my babies are 2!

a couple hours old

5 months old

Two!

This is so nuts to me! It doesnt feel like they should be 2 yet. I think this is my favorite age. But then I look back at this picture of them at 5 months and think that was my favorite age. They've grown so much, I love hearing their little voices say words. On their birthday we just happened to have a playdate at the zoo scheduled so it worked out perfectly. It was fun minus the 5 minutes I lost Embry. That little Embry is a wanderer!

nice view simba!

with grandma on their bday.

On Saturday morning we had a family bday party. We ordered an 8 ft Neds sub which everyone seemed happy about. It was seriously a perfect day for a party outside. Poor Jasper didnt look like he felt great the whole time, and they both ended up being sick the rest of the day & also today. But the new toys have definitely taken their minds off of feeling yucky:) Thanks to everyone who spoiled them!

my dad playing with the kids..I love how Jasper has always been so cool with my dad, and for Jasper thats a big deal.

dont be jealous of my mad cake skills..I decorated the cake as I was walking out the door. Thats what happens when I wait until midnight the night before the party to bake all the cupcakes & cake.

presents!

I cant believe I almost told my mom not to get this wooden train set for Embry. I would have never had a picture with this priceless reaction.

Embry was the first to get to hit the pinata. We gave him the stick and told him to hit it, so he goes over to Steven and hits him with the stick!

I told Bastien to put his arm around Maizi, but Maizi wasnt having it.

my own golden globes

I watched some of the Golden Globes tonight & thought I'd make my own list of favorites. My picks are mostly based on hotness. I'm kinda shallow that way. Also these arent all super recent, just my favs as of late.

Hottest Australian to play an Australian

in a movie set in & convienently called Australia

(he really beat all that competition!)

Hugh Jackman

I just recently redboxed this & was pleasantly suprised. Hugh J has never really been a big favorite but I loved him in this as "The Drover" I couldnt stop saying "Drova" all day after seeing this. Oh, and isnt this little kid like, so ridiculously cute in it?

"You sing to me, I learn 'em song"

Best Documentary

American Teen

It really was like a breakfast club-ish type documentary/un-rich version of Laguna Beach. It was entertaining, I liked it.

I wouldnt mind if there was a kid who looked like this when I was in high school....umm I mean there was a hotter one & his name was Steven! :)

Hands down, Best Comedic Chemistry

The guys from "The Hangover"

I dont think I have laughed so much and so hard in a movie, ever. The short awkward guy is the best.

I have to share my favorite part. You wont even think its funny if you havent seen it, but I laugh everytime I think of this part.

Do you know if the hotel is pager friendly?

What do you mean?

I'm not getting a sig' on my beeper.

I'm not sure.

Is there a payphone bank? Buncha payphones? Business.

Umm, there's a phone in your room...

That'll work.

Can I ask you another question?

Sure.

You probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesar's Palace is it?

What do you mean?

Did, umm... did Caesar live here?

No.

I didn't think so.

most attatched to this character

Henry in Time Travelers Wife

If you havent read the book & only saw the movie then you wont really get what i'm saying. But the author & Eric Bana do an amazing job of making you really really care about the character Henry. The book made me cry like crazy in the second half. But right in the beginning of the movie, from the part when Claire sees Henry in the library & she knows who he is so well, but he's never met her yet, I fell apart right there & through out the rest of it. This will probably be one of my favorite stories of all time and my favorite character in a book.

hottest human turned alien

Jake Sully in Avatar

Favorite scottish actor to youtube

Gerard Butler

I started you tubing him because I dont have Phantom of the Opera & I really wanted to watch some parts and then I watched a few of his interviews. You can really waste some time on you tube. All of his interviews are funny & entertaining. He's so jolly. Remember on the movie "PS I love You" when Hillary Swank is all "Why cant I be the cute carefree Irish guy who sings all the time?" Well that is the real Gerard Butler, except he's scottish. I did a book/movie club night with my friends and we read(before) & watched PS I love you. I was so appreciative of Steven after:) It's still too depressing for me to watch..but I found this cute part on you tube of when he sings Galway Girl to her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhl21PYdmqw

(Wow, I really need to get a hobby that doesnt involve movies or youtube.)

Next month we're reading & watching Becoming Jane. Which made me want to watch the movie once again, or 3 times. Which led to me remembering my like for Tom Lefroy. (or James McAvoy)

Which leads me to my next category.

Favoritest actor ever!

James McAvoy

Remember when I blogged about how I never thought i'd think Mr. Tumnus was cute, except a mythical creature kind of cute?

I can safely say that he is my favorite person to look at in movies. If he's in a movie, I will watch it. And that's all there is to it!

loved him in Atonement.

So cute in Penelope

I have to watch this part a few times when I watch Becoming Jane.

Ok on to the girls,

here are my girl crushes of 2009

Anne Hathaway

Loved her in Bride Wars, Get Smart, & Becoming Jane (of course) She's classy, dont ya think?

Keira Knightly

She's always bugged me on the Pirate movies. But everything else, I love her in. She IS Elizabeth Bennet to me.

Zooey Deschanel

She's gorgeous, she has such a unique style, unique voice. Everything about her is unique. I loved her wacky songs in "Yes Man" And after watching 500 Days of Summer, I kept singing & was wanting to hear her sing that next line of "Shu shu shu shu shu shu sugartown" I love the outfit she's wearing here.

Okay so that's all i've got. I'm kind've embarrased about this post now..it appears I have way to much time on my hands. But I really do watch my kids during the day:) I've just always been a big movie & actor person. So I appreciate a good movie.

x marks the spot

Are'st thou ready to find some treasure, matey!?

little Averie, the baby pirate with a stash.

Clue number one looks to be something like a net i'd catch me fish in

dig, matey, dig!

Clue number two

Clue number three

Clue number four led us to....

Aye, the treasure! Do you love my leprachaun/pirate language?

the fun maps that Nicole made, Bastien carried it around for a day.

baby Zaac

My sister Mary had her miracle baby, Zaac, on January 10th. He was 8 lbs 15 oz.

Here's the story told by my sister on facebook:

"He was born 1-10-10 , he was air-vacd to Phoenix childrens' hospital after being born because of a birth defect called a double bubble. He had a swolen stomach from blocked lower intestines from being born with a narrow stomach tube. I had POLYHYDRAMINOS, excess water in the womb. This and the other being typical tale-tale signs of a downs ... See Moresyndrome baby. HOWEVER, after a very powerful blessing before he was born, and after which told us that our combined faith as a family would make him whole again. He was found with no characteristics of down syndromes physically although we were still awaiting test results, for what the NiCU neo-doctor thinks now is possibly a fluke, with no narrowed organ, as was in his present xray exams despite the prior exams showing a need for surgery. we experienced a great miracle."

Isnt this amazing? I love the power of prayer & the priesthood. Funny how the doctor called it a fluke.

And is he not the cutest, sweetest thing you've ever seen?

I fell in love when I saw him. I may or may not have a new favorite nephew. You can't even tell I'm baby hungry.

twothousandnine

It was a banner year at the old Bender family. (Breakfast club anyone?)

I can say I did things I've never done thanks to 2009. Since this year was a good one I thought I'd share the highlights.

January

The thing I was most looking forward to at the beginning of this year was Season 7 of The Biggest Loser to start. It was one of the most exciting and surreal things to see my brother & cousin on a show that I'd been watching since season one! I did a little tributehere and introduced you to them.

Emmy & Jappy started walking & they turned ONE!

The first year wasnt as hard as everyone told me it would be. Okay, maybe the first 6 months were a little rough. Embry has been first with mostly everything. He crawled at 6 months, Jasper at 7. Embry walked at 10 months, Jasper at 11. We got a kick out of Jasper's wobbly monkey walk while he was learning. Steven did a pretty great imitation here that made us all laugh.

February

February is a month of thanks for me. I'll never forget that scary feeling thinking your child might not make it. When Jasper was 2 weeks old we found out his heart had been beating 240 bpm (for days!) instead of the normal 120-140. (that causes oxygen/blood to not be pumped properly to the body) Well I didnt find this out til after all this scary stuff happened: The nurse did an EKG on him, left the room really fast and then a bunch of people come in putting ice on his face, saying that the EMT need to come now, and basically freaking me out since everyone had been calm up until then. The dr. picked up Jasper, put him in his seat, and started like running out the door saying he would walk him over to the ER. (we were right next to Banner Desert) It was so incredibly scary not knowing what was going on. They were hurrying cause they had to get him some medicine to slow his heart rate. The doctor was worried that his heart beating that fast for that long would do damage to it. But his heart was perfect in the ultra sound. And he never had an episode again. I'm so incredibly thankful Jasper is in my life. Of course I feel that with all my kids. But sometimes when I look at Jasper smile that heart melting smile of his, I think how I cant imagine my life without him, and how thankful I am that I got to keep him that scary day. I know all babies have a sweet spirit, but I think Jasper has one of the sweetest! I've always had this special spot for Jasper. (maybe that's why he's a little whiny:)

March..

In March I remembered that I can run. And longer than 2 minutes, it's amazing.

I hit a couple goals this month that i'd been working on. One of them being getting back to pre-twin weight. (whoopdedo) And then decided i'd just stay there the rest of the year and not even try a little for pre-Bastien weight...naaa i'm good, hand me that cookie.

April

Sione was eliminated from Biggest Loser. I was so bummed, so not really a highlight I guess. But he was skinny again, so there's nothing sad about that. I was on Sione's wherearetheynow and that was fun. That was new for me, being around cameras. It was a fun experience, but not one I could really get used to.(i tooo shyy)

May

Steven and I got to go to the Biggest Loser Finale with my family! It was a blasty blast! (Dane Cook told me to use it) We bled BLUE!

The best part was hanging out with my cousins who make me laugh so hard.

Oh, and I got to meet Bob! Sione had Bob call me when he was at the ranch. It was way cool..and awkward, but cool! It was like "No way this isnt Bob..oh..Hi Bob...okaayy see ya Bob" I was starstruck when I saw him at the finale. I said something really dumb like "I'm Sione's sister" and he's all "Umm I know" At least I left it at that and didnt picture stalk him and his assistant didnt have to tell me to stop (cough*Hea*cough) HAHA!

June

Steven and I did our very first sprint triathlon in Payson with some friends.

...and Bastien turned Four! We're in love with his silly/sarcastic personality.

July/August

Steven & I have been married 6 years!

Bastien made some new friends! Gunnar & Paka are his best buddies!

I also found that I can actually have close girlfriends even though I am married with kids. I can still have a social life! Honestly, I havent made alot of friends since high school, isnt that sad? I always just thought "Oh Steven is the social one with more friends" But I have had so much fun hanging out with them and feel like I have way more confidence than I have in these past few years.

September

We went to Donna's cabin and the kids had so much fun.

Our besties Camilly & Chris came to visit from England and brought good times with them, as always.

October

We had a Ghostbuster themed Halloween.

and Steven got pumpkin happy and carved 3 crazy lookin jackolanterns!

November

casa grande triathlon..

& The Fa Family reunion

December

and since I just blogged December..here are some cute videos of the kids.

The twins enjoying their Christmas goodies they got from their Nursery teachers, who they love. And Jasper being silly..