Happy Birthday Eric!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!! Here's....

Why We Love Eric So Much

• Eric works so hard for our family. He goes to work everyday, even though he doesn't want to, and works his butt off! He's going back to school, which is hard, just so he can provide better for our growing family. And he's doing it now so he doesn't have to have time taken away from Tiny when she's old enough to really understand. How thoughtful is he?
  
• Eric is always looking for the positive in life. He's one of the most optimistic people I know! It benefits our lives so much that he's willing to look past what sucks and focus on what is awesome!
  
• Eric is so talented! Seriously, I know a lot of talented people and Eric is really high up on that list! His singing, acting, dancing, directing, and improv skills are crazy. I delight so much in watching him perform, so much so that even if I never get to perform again I could die happy as long as I get to keep watching him!
  
• Eric can cook! Yes, he is a better cook than me (and that's hard for me to admit, cuz I want to be awesome...I'm just not)! He can come home from work, find food I didn't even know we had, and make a delicious meal for us. Nutritious...that's a different story. :-) But there's always protein!
  
• Eric know how to make us happy. Eric can brighten even the gloomiest days. Sometime all I need are some cuddles from him and everything is better. He can always make me laugh and can usually make Tiny laugh too!
• Eric has amazing calves! I just had to throw that one in there....cuz it's true!
• Eric does what needs to be done. Even though he hates it, Eric knows when chores need to be done and he helps out. He's so good about mowing the lawn and helping put away laundry. He doesn't hesitate to change Tiny's diaper or wash out her bottles. He even changed the litter box while I was pregnant!
• Eric knows a lot of stuff. I know this seems like a silly reason to love him so much but it's true. He's always got info about everything. He's constantly telling me new things and it makes him so much more interesting to talk to!! Plus, he'll be an excellent teacher for Tiny because he knows so much random stuff!
  
• Eric is a great daddy. Tiny gets so excited as soon as Eric walks through the door! She knows her daddy's home and it's time for kisses and toys! Even though he had no baby experience he tackled all of the baby tasks head on and learned quickly. He's so good at feeding and changing her! He's learning more everyday about how babies work and is loving all her new stages. He's so sweet with her and I can tell how much they love each other!!
• Eric is a phenomenal husband. I know everyone who's married thinks they're married to the best person in the whole world but for me, it's actually true! :-) Eric has been there for me through so much. He's stuck by me no matter how awful things got. No matter how stubborn, or whiny, or happy, or grumpy, or immature, or silly, or sad, or pathetic I am he's always there. He makes me a better mother, a better wife, a better person. Knowing that I'll always have him is the most comforting thing in the world. Eric is, in every way, the perfect man for me and I feel so blessed to have him!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I cannot wait to see what this year brings us! Isabelle and I love you more than we could ever express!!! Here's some of our favorite pictures of you!

Making Memories; Movie Memories - 300, 3000 Miles to Graceland, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

We watched 3 movies over the long weekend. Here's our recap starting with...

300

Release Date- March 9, 2007
Directed by- Zach Snyder
Produced by- Mark Canton,Bernie Goldmann,Gianni Nunnari,
Jeffrey Silver, and Frank Miller
Screenplay by- Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Michael B. Gordon
Staring- Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West,
Vincent Regan, and Rodrigo Santoto
Gross Revenue- $456,068,181
Awards- 300 won "Best Fight" at the MTV Movie Awards

Summary- 300 tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Persians under the rule of King Xerxes have already taken over some of the Hellenic city-states, and now threaten Sparta and Athens. King Leonidas of Sparta is left with two options: he will either have to sacrifice himself for the well-being of Sparta or watch it burn to the ground. Choosing the former, Leonidas forms an army of 300 Spartan warriors to block the narrow passage of Thermopylae. The 300 are accompanied by about 700 Thespians who protect the flanks of the passage, and combined, the forces manage to slay tens of thousands of Persians and prevent their entry into Hellas for several days. However, Ephialtes, a reject of the Spartan Army gets his revenge by showing Xerxes a secret goat passage up the flanks of the passage. The story depicts the epic last stand of the finest Spartan soldiers who are aware of their fate, but motivated by "honor and glory", see the battle as their duty to protect the rest of Greece for as long as possible.

Eric's Review- One of the coolest action movies of all time. In my top ten for sure. Comic book style slow motion action, strong acting and lots of battle! Whats not to love? I'll tell you, the hunchback character sucks and they went a little over the top with the oracle monster guys and weird things from Persia. Other than that its a nearly flawless victory for the team that put this one together. The make up team lost them a star.

****- 4 out of 5 stars.

Kia's Review- One of my favorite movies of all time. It's full of action and guys with their shirts off...really, what more could I ask for! :-) Seriously though, this movie is awesome. I love the comic book style. I agree with Eric that they went a little over-the-top with some of the characters but all in all it was fantastic. I'm crazy about Gerard Butler and have loved him in everything I've seen, so it's no surprise that he was the stand out for me. I believed every step of the way that he was the King of this great warrior city. Also, I loved the relationship they showed between him and his wife. It's so subtle and yet so romantic and his final line, "My Queen! My wife. My love...", *sigh*. The other stand out for me was David Wenham. I think he's a great actor and I believe that having him narrate the show was a BRILLIANT choice. My favorite line of his, "Remember us." As simple an order as a king can give. "Remember why we died." For he did not wish tribute, nor song, nor monuments nor poems of war and valor. His wish was simple. "Remember us," he said to me. That was his hope, should any free soul come across that place, in all the countless centuries yet to be. May all our voices whisper to you from the ageless stones, "Go tell the Spartans, passerby, that here by Spartan law, we lie." *chills* Ugh, I love this movie so so so much! I forgive the make-up artist for the characters that were over this top...this movie was an epic win in my opinion! 5 stars all the way!!! *****

Movie #2-

3000 Miles to Graceland

Release Date- February 23, 2001
Directed by-Demian Lichtenstein
Produced by- Demian Lichtenstein, Eric Manes, Elie Samaha,
Richard Spero, and Andrew Stevens
Written by- Richard Recco and Demian Lichtenstein
Staring- Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Courteney Cox, Christian Slater, and Jon Lovitz
Gross Revenue- $18,720,175
Awards- 3000 Miles to Graceland was nominated for five 2001 Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Kevin Costner), Worst Supporting Actress (Courteney Cox), Worst Screenplay and Worst Screen Couple (Kurt Russell and either Costner or Cox) but failed to win any of those categories. (Had to add that...cuz I thought it was funny!)

Summary- It was an ingenious enough plan: rob the Riviera Casino's count room during an Elvis impersonator convention. But Thomas Murphy decided to keep all the money for himself and shot all his partners, including recently-freed ex-con Michael Zane. With $3.2 million at stake, the Marshals Service closing in, and single mom Cybil Waingrow and her son Jesse constantly confounding things, Michael must track down Murphy.

Kia's Review- Well, this movie did very poorly when it was in theaters and I can see why. Cool action in the beginning and then very very slow the rest of the way through. PLUS, they killed off the black guy in the beginning and I liked him the best so...it was kinda over from there for me. :-) There were definitely parts of it that I enjoyed and I was mildly entertained through a lot of it but it's just not my cup of tea. Didn't hate it but wouldn't watch it again. 2 out of 5. **---

Eric's Review- Time to get rid of this one. A cool show with some major pace issues. Love the first 30 min or so but the rest of the movie kind of gives me a stomach ache. Highlight of the show is Kurt Russell singing and dancing as Elvis during the closing credits. **--- 2 out of 5 stars.

And thirdly...

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Release Date- February 4, 1994
Directed by-Tom Shadyac
Produced by-James G. Robinson
Written by- Jack Bernstein, Tom Shadyac, and Jim Carrey
Staring- Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc, and Dan Marino
Gross Revenue- $107,217,396

Summary- He's the best there is. In fact, he's the only one there is! He's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Ace is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino. He goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, stakes out the Miami Dolphins and woos and wows the ladies. Whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man . . . or beast!

Eric's Review- Great comedy showcasing the old Jim Carrey that we all grew to love. I was reluctant to dust off this old comedy and watch it again, but I gotta admit I loved seeing it again. Right from the start with him smashing up his UPS package while delivering it, I had a smile on my face. My favorite scene is the one in the mental institution and my favorite line is: "Dan Marino should die of ghonarea and rot in hell, would you like a cookie?" said by the little old librarian lady from Ghostbutsters. ****- 4 out of 5 stars

Kia's Review- Jim Carrey is funny and I don't care what anyone else says. True, he's quirky and makes strange faces (Faces that remind me of Clarence Strohn WHOM I ADORE) and is a little over the top sometimes but I think he's great! I have yet to see a movie he's in that I don't like. So, that's my opinion on him and you're certainly entitled to yours. Now, that being said...I can now give you my review of the movie. Eric's had this movie the whole time we've known each other and we've never watched it because he always said the second one is better and the first one isn't really worth watching....blah blah blah. So, this was my first time seeing it and I LOVED IT! I thought the story was clever and I loved all the animals. Although the acting wasn't fantastic and the outfits were awfully I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was funny and charming and Jim Carrey was delightfully strange! Awesome movie, so glad we own it!
5 Stars from me! *****

That's it for now. And for anyone still waiting on our Disney World post...I promise it's coming. It's all ready to go, just waiting for the pictures to arrive! But here's a pic of my cutie, just to tide you over! :-)

Making Memories; Movie Memories - 50 First Dates

The second movie in line to be watched and reviewed was...

50 First Dates
Release Date- Feb. 13th, 2004
Directed by- Peter Segal
Produced by- Jack Giarraputo, Steve Golin, and Nancy Juvone
Written by- George Wing
Staring- Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin,
Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd
Gross Revenue- $196,482,882

Summary- Henry Roth lives in a Hawaiian paradise with the company of endless women with no strings attached. This is until he meets Lucy Whitmore. Both Henry and Lucy enjoy the company of each other and feels the start of a serious relationship occurring. Approaching Lucy the next day, Henry is confused when Lucy fails to recognize him. This is the moment Henry discovers that Lucy actually suffers from short term memory loss and can't remember each individual day. Henry won't let this stop him and is prepared to make her fall in love with him all over again, each and every day.

Eric's Review- This show is in my top 3 romantic-comedies of all time along with Knotting Hill and Transformers. (see what I did there?) Anyway, there are many reasons why I rank this one so high, here are just a few: Great chemistry between the leads, the state of Hawaii is featured prominently throughout, Rob Schneider as a local brahdah, Walruses, Penguins, Dan Aykroyd in a Hawaiian shirt, Sean Astin as a lisping steroid using narcissist, and a great combination of off-beat comedy and romantic tones. This show also had one of the best soundtracks of any move ever. It features tons of 80’s hits done in a Hawaiian style. Trivia note: the original movie script set the movie in Seattle which was the hometown of the writer. I think setting this movie in Hawaii made it 50 times better, so good decision! Over all, a well put together move that I am glad I own, it is always a joy to watch. ***** 5-STARS!

Kia's Review - 99 minutes of pure happiness!!! I am totally crazy about this movie and have been since the first time I saw it. Honestly, there are very few movies in this world that make me as happy as 50 First Dates and it is so fun to be able to watch it with my honey. He had been to and recognized so many places, it was like him showing me around his mission...only WAY more entertaining! :-)
I'm totally with Eric about the soundtrack, it is so much fun! And "Forgetful Lucy" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I think its so sweet in it's own silly, quirky way! The character work is great. Every character is so unique and distinct. Sean Astin almost steals the show with his lisp! Oh my gosh, I love him SO much! I thought that Adam Sandler was actually very charming in this show, and I'm not usually a huge fan of his. Rob Schneider is a hoot but that little penguin totally won my heart...he's my favorite for sure! The location is beautiful, the characters are spot on, the mix of charm and comedy is brilliant. If you haven't seen this movie, do it now!!! No questions asked, 5 out of 5! *****
Oh, I also learned a valuable lesson from this movie... "Sharks only bite when you touch their privates". So good to know! ;-)

And for those of you who don't really care what I write, just want to see pictures of Tiny...here you go.

Making Memories; Movie Memories - 27 Dresses

Eric and I have decided to take on a new adventure...watching movies! :-) I know, it doesn't sound that new or adventurous but we've taken on the challenge of watching all of our movie collection (well over 200 films) in alphabetical order! This is going to be especially difficult for Eric since he's a "mood watcher" (he chooses to watch a movie based on his mood, not what letter comes next) but it would appear that he's up for the challenge. Here are the rules: 1.) We must go in order. We start with the number 1 and work our way down the the letter Z. 2.) We CANNOT skip a movie, unless we both decide to get rid of said movie. Notice that BOTH of us must agree to get rid of the movie, this is so Eric can't get out of watching chick flicks by saying he wants to get rid of it!! 3.) After each movie we will each write a small review of the movie to post on this here bloggy. The idea here is that when we're done we'll have a small summery as well as reviews that we can keep with our movies to remind us why we own them. This will come in especially handy IF we ever move and wonder why we're lugging 200+ movies around with us! :-) So, those are the rules, and now on to our first movie. (Note: When the movie title is in purple it's a Kia kind of movie, green is an Eric kind of movie, blue is one we're both crazy about.)

27 Dresses
Release Date- Jan. 18th, 2008
Directed by- Anne Fletcher
Produced by- Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, and Jonathan Glickman
Written by- Aline Brosh McKenna
Starring- Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Judy Greer, Malin Akerman and Edward Burns
Gross Revenue- $160,259,319

Summary- Two things about Jane: she never says no to her friends (she's been a bridesmaid 27 times and selflessly plans friends' weddings), and she's in love with her boss, George, nurturing dreams of a lovely, romantic wedding of her own. She meets Kevin, a cynical writer who finds her attractive, and that same week her flirtatious younger sister Tess comes to town. Jane silently watches George fall for Tess, a manipulative pretender. Worse, Jane may be called upon to plan their wedding. Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Jane's attention and has an idea that may advance his career.

Kia's Review- "This is the first, and only, movie I saw in the movie theater all by myself, therefore, I have a special place for it in my heart. :-) No, it's not a fantastic movie but yes, I smile through almost all of it. There were places where it was a little slow but overall it's well done. True, the plot is a little obvious, as is the case with most chick flicks, but it's a charming movie! I'm crazy about Katherine Heigl, I think she's darling and I kind of want to be her when I grow up. She was sweet and believable! I think James Marsden is a wonderful person to look at and he wasn't too over the top, which was nice. There's something wonderful about drunk people singing and dancing on bars so I'm sure glad the movie had a little bit of that and I'm very glad that they actually showed you all '27 Dresses', it would've been disappointing if they had not. All in all, I'm a fan of the movie and would watch it again! Oh, and I LOVE the bosses dog!!! He's a Bernese Mountain Dog and I NEED one! :-) I give 27 Dresses a 3 out of 5 stars." ***--

Eric's Review- "Not too painful for a chick flick, I LOL'd in a few places. I thought casting Edward Burns as the boss that Katherine Heigl has a crush on was a little odd, but overall I guess it worked. Also, James Marsden (Cyclops from X-Men) didn't do too bad as a romantic comedy lead actor. He was rather charming and seemed comfortable in the role. I wonder why he has not been in this position much? Maybe he just prefers psy-fi action... as I do... :-) Judy Greer as the best friend was a highlight although the character is feeling a bit stereotypical as hollywood has overdone the sassy best friend role. Not Judy's fault though, she was good. And, well, I don't hate watching Katherine Heigl on screen, and she was fun and cute as usual in this one. Not an amazing move but good. I give it 3 out of 5 stars." ***--

Tiny's New Trick

Isabelle has picked up a new trick....one that I love....she smiles for the camera! As soon as I put the camera up to my face and tell her to smile, she does! It's so cute and has made for some really great pictures!!Eric's show, The Hasty Heart, closed last weekend. He had a great time playing with the boys and it was a wonderful show with a powerful message. We're both so glad that he was able to be a part of it! And both so glad it's over. That's one of the funny things about Eric. Unlike most actors, Eric loves closing a show. He always feels accomplished. And in this case, I think, he also felt relieved. The cast went out after the show on Saturday and it was fun to be able to spend time with them. One of the hardest things about doing a show now that we've had Tiny is that we don't get to hang at Applebee's with everyone nearly as much. *shrugs* We made the most of that night for that very reason, we were the last ones to leave! :-)
Isabelle and I went on her first picnic yesterday! It was a little windy but they weather was still wonderful! It was so fun to be outside, sitting on the grass, hanging with my baby. I'm so lucky to be a mommy!!Kung Fooey opens in about a week an half, which means we leave for DISNEY WORLD in a week and a half!!!! AHHHHHH! I cannot believe it's so soon! I've been planning this trip since October and it always seemed so far away, but now it's almost here. It still hasn't really set in, obviously, because I haven't gotten ANYTHING done! We're going to have so much fun! I can't wait to be away with Tiny, Eric, and Caleb for a whole week! We're going to ride awesome rides, swim in really neat pools, and eat the most amazing food. *eek*Speaking of Kung Fooey, I am a fantastic choreographer! :-) They look so great! We ran the second act last night and it was a little rough...okay a lot rough but it was mostly just memorization issues. But the dancing is AWESOME! I'm so proud of the cast and really am feeling like I might actually be good at this! ;-) I couldn't have done it without my Nic-ee-poo though! I love him so much! And Tiny seems to be a fan as well....