Never Again...

...will I attempt a Twilight midnight movie. Or any midnight movie to be honest.

I read all the books. I enjoyed all the books. Okay, that's not entirely true. I really liked book one, loved book two, book three was fine, and I HATED book four. Like loathed it. It ruined the whole thing for me. But whatever.

When the movies started to come out I wanted to see them, but I just wasn't that excited. Movies are ridiculously overpriced in my opinion, and these were just not worth paying for. I think they got most of the casting wrong. Anyway, I decided to just wait and rent the movies later for $1 or less. (Yay free redbox codes!)

The first time I watched them I was annoyed. I was busy scrutinizing what they did differently from the books and why I didn't like that actor as that character. When I watched them the second time I relaxed a bit and enjoyed them about as much as possible for me. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch them again, but they were fine. (Twi-hards, please don't kill me. I'm sorry these movies just weren't my thing.)

So when my cousin texted me about going with a big group to the midnight premier of Breaking Dawn Part 1, I thought twice before agreeing. Ultimately I decided that the experience of a midnight movie and acting 15 again with a bunch of girls would be fun and worth it, even if the movie was awful.

Turns out it was just a bad idea. I knew I would need to take Lucas because he could wake up to eat, and he's still nursing, so Jason just wasn't going to be able to handle that on his own. ;) When we got to the theater Lucas was out. He's such a good baby. He didn't make a peep at all. And we've been to movies before. He's so good. He actually has just sat on my lap and watched the screen. He loves it!

And then the lights dimmed. And the freaking Twi-Hards started screaming. And I was stupid and joined in the fun, mocking the idiots. And then my baby started screaming. :( He was so scared! I tried as fast as I could to calm him down before the Twi-Hards attacked me for disturbing their precious shirtless-Jacob moment. And he just wasn't having it. So I picked up my diaper bag, my mom's car keys (we carpooled) and my baby and climbed over the row of crazy fans and left.

I got Lucas calmed down and fed him and then tried to figure out what to do. Should I just go back in and enjoy the rest of the movie? But that required climbing back over all those people on our row (why were we in the middle?!) and then if the screaming started again (which I'm sure would have happened the second that pasty white vampire showed up) and Lucas flipped again I would have to shuffle with all my gear past those people again. I just didn't want to ruin anyone else's experience.

But who wants to sit outside a movie theater for two hours with a baby? I couldn't just take the car and drive home. How would my mom and aunt get home? And I had left Lucas's carseat in the theater. Dang it! I wasn't going to climb over everyone to get the seat and then climb back over them with it, all the while carrying a diaper bag and baby. Ugh.

Solution? Get comfy in Mom's Mercedes (with those yummy heated seats) and fall asleep with the babe. Sigh. Around two I woke up to tapping on the window. We drove home, I got in my car and drove home, making it before 3 am. Finally home in my comfy bed where I should have just been sleeping the last 5 hours.

Grrrr. I lost precious sleep for nothing. My own fault and no one else's. Lesson learned. Never take a 4 month old (how is he that big already?!) to a midnight movie with screaming hoards of crazies. And don't join in. Curse you, mob mentality! Next time, I will savor the gift of each and every minute of sleep instead.

So what if it means I'm kind of old now and can't hack the late night? It also means that I am blessed to be a mommy to three beautiful blessings. And today is definitely one of those every-time-I-look-at-you-all-I-can-think-about-is-how-much-I-love-you-and-it-makes-me-want-to-cry kind of days. :) So much better than a Twilight movie!

Trick-or-Treat!!

I figured that since it's nearly Thanksgiving I'd better hurry up and blog Halloween! First up, on Halloween we headed to Payson's school for the costume parade. Jason was in charge of the camera. And this is what we get:

Ha ha ha! There's her backside. :) Wondering what she is? We'll get to that in a minute.

Next is the world's CUTEST white rabbit! I'm sure everyone looks at this picture and sees "bunny". But a) bunny just seems too feminine for a little guy, and b) we have a theme here. You'll see.

So here's the theme. My adorable Mad Hatter and Alice, from the "real" Alice in Wonderland. (You know, the one with Johnny Depp.)

Jack's costume was so fun! We had the outfit, the wig, the eyebrows, the make up! And he loved it...but ripped the wig and eyebrows off the second I put the camera down. :) They were too itchy. He still looked great without them though!

Payson was so annoyed when she came home from school. Everyone thought she was Cinderella. The blue dress, I guess. But Cinderella didn't have those gloves! Geez, people! Pay attention! ;)

And here is my whole Alice in Wonderland cast. Mad Hatter, Alice, and the White Rabbit. Get it? We considered a vest and a pocket watch to make Lucas's costume a little more obvious, but I just got lazy and didn't look for one.

And this picture cracks me up! My sister, Madie, helped out by holding Lucas in the photos. She kept doing this and I couldn't figure out why. She said she was trying to stay out of the pictures. When I showed her how ridiculous she looked we had a pretty good laugh.

We did all our traditional Halloween stuff. Peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies, taco soup at my mom's (she even made it meat-free this year!), trick-or-treating in my parents' neighborhood pulled on the trailer behind my dad's four wheeler. Lucas and I hung out on the trailer while the kiddos ran from house to house collecting candy. How cute is this snugly bunny?? I could just eat him up!!

And last, a shot of the kids collecting their sugary loot. I was too lazy to get any closer. It was so comfy on that trailer!

Happy Halloween! Now the Halloween decorations are all put away and the Fall/Thanksgiving decor is up and ready. Pretty soon it will be time to bust out the Christmas decor. Crazy!! I love this time of year!

P.S. Since we've added Lucas to the family I no longer have enough stockings. Of course they all have to match, so I ordered new ones today. And they're beautiful!! I can't wait for them to come so I can hang them up!!!!

This is what my cell phone wallpaper looks like:

Those bright blue eyes with the deep creases and that big gummy smile always melt my heart! There are about a million reasons that I love that face (and the faces of his older brother and sister), but there is one main reason. This:

The fact that my baby boy looks just like his daddy. The fact that my babies are his babies. The fact that I am his. The fact that I get to spend eternity with that face. :)

I am so in love with my husband. I still ache for him when he's gone and get butterflies in my stomach when he comes home. I was so in love with him when we started dating almost 8 years ago. I remember thinking there was no way I could love him any more. But I do. I love him so, so much more!

When we were dating I remember "heart attack"-ing his Rodeo while he was at work one day. I had cut out a whole bunch of little hearts and written something I loved about him on each one. There were a LOT of hearts. :) But I was thinking about those hearts last night and about how many more I could add now! Maybe one of these days I'll add those new hearts to his journal (because that's where he taped all the hearts from when we were dating). :)

During our life together over the last several years he has given me countless reasons to love him. He is not a perfect man. He is not a perfect husband or father. But he spends every day trying to be better. He puts my and the kids' needs above his own way more often than not. He lives to make me happy.

Even with all of his imperfections, I feel like he gives me plenty to live up to as a spouse and partner. I hope I make him as happy as he makes me. Because he deserves it!

I'm so glad my Father in Heaven allowed my life to follow a path that led me to him. I love Jason more than I ever thought it was possible to love. He's such an incredible man and I'm so lucky to be his!!

Planking Makes Me Laugh. Hard.

I probably learned about planking late in the game, but found it stupid...and terribly amusing. My kids learned about planking even later in the game (last night). They found it hilarious.

I think I watched them for nearly two hours last night trying to find every place possible to plank. They thought they were pretty funny. And I have to admit, they really were. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt!

Jack planking on the couch.

Jack planking on my desk. Payson planking on Jack.

Both kids planking on the stairs outside our place.

I sent a few of these photos from my phone to some family and friends last night and we all got a seriously good laugh. And then I got a few photos back. Like my sisters secretly planking in the bathroom at someone else's house. Or a friend's hubby planking on the school floor while waiting for parent teacher conferences. Ha ha ha ha!! I about died.

So if you're bored or sad and need a good laugh, consider planking. It's excellent for the stomach muscles!!