Noelle and the tree :)

On Thursday Noelle and I found the prettiest little tree. Noelle is curious why there is a tree in our family room now. She loves it. We bought some gorgeous ornaments at walmart and decorated it on Sunday. We decorated while listening to Mannheim Steamroller which is a classic Christmas album that Pete and I both grew up on. I've hesitatingly come to terms with the fact that anything beautiful or delicate is instantly destroyed by babies. A lit and decorated tree is the perfect playing ground for a toddler. I knew when I bought the ornaments that Noelle would try and rip them off the tree or break them. They have been up for a day now and so far she has only broken two which for Noelle is quite the feat. I have heard of parents decorating the upper half of the tree so the kids can't reach. I just couldn't bring myself to only decorating half a tree. It just doesn't seem right. We'll see how long it stays nice for.
It snowed all weekend. It makes for the perfect Christmas ambiance. We are so excited to leave cold snowy Utah for sunny Cali on Friday. Pete can't stop talking about how excited he is for California. The doll pictured below is Noelle's new favorite baby. The doll actually comes with a twin. Noelle takes turns caring for each baby. She'll wrap them in small blankets and pat their bummies. She won't let anyone talk while she tries to put them to sleep and puts her finger to her mouth and says Shuuuuu!!! She has drawn all over their poor heads. Pete and I joke that this is how she christens her new dollies. It's pretty funny. This picture I took of the tree is horrible. I couldn't get the right lighting and the camera took a very inaccurate picture. In person it is stunning!

This baby was really resisting taking pictures. It was a miracle I got a few decent ones.

Santa's Chair

On bottom floor of the Discovery Gateway museum they have a darling Christmas setup. Santa sits in the purple chair and kids come and take pictures with him. Noelle and I snuck in and took some photos after Santa and his elves left.

Finally a kiss!!!

After much coercing Noelle finally gives Grandpa Winstead a goodbye kiss. I'm sure he was thrilled.

Noelle with the four Curious George monkeys G-Pa Winstead bought her.

Mascot Bear

Getting back from the game!

It has been a fun filled month. Pete's work gave him some very expensive tickets to the Jazz game. It was sort of a gift because of his great work. We are not fans of the Jazz but thought we should take advantage. I was really worried about bringing Noelle. These games can last up to three hours. They are difficult to sit through especially for a toddler. When we got there it was enormous and full of energy. We were right up in the front. Noelle really ended up loving it. Every time the crowd would cheer Noelle clapped along with them. They have this great mascot dressed up in a bear costume. She absolutely loved this bear! You have to wonder what goes through a baby's mind when they see something like that. She was probably wondering what a giant bear was doing wandering around a basketball game. She loved his tail.

Something terrible happened to my Nellies last week. On our way to walmart we stopped at a McDonald's to play on their huge playground. She was a little scared at first to climb through the tunnels and go down the gigantic slide but she got up the courage to try and loved it. Soon she was laughing her head off. There was this mother and son. The mother appeared to be deaf and was signing to her son. I never found out if the little boy was deaf like his mother. The boy was probably around 2 or 3 years old. Noelle climbed up high into one of the tubes. All of a sudden I heard Noelle screaming hysterically. Luckily she was by one of the window peep holes so I could see what was going on. One of the little boys was violently slamming her head against the wall and hitting her in the face with his other hand. I was yelling for him to stop. Noelle was screaming "mama." This kid was going crazy on my baby. I couldn't see which child it was. Luckily Noelle got away even though we was grabbing onto her. I think the little boy realized he was in some serious trouble. By this time all of the children had come out of the play area and were circled around me. I asked the other kids where the boy was who hit Noelle and one of the kids went up into the slide and brought him down. It ended up being the boy with the deaf mother. I had no idea if he could speak or hear but I was so outraged I didn't care at that point. The other kids were telling me that he had been terrorizing them as well. I scolded him and said "you do not hit other children." He just looked at me with this blank stare. I couldn't believe that his parents were nowhere in sight. I was infuriated that I had to do the disciplining for this child. I wondered what his parents had done to have provoked such violent anger in him. I can imagine that parents of children with severe disabilities let these children get away with quite a bit out of guilt or just plain exhaustion. I would have been horrified if the situation were reversed and my child had been responsible for such a terrible act. Noelle remembers pretty clearly what happened. She ended up with a big bruise on her forehead from the incident. At least once a day Noelle will say "babies" and hit herself in the head. Nellies has an incredible memory. She refuses to play at McDonald's now.

The Winstead's are here this week and we have had tons of fun so far. They brought a little baby girl doll with them with clothes and accessories. Noelle loves her. We always know when Noelle loves a doll because she will immediately take it's clothes off. She loves to see belly buttons. We went to Barnes and Noble last night and Grandpa Winstead bought Noelle a few Curious George animals. Noelle begs me to buy them every time we go and I always say no so she was ecstatic that she suckered grandpa into getting them for her. She has been carrying them around all day with her.

We went to Carrie's funeral last Saturday. Annie and Cody were there. It was great to see everyone. There were relatives that I had never met. It was obvious that Carrie was loved by many. She was always so thoughtful and kind to our family that I felt like it was really important to be there. Dad's half brother and Phil spoke. The Betz family was very emotional. I can imagine that it brought back sad memories of Erin's funeral. I'm sure they have had a difficult year. The girls Kaylee and Kelby were in good spirits. They are strong sweet little girls :) Jeez sorry this is so long.

Nellies loves pretending to read magazines. This was a particularly funny moment.

Looked cool from the outside. Sucked on the inside.

Once it started raining we headed to Discovery Gateway and played there until they closed. Noelle had her baby dolls and was perfectly content.

Not Much

Unfortunately it started raining about 20 minutes into it. The funny thing is it NEVER rains in SLC so it was rather ironic that it happen to have rained on Halloween. Poor Nellies didn't end up with much. She actually only ended up eating one miniature peanut butter cup and wouldn't try anything else. We just threw the rest away. I think Noelle could be the ONLY kid in America that hates candy.

Trick Or Treating At McDonalds ????

We actually decided to trick or treat at the mall. The majority of the stores had candy for the kids. There were a few snobby upscale stores that didn't. Pete made sure to give them each a hard time which they didn't appreciate.
The best was when we decided to try the food court. McDonald's gave Noelle a hot apple pie.

So stubborn!!!

The costume came with this cute little antler hood but Noelle wanted nothing to do with it.

I loved the little wings on this costume.

Noelle had absolutely no idea what she was doing but she loved it anyway. She felt pretty special in her butterfly costume.

Nellies and daddy trick or treating :)

It's so hard being a baby!

Mom's pumpkin

Noelle and I carved this pumpkin last week. Noelle has this funny fascination with pumpkins. She gets scared once they are carved though. She really hates it when they have faces. What a funny little girl.

Ready for winter already

Noelle just loves to walk around in her parents shoes. She likes to feel like a big girl.

In this picture she is warming up a little more to the princess crown :)

I just love this picture of Katherine. Her eyes are so pretty and big!

Trip to Rexburg

We all had so much fun visiting Brian and Amanda in Rexburg a few weeks ago. The babies just love each other. Oliver is so sweet to Noelle.

Noelle posing

Noelle actually really loves to pose for pictures. She will go through our digital camera and browse through her pictures for hours. Such a vain little baby!

Such a stubborn little girl!

Grandma's crown

Grandma bought this pretty crown for Noelle. Noelle definitely does not look like a princess in this picture!

What a pretty little baby!

Poor Katherine!!

Cousin Oliver playing with the pumpkins. The babies loved the pumpkin carving.

This baby has endless toys!

Cute little Nellies

It's been a long time

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in so long. It has been a little busy around here. Let's start this off with a work story, which I rather enjoy sharing. Actually let's make it a couple work stories.
1. My co-worker Andrew decided to go to Disneyland on his birthday which is October 3rd. One day we overhear him talking to his wife about how Miley Cyrus' birthday bash is on the same weekend, so of course we decide to exploit this situation to it's fullest. The day before he leaves we were having our team huddle where we just update the different departments on each of our areas. Then someone asked me if I had anything to update the group with at which point I started playing a Miley Cyrus song over someone's computer speakers, the message board that is about 3 feet above the tops of our cubicles was then changed to read Happy Birthday from Miley..Can't wait to see you in a few days, and a cake with a picture of Miley with her arm around someone with Andrew's face superimposed over the face was presented to our good friend Andrew. It was awesome. He was pretty red in the face, and still contests that he never planned to go to Disneyland during Miley's birthday bash, to which we all roll our eyes.
2. Poor Andrew is the subject of my second story once again. I had a plan to prank Andrew and do something to his computer. The policy at AMEX though is that you lock your computer whenever you leave it, and Andrew is very good at this because he has been pranked before. So we took out the sensor from the button on his keyboard that locks his computer and replaced it with tissue. It was perfect. He got up and pressed the button but didn't see that it didn't lock. So then I worked my magic. I'm going to break this one down into steps in case you want to do to one of your own co-workers.
1. Erase all internet icons. This includes the desktop icon, quick menu icon, and start menu icon.
2. Then right click on the desktop to create a new shortcut.
3. Enter the file path: "shutdown -s -t 0" Hit next.
4. Name it "Internet Explorer" Hit Next. Hit Finish.
5. Right click on the icon and hit properties.
6. Click on the button "Change Icon"
7. Choose the Internet Explorer icon
8. Move the icon into the quick menu on the toolbar, right click on the new icon and select "Pin to Start Menu", and replace the old icon with the new one wherever it was on the desktop.
Now when they go to surf the internet on the company's time their computer will shutdown automatically. It was pretty hilarious to watch Andrew (who loves to surf the internet by the way) shut his computer down three times before figuring it out.

Anyways, life is good. American Express is announcing lay-offs next week and I'm pretty sure that I won't be included in the cuts, but then again I could be wrong. It's a very interesting time, and it's very interesting working for a Fortune 50 company that provides financial services in a time like this. I think some of the things they are beginning to implement to be able to deal with this economy are unprecedented. Otherwise, I know they're a really strong company, and like our revenue report said tihs week, we actually performed better than expected. Cheers to that.

Dark Knight Reaction

Well, last Saturday we saw the Dark Knight, and I've had a few days to think about it. I can safely say that the Dark Knight is simply just an awesome movie, maybe nearly flawless in my humble opinion. Performances across the board were amazing, the script was sooo good, the cinematography was great, the action sequences were cool, the editing was fantastic, and there were some themes that definitely enhanced this movie beyond it's genre I think.

If you haven't seen it yet, prepare yourself for something that is very dark, and brutal at times. Although, it was never over the top, and did not glorify the violence that takes place. It was brilliant in that way.

It's true what they say about Heath Ledger. He was absolutely amazing, and by that I mean that he was crazy, and did something with that character that I did not know could be done, let alone by him of all people.

But don't take my word for it.....GO see it
Overall rating: 9.5/10

Food, thrill rides, and movies

So I had to post this picture of me and Brian at Lagoon. The story is that we had to get on a ride that sat us with each other on one seat, one in front of the other. Of course, I had to get a picture. It was pretty funny.


THIS WEBSITE IS AMAZING. That's how I will preface this post. Restaurant.com is an amazing website that deserves to be looked at by all people. You can buy gift certificates for select restaurants for a fraction of their value. For example, Re and I bought a $25 Gift Certificate to a really good Indian restaurant for $6!!! The trick is that you have to spend $35 for the coupon to be valid, but even then it's still $16 for a $35 meal. Pretty awesome. If you do check this website out, don't just go to the website, go first to Google and search for "restaurant.com discount code". This will bring up a bunch of websites that have deals for Restaurant.com, and that's how we got ours for $6. It was originally $10, but we found a deal that knocked another 40% off the price. Awesome.

Lastly, a Dark Knight update. Did you expect anything less from me?
The Dark Knight is doing very well, and headed for a high 80s or low 90s score on Rotten Tomatoes, with ridiculously good praise from critics. Many have said that it is the best superhero movie ever made. You can count on a reaction after I see it on Saturday.

Thank you IRS/Office stories

Using the tax withholding calculator has given me a $68 increase in my paychecks for the rest of the year. Sweet.

Here's another great work story for you all-

So I mentioned in my previous post that my co-worker punches me and what not. He also kicked me the other day and left a scuff from his boot on my pants. Thank you Tide for creating that genius pen that got the scuff out. I've also been threatened with a letter opener. Despite the fact that all of this was done in jest, I still wasn't a big fan. So I kind of hinted today that I didn't appreciate it, and that led to an email from him saying something to the effect of:

"I'm so sorry for the physical and mental pain I have caused you. My intentions were never to alienate you as a friend and co-worker. You have made me feel terrible for the things I have done. This is just the way that my friends and I had fun growing up. Please do not hate me for who I am."

Needless to say, this had turned into an incredibly awkward situation. It is now resolved and I hope to forget about this ASAP. I have to say though that the speed in which this situation escalated to this email made me laugh. I couldn't believe he felt that bad about it. Oh well.

My second incredibly awkward office situation came when one of my co-workers took something that was said way out of context, and basically announced to everyone on our floor that I was applying to other companies. This was a flat out lie, and I was furious. So, my other co-worker went over to my boss and asked if he had heard anything, and ended up telling him the story. My boss then comes over and talks to me about it. I end up calling my co-worker into a room, and tell him exactly how I feel.

So in the space of about a week and a half I somehow managed to get myself into two very awkward situations with both of my immediate co-workers.

It's a good thing they don't know I have a blog. May the office stories live on.

Happy 4th of July all.

Random thoughts....

It's been awhile since we've posted, so I decided that I would just update you all on what's going on in my mind.

- The first reviews for the Dark Knight are starting to appear, and are all are glowing reviews of the film and the performances, especially of the late Heath Ledger. A couple of people have said that he deserves an Oscar, and we're only in June! I am so excited for this movie.

- Imagine this: a guy plays Dance Dance Revolution and goes to a bar to impress the ladies with his newly acquired dance moves. "Hey ladies, check this out...Oh yeah."

- I like Coldplay's new album, but to me it's just not as melodic as their previous albums. I do appreciate the musical experimentation and the new directions that they're going in, but I don't think they were able to marry their amazing ability to provide a musical hook with the reach of their musical ideas. Hopefully the next album will provide both of those elements.

- It's summer time again, and this always reminds me of something that I learned in Psychology, that heat provokes more anger in people. My co-worker has a window seat, and I can testify that this is true. Punches, and more of the sort have come more frequently now that it's Summer time. BTW, it always seems like you're freezing or burning in Utah.

- I laid out a three semester plan to go back and get my Master's for my boss this past week, and it was approved. I am so excited, and grateful. It's weird how things work out like this sometimes. You just have to know that God is helping and guiding through life. Our perceptions are so superficial sometimes. I was crushed when I was rejected from every school I applied to this year, but given our current situation I couldn't be happier. I truly am getting the best of both worlds - experience and education.

- Wall-E has a 9.2 out of 10 on IMDB, and a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. WOW. It is currently #6 on the list of the top 250 movies of all time on IMDB. I love Pixar. Call me weird, but I think they make the most clever movies.

- First the Supreme Court of California overturns a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, and then THE Supreme Court grants detained terrorists in Guantanamo Bay certain rights that allow them to appeal their imprisonment. What is happening to our country?

- One cool thing that I did last week was adjust my net pay by using the IRS' tax withholding calculator to see if I was paying too much in taxes. I'll see just how much that adjustment will be this Friday. My co-worker did this on my advice and got an increase of $180 in his last paycheck. Only thing is that we'll have to remember to do this again next January so we won't owe the government taxes in two years. If you want to check this out just google "IRS tax withholding calculator".

Scary

Wow. I would be running, but this person decided to take a picture. Luckily this tornado funnel cloud just touched down for a second, and then lifted off the ground back into the clouds.

"Team Building" at AMEX

Friday was our team building activity day which was quite fun actually. We started by getting lunch at a really good sandwich place and ate at the park. We followed that up with a trip to Boondocks which is a family fun center of sorts with Go Karts, Laser Tag, Mini-Golf, Bumper Boats, Video Games, and batting cages.

Here are a few of the highlights:

1. My manager's boss was on a business call off on a little grassy hill away from all the rides while we waited in line for the water boats, and my direct report boss had the brilliant idea to get one of the workers at Boondocks to go up to him and say something to the effect of "There have been some complaints that you have been recording videos of the children here at the park. Someone has also complained that you approached their child and were talking to them." So he got someone to do it while we all watched him get punk'd. It was hilarious.

2. Watching my bosses tie my co-worker's shoe to the railing without him knowing while we waited to go on the Go Karts.

3. Watching that same co-worker try to bunt in the fast-pitch batting cages because he wasn't having any success trying to hit the ball.

That's how we do "Team Building" at AMEX. It was more of a Go Kart competition than anything, mixed with the best ideas for punking.

Time to geek it up about the Hobbit again...

It turns out that I posted that Hobbit update a little too soon. Over the weekend Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro held an online chat answering public submitted questions. Here are a few juicy details-

*Del Toro will help them write the script for both movies. Excellent. He wrote the script for Pan's Labyrinth by himself so that is a plus.

*They will basically take all the actors who had a part of LOTR if they are interested, and will only recast the roles if said actors/actresses are not interested. On that note there is a great debate going on right now about who should play Bilbo. My vote is for James McAvoy, and I've heard that he may be their top choice right now. Apparently they all magically said the someone's name at the same time according to Del Toro, so that sounds promising.

*I was a bit hasty in projecting a 2010 and 2011 release. They divulged in the chat that they will release the first film in 2011, and the second in 2012. Along the way they will focus and complete the scripts this year, start pre-production and finish casting next year, and film during all of 2010, doing both films back-to-back.

*Alan Lee and John Howe are confirmed to be working on the film again. They were the two principal conceptual artists that worked on LOTR, so this is a big plus.

If you want to read the full chat transcript here's the link-

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/05/24/28882-hobbit-chat-peppered-with-big-news-and-little-details/

The Hobbit - 2010 and 2011

I don't do many movie posts, but since I love the Lord of the Rings movies, and have been waiting patiently for news concerning the Hobbit I have to post the latest goods on this subject. Guillermo Del Toro is slated to direct, and if you don't recognize the name he has done such movies as Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. If you've seen Heavenly Creatures by Peter Jackson you can understand why they want Del Toro to direct. They both have a talent for showing how people separate themselves from reality by delving into fantasy. They also emphasize the use of models, and makeup, and costumes over CGI, which is one of my favorite things about these two directors. Del Toro also has a passion for the subject material and will see that the movies get the proper treatment. They plan to make two - one in 2010 dealing exclusively with the Hobbit, and one in 2011 that deals with the period of time between the Hobbit and LOTR. Fortunately for all of us Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are said to be coming back, as well as Howard Shore for the music. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens will also be writing the script as well as filling the role of producers. This feels like the right time to say - Oh baby.

Noelle's New Passion

Noelle has discovered the greatness of music. She dances and sings along whenever she hears something that she likes. Her new favorite song is "I Feel It All" by Feist. It is featured in our selection of music on the blog. When you hear it, picture Noelle dancing along. It is pretty cute!

Pete's Pictures

First Barbie!!

Chucky Cheese Birthday Party

Noelle at Chucky Cheese for her 2nd birthday!

Elmo Chair

Grandpa got an Elmo chair for Noelle on her birthday. She loved it so much that we started posing her for her picture. She was getting such a kick out of making us laugh that and she began posing herself.