A Bugs Life

Those of you who know Nya, know about her exploits with the animal kingdom. She has been known to bring home snakes, horny toads, birds, kittens, frogs, lizards, and various members of the insect and arachnid families. So, what's her latest passion? The Praying Mantis. Here are a couple photos of one she caught. Unfortunately the only insect Nya is uncomfortable catching is the cricket. Since her Praying Mantis needs to eat crickets to survive, I have the honor of collecting them. Yesterday I caught one and asked Nya, "Who has the Rockinest mom in the whole world?" To my dismay, she hesitated before answering. Perhaps it's because I won't touch anything she brings home. . . The following photos are of a Katydid Corbin caught. I guess he's following in Nya's footsteps. If you look closely at the first photo, you can see the Katydid amongst the leaves. Unfortunately, we can't really pic her up. (Since I don't want a Katydid flying around my house!) In the 2nd picture, you can see eggs she layed last night. The eggs are stuck to a leaf in the front of the photo.

Seussical the Musical

Our family saw the colleges production of Seussical the Musical this week. It was darling! I was really worried that Corbin would lose interest quickly, but he never did. He and Nya had their eyes locked on the stage the entire time.


The set was full of vibrant colors and the cast were wearing pretty outrageous costumes. The show features The Cat in the Hat and Horton Hears a Who. Also, it didn't drag on the way some productions can. It is long enough that you feel like you got your monies worth, but short enough that the kids aren't going bonkers. If you ever get a chance to see it, be sure to take your kids. They would love it!

Great Book Series

Lately Nya and I have been satisfying our addiction to good books. Our latest favorite is a series called "The Sisters Grimm" by Michael Buckley. These books are perfect for children ages 7 to I dunno 89 maybe? They're suspenseful, funny, and (most importantly these days)they're content is clean!

The premise of the books is that the famous Brothers Grimm were actually fairytale detectives and have passed on this responsibility through generations. Now, the main characters who previously thought they were orphans, have learned that they are the descendants of the Brothers Grimm. They find themselves caught up in all sorts of mischief. There are six books in the series so far, and each one gets better and better.

Previously Nya and I have been fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Harry Potter. If you liked those books, you'll probably enjoy these as well. Actually, I like The Sisters Grimm better than The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Nya is so engrossed in the series that she has been coming home from school and going straight to her room to read. (She doesn't even want to go outside to play!!!)
I've actually had to ration her reading time a little bit to ensure physical activity.

Dr. Phil Show

O.K. so I just found out that Dr. Phil is going to be having a show about "alternative birthing methods." I never watch the show, but this has peaked my interrest. I went to his website, and they are still looking for people to bring on the show. One of the "alternative methods" they are investigating is HypnoBirthing.

Years ago, after having a painful (and quite lengthy) unmedicated birth with Nya, I found HypnoBirthing. I can honestly say that Corbin's birth was completely painless. (As well as fast.) I know people who haven't learned about HypnoBirthing often think it sounds a little crazy. I used to try to explain the method to friends because it worked so well for me. I wanted my friends to have the same comfort during their births that I had.

Now, after becoming trained to teach this method, I have been able to witness some of my students having the same success I did. Luckily, Grand Junction seems to be very open. I haven't even advertised yet, and have had full classes. Anyway, for those of you who are still interrested in having more children, I highly recommend looking into HypnoBirthing. It can change your life. (I have the website listed on my sidebar;)

At the very least, keep your eye out for this episode of the Dr. Phil show. I'm really hoping they will bring Marie Mongan, founder of HypnoBirthing, onto the show. She is truly amazing! I hope this show will be a catalyst for moms who otherwise wouldn't have, to give natural childbirth a shot. For those of you who are already into natural childbirth, I know the show is also looking for homebirth moms to bring on. Hopefully they will present an unbiased show that will truly benefit the audience and increase awareness.

Breaking Dawn

Has anyone finished yet?? I'm dying to discuss this book with someone. I finished Sunday, and I've been waiting to hear that others have finished. I don't want to post anything that would ruin the end for anyone. But. . .I loved it! I think this was my favorite book in the series. Let me know what you think!

Celebrating 11 years

This year for our 11th anniversary Brian was in New Mexico and I was in Colorado. So, we decided to celebrate a little late by going to see The Police in concert. I must say, it was worth it. They still sound tight, even after all these years. And Sting?? He's still a Baber Tooth Tiger! Rarr!!! He's in his fifties and still ripped. If I didn't HATE yoga, he would be the perfect convincer of its benefits. There weren't alot of special effects, but in my opinion they didn't need them. The music stood on its own. I didn't have a camera with me, so my brother in law Shane generously sent me some photos of the occasion. I haven't received the video footage, but I will post it as soon as I do.

Visiting Utah

While we were in Utah I was able to see one of my favorite people. Becky, one of the only friends I have who is as passionate about childbirth as I am. I hadn't seen her since we went to San Fransisco last October for our HypnoBirthing Practitioner Certification. Most of her children I hadn't seen for years! It was fun to get together. We spent our time at the Thanksgiving Point children's gardens. The children had a blast splashing around Noah's Ark.