**Warning: this post contains vague spoilers of The Iron Man movie.**



So Mom and I went to a movie on Saturday (the first movie I've been to in months and the first matinee I've been to in years) and although we had a great time watching this well-made movie, there were a few things that I just had to blog about.

First, I was very glad to be seeing Iron Man and not Indiana Jones. There were 12 sold out IJ shows when we went, and I'm sure the other 10 showings were sold out hours before their start times. People (read: families) were lined up in designated areas waiting to see Indiana Jones. I don't know how these parents kept their kids happy for hours of sitting in line. I especially don't know why they'd bother. I'm sure it's a great movie and worth seeing for $5. Still, why not wait until the following weekend or even two weeks so you don't have to wait in a huge line? There are very few movies that I've sat and waited to see on opening weekend. I prefer to bide my time. This was why I just saw Iron Man this weekend.

We arrived a little late but managed to find good seats together as the theater wasn't too crowded. Hooray for waiting two weeks to see the movie! It was dark when we got in there, so I couldn't see who our fellow patrons were. We didn't sit there too long before I discovered how many kids were in there. LOTS. They weren't just teenagers or even like 9 year olds. The woman behind us had brought her 3 year old son to the movie. Now this movie is rated PG-13. And it's rated that for a reason! The kids talking to their parents about what was going on didn't bother me much. I hear enough of that chatter at home that I can just tune it out. I didn't even realize that the little boy behind us was kicking my seat until his mom told him to stop. I guess I'm just used to a bit of fidget-iness. No big deal.

It wasn't until about 5 minutes into the movie when things started to get violent that I began to be uncomfortable. Seamus has seen exactly one movie at the theater: Veggie Tales. And I agonized about that movie just because I know how many questions he'd have about it and I wondered about the tiny bit of intensity that it was bound to have. But when the soldiers in Iron Man started getting shot in the chest and blown up, I cringed. I'm not usually one to get queasy at violence, especially war stuff. I couldn't figure out what the problem was until the little guy behind me asked his mom, "Hey mom, is that guy dead? Why did he get shot? Is that blood? Why are they cutting that guy? What's going on?" Then I realized that the whole problem was that I could feel this kid losing his innocence (if he had any left) as the movie progressed. And that made me very uncomfortable and self-conscious. It was like I had personally made the movie and I was forcing this kid to watch. Every time someone was shot or someone swore I cringed a little lower in my seat. Suffice to say, having this kid directly behind me pretty much ruined the movie for me.

You know how when you were a teenager and would be watching a TV show or a movie your mom would come in at just the wrong part. It could be two hours of gumdrops and puppies, but she would walk in at just the moment when the main characters were kissing or at the one swear word in the movie. She'd look at you with a stern and disappointed look and say, "What are you watching, dear?" You'd stammer and try to explain but it pretty much ruined the movie. I still get uncomfortable watching a movie with my mom that has any kind of intimacy in it--never mind the fact that we've both been married, had kids, and know exactly what's going on. I blush and avert my eyes and ask her if we should fast-forward through this part. Even if they're just kissing!

I absolutely hate that people brought their 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 year olds to this movie. I might even be uncomfortable with 11, 12, 13, and 14 year olds. I've heard the BS that kids today are tougher and can handle it. I've heard parents say that their kids are too young and won't understand what's going on. I think anyone older than 18 months is going to be watching. And before that, you shouldn't be bringing your baby to the theater (but that's a rant for another post). I think this is a prime example of today's parents being selfish and spineless. They want to see the movie and can't/don't get a babysitter so they bring their kids along. Or their kids beg to go and the parent just can't say no. Even if you're taking your 14 year old, you shouldn't be dragging your 6 year old along. You're scarring him/her for life!

There are different kinds of violence. One kind consists of explosions and large machines (like planes and gunships) shooting at each other. In my opinion that's a different kind of violence than a villian shooting someone point blank in the head. Or a terrorist pulling women and kids apart and throwing them onto the ground. In one instance you're detached from the action and more of a viewer. In the second and third instances, you can see the faces of the evildoer and you're invested in the violence. Especially any violence involving kids. I'm not a crier. I just don't cry. But put a kid up on the screen and do mean anything to them and I turn on like a fountain. This is a relatively new phenomenon--just since I've had kids of my own. Even stories in the newspaper about violence toward children makes me tear up.

Iron man has all of these kinds violence: big explosions, jetplane dogfights, surgery, terrorist violence, women and children violence, execution-style killings, and fantastic superhero fights. Sure, it was fun and exciting. But not for a three year old.

Parents. Please, please don't bring your kids to these kinds of movies. There are movies made for children. They're called G-rated movies. You bring your 6 year old to Iron Man and then wonder why he hits his brother and acts out at school. You allow your kids to watch the filth that's on cable TV and then wonder why they back-talk and sulk around. Cherish their innocence. Seamus's favorite shows are Curious George on PBS and Handy Manny. They're sweet and harmless shows that teach the value of hard work and creativity. His other favorite show is called How It's Made. It's a show that goes to factories and shows you how to make everyday things like pencils or carpets or RVs or silicone chips. It's fascinating and I've learned so much from it. Shay loves it, too.

I don't like so many of the other kids shows on TV. Even Spongebob Squarepants or The Fairly Oddparents seem wrong for him. They're so abrasive in their speech and themes. Seamus is a gentle soul and I plan to keep him that way as long as I can. Pop culture be darned. I get nervous when I think of Shay going to school with these kids whose parents are exposing them to so much garbage. Hopefully he can be a good example and rise above. We'll see. Until then, bring on the Curious George!

My mom and I are big baseball fans, at least BYU baseball. We haven't made many games this season with the baby and all, but we managed to make the final game and it was really fun! They had a tailgating party for young alumni and their families ahead of time. Shay got to meet Cosmo (again) and we all had delicious hotdogs, chips, and lemonade.

The game was bright and loud, but Abby snacked on graham crackers (you can see some of them on the arm of my sweatshirt) and Shay had a great time watching the baseball players and walking around with me and Abby.


Here's Tom and Shay displaying the prizes we won in the door prize raffle! We got a BYU water bottle full of saltwater taffy and a baseball signed by the whole baseball team. We were sitting there while they gave away gas cards and an iPod wondering if we would win. When the water bottle came up for raffle my mom says "Well, that's more my speeed" and they called our number! What are the chances?

Thank goodness for sun hats. They keep that precious porcelain skin nice and sunburn-free!

My mom ended up with a wicked burn on her arms which is peeling like crazy now. Poor mom! Next time we'll remember the sunscreen. Notice Abby in long sleeves and sun hat. She and Shay and I were fine, thank goodness, although Tom got a bad sunburn, too.

We'd like to welcome the newest addition to our family: Abby's first tooth!

This tooth has been a long time in coming and Abby has been miserable for awhile now. But we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...or the tooth at the top of the gums. It has finally broken through and we couldn't be more relieved. We think the other three she's been developing aren't far behind. The tooth is on the bottom right. I tried to get a picture of it, but Abby would have none of that. Oh well. We'll try again later.

In the meantime, please to enjoy the following pictures.

We made strawberry freezer jam again this year and Shay loved to help! We put up about 25 pounds of strawberries and look forward to having them in our food storage. There's just nothing like freshly made bread with homemade strawberry preserves on it.




Shay has been saving up his pennies and any money he finds around the house (we have a deal that he can keep any coins on the floor as long as he gets picks them up so Abby doesn't swallow them) in his piggy bank so he could buy a scooter. He finally got enough, sort of, so we got him a scooter. And he loves it!

Kids are so funny. They totally live in the Now.

It doesn't matter if you're driving and you're going to be home soon. She is hungry now and she's going to let you know it at the top of her lungs.

It doesn't matter if you've been holding her for three straight hours and you need to put her down to go have a potty break. You're not holding her right now and that makes her mad.

It doesn't matter if you're going to pick him up from Nursery in a few hours, you're not within sight and that's a problem.

I think as adults we don't live in the Now enough. We look forward to things and plan for things, but ask us what we're doing right now and it's "Not much, how are you?"

Seamus is the exception to this rule, much of the time. If I tell him he's too little to do something (like mow the lawn) he says "Oh, when me gets big, me can mow the lawn." Or he'll see a toy he used to play with and say "Mom, me used to play with this when I a little boy." Oh, child, you're still a little boy to me. But I get what he's saying. If I tell him he can't have something like a treat he asks if he can have it tomorrow. He's an amazing kid and I love that he thinks about the future and the past. I can tell he's growing up when he says stuff like this. And it amazes me.

Everyone I know seems to have such exciting things happening in their lives... weddings, pregnancy, taking the bar exam, moving to a new apartment. And here we are just the same as we always were. Doing the same thing that we always do. The days seem to blend together so that I'm never quite sure what day it is and most days couldn't tell you the actual date to save my life. Still, it's a nice life with nice people in it... so I guess I can't complain.

The doctors put Dylan on some new meds two weeks ago and lowered some of the ones he's been on for years. I think I've seen an improvement since the change. The new medication is a Parkinson's medicine for Restless Leg Syndrome that's supposed to help him sleep better. He also has something called "Positional Sleep Apnea", according to the ridiculously expensive sleep study that they had him do. Basically that means that when he sleeps on his back he stops breathing during the night so his body wakes him up so he can start breathing again. This wouldn't be a problem, in fact this is what the body is supposed to do, but if you keep waking up then you never go into REM sleep and don't feel rested in the morning. Dylan's pretty much been dealing with that for the last 10 or so years. Going through life as a zombie isn't much fun for you or your family. To remedy the situation they told him that he can only sleep on his stomach or side. Since Dylan hates being on his stomach, he must learn to sleep on his side. He's not too bad at it, but I can tell when he rolls onto his back because he starts snoring really loud and it wakes me up. Then I roll him onto his side again and go back to sleep. He says he's uncomfortable, but he's sleeping better and his personality has gone from mostly cloudy to partly sunny. Definitely an improvement.

Abby, on the other hand, has no trouble being on her stomach.



Or on her stomach asleep.


or on the compter.