Trip to the movies

I took the kids to see Diary of a Wimpy Kids yesterday. Ben & Xavier sat in front of Maggie & me. This was the first movie that Ben had seen where he has read the book previously. He kept turning around and saying "I've read this part" or "this doesn't happen in the book". He sounded just like me!!!! After we came out, he was telling me what happened in the book and said "they made a movie out of just the red book. I bet they'll make movies out of the other books now". I think I've said that as well. It was cool to see that he really had paid attention to the books when he'd read them. I always thought he was just flipping though & not paying attention!!!!

the verdict is in....

The Half Blood Prince is the best Harry Potter movie so far. The acting is so much better, the characters are more developed and believable, and the sets and special effects are impressive as always. Sam & I went to see it yesterday afternoon and have already decided to go back and see it on Saturday night so that we can soak in the whole thing (hope we can get tickets!!). Still, I have to say you're either a Harry Potter fan or not (no middle ground really). I can see how it would not appeal to everyone. My disappointments at the movies not being exactly the same as the books have waned after so long & now I can enjoy the movie for what it is and let it stand alone. As with every Summer, I am reading the whole series again & I have lost track on how many times I have read all the books. They are so easy to read & very enjoyable, great poolside reading. I'm half way through Goblet of Fire right now & Summer's coming to an end. I might try the Twilight series after this....

3rd July holiday

The 4th of July came early for us. The weather forecast for the weekend indicated that Friday was going to be the best pool day of the weekend, so I packed up Ben & Maggie, along with Ben's friend Tariq, and we headed over to the pool. We got there right as the pool opened only to find that we'd been beaten by a vast number of people that must have got there ages before the doors opened. The parking lot was full and people were streaming through the doors. It was the first time that we have ever had to spread out the towels on the ground as there were no chairs left (why don't I just buy one & take it with me?). The sun was hot, but the water was cold. Ben spent most of the afternoon getting in the water & lying in the sun-he really does not like cold water at all. Maggie & Tariq spent the whole time in the pool.

As soon as we got home from the pool, Jan & Julie came over and took Maggie & Ben to their house to camp out. Ben had missed the backyard campout with the scouts, so this was his make-up date. Jan & Julie have a camper trailer, which was lucky for them all as it rained all night. They had a great time though, they made hot dogs on the grill and s'mores. It sounds like there wasn't much sleeping done all night and the kids were very tired all the next day. Still, Sam & I had a chance to go out & eat on our own (Culpepper's chicken wings-yummy) and then we watched James Bond at home (Daniel Craig-yummy). It wasn't until the next day that we both realized we missed the opportunity to go and see Johnny Depp in Public Enemies-maybe next time....

.....And a busy Sunday

We took the kids to Sears Portrait Studio to get their photos taken today. This is the first (and last?) time we have done this. Since I'm always giving Prerna grief about getting her kids photos taken at Sears, she called my bluff and bought me a gift certificate for them. I picked out the best clothes they had to wear and made them go in the bath & wash their hair this morning. I even put some of my hair stuff in Maggie's hair to try to give it a bit of body (not much luck there). They did a really good job. Of course, Ben played to the camera and Maggie smiles her Mona Lisa smile. We picked out some good photos, hopefully they will come out well. Ironically, they are much better than the school photos & about half the price. We ate lunch at Chevy's Mexican Grill and then went to see Madagascar II. Ben enjoyed the movie, but Maggie was clearly unimpressed. Half way through she told me that she didn't like this movie & wanted me to put another one on!!!! We went to Crestwood Plaza for all of this. When I first moved to St. Louis, it was one of the premier places to shop, now it is like a dead zone. Many of the stores are closed and one half of the whole place felt like it wasn't even heated. There were hardly any people walking around, I cannot imagine how any of the stores stay in business. We hardly go there any more as it's not that close to where we live, but obviously we are not the only ones that visit rarely.