Northanger Abbey (masterpiece theater one)- Loved this one.  I'm determined to own it someday.  I think I liked it so much because I identify with the main character a lot.  Letting my imagination run away with me, always needing to learn a lesson in growing up no matter how old I get.  But the entire time she's still just a very happy person, not proud or cocky, just fine with herself going about life.  I also love the love story, particularly at the closing scene of the movie.  It was just so cute when they finally realize that they both love each other and they are both just so ecstatic about it that they hardly know what to do with themselves as they reach for each other for a kiss.  Ahhh I loved it!!!!  I could go into detail about it, but perhaps I'll do that another time.



Midnight in Paris- This movie was so good!  It was just so…magical.  It's something I wish would happen to me someday- to be walking down the street and suddenly find myself going back in time and meeting my idols!  In PARIS, no less.  There was some sad things in the movie about the main guy's relationship and affair-type stuff, but overall the lesson is good.  Not to always be longing for something else.  To be happy where you are and if you're not happy find a way to be happy.  It's a very interesting movie….especially the whole atmosphere of it.


The Holiday- I like half of this movie.  The half that isn't about sex.  The half with Kate Winslet and Jack Black and the old man.  I even like some of the Cameron Diaz and Jude Law half when it's not about sex, but those parts were non existent in the beginning and then rare towards the end.  Anyway, the part that I do like, I REALLY like.  I love the whole feel of it and the relatable plot line of pining for someone who isn't pining for you in return.  I've had times like that and it STINKS!  But to see Kate Winslet become empowered through finally having good relationships around her was SO happy.  And it made me SO happy to have my marriage relationship of mutual love after having a few of those one sided ones from my past.  Why do good movies have to be absolutely RUINED by sex???  Sadly we will never own this one because of that, and it's just maddening to me.


Mansfield Park- Another movie ruined by sex.  Grrrr.  I saw a different version of it awhile back that I'll have to re-rent to stop me from being so mad at this one.


The Book Thief- I LOVED this movie.  I've been talking Andrew's ear off about it ever since we saw it, which was over a week ago.  Especially the end.  The end, the end.  Oh how it makes a movie.  If the end doesn't satisfy me then the movie was a waste it feels like.  I just loved it so much.  This girl who had a spectacular life but wasn't anyone famous, didn't go on to write books and speak about the war or anything- she was an inspiration to me.  Because at the end of the movie the narrator speaks of how much this girl meant to the people whose lives were entwined with hers- her adopted parents, her friends, her husband, her children, her grandchildren.  All people who also were not of worldly significance.  But she was oh so significant to them, her life was an integral part of theirs.  Her life went mostly unnoticed in the grand scheme of things in the world, except to those who were important to her and those who she was important to.  I think that touched me so much because I don't believe I will ever be famous or well-known in the world for anything.  I used to have such dreams about those things- being an actress specifically.  When I was in plays and things in high school, parents and teachers would come up to me afterwards to complement me on my performance and I remember many of them saying "Please don't stop" or "Make sure you keep doing this, keep acting" or "Don't let your talent go to waste" or things like that.  Maybe if they were to see my life now they would feel that I am wasting talent, like I sold out, let go of my dreams for something less.  But I know that my life will mean so much more than fame to the people whose lives are entwined with mine.  Audrey, Andrew, our future children, my siblings, my parents, my extended family, my good friends.  And really, who else matters?  This movie filled my mind with these kinds of thoughts.  That's why I liked it so much.  That and the fact that it was an amazing story in itself.

Here are 10 fun facts about our 10 month old Audrey, things specific to her personality.

1. Audrey loves to be wrapped up in a towel.  Her favorite part of bath time is the getting out part, where we snuggle her up in her hooded towel with only her eyes and nose visible.  But those eyes are squinted so much that it's obvious she is smiling her biggest smile underneath that towel.  That tiny bit of Asian comes out in in those squinty little eyes of happiness!

this is our quick bath solution when she's late for bed but just too messy to not wash

2. She growls when she is happy.  I mean it.  Full on growls like a little bear cub.  The happier she is the deeper the growl.  A lot of times people ask if she's okay, and I'm like "Oh yeah, she's fine, she's great!"  She also makes another very strange sound with her mouth that I don't think I can even try to describe.  I hope we can catch it on video someday because it's really very…weirdly adorable.


3. She has her own dance move we like to call "The Audrey."  It's a combination of rock and roll head banging and reggae-like head bobbing.  We say, "Audrey dance!" and she's swings her head around with all the power she can muster.  Sometimes I worry she'll get dizzy like her mama but she always seems to be okay!

4. She is very good at using her pointer finger.  She will be playing with a toy and then suddenly stop and slowly use her pointer finger to touch something on it as if she just realized it was there.  Like a button on a stuffed animal or a flower in a book.  Recently she's started reaching up her pointer finger when I've laid her down for a nap and she won't roll over and go to sleep until I've touched her finger back.  I love it!

pointing

she loves to point at books.  pulls one out, points at things, then flings it to the side.  as you can see.

5. She's suddenly gotten more cuddly.  She'll be playing on Andrew's lap and then suddenly put her head down on his chest and rest for a few seconds.  Then she'll pop back up again and keep playing, every few minutes stopping again to rest her cheek on him.  In the mornings after her first feeding she'll cuddle into me and we'll just sit in the chair in her room watching the sun coming through the curtains.  I adore those special quiet moments.  The only sound is her babbling, the most beautiful sound in all the world to me.

i was trying so hard to keep my head perfectly still in this picture as she basically slept on my face!

6. She loves stuffed animals!  Especially the Ernie and Mickey we have.  Both are from my childhood.  The Mickey is from my elementary school friend Erika when she went to Disneyland when we were younger and brought him back to me as a souvenir.  And Ernie is from an amusement park I went to with some friends back in the day.  I've always loved Ernie since I was very little, and he is the one Audrey seems to love the best too.  We call him her boyfriend!  Things like that are special to me.  For years I would save little things to keep for my own kids, sometimes feeling silly about it.  But now I'm so glad I have kept them because it brings me so much joy to see her love them so much.  She especially loves when we make them play hide and seek with her.  Once she finally gets it from us she will hug it as tight as she can and smile and growl with happiness!


7. She loves Frozen.  LOVES Frozen.  As soon as anyone says "Do you wanna build a snowman?" she is instantly attentive.  That one and Let It Go are her favorites.  Mommy and Daddy are trying very hard to get her into other movies, other Disney princess songs, because we are so tired of Frozen.  But so far to no avail.  The one other song she loves is Touch the Sky from Brave!  When she hears that she gets so excited and looks at me waiting for me to swoop her up and dance around the room with her.  That one I love!  She also loves Sesame Street, particularly Usher singing ABC's with Elmo and Grover and friends.  That one always calms her down when she's upset.  Seriously it never fails!  It's like our new white noise….

excuse our messy house…but this is a typical 'mommy REALLY needs to get things done' afternoon in our house.  Frozen on the Tv, baby relaxing on the floor.  don't worry, i don't let her stare at a screen for too long.

8. She is a very focused, concentrated baby.  She is very deliberate in her actions, determined in her movement.  When she gets crawling, she knows exactly where she wants to go and will not be deterred.  She looks intently at books and always looks like she's thinking, contemplating, figuring something out.  She focuses in on the TV, whether it's Snow White, Avonlea, or basketball.  I love seeing the wheels turning in her head like this as she learns about the world around her.

one of her many adorable concentrated faces.

i know this looks like it happened accidentally, but i promise you it was very much on purpose.  she does it several times when sitting in someone's lap.  no one knows why…but AUDREY does.  and that's whats important it seems.

9. She loves to ride around on her little 'car.'  We try to go outside every evening when it's cool out and push her around as fast as Mommy doesn't freak out about.  She lifts up her little feet when she gets going fast and smiles and giggles the whole way.


10. She WALKS…with one foot.  As she cruises the furniture she'll only go in one direction.  She steps deliberately with her left foot and then just kinda drags her right foot along after it.  When we hold her two hands to walk with her we end up going diagonally because she just will not step with her right foot!



Basically all this cuteness is quite DISTRACTING.  In church today we made the mistake of sitting towards the front where she was able to see everyone behind us when she stood in between us on the pew.  The head banging, the growling, the pointing and the toothless grins got big smiles and snickers from her little audience behind us, but I think it was not that nice to the person who was speaking.

But more often than not the distracting she does is a blessing straight from God.  She distracts us from the hardships of life, the things we stress about.  She distracts us from watching Tv or being on the computer for too long.  On days when things are piling up around us- dishes, laundry, worries- she distracts us from being overwhelmed or just plain unhappy.  It's pretty impossible for Andrew and I to be unhappy for more than a few seconds when she's around.  She distracts me from feeling bad about myself, she distracts me from comparing myself to someone else.  She is the best, most beautiful, amazing distraction that ever existed.  She points to all things good and wonderful.  And we are so grateful she is ours.  Our perfect little distraction.

This year has been so funny for our little family.  A few things have been a repeat of last year, like going to Arizona the same exact week we went there last year.  One of the best repeats of all is that my sister Samantha is here again!!  Last year she came to visit a few days after school got out and now she is back to visit at the same time as a high school graduate!!  We've been doing a lot of things all together and it's been really fun to have her here with us.  Someone to keep Audrey and I company during the day, someone new for Audrey to play with, someone for me to talk all about Audrey Hepburn with (I had no idea Samantha loved her almost as much as I do!).  Samantha's even introduced us to new recipes we hadn't tried yet and we've done the same for her.  We still have our not so lovely sisterly moments of course, but more than anything it's been way way fun to have her here with us.  Here are only a few pictures of how we've been spending some of our time.

yay grocery shopping!  so much fun and so much faster with another person!  especially with ice cream….

my beautiful sister

ldsbc, where andrew and i met!  one of the best places on earth.  we did a tour there for sam, who will hopefully be going there eventually!!

one of my favorite classrooms!  religion classes were my favorites.

temple square with mariah

Last night we had a Family Night about talents.  We each had a chance to display one or two of out talents and it turned into such a fun night that lasted longer than FHE.  Samantha shared her talk from getting her Young Women medallion at church (we weren't able to go so it was awesome to hear what we missed) and she also did a few dances for us from her dance class!!  Andrew showed some of his house plan drawings from his early drafting classes, which Samantha was very impressed with (it's funny cause I've seen his drawings so many times but seeing how fun it was for him to show them to someone new and seeing Samantha's reaction to them made me appreciate them more and made me want to brag about my smarty pants husband.  It made me realize how extremely lucky we are that Andrew is able to pursue something he enjoys and is good at).  I shared some drawings and paintings I've been having fun with.  Not something I'm pursuing hardcore or anything, just something I enjoy doing.

I particularly liked this Family Night because it rejuvenated all of us in these talents we shared.  It's true that when you share your talent, you increase it.  For me it's just because it brings it back to my mind and I get excited about it again.  I saw that in Andrew too as we talked all about his drawings, and in Samantha as we watched her dance.  She's even going to teach me one or two of the dances!  There was a talk this Sunday about happiness and how we can find happiness in our lives.  One thought that was shared really hit me.  It was that the key to happiness is to not be idle.  To always have an interest or a work to do, self-assigned or not, something to be working toward.  I think it's the idea of having purpose.  That's a key to happiness.  Maybe I'll write more about this later in my personal journal or something, because I really like it.  Samantha has been a big example to me of this.  She pursues knowledge about things she's interested in and she always strives to develop her talents and the things she enjoys.  I'm really grateful to have had this extended visit with her.  Last year we were trying to hit all the things we wanted to do in one week.  It was fun of course but this time I'm appreciating the downtime we have to just hang out together, while going and doing the fun things every few days.  We will miss her so much when she's gone back home :(