Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

Here's some info on the Oscar nominated animated shorts http://buzzsugar.com/982519. Baby girl is waking up from her nap, so no more internet surfing for me. Back to mommy duties.

Y Online

I was reading Pop Candy's blog and happened across a link to the first issue of Y online. YES! So for those of you who haven't read Y: The Last Man yet and are interested, here's a little something to whet your appetite http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/1736_1.pdf.

Sad comic book news

I am so sad to share that today the final issue of Y: The Last Man is released. I so didn't know that they were ending this series and am pissed that they are because I love this comic. It's truly one of my all-time favorite reads. I usually borrow the books once Jason reads them, so I will need to hunt him down to make sure he reads it fast so I can get it this weekend. I seriously want to get the whole series for myself so I can read it all the way through once more. And maybe, just maybe I can get Shawn to read it too. Here's an article from USA Today about the final issue and the screen adaptation that is coming soon http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-01-28-last-man-comic_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip.

We love Ellen!

I apologize for not writing about our trip to the Ellen Show sooner, but if you recorded yesterday's episode, then you will have a chance to see me and my mom on TV. Yep, there are a couple of times you can see us, but of course, you have to look really close or rewind and play on slow-mo to catch us. We are on the very top row on the right side of the audience. Hope that helps you find us in the crowd. So here's a recap of our experience on Monday.

Mom and I headed out pretty early and arrived at NBC Studios at 9:30am. We wanted to get there early because we weren't guaranteed seats, so we wanted to get a good number for Standby. We were checked in at 10am and then told we didn't have to stay there. We could leave if we wanted but to make sure we were back by 2. Since it was cold and drizzly and we had a perfect parking spot, we decided to just sit in the car and hang out. Of course with my mom, there is plenty of talking to be done, so we had a great time hanging out and chatting away for a few hours. I had packed a lunch, so we ate in the car as well. That way we didn't have to walk a few miles to get food too. There were quite a few picketers outside the studio lot. We ended up seeing the actress who plays Nurse Rose on Grey's Anatomy, the one who McDreamy kissed on one of the last episodes. And when we were leaving, I saw this picketer who looked totally familiar. I smiled at him and he gave me a hearty hello there. Right as we passed him I remembered he played the school counselor on Freaks 'N Geeks and I recently saw him on an old episode of Gilmore Girls. He played the fruit vendor guy who fights with Taylor Doose. Later I remembered he was also the Naked Trucker from a show on TNT or USA or something like that. See we kept ourselves busy while we waited around. I digress. We then took a short walk, went to the bathroom, and headed back to the line about 1. Good thing too because they started letting people into the studio area around 1:30. We still had to sit outside but at least this time there was an awning to cover us from the drizzle and they played a couple episodes of Ellen to keep us entertained. They finally started lining people up around 3:30. We were numbers 23 and 24 in standby. They let all the guaranteed people in and then started adding standby people. They cut off at number 15. Jacked only 8 people away from getting in. They then escorted us into the Riff Raff room in the studio, which is where the remaining standby people get to hang out and watch the show on big screen tvs. Then they let another 4 in. We were then only 4 away from getting in. Then they let 2 more in. I was getting anxious hoping we'd get in. Finally, they called for a few more of us to get in. They let me and my mom in and 3 more people behind us and that was it. We made it! Our row was making the most noise because we were so excited we got in. While the crew were getting ready, DJ Stryker was playing music and we were encouraged to dance. Finally Ellen came out and everyone started cheering. We did so much cheering that my voice was hurting when I got home. My hands were also sore from clapping so much. It was totally worth it though. The guests on the show were the Scotto family who own a restaurant in NY, singer Alice Smith who was amazing and this was her TV debut, and two human interest stories, a girl who survived an in-home burglary and the 12 year old Guitar Hero wiz. I was bummed there weren't any big name celebrities on the show, but it was still great that we got to see Ellen. She is so damn funny and genuinely sincere. I was so glad that I got to do this with my mom too. That made the whole experience even sweeter. I can't believe I've waited so long to go see a recording of a show. I highly recommend doing it. We thought it was worth the drive and the wait, especially since we love Ellen so much.

Ellen Show

Be sure to watch or record the Ellen Show today because you just might see me and my mom in the audience. We are going to a taping today. Don't know if the ep will air today or tomorrow, so set your recorders to get both days just in case. I'll write all about it tonight.

6 Foods To Keep Your Mind Young

As many of you know, my grandmother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so brain function and health is something I have interest in learning more about. Here is a list of 6 foods to keep your mind young from Dr. Oz that I wanted to share http://www.realage.com/HealthyYOUCenter/Articles.aspx?aid=10442

Which candidate best fits your choices?

Take this quiz to find out which political candidate best fits your choices on important issues. If there is an issue you don't know much about, then you can learn about it here. I like that they actually give you both pros and cons for the issues as well. I was actually linked to Conneticut Senator Chris Dodd. http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

Do's and Don'ts with Babies

http://www.c00lstuff.com/1133/Do_s_and_don_ts_with_babies/

Thanks, Shawn, for the laughs.

Mission: Completion...We have success!

Hooray! Inara slept through the night and in her crib!!! I put her to bed at 10pm and slept on an air mattress in the nursery in case she struggled through the night. She only squirmed twice to toot and fell right back to sleep. She woke this morning at 7am. Yes, even an hour later than we've been getting out of baby girl. She's growing up! Then when I fed her this morning, she wanted to hold the bottle and a couple times took the bottle out, looked around, and then put it back in her mouth to continue feeding. Pretty soon I'll be obsolete. Boo hoo hoo...just kidding. I know my daughter will always need me as do I with my mom. Too bad Shawn didn't take a picture of me sleeping on the floor in the sleeping bag so I can put that in Inara's baby book and show her the things I've done for her. I'll do anything for my baby girl though. I'd even swim in front of a shark to rescue her. Now that's mommy love.

Oscar Nominations Are In

Check out which movies you need to see in the next month before the Oscars. My #1 recommendation if you haven't seen it yet is Juno. I loved this movie!!!!
http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html

The Sacrifices We Make for Our Kids

Oh my aching back. Last night Inara woke me up around 4am. She was doing her leg thumps and squirming up a storm. I figured she probably had a tummy ache, so I got up and rocked her for a bit. Once I got her back to sleep, I laid her down in the bassinet again, only for her to wake right up. We played this game for about 30 minutes and I gave up. I didn't want to bother Shawn, so I went out into the living room with Inara and walked with her and rocked her for awhile. She finally got a couple toots out and seemed to calm down. I decided to lay her in the crib in case she got fussy. I didn't want to wake Shawn since it was closing in on 5am at this point and he obviously has to go to work in the morning. Inara did well in the crib and really seems to like the aquarium my dad bought her. I laid on the floor next to the crib and wrapped myself up in a blanket. She slept for about 45 minutes when she woke up crying. I was so exhausted that I gave in and gave her the pacifier. We then played the "I'm going to spit the pacifier out then start crying so mommy can wake up and put it back in my mouth" game until 7am. I'm not a fan of this game. Plus, I've come to realize the nursery is pretty chilly and the floor is super uncomfy. I also had to sleep with my glasses on, so when I jumped up to give her the pacifier, I could find it quickly.I'm going to leave the sleeping bag and mattress pad thingy out at all times and am considering suffering and sleeping with my contacts. Tonight I plan to put her to bed in the crib again. Let's hope she starts getting used to this real quick because I hate restless sleep. Let's just say I LOVE MY COFFEE IN THE MORNINGS NOW!

Mission: Failure...Crash and Burn

Shawn and I had decided that we need to get Inara to start sleeping in her crib in the next month because the bassinet we are using is my cousin Lisa's and when we move, we will need to leave that here with her. We chose Friday night as our start date. During the week, I laid Inara in her crib a couple times when she would take a nap, but it only worked once after I struggled with her for 45 minutes. And then I only got a 15 minute nap out of her. Well, Friday night we put her to bed in her crib and she seemed to take to it right away. We were so excited. I even called my mom and Kristi to tell them she had been asleep in the crib for 45 minutes. We thought we were golden. That's what we get for jumping to conclusions. I think it started around 11pm when we had to start going in there to get her back to sleep. Shawn ended up going in the room 5 times, while I went in there twice. We finally gave up and decided to bring her back in the room with us at 1:15. Then she decided she didn't want to sleep well in her bassinet either. It was probably the worst night sleep we've had in quite awhile. I know I can't complain because she usually sleeps great, but it was rough because Shawn had to get up at 5am anyways to go golfing with some friends in Pasadena. So it was probably not the best night for us to start her in the crib. The other thing that complicated the situation is the fact that she decided to take a 4 hour nap on Friday. Yes, a FOUR HOUR NAP! I never get naps out of her for that long. I'm lucky if I get 20 minutes from her. It's as though the odds were against us from the beginning, but at least we still tried. Saturday night we had some friends over for game night, so we decided to not mess with the crib again and go straight for the bassinet. The little turkey she is, Inara decided to have yet another restless night of sleep. The problem last night was every time she lost the pacifier, she woke up crying. Shawn ended up holding her until she got into a deep sleep and all without the pacifier. Unfortunately, he ended up falling asleep too and missed some of game night. We have now officially set the rule that we will get her to sleep without the pacifier. I also promise to only use the pacifier during the day when absolutely necessary. Besides, I would much rather her suck on her thumb for comfort anyways. Let's hope Inara can be like her cousin Kylie and do fine without the pacifier at a very early age. And yes, we will try the crib again tonight. Fingers crossed.

New pictures

Shawn posted the new pictures on www.shawnandmarisa.com. You can see pics from my cousins Christina and Jenni's visit along with Inara's 4 month photo. Her monthly pics are always found under the Timeless album. Enjoy.

Another crazy dream I have to share

Last night I had another crazy dream. This one was more light-hearted and fun versus my scary nightmares lately. This one took place at a small club that was on the second story of a restaurant. The place reminded me of a Claim Jumper with a woodsy-feel to it. Apparently, I was there for a Foo Fighter's concert. I thought it was odd they were playing in a such a small venue but even more random was the fact that there was hardly anyone there. I then started chatting with Dave Grohl, the lead singer, as if we were good friends. When he walked away though, I remember swooning because I think Dave is hot. (Yes, that might be an odd choice, but there is just something so cool and sexy about him. He's no Eddie but still good looking.) A bit later in the dream I thought too bad my brother's not here and then suddenly he appears. Michael and I then sat at a bar and watched the Foos perform a practically-private show for us and the 5 or 6 other random people hanging out. It was an odd but very fun dream. I think it was inspired by the fact I was reminiscing last night about all the times I saw Sublime perform in small venues before they made it big. I was listening to 40 oz to Freedom missing Bradley and the guys and all the amazing shows I went to when I was in collegge. I then remembered the time I was at the Stefani house (Yes, Stefani as in Gwen) with some friends and thought, "I must go get Michael. He'd love to be here hanging out with No Doubt." So I went home, picked up my brother and brought him back to the party with me. It was one of the coolest experiences hanging out with No Doubt before they were big, and I guess the reminiscing influenced my dream. Now you see there is somewhat of a link between my memory and last night's dream.

TV Character Personality Quiz

I haven't done any personality quizzes lately, so I happened across this link today. Thanks Jason. The quizzes I took I ended up being Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy. Boo. Meredith is my least favorite. Bummer. I ended up at Hiro Nakamura from Heroes. That's a good one because Hiro was my favorite from Season 1. He's the nerdy super hero so that's cool. Lastly, I'm Boomer from Battlestar Galactic. I really don't get the last one. I was totally hoping for Kara "Starbuck" Thrace from BSG but alas I'm not tough enough. Maybe in my next life I can kick more butt and be a tough bitch. Have fun!

http://www.buddytv.com/closedquiz/personality-quiz.aspx

Happy 4 Month Birthday Inara

Today is Inara's 4 month birthday. We took the monthly picture on the octopus chair, but Shawn hasn't posted it yet. Check our website in a couple days. I hope people can tell how much she's grown from the pictures. I was looking at the pics from the day she was born last night and was shocked by how small she was. I guess it's because I see her every day that I can obviously see how big she is getting. It's so amazing when you really think about it. I swear there is something new about her every day. She is officially showing signs of being ticklish, holds onto things, particularly her pacifier, and is more and more vocal every day. I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast. Happy birthday Sweet Pea!

In need of some dream analysis

I'm not sure what's going on, but I've been having the funkiest dreams lately. Actually, they are more like nightmares. In the one I had last night I was hiding from this group of mob-like men. When they all got in their limo, I took out this huge beautiful silver gun I'd been hiding, stood up, and unloaded on the limo. I could totally see all the blood splattering and each one of the guys die. It was actually a pretty gruesome dream. Then two nights last week I had dreams about being in a car crash. Both crashes were pretty intense and I think I was dying in one of them and woke myself up. I don't know what all these bad dreams mean, but they definitely make for a restless night of sleep. I feel super tired in the mornings now and have even reverted back to drinking coffee. I have had a couple fun dreams I can remember. My friend Jason was in both. I can't remember the first one but the second one I was playing poker at his house (which I know was brought on by Shawn and the guys' recent poker night). The crazy part is I got totally drunk while playing and passed out on Jason's couch because he wouldn't let me drive home. What a good friend. Actually, when I woke up the next day, I felt more well rested than I have in a few weeks. I guess dreaming about sleep is a good thing.

I'm so sad they have to go home

Baby girl is napping, so I have a short bit of time to update the blog. I had a fabulous weekend and have to share with you all. My cousins from Oregon, Christina and Jenni, came down to visit and meet Inara. It was so awesome seeing them. I adore them so much! They have both grown into such beautiful women and I am very proud to call them my family. Friday Inara and I went over and hung out at my parents' house to visit the girls. Inara was in a crappy mood, but as Jenni said, good thing she's so cute or they would have jumped on a plane to go back home Friday. They loved holding her and both of them got to feed her as well. Jenni's a nanny and Christina looks like a natural, so Inara was in great hands with both of them. Shawn came over after work and we all had dinner. Thanks, Pop, for cooking for all of us again. Then Saturday night Jenni and Stina joined me and a few of my girlfriends for a night out. We went to dinner at Tortilla Joe's at Downtown Disney and then saw Enchanted. I got a margarita with dinner and felt it instantly. I'm such a light weight. It was funny seeing my little cousins drink too. Well, Christina got a mojito and they both sampled some beer on Sunday. Man, do I feel old when I see my little cousins drinking. Too funny. Back to Saturday night. The movie was super cheesy and cute. My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Sunday afternoon Shawn and I picked the girls up and went to Lazy Dog Cafe for an early dinner and then we went to the Ducks hockey game. The girls are into hockey, especially Christina who loves Chris Pronger. My dad scored us great seats super close to the ice. I was really hoping for a good game and for the Ducks to win, especially since the girls were with us. It was a close game with the Ducks losing until the last 30 seconds when they tied it up. The game went into overtime and the Ducks scored again within the first 30 seconds. We were all super excited! It was a great ending to their visit. After the game, we went back to Mom and Pop's and sat around and talked some more. Talking to my cousins was probably the best part of their visit. They are so easy to talk to and have great stories to share. Jenni is going to South Africa next month for 3 weeks. That shows you just how cool they are! I also loved seeing them hold Inara. My little girl is so loved! The girls promised they will make a family trip out to Colorado to visit, including my Uncle Marty, Aunt Dayna, and Christina's husband Jake, who I've found out I have a lot in common with. He loves comic books and Pearl Jam! Yay Jake. I definitely have to hang out with him more. They are all so awesome and I just wish I could see them more often. Shawn loves them too and has promised me we can visit Oregon next year. Oh don't think I'm not holding him to that. I know he will love Oregon considering it reminds me a lot of Colorado. And the girls are already planning excursions we can go on when we come to visit. I can't wait!!! I will post pictures later tonight once Shawn gets home. Feeding time for baby, so gotta go. Hugs!

What a fun week

This week has been pretty crazy in that we have officially started packing and I decided I don't want to move any more because...I HATE PACKING!!! It's so NOT fun. But alas, I must, so I will shut up and deal with it. The other thing I hate is what a disaster my apartment has become. You see the problem with packing is where do I put all the boxes I've packed? We share a garage with our annoying neighbor and our apartment is already too small for us and our stuff and has now gotten smaller with boxes. Oh the joys! I disgress. On to happier topics.

Yesterday was my brother's 30th birthday! Happy Birthday Mikey! I can't believe he's 30. My mom is always shocked by my lack of early memories. Does anyone remember things that happened to them when they were 2 or 3? I do, however, remember my brother being born when I was 4 1/2. It was one of my best memories of my childhood because I was so excited to become a sister. I loved having a sibling, even an annoying little brother. Ha ha. Anyways, I am so excited that Michael has joined me in the 30's club, but it does make me feel that much older. Also, I'm saddened by the fact that Michael's best friends were unable to throw him the big party that he deserves. I did try to put something together 2 weeks before but I couldn't figure out a way to gain access to his friends' contact info. Then I tried to get us tickets for a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show and got denied there too. Ugh! I hate when my master plans fall apart. I wouldn't be very good as a dictator I guess. Back to my brother. I was super moved by his request for people to not get him gifts for his bday but to instead make donations to a non-profit organization his friend started. The organization is called Handing Out Hope and you can read more about them at www.handingouthope.org. I love you, Mikey.

Other great news from yesterday: Inara had her 4 month doctor visit yesterday. She weighs 13 pounds and measures 23 inches. She's in the 25th percentile for both weight and height. However, she's in the 75th percentile in head measurement. Yes, Inara has a big head. I'd like to think it's because her brain is so big. She takes after me in that regard of course. Hee hee. The doctor also asked if she has stranger anxiety, which is when she cries with everyone but me or Shawn. I told him it seems like Inara is all about mommy right now and he said that's perfectly normal. I hope she grows out of this stage soon though. I like when others get to hold her so I can get a break once in awhile. Overall, the doctor said she looks great and is doing everything she should be for her age. Then the nurse came in and gave her 4 shots, which sent Inara screaming bloody murder. Poor thing. I even tried distracting her with her favorite toy. She wanted nothing to do with her purple light-up butterfly nor the pacifier. She proceeded to cry all the way to my parents' house and through Michael's birthday dinner. (I apologize for messing up your bday dinner, Uncle Spanky.) Once we got her home, Inara was cheery and smiley and she slept like usual last night, besides the fact that she pee'd so much that she went through her diaper onto her pj's and onto her sheet. Just add more stuff to my continuous stack of laundry, my dear.

This weekend should be another packed one. My cousins from Oregon, Christina and Jenni, are coming down to visit. I'm super excited to see them. Shawn and I are going to a Ducks game with them on Sunday, which should be a lot of fun since we rarely get to go to a hockey game. I've also got plans to do some more packing and I'm going to dinner and a movie for a girls' night out on Saturday. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend. Love to you all!

What's Inara Up To

First off, I can't believe she's already 16 weeks old! Holy cow. I swear I was just pregnant last month. We go for her next doctor visit this Wednesday, so I'll have updated stats to share later this week and we'll take her 4 month pic on the octopus chair here soon. You will definitely be able to see how much she has grown. She has definitely started blooming and packing some weight on. Her legs are officially chunky monkeys now. They are so cute! I'm curious to see how much she weighs and how long she is. I swear the kid is super long for being 16 weeks old.

Lately, she has started doing some cute new things. My favorite has to be her leg thumps in her bassinet. As we are laying in bed, we can see her little legs fly up into the air and then hear a solid thud as she flings them down, hence her new name Thumper. She will do this several times and then you hear a good fart. We guess the leg flings are her way of working the farts out. Honestly, it's the cutest thing ever. Who knew a fart could make me smile so much? One of my other favorite things Inara does lately is when she takes naps during the day, she pulls whatever blanket I have on her up to her face with one hand and her bib with the other hand and covers her face. This is how she sleeps. It's as if she's trying to block the sunlight out so she can sleep. I've taken a couple pics of this and will post them soon. Inara has also started talking a ton lately. It's baby talk of course, but it's so adorable. We can have 20-30 minute conversations now. I love it! She also tries to hold onto various toys. She loves her purple butterfly doll that lights up and plays Twinkle, Twinkle. She loves the crinkle sound the wings make especially. She's doing really well though with trying to grab and hold onto it. She also likes her soccer ball rattle and a pink monkey teeter toy. It's so amazing to watch her grow and unbelievably exciting to see the little things she's learning to do every day.

I've started some of my own new things with Inara. First off, she loves when I sing and dance for her. The more animated and crazy I am, the better. This can keep her busy for a good 30 minutes, and I get somewhat of a workout so that's a good deal for the both of us. She especially likes when I sing songs from Playhouse Disney shows. I put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, and Handy Manny while I try to get things done in the morning. I also love dancing with her in my arms. This is a great way for me to get her calmed down and to sleep when she's really fussy. Of course, I don't listen to or sing the typical baby songs. I'm bad because I don't know the lyrics to songs like Hush Little Baby. But I do know all the lyrics to Bob Marley's 3 Little Birds. Marley's Legend album has always been one of my favorites. We also dance to the Into the Wild soundtrack, which is all Eddie Vedder songs. You know how I love Eddie. Last night, I burned Inara a CD of my favorite slow Pearl Jam songs. Yes, I'm odd, but Inara will love Pearl Jam and Eddie because she has listened to them since before birth. I think Shawn thinks I'm a nerd for doing this, but I figure if I have to listen to music when I'm rocking her, then I want to listen to tunes I love. She may be the odd kid in her kindergarten class who doesn't know nursery rhymes, but she'll be the one kid who can rock out to PJ's Indifference and Yellow Ledbetter. Heck, maybe this will help her develop a love for rock 'n roll so she can front a rock band some day. There's nothing wrong with that. (Although, I do know Shawn doesn't like that idea because he says all rock stars are drug addicts and alcoholics. Inara will break that stereotype though if she becomes a rock star. Guaranteed because I'll teach her right.)

Cute stories about Avery

I can't believe how fast my niece Avery is growing. She's now 2 1/2 going on 10 as her Pop says. She's seriously too smart for her own good. I have to share some of my favorite new things that she has done. The other day she wanted to go outside, but she realized it was cold and stated, "I have an idea." She then went and put on her boots and a coat with a hood so she would stay warm. Now come on. What 2 year old says, "I have an idea" and uses it in the correct context? Awhile back, Avery and Kristi had gotten back from the grocery store and Avery went to play outside while Kristi put the groceries away. Avery came inside a couple times and asked Kristi to come play with her. Kristi told her she would join as soon as she finished with the groceries. After several attempts to get her mom outside, Avery said, "OK, Mommy. I'll have patience." Of course, Kristi had to reward that and give her a big hug. Like I said she's too smart for her own good. That's why my new nickname for her is Smart Cookie. Avery definitely loves her cousin Inara and always wants to help out when I'm feeding Inara. I have officially dubbed Avery my assistant. She helps hold the bottle and has even patted Inara on the back when I'm burping her. Avery has definitely learned a lot by watching me with Inara, because at Christmas, Avery got burp clothes for her baby dolls and she knew exactly what to do with them. At Christmas dinner, people asked Avery what happened to her voice. (She had lost it from crying the night before because she officially had to give the binky up.) Her response when people asked was, "I swallowed it." How funny is that? She was inquiring about her binky the other day. The way she gave it up was by wrapping them up and leaving them for Santa to give to new babies that need them. Well, she really wanted it the other day and stated that she thought the babies would be finished with her binkies by now. And the last Avery story for the day, I had stopped by to visit Kristi's parents on Friday before they headed home. As I was leaving, I told Avery to be good. She yelled back, "You too!" Hope these stories made you remember the importance of watching little kids grow because they are truly amazing people.

For those that asked

Our pics from New Years Eve are posted on www.shawnandmarisa.com in case anyone wants to see them. Tony, I know you were the one DYING to see them, so there they are. Posted especially for you. :-)

New Years Eve and My Current Favorite Movie

New Years Eve was a lot of fun this year. My parents watched baby girl, so I wouldn't have to be on baby duty. We had a few friends over to celebrate the new year, eat lots of fattening food, minus the chili/stew that Tony made which was pretty healthy and oh so tasty, and drink a bit. I remember back to the days when the gang would drink so much beer and liquor that we'd nearly run out and our bar would be splattered and smell like a bar should. This year was pretty mellow wouldn't you know it when we were hoping to get rid of the bottles of booze so we don't have to pack them up. Instead, we ended up with more alchohol than we started with. Although, we don't mind the Almond Champagne that was left behind. That's some good stuff. Guess we'll have to give the rest of the booze away or have one more party to try to empty more of it. Enough about booze though. For entertainment, we played Rock Band and Scene It on X-Box and a few others played Uno and Jenga. It was the first time I played Rock Band, and I actually loved it. I only sang, which I apologize to anyone whose ears I may have killed with my horrible voice, and did try drums once. I was happy I completed a song on drums. Yay me. I really love the song selection on RB and Guitar Hero. That makes it all the more fun to rock out to some killer tunes. Scene It on X-Box is totally fun as well. Much better than the board game. It was guys vs. girls and of course the ladies kicked some major boo-tay. The night was a ton of fun in my opinion. It was great fun to have our friends there with us to ring in '08. It's going to be so hard for me in about two months when I have to say good-bye. Let's not talk about that now though or I'll start crying.

I have gone to a couple of movies lately. I figure I better get in as many movies now while I still have time with so many babysitters around. I saw Sweeney Todd a few weeks ago, which I really enjoyed. It's a typical Tim Burton film with cool costumes and set design. I loved all of Mrs. Lovett's dresses actually. I know what I want to dress up as for Halloween this year. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter both were impressive with their singing skills. Next, Shawn and I saw I am Legend. Will Smith is really good in it. There were a few holes/questions to the story, but overall, I found it enjoyable. My favorite movie right now is Juno. LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! This is totally my kind of movie. It's super funny with some great lines throughout. I can see people quoting this one like my generation quotes Breakfast Club. Ellen Page is super adorable in the title role. This girl has got talent. The character Juno is so witty and smart-assical, totally the type of character I want to write. I just love strong female leads who spout witty one-liners. (Hence, why I love Gilmore Girls, the early years, which I've been watching on ABC Family lately. Gosh that show was awesome when it first started. The last two seasons sucked big eggs. Anyways, I digress.) I also loved JK Simmons who played her dad. He's perfect! Also, I loved the music. It's quirky fun for the ears. I totally want to see it again in the theater, which is a huge sign of how much I loved this film considering how darn expensive it is to go to the theater any more. I would definitely pay another 10 bucks to see Juno again. Well worth it!! Well, happy news everyone. Peace out!

Some new pics of Inara at Christmas

In between breakfast at the Tomlinsons and dinner at the Tomasellis, we came home to change Inara into her Christmast outfit. She was in such a good mood that Shawn and I decided to play with her instead of doing "work." I love how she's smiling with me in this picture. Too bad she looks so white next to me. People probably think I'm the nanny when they see me out and about with her.

She's really taking to playing on the floor now. I give her floor and tummy time as often as possible. She also loves playing with her hands. She's discovered her thumb too. Let's hope she chooses to suck her thumb rather than her pacifier.

Here is Inara at Christmas in her cute outfit. I had to show off her adorable reindeer shoes that Amme and Chris Weilert got her. They even play the Rudolph song. Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate the picture for easier viewing.