Frogs and Cajun Fireflies

You know how every once in a while you see a movie that just sticks with you? The type of movie that takes over your thoughts and makes you want to see it 50 times in the theater...? Well, last weekend Chris and I finally got around to seeing Princess and the Frog and I cannot tell you how completely in love with it I am! Now, laugh if you must. I realize it's not exactly a thought provoking drama, or one of those motivational true stories....but ah! So far we've seen it twice in the theater and I'm seriously contemplating another round or two. (It's at the dollar theater which makes the thought of multiple viewings less traumatic for the wallet.) But seriously, for being one of the lesser known fairy tales, Disney did a fantastic job in turning it into one of the most enjoyable. The jazz is fantastic, and so is the humor. Chris and I were practically in tears the first time we saw it. Everything feels fresh about it...right down to the evil yet very charismatic shadow man. I simply love everything about this movie, but I must admit that Ray, the Cajun firefly is my favorite. For as ugly as the little bug is...he definitely grows on you. Anyway, I hope you all find time to see this movie soon. It will make for quite a good time...I promise!

Spring Fever

I don't exactly know where it came from, but I have this feeling....it's as though I've been jumped by the Easter Bunny and any other number of furry woodland critters associated with Spring. I'm seeing life through pastel colored glasses. Plus, there is the whole babies in springtime thing going on. It's madness. Babies, bunnies, yellows, purples, flowers, sunshine, chickens, Easter, Spring!!!! Every time I enter a store I zoom off (zooming as fast as I can with what feels like an overgrown, steroid injected watermelon strapped to my front) in the direction of the pastels. It's like I can't even help myself. Poor Chris, he has been subjected to every Spring related item in every store within 10 miles of our house. I don't think I've ever been this excited for the seasons to change. I can't wait to see our GIANT lilac bush come into bloom, along with the row of rose bushes lining our driveway. I want to see grass, hear the birds, and see the sun. I'm just waiting for the world to come back to life. Winter is being a bit too bipolar for my taste right now. Anyway, I hope you are all as excited for Spring as I am!

In the meantime

There is nothing like waiting. I feel like I'm watching a broken clock as the days roll by ever...so...slowly. I'd say it's somewhat similar to that point when you're baking a cake and you can smell the chocolate reaching that stage of perfection, but the timer is telling you that there are at least 20 minutes left. BAH! I wish these girls would get here already!

Well, the cake is NOT done yet, so Chris and I are trying to occupy our time and thoughts with other things...you know...like buying baby gear. That makes the waiting go a lot faster. False. It has been fun getting things set up though. Yesterday we bought their little pack'n plays and we recently finished that oh-so-fun task of registering for gifts and such.

Chris is keeping busy with school and work as each is turning out to be quite demanding. He is currently interning with a company up in Salt Lake called Vortex. They specialize in hunting and fishing accessories, so Chris is getting to research a whole new sphere. He is doing very well, and designing better all the time.

I am taking advantage of sleep and leisure time. This past weekend, we went down to Mesquite, NV to see my dad. It was nice to have a weekend with no deadlines, alarms, or responsibilities. This weekend, Chris's parents are in town for a family baby blessing and will be staying in our (get ready) spare room! Yes, we revel in the second bedroom.

So, all in all, life goes on. We're just truckin' along waiting (somewhat impatiently) for our family of four.

The New Digs

More space!!

Out of sheer necessity, Chris and I have upgraded to a two bedroom apartment, and we couldn't be happier. We came home from the Christmas break thinking that perhaps we should start looking for a new place and plan on moving out in February or March. Yep. 5 days later we were living in a new spot. We both absolutely love it! It's in south Provo, so a little off the beaten path for us, but it's nice to live in a neighborhood instead of a complex for a change.

So, here is the grand tour. It's kind of set up in a circular form...just keep that in mind.

The front door, along with our massive book collection

Living room and adjoining kitchen

The rest of the kitchen and venturing down the hall.

Our room, and the girls' room...aka the war zone. It was organized, but then I decided to start sorting through the thousand pounds of baby clothes we have been given...and voilà!

He's Ready

Chris and I often talk about what kind of parents we want to be, what our goals are when it comes to raising children, to what age we think they will each survive considering their unfortunate genetics, and so on. And it is in these same conversations that our natural doubts come to the surface. Chris wonders if he'll make a good dad...I wonder if I'll make a good mom. Well, I still can't say that I'm at all reassured about my own parenting skills, but I think I can say without hesitation that Chris will make a GREAT dad. Combined, Chris and I have a total of 1 billion nieces and nephews...give or take a few, and I have watched him tirelessly give of his time, love, and devotion to all those chillins. No, I have no fear about his abilities. He's ready.

Practically hog-tied with a purple scarf and bedecked with bows, clips, and beads

What stamina!

Preparing the world's best leaf pile

Road trip break

Water fight!

Movie time

And of course...tea parties!

How lucky am I?

It's a girls!

For those of you who actually suffer through reading this blog, you are no doubt aware of my definite lack of blogging skills. One post a month at best seems pretty shabby, but I hope to get better at it. An unofficially declared New Year's resolution you might say.

Well, in any case, Chris and I do have a bit of news...although most of you already know. Half way through my pregnancy we went in for our first ultrasound. So exciting! A boy or a girl? What's it going to be? It turns out it's a girls! And so, in record breaking time...Chris and I became the future parents of not one, but two little girls. What a way to end the year. As for my due date...who knows. Anytime after the beginning of March is pretty much fair game as far as these babies are concerned. We just moved into a new apartment with adequate space for our now family of four, so from here on out it's just about waiting.

In the meantime, the girls are happily karate chopping each other into oblivion whilst I, their mother, pray for March to hurry up!

How does she do that?

For those of you who don't know, Chris and I have a cat. Yes, our lives really are THAT exciting. Her name is Mille (Mee-la) which is Danish for "dear one" (although why we thought she deserved that title I'll never know.) She is grey with beautiful green eyes, and a temperament somewhat akin to that of a ping-pong ball hopped up on acid.

Some of her stranger qualities stem from the fact that she hasn't truly figured out what her station in life is. She is a cat, but I just don't think she knows it. She plays fetch like a dog, sleeps like a human, climbs legs like a monkey, and attacks feet like a nuclear war-head.

She can't be close enough to you...or me rather. If I'm reading on the couch, she will analyze the situation and then follow these precise steps: 1) jumps up onto the couch and lies at the far end 2) scoots to the middle and resumes nap 3) stretches out until her front paws are touching me and then scoots her lower half up closer 4) snuggles as close as possible to my thigh 5) inches half of her body up and over into my lap 5) sheds all pretense as she stands, walks onto my lap and lays right on the book.

Of all her quirkiness, however, there is one thing that simply baffles me...and that is the plastic milk ring. Mille has never placed great value on regular cat toys. Instead she prefers twist ties, leaves, pens, moving appendages, and the plastic ring you rip off of the milk lid to open a new gallon. This last toy seems to be the favorite. It doesn't matter where she is in the house, as soon as we open the fridge and grab hold of the new gallon, something calls to her. She stalks into the kitchen and stares at you as though she knows exactly what you have. It has gotten to the point where Chris and I will open the milk as fast as we can and then hide the ring, but she still seems to know. She jumps up onto the stool next to us and just stares at the table...and she will continue to do this until we produce the coveted plastic ring. It's simply ridiculous. In the end, we always give in and toss it to her. With glee she leaps off the stool, usually knocking it over, and proceeds to ravage the house with the new toy. The milk ring sixth sense...what will she do next?