Did I ever mention ...

that we had a 4 hour presidency meeting? Yeah, it was at my house so it wasn't as bad for me as I'm sure it was for those who brought their kids over. Here's what 6 kids under the age of 4 can do in 4 hours. And I'm thinking I got off easy for such a long meeting.

Luckily, it was a 1-time thing. Our weekly (yep, weekly) meetings are down to 2 hours :)

A Little Bit of This ... A Little Bit of That

We haven't really done much of anything, but there are a few things here and a few things there worth mentioning.

Ryan has started playing indoor soccer on the Beehive Glass Team. Usually their games are super late on Thursday nights, but last night we got to go to an early game and watch him do his thang. Finley loved it and kept shouting, "Kick it man, just kick it!" Berlin found that doing the worm on the disgusting floor was more fun. Sorry, no picture of that as I was picking her up off the floor all while dry-heaving.

One thing I want to improve upon this year are our Family Home Evening's. Usually we just have a fun outing to the children's museum, go to dinner, or rent a movie with popcorn. It's because I feel guilty now that I'm in the Primary Presidency and I find the need to constantly repent for not practicing what we preach to the kids. But my desire is to have a legitimate FHE lesson, activity, & treat, etc. (you know, old school style) every other week and then limit our fun outings to the other Mondays. These are photos of our first "real" FHE. We did I am a child of God and the kids got to decorate crowns. It was so much fun. Finn's favorite part was leading the music.

We had a couple days of snowstorms and we got quite a bit. To keep the kids entertained we've played the WII Fit (the kids love this!), built caves, and played 'til our hearts content. Gotta love Berlin's fine hair - it's electric!

New Years Eve Sweater and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

New Years Eve Sweater and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!: "Bloesem Kids"

Pretty cute huh. She even includes instructions on how to make the floppy flowers that adorn the sweater neckline. I just might have to try making my own!

Sundance Film Festival '09

The Sundance Film Festival is a BIG deal in our home. Ryan has been going to it with his friends for years and since we got married (even when we were dating) I have been invited to come along to a couple shows. This year I get to go to 3 movies, 2 of which were last night.

Our first movie was 500 Days of Summer. It was AWESOME. To say that I love love love this movie is a huge understatement. I can't describe why, but I felt like I related to both characters at some point in my life. I really just dug everything about it, the music, the look & style, the clothing, the sets, the characters, the acting/cast, etc. 

Ryan and  I love Deschanel but lately her roles haven't been the best choices for her (Yes Man???). However, that all changes in this movie. She is fabulous. And Gordon-Leavitt was also surprisingly amazing. I was nervous about him because I only knew him from 3rd Rock from the Sun (the absolute lamest show ever) when he's all young, googly and has long skater hair. But he's all growns'd up and is perfect for his role in this movie.

 

Here's a brief synopsis taken from imdb:

An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman (Deschanel) 

who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young 

man (Gordon-Levitt) who falls for her.

It was a fun date night movie and surprisingly clean for a Sundance film (I think it will be released as a pg-13, but that's my guess). The best news is that it's already been picked up and will be released this summer. Yay!!! I can't wait to see it again. It was funny, witty, touching, and just all around great.

After the movie we went to Red Rock Brewery and got the NY Steak Strip salad (to DIE for!!!) and then walked back to the theater for our 2nd movie of the night, An Education. Sadly enough, this movie was not anywhere in the same realm for me. It seemed long, slow, poorly developed in storyline, lacking in character development, and all that. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Ryan and Patrick hated it as well, so it wasn't just me. I felt bad for Ryan because the screenwriter is Nick Hornby (wrote High Fidelity and About a Boy), of which he really likes, so this movie was a big let-down for him. 

Now we have Friday night and our final movie to look forward too. We'll be seeing Rudo y Cursi and are pretty excited for it. 

A big thanks to my brother Ben and his girlfriend Karen for watching that kids last night, and a pre-shout out to my sister Valerie for watching them this Friday. 

*** Magpie & Cake Inventory Sale ***

I've started a bit early on my Spring Cleaning and I have to say, it feels GOOD! But the best news of all is that I've marked down all prices in my etsy store (see details below). So if you are looking at getting some really cute birthday gifts, valentines gifts, just plain "I think you are so awesome!" gifts, then be sure to click my store logo on the side and check it out!

*** INVENTORY SALE ***

I just finished 3 boutiques and I've listed all remaining items at up to 30% off my original prices. PLUS, buy more than one item and the second, third, fourth ... item ships for free. 

*** Limited Availability! ... Get them while they last ***

Under a new CPSIA law that takes effect Feb 10, 2009, I and other crafters will no longer be able to make and sell our children & baby items. You can find more info about it here: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/