A very Merry Christmas

We had such a wonderful Christmas season this year! Most of all, it was so great to have Colby around all the time. I mean, not that I would've chosen to have him lose his job right before Christmas - but being the silver-lining kinda gal that I am (or at least try to be), I definitely loved having him around all day long for the whole month. It made for lots of great family-together time.

Since having Adam, it just doesn't really occur to me to take pictures very often (since it interferes with me hugging & kissing him all day long :D). So I don't have a lot to offer by way of visual addition to the blog, but here's a few bits that I did manage to catch:

Visit to Temple Square

The night started out a little backwards - on the way down, I couldn't get Adam to fall asleep in the car (a newborn, not sleeping on a car ride?!), and then right next to his mad crying Emma did this:
Whaa?! Emma, alseep in her car seat? Yeah, that hasn't happened since she was about 14 months old. Crazy stuff.


I decided that I wanted to start a Christmas tradition with my kids, having them help me make cookies for Santa & making special cookies, not just chocolate chip or sugar cookies. So I went with one of my most favorite cookies, chocolate crinkles (now dubbed "Santa Cookies"). I haven't made them for over a decade, and couldn't find my old recipe - so thank you to Isa for posting one recently on her blog, they turned out quite well! Perfect activity for afternoon on Christmas Eve.

Emma's favorite part was shaking her powdered-sugar-covered hands over me, claiming the she was sprinkling "pixie dust" on me. (She's currently very into Tinkerbell.) Thanks, Emma, I definitely needed a little sprinkling of pixie dust to improve my clean shirt. :D

Adam doing some serious supervising of the cookie-making

"See Adam, the women do the baking , and WE get to enjoy the results! Mwahahaha!"We had a great time at the Harmon's for Christmas Eve (forgot both of my cameras, epic fail!), and then headed home to get Emma to bed so that Santa could come make his delivery.

Christmas morning was, in a word, perfect. Emma was so sweet, getting excited about each present whether it was for her or not. Adam sat happily in the swing, just enjoying the merry mood. After opening presents, we continued one of my favorite Norton family traditions with a birthday cake for Baby Jesus. Emma's been so into all our nativity decorations & the whole story of Christmas, so I think she loved having the chance to sing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus.

The whole Christmas season was wonderful, and keeping things on a smaller budget this year really helped to keep the focus on the right things. I'm so overhwhelmed with love for my little family, and so excited to see what the new year will bring for us!

The stockings were hung...

...by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

And Mama in her kerchief & I in my cap, had just settled down for... about 3 minutes before Adam wakes up again. :)



We're all ready for our first real family Christmas morning, in our first real home!! Lots of fun pics to come, and perhaps some video too!

- Posted from my iPhone

A note for the future

Dear Future Adam:

Someday you're gonna break hearts & woo the ladies with this smile:


Trust me. It's the exact same "Harmon Half-Smile" that Daddy snagged Mommy with years ago.

Use the power wisely, and don't abuse it. :D

Love, Mommy

Bathtub for 3

Got a little bored today...

So when Adam had another lovely gravity-defying poop (i.e., the poop goes up his back even though gravity dictates that it should go down into his diaper), Emma declared that he needed a bath & so did she!

Well... sure, why not.



Such good times. Adam loved it, Emma of course had a blast, and Mommy got a solid half-hour of quality happy time with both her kids & minimal yelling at Emma. I think this is gonna become a regular occurrence at our house!

(Disclaimer: Although I love the blue tub & am not knocking it - this is our downstairs bathroom where Emma likes to have baths. Our main bathroom upstairs is much, uh, less blue & more... normal. :) Which I guess you'd all know if I could get my butt in gear & actually share some pictures of our house, right? Yeah, yeah...)

Look Ma, no computer!

This is a test post using the new app I just found to do phone-blogging. So far, I'm liking it! Perhaps now I'll get around to putting the occasional picture on the blog! It's so exciting!!

Here's a cute little pic to start it off:



Works quite good - I'm pretty excited about this!


- Posted from my iPhone

Shame on me...

I am a terrible mother.

I mean, just a low-down, no-good horrid mother.

I immediately find the time to blog about my little silly obsession, and yet I still haven't posted anything about the annual celebration of the birth of my dear darling daughter?!

I think I should call DCFS on myself, seriously.

I do have pictures & video & wonderful stories to share about my amazing little girl, and that is top priority on my to-do list, but for now I'll just say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my silly sweet Emma-Loo!!!

You are such a fiery little spirit, constantly filling our home with imagination and joyful laughter. You teach me everyday to lighten up and take life a little less seriously. I love you fiercely & cannot wait to see what amazing things you do this next year!

Oh. My.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go see it. NOW. Skip work, take the kids to grandma's house, whatever. Trust me.

I don't even know where to BEGIN! I need to see this so many more times, at least once a day. :) My current favorite line: "I need to go home." (courtesy of the ever-awesome Mike Newton) ALL HAIL Chris Weitz & his supreme genious-ity!!!!!!

Anybody wanna come babysit a 3-year old & a newborn today??? I could probably get a good 5 showings in before Emma's bedtime...

1-Month

Well, my little newbie is already one-month old!

(imagine a darling picture of Adam here, if I were being a good enough mom to document his life with pictures... I'll get to that sometime soon, I promise!)

So far, Adam has been quite the awesome baby! I've been able to experience some of the things that I previously thought to be the stuff of baby-myth: a baby falling asleep without crying, or in the midst of a noisy well-lit room, or without giant bouncing in a pitch-black room with loud white noise... You get the idea. He gets fussy in the evenings & isn't sleeping through the night or anything; but within my frame of reference from previous experience, he's quite splendid.

However, the poor little kid has had a rough week or two dealing with his first cold & the joys of nasal congestion. He's had to endure my endless regimen of saline drops, "snot-sucking" with the bulb syringe, using a nebulizer w/saline solution (borrowed from Aunt Amy, thank you!), and sleeping in a well-humidified room. And almost 2 weeks later... he's still sick. :( It's made sleeping a bit more challenging; I've given in & just end up holding him most of the time. We're really hoping this thing starts to taper off soon!

Luckily we're - and by that, I mean I'm - completely recovered from our bout with thrush, and nursing is FINALLY the pleasant bonding experience that it should be. (Though it doesn't last long - this kid does not waste time, he's done in like 10 minutes flat.) And it didn't seem to have affected his eating too much, since he's already gained a full 2 lbs. in this first month! I do love a big healthy baby & not having to worry about him eating enough.

Some of the highlights of Adam's personality:

• He seems to have gotten the same freakish strength his big sister started life with - he can stand up tall, holds his head up like no one's business, and... last Friday he rolled over. 3 times!! That actually beats Emma by a full month, and she ended up crawling at 5 months & walking at 9 1/2. Good gravy, we're in trouble... :)
• He has the most beautiful big smile, it melts my heart every time.
  
• He's kept almost all of the hair he was born with - yay!!
• He LOVES bathtime, has from the first one. Though I'm not sure who enjoys his baths more, him or Emma... lol

Most of all, he is so darned beautiful & handsome!! That can be entirely attributed to the fact that he looks exactly like his daddy, exactly! And everyone knows that I love miniature versions of larger things, so it just doesn't get any better than this little boy. I think I'll keep him!

Yes, I'm still alive...

...and no, I didn't forget my Blogger password. I'm just a bit scattered is all, and - oh yeah - have a brand new baby! :D An absolutely adorable, sweet, handsome little baby. See, here's the proof:

So there's my excuse. Hope it's good enough. :)

Since I never really shared a lot of pictures in the first place, let's take care of that now, while both my kids are actually sleeping! After Adam came speeding out, Grandma Joni got the honors of sharing the very first picture of him:
Meeting his daddy (who's so skinny lately, it still weirds me out!)
And finally back to Mommy!
And up next, the three cutest faces money can buy:
Things have been pretty good since; Adam's a very good little boy & given me a couple 6+ hour stretches of sleep at night! Not the norm, mind you, but still a nice thing when it happens. :)

There's many other things I couple talk about, stories I could share... but now Adam's waking up. :) Ah well, at least I got the pictures up & that's all anyone really cares about anyway, right?

Splish Splash

Since Adam's cord fell off yesterday - and since, negligent mother that I am, I hadn't yet given him a bath - we decided have his first real bath last night. (i.e. non-sponge bath) What was the verdict on it? Well, he definitely liked it better than Emma did her first bath. lol

Here's a short little video of the grand event:

Sidenote - Can I just express how much I adore the new iPhones with video recording?! Take a video, upload it right to Youtube, put it on the blog, all with no big camera/no cords/no computer... Priceless.

Sidenote 2 - Since Kent already claimed the honor of "Vertical Video Man", Colby (who shot the video) decided to one-up him & shoot in vertical video WITH the microphone covered for an edgy muffled-sound effect. Nice. (Honestly Colbs, I expect this sort of technological ineptitude from Kent, but you just have no excuse.)

I will say, even though it brings many inherent difficulties, I am really enjoying 2 kids! It's a whole new dynamic for things like this, and it makes everything a bit more interesting logistically, but a LOT more fun. :) *My outlook may be a little biased based on the fact that Adam slept 6 1/2 hours straight last night; we'll see if I'm still singing this song tomorrow.*

Meet Adam James!!

Well our little peanut has arrived! Adam James was born this morning at 10:30 sharp, after about 4 1/2 hours of labor & ONE single push! This kid really wanted out... haha

He weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 inches long, has some beautiful blonde hair, and so far seems to be a FABULOUS nurser!! Here's a quick little video that Grandpa Kent took just shortly after delivery: (Apologies, seems Gramps is a vertical-video taker.)



Since I've got about 3 nurses waiting for me to eat/pee/etc., I suppose I'l post more later! Welcome, baby Adam, we're SO ecstatic to have you here finally!!!

Only 2 more months, only 2 more months...

New trailer. Me happy. :D

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Where have I been?!

Where have I been? Where have I been! I've been moving into our new house, that's where! And no, I don't have pictures or anything since I've just been trying to simply keep my head above water here. :) But I think, finally, we're settled & getting into the groove of living here, and I hope to start getting some photos taken to share with anyone out there who's interested. (I know, Sooz, I know - they're coming!)

Even though we moved in on the 8th, we got a bit of a late start with things when, shortly following move-in day, my cold turned into a raging sinus infection & I became the lucky owner of not one but TWO pink eyes. Ick & ick. Far FAR worse, however, was the medicine given to me to knock out these infections. 7 days of eye ointment every 4 hours is unpleasant, to say the least; and a 5-day stint on a Z-Pack was enough to make me wanna curl up & die a little. The good news? They both did their jobs extremely well & cleared things up no problem. So, I'll focus on that.

With all the madness I've almost forgotten that I'm pregnant (I said almost...), and suddenly I'm about 6 weeks away from the big event & it still feels like it should be about 6 months away. Time has been passing WAAAAY too fast with this one; a list of things I have ready & things I don't would be horribly unbalanced (as in nothing vs. everything). Not to mention the fact that I'm starting to realize... I don't at all remember how to care for a newborn! This may as well be my first baby for all that I know. Hmm, this should be interesting...

Well I guess this'll be a pretty boring update without something to spice it up - so here's a picture of Emma this morning playing in Daddy's winter boots that she found in the closet.
She's having the time of her life getting to know her new home. Can't say I blame her, we're all in love with it! I think her favorite part is most definitely her new big-girl bed that she slept in for the first time last night - and she actually got to sleep & stayed in bed all night! Anyone who really knows Emma will recognize what an accomplishment that is for her. Tonight went even better; I have very high hopes about this. :)

Loving our new home!!

SYTYCD, FINALE!

Holy SYTYCD, the Kodak theatre?! Wowza.

Group dance: Mainly, props to the girls for dancing in those sneaks 'cause it's hard! (I know, the guys did too, but it's different for guys. They don't have to do it & look... sexy.) Also very glad that I never had to wear THOSE hot pants in my cheering days. LOL

Jeanine/Evan: I'm so stinkin' glad that she made it to the finals 'cause I super-duper love her!! And tonight I'm just gonna let go of the fact that Evan shouldn't even be here & just try to appreciate him. And I can appreciate what he did with that, he did it very well. Great number!

*I'm not really covering the solos tonight, they're all pretty much the same as always.*

Kayla/Brandon: That was BUCK. And I'm so happy that I saw a lot more UMPH from Kayla right there than I have throughout a lot of the season. Brandon, of course, is ridiculous. Really great piece from Tyce!

*Okay, I have to comment quickly on Jeanine's solo, because that was even more than we've ever EVER seen from her!!!!!!! I was freaking out at those pirouettes, I actually made Colby rewind it so I could explain to him why they were so insane! That was picture-perfect. I love her so much.

Evan/Brandon: Oh, poor Evan - of course he would get a number like that to have to try to dance with Brandon. He did try, though, I will give him that. But I can't really give him much more...

Kayla/Jeanine: Interesting number, I think it only partially connected with me... But I could appreciate it for sure. I love that it got to be Jeanine & Kayla doing it side by side because it totally exemplified what I've been talking about with them, the natural ability vs. earned ability - and perhaps it's just my opinion, but I think earned ability really won the number! Things just always go deeper when you've had to work & fight for it, and that's what Jeanine continues to mean to me.

Kayla/Evan: Well, um... Evan actually did better than Kayla on that! But I think I have to contribute most of that to whomever's decision it was to make Kayla do a flippin' Jive in flippin' cowboy boots?! What the?? She just couldn't get the proper kick'n'snap, the right-on-your-toes bounce, all those requisite Jive elements. HUGE disadvantage to her, bad bad choice on someone's part. (Mary's a retard, Kayla did not own that.) But, I do not like hearing the crowd chanting "Evan, Evan!" I have the worst sinking feeling that he's gonna win...

Jeanine/Brandon: Ooo, I can just tell this is gonna rock... That was like Paso a la Matrix or something. Mad-hot! I'm very pleased that these two got to finish off the night.

And now, who do I want to win? Yikes, I know I've been so dance-hot for Brandon the whole time, but I sortof really really want Jeanine to win!!! And if Evan wins I may have to go strangle a squirrel or something! ;)

SYTYCD, Week 8

Well, Janette's gone. :( Very big tear, super-big. But, I suppose we have to press on! So let's.

Boys' dance: I'm really distracted tonight, I'm gonna be doing a lot of rewinding tonight. Um, again, very STRANGE from Sonya! I super-mega-LOATHE those costumes, and they really distracted me from the dance. But excluding those, I thought it was pretty cool! And I loved what Lil' C said about Evan - he can't really be complimented about doing a standout-fabulous job compared to Ade and Brandon, but he get full props & kudos for "not getting swallowed" by the ability of the other two. They all did it well, I think.

Jeanine/Ade: Very hot, very sharp - very samba-ey! Mary's retarded. She just likes to sound like an expert in the ballrooms dances by being highly critical when they come around. Okay, so it wasn't perfect but I thought it was lots better than the judges found it.

Kayla's solo: Yeah, same old kayla. I'm getting sick of her.

Melissa/Evan: It's like the waltz of the albinos! hehe Yeah, lots of fun & cheese; well danced, good personality. But, something fell short for me. Don't really know exactly what, hmm.... (lol Apparently Lil' C feels quite the same.) And great comment from Nigel about Melissa - I've known a few classically trained ballerinas & they literally cannot NOT do ballet - they walk, sit, and sneeze like ballerinas. So it's highly impressive that Melissa has so successfully performed the various styles that she has.

Ade's solo: Love Ade, really hope to see him in the finale.

Kayla/Brandon: Who-ie, racy little number that was! And not necessarily in a bad way... haha! Yeah, I may have my issues with Kayla but she is definitely someone that can keep up with Brandon & the combination of those 2 talents made for one heck of a number. Very top-notch.

Melissa's solo: Very pretty - but just a tad boring this week.

Jeanine/Ade #2: Not my favorite from Tab & Nappy. Didn't like the costumes, the music, the choreography, the props - but I liked Jeanine & Ade just fine! So, I have no beef with their performance, just with everything else about that number.

Brandon's solo: Are you joking me?! lol It's a busy week for him, he figures "I'll just use the solo the I auditioned with, it was good enough to get me here." Did I mention I think he's pretty good?

Melissa/Evan #2: That number would've definitely made it into a professional competition - but it wouldn't have actually won anything. Okay, that was perhaps a touch harsh, it was fairly well done; but there were some awkward moments and it was far from perfect.

Jeanine's solo: Good classic Jeanine; she definitely has a recognizable style in her solos. Hope she makes it into the finals!

Evan's solo: Aw Evan, you are fun. I have nothing against you personally; but, I just don't wanna see you around next week. :(

Kayla/Brandon #2: I think Doriana Sanchez is using every opportunity this season to prove that Disco is alive & legit, 'cause she has thrown these kids this year every trick she could dream up! Another insane disco number, and again well done. Brandon was golden, Kayla was definitely channeling her inner Soul Train star, and they did a great job.

Girls' number: Man, I guess I didn't drink my Sonya-Juice this morning or something...
Didn't really like the dance & REALLY didn't like the music. (Someone got PAID to produce that?!) And I'm not sure that whoever made those costumes has finished their Jr. High TLC class yet... hehe Had to be said. But I can't really fault the girls for that & I thought they all did just fine.

So now, WHO SHOULD GO? Well, Evan, for one; and either Kayla or Melissa, I can't bring myself to decide... But that doesn't answer the real question: who WILL go?! I'm so so worried that Evan is more popular than anyone knows, and I'll just scream if he stays and one of the other guys has to pack up. Less than 24 hours & then we'll know!

SYTYCD, Week 7

Okay wait, what did Cat just say - only 2 weeks left till the finale?! Rude. Oh but wait, hold the bus - it's coming right back in the fall! hehe That just makes me happy all the way to my toes.

Moving ahead, yay for fun new parternerships & YAY for guest judge Ellen! I'm so jazzed to listen to her funny-face all night.

Oh heavens, "Dr. Nigel Lythgoe"... I hope they're not gonna be doing that every week.

SWEET, group number by Travis! He continues to be adorablicious. And let's see what I think of the dance: Very fun! No one stood out, no one held the piece back - it wasn't entirely synced or perfect, but quite a party.

Janette/Evan #1: Yeah I'm gonna be hearing about this Janette outfit for the next week.... ;) Not the best pairing with these two, I think; they don't quite mesh right. Pretty good effort, especially on Janette's part. Wasn't phenomenal, though, and it really could have been.

Kayla's solo: Not enough substance, but a very pretty bit. I think she'll be in trouble this week.

Jeanine/Brandon #1: Well no, the waltz is not an easy dance. Not even for these two very high-caliber dancers. :( It wasn't terrible at all, it was fine - but again not phenomenal. Waltz needs to flow constant like a river, not staggered like a drippy faucet.

Jason's solo: Just fine. I'm never crazy about Jason's solos, but they're fine.

Melissa/Ade #1: And whaddya know, another "just okay" number! I think Melissa could've used a couple tutoring sessions w/Janette, and a couple sessions of spray-tanning. :) I guess all the steps were there, but they didn't add up to a super-sexy cha-cha.

Janette's solo: I want that dress; mainly the skirt part. That is fun.

Kayla/Jason #1: I think that's the first number of the night to come much closer to reaching its full potential. Very classy, very jazzy, very good choreography put to very good use by these two. Great lines from Kayla & great feeling from Jason.

Ade's solo: Weird music, I kept waiting for it to really take off. And it never really did, which was distracting from his dancing.

Janette/Evan #2: Janette, A+. Evan - I wish I could give him the same, but maybe like a B+? He did do a lot really well, but never fully grabbed the rhythm and the essence of what is "Rumba."

Melissa's solo: Fun little rock-ballet bit, could've used to be a touch faster.

Jeanine/Brandon #2: I wasn't terribly moved by the choreography, and I can't fault them for that. It was definitely intense & they put so much fight into it - but I still felt a bit of a disjoint between them, something just a little off. Very good, though!

Editor's note: man, I'm hard to please tonight! I've had a perfectly decent day, I'm not in a foul mood or anything. Huh.

Evan's solo: Good 'ole Evan, same silly grin as always.

Jeanine's solo: I love her more every week.

Melissa/Ade #2: Dance. Of. The. Night. Of the season, perhaps. That number nearly brought me to tears (only nearly because I don't really cry - if I were a normal girl I'da been bawling), and I can't pinpoint precisely why, but I will say this: at work I meet women every day that are fighting this battle as best they can. They're all totally different, and yet all carry the same amazing spirit - and somehow the movements that Tyce put together really did capture that spirit. That was an astounding accomplishment, and exemplified why dance moves me to the core.

Brandon's solo: Honestly.

Kayla/Jason: Haha, I loved it! Jason was stone-cold chillifying & Kayla was great, too. *Note on Kayla: I get a little torn on Kayla because I feel like her sheer natural ability has been a bit of a double-edged sword for her. It's clearly served her well; but, I'll bet she's never had to work super-hard to be amazing, and she now doesn't quite have that same "fight for it" dance ethic that someone like Jeanine, for example, does. So I feel like she did that number really well, but didn't dig all the way into herself to become whatever the dance required of her. There's my 2-cents.

I'm not even gonna try to pick the bottom dancers this week - I'm just gonna focus on preparing myself for the squee-fest that tomorrow night's show promises to be! It is going to rock, ladies & gents.

Pretty Purple Princess

Since Grandma Joni is so fond of painting Emma's nails, Emma now knows right where Grandma keeps her polish. And since Grandma paints Emma's nails so frequently, Emma thinks she knows exactly how it's done. So the other night at dinner, she did. :)

Sad as it is, Emma sat on the kitchen floor - in FULL view of Mommy Daddy & Grandma chatting away - going to town with the polish, and no one even paid attention until I heard her say "I need to blow my nails to dry them." Excuse me Emma, what was that?

In addition to the paint on (or around) her nails, she got streaks on her shirt, her face, and a big dripping one on her leg. So, of course we had to have a bath! (Not that soapy water remvoes nail polish, but Emma will take any excuse for a bath, really.)

Oh, my Pretty Purple Princess!

SYTYCD, Week 6

Eeeek, new partners!!!! Oh I can't wait - get it started, Miss Pretty Cat!

Girls group dance: Yay, more Bollywood. hmmm... I'm rude, I know, but I get to be honest on my own blog. They all did a great job, I can't say that anyone really stood out for me - although Melissa seemed a little less "Bolly" than the other gals. But, as Colby so happily pointed out - thanks Hubby - her abs are just entirely reeeeeeee-diculous. Again, it's that darned ballet training at work!

Kayla/Evan: Kayla's flawless & Evan is quite dashing and suave (although I'm betting the judges won't be totally crazy about his performance). Very beautiful!

Brandon's solo: Seriously.

Janette/Ade: Well it was good & fun, and these two are great. But... yes, but! They just don't have the same sync that Janette & Brandon seemed to have from dance one. I enjoyed them but I can't help wishing I would've been watching the old pairing up there puttin' on the funk.

Randi's solo: I love seeing solos from everyone this week, from people like Randi that we haven't seen do a solo yet. She's so strong & so soft in her motion, great to see her.

Kupono's solo: These solos of his always help to remind me why I wasn't crazy about him earlier in the season. He just can't choreograph, I suppose.

Jeanine/Jason: Heavens YES, standing O! Okay, I knew KNEW this was gonna happen with Jason - I have not really cared about him this whole time, something was just missing from him. And I was really happy that he didn't go home last week because I just knew that putting him with another partner was gonna light him up in flames! And yes, I think that qualifies as FLAMES, people. (My cheeks are flaming, that's for sure.... LOL) Superb, the two of them, just completely stunning. Travis said they needed to be totally connected from the first beat & that is most definitely what they delivered. Maybe I need to watch that one again, just to make sure I'm not overrating it... :D

Melissa's solo: I love watching real ballet.

Evan's solo: He's so cute! I do think he'll be going in the near future, but I still love him.

Kayla's solo: Good solo, always like Kayla.

Randi/Kupono: Well, not disastrous, but not a home-run either. Mostly, I'm just not crazy about them as a pair. (I'm so very sad to see Kupono & Kayla split!) Kupono wasn't fierce enough, and Randi had some great moments but also some very awkward passes and stumbling lifts. Most importantly - no chemistry.

Ade's solo: Well, it needed to be set to different music that's for sure; but he's of course super.

Jeanine's solo: I'm always so impressed with her incredible dancing, when she truthfully does not have the most ideal body for dancing. (No, I'm NOT talking about weight! I'm talking about turnout, back arch, torso-height to leg-length ratio, etc...) It's completely obvious how hard she has worked to do the absolute best with what she has, and that demands respect!

Jason's solo: Fun & good; still a little too upright and steady, but getting better.

Melissa/Brandon: These two are so impeccable, seriously. That dance didn't really connect with me emotionally or anything, but that in no way stops me from appreciating their talent.

Janette's solo: Yeah, I'll be hearing about this outfit for the next little while. Go ahead and enjoy, Colbs, she is hot.

Boys' group dance: If I had to pick a favorite from this I suppose I'd say (big surprise) Brandon, haha! In honestly, I don't think any of them were able to fully abandon their own style and let this organic primal movement take over. But they all put forth a ton of effort and it certainly wasn't a train wreck. It was fun!

Man, who could I even stand to lose at this point? Okay, well someone has to go so let's get serious: I suppose Evan & Kupono are probably the most vulnerable guys right now, and for the girls I think maybe Randi and perhaps Kayla ought to be a little worried. But I could be totally wrong, of course. :) We shall see!

4th of July!

(A little late. Hush.)

Every year the Harmon Fam goes to the grand fireworks show that takes place at Granite High on July 3rd, and they're always pretty great!

Emma showing me the Ring Pop that Grandma gave her - and that never left her hand the rest of the night. Not even when everyone was dancing to "Twist & Shout":

Or when she was dancing cheek-to-cheek with Daddy:

The evening ended with some great fireworks, which Emma understandably was NUTS about! She's never been scared by them, which I'm quite grateful for.

On the 4th, we had a blast swimming at Aunt Brooklyn's house (Emma's inner-fish suddenly came to life, she alternated her time between jumping off the diving board & going down the slide), and then had a grand outdoor feast at the Nortons backyard. We decided not to keep Emma up late for fireworks 2 nights in a row, but she didn't even fall asleep until 10 so I guess we should've just gone for it. :)

We did sorely miss spending the 4th in Boston, there's really no Independence Day experience like that. I guess nothing else will quite compare for me; but I always love celebrating America's birthday no matter where I am!

SYTYCD, Week 5

Okay, I'm sure this won't be any great disappointment to anyone, but this is gonna be real sweet'n'short. It's been a, well, INTERESTING day for me - to say the absolute very least! - so tonight I'm going with a straightforward 1-5 scoring system, and here we go:

Melissa/Ade:
#1 - 4
#2 - 4.5 *Just shy of getting my "5", but real close*

Kayla/Kupono:
#1 - 5 *Kupono was mildly terrifying in that, absolutely chilling number!*
#2 - 4

Caitlin/Jason:
#1 - 3.5 *I can't state anything particularly wrong with it; it's just missing something.*
#2 - 4 *Again, they did a lovely job, but something's just missing.*

Janette/Philip:
#1 - 2.5 *Should've been WAAAY more exciting*
#2 - 4 (3.5 for him, 4.5 for her)

Randi/Evan:
#1 - 4 *Ahh, the glory of white-kid hip-hop*
#2 - 4 (3.5 for him, 4.5 for her)

Jeanine/Brandon:
#1 - 5 *SHA. ZAMMM.*
#2 - 5 *Ridiculous & Deeeeeelicious*

And for the bottom 3 this week, I'm actually gonna go with who I think should be the bottom 3, not necessarily who I think it will actually be:

Caitlin/Jason
Janette/Philip
Randi/Evan

Ahhhhh, this is getting so darn tough!!

SYTYCD, Week 4

Oooo, I've got a good feeling about this week. I think it's gonna be a hot one! Here we go:

Janette/Brandon: Okay! So, Brandon can cha-cha as well, apparently! Which begs the question: What CAN'T he do?!?! And Janette is completely cha-cha-licious, too. (Colby over here says that she's his crush for this season. Even with those bangs? ;) ) I mean, does everyone out there realize that these two have smashed - not just done well, but ROCKED - every single dance they've gotten so far... and they haven't even gotten their own flippin' style yet!!! I think they have pulled ahead as my favorite couple, as of this moment.

Kayla/Kupono: Well, the song choice was EXCELLENT, of course. :D hehe And Sonya is just purely twisted, once again! I'm gonna go completely crazy here & state that Kupono actually outdanced Kayla with this one - and that's no rip on her, 'cause she was fabulous as always. Yes, I know, more praise for Kupono, from me! I loved the performance from both of them - they really sunk their teeth into this piece. hehehe

Randi/Evan: Um, I think Evan's a little drunk tonight! haha Okay, that was some of the strangest choreography I've ever seen! I couldn't stop thinking about those Austin Powers dance scenes that were reminiscing those wacky 60's movements. But anyway - as always, these two went neck-deep into the style. I thought they did better than the judges are seeming to think - I always love what they bring to their dances, they're definitely some of my favorites.

Caitlin/Jason: I think... that may have been a little too weird for me. I mean, that was really pushing it to the limits of my personal preference. But they danced it well enough to make me almost like it! If Caitlin needed to own that dance, I'm pretty sure that is what "Caitlin owning it" looks like. So, well done to her for stepping out of her box, and well done to Jason for pulling his weight as well. Loved the dancers, was disturbed much by the dance. :)

Jeanine/Philip: Wow, hip-hop again for these two - Philip is one lucky guy. :) They did it super well & it was definitely interesting... but I think they were actually quite hindered by that dang chain! I mean I liked it & thought it gave a really fun dynamic, but at the same time you could just tell they were worrying about it the whole time. I feel like it could've been just a little better if they were chained at the hip or wrists.

Melissa/Ade: hehe This just tickles me; you can imagine the producers going, "Okay, we've got an ACTUAL ballerina on the show this year, what say we do an ACTUAL ballet?" Melissa was of course exquisite, and Ade, while clearly not a real male ballet dancer, did very respectably for a genre of dance that you cannot pick up in a week. There's a reason they haven't done much ballet on this show: it's the only style of dance that you can't really do unless it's what you do. So I'm very happy with that number!

Karla/Vitolio: Costume change!! That dress thing was so sa-weet, we had to rewind it twice. And guess what? I must've just not liked Asuka, because I liked Vitolio so much better tonight! Yeah, that was so much fun, very well done for the new couple. And Karla has gorgeous extension.

Bottom 3 this week is gonna be a considerable challenge - I'm not really sure where to start. Okay, well, it has to be done:

> Caitlin/Jason
> Randi/Evan
> Karla/Vitolio

Way to be, Week 4, I loved just about all of it!

SYTYCD, Week 3

Let's get right to it, roll 'em!

Karla/Jonathan: She's super-smooth, he's kinda smooth. Kinda like a one-day-stubble smooth. lol I was actually far more happy with their dancing than I was with the actual choreography - I thought it was kinda amateur! So, it wasn't very exciting, but mostly b/c the routine wasn't very exciting.

Asuka/Vitiolio: Okay, a Mandy Moore jazz number set to Pat Benatar? This should have been SOOO much better. These two need to go, I think. They just can't seem to connect to each other onstage, and I just can't seem to connect to them at all.

Melissa/Ade: Yeah, pretty good. For a Rumba, it didn't really set anything afire in me, but they're both definitely amazing. Some top competitors right there, for sure!

Janette/Brandon: hehehe That was so wild & wicked. I loved it! And yeah, Brandon remains one of/if not my most my favorite guy so far. That was hard & tight & rockin'! And you know, these two haven't had either of their styles yet & they've always hit home runs. That is something, right there.

Kayla/Kupono: I always love Kayla - she's totally a favorite & was flawless once again. But I don't really like Kupono & I don't like when I'm forced to like him. Tonight, however, I actually have to give credit where credit it due & own up to really enjoying him tonight. That was entirely beautiful & more than once I found myself watching him and thinking he looked excellent. So against my normal feelings, I have to give that two thumbs up!

Randi/Evan: Well. That boy has some explaining to do to her hubby! Once again Mia is just flat out strange, and once again the dancers took what she gave them & embraced it fully. Especially Evan. Embracing it. You get it. :) I really love these two, they are so incredibly well paired & they just sink into every dance they get. Great dance!

Caitlin/Jason: Overall it was decent - they had some great parts & they really gave it the proper emotion. But there were several rough spots and flub-ups that definitely interrupted the flow & affected the routine's power. So, I'll give it like a B+, perhaps.

Jeanine/Philip: Oh, I adore this song! Way to go, Tyce. I think they did a good job & performed pretty evenly. (Contrary to what Nigel seems to be saying; I don't think she outperformed him at all.) For me, you can't beat the original choreography & performance to that song in the movie, so I was kinda just thinking about that the whole way through. But it was fun!

Well then, who shall we see in de bottom 3?? Let's go with:

Karla & Jonathan
Asuka & Vitolio
Caitlin & Jason

She's O-SO obsessed!

Okay, parents out there: I'm assuming you've all heard of the new show on Playhouse Disney, "Special Agent Oso"? Well, to put it mildly, it's now high on Emma's list of favorite things. High as in, numero UNO.

Anyway, today she found this headset in the computer room:

She started walking around, giving us our "3 special steps" for whatever it was we were doing at the time. (I was cooking dinner, Colby was reading a book on the couch. I can't really remember exactly what our steps were.) Yes, that's right - she was being Paw Pilot, Oso's little digi-helper who basically does all the work for him. Along with the kids he's supposedly "helping" - don't get me wrong, I love Oso, but he's a full-blown idiot. Truly.

But I digress. What was I talking about? Oh yes, Paw Pilot Emma. It was hilarious. Her other latest thing is something that dear Grandma Joni taught her during this week's Monday playdate. We had chicken for dinner tonight (Chicken Carlet, yes Margaret it's still a total favorite!), and Emma used that opportunity to work in her new catchphrase - "Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!" Shouted in repetitions of about 8, usually.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - Thanks so much, Grandma Joni. :)

Our Daddy

Other than his shirt size, nothing's changed much - he's still the sweetest daddy in the world & Emma still loves him dearly! And I guess Mommy's pretty fond of him, too. :)

Happy Father's Day to our super-champ Daddy; we are so very blessed by everything you do for our family! I can't wait to have another one of these pics to put up next year, with a new little one that gets to call you Daddy. I only hope they someday realize how extremely lucky they are!!!

<0> & <0> & <0>!

Hamakama

Emma found a harmonica at Jackson's house the other day and had a really fun time making some sweet music. She definitely didn't want to give it back when it was time to go. Enjoy her musical stylings in this video:



The most entertaining part was listening to her tell me what it was she was playing - my biggest laughs lately come from listening to her unique pronunciations of various words. Observe:

> "Anokanika (Pinnochio; this has now gone by the wayside, but it was great while it lasted.)
> "Pesser Cold Drink" (Professor Von Drake, from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; sadly, this has recently evolved to be "Professor Von Drink." Still funny, but not the same.)
> "Himiny Cricket" (Jiminy Cricket; and no, we have NO idea why she gives it the Spanish pronunciation.)
> Thumper (from Bambi) becomes "Dumper", but thunder becomes "Sunder". Who knows.

So many others I can't think of right now. I'm sure they'll come to me as soon as I hit "Post."

SYTYCD, Week2

Week 2, week 2, even more exciting than week 1! Can't wait to see what they have to offer up; let's only hope it's as wild as Cat's dress! hmm....

Randi/Evan: NICE toe-touch over the partner! Classy. haha She really killed it; Evan did pretty good but I agree fully with Lil' C, his problem is his subtely & smoothness - the Jive has gotta be all bounce & punch! They really should've put him in a shoe with a bit of a heel, that totally would've helped him keep his weight up off his heels and keep the action on his toes. But definitely very... fun!

Melissa/Ade: Yikes, it's like 80's Madonna chasing Wesley Snipes from Blade! That is some outfit, but it worked for sure. Sonja is so weird! but sometimes it just pays off in buckets. These two are SERIOUS contenders, and Melissa is the perfect example of why every dancer should train in ballet - it just teaches your body to do any movement imaginable & do it with full control & strength. Excellent dance!

Caitlin/Jason: This kid is like Usher's dance-double or something, he seriously moves just like him! Which is most definitely a good thing. :) Kaitlyn left quite a bit to be desired for me in the hip-hop genre; overall, the piece as a whole was just kinda alright for me - but not terrible.

Janette/Brandon: Carlton from Fresh Prince! That's who he reminds me of. :) Had to get that out. K, that was for sure one of the better disco numbers on this show, and so dang fast! I'm highly impressed they even survived it, let alone did it that well! Smashed it. Flat. I love them super-much. "Jet-propelled disco" LOL

Asuka/Vitolio: Asuka, thumbs up; Vitolio, thumbs down, a little bit. She's in her element here & of course looked flawless, but his performance took away from that slightly. It didn't feel totally sure or smooth - there were so many moments that I felt he kinda stumbled through. I guess I didn't feel all the emotional power from him that the judges felt. So, according to Nigel, I'm apparently heartless. :( Ah well, can't win 'em all!

Kayla/Max: Well, I just... don't have a lot to say about this one. I mean, it's not that they danced it poorly at all - I just didn't really connect with the choreography/costumes/music/story/etc. It's hard for me to say whether or not I liked them when I didn't like the dance. So, yeah.

Karla/Jonathan: Oooo, chills! This earns my "J'Adore" for the night, because that was just entirely delicious. And I guess I can't remember what his original style is, because what could it be if it's not contemporary?! This'll sound super-cheesy and strange, but those two were just a total revelation. Stunning! (And yay for that song, I had that on my Shazam tag list on my old phone & was so upset about losing that list with my new phone 'cause it's songs like that one that I didn't remember the names for, and now I know that one!)

Jeanine/Philip: Well kids, just uh, keep working on that tango. She wasn't too bad, he struggled pretty bad - but the hard work that went into getting at least that far was very clear. So, just keep working on it I guess! And Nigel makes me laugh almost everytime he speaks. He's one funny Brit, very glad he's mellowed out over the years.

Ashley/Kupono: Yeah, that's how you do Sparks. That definitely came across better than Shane's first routine. AGAIN - this seems to be the theme of the night - she outdid him throughout, but he kept up pretty well. It seems I feel differently about it than the judges. Silly judges. :)

At end of the night, I'm left - wanting something more like last week. :( Only a few dances were really awesome for me, and I've got plenty of choices for bottom 3. Not that this is exactly who I'd pick, but if I had to say what I think will happen in reality:

1. Caitlin/Jason
2. Jeanine/Philip
3. Ashley/Kupono

** On a side note: Did all the iPhoners out there get the update today? Get to it, and enjoy all the lovely copy'n'paste & landscape-mode goodness! And the picture messaging, once AT&T decides to join the party. Lame-o's.

SYTYCD, Week 1

Eeee-hee-hee-hee, first week!! K, since there's 10 dances to cover I'm gonna try to keep things somewhat short today. ** Voice from the future - this doesn't happen. AT ALL! **

Jeanine/Phillip: (yay for Tabitha & Napoleon!) Fun number, and she's way better at hip-hop than she was giving herself credit for in the video intro; both very good! IMO, they do need a little more raw chemistry, but this is week one so that'll probably be true of most of the couples.

Auska/Vitolio: Hmm.... just okay. They're missing a strong connection, and they just didn't really bring anything of their own to the piece. They somehow made it feel like a slower, heavier dance when it should've felt very quick & peppy. So, not my favorite.

Karla / Jonathan: Cute pair, and they both did a great job! I think they could've attacked it just a touch more, but for the first week - and especially for her not being a latin dancer! - that was a sassy Cha-Cha.

Randi / Evan: Wow! What a great dance - and what a natural partner Evan turned out to be, considering I don't think he's really done much partner work. Favorite of the night so far, for sure. I really like both of them, they didn't let a single movement go to waste; and she is such a strong female dancer - I always love a gal with some muscle behind her movement. Super-smexy number!

Paris / Tony - HA, yeah she definitely has the hip-hop vibe in her, you catch that on her first move. For Tony, I wish he would've committed a bit more; I have yet to be super-impressed by him. Overall, it was par.

Kaitlyn / Jason: More Bollywood this season. Yay. *ahem* Anyway, um, it was overall pretty good, and it's definitely a very unique style with its own unique & considerable challenges. I thought he kept up with things a little better than she did (although I LOVE her), but it was wild & colorful, and they've got a great connection going on that they can continue to build on.

Janette / Brandon: Another Wow! For two fish out of water heading into the Foxtrot, that went so swimmingly well. And I'll stake my claim now: I J'ADORE Brandon to the 3rd degree! That boy is da MAN, let me tell you, so Mia can just go sit on a rock while he dances. :) They were both stunning and smooth, and very Fred/Ginger but completely in their own way. Beautiful!

Ashley / Kupono: LOL Oh Wade man, great to see ya! Yikes. Okay, the dance wasn't my favorite Wade piece; but it was a superb delivery, both in technique & story. I was pleasantly surprised by Kupono, whom I hadn't been too impressed with during the audition weeks. As a pair (to channel my inner Nigel), I'm sure they made Wade quite proud, which surely is a hefty challenge in & of itself.

Melissa / Ade: Whoooo-weee, nobody does that like Mandy Moore! I love her. And I LOVE these two! Strong, smooth, sensual & very ethereal. And the stage wind doesn't hurt a thing. :) I'll bet Mandy was tickled pink when she found out she had an honest-to-goodness ballerina to work with. That was beauty in any language.

Kayla / Max: Me likey that Samba! Very good, and yes she's made for ballroom (although she needs to throw even more power and sizzle into her legs - let's have Chelsea Hightower give her a little afternoon tutoring session). We'll have to see how he fares in styles outside ballroom, but for tonight they both land well away from the bottom of the heap.

Okay, bottom 3 for the first round I think shall be:

Asuka & Vitolio

Paris & Tony

Karla & Jonathan

Can I just say, I've missed this!! hehe I know y'all haven't exactly missed my weekly rants, but you can just skip right past all this & I'm never the wiser. :)

And yes --- I THINK THEY CAN DANCE!!! I smell a crazy-good season heading down the rails...

Teeheeheeheeheeheeheehee

That right there is the sound of my unreasonably giddy laughter...

Hallelujah for papercuts & fursploding!!!  Enjoy!!!!!!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

** All I can say is - Little Adam, you'd better be the type of newborn that can sleep through loud movies at 6 weeks! LOL **

Oh fine, here's some Emma

Well, since I work with Grandma Joni 3 days a week, and all I ever hear is "Why isn't there anything new about Emma on the blog? What's all this hokey about baseball and TV shows?"... (honestly woman, we live here now, you see her at least once a week as is!) - Anywho, here are some recent Emma photos, with many smiles successfully captured thanks again to my awesome-duper Nikon.

All dressed up on Mother's Day

Princess Emma taking photos of me with her princess camera


Emma and her cousins Ellie & Tommy spent a good hour being bounced by Grandma and Grandpa Norton; I have hundreds of pictures of this, it was quite difficult to pick just one to post.

Playing in Grandma Joni's backyard


The other Sunday she wore the most adorable little outift to church, so I made her do a little portrait session to show it off. She cooperated extremely well, as you'll see:



* She looks so old to me in this picture, like a 5-year old or something! *

We had fun last Saturday washing our car

(Colby keeps insisting that I be in more pictures, and is always taking control of the camera whenever I put it down. *rolling eyes*)

I pulled out the infant car seat this week to see what double strollers it'll fit in (none, BTW, and this particular brand doesn't really make it's own double stroller); Emma loved playing in it & pretending to sleep in the "bed."


There. We're all caught up now. :)