got an iPod shuffle. He also got a docking station, that he called "surround sound".
All of the moms and dads sat back with pride and happiness watching all the activities. Our entertainment came when we all got to play a board game which generated lots of laughter and silliness for the adults. I think Dad Roddy mentioned how wonderful it was to have family that could all get along and enjoy each other's company. It's truly a blessing!

Christmas is for Chilling Out

I think I have watched more TV in the last two days than I have the whole year! I actually sat and watched 5 full length movies, a few episodes of ER, an episode of Amazing Race, Crowned, Don't Forget the Lyrics, plus much more. It has been totally relaxing. I cooked up a few sweets, made a pot of shrimp soup, and have enjoyed curling up in my chair with Dylan on one hip and Chewee in my lap. WD has had to do last minute shopping, and Erin has been running from friend's house to friend's house hanging out. I have wrapped more gifts than I care to count, but on my own time schedule... a few here and a few there. WD and I ventured out to the new Perkins Rowe mall just because we wanted to get out and enjoy the cool weather. It has been a very good time and I am looking forward to tonight's Christmas festivities at my mother-in-law's where we watch all 8 of her grandchildren excitedly open gifts and play. Tomorrow will be just as exciting to see Erin and Dylan fill with excitement and joy!

Thankful

As we approach Christmas, I am reminded of how very richly blessed I am. Two healthy and happy children, a husband who loves me, great friends and family, plus lots more. There are of course "poor me" days. During one of these recent moments, I ran across this song on my i-Pod by Cindy Morgan:

It really helped me see the really great things in the everyday things. I now have it tagged on my i-Pod so that I can quickly play it when I dare have a pity party!

Get Elfed!

This must be the new holiday thing to do! I have received multiple e-mails from family and friends who have "elfed" themselves. WD sat with the kids last night to "elf" us... you've got to check out these moves...

Davis' Get Elfed

Santa's Coming to Town

We were eating supper at my mother-in-law's house Monday evening, when we heard an abrupt knock at the front door. Who could it be? It was Santa Claus! He stopped by to let the children know that he's watching and can't wait to make his special deliveries on Christmas Eve if they can all continue to be good. He had a few little gifts for them as a "preview" to what's to come. Dylan excitedly opened a box of hot wheels skater freaks while Erin tore into her typing computer program.

HairCut

I finally was able to make it to get my hair done. It has been since APRIL! My stylist was so shocked that I was able to go that long without it being trimmed or colored. I was fighting to not color... I was going to try to let the gray come on in, but it was hard to resign to that at only 33... SO I got it highlighted instead of just colored. That does a great job of concealing all those wirey white hairs from poking through. I also went with the stylist's suggestion of a few bangs, which I was glad I did. The photos don't really do the color justice; not to mention I slept on the "do" last night. Thanks to my little morning buddy, Dylan, for snapping the photos. At 8, he's starting to get the hang of using a camera. (He purposefully and thoughtfully positioned me so that part of the Christmas tree could be seen.)

Natchitoches

There are a few perks to having to travel for work... the Natchitoches Christmas lights! I was asked to visit Northwestern & LSU-A yesterday for work. It being quite a drive home, my coworker, Gina, and I were able to get rooms at the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast. I stayed in the "Garden Room" on the second floor which opened out to the gallery. It was absolutely lovely! The whole little town of Natchitoches is like something out of a southern fairy tale. Gina and I were able to do a little shopping downtown, eat at Mama's restaurant, stroll along the Cane River, and take in the lights and sounds. All of this after meeting with some of the friendliest people in the state at NSU and LSU-A... I have to say, I have a great job!

Gonzales Christmas Parade 2007

We waded through many people to get to see our girl march and cheer in the Gonzales Christmas parade... she was great! Of course, when Ms. Stacie and I began hollering her name, she hid beneath her pompoms... I know, we can be so embarrassing sometimes. Once we saw Erin, we were ready to go... it was so warm. I can't believe this is December weather.

You go, Rin! You are so beautiful! (See blondy in the middle?)

Horsey Birthday Party

Saturday morning, we were invited to attend a birthday party at a local horse ranch. Savannah, WD's cousin's little girl, turned 7! The kids enjoyed riding the horse, as well as eating the hamburgers, busting the pinata, and best of all playing with the "Flarp". Happy Birthday, Savannah!!!

Happy Birthday Stacie!

Joined my friend, Stacie, to celebrate her birthday at Starbucks today. Got a cute little e-mail invitation to join her and her "peeps" at the coffeehouse to hang out. I don't even drink coffee, but I couldn't wait to get there. We sat around (they drank various coffees while I sipped a lemon tea) and chatted for over 4 hours! It was so nice to sit and chit chat without interruptions or disturbances with chicks that "get" me. Thanks Stac for being born ;-) It gave us a reason to celebrate today (even though it's not yet the 10th)!

How Christmas-y are You?

Take this special Christmas Quiz to find out just how "Christmas-y" you are! I scored 126.

Christmas Quiz

Ingrid Michaelson's Happy Tune

I love the Old Navy commercial where they are advertising sweaters... it's not the actual commercial that is so great, but it's the little jingle they play. Brooklyn helped me find the name of the artist so that I could find the song. Here it is... Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am":

Thanksgiving 2007

Oh how full I am! I suppose I could go at least the next week without eating a morsel after all the wonderful foods I indulged in during the Thanksgiving holidays. Fried turkey, sweet potato casserole, breads, pies, dressing, honey-baked ham, baked spaghetti, and the list goes on and on. The most unusual dish that I enjoyed was a pineapple cheese casserole that my sister-in-law cooked up. It was so sweet that it could have subbed in for dessert... yummy! I did manage to avoid the Black Friday crowds Friday morning, but WD and I strolled the mall Friday evening after most of the crowds thinned. We also started the Christmas decorating, which truthfully I had been dreading. Once WD got the kids excited about setting up our Fontanini nativity collection, I couldn't help but to catch a glimmer of the holiday spirit. WD, Erin, and Dylan got me motivated to struggle through the mazes of lights and garland as well. It's all coming together to look more like Christmas around our house.

LineRider

This afternoon, I walked into the office to find Dylan mesmerized by the computer. He was making sounds like he used to do when he played with his hot wheels cars and was really enjoying himself. He said that his cousin, Caden, showed him this really cool online game today. It's called LineRider and is actually pretty addictive. I haven't been able to form a perfect track yet for the little rider guy. You've got to try it!

Enjoying Survivor China

This season, Survivor is set in China. It's been a very physical season so far. I don't recall the challenges being so vicious... as the participant I'm sure that's not so great, but as those being entertained, it makes for quite a season. My favorite player this season is James, who just so happens to be from Louisiana. He's a gravedigger by profession! I think the most entertaining thing about him is the way he tries to make other players see things through common sense. He's a really interesting person!

Dylan's "Mars" Project

Well we made it! The planet project is done. It was so hard not to do it for him, but DYLAN did his 3rd grade Mars project. He had to make a poster, then prepare a speech as if he were a real estate agent trying to "sell" his planet. The speech was actually easier than the poster... he really has a fun personality so he made up the speech and wrote it on notecards. I had a hard time sitting back and letting my little lefty boy produce a "neat" visual... neatness is part of the grade. I ended up letting him use my scrapbook stickers, printing photo of Mars, letting him type his facts, then he drew in a few "martians" for fun. Take a look at him here this morning when we were outside waiting on the bus.

New Coat of Paint

I have procrastinated and procrastinated in painting my bathroom upstairs. It was plain jane white for nearly a year, then my neighbor offered to give me this gorgeous "parchment" colored paint (she painted her whole downstairs with it). When I painted it on our bathroom walls it ended up looking like I had smeared mustard all over them! I never finished trimming it out because I was so dissatisfied with the look. My darling WD offered to go with me to Home Depot this past weekend to choose a new color. He even offered to do the work! I absolutely love it now... we chose a color called "Magic Spell" by Behr... it's sort of a bluish/purple color and it looks great with the white trim! Now I'll need to decorate.

Christmas Layout for Board of Designers

I have completed my final project for the Scrapbook and Co's Board of Designers this quarter. The theme is Christmas! I dug around in my photos to discover that I had not put Erin and Dylan's Christmas class parties from 2006 on pages yet. I ended up using some of these photos here on my project! The glittery accents don't reflect well in the photos, but I have fallen in love with a product called "stickles". It's like glittery glue in a million different colors (well not a million, but enough to please any scrapbook artist).
I love it!

Erin's Fall 2007 Dance

We experienced our first middle school dance... no asking each other out, no boys, no formal dresses... just nice clean pre-teen girly fun! Erin rushed from the dance studio where she had dance rehearsal to the middle school gym. It was so funny to see her at the dance studio jamming out to the hip-hop routine, then walk into the fall dance just to stand around and giggle with her friends. No jamming out in front of her peers ;-) It was a great time for me (with the exception of having to listen to Soulja Boy at least 5 times), because she was perfectly comfortable with me volunteering as a chaperone and photographer. Check out a couple of the photos.

Working in our Country's Capitol

I had a great opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. last week (for work of course). One of my coworkers/dear friend, Barbara, and I headed up to DC Monday morning. We were there for a conference, NCCTQ (National Comprehensive Conference for Teacher Quality). The conference keep us clammed up in the hotel for most of the 3 day trip. The sessions lasted from sun up to sun down... they even had us working in groups while we ate breakfast and lunch! Although the hotel was gorgeous, The Fairmont, we were ready to escape to see a few sights. We got to see part of the Smithsonian Museums, the capitol, a few of the memorials, and of course glimpses of the White House. Funny story... we walked up to the White House (apparently we got turned around and were approaching from the side) where we saw a small little guard shack. All the guards on duty seemed to be so "stuffy", but we because it was getting dark and we wanted to see the White House, we approached one of them. I asked the guy where we needed to walk in order to get a good picture. He looked at Barbara and I, and replied very seriously, "Pictures are no longer allowed of the White House." Our reply in unison was, "They're not?" The guard lost his very serious demeanor and cracked a smile saying, "Nah, I'm just kidding... this is still America isn't is?!?" What could he expect from a couple of small town Louisiana girls?

Pocket Knives

This weekend, WD took his cub scouts group camping, which included Dylan of course. The boys had been working on earning pocket knives. The scouts require extensive teaching in order for a boy to be able to carry and use a pocket knife. The boys made train whistles out of dowel rods and sticks of wood using their dad's pocket knives. Very cool! During the campout this weekend, the boys earned their very own knives! WD arranged for a "presentation" ceremony where the dads gave their sons their knives. Dylan was proud. He has demonstrated all of his scout knife's features multiple times since he got home. Another indication that he's growing up everyday!

Trick-or-Treat

Well we enjoyed another fun Halloween at our house. The kids dressed again in their costumes and went out for treats. No "tricks" were played, but they came home with lots of "treats"! Thanks to Dad Roddy for cooking chili for all of us. I'll make sure to cook the fiesta pasta for everyone very soon! Photos here are of the pumpkins that Dylan and Erin carved Tuesday night (yes, all by themselves with sharp knives!)... notice mine is in the middle- uncarved :-( I'll have to do better next year! Other photo is of the "moms" of the "trick-or-treaters" (Brooklyn, Me, Brandi, and Jamie). Other photo is of part of the clan... Dylan, Caden, Blaise, and Erin. We also had Zann, Zackary, Madelyn, and Nickolas join us for the fun!

Halloween Party 2007

Every year we assist in hosting a wonderful Halloween party at my in-law's house. We set up carnival style games for the kids to play where they can grab fists full of candy as well as rent a huge spacewalk-slide for them. The adults enjoy a little good cooking (my favorite are the mini "ghost" pizzas) and great company!

State Fair 2007

Saturday afternoon was the perfect weather for going to the fair. WD and I took Erin, Dylan, our Godson Zackary, and Erin's friend, Callie. The kids had a great time. I think Dylan spent all of his allowance on the "games", while Erin and Callie indecisively walked around wanting to spend their money, but not quite sure. My favorite part was watching them attempt the rope bridge game. It kicked their butts!

Real Cake from College Drive Wal-mart

I kid you not! My friend Stacie e-mailed this photo to me today. Her aunt's friend ordered a cake from the College Drive Wal-mart for a coworker's "going away" party. She placed the order over the phone saying: At the top I would like it to say "Best Wishes Suzanne", and then underneath that "We will miss you". Look at what they put on the cake! If it were me, I couldn't stay mad long, because I'd be dying laughing! Another reason to get an education... check out "Under Neat"!

Daylight Saving Time

I was sitting at work about to collect my things to go home, when I looked out the window to find how dark and dreary it looked. I know with the chillier weather (hooray!) it looks more dreary out, but I got to thinking about the upcoming time change... I knew we did it in October most years, so I was wondering when it was this fall. We will roll our clocks back on November 4th. Here's some other info I found about Daylight Saving Time!

Moody Maybe?

Before I even left the office today, both Erin and Dylan called me a number of times... one time to let me know they were home safe... one time to ask homework questions... one time to tattle on the other... one time to give me an update on the dog... one time to ask what chores they could do (so that I'll pay them!)... I can assure you this is not typical or I'd pull all my hair out. It's normally one call to let me know they are home. Somedays it's this way though... and I want to throw my phone out of the window. It's ironic how many times these days coincide with many other dictates in life that demand attention... like today I had a flat tire to get fixed. By the time I got home, I just wanted to "chill". I stood in the kitchen after greeting the kids, only to listen to Dylan incessently go on and on. I remember a time I couldn't wait for him to speak... and now (only sometimes) I can't wait for him to "hush". I think I even told him to "get to the point" today. Moody maybe? Or perhaps I just need a time of "silence"? I'm about to enjoy just that... I'm going to put both my little sweethearts to bed and I think I may sit... no T.V., no computer, no telephone and just enjoy the silence ;-)

Corn Maize

We escaped across the river to Port Allen to visit the "corn maize" Sunday afternoon. It was nice and dry but still a little warm for October. It was a great outing for the family. We even ran into one of Dylan's friends, Matt... who'd have thought we'd run into someone we knew in the middle of nowhere at a corn field!?! I'm hoping that WD got better photos... my camera's batteries died after about 5 shots. I'll have to post more later when I upload WD's photos, but until then, here's a shot of the kids getting to play with old fashioned water pumps -

"Red Ribbon" Week is Next Week

Just a little thing you might want to chat with your kids about. There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like pop rocks. Some of it smells like strawberry. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange. It looks just like pop rocks. Please instruct children to not accept candy that looks like this even from a friend. They need to take any that they may have to a teacher, principal, etc. They call it strawberry meth or strawberry quick.

Check it on Snopes.

My Favorite Breakfast

I have made a habit (good or bad?) of stopping by Chick-fil-a in the mornings for breakfast. Oh my how I enjoy their chicken biscuit and sweet tea. After checking out the nutritional content (the biscuit is 420 calories and the large sweet tea is 230 calories!!!), I can see now that I'll have to not go as frequently and when I do go, get the unsweetened tea (and add Splenda once I get to work). Since I don't drink coffee, I typically drink a diet DP, but have recently subbed it with the sweet tea. Yes, Chick-Fil-A does sell breakfast! Look for me at the Siegan Lane location at about 8a.m. if I am having one of my "indulgent" mornings!

Got my Picture!

As you may recall reading, Erin was just too "cool" to allow me to follow her to the bus stop with my camera on her first day of middle school. Sadly, I had no "bus stop" photos to put in her scrapbook. Not anymore! My neighbor was able to snap one and only one. Here they are... Erin and her friends waiting to catch the bus for their first day of middle school (Erin's the blonde in the middle).