relaxing, roseola, and reading

Last week, the kids and I had a few little play dates. On Wednesday, some friends invited us to a movie with them at the Scera in Orem. They do a weekly kids movie for cheap all summer long. Even the snack stand is inexpensive!! So we saw a cheesy Veggie Tales movie. The kids loved it and I even found myself laughing out loud during some parts.

After the movie, our friends spent the afternoon playing with us. Payson and Ethan get along SO WELL!! It's darling! And Kristen is so fun to talk to. During our Relief Society lesson on Sunday (on Friends) I just kept thinking about how some days she and her boys are my sanity!! It's so nice to take a break from the week and de-stress with a good friend!

Anyway, I snapped a few pictures of the kids playing.

payson and ethan reading books and playing kitchen


payson took this picture of all of us, apparently Camden thought something was funny

swinging

jack kept pushing Camden around in the little car, we thought it was darling!

On Saturday, we went to Jett and Bryton's combined birthday party. Payson was SOOOO excited to go all week. She loves these boys (I'm noticing that all of her friends are boys; should I be worried?) and there was going to be a bounce house there.

We had some much fun! Jobi outdid herself with the cute decorations, leis for the kids, a little pool, water balloons, sidewalk chalk, a slip n slide, the bounce house, a delicious barbecue, and the biggest cake I've ever seen at a one and two year old's party!! :) And of course, the company was great. We caught up with some old friends and made some new ones as well. And it was nice to spend the evening together as a family.

These pictures are out of order, but I don't think that really matters, does it?

payson and i playing with sidewalk chalk at the party


jack wishing the bigger kids would let him in to jump!!

the cutest, biggest cake ever!

why is this the only picture i got of jobi?
payson, jett, and sunni

jack being his cute self

jobi's cute center pieces; are you catching the theme??
payson and emma coming down the bounce house slide

Jack had been a little whiny and clingy during the week. He's been teething for a while, so I blamed the gums. However, when we got home from church on Sunday and I started to change him I noticed these pinkish red bumps and spots all over his chest and back and stomach and neck. None on the arms and legs or face. I showed my mom. She said, "It's probably Roseola".

After Grandma's diagnosis, we went downstairs for a second opinion: Google. The images and description on the google results were exact. The bumps, the slight fever, the puffy little eyes, the clinginess and whining.

Roseola is viral, so we just snuggled and watched him for a couple of days. As of Tuesday it was gone. Not too fun. But not too bad either.

So Saturday, my mom had tried long ago to pre-order Breaking Dawn. Apparently the customer service guy at Barnes and Noble ordered her the wrong book. So she sent me out to pick her up a copy as well as some groceries for Sunday dinner.

I had yet to order my copy. With all of our moving I wouldn't have known where to have it shipped. So I bargained. I'll run the errand, if I can read the book first! My mom was finishing another book anyway, so she agreed. I started Sunday night and have been the most negligent wife and mother since. I just finished.

IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED AND DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE ENDING DO NOT KEEP READING!!

I can say that it's my favorite of the books. But I can't say I don't like it either. I think New Moon is my favorite. I love romance, but I like a little reality, too. I like the darkness and tragedy. Does that make me a twisted? Maybe. But I think I just want some balance. I don't want 100% mush.

Anyway, at first I was a little annoyed with the book. During the whole honeymoon I wanted to vomit. Enough was enough. I do think Stephenie Meyer did a good job avoiding written porn. She was tasteful. But I could have lived with a little less of the sex. It just dragged on too many pages for me. But once I realized Bella was pregnant, I was intrigued. I kept thinking the book could go either way. She could lose me so easily, or this could get very interesting. Mostly, it got interesting.

I was glad Bella became a vampire early on. I didn't want to wonder for 754 pages. And I liked the intensity in the second half of the book. There was mystery, suspense, a little action, romance.

Naming the baby Renesmee? What was she thinking?! How corny was that!! I hated that. And the middle name just made it worse. And when Jacob imprinted on Renesmee? I wanted to vomit. I had...still have...a hard time with that. I think by the end I was a little more okay with it and understood it a little more, but really? I wanted him to imprint on Leah, to be honest. Renesmee? A little sick.

But I was a little disappointed with the resolve. I think the Volturi gave up too easily. I wished there had been more action. And I think I might have liked some more devastation on the good side. I know Irina died, but that wasn't enough. I think I honestly would have liked the book better if Bella had died protecting them or something. Not because I don't love her character, but I just think it would have been more balanced and made the story more believable for me. (Am I talking about BELIEVABLE in reference to a vampire book? Oh brother.)

I thought that Alice finding another half breed like Renesmee was stupid. It made it too easy for me. And honestly, I could have seen that convincing the Volturi even more that they needed to eliminate her. After the Amazon guy said his father was creating a super race? Wouldn't that have freaked the Volturi out considering they were obsessing over their own control and power? Oh well.

Anyway, all in all I liked it. I didn't end up hating it, which I honestly expected. I didn't think she would satisfy me. But in the end, I'm not craving more of the story and I still love the characters. Good, but not my favorite of the four books.

And enough of that. As silly as it is, I really want to know your DETAILED opinions of the book!! My life is that sad and I'm that into it. :)