Author’s gold

When I was in 3rd grade I read the book MATILDA in two days. This was rare for me. I didn’t read a lot as a kid. I’m not sure why I didn’t read a lot, but I think it was because I felt like I had a lot of better things to do. This wasn’t the case with MATILDA. I didn’t want to do anything else but read. 

Now my kids, they actually love to read, but I find that some of the books they’ve ended up thoroughly liking resulted from wetting their whistle and reading it to them at night. Thanks to Jess for this. Once they catch the fire they can really get into a book (Ansel’s interest is a lot higher if pictures are involved). They can’t wait to read or listen to it. When they’re done, it leaves us asking, “Are there more books in this series?” Or “has this author written a thing else?”

A few authors we love around here include:

Roald Dahl

Jeff Kinney

C.S. Lewis

Lemony Snicket

Any additional authors or books you’d recommend?

Film prep

The family film fest is soon upon us and so our little family ventured out for a day to film. We had a great time plus a little bit of, “I didn’t realize this was going to be so hard” or “take so long.”  But we did it and it’s always worth it. I love looking back at our previous years’ films. Here are some photos of our day:

Here’s to hoping all the editing goes smoothly and we’ve got a film for the books.

And for records’ sake, here’s the list of Theodore films starting back when the film fest was young. Maybe I’ll come back later and write descriptions of each. 

2005: x-treme walking

2006: a day in the lifes 

2007: operation x-treme

2008: recruiting season 

2009: top gear

2010: district delectables

2011: hand dance ii 

2012: faux-reign language 

2013: the actor

2014: corner of the house

2015: the actors (sequel to the actor)

2016: signs that you’re getting older

and the ten year celebration montage

2017: you coughed in my face

2018: ok go theodore style

15 films! Woot woot! A big shout out to Jess for being my partner in writing and directing these gems. And thanks to my kids for being willing and patient while we discuss and prepare and film. And thanks to the academy. Ha! I kid. 

Grocery list

ramen

yogurt

Z bars

Gee (scribbled out and corrected on the next line)

egg

Banana 

Apple

Broccoli 

Chocolate chip

Thanks Ansel for helping me out with the grocery list. 

Hello 2018

It’s January 2018. Love it! Especially with this kind of stuff going on. 

Usually January can be a little cold and dreery for me. But this year we’ve got a warm fireplace + good music + dinner at 6pm instead of 5:30, and it’s seems to make all the difference.

But before I get to January, I have to mention what a great Christmas we had. All of us, except Jess, experienced some virus during the break, but overall we had a wonderful time. My pics of Christmas morning were very few. But I did get this one. Look at Ian’s face! Happiness. 

This next shot is of Jess explaining that he got something from a well-dressed ninja. Look closely at the box. Jess was (and is) my comic relief on Christmas (and in life). The guy is hilarious. 

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve eve breakfast and sock exchange that I don’t have any photos of. But it was a great time indeed. 

Then it was off to Monterey, California with Jess’ family. We had such a fun time! We stopped at the wharf and saw thousands of jelly fish. 

We visited the candy shops and I had to have a caramel apple (thanks to those that made it happen!). Jess and I visited Monterey on our honeymoon and had caramel apples then, so this time it was a must. And here’s a photo from the archive to prove it. 

We walked along the beach and spotted cormorants and egrets, sea lions, and seals (I think). We maybe saw a whale and sea otters.

We definitely saw more wildlife at the Monterey Bay aquarium. The place was packed but so very well planned out.  We even saw an albatross (being wheeled around) and tried very hard (picture the whole arm of Oliver’s sweatshirt wet) to touch a manta ray. 

During our snack time out on the balcony at the aquarium we witnessed a marriage proposal. Boom! Plus, Ansel was very clever when it came to getting comfortable using the telescopes. 

Visiting the Carmel Mission was awesome too. Jess’ Dad knows a lot about all things mission related, so it was neat to go with him as he gave us the inside scoop. If you ever find yourself in California, I would suggest visiting a mission (there are many).  Plus, they are great places for kids to see and walk around. 

And the churches are splendid.

We had a chance to go on the 17 mile drive. This drive goes along Pebble Beach and has some of thee most stunning views. I was loving it! Beautiful spot. And yes, Ansel got wet here and ended up using socks as shoes for the rest of the day. When you travel with no checked bags, one pair of shoes is how you travel. He did not care one bit. 

Look at these views!

And the cypress trees were serene and tough at the same time. These trees live for hundreds of years. 

We stayed at the Naval Post Graduate school and that was a treat in and of itself. The building has so much history and the grounds are awesome.

The granduer. I loved the ceilings!

We also visited Pacific Grove, which is apparently known as Butterfly Town USA, and tried to find the wintering monarchs there. We finally found some but it took some sleuthing and a very kind lady who pointed them out to us. So really our sluething was useless. 

Carmel was another gorgeous place. And I don’t use the word gorgeous very often. Stopping by the beach was such a treat. The boys dipped their toes in and I enjoyed the breeze. It was perfect there that day.

Ansel took a few photos. One of which included this one. 

The trip was superb and a great way to spend the end of 2017 and the beginning of the new year. I’m ready to go again!