An Anecdotal Autumnal Update

Note, I added a new list on the right, listing some of recent Netflix rentals over the past several months.

The other day, Abe was eating apple slices, and he came to me, complaining that his tongue was itchy. I said that was a little weird, and he went on his merry way. A couple minutes later he came back over to me and showed me his cure for the “itchy tongue” : He was scratching his tongue with an apple slice. Well, whatever works, I guess…

In October, Amanda got a hankering for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. We ended up making at least 2-3 batches of them the following week, due mostly to the fact that they tasted like Christmas. You might not understand what that’s supposed to mean, but if you tried one, you’d agree.

We also tried making cake donuts, which didn’t turn out quite as well. They were really heavy and greasy, and although the kids were supposed to choose EITHER cinnamon OR frosting for the topping, many of them got frosted AND dipped in cinnamon sugar. Wasn’t a good combination.

On a thoroughly unrelated note, Amanda had a terrible stomach problem a few weeks back that sent her to the hospital. As usual with stomach problems in my family, the diagnosis was “Well, it seems like it was something, but we don’t know what.” Glad we have Medicaid and don’t have to pay for that “useful” diagnosis. But I guess they did make sure the baby was doing OK and that it was nothing serious. But Amanda sure was doubled-over in pain for a couple days (except when they gave her some painkillers via an IV).

Joel’s 8th birthday was this past week, and he already knew everything he was getting (that’s what you get for letting your 4-year old help wrap the presents). So, Abe told Joel that he got a video game, a movie, and Legos. Joel was able to guess that the game was “Scribblenauts,” but didn’t know WHICH movie (“Sky High”) or that it was a Star Wars Lego playset. He also got some money from Libby and Ethan that he bought some Trio blocks with, and a gift card from Judy that he used to buy a Legend of Zelda comic book with (it took him a while to get used to reading it in the back-to-front-right-to-left Japanese style the book was printed in).

I lost on the Marvel Contest, and the job I was hoping for with the guys I worked with on Watchmen fell though (Warner Brothers went with a studio in Canada, apparently.) BUT I did get a freelance project, creating a 22-minute children’s cartoon for a guy in Virginia. He’s got a company that I think gets a lot of foreign investors, and they’re creating movies for both US and International distribution. He’s hoping the short can be entered into film festivals, as well as being used to pitch to investors for either a feature film or a TV series. We’ll see. At any rate, it’s nice to know I’ve got some money coming in for the next couple months.

Meanwhile, the past few months have convinced us (along with a lot of discussions and prayer) that NOW is the time for Amanda to go back to school. There’s no reason to wait, and there’s every reason to go. We were thinking about the fact that if Amanda had started her Graduate program a couple years ago as planned, she’d have graduated this past Spring/Summer and we’d have been on more sure financial footing. Obviously, there were reasons we didn’t have her go then, and Amanda was always hesitant to start school, knowing we still had one more child on our agenda (though that was at times debated). As Amanda has said, we’re willing to lose everything, if need be, to help her get her degree (Judy, I hope you’re ready for some temporary houseguests, if it comes to that!) It’s just so sad that I spent all these years getting a degree and work experience for a very finicky industry; meanwhile, Amanda’s career goals are ones that would keep us and our family secure and fulfilled in any city/state.

I’ve gone to see a couple movies recently:

“Where the Wild Things Are”: I really enjoyed this movie. Some have said it’s too dark and scary for kids. I’d be more worried that they’d be a little bored by it, or that the emotions the movie brings out might affect them too deeply. The effects were great, and I am SO GLAD they presented it as more of a kid’s emotional drama instead of some sort of hip/modern/wacky, “Cat in the Hat”/”Shrek”/”Grinch” type of film.

“A Christmas Carol in 3-D”: Obviously, I’m a geek for 3-D movies. This movie had a lot of fun 3-D effects, from falling snow to flythrough shots of London, to shadows coming off the wall into 3-D space. But it was TOO CREEPY to take my kids to. The director (Robert Zemeckis) seems to like having things suddenly pop out of the screen at you, in the tradition of old-school 3-D movies. But I think he forgot that this is a family film, and you can’t have Ignorance and Want presented as kids possessed by demons. The thing I was most worried about—Jim Carrey hamming it up—didn’t happen. He actually gave a good, in-character performance (though his version of the Ghost of Christmas Past was pretty annoying).

I’m looking forward to seeing “2012” next week. I know it’s just a cheesy special effects epic, but sometimes I enjoy a good “no-brainer” as my dad called them.
Sometimes I think it’s funny that people aren’t as fascinated about the Signs of the Times/Second Coming as I am. I mean, I’m not some wacko that thinks the world will end in 2012, or that we shouldn’t buy anything that has a UPC symbol because the barcode is the 666 mark of the beast, but I am fascinated by all the events and signs that happen leading to the Second Coming. I want to see all that happen—from a safe distance, of course!

Today, LeeAnn and George gave us their old baby crib. (Thanks a TON guys!) Amanda has been VERY antsy about getting it assembled, and it’s now sitting in the corner of the bedroom, ready for a baby to sleep in (OK, it still needs sheets on it). Amanda reminds me CONSTANTLY that the baby is coming soon, and I keep reminding HER that her December 26th Due Date is about 2 weeks SOONER than the Jan 8th due date the Ultrasound Technician changed her date to. Really, we just need it out before Amanda starts her Anatomy Class on Jan. 6th!

Well, that catches you up on our lives for now. I’m sorry I’ve got no fun pictures or videos to share this time around.

Halloween 2009

Here are some pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes. They had a lot of fun trick-or-treating (especially Abe, the sweet-tooth!) Click on the images to ENLARGE.