Techno Dance, Harry Potter, and a Rooster

Techno Dance
Each month there is a Stake Dance here that Marlayna has been trying to attend (when she feels well enough to go). This month's theme was Techno and she had a bunch of glow-in-the-dark stuff that she put on. She looked so cute! (but, would not let me take a picture). She is making friends, but the nearest LDS kids live about 3.5 miles away and we are too far out of the way to successfully arrange carpools. I have to say that I am very proud of Marlayna because she never worries about showing up at an event by herself. She just goes right on in and joins the fun.

When I was her age, I was attached to my "pack" of friends. I was scared of arriving to things like dances by myself, I needed someone to go with. I even needed other girls to go to the bathroom with me, for whatever reason, I don't know. I have been wondering why I was like that at that time in my life. Was I programmed that way and then changed later in life as I became more self-sufficient, or was this part of public schooling and just what everyone did?

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
I rarely do this, but we went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yesterday, which was opening day. We waited in line outside for over an hour before getting into the theater and then waited another 30 minutes for the movie to start. Sam told me she had already seen it the night before. People started clapping when the movie came on. The last time I remember being in a theater when people did that was Star Wars. It was kind of funny.

I have to say that this is by far one of the best Harry Potter movies. It is PG and the only thing I would warn parents about is that since the characters are older, they do engage in a bit of kissing (snogging as they call it). They did an EXCELLENT job on the movie and choose the scenes that made for the best movie. It is a very good book too, so in all, I feel that it is better than some of the others.

Banana the Rooster
We bought 9 chickens, one died a few days after we got it (too bad there is not a guarantee on chickens), and now we have 8. We started noticing right off that one chicken was not like the others. This chicken acted as though it needed to protect all the others when we come out to feed them, change their water, and muck out the poop. It would run up in front of the other chickens and stand between us and them or try to gather them all together as a pack.

After a while, we realized that this chicken, Banana by name, is in fact a rooster. As chicks you can't really tell them apart, but we sure can now. He is one proud fella. It is kind of fun to hear him crow in the morning. The kids are hoping to have some chicks born, so we will allow a few of them to stay on their eggs after we get them established at laying.

Boom Baby!

Nearly every day has met with rain in the past two weeks. I love rain, so I am not disappointed. We have tried to enjoy the weather as much as possible since we are SOOO happy to be away from the oppressive heat of the desert that we have lived in for the past ten years. Here is a little video of our last attempt to go hiking...

I love the sounds of gentle thunder and small flashes of lightening. We are so much closer to the clouds that it often seems MUCH louder than when we lived in the desert.

Grand Canyon & Other Stuff

Grand Canyon
Last Wednesday (was that a week ago?) we went to the Grand Canyon with Les & Ronda's family. They stayed the night and we all got up early and drove about an hour to the canyon. It was such a beautiful day! Here are some pics from that trip. It rained on the way home, but at least we did not get rained on at the canyon.

Chicken Run (Nope, not about the movie.)
We worked on a fenced area for the chickens Saturday. They are getting bigger and needed room to roam...safely! We added a doggie door to the coop so they can get in and out of the coop as needed to get out of the wind, rain, and snow. Our bunny, Joey, decided he wanted to explore that area too and had a great time hopping around. He was hilarious doing some extra little hops and twists to show how excited he was to be out in the dirt. The bunny has a hard time with the doggie door, he sometimes slips off the ramp and takes several attempts to get into the coop/shed. I need to get that on video...it is so funny!

Bunk Bed
Chris got a bunk bed for his room off of Craigslist. It is one of those with a futon couch on the bottom. We spent hours putting that thing together on Saturday. *whew!* He is happy to have the couch so he can sit on that while he plays Playstation games and uses his Linux computer that we built together. We now have plenty of beds so come on up and visit!

Goat Barn Anyone?
We are looking for a large shed or small barn to house some goats. Marly is anxiously waiting for the right price on milking goats, but she needs a place for them to stay first so we can keep them safe (see More Nighttime Visitors). She has saved up close to $200 for the goats, but it is far from enough for a shed for them to live in. Heavenly Father has blessed us with several things to allow us to have animals and I believe he will send something our way when the time is right. Craigslist and Freecycle have been huge blessings!

What's "Hop"pening...

Dust Bathing Chicks

Chris filmed some funny video of our 4 week old chickens...(P.S. Brother Cluff, we hope you see this one. You are a great scout leader and we appreciate the example you were to our son!)

Bunny Walk

We were given this sweet, adorable Mini Rex bunny named Little Jim yesterday from Freecycle. He is a very domesticated and social bunny. Thank you Linda Rae, Corey and Justin for allowing us to give him a good home. We love him already! He is so incredibly soft and cuddly.

Other News

Good news! Mike is getting promoted. He was notified today that starting June 1st he will be on his own route. This is very good news for us and much sooner than was expected. We are very thankful to Heavenly Father for providing us with this opportunity. I know that He is looking out for us, even if things do not go perfectly and we have trials and tribulations along the way. We feel very blessed despite the setbacks we are experiencing in other ways.

"You Belong to Me" from Fireproof

Ok - by now you must all know that I am obsessed with the movie Fireproof. This is another song from the movie that I just L O V E! I wish they would make a soundtrack so I can just buy the whole CD and play it over and over in the car.

I am still reading The Love Dare, the book mentioned in the movie. I like the book as well and highly recommend it.

Fireproof - Movie Review

My friend Jen recommended the movie Fireproof the other day. We watched it and I have to say it is the best movie I have seen in a long time that shows the need to improve a marriage. So many movies are of couples breaking up, cheating, or other promiscuous behaviors. This movie is a real tear jerker, so be prepared! Even just hearing the music from the movie makes me cry. I really want the soundtrack.

I highly recommend watching this movie and allowing older children and teens to watch it as well. We discussed many of the issues brought up in the movie with Marly and Chris which are hard topics, but the movie shows a little bit of how destructive pornography can be to people (nothing inappropriate is shown, just the topic is part of the story). It also shows how showing the proper care and attention to your spouse and your marriage can repair problems and prevent divorce.

Fireproof is a Christian movie with the characters discussing Atheism and Christianity. I felt that my children were old enough to understand these topics as well. The only thing that I felt was not in keeping with our religion, the LDS church, is the use of the cross and that they believe marriage is for life only. I wanted to jump into the movie and say, "No! You can be together FOREVER!"

As a divorced person, this movie touched some raw nerves for me. For anyone who has not been like the couple in the movie, you are very lucky. For those who have, you know what a terrible path it is to walk. I wondered if something like The Love Dare would have helped my first marriage or the marriages of others that I know who are divorced. I do think it still takes two. No one person can change everything that is wrong with a marriage. However, something like The Love Dare could help people to love each other again, or rather love each other more deeply.

I found The Love Dare, the book mentioned in the movie, at Wal-mart for less than $11. I figured $11 was a small price to pay to improve my marriage. (even with Mike out of a job)

The Nativity Story

I picked up the movie "The Nativity Story" from the library this past week and we watched it today. We are sick today and so this movie was kind of church for us. I was fascinated by the politics, realistic settings, and portrayal of the customs of the time when Christ was born. I was deeply touched by the relationship between Joseph and Mary. Mary was shunned by her village for the pregnancy, while Joseph also made the decision to allow people to believe the child was his rather than allow Mary to be put on trial and most likely stoned to death.

My kids kept looking at me and asking, "Why are you crying?" I was so deeply moved by the scenes of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and their desperation to find a place for Mary to give birth. Maybe it is partially because I'm a mother, but I just can't think of how difficult it must have been for Mary.

Of course, the main element missing in this portrayal of the Birth of Jesus Christ is the lack of what took place on this continent. The Book of Mormon references to the signs seen in this land and testify that there were many others looking for the sign of the Savior's birth. However, I feel this movie can greatly enhance educating ourselves and our children about what the scriptures say and understanding the times and circumstances of when Jesus Christ was born. I often wonder why the Savior came at that time rather than another period in history. It will be one of the questions I ask in the next life.

Movie Review: "Clone Wars - Star Wars"

The boys went backpacking last weekend, Sam was still with her dad, and that left Marly and I home alone. Marly has had some setbacks with her health and did not feel up to doing anything spectacular so we decided to see a movie. The only PG movie she had not seen was Clone Wars. Now, I am truly a huge Star Wars fan, but I was not interested in seeing the Clone Wars cartoon. But, I went anyway because Marly really wanted to see it and I wanted her to get out of the house and do something. She was not feeling well enough to do some other things I suggested.

The Review
Marly - "It was good, but it was corny in some spots."
Me - "The graphics where choppy in some parts and smoother in others, like the fight scenes. I don't think it is worth seeing at the Theatre, but a good rental for kids who love Star Wars."

The movie picks up after Star Wars - Eposide II - Attack of the Clones but before Anakin turns to the dark side. It is left wide open for a series of cartoon movies up until Anakin becomes Darth Vader so I guess we can expect several movies to come out in this format. I wish they had spent more time on the digital graphics. It looks more like a video game than a cartoon movie.

Movie Review: WALL*E

With all the stress in our lives recently, the kids and I (minus Sam) took a day to go to the movies. Marly really wanted to see WALL*E. I was interested as well since they have had such cute little commercials about it. I have to say that it was a little disappointing. Here is what the kids had to say about it:

• Chris - "I think we should have seen Kung Fu Panda instead."
• Me - "The story line was slow."
• Marly - "I liked it."
• Chris - "On a scale of 1 to 10...I say it's a 4."
• Marly - "On a scale of 1 to 10...I say it's a 7."
• Me - "Cute for DVD, but not for theater prices."

So there you have it...from the Batchelor's at the Movies.

It was nice to get away from the house for several hours (including the drive, wait for the movie, and the movie itself). We probably won't do it again for quite awhile since gas is just way to expensive and I have to travel to Phoenix a couple more times in the near future.

"The King and the Dudes" Movie

We have a treat for you! Our incredibly talented son and friends made a movie called "The King and the Dudes." This is their film making debut. They did a great job.