How To Train Your Dragon

Shane finished up on How To Train Your Dragon a few weeks ago and last weekend we celebrated. The crew was treated to a screening of the film and a wrap party on Saturday evening. It was the first time I was able to see the film and I now understand why Shane was so excited. It is a masterpiece of animation, story, and imagination. I just love so many things about it. It is a father/son story placed in an amazing world of vikings and dragons but I don't want to spoil anything for you: just go see it! DreamWorks Animation has done some really funny films but my favorites are Kung Fu Panda and Prince of Eygpt; however, Dragons is better than these in my own opinion. Of course, I may be a bit biased since Shane worked on it. :) I hope everybody else enjoys this film as much as Shane enjoyed being a part of it.

Violet Olivia

I would like to introduce Violet Olivia to this blog. She will undoubtedly make more appearances here in the future. She was born two weeks early on July 17 at 6:16am. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long (same length as Sydney and exactly one pound lighter). Shane and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie with friends and as soon as it was over my water broke. She is such a good baby overall. She is sleeping fairly well and eats great. She mostly grunts and only cries when really hungry or when the grunting doesn't get her the attention she wants. She is such a joy and we are in love with her. She already seems like she will be stubborn and patient, even though those two things seem to contradict each other. The picture was taken by a good friend Amy Agadoni who is a great photographer. They were taken when Vi was two weeks old, which was the day she was due. More to come soon.

Hat for Monsters Vs. Aliens

I thought it might be fun to throw together a hat for Sydney to wear tomorrow when we see Monsters vs. Aliens. So I introduce you to the blue, one-eyed monster hat. We have family coming to celebrate with us. It should be fun to see it in theaters and see everybody else's reaction to the film Shane worked on for so long. Plus it is always exciting to see his name up on the big screen (yes we are some of those weirdos who stay through the credits.) If you get a chance to see it let me know what you think. The reviews are pretty good but I like knowing what other people think not just critics. I know the pictures are a bit redudant but Sydney was just being so cute I had to post more than one.

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Image stolen, I mean borrowed from here.

This past weekend we were able to go to the crew premiere of Monsters Vs. Aliens. This is the film that Shane worked on for about 10 months. It was so excited to finally see after hearing about it for almost a year. I loved it. It really turned out to be a great family film and also really funny. I was worried how Sydney would do with the 3D glasses and if it would give me a headache (especially since I went into the theater with one) but neither was a problem. We usually determine how Sydney liked a film by how many potty breaks she takes and I am happy to say this was the first time she didn't take any! I hope you all enjoy the film too. I am so proud of you Shane! Great work to you and everybody who worked on it.

Family Weekend

I had a fun-filled weekend with my two favorite people: Shane and Sydney. On Saturday we went to a screening of Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa. It was super funny and Sydney laughed frequently and only needed one potty break. In our book that means it was a very successful movie. Later in the evening we went to a birthday party at Chucke Cheese. Shane nor I had been there since we were young and we now have a new appreciation for our parents taking us there. It was exhausting and over-stimulating to say the least. It was fun to get to know some of Shane's co-workers a little more though and of course Sydney loved it.

On Sunday we woke up early and headed over for the AIDS WALK. We met our fundraising goal thanks to awesome family and friends. We were part of the DreamWorks team so we rode a bus over to the walk and were treated to breakfast. We also were able to start at the front of the walk which was nice because there wasn't a huge pushing crowd of people. Walking with the DreamWorks team was super fun too and people along the route kept yelling about how much they love DreamWorks. Thanks to all of you who donated money and who were praying and thinking of us yesterday.

Us at the finish line.

On another note, yesterday was our dating anniversary!! Shane and I have been together for 12 YEARS! I still can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that we were marching in the band together at football games and asking our parents to drive us to the movies. ;) I love you Shanie!

French Night

We are on a little tighter budget these days but I still want to do fun things for the family and spend quality time with Shane. It is not that I mind crocheting or reading in the other room while he is on the computer but sometimes doing something together is refreshing. So we had a French night last Wednesday. I cooked my first attempt at a French meal (a French Stew) and after putting Syd to bed we watched the French film, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The film was really interesting although not my favorite. It does make me want to read the book, so I think a trip to the library is coming soon. I have three more already brewing in my mind so I think we will have more in the future. I am also thinking that a little decorating will add to the atmosphere of the night.

Thanks to a dear friend who gave me this idea for a theme night.

The Mummy

When Shane finished on the last project last November, he went right to work on Mummy 3. This is definitely not one we will be sharing with Sydney but none the less it does look like a fun summer movie. The official first trailer is up on the internet now and you can see it over on Shane's blog. He has a few more days of Mummy work before we leave for vacation. That means long hours for now but as of the 24th we will be on an island far away from any visual effects shots. YIPEE!