Couponing...

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days, ending this Sunday! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

I am not a coupon clipper - with 2 exceptions.

1.) Bed Bath and Beyond. They send me the big ole' blue and white coupons in the mail for 20% off. It doesn't get easier than that. I can't lose them because they are gigantic. (Coincidentally, I learned on Twitter that you can use in date BBB coupons at Babies R Us!).

2.) Similac. When B was on formula, Similac sent me manufacturers coupons for (usually) $5 off. I used them because it was easy, everyone took them and formula is expensive! Especially when you have to mix a higher ratio of powder to water for more calories!

A couple of days ago I was reading an article about a woman who is a coupon queen. She went to one store and bought like 50 tubes of Crest - and paid NOTHING for them. Zero! Then she went to another store and bought diapers for next to nothing. And so on...and I wondered how on earth she did that.

One thing I learned very quickly is that the world of couponing is full of abbreviations. And even when I looked up what they meant (RR for example is Register Rewards) I still didn't know what they were talking about!

So I've spent the last few days attempting to understand how this whole world works. I'm not sure if I will ever be any good at it because it looks like it takes a lot of organization, thinking ahead and going to several stores, but I might have to give it a go.

Here's some sites that I've found helpful:

coupons.com - Um, it doesn't get any easier than this. Point, click, print.

hotcouponworld.com - This is where I've learned the most about how exactly one goes about couponing.

passion for savings - I actually go to MOPS with Heather and her site has a lot of great info.

So what are your best tips, tricks and websites? Are you an avid couponer?

Tell me about your Apps

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days, ending this Sunday! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

So last night my new iPhone4 came. Yay! I've been a loyal Blackberry customer for the last 5 or 6 years but we decided to make the switch.

Chris is going to set up my phone today after work and he's already asked me what app's I'd like. I have no idea. I have an iTouch but it has like 3 games on it and they are probably wayyyy outdated.

So tell me, what are some of your favorite apps? I heard there is a blogger app for iPhone? What about games?

Water Baby

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days, ending this Sunday! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

Thanks for all the great stroller input! I have soooo much to think about!

While we were on vacation in Lake Tahoe, Brayden took his first dip in the pool!

GrandDaddy and Daddy were on hand to do the actual swimming while my mom and I took pictures.

First, he went int he kiddie pool...to test the waters (hehe).

He likes it!
Now onto the BIG pool!
He loved it!

We had to pull him out of the water...he seriously would have stayed in there the rest of the night if we'd have let him! We have a community pool so I might have to start taking him up there. I'm just a little nervous going by myself!

Confusion!

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

First, thanks for all your sweet comments on my last post! And pregnancy brain is affecting me because I didn't say when B has lunch (ha!) but it's before his nap. Looking at that schedule it could read that he isn't awake that much during the day, but I'd say on an average day he is awake at least 8 or 9 hours, maybe 10. Actually, possibly more because at the end of his nap, sometimes he likes to wake up and play quietly in his crib. It's really cute to listen to him over the monitor!

Now onto why I'm confused!

STROLLERS! I obsessed over strollers and carseats when I was pregnant with Brayden to the point that I was totally driving Chris crazy. I did it again when he moved to his convertible carseat. Now it's time to start the madness over.

We will be using the same carseat (Chicco Keyfit 30) with Brody, so that part is taken care of. I'm going to show you the strollers that I'm considering and if you have any of them, let me know what you think!

First up: Bumbleride Indie Twin:

I really like what I've read about this stroller. I've watched video reviews of it as well. But the problem is the closest retailer to me who carries it in house is FIVE hours away. Chris will not drive me five hours there and five hours back to go look at a stroller. So do you or any of your friends or family have this stroller? What can you tell me about it? I've called around and found out that our carseat will fit in it which is good!

My other option is to get two strollers which is what I have now. Currently, we've got the Chicco Cortina (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it and HIGHLY recommend it) as well as a Maclaren (also LOVE it) for Brayden.

So I could get a double Maclaren:

And the brand new Chicco Together (it is exactly like the Cortina, but a tandem):

What do you guys think? Any thoughts, tips, advice?

22 Weeks AND Food/Schedule for Brayden

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days, starting today! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: 1 pound, 11 inches and the size of a squash.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: About 2lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I wear a combo of maternity and regular clothes. It just depends on the outfit!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Yes - I felt movement VERY early on (12-13 weeks). Chris has also felt him move.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Sleep: I get up about 3-5 times per night.

Symptoms: I still take a Zofran in the morning but other than that I'm okay.

Best Moment this week: Picking the nursery fabric!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing the bedding once it's made!

(B can't believe that there would be a camera taking pics of anyone other than him, so he had to pose)

A sweet reader named Megon asked me to share about the schedule B is on now and the foods he eats. B's diet is not your typical one. He has to consume food with more calories. So he does eat a lot of things I know some parents don't give their children and this was after a lonnnng talk with our pediatrician. Some of those foods: Chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, grilled cheese and corn dogs. He also eats oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, fruit (he LOVES strawberries and would probably eat an entire container if we let him), peanut butter crackers (generally a no-no until they are 2 but he isn't allergic), graham crackers, goldfish etc. Recently, I've allowed him to have Capri Sun because anytime we are at playgroup all the kids are drinking it and he won't drink his water.

As far as his schedule, here is our typical day:

9:30am or later, B wakes up and eats breakfast.

Playtime/running errands time

11:30 - 12: I lay him down for his nap.

3 - 4: B wakes up.

4:00: Snack time - Soy milk and peanut butter crackers are the current fave.

5:30: Dinner time

8 - 9pm: Bath and bed time

Hope that answers your questions!

Miscellaneous Monday

First, be sure to join in the bloghop for our commenting challenge! We're commenting on 10 blogs per day for 7 days, starting today! You can get the link and put the blog hop on your own blog too! Just click here!

I have a whole bunch of things floating around in my head, so this is going to be a very miscellaneous post!

First, a pic of Brayden at a playground in Lake Tahoe (specifically, this is in Tahoe City). We had just grabbed lunch at what Chris calls a "hippy place" ... in other words they offered vegetarian options, and then we took B swinging.

I've gotten several comments and emails from some of you who are now planning trips to Tahoe! That's awesome! Keep them coming - I seriously do not mind helping you plan your trips!

Next topic: My mom, Chris and I found the fabric for Brody's nursery. There are two fabric stores close to me and we visited them both. The first one was a flop; they just were not getting that I wanted it to look like a baby/kids room, not some formal, untouchable, nursery for a magazine thing.

The next store is the one who had hunted down fabric for my dining room chairs. The lady that owns it gets me. And she has 2 golden doodles in her store. That fact alone made us fast friends. Oh and her kids come to work with her during the summer and they entertained Brayden while mom and I placed the order. Score!

Cookies: On Saturday I realllllly wanted cookies but my back was killing me so I reallllllly didn't want to stand in the kitchen. So Chris took my recipe and made them for me - oh and of course, Brayden helped too. They were so good! I am a lucky girl!

Phone: And lastly, I have finally ordered my new iPhone4. I've been a loyal and repeat Blackberry customer for the last 5 or so years but I've decided to make the switch. It should be here in the next week or so.

The only problem is that ATT has a way of always messing things up, no matter how simple. So Chris, B and I went into the store to order the phones (no one here has them so they have to be delivered to you). We were only ordering and paying for them - not signing or changing our contract. We leave - the store closes - and we can't text. I am an AVID texter. I like texting. This was not cool.

I called ATT - twice because I have no service at my house - and they make me sit on the phone for 30 min's and go over my plan. They keep insisting that I never had texting. Wrong. Eventually, they figured out that they were mistaken and I get my texting back. If there were any decent options where I live besides ATT I would be all over it!

And don't forget to take advantage of the free shipping code for the Cotton Cupcake! Just click here!

Time to Link Up!

I'm so glad that so many of you are interested in taking the challenge! Starting tomorrow, we'll start spreading the blog love to 10 (or more!) bloggers a day. I've decided to put up the Linky (and it's one that I think you can snag for you blog to share as well - I say "I think" because I've never used it before) so that if you don't have a blogroll of bloggers you'd like to visit, you can start here! Also, you can meet other bloggers via the list!

You can sign up anytime starting today but the actual commenting challenge begins tomorrow. Have fun!

Commenting Challenge

So I was talking to my twitter friends about my lack of commenting on blogs. I read a TON of blogs. I'll check some on my phone, some on my iTouch, some from my computer...but I rarely comment. I don't know why. There isn't really a good reason, I guess. And many of you wrote me back and said that you're in the same boat!

So I thought, why don't we do a commenting challenge? For one week, let's visit at least 10 blogs each day and leave a comment on them. Just show a little blogger love, ya know?

And to make it easier, I can add a MckLinky so that you can see who all is participating and maybe even visit them - let me know in the comments section what you think.

The challenge will start Sunday, July 25th. I'll put a new post up and maybe a MckLinky and you can let everyone know you're participating.

FOOD. Lots of it.

If you missed my baby name announcement, just click here! And don't forget, the free shipping coupon code for the Cotton Cupcake is "I Heart Jenna!"

So back to Tahoe...and for those of you who've now decided that my PSA's have worked and want to go visit, here are a few places you need to go eat at!

My long time fave, The Bridgetender, is a yummy hamburger joint. It has beautiful views of the Truckee river and excellent grub!

Just look at those onion rings...YUMMMM. They also have the best fried zucchini but I ate it so fast that I didn't get a pic!
Another favorite is Sunnyside. They have a sister restaurant in Maui that we've eaten at as well. YUM! It's more of a nice dinner place - steaks, lots of seafood etc. And you can eat outside right on Lake Tahoe:
Brayden wanted chocolate cake:

And this last place is actually in Reno, where the airport is...and it's not exactly a "local" place...guesses?

Um, yeah. Well, when you're an Californian gone Arkansan you've got to get it while you can!

Naming Baby...

I now interrupt my scheduled vacation recap post to share a little bit of baby name news with you...

But first a story. =)

Soooo...when I announced that we were making sure our family knew Baby #2's name first, I got an email from Amber at the Cotton Cupcake. She had a really cute idea for how I could announce his name - she embroidered it on a newborn hat! So that is how I'll be sharing his name! She also made an A-Dorable tee for Brayden!

Here's Brayden's tee:

And now for the reveal...Chris and I cannot agree on girl names so it's good that we are having another boy. When I was first pregnant with Brayden we picked out 2 names and decided if we had 2 boys, that their names would be Brayden and...

I've loved all the guesses that have come in - I did tell my family and some friends way back when I was like 10 weeks pregnant with Brayden but no one could remember the other name! Ha!

And because Amber is so awesome, she is offering FREE SHIPPING on any order from her store from now until July 31st if you use the code "I HEART JENNA". I promise I didn't come up with that code, it was all Amber! Hehe! Just mention the code in the "Notes to Seller" section and she will refund the shipping via PayPal. Thank you Amber for offering this!!!!

Up in the Air...

I'm attempting to think of how to go about posting about our trip...and I think what I'm going to do is lump it into categories. Usually, I do the whole day by day thing but I wanted to change things up a bit!

So Brayden spent a fair amount of time up in the air. And I'm not just talking about plane rides, though those were...interesting. We ended up with a 7 hour delay on our way to Tahoe and spent 14 hours in the airport/on a plane yesterday coming home. We didn't make it home until after 11pm! Not fun!

What I was really talking about are the gondolas/trams in Tahoe. We've done 2 of the the 3 many times over the years...I've been coming to Tahoe yearly since I was a baby. I think my Dad has been coming since he was a kid. It is our very favorite place to go. It's so familiar...we know where everything is, our favorite restaurants, things to do etc and it is SO relaxing! From the moment you step out of the car and inhale that piney freshness, you feel at ease. And I sound like a PSA for Tahoe.

Anyway, there is a brand new hotel in Tahoe that we stayed at. We've been staying at the same place forever, but we switched things up this time and this new place was AWESOME. They have their own gondola that takes you to a "village" - aka shopping and restaurants. All we had to do was walk out the door of the hotel and step onto it. This was B's first gondola ride:

A few days later we separated from my parents and took B to Squaw Valley, where we usually stay. They have a tram (a gondola is big enough for about 6 people, the tram can hold a lot more) that goes up to the top of the mountain. They have an Olympic museum there and a GORGEOUS view. Here we are at the top:
This is what the tram car looks like:
They also have a swimming pool - though I have no clue why anyone would go up there to swim. See the snow right behind it? It was about 87 degrees at the bottom of the mountain and there was snow at the top.
I snapped this on the way back down. It's a long cable but a fast ride. The black speck at the bottom is the Squaw Valley Resort.
In South Lake Tahoe there is another gondola - a really, big one. It goes up to the top of Heavenly mountain. Mom and Dad:
Us, B and his chicken nugget:
This is the view - we were still on the gondola at the time. See the city at the bottom, near the lake? That's where the ride STARTS!!!
When we weren't looking, Brayden took the camera and started taking pictures of himself:
At the top of Heavenly, there is an outdoor grill where you can sit and eat. There are tons of these adorable chipmunks that run around:
So that was our time up in the air! Lots more from our trip to come!

20/21 Weeks

To answer yesterdays question - you're right! Lake Tahoe! More on that coming soon but first, I keep forgetting to share my 20/21 week post!

How Far Along: 20 1/2 Weeks

Size of baby: 3/4 of a pound, 10.5 inches and the size of a carrot.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight, only down 1 pound now.

Maternity Clothes: I wear a combo of maternity and regular clothes. It just depends on the outfit!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Yes - I felt movement VERY early on (12-13 weeks). Chris has felt him move several times as well.

What I miss: Nothing really.

Sleep: I get up about 3-5 times per night.

Symptoms: I still take a Zofran in the morning but other than that I'm okay.

Best Moment this week: Eating at my favorite burger joint.

What I am looking forward to: My upcoming appointment...Not for any special reason, I just look forward to them.

The big NAME announcement is coming soon!

It's funny because I've told a ton of people the name we picked back when we selected Brayden's name. We actually choose both boy names at the same time - of course, we didn't know we would be having another boy for sure, but now no one remembers the other name!

Can you guess...

Where we are??

Hint: It's my favorite place on earth...

Boys Best Friend

Brayden loves his Mossy. And Mossy loves his Brayden.

Hugs.

"Mossy, can you help me drag this swing seat around the yard?"
Mossy even climbs up into his playhouse to keep an eye on him. He is so attentive to everything Brayden is doing.
It's just the sweetest thing. These two are the best of friends - even if Brayden's favorite thing to say to him is "No-No!".

Butterfinger Cake = Yumminess.

If you're looking for a fast, easy and YUMMY dessert this is it. My mom's been making this for years and it is always a hit.

Butterfinger Cake

1 boxed cake mix (chocolate fudge or devils food works really well)

1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

1 small tub of cool whip

1 block of cream cheese at room temp

Lots of butterfinger bars

*If you don't like butterfingers (gasp!) you could substitute another candy bar)

Bake the cake in a 9*13 pan according to the package directions.

While cake is hot, poke holes ALL OVER it. Then pour the can of SCM all over the top. Let it soak in and completely cool.

Once the cake is cool, mix the cool whip and about half of the cream cheese being careful not to deflate the cool whip. Sometimes we use a little more cream cheese because we really like it. Spread evenly over the cake. Place butterfingers (about 4 or 5 regular sized ones) in a zip top bag. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, crush the butterfingers. Top the cake with them. Enjoy!

18 Months!

Happy 18 months Brayden!

- You had your last bottle when you were 13 months and enjoy your Nuby sippy cups now!

- You say a lot of words. I won't type them all but here are a few: Mama, Dada, Mimi (Grammy), Grand-Da (GrandDaddy), Bubba (you call yourself Bubba), Me, Baby, Cookie,Ba and Ma (Buster and Mossy), Wa-Wa (water), No-No, yeah (for yes), nigh-nigh (when you are tired), ball, cup, go, vroom vroom, whoa (when you are startled) and wow.

- You enjoy getting your picture taken, playing on your swing set, and driving your "4 wheeler."

- You are still a fantastic sleeper. You go to bed around 8pm and sleep until 9 or 10am. You also take one 3-4 hour nap every single day.

- You are working on learning your primary colors. "Bue" is your favorite.

- You're a huge ham. You'll do anything for a laugh and love it when people clap for you.

- You can sense when someone has chocolate and you aren't happy until you get some too.

- You enjoy singing EIEIO and counting to 5 (he moves his fingers to the numbers).

- You actually listen if I ask you to bring something to me or take something to Daddy...even if it's something you really don't want to give up (but probably shouldn't have had in the first place).

- You love your dog Mossy but you always shake your finger at him and yell "No No Ma! No NO!" because he licks you so much!

- You are a pretty healthy child. You've only had one ear infection and it was "very mild" and only in one ear. We are very blessed!

- You are the light of your Daddy and my life. We love you more than we could ever say! You are the sweetest and most loving baby!

Lunch Date

Today a few of us Arkansas girls went to lunch to meet Susy who is in town visiting from New York!

We went to one of our favorite spots, Abuelo's. Can you say chips and salsa?! Yum!

We had a great visit with Susy and it was so nice to finally meet her in person! Susy and I have been talking about Twilight quite a bit on twitter and I totally forgot to mention it today! Ha! Oh well, we all had plenty to talk about! She brought us all I love NY tee's which was so sweet!

From left to right: Melissa and Grayson, Kelly and Harper, Julie, Jennifer and Brody, me, Susy and Brayden.

Brayden was quite taken with both Julie and Susy. I think poor Julie ended up entertaining him during most of lunch!

Brayden actually woke up really early (for him) today...he usually sleeps until 9:30 or later and today he was up at 8:15. I was really worried that he would meltdown but he did pretty well. And at the end when we all brought out our cameras he got REALLY excited! Ha!

I got a couple of questions on the last post I wrote so here are the answers:

1. No, I am not a twin. My brother is 7 years older than me!

2. I will be happy to post the Butterfinger cake recipe for you! It's coming soon!

3. Nope, you didn't miss it, I haven't announced our name yet! Very soon though!

Birthday Weekend

Today was my brother and my birthday! We celebrated yesterday. I went out for a mani/pedi (YAY!) and then came home. Brayden insisted on giving me his gift when I got home. He wanted to read my card to me first...

And then he and Daddy gave me my first gift...a beautiful necklace that has Brayden and the new babies initials engraved on it! I can't believe I didn't get a closeup!

After that, we went to meet my brother, his girlfriend and my parents at Bonefish. I didn't get any pictures because I was too busy eating! Then we came back to my house for the yummy Butterfinger cake my mom made and we both opened gifts. My other gift was maternity clothes from a boutique I love!

Today (Sunday) is my actual birthday. It's been a rough day! Brayden did not do well in the church nursery today. Then, when we were at lunch with my parents he started acting sick, so Chris and I left to take him to Urgent Care. It turns out it was all related to bad drainage caused by allergies. We were able to get him two prescriptions that will help dry him out.

This afternoon was much better though. He took a great nap and then we went to dinner with our friends Matt and Sara and their adorable kids Lilly and Reid, and then came home for more Butterfinger cake! It was an eventful weekend!

Cookie Dilemma

I have had a cookie issue for the last several years.

I bought these pans from Calphalon - they are dark, non-stick baking sheets. I really like using them for cookies because they come off the pans so easily. I purchased them in a set of two - so I bought them together.

I have two other pans I use as well. I've got double ovens, so when I make cookies, I use both ovens and have 2 baking sheets in each oven. Well, one of the Calphalon pans makes cookies. The other, it seems, prefers pancakes:

Can you see the difference? I have no idea what is going on. It's the same exact pan, cooking in the same oven, for the same time at the same temp. Any thoughts?

And because he's so cute, this was my little cookie baker helper the other day. He had a spoon, a spatula and a metal bowl that he was "mixing stuff" in. If I can teach him to make cookies, he will make some lucky lady very happy one day!

Playgroup

Today Brayden and I hosted a playgroup for a friends from MOPS. Usually we don't do a lunch at this playgroup but since everyone was driving about 30 min's to my house I wanted to make sure they were fed!

I forgot to take pics before everyone started eating! I made chicken salad croissants, fruit salad, chips and mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for the kids. I also made my very favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

We had 8 adults and 11 kids!

And because it was kind of gross outside...
There was lots of indoor playing!
But a few kids ventured out...that's Diesel and Reid:
And a few mom's too!

It was such a fun group and it really wore Brayden out! He went straight to bed for a nice long 4 hour nap!

Things that happened today...

1. Brayden has decided that today is the day of new words. He said "toes" while pointing to his toes, "bye-bye" while waving to someone and blue, for the color blue.

2. I ran over a mouse. While driving. That takes talent.

3. While driving, post mouse incident, it began to rain. Apparently, some drivers translate that into "I must do 15mph under the speed limit. I am not one of them.

4. I was reminded that I do not like couscous.

5. In a rare moment of productivity, I've gotten the house ready to be destroyed by children tomorrow - I'm hosting a playgroup. I should add that I absolutely do not mind it being destroyed by children.

6. I baked cookies. Okay, well it's 1:30 and I'm going to bake cookies. So I'm just counting it now.

7. I was reminded, while typing this list, that I really enjoy lists. Especially if they are in spreadsheet form.

8. I was somewhere where the fireplace was on today. Brayden yelled "NO NO! HOT!" at it. Pretty good considering he hasn't seen a fireplace that actually had a fire in it for several months.

9. My cell phone has given me the "timer" and died no less than three times today. I'm counting down until I get my new phone...ahem, on the 13th!

10. My birthday is almost here. Which means I am officially closer to 30 than 20. Ok so that didn't happen today, but I thought about it a lot today.

Considering the day is only half way over, it has been a fairly interesting one.

Shout Out

First thank you all SO MUCH for your sweet comments! We are very excited about our new little guy! I won't be keeping his name a secret for too much longer! A very sweet blog reader offered a very cute and creative way for me to share it with you - so very soon, I"ll be doing that!

And now for a HUGE shout out to Jamie at Design's By Jamie! She did such an awesome job on my blog makeover! She is so accommodating - I've had some issues with sizing on a few things and she has taken care of everything for me! Thank you SO MUCH Jamie! I love it!!!! You all need to check out her work - it is awesome!

It's A...

So today was the day of our BIG ultrasound!

To be honest I really didn't have an opinion either way on what I was having, nor did I really want one more than the other. All I care about is having a HEALTHY baby!

So, awhile ago, Intelligender sent me a test to use...and I didn't tell you what it said then. But I will now...

It said Girl!

So today when I went in for my ultrasound, my parents, in-laws and Chris all said it would be a girl. I reserved judgement...since I really didn't have a "feeling" either way.

Good thing.

Because...

It's

A

BOY!!!

A very healthy looking boy at the moment for which we are very thankful! We do have a name - in fact, we picked out 2 names when we named Brayden. So we've had this name for a long time, but I want to make sure it's shared with our family first and then I'll post it!

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes!

Tooooomorrow!

This isn't much of a post BUT tomorrow is our BIG ultrasound! So today is your last day to vote in our gender poll! Most of you think it's a girl! We shall soon know if you're right!

My appointment is mid-morning and once our family knows, I'll will post it! And I'll also be posting the results of our intelligender test!

Edited to add: Nope, I don't care either way (boy/girl) I just want a HEALTHY baby!

Date Night

Last night was date night for Chris and I! First, we went to PF Changs for dinner, which was good as usual. I just love their lettuce wraps! If you follow me on twitter, I recently posted a coupon for free lettuce wraps! Yum!

Then we went to see a movie that I've been waiting to see for awhile! Any guesses?

Of course, it was Eclipse! It was really good. Anytime you read a book first and then see a movie you can find faults in the movie, and for me that was true with Eclipse, but overall, it was very good. There were also more funny parts which I think made it more enjoyable for Chris. We had a group of teen girls behind us and Chris kept threatening to scream "Jacob I love you!" and I kept threatening duct tape. Ha!

After the movie I was asking if he noticed that the actress who plays Victoria was different; this time it's Bryce Dallas Howard. The name sounded really familiar to him but he couldn't place her. Anyway, this morning he woke up and said "I beat her in chess!" ... little known fact about Chris: He was ranked like 40th in the world at chess as a kid. He played a ton of chess and went to a ton of competitions. When he was in like, fifth grade, he played Bryce and beat her! He also met her dad, Ron Howard and his mom got Ron's autograph!