Metroid

(Did I say something earlier about being able to find time to catch up on my blogging?  Obviously, getting a yucky cold wasn't part of the plan, so I beg mercy.....)

Alex has picked up a totally cute ability for an almost-14-month old:  He's making sound effects.  You know, he watches the kids like a hawk, and tries to do everything they do.  Which, a lot of times, is not fun:  Like when he tries to climb the bunk bed ladder, or jump on the couch, or all sorts of too-big-for-him things.  But when it comes to imaginitive play, the whole copy-the-big-sibs thing is so adorable!!!

Lately, their new thing is playing Metroid.  I mentioned this briefly in one of the Facebook Friday updates (and yes, I realize I haven't posted the latest installment....).  The kids dug up a copy of Jesse's Game Boy Advance "Metroid Zero" game about a month ago.  Since then, they've asked him to play it, they've asked me to play it, and they've figured out how to play it themselves.  And of course, it wasn't long before they started pretending Metroid games in the home.  Complete with curling up into a ball to get into narrow spaces, doing the beam-me-up animation style "save", and of course, shooting enemies.

Jacob is such an action poser.  He mimics it with such precision.  He would grab his forearm, get into a forward-facing attack crouch, and make "Pshew, Pshew" sorts of laser gun sounds as he shot at imaginary monsters.  So then Jesse had the bright idea to give them props, which he made from used Vitamin Water bottles - just cut off the end, and painted them green, like Samus' weapon.  Observe:

 

You get the concept, right?  Green cylindrical shape that covers your forearm.  Easy enough, with a water bottle or two!!  Well, Jacob's was a hit, and Melinda soon got her own, and now even Alex has one.  Because he just couldn't be left out of the fun.  As soon as anyone starts playing any sort of shooting/chasing/fighting game, Alex is so in on it.  And the sound effects make watching it just absolutely a hoot!!

So I tried to grab a video of it tonight - it's not great... there's a lot of other noise going on in the video, and I had a hard time being in front of him so you could see his face while he was making sounds.  But of the "Pshew, Pshew" sounds, Alex is making about half of them, and Jesse's doing the rest, for the most part.  Also, if you see a large pink tutu flying around, Jesse was pretending it was a fireball shooting out of his fist.  I'm so glad he can still play with the kids like that.  It's awesome, and I love it.

So here's the video.  Enjoy the cuteness!!  I know I do.  :)

Facebook Friday... on Sunday

Things got a little crazy at the end of the week, and 1) I forgot it was Friday (for Facebook Friday!) until it was about midnight and I was already heading to bed, and 2) I was busy preparing for my lesson in Relief Society today... so I was keeping "extra" activities to a minimum this past week. Blogging included.

The GOOD news is that now that my mind isn't 100% focused that direction, I will be able to find time to catch up on my blogging, finally. Well, that and finally getting around to sewing those baby blankets for my two sisters who are both expecting new baby girls to join their families ANY DAY NOW!!! (Sorry gals, there's no way you'll have them before your babies are born, I think...)

So anyway, here's a run-down of my week through Friday as seen through the eyes of Facebook status updates. Enjoy!

Uhhhh... wait a second... did I manage to forget TWO Facebook Fridays?!? Man, my brain has been slipping. My most recent Facebook Friday ended up on May 1st. That was SO two weeks ago!!! I guess I have even more updates to share than I thought!!

Saturday, May 2nd
2:25pm
Becky's kids graduated from levels 1 and 2 swim classes this morning, and they'll be starting levels 2 and 3 next week! Alex and I will be joining in for a Mommy & Me class this time around. Hopefully by the time summer is in full swing, everyone will be nice and comfortable in the pool!!

6:35pm
Becky attended the Towsontown Spring Festival. Tried my first (!!) funnel cake. Verdict is: LOVE IT. Must find a recipe to make them at home!! Also, kids LOVED the pony rides. Jacob's grin was just to die for. Melinda, true to herself, mostly just wanted them to go faster.

Monday, May 4th
11:22am
Becky is making the menu for the week and getting the list ready for grocery shopping.

4:15pm
Becky got groceries. And got alllllll wet, too. Thanks, rain. Feel free to let up any time now, k? We're ready for some sunshine around here!

11:56pm
Becky wasted way too much time laughing my head off with Jesse, watching videos like this one on YouTube. (But laughter is good for you, right? So it can't be a *complete* waste...)
"Cars on Ice" video compilation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxWefWbvTrE

Tuesday, May 5th
10:12am
Becky is not especially thrilled that Alex is climbing EVERYTHING these days. He's getting into everything, all the time!!

11:06pm
Becky wonders if her 5yo daughter is the only one out there who absolutely freaks out and gets hysterical (not in a good way) when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Well, half-wakes up. Her body is up, but her brain sure isn't. Thinking I'll be banning pre-bed drinks from now on.

Wednesday, May 6th
12:00pm
Becky just made funnel cakes. Awesome!!!
http://www.kiddio.org/2009/05/easy-peasy-funnel-cakes.html

2:36pm
Becky got productive for once, and cleaned the kitchen, front room and playroom all in one fell swoop. Melinda even pitched in, yay! Room to move now... feels much better!

3:34pm
Becky briefly wondered if "Missing USB Cable" disease was contagious, but then found the cord as soon as she thought about posting it on Facebook.

4:16pm
We like our babies rear-facing as long as possible, it's the safest way! Also check out the blog post here, which has videos comparing rear-/front-facing crash safety tests.

AAP recommends rear-facing car seats until age 2:
http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a

Thursday, May 7th
9:21am
Becky is totally zonked. Alex decided 5:00-6:45am was witching hour. And, of course, I went to bed late. And then landscaping came promptly at 8:30am and woke him back up.

9:10pm
Becky had a lot of fun at swim class with Alex tonight. He took right to it, got dunked under and everything! Melinda is doing *awesome* in level 3, working on gliding underwater and propelling herself. Jacob goofed off and wouldn't listen to his teacher... but he seemed a little braver, at least!

Friday, May 8th
12:47pm
Alex (mostly) sleeps in a pack 'n play in the master bedroom, next to our bed. Yesterday he figured out how to climb out. At 13 months old. Now I can't even contain him and try to snooze a little longer when he decides to wake up at 6:30am. *sob*

3:59pm
Becky has to admit that she both *loves* the Sync flavor of Vitamin Water, and the bonus of getting free music. Spend $1.00 for the Vitamin Water, get $1.49 to spend at the Amazon Music store? Heck yes!!

Saturday, May 9th
12:30am (that's just after midnight "Friday night"...)
Becky is resisting bed for no good reason. Which is really dumb when I was up early, had a long day, and expect to be woken up early again in the morning. Quiet nights are too alluring.

11:08am
Becky and Jesse are having friends over for a Guitar Hero/Mario Kart party. And the kids from both families can entertain each other. Yay for fun!

6:35pm
Jesse spilled a whole jar of pickle juice all over the rug under the dinner table. Happy to let him clean it up himself. In the meantime, we'll see if baking soda will get the smell out if it sits overnight...
[Note: It did! Just have to take the time to steam out the small amount of remaining crusted baking soda that wouldn't come off the rug with just vacuum.]

Sunday, May 10th
1:05pm
Becky is off to take a Mother's Day nap. Mmmmm.

Monday, May 11th
10:18am
Becky feels like shopping but has no car today. :(

4:08pm[after grabbing the car from Jesse when he came home for lunch, and driving him back to work, then making a fairly un-needed trip to Target...]
Becky might have to break down and admit an addiction to Lindt's Lindor dark chocolate truffles soon.

9:06pm
Becky and the family went out to the buffet for dinner tonight. I got a kick out of the items Alex demanded (yes, demanded!!) most: #1- kidney beans; #2- steamed carrots; #3- broccoli & cheese soup. A whole big ol' plate of choices, and he'd get mad if he ran out of beans!!

Tuesday, May 12th
10:25am
Becky cooked a hot breakfast two days in a row. Go me!

1:16pm
Becky wishes she had some nearby walking options that didn't include busy roads or apartment complex parking lots.
[It was a *beautiful* day, and I wanted to get out, but I didn't feel all warm and fuzzy about our walkable options. But I sucked it up and we went across the street to a nice little playground, anyway, and had a lovely time.]

3:16pm
Bliss is: Sun on your face, wind through your hair, momentary weightlessness, watching the world bob gently up and down-- Swinging on a swingset. It's not only for the kids!

Wednesday, May 13th
9:53am
Becky would rather be doing *anything* besides grocery list-making and shopping on a gorgeous day like today.
[Yup, it was another nice day. And I still hate grocery shopping.]

1:03pm
Becky is now going to interrupt the children happily playing "Metroid" (ahh, how video games have pervaded our lives!) in order to do the dreaded shopping trip. Seems cruel to everyone involved.
[Sidenote: You should see the little Metroid-styled "guns" Jesse made out of used water bottles - so cool!]

Thursday, May 14th
11:05am
Becky has Jesse home from work today. They've moved everyone to 4-day work weeks, trying to stretch out the inevitable, I guess.... If someone purchases his company, then everything will be fine. In the mean time, we'll try to enjoy his extra day off per week!!
[And this is the root of my couldn't-remember-it-was-Friday problem, this week... Thursday totally felt like a Saturday!! I almost forgot about taking Melinda to preschool the next morning, too!]

4:28pm
Whether or not BPA has been proven dangerous, people should at very least be informed about how easily it is absorbed and retained in the human body. This new study illustrates exactly that. (And, as always, better safe than sorry, IMO! Especially with young kids, whose bodies are so much smaller and still developing!)
http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/2009/05/14/new-study-shows-69-increase-in-bpa-levels-with-polycarbonate-bottle-use/

11:27pm
Becky is making good progress in preparing for Sunday's lesson... and even the sheer terror is starting to wear off. Not to say it might not make an ugly return at the last minute. But at least I'll have a presentable lesson!

Friday, May 15th
9:02am
Becky just might die from exposure to humidity. Currently 92%. And now not even the fog is sticking around to make it interesting.

2:56pm
Becky is sleeeeeeeepy.

4:57pm
Becky just waved goodbye to Jesse and Jacob, who are on their way out for a one-night Father/Son camp-out. Jacob's first ever, and he's so excited!

10:51pm
Becky got a call from Jesse about 10 minutes ago, from within the tent at the camp-out. He's got a blinding headache and Jacob's pretty much bouncing off the tent walls (overstimulated?). He's up way too late. Poor Jesse. I talked him out of coming home, but I should have thought to send him with some ibuprofen just in case, on a hot/humid day like this. Once he gets working/sweating, he gets headaches easily. :(

Saturday, May 16th
12:23am [notice the midnight hour again...]
Becky is wondering how to turn 30 minutes of quotes and discussion questions into something more along the lines of only 10-15 minutes in order to allow time for actual discussion. I can't cut this stuff out, people!! I'm going to panic about this, especially since it's after midnight and I need to sleep instead of figuring it out right now. Ugh.
[That's what I get for timing the read-through for the first time right at midnight. Ugh.]

That's it for updates. Obviously I didn't update at all on Saturday... I was too busy going over my lesson a million times, trimming it everywhere possible, refining it, making notes.... It did go really well today, and I'm so happy and relieved. I never blogged about it, though I probably will, at some point - but this new calling in church had me (and in a way, still does have me) completely intimidated and scared out of my mind, even though I'm only supposed to teach once a month. I just don't picture myself as a good teacher, especially to a room full of women where I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest one in attendance. BUT, I'm happy to say that the Lord truly does qualify those who He calls. I couldn't have done it without His help, and the presence of the Spirit. A good Teacher Development teacher at our Sunday School class, and a good resource on the internet sure didn't hurt, either! :)

Win a Laptop!

I know.  I haven't had a real post in several weeks.  Maybe even a month?  I'm not sure.  I've lost track, it's been *that* long.  And I should totally do a real blog post.  Instead, I'm going to give you a heads up about an awesome giveaway through one of the blogs I am subscribed to.

Win a laptop, complete with a laptop bag, at MetropolitanMama.net!!
http://metropolitanmama.net/2009/05/mothers-day-giveaway-extravaganza-win-a-laptop/

You have until May 22nd to enter....but I won't hate you if you don't enter, because then my chances of winning would be better!  ;)

But seriously... a laptop would be sooooo nice.

Facebook Friday

I feel incredibly guilty about not having any real blog posts in a number of weeks now. Every time I sit down and think, "I'm going to blog today!", I remember how all my photos and videos are still sitting on my camera. And then how I'd have to upload them to the internet. And then link them and organize them on a post. And then type my typical book to go along with all of them. And I just .... ugh. I'm not up to it yet. I HOPE I will get around to blogging *something*, at least, very soon. But for now, you'll have to settle for this week's edition of Facebook Friday.

Saturday, April 25
9:38am
Becky was woken up much too early for a Saturday morning. By *Alex*, of all people- the one who usually sleeps latest, and the one who needs supervision. Whatever happened to sleeping in??

11:12am
Becky is taking the kids to swim class again. Alex is napping, and Jesse's staying home with him. Avoiding the situation of an over-tired screaming baby at all costs, today.

8:32pm
Becky is cracking up - Just overheard Jesse singing "More Than a Woman" to the kids for bedtime. What a goof!

Sunday, April 26
1:47pm
Becky is wearing shorts for the first time this year, and avoiding turning the A/C on. It's so hot outside- 89 degrees!!

Monday, April 27
11:04am
Becky is shaking like a leaf, but conquered one of her most major fears: A wasp in the house. 1st try resulted in me cowering on the floor, crying in anticipated fear. 2nd try, wasp got out of bucket/paper lid trap, and I ran out of the room screaming/slammed the door behind me. 3rd attempt, got the water sprayer out, and saturated the dang thing until it could hardly even crawl. Smashed it. Success!! But shaking still!!

4:40pm
Becky is melting. Turned on the A/C earlier to get it back down to 79 inside... Resisting temptation to turn it on again at the current temp of 82 is not going to last long, once I turn the oven on for dinner.

Tuesday, April 28
8:55am
Becky totally called the "twist" in last night's episode of Castle, a good 15-20 minutes before it even crossed the characters' minds. Yay me! I'm getting good at this crime show thing!

4:00pm
Becky can't find her swimsuit anywhere. But in my efforts to check every nook and cranny of my bedroom, it's now the cleanest and most organized it's been since we moved in 8 months ago.

6:39pm
Becky knew that the Baltimore area was plagued with water main breaks, but this one tops them all!! Busy downtown streets turned to rivers, tons of businesses closed. Insane.
http://www.wbaltv.com/video/19312007/index.html

9:05pm
Becky is voting for Adam Lambert. He amazes me *every* week!

11:03pm
Becky is soooooo thankful for the lovely mild breeze blowing in through the windows right now. Feels absolutely heavenly.

Wednesday, April 29
10:17am
Becky is thinking it's probably time to re-think my aversion to breakfast foods.
http://www.naturallyknockedup.com/2009/01/what-is-cereal-good-for.html

3:30pm
Becky's wedding anniversary is today! Thinking about what a pleasant 9 years it's been, even if we're not where we thought/hoped we'd be by now. ♥

6:56pm
Becky thinks Jacob is pretty cute when he gets super enthusiastic about eating "wacky tails", which is the name he came up with for asparagus all on his own. And then repeats "I like wacky tails!" about 20 or 30 times throughout dinner as he snarfs down as many as possible. ♥

10:16pm
Becky stood in line for 45 minutes for 31 cent/scoop ice cream at Baskin Robbins, but it was SO WORTH IT.

Thursday, April 30
12:47pm
Becky helped a friend pack for her move to Texas this morning. Now back home and scrounging up lunch for the kids and working on naptime for Alex.

8:53pm
Posting from an ipod at the mall. so cool!

12:00am
Becky had such a great time going out on a date with her husband. It's been too long, but it was a lot of fun. We got the entire outdoor patio at Cheesecake Factory to ourselves - everyone else was apparently more willing to deal with a long line than a chance of rain (which never happened). Good food, fun conversation, and window shopping afterward. ♥

Friday, May 1
9:30am
Becky wishes all her children slept in until 9am like Jacob does. Takes after his mommy- so not a morning person.

1:41pm
Becky thinks Maryland is absolutely gorgeous in springtime. So many various blossoms, and so abundant...

10:27pm
Becky had a long but fun evening, one-on-one with Jacob at the Mother-Son Fiesta. He enjoyed himself. Right up till the end when a bigger kid broke the pinata before he ever got a chance to whack it. Oh, how we waited for his turn eagerly, only for that disappointment. He was, however, happy about the candy he was able to gather.