fanFREAKINGtastic

That's really the only way to describe the movie Eclipse. Fan-freaking-tastic!!!! I was actually a little worried to see the movie (since I loved the book so much) because I figured they would leave out a bunch of important scenes and/or they wouldn't capture all the emotions surrounding the main characters. But I was totally and completely surprised!!! I can honestly say there wasn't one thing missing from the movie. Sure, I had lots of little nit picky things I didn't care for like Carlisle's weird british-like accent, Bella's wig in certain scenes, and a few main lines that were changed a bit. But overall, I thought the movie captured all the romance, heartbreak, action and love that I was hoping for...and then some. The acting was also WAY better then in the previous two movies and my main man...Edward...was freaking gorgeous. Like...straight from the book gorgeous. Sigh...

So, in true twilight-mom fashion, Tara and I showed up for the movie in our fabulous t-shirts. Mine was from CafePress and Tara's was a "Jan Original". Yes...I had my mom make Tara's t-shirt because we really wanted one that was similar to mine last year. But instead of just saying "Alice Says I'm a Boy (or Girl)", we needed it to say "Alice Says We're Twins!". So that's what she made her. How cute are we?

As you can see, I didn't rock my Buffy t-shirt or the threesome t-shirt (although I did look into it and couldn't get my size in the one I wanted. Ha!) So I just went for a rather neutral "team Cullen" shirt for the day. I thought it was very Eclipsey.

Anyway, I am sad that we have to wait almost a year and a half for the first part of Breaking Dawn to come out. But, that does leave me plenty of time to reread the books over and over again. Oh, and there are two Harry Potter movies mixed in there to hold me over as well :-)

So before I go, I just wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my BFF Tara for driving all the way up to see the movie with me. Love you girlfriend! And also a HUGE THANK YOU to my mamacita and grandma for watching the kiddos so I could have a girls day out :-) You two are the bestest and I love you!!! And finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to David Slade for doing such an awesome job on this movie. You rock man!!

Did anyone else see Eclipse today? What did you think?

Do You Know What Today Is?

Well...you do if you are a Twilight fan. Today is opening day for ECLIPSE!!!

Do I am seem excited to you at all? I know I am probably embarrassing myself (again) by being so excited for a movie but who cares. Eclipse was probably my favorite book of the series and I can't wait to see all the scenes on the big screen. I know they are going to tone down a bunch of stuff since they are going for a PG13 audience, but reviews so far said they were surprised by how much they actually kept, especially by way of love scenes...

I also read the fight scenes were awesome so that should at least appeal to all the boyfriends/husbands that are being dragged to the theater today :-) Anyway, I will be back later with my post-Eclipse post so that you can see Tara and I in our t-shirts. Have a Happy Eclipse Day everyone!!!

If I Ever Won the Lottery...

I know a lot of people believe the old saying, "money can't buy you happiness", but sometimes I wonder if that is just something people say to make themselves feel better. Because honestly, when I think about some of the things that are stressing me out, or better yet, the things that are stressing out my friends and family, I always think, "Damn...if I could just win the lotto...I could help (fill in the blank)". I dream about it all the time and yet I never buy a ticket. But...if I did win the lotto, here are some things I would love to do...

* Pay for as many rounds of fertility/IVF/adoption fees as I could for every family member or friend who is trying to start a family right now. I know that in the end, God is responsible for bringing people children. But what if God was just waiting for someone like me to offer help so that he could send them a baby? Shouldn't I at least try to help...for God's sake?

* I would buy a house for every friend or family member that is having trouble making their dream happen. Between the economy, the housing market, job-loss, etc...so many people are hurting right now and I wish that everyone could have a home that they are as happy in as I am in mine.

* I would buy some huge company so that all of my friends and family members (and maybe even a bunch of people I don't know yet) could find good jobs to help support their family. And better yet, I would turn this company into the greatest place to work so that all of my friends could leave their crappy jobs and start a new, happy career.

* I would invest everything I could in medical research to help friends and loved ones with their illnesses. I would actually give up everything else on this list just to find a cure for cancer. F-ing cancer!!! I hear that word too often lately and it makes me sad. Sad about the people who have it and sad for the people who worry that they will have it someday.

* And just so I don't end this post on such a sad note, I would also like to win the lotto so that I could open my own candy store and see happy faces like this ALL DAY LONG :-)

I know that winning the lotto and having the money to help people can't solve all the world's problems, but I do wish I had more power to help people. I guess in the end, Prayer is the best way to help our friends and family so I will stick with that...you know...until God sends me a winning ticket :-)

So, what would all of you do if you won the lottery? How would you like to help people?

Blake is 6 Months Old!!!!

Six months ago today, I was holding my baby boy for the first time. I remember sitting in the rocking chair with him, looking out the window at the snow. Summer seemed so far away and as I looked at my tiny little newborn, I couldn't imagine what he would look like 6 months from now. But here he is, in all his blue-eyed, cubby-cheeked, 18-pound glory...

I just can't get enough of this little peanut. He is still the cuddliest, funniest, happiest little baby and I just love this new stage he is entering into. He isn't mobile yet, but he is active and playful and it makes the days so much more fun with him. Him and Addie have also been playing more with each other (well...by "play" I mean Addie gives him toys and then she takes them away. Ha!) But if there is one person that can ALWAYS make Blake laugh...it's his big sis. She makes goofy faces and tickles him and its the cutest thing to watch.

In terms of development, my baby boy is right where he should be. He is starting to sit up more unassisted, although he still topples over after a while :-) He can hold his whole upper body up but just can't quite figure out how to get his knees under him. I am actually thankful for that because when he does start to crawl, I will have TWO mobile children to chase after each day. AHH!!!

Blake just went in for his 6-month check-up today and he is 18.1 pounds and is 27 1/2 inches long. I just can't believe how much he has grown!!! He is solid as a rock too, and I am just loving all of his delicious baby rolls. I am sure some of those rolls are due in large part to all the eating he does!!! I am still exclusively breastfeeding (since my little guy STILL won't take a bottle), but he has also been eating a lot of oatmeal, fruit and veggies now which is fun. I know some people dread it, but I love the baby food stage! I am planning on a making a bunch in the coming weeks. Yum!!

And finally, I am happy to report that my little guy has been doing much better in the sleep department!!! He has been taking 2 consistent naps each day and going down without having to be nursed into a coma. He still has yet to sleep the night, but we are down to 2 fairly predictable wake-ups so I am hoping those slowly start to fade as well. We have been starting cry-it-out for his first wake-up and that has worked several times. I am hoping after a few more times he will skip the wake-up all together. Fingers crossed!!!

Well that's all I have for Blakey Boy's update this month!!! Here's to a happy, healthy July!!!

Some Zebras & a Road Trip

I'll admit...I was never really a zoo lover before I had kids. I'm sure I got excited on field trips when I was a kid myself, but as an adult, I never really had the desire to go to the zoo and walk around. It always seemed way too hot, smelly and dirty for my taste. BUT...things have definitely changed.

Last year was Addie's first trip to the zoo and even though she knew about animals and enjoyed pointing them out, she couldn't exactly say their names. But this year, she told us EXACTLY which animals she wanted to see. First up...a "Kangawoo"...

Next up, the "Elpants". Well...this was actually a metal "Elpant" but it squirted water so it was way cooler than the real thing...

Plus, it was hotter than a mother on Friday so the mist felt really good to her...and daddy :-)

We tried moving on to the animals but Addie was too interested in the water. Go figure...

So we let her have her fun and splash around for a while...

We tried EVERYTHING to get her away from the water. I even offered her an ice cream cone at 10:30a.m. but that didn't work either. But do you know what did? "Zebwas"...her favorite animal.

Daddy even picked her up so she could see them better...

I don't know what it is about Zebras. They don't make any fun noises or do anything particularly cool. They just kind of stand around and eat...

But Addie loves them just the same. Before we left the zoo, we went for a little ride on the carousel. Can you guess which animal she ran to?

And since 1 ride is NEVER enough, Daddy took her on again...

The zoo was so much fun this year, it actually makes me glad we bought a pass because I would like to go back a lot more before the summer is over. Although, preferably on a less-hot day :-)

After getting a good nights sleep after our busy day at the zoo, Addie woke up in anticipation for the road trip ahead. I said, "Addie...do you know who we are going to see today?" and she replied, "Connie!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!" Connie is, of course, her boyfriend Connor and we have been waiting months to drive down and see him.

When we got to Pat and Tara's house, Connor was all smiles. He took Addie right upstairs to show her his new big boy bed. After a good 15 minutes of jumping, the tickle fight broke out. Addie won...

I think Tara and I can admit that when it comes to taking pictures of the kids...we get a liiiiiiiiittle crazy sometimes. We can't help it...they are just too cute!! But Connor and Addie weren't really havin it this time. Addie was willing to smile for a few pics, but Connor was just like "whatevs".

And then when Addie really started hamming it up...

Connor was just like, "Get off me woman"...

Turns out he just wanted to do a little bonding with his new buddy Blake...

But when it was time to leave, Connor went running right back to his girl for some last minute hugs and kisses. I think the two of them were genuinely sad to leave each other...

But don't worry because we plan to go back again very soon. The drive to see Tara and the fam was much easier then I thought it would be with the two kids. Neither of them are very good in the car for long trips, but this time they did pretty well. They still wouldn't sleep. But really, when does this little peanut ever sleep...

And even with Pinky and her baby in hand...this little chic wasn't shutting her eyes for anything...

So mama hopped in back so we could party together. A little Ratatouille and Pirates Booty. Not a bad way to pass the drive :-)

I wish I could say that all of us spent the day relaxing today, but there was a golf outing and a bridal shower to attend. WHEW!!! Its a good thing I am gaining more energy from running because I am going to need it after this busy week!!!

And speaking of running, I know I promised an update on Sundays. I am still getting my group of running buddies together so I promise to post next Sunday with our progress. As for me, I FINISHED WEEK 1!!!! WOOHOO!!! I was going to repeat this week but since I am still feeling good, I think I may move on to Week 2 and see how it goes. I actually managed to get up at 5:30a.m. for a run on Saturday because I knew I wouldn't squeeze it in after our road trip. Now THAT is dedication. I am almost more proud of myself for waking up at 5:30a.m. then I am for completing my first week!! How did the rest of you ladies do??

Hope you all had a FABULOUS weekend!!

Eco-Friendly Friday: My Favorite Products In-Use

I have had a few friends ask me lately, "So Jen...be honest. Do you really use all the reusable products you post about on your blog?" I think this is an excellent question because really...who would know if I was actually using them? So, I thought I would dedicate this Eco-Friendly Fridays post to all my doubtful friends :-) Here are some pics of some of my favorite items in-use...

Example 1: My reusable shopping bags after a trip to the grocery store...

Example 2: My Flip & Tumble produce bags...

Example 3: My Mu Microfiber cleaning cloth drying on the sink...

Example 4: My SuperScrup kitchen sponge doing the same...

Example 5: My Reisenthel Market Basket packed up for our Father's Day pool party...

Example 6: Addie's Reisenthel Market Basket for Kids packed up for Nana's house...

Example 7: My Built Gourmet Lunch Tote keeping my apple cider beers cold...

Example 8: And finally...my diaper bag, stocked with my Sigg Waterbottle and LunchSkins snack bag (holding some goldfish crackers I think :-) Oh, I also have two Litter Free Lunch napkins inside just in case.

There...do those example make you feel better? Don't worry doubtful friends...I know you weren't the only ones curious about this. I am actually glad you brought up the question because I think it is helpful to show how I am using all of the great products I review and post about in my everyday life. So...does it make you want to buy all of them now? I hope so!!! Happy Friday Everyone!!

The Week Ahead...

Can I just say...the next 10 days are going to ROCK!!!! We have so many fun things planned I can hardly believe they are all happening in such a short time-frame.

For starters, Eric is taking the day off work tomorrow so that we can go to the zoo as a FAMILY!!! This is such a rare event, I am going to treasure every second...and probably take 900 pictures :-)

Then on Saturday, we are headed to Central Illinois to visit my BFF Tara!!! I haven't seen Tara in almost 2 months and I am SO excited to see her adorable baby belly. I have to have a special talk with the twins to make sure they stay put so Tara can go see Harry Potter with my in November. Ha!

Here is a pic from our trip to see Pat and Tara last year...

Look how little Addie and Connor were!!! They are both so grown up now, I can wait to watch them flirt on Saturday :-)

Then on Sunday, my soon-to-be cousin-in-law Liz (pictured in the middle) is having her bridal shower! I actually enjoy going to bridal showers because I love looking at all the cute new home/kitchen stuff that I wish I had :-)

Then on Monday, the Blakester has his 6 MONTH CHECK-UP!!! How is it even possible that my little man is almost 6 months old???!!! Time is going by way too fast. But I can't wait to see what he weighs :-)

Then on Tuesday, I will get a small break to gear up for ECLIPSE!!!! Tara will actually be driving up here on Wednesday so that we can see the movie together. My BFF Lins and I couldn't make our schedules work to see it together the first time, but her and I will be meeting up for a second showing in the next two weeks. HA!

And as if all that weren't enough fun for one week, we also have Addie's cousin Gracie's 3rd birthday party on Friday AND the 4th of July Weekend!!!!! WHEW!!! I think we will need a week to recover from all this fun. But I can't wait. This is what summer is all about anyway right? Family, Friends and Fun!!

If You Loved the Twilight Series, You Will Love This New Book

Well technically, this book isn't new. It came out last summer but it was recommended to me by Barnes and Noble the other day and I bought it on the spot. You know me and my Young Adult Fiction. I am a sucker for it :-)

The book is called Shiver and it is by Maggie Stiefvater

After I finished reading Eclipse for the 5th time, I went in search of another young adult series that could possibly live up to Harry Potter and Twilight. Obviously, that is a pretty tough task for any writer, especially given the overwhelming success of both series due to the movies. But when Barnes and Noble suggested I might like Shiver, I read the synopsis and was sold.

Its your average human-girl-meets-werewolf-boy story, but with some new and exciting twists. The author's attention to detail and character development are fantastic. I will admit that it took me a few chapters to really get invested in the main characters, Grace and Sam, but once I reached that point there was no turning back. I am already starting to envision who will play them in a movie :-)

I don't want to give anything away to those who want to read the book, but I will say that the ending is a bit of a cliff hanger. But don't worry because the second installment in this series, called Linger, comes out this July!! But sadly, we will have to wait a whole year for the third and final installment, called Forever, that will be released in Summer 2011. All three books have been picked up as movie options so I am very excited to see what will become of this series.

If you want to read more about the author and/or her books...you can check out her website and live journal here. Happy Hump Day everyone!!

The Time I Ran...and Puked

So...remember how I said I wasn't going to officially start the c25K program this week and just casually jog to warm up? Well, I sort of changed my mind. After I got the kiddies bathed and in their jammies, I looked outside and saw the sun setting, the breeze blowing, and the quiet empty sidewalks and thought hmm...maybe I should try my workout tonight. So I laced up my old New Balances, threw on a new sportsbra, and headed out the door for my first run.

I was surprised by how good I felt running (and walking). It was nice to just listen to music and clear my mind. But I will admit...those last two run sequences were ROUGH! I had to push my way through both of them and it wasn't pretty. I am sure the neighbors 2 blocks over could hear me panting. I couldn't hear myself, thank God, because I was jamming to JLo. But when I finally reached my front door...I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I had done it. I completed my first day of the program and survived. Well...almost.

When I came in the house, I was beaming with pride. I told Eric I made it through the whole program and he high-fived me, and so did Addie :-) He poured me a tall glass of ice water and I stood in the kitchen and chugged the whole thing. Eric didn't notice I was guzzling down this water but when he came in and saw the empty glass, he looked at me like I was nuts and said, "You didn't just drink that entire glass of water did you?" I was so confused. Was I suppose to save him some? I said, "Well...yeah. I'm hot and thirsty. Why?" He just laughed and said, "Oh boy...someone's gonna puke in a minute."

It wasn't two seconds later that I felt my mouth start to water. My face was getting flush again and I heard a gurgle in my tummy. Eric looked at me and knew what was coming. I ran my ninth run-sequence all the way to the bathroom. And puked.

I don't really know what to say. I obviously didn't remember the "don't chug water after you run" rule but I feel like an idiot for not knowing. Eric can't stop laughing at me and I can't stop laughing at the fact that I ended my first run by puking. Oh well...looking on the bright side...at least I finished!!!

So...please let this be a lesson to all of you. DO NOT chug an entire glass of water after you run. And here are few other tips/lessons that other runners have told me lately, just in case you are curious...

1.) Do Yoga, or "stretch like a mofo" before and after running or you will certainly pay for it in the morning.

2.) The song "Generator" by Foo Fighters should be the first song on everyone's workout playlist.

3.) Buy good running shoes. They don't have to be expensive, but they have to be made for running. I guess my retro Nikes are out then.

4.) Not all sports bras are created equal so give them a test run. Otherwise, your girls will be as sore as your ass the next day.

5.) Hydrate THROUGHOUT the day you plan to run.

I will now take into consideration every piece of workout advice I am given to avoid any puking, pulled muscles, poor music selection and sore feet and boobies. Thanks for the tips everyone!! Is there anything else I am missing? Share away...

Operation HMB Has Begun

I did a lot of prep work this weekend to get ready for Operation Hot Mommy Body (HMB), like ordering new running shoes, downloading some new workout music on iTunes, picking up some sports bras (since mine were 6 years and 2 bra sizes old), etc. I planned on starting my Couch to 5K program this week, but I have since decided that it might be better to use this week as a "warm up" week. I still plan to start jogging as soon as my shoes get here and I will be doing Pilates 3 times this week. But I think I will use next week as my official "Week 1".

I know several of you have shown an interest in joining me on the C25K plan, so I thought it might be fun to do a weekly post on our progress. I know this may not interest the vast majority of my readers, especially those who "frown upon exercise", but blogging about my goals is what keeps me motivated so I am going to do it anyway :-) I was thinking that Sunday might be a good day to post about the weeks progress. That way, we can get some renewed energy and motivation to start the next week. So...for those of you joining in...what should we call our running group? Or how should I title my Sunday posts?

Now...back to the plan. I did a lot of thinking about what days I should run. I thought Mon/Wed/Fri seemed appropriate, but a few people told me that they enjoyed doing Mon/Wed/Saturday. This actually sounds like a great idea to me, especially since Eric is home on Saturdays to hang out with the kiddies while I get some alone running time :-) So that is going to be my schedule to start.

For those of you who have already looked into the C25K program, you know that the workouts are a combination of running and walking for specific amounts of time. This had me a little stressed out this weekend because I was trying to figure out how I would keep track of time while I ran. My blogger friend Amy suggested these podcasts and I downloaded a few yesterday. They are really great actually. The person who created them chose fun music and the cues are very clear and precis. However, if you would rather chose your own music, I found the most AWESOME iPhone app for the C25K program. The app explains the whole program, gives you week by week guides to your workouts, tracks your history and progress AND you can play your own music through iTunes and they will give you your run/walk cues!! How freaking sweet is that? Here is a quick screen shot of the app...

I just gave it a test run tonight and it works like a charm!!! A little guy chimed in right in the middle of "Baby Got Back" and told me to run. AWESOME!! I guess I need to get one of those silly looking armbands to run with now. Oh well...its worth it :-)

So...I guess I am all set!! Now its time to get moving!! For those of you who are joining the group, send me an e-mail to adailydoseofdavis@gmail.com (even if you have already told me you want in) just so I can merge all of our addresses together to start an e-mail list. Yay!! I never thought I would get so excited about working out! Crap...I wonder if hell has frozen over?

Father's Day Weekend Recap

Our Father's Day weekend started out with something that Eric has been looking forward to for weeks...Addie's first swim class!! Since Eric works crazy hours, he has never had the opportunity to take Addie to any kind of class before. So when I told him that I was signing her up for Saturday morning swim, he was thrilled. Obviously, our little water baby was equally excited...

Blakey boy and I decided to come along too so that we could watch his big sis in action...

I was a little nervous that the class and size of the pool would send Addie into freak out mode, but it didn't! She was great and had TONS of fun with her Daddy. I think we are all looking forward to next week :-)

After swim class, it was time for a nice loooooong nap and then it was off to Nana and Papa Mueller's house!! Pops cooked us up some delicious burgers and dogs on the grill...

And then after our food settled...it was back to the pool. Addie was showing off some of her new swimming skills for Nana...

When my Dad told my brothers and I that he was going to have the pool ready for Father's Day this year, we couldn't wait to relive our Father's Day pool party from 4 years ago. You see, Adam and Di still lived at their old house (which had a nice above ground pool) and since it was a little chilly and gloomy that day, none of us brought our suits to go swimming. But that of course didn't stop us, especially when I made the STUPID mistake of standing too close to the pool and was thrown in by a certain jackass brother. So...if I was going in with my clothes on...so was the rest of the family. And one by one we were all thrown in...clothes and all :-)

Since we were all wet anyway, we decided we better take advantage of the situation and take a little swim. But what started as a relaxing little dip turned into a full-on water ball war. Yeah..that's me in the white shirt in the middle...the main target...

And 4 years later, nothing has really changed. We took our second family dip in the pool (this time with swimsuits)...

And minutes later...the war broke out. Can you guess who the target was?

While all the madness was going on in the pool, Great Grandma watched from the sidelines with Blake.

Watching all the craziness must have really tuckered the little guy out...

But it didn't slow down this little chic! Addie held Aunt Meagan hostage in the playhouse for the better part of the afternoon. I don't think Aunt Meagan minded though :-)

With all the excitement that went on Saturday, it's no wonder why both kids had such a great night of sleep. We woke up Father's Day morning and had ourselves a nice breakfast followed by some much needed relaxing time with Daddy. But after naps, we headed over to Aunt Dana and Uncle Kevin's house to celebrate Father's Day with Papa Steve!!

While the mommies got dinner ready, the girls colored Papa an extra special picture...

After dinner, all the ladies tried their hardest to figure out the new gadget that Dana got for Uncle Kevin. How many women does it take to fix a broken piece of equipment?

The answer is 2...plus an intelligent man who was smart enough to break out the directions...

This was truly a FANTASTIC Father's Day weekend for all of us and I think it is safe to say (by looking at his huge smile) that this Daddy got everything he wanted :-)

So...how was everyone else's Father's Day?