Book Challenge- Day 12- A book you used to love, but don't anymore

Hands down it's this book: 

Well, more like the entire series.  I really enjoyed reading this book the first time.  I remember picking it up in Barnes and Noble as I was waiting for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I enjoyed the intrigue, mystery and crazy obsession that it had in it. 

But then, I read the second one, and the third one, and I wasn't a big fan of either of those.  I thought Bella was getting dumber and dumber with each book, and I would've felt bad for Jacob and Edward if they both weren't such big jerks.  But then, the last one.  OH, how I despised the last book.   I think it started alright.  And then, came part 2 of the second book.  The part where (SPOILER) Bella prances around everywhere, has hot sex with Edward AND is always talking about how beautiful she is now that she's a vampire.  Well, then it became really lame because I felt like Stephenie Meyer was giving a cope-out of an ending, with everyone living happily ever after without any major losses to the story.  Everything was TOO tidy.  And far too naive.  There will always be some sorrow and sadness in our lives--you can't have happy endings, for everyone, all the time.

  I am not a fan of these books anymore;  I read them a second time to see if I could see why I liked the first three (or thought they were at least entertaining) and I have no idea.  Then, the first movie came out, and well, I've got to say that Bella and Edward weren't played well at all.  I think Robert Pattinson just comes off really creepy and stalkerish (which is kind of how Edward is in the books).  And Bella... well, the stuttering, gaped-fish mouth opened all the time, and the twitchy eyes really just spoiled the entire series for me. 

Full term and a diaper shower

This past Saturday, two close friends threw a diaper shower for myself and my other friend (also named Rachel).  We are due within a week of each other, and work in the primary together, so, it made perfect sense!  We were so blessed with so many people coming!  I am a pretty traditional person--I wasn't expecting a shower at all since this is our second boy.  This little guy was definitely showered with love.  And I absolutely LOVED spending time with my sister (who came up for the shower) and so many close, kind friends.  I think being in the church makes it so much easier to be in the military.  We've been in two areas so far that that AF has sent us, and each ward has been fantastic.  It really is about the support and people! 

 Before the shower with my sister and good friend Rachel!

 The spread of yummy food and the diaper cakes.

 All of our friends.

 Another shot of Rachel and I opening up gifts.

 Rachel is seriously so cute. I love her very obvious pregnant belly.

Me opening up a couple of gifts.  Not the best shot...

All the stuff I got... My mom sent the quilt and my awesome sis bought me the cute diaper bag and several shirts for the spoiled boy.

A closer look at the diaper cake.  Evan seriously loved the sock monkey.  We may have to get one just for him so he doesn't steal it from little brother!

 I made this jewelry as a thank you gift for one of the hostesses, Tara.

And this jewelry set for the other hostess, Amy. 

On another note, this Sunday marked my success at getting to the 37 week mark in pregnancy aka FULL TERM!  Why is this so momentous?  Well, because this child hasn't given me any issues at all, while his big brother wanted to come at 30 weeks!  I am so thankful that I didn't have to deal with bed rest with a two-year old.  Maybe that means that my second boy will be a bit more cooperative and obedient than the first one?  We shall see...

And, a picture of Evan wearing Rick's hiking backpack.  Love this kid, he loves wearing daddy's stuff!

Book Challenge-Day 11- A book you hated

For this post, I also have to go back to high school to find a book that I hated. 

I appreciate the point that Joseph Conrad was trying to make about mankind, the dark side of humanity, and loneliness, but I just have to say that doesn't make it any less depressing.  I really didn't enjoy this book.  I like books that make me happy, and while I have to admit to liking tragedies by Shakespeare, to me there's a difference.  I don't know what it is, but I know that this book was probably my least favorite book that I read in AP English my senior year.  Maybe.  Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and Invisible Man were close as well.  I just didn't really like much that I read that year, but like I said, I like books that make me happy and give good closure.  So, basically I'm not a huge fan of philosophical type books.  

 

Day 10-Your Favorite Classic book

I have to admit that when I think of classic books, I think back to high school.  I'm not a fan of classic books in general, so the majority of classics that I read were in high school.  (I tested out of college English classes--Passage to India was the only one I had to read in college, and that was for a history class).  I also think back to each of the years in high school and ask myself, "Which year did I enjoy the reading assignments in English class the most?" 

There are two books that come to mind that I enjoyed reading in high school.  One of them is being used for another post on this book challenge thingy, so I am going to say that this is my favorite classic book (play). 

This is actually the movie poster, not from the book.  This is by far my favorite Shakespeare play.  We read it my sophomore year in high school.  And, for some reason, I absolutely loved it.  I can't give any good reasons why---I only read it once, enjoyed it immensely, and I always have said that it's one of my favorites, but can I give specific reasons?  No, I really don't remember too much from the play, except all the betrayal that seems to be happening in it.  I know this is kind of a lame explanation of why I liked it so much, but that's that.

Day 9- A book I thought I wouldn't like, but ended up loving

In an earlier post, I said that I am always hesitant to read fantasy books because I tend to compare everything to The Lord of the Rings.   The books that I thought I would HATE were these: 

OH boy.  Was I proven wrong or what?  I hesitated reading these Harry Potter books (the first four had been released) because I figured they were children's books that I wouldn't enjoy.  They would be too juvenile for a 16 year old like me, who was in AP and Honors classes in high school.  Plus, how could any fantasy books compare to the ultimate fantasy trilogy ever? 

The summer before my junior year in high school I went to visit my sister in Washington DC.  While we were there I kept seeing movie posters for the first film, and would ask my sister, "are those books really that good?"  My sister assured me that they were and that they were different enough from LOTR, and that I would probably like them.  My thoughts?  "Yeah, okay."  But, during the heavy rains, we were stuck inside for a while, and my other sister commented on me reading LOTR again.  In order to placate her, I took Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to read instead.  AND, I was hooked.  There is no way that I will ever be able to say how much I underestimated the value that these books have.  And, this is definitely the one series that I LOVED after I thought that I wouldn't like at all. 

Book Challenge-Day 8- Most overrated book (or play?)

Or play... I hated this book/play.  I read it my freshman year in high school English, and I had no desire to read it again.  I understand that Romeo and Juliet were acting like a bunch of middle school/high school age kids, but this was one of the dumbest stories in my opinion.  I know it was probably quite entertaining as a play, but I am not a big fan of the story.  I don't think it offers much character development or any good examples for kids these days.  I am kind of harsh with this play, but I just really disliked it, and although it IS by Shakespeare, there are so many other plays that are a ton better than this one. 

Book Challenge-Day 7- Most underrated book

I feel like there are so many of these books out there.  BUT, I am going to just have to narrow it down to one, I know.  There is a series of books that I enjoy a lot, but very few people (at least that I know) have heard of it.

This book holds the story of a police detective named William Monk who wakes up in a room in a panic, not knowing whether he's in a workhouse or a hospital, not even knowing his own name.  They tell him that he was in a carriage accident, and that he used to be the best detective in London.   Throughout this series of books, he solves high profile murder cases, while learning how to be a detective again and learning more about the person that he was before his accident.  He is helped by several characters that come in and out of the series, but overall, I really enjoy these books.  I say these books are "underrated" because hardly anyone has heard of them, although most people have heard of Anne Perry AND they're overshadowed by the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series that Perry also writes.  I enjoy these books, and the mysteries in them.  Most of the books in the series are excellent, but there are a few that aren't as good as the others.  This is an entertaining set of detective and mystery novels. 

30 Days of Books- Day 6- A Book that Makes me Sad

I just have to say, that there are several books that have done this to me.  I always cry at the end of Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. But it's more like a happy sad.  So, the book that I chose, is a recent one that makes me sad.

There is so much sadness found in this book. And, I understand the importance of the sorrowful and depressing mood to the story because Collins is trying to make a point about the effects that war and violence have on society.  Katniss is obviously suffering from PTSD throughout the book, while still being forced to be the image behind the rebellion;  Peeta is a former POW, brainwashed and completely different from the person that he was in the previous two books; and Gale is a hardened, warrior that will do anything to overthrow the Capitol. 

These points besides character deaths throughout the book, really makes me sad.  Even in the end, when things are "resolved" you have Peeta and Katniss struggling with all that they went through, their 'innocence' stripped from them, and you find two very broken characters.  While, I believed that this book was a great ending to the trilogy, it still makes me very sad.  :(  Need to read for the closure of the series, but definitely a depressing mood to it.

30 Day Book Challenge- Day 5- A book that makes me happy

Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot is just plain fun.  There's adventure, action, romance, mystery and magic.  The story is about two cousins who have been separated for the London season due to their trouble making back home.  One of the cousins is expected to stay in their country home, while the other one is in London for her season. 

The story is written as letters as the two best friends write back and forth to each other and discover that they're both involved in the same mystery.  The characters are enjoyable, the humor is heartfelt, and the story is just whimsical.  I can't read this book without smiling and laughing through most of it.  AND, it doesn't make me think too hard at the end.  Just a nice, enjoyable story. 

Book Challenge Day 4- Favorite book of your favorite book series

I wrote that Percy Jackson was my favorite series.  And, I am going to have to say that although I love each of the books in the series, The Last Olympian was my favorite book. 

This book just wraps up the entire series nicely.  The only loose ends are specifically placed there to introduce a new plot and adventure for the subsequent series.  The characters developed well, and I liked seeing their growth from the first book to the end of the series. 

Day 3- Favorite Book Series

This one was difficult.  Almost all the books that I read are a "series".  There were ultimately three book series that I wanted to decide between.  The first one is The Lord of the Rings, but since I've already blogged about it, I decided to go with another one. 
The other two are:  Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Super close behind these two is The Hunger Games trilogy.  I think I am going to go ahead and say that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is my favorite series.

Although each of these book series are very different, and I like them for a lot of reasons, Percy reaches me in a way that is a lot different than the other series.  Harry Potter is fantastic, with excellent character development, plot continuity and development, and a story that literally brings you to tears very often.  There are several nuggets of wisdom throughout the text (very similar to Lord of the Rings).  
Hunger Games is the "guilty pleasure" book trilogy---I absolutely love the characters, plot and not-so-subtle motifs and parallels that are found throughout the books.  I really enjoyed the "love triangle" (even though it's not much of a love triangle, just Katniss being completely oblivious).  And the ending, although depressing, is intense and thought-provoking.  Whereas Harry Potter is ultimately a triumph of good v. evil, Hunger Games is a look into man v. self as much as good v. evil.

So, why do I like Percy Jackson so much?  Part of it is the writing style.  Since I love middle school aged children, and I have a distinctly middle school sense of humor myself, I find the Percy Jackson series to be highly entertaining.  I also happen to love history and mythology, so the books are a lot of fun to read. The characters are flawed, very much so, but extremely likable.  And they know how to laugh at themselves... (except the Gods, really).  There's also a simplicity to the story:  not too many parallels or motifs.  Not a lot of symbolism, but just a lot of fun.  It's nice to read a well-written book series that doesn't have the author's agenda entrenched in it.

But one of the reasons that I love this series so much is because I am a former reading teacher.  As a former reading teacher, I found these books, read them, and highly recommended them to my students.  I have especially found that these books are wonderful for kids who HATE to read.  If there was any student of mine that didn't like reading, I told them to check out  The Lightning Thief and then come back and talk to me about it.  So many students picked up that book, then the rest of the series, and then started asking me for more recommendations.  I have never been more happy with a book series in my professional career, because this author gets that age group.  Again, I love the sense of humor, the action, the characters, the overall plot, and the adventure.  The follow up series:  The Heroes Olympus I might like even better than the first series, but since it's not finished, I can't judge yet.

Day 2- A book that you've read more than 3 times

There are quite a few.  But this is the one that I read at least once a year, since I was 17: 

A novel of epic proportions that just gets me everytime.  My husband says that I am picky about my fantasy novels, and that's because I compare everything to this book.  Which, I probably shouldn't, considering how awesome it is. 

And the only other book that I've probably read more than Lord of the Rings? 

Since I was 14 (starting early morning seminary) I've made an effort to read from this book everyday.  Sometimes, I don't make it, but I think I've done a pretty good job for the most part. 

30 Days of Books-Day 1- Favorite Book You Read Last Year

2011... let's see, let's see.  So many wonderful books that I read.  I think my favorite was this one though:

I had been wanting to read this book for a while.  Since I was pretty young, I remember getting freaked out in the movie from the 1930's.  It's the eerie beginning, when there's a mystery that needs to be solved at a fort in Africa.  I really believe what I like the most about this book is the mystery, the strong family/brotherly ties, and the adventure that you're swept up in.  After reading this book, get the movie that has Gary Cooper in it.  A very good adaptation of one of my new favorite books. 

Runner Ups:

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson--a really good fantasy book that I enjoyed.  I also liked that it was a stand-alone novel.  Sanderson writes good, likeable characters.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede.  This is the first in the series of four books, and they are such cute, clever children's books.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading them last year.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an engaging, thoughtful story. One of those deep-down, wholesome coming-of-age tales that involves a little bit of science fiction. And awkwardness. Because it wouldn't be a good children's/middle school novel without a tiny bit of social anxiety that the protagonist would face.

Clumsy

I am so clumsy this pregnancy.  About three weeks ago, I fell down the stairs (just a few) and I landed hard on my feet.  I definitely felt jolted and I definitely was having lots of contractions.  By the time they got me in the Dr. office to monitor the baby and myself, everything had calmed down and I was told to be careful and keep my Dr. appointment for that Wednesday. 

Yesterday, Evan woke up pretty early.  I took him out of his crib, and then went to close the bathroom door (otherwise Evan likes to run up the stairs and go and play in the bathtub and he's learned how to turn the water on).  While I was closing the bathroom door, I tripped over one of Evan's toys, and fell on my hip/bum.  I really do have a lot of cushioning down there AND I grabbed the door which helped break my fall.

The doctor still had me go to the hospital yesterday morning to make sure that everything was okay.  And it was.  I really appreciate the doctor that I have.  He's very patient, honest and helpful.  He didn't make me feel stupid about coming in to the hospital, and he made me feel a lot better about the possibility that baby would come early (if baby came early at this point (35 weeks) he wouldn't have too many complications). 

So, that was one of the lamest Valentine's Day experiences ever.  Thankfully I was only in the hospital for two hours.  Evan was able to go to a Valentine's Day party (our friends who hosted watched him for us) and eat lots of sugar. 

The rest of the day passed by pretty quickly.  Evan had a nice fall from his sugar high and took a 3 hour nap so that I could sleep on the couch.  Rick and I exchanged gifts and put Evan to bed so we could have our fondue dinner to ourselves. 

So, the trip to the hospital wasn't that bad.  I am just annoyed at myself for being so darn clumsy (and not picking up after my 2 year old because I'm lazy). 

V-Day

Happy Early Valentine's Day!  This evening Evan, Rick and I went out for a family dinner.  We didn't bother trying to find anyone to babysit tomorrow, and we love going out together as a family.  Tomorrow will be our in-home fondue for two date night.  No fondue for Evan... I don't think he'd appreciate it that much.  Anyways, I thought that I would write down a little acrostic poem for my valentine, Rick.  I just love him so much and appreciate all that he does for me. 

Valiant--Rick is one of the most selfless, noble people that I have ever met.  He does so much for our family, and I will always appreciate the love and patience that he has for us.
Admirable---I admire everything about Rick.  He volunteers so much and helps a ton with our own family.  He will drop everything to help others. 
Loveable---There is so much that I love about Rick.  He is such a happy, optimistic person.  He helps me when I ask.  He works hard for our family.  He can cook, and he's a great father. 
Energetic---Rick has a lot of energy.  He's a night owl, so even after working all day, he's able to come home and spend time with our family.  He is such an amiable person that gets along very well with others, and so much of that is because of his positive energy. 
Nerd---Rick is a nerd and a geek.  He plays video games, loves reading fantasy novels and will read comic books also. 
Teenager---Rick is now 26 (going on 27) and yet he still looks like he's in high school.  We have a joke that he may finally start to look 26 by the time that he's 40!  While Rick is a very mature person, he also knows when to have fun.  Especially with boy scouts, cub scouts, Evan and myself. 
Inspiring--- One of the reasons why I wanted to marry Rick is because he made me want to be a better woman and person overall. We always have arguments about which of us "lucked" out with the other.  I personally think that Rick is one of the best people, EVER.  Nobody else can compete with his awesomeness. 
Natural---Rick is a natural father.  He doesn't have a hard time bonding with kids at all, and when Evan was born he bonded with him a lot quicker than I did.  Rick is such a proud daddy, and I am so happy that I will get to see him bond with another one of his sons! 
Esteemed---I don't think anyone will doubt how highly Evan and I esteem Rick.  He is such a wonderful man. Everyday, he comes home to spend lunch with us, and that is the best part of the workday for me.  Evan and I both light up when he comes into our home to spend only a half hour with us while he eats.  Evan stops whatever he is doing whenever daddy comes home.  He'll run to the door and hug Rick's leg tightly. 

Our world would be a much sadder place without Rick.  I am so grateful that he is my husband and my one and only valentine. 

Painting Time

Evan painted a little craft back in November at a friend's house for Thanksgiving, and he really loved it.  For Christmas he got play dough, paints and brushes as a couple of his gifts.  He LOVES playdough.  He still takes a bite out of it every once in a while, but he is also learning how to play with it, roll it out, cut shapes, etc.  We use his trains and cars to make tracks in it, and we're starting to mold his name and other objects as well. 

Today, I broke out the paints.  I've been hesitant to do it, since I didn't want to spend forever cleaning up after him.  I put the butcher paper on the kitchen table, and we had a lot of fun painting.  I'm pretty sure he was going at it for close to an hour.  He had so much fun. 

A candid shot of him painting.  He was having such a great time. 

He has been giving me dirty looks like this for the past couple of weeks. 

His first paper.  I like the swirls.

His second paper.  The dots are made with straws.

What's up mom?

I swear he just had a growth spurt. I can't believe how skinny this kid is looking.

We enjoyed our time together, and I think we might have to do this a few days a week.  Honestly, I'm not going to do it everyday.  I'm too lazy for that--I don't want to have to clean up after him all the time.  I am looking forward to the weather warming up and getting an art easel to take outside for him to paint on also.

It's February Already?!?!?!?! A family update with no pictures..

So, January flew by a lot faster than I originally expected.  And now, we are in February.  It hit me yesterday, that quite possibly I could have a baby at the end of this month (I'm considered full term on 2/26) and I will definitely have a baby sometime next month, if I don't have one this month.  Crazy, right?

I've been doing a lot of pondering about our family, and I am really nervous about this new little guy to be joining us.  I'm very happy about it, but I am so worried because Evan won't be the baby anymore! I wonder how he'll take being a big brother, whether he'll be lovey, or just ignore the baby, or he'll be really helpful.  It's going to be interesting to see the transition that Evan will have to make as well as Rick and I. I'm also super nervous about leaving Evan with someone... my sister plans to be up here to watch Evan, but in case of an emergency we have a friend from the ward that will take him for us.

As of right now in the pregnancy, I am totally okay with doing things still.  I just can't do a lot or I feel like an old lady with hurting everywhere.  I'm also having short nesting bursts .  It's crazy how much nicer the house is looking since we came home after Christmas and New Years.  It's so nice not to be on bed rest this time around, even though I've been trying to be good about making myself take breaks when I am feeling not so well.

And at this point in the pregnancy, I've only gained 6 pounds, which is great... BUT, I'm having all these cravings for crappy food, and at this point, I don't really care if I eat a lot.  I'm still trying to watch my portions though, because if I can weigh less going home from the hospital than I was before I got pregnant, I'll be pretty dang happy. 

We're also doing a lot of making lists around here, of meals we can make when the baby comes;  of food storage to stock up on for a few months while I am adjusting to have 2 kids at home; and of course, baby stuff and Evan stuff.  I'd like Evan to get a couple of "big brother" gifts from us and Logan.  And, I'd like Evan to bring Logan a gift in the hospital when he goes to meet him for the first time.

Evan is progressing pretty well with development, except for speech.  I'm pretty sure that he is just one stubborn little guy, and when he wants to start talking, he will.  He can write the letters N and W (by just seeing it after we write EVAN--the W comes from the N).  He likes singing songs with us, and making hand motions.  We've been counting together, and he loves to help count (mimicking us).  He has moved up from wooden puzzles (so boring mom!) to jigsaw puzzles that he makes us do for him while he watches intently.  He is very loving and cuddling lately.  AND, he never wants mommy or daddy to leave him behind.  If we do, there is all sorts of drama with that.  I think that he senses that a big change is coming because he is taking more breaks from playing to come lay down with me or cuddle with me.

We haven't moved him into his toddler bed yet... I'm just really lazy and the baby will be sleeping by our bed or with us for the first few months anyway (to make nursing easier), so I figured I'd give him more time in the crib.  He still hasn't figured out that he could climb out of it if he wants. 

I've been doing really well with sewing more habitually and I am finally figuring out my stubborn machine.  It does require me to be more proactive with switching things up (like the stitch length, tension, etc).  But, I've learned to practice on a piece of fabric, and if I need to take a break from the machine, it's okay if I put it away and go back the next day.  I even figured out the best way to sew on velcro (that's the biggest problem I was running into with the car seat covers), and the other day when I made Logan's car seat cover, I was able to sew it on rather quickly.  My next project will be a nursing cover for myself. I have one already that is a bit beat up from when Evan had it, but it's still useful, so I figured having two was extra nice. 

Rick is doing well at work.  He is applying for Air Force Officer Training School.  His application is due on March 1, and we should have the results sometime in May (maybe...).  We don't know if he'll get in or not, but we know that he's done the best that he can.  It's all about his competition and how many officers the Air Force will really need.

He also loves his calling.  He was released as a ward missionary and put in as the 2nd counselor in Young Men presidency.  He loves scouting, so this is an awesome calling for him.  A lot of work, and time-consuming, but he supported me when I was in Young Womens, so I am working on supporting him.  Even though I am totally jealous that he has the "fun" calling. 

This update is a lot longer than I thought, and I can't really think of anything else...

Snow Time!

A few weeks back, I told Evan we'd go outside and play after he woke up from his nap.  (I'm such a lazy mom right now, I didn't want to go out earlier in the day).  Well, when he woke up, the snow was falling steadily, and we went out to play (or at least, daddy, Evan and kitty went out to play while I took pictures). 

He's so cute.  I love his lumberjack outfit.

He tried escaping to play with all of our wilderness animals in the forest behind the house.  Eww...

Rick actually threw a snowball at him!

Kitty lay forgotten in all the awesomeness that was the snow.

Evan running back and forth.

Deciding it was time to go back in.

The snow in his face (wasn't a fan of that!)

On our way inside after only 10 minutes. We're from the southwest, and are wimps!