Halloween!

Aaargh! Look at the cutest little pirate ever! (My totally unbiased opinion)

Cute cousins

Christmas Time Was Here...

Santa came!Jude went right for the candycanes! Yum!First present Jude opened....toothpaste! Second present was an Elmo toothbrush.He got the hang of opening presents. Justin's favorite present: An Xbox game called "Oblivion"The aftermath:

As seen on "Parking Wars"

A man was trying to get his car out of impound all day long. To express his frustration, he said, "I'm pissed! P-I-Z-Z-E-T!" Oh my.

Silly Internet, Not Working is for Losers

This post was meant for yesterday, but the internet had an attitude. Here is more Good Old War, for you Good Old Folks!

Oh, and I forgot to say that the last video posted was my personal favorite Good Old War song. This one is Justin's. Enjoy.

If you haven't seen him lately...

here is our big beautiful boy!

Good Old War Week

Ha ha
I just realized some might read the title of this post and think it's about something else. Info: Good Old War is a band. A band that is awesome. A band that rocks. I am highlighting their awesomeness this week because it's just sad that everyone hasn't had the opportunity to listen to them. Yes, they are that good.

Ok,
Justin and I saw Good Old War when they opened for Guster in SLC in January. I immediately loved them, whereas Justin needed convincing...silly boy. Here you go, with "I Should Go" and "Thinking of You,"

GOOD
OLD
WAR!!!

Fantasy Softball

If you have me on your fantasy softball team I hope you played me last night. Last night I went 4/4 with three runs and two rbi's. We tore it up last night and one again. We are now 4-1, coming off our crapfest last week.

Now midway through the season my batting average is .523 (which gives me the fourth highest average on the team behind our 1, 3, &4 hitters.) I also have 7 rbi's and 5 runs. We will see how the second half of the season goes. If we play the rest of the season how we played last night, we will be unbeatable.

Justin signing off.

Aha!

I have figured it out! I have been trying to figure out why on earth Lebron James was being so passive since the start of this series. This is the biggest ball hog since Michael Jordan, why has he only been taking four shots per game in the fourth quarter? Why has he only shot three free throws in the fourth quarter all series long? Why isn't he driving to the basket?

Lets face it, the schmuck is obviously a competitor or he wouldn't be a professional athlete, so why does he look like he doesn't want to, or care to win? And was has been especially mind boggling, is how he doesn't seem bothered by his performances at all in his post game press conferences. Nobody has seen him play like this, let's be honest. So, are you ready for this? I have figured it out, seriously. You want to know what it is? Well, I am not going to say...just kidding. It is gambling. I feel almost certain about this. Somebody should be checking bank accounts or something, because he is raking in the dough somewhere. That's why he doesn't care. He is making a killing. It has something to do with spreads and lines and what game it goes to, and what game who wins it in. He has money on this thing. I guarantee it. What happens in the next two games will prove me right. Watch. There is a funny racket going on.

This was justin by the way, I couldn't sign in for some reason so I just used Jesse's.

Sad but True

So, I have decided that all modern music sucks. All mainstream stuff is obviously crappy and all the modern indie stuff, well, sucks. It's all like one guy, who is sad, and has a synthesizer. All music these days is electronic and dancey, and I HATE it! Where have all the guitars gone?

Happy Birthday Jude!

We were so excited to see everyone who was able to come!

Doing caterpillar-y crafts...Enjoying the beautiful, sunny day...

Opening presents and reading cards...The grandmas...Girls are scary!!Lots of hungry caterpillars eating lots of food...Bubbles!!Cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I wonder if he can breath through that nose..."Here, mom! I'm sharing!""Mess? What mess?"

I'm a fool, I'm a fool, I'm a fool

I'm a fool because I hope

I'm a fool because I trust

I'm a fool because I believe

and no matter how many lessons I go through,

I can't stop

Verification Words are so Funny

I was commenting on various blogs this morning and I couldn't stop laughing at the verification words. I think I may start adding them in at the end of my comments for some flava. So, if there's some random stuff in my comments, please disregard, it's for my own amusement. Yep, that's all this post is about.

Jude's Top 10 Reads

The much-anticipated list has finally been completed, after much serious consideration and time-consuming drafts. Here is it at last! Jude Betts: scholar, leader of men and babies alike, brings you his Top 10 Reads:

1. Owl Babies
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
3. Splash!
4. Christmas Peekaboo!
5. Brown Bear Brown Bear
6. Away in a Manger (if it is sung)
7. The Grouchy Ladybug
8. That's Not My Monster
9. Elmo's ABCs (if it is sung)
10. Quack! Quack!

Post 400!

This year The Academy Awards were brutal. Nobody that participated in our ballot competition got even half right. The King's Speech and Inception both won 4 awards, The Social Network won 3 awards, and The Fighter, Alice in Wonderland, and Toy Story 3 all won 2. Very spread out year for awards!

So, I guess you're wondering who won?? Well, none of the previous winners did, that's for sure. :( Here are the results:

Bryan AND Kelsey are the WINNERS with 14 right answers. (I was going to say 14 right guesses, but that's kind of mean.)
Jake AND Justin had 12 right answers.
Jesse had 11 right answers.
Dad Laws and Michael had 10 right answers.
Amelia and Brent had 9 right answers.

Until next year! And, I would just like to say that, apparently, seeing the movies and knowing a lot about them doesn't do jack.

The Academy Awards are today!

So get your ballots in asap! There is a link to my left to one, or you can google "Academy Awards Ballot." You have until 6:30 p.m. so hustle!

Academy Awards

Hey all you peeps, the Academy Awards are on the 27th of this month. Everybody needs to fill out a ballot and email to me or Jesse. This is the 4th annual Academy Award competition and this year is the most wide open awards race in recent memory so everybody has an equal shot. Jake, Jesse, and myself are looking to be the first two time winners of this here competition and Jake is looking to be the first back to back winner. Who will it be? Like I said, the race this year is wide open, so no matter how much movie knowledge you have or don't, you could very easily win. And everybody means you too Aundria (?), you aren't getting out of this. Everybody send us your picks and then watch the awards on ABC on Feb. 27th. Lets make this year awesome. I can't wait.

Top 25 Songs Played On Our Ipod

25. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
24. So Says I - The Shins
23. The Captain - Guster
22. Side of the Road - Ben Folds
21. Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
20. Love Me Do - The Beatles
19. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles
18. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
17. Happier - Guster
16. Backyard - Guster
15. Careful - Guster
14. Happiness - Built to Spill
13. Let it Be - The Beatles
12. Yesterday - The Beatles
11. Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

TOP 10...

10. Trying to Pull Myself Away - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
9. Hey Jude - The Beatles
8. Imagine - John Lennon
7. Landed - Ben Folds
6. Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
5. Unless it's Kicks - Okkervil River
4. She Loves You - The Beatles
3. Friend of Mine - The National
2. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
1. Something - The Beatles

The Next Awesome Guster Video That You Will Like, Or Face The Consequences

This song is great, but I don't need to tell you that! Just Listen!

Durge Purge - Day 3

Ugh.

Okay, today started out great. I kept busy with my baby, laundry, and some much-needed cleaning. But, there's only so much of that you can do. TV has left a void. I miss me some TV. I've been close to compromising but, I've stayed true. (Even with Justin trying to lead me astray! Sorry, "Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," you'll have to wait. I want to cry.)

No, this purge business is not all enlightenment and sunflowers. This afternoon/night I felt the darkness. I volunteered to go to the store for formula just to distract myself. And I don't normally do that. Some of you out there may be thinking I'm pretty pathetic. I can't do without TV for a couple days. Well, I challenge you to do the purge and see how you feel when you can't watch "The People's Court" everyday.

I'm cranky. And, I have too much time on my hands that I don't want to jam-pack with stuff. I don't want to "do" all day. But just sitting is weird, too. Have you all noticed how much more I've been blogging since this all started? Testify, blog posts! Testify: "Jesse is BORED!"

Am I Old?

Today I looked at the Rolling Stone list of the best 50 songs of 2010. It started at the bottom of the list and went up to the #1. As I went along, I was surprised at how many I didn't recognize...at all. I thought as I neared the top 10 maybe I'd start to see something familiar but, no. It was not to be.

As a teenager, I scoffed at my parents' lack of knowledge of current music. I thought, that will never be me! I love current music! Well, here is my formal apology to my parents: I'm sorry for thinking you were old and boring for not liking Linkin Park.

After reading the list, I went to youtube and listened to the top 5 songs. That makes a total of...hmm...5 songs on the list that I've ever heard in my life. And, let me tell you, I wasn't that impressed. (I was going to listen to the top 10, but 5 was more than enough) Does that make me an old lady? I've heard of 19 of the bands. That should count for something, right??

Am I crazy or is music going seriously downhill? Look at this list:

10. Kanye West - Monster
9. Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside
8. Janelle Monae - Tightrope
7. Vampire Weekend - Night Sky
6. Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
5. Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait
4. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
3. Sade - Soldier of Love
2. Cee Lo Green - **** You
1. Kanye West - Runaway

We can't do any better than this? Granted, I've only heard of 4 of those people before today...and I've only listened to 5 of the songs. But, Kanye West is in the top 10 twice!? Seriously? Okay, yeah, I'm old.

Guster Video Way Creative

Freaking sweet video, AND SONG. Seriously, this video is crazy cool and I'm normally not a fan of music videos. This is also the album that I said I've been obsessed with for a LONG time. Not only is all the music so awesome and inspired, there are a bunch of sweet videos that I will be sharing with the masses of readers of this freaking blog, and here is the first one:



How did they do that? Seriously, that video blows my mind. And how awesome is it that Jesus is wearing a super hero cape?

On January 15 Justin and I went to Guster's concert in Salt Lake. It was amazing. They are so talented, and if you people don't like them, well, we must not be kindred spirits.

The Purge - Day 2 (well, kind of)

What am I hoping to gain from this purge? Well, I guess I'm hoping that when it's over I will transition into watching TV with a purpose. I don't want to flip it on in the morning and go from thing to thing until the end of the day. I've found myself on many occasions watching things that I don't necessarily want to watch just...because.

Today was quite a bit tougher. I felt more isolated. I think it's because it's the weekend so everyone is around and wanting to hang out around the TV that I was kind of sequestered in other parts of the house.

It forced me to be creative...and bored at times. I think it's because I have to relearn what I like to do and who I want to be. TV has a way of wiping things away until you find yourself implanted in what you're watching, no longer completely real. It's a world of extremes: the heightened and exaggerated versions of real life. Your own life becomes mundane by comparison.

Do I really really want to live in constant drama? Not really. My calm, happy, routine of a life is what I want. Stable, true, dependable. Boring? Maybe, but I'd rather have that than a soap opera. Can I get an amen?

TV Purge - Day 1

I had a weird idea. What if, like those freaks who do food purge diets, I purged TV from my system in a kind of cold-turkey week long extravaganza. Hm...

Being a self-proclaimed TV freak, this seems nuts to me. But it's become such a big fixture in my life...yes, I would actually dub myself a FULL BLOWN couch potato. That's kind of hard to hear.

I realized that although I am a wife and a mother, the television (and the consequent fictional escapades and characters that live within) have been getting more of my attention than my own family! Yikes!

So, midnight this morning it began. The week-long TV purge. I was up with my baby at 7 this morning and to this minute (9:36 pm) I haven't watched any TV all day. It wasn't easy. For someone who constantly has it on in the background (and foreground), there's a lot of time to fill.

I was actually shocked by the length of the day. And how much can be accomplished. And what others must do to fill their days. More than all this, I was most shocked by me.

I didn't feel like a blob! I was off my potato-ey butt! Jude and I hung out and had way more fun than we usually do. We actually got out of the house and into the great wide world out there that, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit, Jude has seen very very little of in his life.

As the day went on, it got harder and harder to keep it switched off. It's such an easy escape, not to mention enjoyable. As I wrote that cliche saying, I realized how much sense it does not make! "not to mention enjoyable" is mentioning it! I wonder where that saying came from...

You see! If I wasn't purging TV, I would be watching TV right now, and I wouldn't have the inclination to write this blog post and ponder the meanings of widely known and accepted phrases!

Kick Start My Rock and Roll Heart: The Sequel

I have taken awhile getting around to posting my second soul song, but I have finally settled on it. It is 'Let Down' by Radiohead. This is one of those songs that when that first note hits it makes your soul shiver (thanks fresh prince.) This song is song number 2 in a string of the greatest seven track run in musical history (maybe.) If you have never listened to 'Ok Computer' then you are crazy first off and secondly do this: go get it, wait until nighttime, go into your bedroom, turn the lights off, put your headphones on, close your eyes and start on track four and listen to through track ten ('Lucky'.) When 'Lucky' ends your mind will be blown. Seriously. Now do it again with the whole album. Your mind is double blown. All that I can say is that the transition between track four and five is one of the most magical music moments of all time. Pure perfection. Enjoy.

The King is dead

He sure is. For those of you who haven't heard the new Decemberists album, well then you are just missing out. It is easily their best album since Her Majesty. Hey that's kind of funny, anyway. Picaresque is a fantastic freaking album, but then they released the crane wife and I kind of lost my interest in them. It wasn't a great album. Then they released hazards of love, which was ok but nothing special. But this album is a must. You must go get it, now. It is freaking good. Go. Now...You're still reading.......nevermind, you're hopeless.

Our big boy...

JUDE JUST TOOK HIS FIRST STEP!!!

Jesse's Soul Song #1

So, it's been a long time coming but I finally have it! I was having a hard time finding soul songs because I've been obsessed with one particular album, and I wanted to put every song from the album on my Soul Song list. Maybe some of them will end up on the list, but they need to stand the test of time first. I just make these rules up...on the spot.

Anyway, my first Soul Song comes as a surprise to me, as I just heard the song for the first time last night. As you can see, my first Soul Song is also a complete contradiction of the above. It hasn't stood the test of time. Why make this exception? Well, I think you'll see why when you listen to it. And, if you can, listen LOUD.