Climbing the Walls

Lately, Connor can't walk through a doorway without climbing it. Dylan went through the same phase, and it will pass. Either that, or he'll put his foot through the drywall.

Becoming Jane

Here's a clip of one of my favorite scenes from Becoming Jane, starring Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen and James McAvoy as Tom LeFroy.

This was such a good movie that I watched it twice in one weekend. Well, I'm a sucker for literary-based period pieces, for Jane Austen, and for James McAvoy. Check out his smirk as he turns after the "horizons must be...widened" line. Mmmmm.

Back To School

School started today. Hard to believe we now have a first-grader and a fourth-grader. They both had good days, except that they couldn't walk with their friends to school because Dylan's still in his knee immobilizer. Oh, and Connor came home with hives. We joked that he must be allergic to school. Hope it passes soon.


Here's Connor in his classroom, which happens to be the same room as he had last year in kindergarten. I think he was a bit disappointed about that, but they had to move the kindergarten classrooms over to Corpus Christi this year because Northridge didn't have space for full-day kindergarten.

One hundred seventy-nine school days until summer vacation!

Mind the Gap

This was Connor a few weeks ago...


...and here he is today.

The tooth fairy got a "two-fer" last night at our house because Connor lost both his top front teeth yesterday. He looks so different, and he's even got a bit of a lisp. He could do a perfect rendition of "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."

Arty Smarty

Dylan attended a lot of camps this summer, including a week-long art camp at Theo Art School. He came home with loads of projects and artwork using a variety of different media. Here are some examples.











We think these are pretty awesome, and I'm definitely getting the snowman framed.

Leggo My Lego

Dylan went to Lego Robotics camp last week with his good friend, Connor, and had a blast.

They worked together on several projects, and did really well for their first time using the Robotics software. Hopefully, Dylan can get into his First Lego League team at school this year.

Half-Blood Prince

Warner Brothers has released the trailer for the next Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince. Oooo! The movie will be released November 21.

I just recently finished re-reading all seven books, and they were terrific. My first time reading them was with Dylan, so I didn't get the whole story when he read to himself. He's also re-reading them all, currently almost done with book six. Yesterday when we were out, Dylan said he wanted to get home so he could read his book. That's how engaging these books are. And, quite exciting, Connor asked me to start reading them to him from the beginning. How great that our boys can be so into reading.

Scottish Charm x 2

Here's more James McAvoy for those of you who aren't familiar with him. This is from his last appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, who, by the way, is hilarious! I try to catch his monologue every night. He's a naturalized US citizen from Scotland, and these two are great together.

Anyway, the clip at the beginning is from Wanted, which I really enjoyed. It had been awhile since I'd seen a truly R rated film, full of violence and language. I usually don't like stuff like that, but this was great. There was also just a hint of fantasy, like the bending-bullet scene in the clip. Angelina Jolie plays an awesome badass, too.

Go JFK!

Cindy Clough and I

I got back late last night from Brainerd, where we gather every August for the Just For Kix Directors' Convention. It's busy, fun, and exhausting, but also rejuvenating. I return home from convention all fired up to start another season of dance.

I like catching up with all the friends I've made in the company over the last 12 years, and I always come away with improved dance technique and new teaching methods. My favorite part of Convention is the dancing. We can take up to six workshops, with an entire dance taught at each, and I love the challenge of the difficult ones. However, a few years ago, I started to feel my age. It's getting tougher keeping up with the twenty-somethings, but it's still a blast for me.

Song of the Moment

Here's one for you whilst I'm away at Just For Kix Convention. "Troublemaker" is one of Connor's current favorite songs. When it comes on, he does a perfect pogo. The lyrics are hilarious, the beat irresistible. Take three minutes to enjoy a super fun song by Weezer.

Great Scot

James McAvoy is my new celebrity obsession. He's been in several movies in the past few years, but he's been under my radar until just recently. What a terrific character actor!

He played Mr. Tumnus in Narnia...


Brian Jackson in Starter For 10


Dr. Nicolas Garrigan in The Last King of Scotland


Max/Johnny in Penelope

Thomas LeFroy in Becoming Jane

Robbie Turner in Atonement

Wesley Gibson in Wanted

What a cutie! More to come...

Owl Post

This was the scene just outside our bedroom window yesterday morning when we opened our blinds. I've never seen an owl before, so it was pretty exciting. An owl perched on our trampoline! They're huge, and their necks really do swivel all the way around. It hung around long enough to poop on the tramp, then flew off to a dead tree in the neighbor's yard.

And here was the scene when we opened the blinds this morning. TWO owls perched on our trampoline! It's such an exciting novelty that I didn't mind too much that they both emptied their bowels on the tramp before they departed.

It was starting to feel magical, like the scene in the first Harry Potter book where the owls are trying to deliver Harry's letter of acceptance to Hogwarts but Uncle Vernon won't allow it, so the owls multiply.