Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Exclusives

So the Big hit this Christmas for my boys was Skylanders. All four boys love it! (Mom and dad like playing too.) It was a gift from Grandpa and Amanda that has filled the day up with adventure, puzzle solving and mystery. The game has a Portal of Power that you put up to two characters on at a time to play the adventure. Now I guess we were lucky that it came from Best Buy because the starter pack from there has an exclusive Player vs. Player chip. It can only be bought at Best Buy. With all the additional characters, the game can get extremely expensive. The other exclusives include Whirlwind from Target, Drill Sergeant from Walmart, and the Legendary Pack with LChop Chop, LSpyro, and LBash from ToysRUs. Of course the game can get expensive if you buy it the wrong way. Never buy it out right! Buy the game (from best buy) when it's on sale. Wait to get any of the characters until you find them on sale. They had them 2 for $10 for the day after Thanksgiving sale, then if you find them at Sears you can have them price match anything when you bring in the ad. They not only price matched, but they beat the price so we got 2 additional characters for $8.50. Actually Best Buy price matches too. The game was such a big hit here and I was a little stressed out seeing that the game could cost a ridiculous amount of money. There are also two exclusive characters to the 3DS Starter Pack: Dark Spyro and Ignitor. Not to mention the expansion packs Darklight Crypt, Pirate Seas, and soon to come Empire of Ice. Each of those packs are at least $20 each. It's a little crazy to go so out of control for a video game... a game that you just sit there. Okay there are people that HAVE to have every character, but I can't even imagine. The cost of the game and all characters from Best Buy at the cheapest I've seen them would be $240. That would be every expansion pack, character, and the PvP chip except Ignitor and Dark Spyro. I was looking on ebay and those two characters are selling for $30 t0 $40 each. I am just blown away. After looking at full priced items the game could cost people up to $360. These prices are all before tax. I have been surprised before, but this blew me away. They sure are making a killing off this game.

I love it that people are buying it for us as gifts, because there is no way I could justify buying this game. Especially when we could drive to the Wolf Lodge, stay for two nights, and go around fighting a dragon (active family fun!) for the same price, or take a trip up the mountain to go camping for a week for cheaper.

Don't get me wrong... I do love the game, but seriously?

Music that Fills My Soul

Well, this was quite a feat. I didn't focus on the recording as much as I should have, but it turned out pretty well. I have been having a hard time lately missing the ultimate choral experience. You know what's better than hearing perfect harmony? Being a part of perfect harmony. I miss the rush of adrenaline and emotions when you are singing with a group of people that are all passionately singing. They sing with such accuracy that you can feel the music resonating throughout your body and you can hear overtones. Those notes give such a thrill! It's like when you sing a note with perfect pitch by the piano, and the piano sings back to you with its strings vibrating for all to hear. I recently finish reading The Bells by Richard Harvell which just reawakened my desire for those feelings. The book made my cry several times. Sure, it had some emotional parts but I was crying for myself. I was sad that I hadn't been able to have those feelings for so long.

This recording actually made me feel a little fulfilled and a accomplished. It helped me to fill a small part of that void deep inside me. I am excited to record more and I can't wait to play more with it. It makes me wish I had better recording supplies, space, and program rather than standard program on my computer, a built in mic, and my bedroom.

I used garageband to record my vocals and imported the track to itunes. than took a video with iMovie and added the vocals in that program. After finalizing the video I posted it to youtube. It's so fun to learn how to use all of these cool programs that are right at my fingertips! The video is first and foremost for me and my family, but I do hope you all enjoy!

My goals for 2011!!!!

Here are some pictures I just love!

Let's see, my goals for 2011:

Lose the last of the weight I gained way back when I was pregnant with Elijah. I lost 45 pounds in the last six months and I only have 10 more pounds to go! Yay! Anyone who asks me how I did it I will say: discipline, support, P90X, diet, hot yoga, water, aerobics, zumba, kickboxing, elliptical, and running. (I hate running, but it helped me lose weight.)

After

Before

To finish journalling (blogging) about important life events from last year that have been ignored like Levi's life from birth to 9 months, Jacob's birthday, Shane and my birthdays, Thanksgiving, New Years, oh and of course moving to Vancouver and Christmas. (Among many others I'm sure.) All those blog posts will be dated associated with the dates they happened, so it's like cheating but so much easier to follow when I print it in a book.

Let's see, oh I just stole a couple from Belinda Creviston. Be happy and have fun! Thanks Belinda!

Organize my computers, pictures especially, and get my desk ready for me to blog.

Finish my first painting. I got everything I need to start painting this holiday season, and I started but I really want to finish. ;)

Maintain my boys piano lessons, its a goal for me because I'm teaching them.

That's all for now, but I might need to add later.

Finish all four of my boys baby books. I'm about half way done because Elijah and Seth's are done, and Jacob and Levi's haven't even been started. That's a big one!

Okay, now I'm done for the night.

Avoidance in Anger

Levi July 2010 (I think)

So I've been avoiding this post because I'm still angry. Levi, after you were born I had felt the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life. I was hospitalized for a week, then unable to walk for a couple weeks, then in a walker for a couple weeks. To this day, I still have pain in my hips now and then and need to take it easy. With my frustration, I failed at a lot of things. I didn't take many pictures of you. I missed your picture of the day you went home. I never took a picture of your crib set up for you. I haven't even started your baby book. (I have very few things even written down about your growth progress and just everyday life.) I am so sorry. I was suffering from depression for a little while. I was so motivated to start working our 6 weeks to the day after you were born, and be awesome at the baby book and taking pictures. I was ready to get my life balanced with you and be back on track. Well, love, you're about 10 months old and I am just gaining back my emotional and mental strength. I am going to do my best to collect pictures and finish your scrap book up to current by the time your first birthday rolls around. I know that you started crawling at 5 1/2 months old. You could sit up by 6 1/2 months old. You played peek a boo at 7 months. You have been off and on for sleeping through the night since birth. You used to love the pacifier, then you quit taking it one day around 4 months. You can't handle loud noises. You freak out if people are yelling at each other or chearing for the sports game. You pulled yourself up to walk at about 7 1/2 months. You got your first tooth November 24th, the second November 25th, the third and fourth teeth on December 5th. Your brothers swear you have spoken saying Ma Ma, Da Da, Elijah, Jacob, and Hi. You said Da Da January 5th and Ma Ma January 11th. You just started to understand when I reference things like Dino(Dinosaur learn to walk toy), Food, Ba Ba or Mama Dean(mama's milk), Da Da, and brothers. I did get a picture of your first times sitting up on your own and pulling up to stand on my phone.

Levi Barely holding yourself up September 2010

Levi October 2010

Levi First time pulling yourself up to walk November 2010

Levi in Patty's Horsey bouncer August 2010

Levi Asleep at the Stimmel's house November 3rd, 2010

The Light... It IS at the end of the tunnel right?

It's funny how we think of life sometimes. It was so nice spending time with friends tonight. We decided to watch Eat, Pray, Love together. Well, the idea was to read the book then talk about it, eat dinner, and watch the movie. Most of us skipped the book entirely and just watched the movie and boy did we talk. It was still enlightening. Eat, Pray, Love wasn't my favorite book, or movie for that matter, but we all had a nice night. Getting together with these beautiful ladies engaging in uplifting conversation helped me to remember a few things. First and foremost was that I need to be able to be more internally spiritual. Second is that life happens. Lastly, that we all can choose to be happy in any situation.

I have been dotting all my I's and crossing all my T's when it comes to religion, but I haven't been reading between the lines. I guess I feel like I've focused so much on showing my children how to pray, that I've almost forgotten how. I go through the motions but my mind is rushing about what to say to teach or who needs to do what after the prayer. I'm saying the words but not truly madly deeply from my heart and soul. My new goal is to be absolutely a teacher by example. I will pray on my knees, humbly before my Heavenly Father and choose to be completely involved.

Life happens. It is the only way to explain hardship without adding a why. The word happens may not even be the proper term because happens means: to come to pass by chance; occur without apparent reason or design Okay, now I'm convinced it's not the right word. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us. He includes the hardships we face in life, in that plan. Life is just a step in the Plan of Salvation. Of course! Life doesn't just HAPPEN, life is a STEPPING STONE.

A wise young mother once told me (Okay it was Leah Stimmel and she said it just tonight.) that people can choose to be happy in a miserable situation, or they can choose to be miserable in a happy situation. The problem that I always have is that I forget. I forget that even that takes a lot of work. We need to find what makes us happy and enjoy, find what makes us upset and figure out how to deal with it, spend time with our children, and remember to always know our spouses. We can create our happiness in a proactive way instead of waiting for happiness to just fall in our laps.

I think what I realized were some steps to finding myself again. I am very happy, but sometimes I lose sight of things and don't allow my life to balance. I don't need to leave my children, divorce my husband, or travel abroad to find myself. I love the way I feel when I am fully engaged in what I am doing, so I need to remember what I love to do and what I am passionate about. I love the way I feel when I dance, create art, and sing. I just need to bring more things that I love into the LIFE that I love.