Batteries, People! Remember The Batteries!

Edward Herrmann

Today I attended the Utah Film Commission Luncheon. It's an annual luncheon by invitation only where members are treated to a nice lunch and annual updates on the film industry in Utah for the coming year. This year it was held at the Little America ballroom. I brought my sister Erin along for the fun.

Edward Herrmann was the guest speaker and he was awesome. In case you can't quite figure out where you've seen him, he was Grant Staton III in Overboard (Goldie Hawn's snobby husband). I loved the speech he gave and he was very gracious and quite a gentleman. Needless to say, I was impressed.

After the luncheon was over, I was able to meet him and talk with him for a few minutes. What a warm and kind man, he even took the time to call me by name and ask me about myself.

Now for craptastic part: I had my camera in my purse and he agreed to pose for a photo with me. Sadly, the batteries were dead and the person taking the picture couldn't get it to work. Guess who took the picture? None other than "Don" from Napoleon Dynamite ("Summer's" boyfriend in the flick). His real name is Trevor Snarr and he's quite the nice guy himself. So, here I was standing with a screen and theater legend and well, "Don" and I don't have anything to show for myself. Oh for the love of all that is holy! I was so ticked. Opportunity missed.

As soon as I got home, I marched straight to the freezer and pulled out two new batteries for my stupid camera. I've learned my lesson: Batteries-don't leave home with 'em.

A Fun Old Fashioned Family Christmas!

Mikaela and Santa. I'm not sure what she's pointing at.

Haylie is all smiles on Santa's lap.

Saturday was the annual Cowles Family Christmas party. It starts at the bowling alley (Eric and I opted to play pool with my mom and dad this year and let the aunts do the bowling with the girls) and ends at the church gymnasium for food, family, singing (it's not pretty) and Santa. The girls love Santa and so they were more than excited to sit on his lap and receive a small present-and hopefully a reminder to be good-from the jolly old elf.

Mikaela was so busy trying to tease her Grandpa Jim into chasing her around the gym that she almost missed it when Santa called her name. But, in true Mikaela form, as soon as she did hear him, she about knocked him over from running to him so fast.

Haylie must be feeling the crunch on the economy this year because her only wish was for Mariposa Barbie. She has since asked me to tell Santa she also wants the Mariposa movie, the Diamond Barbie, the Diamond Barbie movie, and all three High School Musical movies. I guess she got over small little wish list. Dang it.

The girls with their cute Great-grandma Grace

Eric and Erin clowning around

My cute Papa Jim

My family-the girls were too busy with their presents to pose for a photo

Baby Bratz

This is my darling toddler, Mikaela. Isn't she cute? This is how she decided to greet me when I picked her up from daycare at "Teesa's house" as Mikaela likes to say it (her daycare provider's actual name is Teresa). Apparently, my little two-year-old has latched on to a show called "Baby Bratz". Now, I'll be the first one to admit that I really don't know much about the Bratz dolls. Haylie has asked me to buy her one on almost every trip to "Little Tijuana" (most of you know it as Walmart) to which my response is always the same, "I'm not buying you a hooker cleverly disguised as a doll." She gives me the standard evil puke eye for several seconds and then quickly recovers so that she can beg for the next item wrapped in pink packaging.
Anyway, when I picked them up tonight, Mikaela refused to budge from the sofa, completely entranced by the Baby Bratz movie. When I told her to get a move on and physically removed her from said sofa she threw the big one. It was ugly, people. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth and death threats; don't even get me started on Mikaela. The fun continued as soon as we got home. When she wouldn't calm down, I told her to go to her room. Between broken sobs and pounding her feet on the floor all I could hear was "I want Baby Bratz" over and over. I finally went in and tried to calmly explain to my pint-sized nemesis that she didn't need to watch the movie when she was acting just like a "baby bratz" herself. Probably not the wisest move in my parenting career so far, but...whatcha gonna do?

To make matters worse, Special has lost every last binky she owned. While I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing, I do have a few reservations about the timing. Any other night I would've welcomed the challenge, but seeing as how the night wasn't exactly off to a great start and considering how upset she is with me, I'm almost afraid she might go all Lizzie Borden on me and Eric. To say that Mikaela has a wee bit of a temper is like saying that elephants run a wee bit on the large size. Both gross understatements.
I think it's going to be a long night.

Thirteen Years Today!

Who would've thought that a chance meeting on a blind date (not with each other, keep in mind) would lead us here? It's been thirteen years, tons of dead ducks (among other animals) three homes, three dogs, two amazing little girls, too many cars to keep track of anymore and one fantastic life. There has been lots of laughter, lots of tears, lots of great memories, and lots of wonderful friends along the way.
It hasn't always been the smoothest ride, but it's sure been worth all the bumps.

Happy Birthday, Dad M.!

Okay, so most of you know that December is crazy busy for us, but for those of you new to my blog let me give ya'll a quick recap of why December is nuts:
2nd-my Papa Jim's b-day
3rd-Eric's sister Jodi's b-day
4th-Eric's Papa Ernie's b-day
8th-mine and Eric's wedding anniversary (13, if you're counting. And can I just say, "Holy crow how did that happen?)
Moving on...
12th-Nephew Carter's b-day
16th-Niece Maddie's b-day
AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH! Serenity now!
Although it's total chaos, it's also a good way to end the year! And in honor of my wonderful, super funny father-in-law, I would just like to say that as far as fathers-in-law go I think I won the jackpot. Before I was married I was under the general assumption that in-laws were to be endured not endearing. Luckily, I have the two most loving, supportive, fantastic in-laws a girl could ask for. Dad welcomed me into the family with open arms and a great sense of humor. Like my own father, he knew that-for me-laughter is definitely the best medicine. It's because of this that I think we get along so well.

So Dad, thanks for being my father-in-law and for being such a good example to Eric. You're a terrific father and grandpa. We hope you have a very happy birthday! We love you!

Watch out! Eric will goose ya!

Yes, it's that time of year again. No flying fowl is safe in the skies. Eric is on the prowl and the bullets are a flyin'! So, beware friends of the feathers-keep 'em indoors until February, hopefully by then Eric will have it out of his system until next October. Sigh!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Well, my dad's birthday isn't until December 2nd, but there's no time like the present, as they always say.

Here's a little about the man I have the privilige of calling my dad:
-He's a brilliant man, very smart.
-He has a wicked sense of humor. I love that he can find the humor in almost anything.
-He's extremely patient.
-He's very generous and will do anything for you.
-He's an awesome grandpa to my girls. They love him so much.
-He loves his family and has always been such a great example of what a father ought to be.
-He understands politics better than most politicians.
-He's not a fan of musicals! But in a house full of girls, he's always been a good sport and suffered through them in silence (mostly), with just an ocassional "I feel a song comin' on" comment here and there.
-He's taught me a lot about how to handle children with patience and love.

I could keep on going, but my blog isn't big enough. I love you, Dad! Thanks for being mine! Happy Birthday!

I Heart Twilight!

Well, I've dragged all my sisters to Twilight and after seeing it (a few times now, actually), I must say...I totally loved it. Was it exactly like the book? No. Were there flaws? Yes. Would I buy it? I'm counting down the days until it is released on DVD.

Yes, I'm a Twilight freak, I'll admit it. I'm okay with that though. I can think of far worse things I could be involved in.

I must say, I'm very excited that Summit Entertainment has given the green light for New Moon and, with lots of luck, I am hoping to nab a spot as a makeup artist on that set. I would LOVE it. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If I think positive (and do a lot of groveling) I just might get my wish! Here's hopin'!

Gobble, Gobble!

Maybe it's just me, but 2008 has really flown by this year. I'm excited for Thanksgiving and all the yummy food though. This is definitely one of my favorite holidays simply because our only expectation is good food and lots of it. We cook all day long and then stuff ourselves silly in a matter of minutes. Sounds like a great time to me. Think about it, what other day do we really get as an excuse to imitate a Hoover vacuum?
I like the fact that Eric and I trade off on this holiday with each other's families. This year we go with mine; we're a big, boisterous, loud group with lots of kids and even more on the way, which roughly translates to Pandora's Box. We have to have our Thanksgiving in the church gymnasium in order to accomodate everyone. Normally, this is a good thing, unless you like to play basketball. Usually, someone has to stand guard at the banquet table and act as defense against the rouge basketball. Even then, it always seems to land in one or more of the casserole dishes. It's still a ton of fun. My favorite part is playing games afterwards. We're all a bit nuts, so it makes for some very entertaining moments.
Eric's family is a little more refined. His family is spread out more, so we don't always see everyone. The ones that do make it are always a lot of fun to be around and Eric and I can usually get a wicked card game going with his grandparents and a few cousins.
And although the turkey is the main event, I still can't have Thanksgiving until I've watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I can still remember watching as a kid every year with Mama Sue and Papa Jim. It's one of my very favorite childhood memories. Now I watch it with my little girls and I love it every bit as much as I did as a kid. Let the holidays begin. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Proposition 8 Debate

While I usually reserve the more political side of my nature for my very closest family members, I think that it's important for my children (who will one day read this blog) to know exactly what their mother stood for.
There has been a lot of discussion about Proposition 8 over the course of the last few weeks and there have been a lot of members who aren't quite sure where they stand on the issue because they may know someone or have a family member who is gay.
For me, the issue is simple: The Lord has condemned it and the church stands as a witness for the Lord. I know and have several friends who are gay. While I respect them for the person they are, I cannot condone their behavior. I don't shun them or judge them for it, but I will not stand up for that lifestyle either. Marriage is a CHOICE not a RIGHT.

Proposition 8 isn't about hate or intolerance or bigotry. It's about protecting and preserving the family, which is under constant attack. I've watched with amusement, plenty of protesters on television who believe the LDS church was to blame in the passage of Prop. 8, and while they were a big contribution to aid that effort, I can't help but wonder when they'll realize that it's not the Church's will that was victorious-it was the LORD's.
And as for me and my family, the Lord's side is the only side we're interested in.

Poisoned Apples and Pixie Dust

Halloween came so fast this year! As you can tell from my quality photos, I wasn't exactly able to get my girls in the same place at the same time or even at a full-length view for that matter. They were so hopped up on candy that I was lucky they weren't climbing the walls-that came later!

I'm not exactly sure what Eric is supposed to be...hmmmm...he looks hot though! He was dressed as Frankenstein earlier in the day, but we didn't get down to his work early enough to see that, dang it!

There's a guy Eric works with who carves AMAZING pumpkins each year and puts a few of them on display at their city office building. I'm an idiot and left my flash on so these blew out really weird, but can you see the carving? (Think Twilight).

These are so good, they would have been better if I'd turned my dumb flash off. There's a goblin, a witch, McCain, Obama, and Wyle E. Coyote. This is just a tiny bit of what he does each year. He probably had 30 pumpkins on display and even more at his home. Wow he's good.


Nana Ginger with the girls. We missed seeing Papa Ernie-he had to work that night-boo!
After traipsing all over town we landed back at our house with my family eating the annual "Dinner in a Pumpkin", apple cider, donuts, and of course some candy here and there. I love Halloween!

Black Island Farms

The Saturday before Halloween I took the girls out to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. It is a huge farm/pumpkin patch and the girls absolutely love it. Erin met us out there and had a blast watching them run and play and go down the giant haystack slides over and over and over again.

We also took a hayride out to the actual pumpkin patch where the girls picked out their own pumpkins from the field. Haylie wasn't too picky, but Mikaela was not so easy to please. She didn't seem to like any pumpkin that had dirt on it (this will surprise no one if you know Mikeala at all-she's a bit of a clean freak-poor kid). Um, yeah...they're all covered in dirt. Erin finally convinced her that not all of them were bad and she actually chose a really nice one.


I love the fall and especially Halloween. I just wish I had a few more days to squeeze in everything I like to do during the season. I practically drag the girls from one party to the next-oh well, they aren't complaining (yet) and I'm loving every minute of the time we get to spend together so everyone's a winner. Thanks for coming with us Aunt Ewee-let's plan for next year!

Field Trip Fun

Last Friday, Haylie's preschool took a trip to the "Punkinaze" in West Haven. The girls had so much fun on the slides, the toys, playing games and searching for pumpkins in the corn maze. We had such a good time, but it was a little tricky getting them to leave. Unfortunately, Haylie had a mini-meltdown during picture time and that gave me all the ammo I needed to go. Still though, it was a fun day for them and Haylie quickly recovered from her little tantrum thank goodness. Yay for field trips.

Haylie found her pumpkin!

They even had some for the midget crew. Mikaela was very excited to walk the corn maze and find her own pumpkin.

Frightfully Fun!

We went to Frightmares with the usual crew (me and the girls and our good friends, Melanie and Olivia). It was a fun time with lots of spooks running around. The girls had a good time on the rides and loved all the Halloween decorations. We also went back for more the next day-this time with my sisters, Darby and Dallin. More adults to watch the kids means more adult rides! I got to ride Wicked for the second time and totally loved it. Thanks everyone for a really fun weekend. It was awesome!

Flaming Gorge

Eric was bummed I hadn't put this up earlier, but I couldn't remember which camera we had taken the pictures with so even though it's been a little while, I am now happy to report it's officially on the blog for all to see. We actually went around Labor Day weekend. It was fun, but cold. The girls and I mostly stayed inside the trailer or went down to the lodges to walk around. Eric spent most of his time perched in a tree stand in full camo gear waiting for the elusive elk to make their appearance. We got some beautiful pictures of the Gorge; unfortunately there was a raindrop on my lens (as you can see from the blurry spots) so they didn't turn out quite as good as I had hoped. It's a beautiful place to visit and I hope we get to go back again next year during the summer when it's a little warmer.


Eric got really excited to see this big group of sheep just sitting around next to the road. We decided to get out and take a few closer shots and they all started to leave. How rude!


These pictures really don't do it justice, it was so pretty up there. Now we need a boat or we need to invite someone with a boat to go with us next year. Any takers?

Did I Get Enough On?

Um...this is what happens when your mother plays with makeup all day and your daughters have their own set of lipsticks. I think she missed her lips completely and just decided to concentrate on the area directly below her nose. I'm in BIG trouble when they get older!

Haunted Dinosaur Park

Eric's been gone all weekend hunting and I've been totally bored so when I heard Darby say she didn't have to work on Monday I convinced her to come stay overnight and have sister sleepover, woo hoo! We watched "She's the Man", which is pretty funny and spent half the night talking, which I love, especially when it's about something other than potty training!




We decided to take the girls over to Black Island Farms for the day, but when we got there this morning we found out they didn't open until 4:00 in the afternoon-stupid farm hours! I was totally bummed, so we headed to The Greenery for lunch and then Darby came up with a brilliant idea-let's take the kids to the Dinosaur Museum-FABULOUS! Neither I nor Darby had ever been there before so we figured it would at least be something new. They had it all decked for Halloween and the girls loved walking around outside looking at all the dinosaurs. They even had a few little wooded "spook alleys" for the girls to walk through. Awesome idea, Darby!


If you're looking for something fun to do indoors and outdoors, then go check it out. Plus, you have to feel good about the fact that it's educational too!