The yellow school bus

We have this cute little yellow school bus toy that the kids got from their Nana for their first birthday. It teaches the kids letters and words, but also plays the ABC song. The kids love the ABC song. They dance and act silly and sometimes try to sing along and it's really funny. So here are two videos of the kids dancing to the school bus ABC song. First is Kensi, second is Camden:

Movie review soon to follow...the movie I watched and will be reviewing is: Giant!

Welcome Back!

Yes I know. It's been awhile. I do this every now and then. Go a week or two or three; and no posts. Life gets busy sometimes, you know? I have been busy working with NASA to try to get their latest satellite launched and the CEO of Apple keeps calling me wanting me to help him with the newest software release. A girl can only do so much! I had to make time to be with family, first and foremost; and of course catch The Phantom of the Opera downtown. It was amazing. Simply divine. Third row seats! I sit there the whole time imagining myself in the role of Christine Daae; I picture myself singing "All I ask of you" or "The point of no return." I was a music major in college after all. Maybe it could be me up there? Then I sit back and think about what their lives must really be like. Traveling all the time, living out of a suitcase. How often do they get to see their families? They perform for a new audience every night; but like the saying goes, you can't take an audience home with you. Then I look to my left and see the hubby mouthing the words to "Masquerade" and realize that I have what so many people dream of. A gorgeous, wonderful husband (who endures Broadway performances and every Jane Austen movie ever made for me). Two amazing and sweet children, the love of so much family; I am filled with exhilaration and contentment as I realize how happy I truly am with my life. The point of this is to remind myself and you, to take inventory of your life where you are right now, and be thankful for what you have. It's a part of life to have a curve ball thrown at you now and then. Everyone in life does, to varying degrees. But we can't live in the past and imagine all the things that could have been. It's a sad place to be stuck in the "what ifs." We have to move past the wondering of "If only this or that could have happened." Let's live life in the here and now. What about today? Let's make everyday the greatest it can possibly be.

Okay that's all of my when life hands you lemons make lemonade speech. But it's good to remind yourself of it now and then, right? Okay now for some video and pictures!! Yea!

This video is basically just thirty seconds of the kids riding their zebras. They love these things!

Our nephew Trent watches out for Kensi as she climbs in the jungle gym at McDonald's.

Camden has the Frisbee and Kensi wants it. She will probably take it from him.

Or just grab him by the back of the neck and shake him until he drops it...

She gets so thirsty after wrangling that Frisbee from Camden!

Movie Update: I have received my first movie from Netflix that was a reader recommendation. I will not release the title yet, but I have watched some of it and so far and it is really good. Keep checking back and I will tell you all about it.

Movie Discussions

I have a subscription to Netflix and have been a member for almost a year now. I love the whole concept. They mail movies to you; you watch them when you want; no late fees, no timetable. Mail it back when you're done. The next movie you have picked out and listed in your 'queue' will be mailed out to you. How easy is that? It's a great way to see lots of different movies. I really enjoy a good movie and I like to keep up with the latest cinema. Everyone has a list of their top five, or even top ten all-time favorite movies. Or maybe you have a special movie that is a "must-see" that people don't really know about. You know, one of those sleeper movies that is fabulous but didn't get a lot of publicity so people don't know how great it is?

Well, let me put this proposal out there to you: Since I have a subscription to Netflix, (and my queue is full of movies made before 1957), why don't you recommend your favorite movie to me? Or your favorite 3 or 5? I will take all suggestions and pick a few; Netflick them, and review it. Sound like fun? It does to me! In the comments section below this post, give me some titles. What are your favorite flicks? Let's discuss them! Now, let me just set up a few parameters to this experiment. First, no horror. It's just not gonna happen. I don't watch movies with bad violence and language and disturbing content. Also, nothing in the Brokeback Mountain genre, okay? Other than that, its all free game. I love classic film, musicals, deeply moving love stories. But I can be persuaded to watch Earnest goes to Camp for the betterment of humankind. So take a few minutes, peruse your DVD collection, and let's grab the popcorn and Junior Mints.

I will list a few of my favorite movies:

1. Jane Austen movies: Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, etc. etc. Anything in this genre is tops on my list. I just had to go ahead and get that out there.

2. Casino Royale: Yes, I like some action now and then. And fast cars. Check out Bullitt. (that's for my Dad.)

3. Bridge on the River Kwai: Okay, not really. I put this here for the male readers over fifty. But I have actually seen it. And William Holden is superb.

4. The Bridges of Madison County: If you need a good cry this is your movie, giirrrlll. Everyone knows Meryl Streep is the new Bette Davis. Mmmhhhmmm.

5. JAWS: Anything with sharks, and I am watching. And some shark movies are REALLY corny. Well, just look at this picture and you can visibly see the hinge holding the sharks mouth together:

All that being said, I am anxious to see what kind of response I get. And if the only response I get is The Usual Suspects then I will thank my brother for being a faithful reader. And if I see Groundhog Day then the Hubby is in BIG TROUBLE!!!! Why do you love that movie so much?

A trip to the corn maze

This past weekend we went to this great little corn maze several miles past our house. We went with a group of people from our church and had such a great time. The corn maze itself was really cool. This was the first one I had ever seen and didn't know too much about it. It took us about 15 to 20 minutes to make our way through the maze itself. My brother, however, was stuck in it for an hour! I guess he didn't want to cheat, because all you have to do is cut through the corn rows and try another path. Perhaps he just wanted to have the full experience. Anyway, we had some really fun people on this trip and we laughed all day long. I have some funny little video clips and pictures that I hope you enjoy. If you have never been to a corn maze, it is a blast! Well, on to the videos and pictures!



Here are a series of short clips. This first video was taken when we first arrived at the maze. The guys were goofing around and making everyone laugh:

When we finished the corn maze, we realized there were lots of other activities. There was a small area where there were cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, goats, and other farm animals. Here is a video clip of the Hubby and Jesse watching as Byron makes animal sounds:

Right past the animals was an old outhouse. (Hopefully an out-of-commission outhouse...). The next video is of Byron playing around with it:

Around the corner from the outhouse, there was a huge tower made of hay. You know those big round roll-type things of hay you see when you go on road trips? Yeah, those things. I don't know they're called. But they were stacked pretty high, so everyone climbed on top for a photo-op. Here is a five second video of Byron as he jumps off. You can hear his wife laughing at him as he falls. I love how this video ends with him in mid-air; too funny!

Here are some pictures from our day:

Group shot, as we embark on our journey...

Do you remember Nintendo and Super Mario Brothers? I'm just saying...

There was a cotton field next to the corn; Here Jesse poses with his cotton moustache. What is this fascination these guys have with moustaches?

Here are some chickens. I think? Are they chickens or roosters? I don't know anything about farm animals! I could probably tell if they were in plastic wrap in the freezer section, though.

A picture of some turkeys. There were lots of turkeys there that day. Not pictured: Byron, Jesse and the Hubby.

Now I realize that Byron is in all of the above videos. But for good reason. He's hilarious is why! I mean this is the guy that when asked the name of the machinery that harvests corn says, "Oh yeah, that's called a concubine, right? Not a concubine? It's a columbine! Right?"

Say "No" to crack!

This little video from this morning doesn't need a lot of explaining. But I think you are really going to like this one! I am laughing as I write, just thinking about it!! These kids are something else, let me tell you:

The kids really love our cats, Lizzy and Darcy. The cats have finally started warming up to the babies as well. Darcy will come around and let the kids pet him and hug him and he's generally okay with the whole thing.

This morning Kensington loves on Darcy

And Camden joins in a group hug for the cat, too.

*I feel I must point out here that the mess you see in this picture is all set-up. In order for the pictures to look real and genuine, I had to place strategic props around the room to make it look "lived in." Because my house is a Southern Living Show home... All the time.

Dana Carvey

Broccoli

Broccoli. It's a staple food in our home. When I am going to cook dinner and ask the Hubby what he wants, without fail his answer always includes broccoli. (Thanks to Sesame street and Tara, we know how to spell it now...B-r-o-c-c-o-l-i, broccoli! broccoli!) I used to always give it two L's. Anyway, I cook a lot of broccoli. When I am making dinner and preparing the broccoli for steaming, I seem to end up humming the above little song as I "chop broccoli..." If you didn't watch it, you HAVE to. It's soooo funny!

Well, the other night my Sister-in-law, niece and nephew were over for dinner and of course, we had broccoli. I showed them the video on You Tube and we kept singing it all night, it's so catchy. After a while, the twins started singing it too. It was hilarious, and I tried several times to get it on video. It's not the best, but you can hear them trying to say, "choppin broccoli." Check it:

Well, I also started doing yoga again this week. (I mean, yesterday I tried to do some for about 20 or 30 minutes, and now I can barely type my arms are so sore.) I used to do an hour and a half a day. What happened? Where did I go wrong?
But alas, this must mark the end of my post for now. The kids are napping and this is my window to do more yoga; to torture myself and try to make my legs as sore as my arms, back and stomach. I will keep you posted in case I can't get out of the bed tomorrow...

My brother the Rockstar...

My brother is quite the musician. He plays the 'pianoforte' very well and is quite accomplished. (It's the Jane Austen coming out in me...)Anyway, here is a little musical tidbit for you to enjoy of David singing with Byron and the Surge band. It's about two and a half minutes long, and don't worry; I can't understand a word they are saying either! When you look for David, he's the really tall one. Oh yeah, check your speakers cause it's kinda loud:

Lunch with Leigh Ann

We got out of the house today in a much needed way. We had lunch with our friend Leigh Ann! We went to a great little sandwich shop and Kensi and Camden were nice enough to let me come along. They want all of the attention, you know. While we were there, Leigh Ann offered to get some pictures of me with the kids. Yes that's right, actual pictures of my kids with ME in them, too. I was all over that. She got some great shots and a cute video too. Peep this out:

Well, the kids are in the zone when it comes to giving kisses. They love to kiss each other, kiss Mommy, kiss Daddy, kiss grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Here are a couple pics of Leigh Ann getting in on the action:

I gotta tell ya, when these sweet little faces are turned up to you and those little lips are puckered, you just can't say no; even if they are a little slobbery! Well, I was sure to get as much lovin' from these babies as they were willing to bestow upon me. I am quite fortunate to enjoy the condescention and patronage of Lady Kensington Riley and Lord Camden Everett

Moose Pajamas

My parents have returned from their trip to the New England area, and they brought the kids the most adorable moose pajamas. Last night we dressed the kids in their new threads and they just knew they were cute so they started doing hilarious stuff. I grabbed my camera and caught them playing together in our bathroom. Camden is spinning in circles and Kensington shows off her vocal talents once again in a rather interesting version of what we think is the ABC song:

And this morning, Kensi really, and I mean really wanted to kiss Camden and give him a hug. She wants to do this all the time. Well now it has become a game to Camden. Look what happens:

Lunch with Daddy

Today, I got the kids ready and took them to their Daddy's office so we could all have lunch together. The twins are now 19 months old, but they still don't understand a lot of things yet. I guess you could say they don't have the ability to reason, or figure out why we do the things we do. They don't know why I dress them and put their shoes on, but they go along with it anyway. We get in the car; they don't know where we are going nor do they care but they go anyway. And it is so neat to see their faces when we pull up at the Hubby's office and he walks to the car and opens the door. They had no idea where we were going and I doubt they were sitting in their car seats wondering, "Are we going shopping? Or are we going to the grocery store?" But when they see their Daddy's face and hear his voice as he greets them, they get so excited! It is such a special moment. And one day they will be grown up, and will understand so much more. It's important that we teach them now, while they are young, the virtues of compassion, forgiveness, and the most fundamental element of humanity: Love. We have to SHOW them. So that when they are grown they can make decisions for themselves. They won't have to consult anyone else, or find out what their friends think. They will do what's right because it was lived in front of them; it becomes part of them. The Hubby and I love our parents and are so thankful for all we have learned from them. But now we are adults, and make our own decisions. We are blessed to have wonderful parents who taught us those virtues and showed us integrity and loyalty. Kensi and Camden will learn those same principles too, and when they are adults they will make decisions for themselves as well. Not because their parents told them to, but because they will know what is right. Love Never Fails!

Well, while we were at our lunch today, I got some footage of the Hubby giving the kids more lemon. The kids obviously don't like lemons as most kids don't. But they keep trying it anyway! It makes my mouth water and hurts my teeth to even think about eating a lemon. Nasty!

Yes, we had Mexican for lunch. We eat a lot of Mexican. It is so good! I love a good chicken chimichanga. Chicken chimichanga: Say that 5 times really fast! Go!

Well, I just seriously tried to say that five times really fast and it's impossible! I actually filmed myself trying to say it and in a Southern Housewife first, I am posting really bad, goofy video footage of myself trying to say it. See, this is why you keep coming back to this page; you just never know what new way I am going to implore to try to embarrass myself. Well today I succeed! Watch and laugh because I will probably take this down tomorrow:

I don't know if this video will make it until tomorrow...And I don't know who is more embarrassed, me or the Hubby...

Things I learned from my Parents

Now that I am a mother and have kids of my own, I realize how important those things you pick up from your parents are. Things they show you by how they act, not necessarily things they sit down with a PowerPoint presentation to show you. Now sure, my Dad never taught me how to change out the oil in my car or replace spark plugs. And my Mother never had the lesson with me on how to properly julienne carrots; (She probably doesn't know what it is. I'm not sure I do...). But what they have taught me is a fierce loyalty to my family and friends. My parents have been this way with me and my brother our whole lives, and now that I am a mom, I have the opportunity to do so as well. My kids aren't perfect and neither am I. Who is? But when you are family, (and that includes those people you know and love that have become family), you love them NO MATTER WHAT. One definition of loyalty means "unwavering devotion." This steadfastness and constancy I have seen time and time again. Every person on the planet will have the opportunity to be loyal and constant, or desire the loyalty and constancy of others. Be loyal to those special people in your life. Don't hurt those who are hurting by judging. Love your family with an unswerving resolution. One day you may need it.





Here are some fun pictures of the kids from this week:

Our niece and nephew, Haley & Trent, play pretend nap time with Kensi & Camden. "Time to go to sleep!"

"Time to wake up!"

Camden loves blankets. He has started laying on the floor and rolling around to wrap himself up in his blankets. Here, he is on the kitchen floor.

He looks like he is pretend sleeping again.

He laid here for several minutes. He's too cute!

Kensi decides to sit on Camden while he is laying on the floor.

Oh my goodness! That is my princess!!

Camden in mid-sneeze. I love unique pictures...

I guess it feels better to have that out, huh?