STELLA SAID WITH GLASSES

Stella freaking loves wearing her mommy's glasses. It is cute, but sometimes very annoying...because, well...they are MINE. She says she can't see clearly without them and I just laugh. I thought it was about time to do a "Stella said" post and pics with my glasses seemed like the perfect match.

• "Daddy, don't pull on my arms. They are delicate!"
• "Stella, did you get enough sleep last night?" "No, I only got one."
• "Thanks Chef Mama!"

• Making whining sounds while holding up a huge spoonful of ice cream: "I can't eat this--my tongue is too little!"
• "I can't marry Catchy-Cy, they're my boys!"

• "This root beer is spicy."
• "Stella, how much root beer do you have left?" "Twenty minutes."
• "I am going to the money store to get more money."

• She always says when going to the bathroom: "I need my privacy."
• After being told to sit and be reverent at church: "I don't want to be reverent--I just want to do my moves."
• After being told that her dance recital was over and that she wasn't going to have another one the next morning she cried: "I only get one?"

• "Mommy, do you remember when we saw the pictures by Degas?"
• After showing her the dress she would be wearing at Tyler's wedding she yelled: "I don't want to get married! I am too little!"

• While walking to church in the wind: "My hair is goin' nuts!"
• After realizing I forgot her stroller at the mall, I asked her if she could just walk. "Yes, my legs work."

NEW BOOK BLOG

I just started a blog dedicated only to talking about the books I have loved and want to share with the world. Please follow it if you have any interest in books. Thanks!

http://www.ilovedthisbook.blogspot.com/

YOUTUBE TIMES

Stella is going through a YouTube phase. She has spent hours clicking chipmunk "music" videos and watching them no matter how boring or how bad the classic chipmunk sound has been produced on the song. (Personally, I wonder who spends any time turning a song into a chipmunk song and then posts it on YouTube with still pictures of animated chipmunks, but whatever.)

Today she found full episodes of her favorite shows. It was while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that she asked for a few pillows and made herself a little set up. I thought it was too cute.

MY FAVORITE READS OF 2011

My official count for books read this year is 242. That number isn't totally right since I re-read a few favorites and didn't finish some very bad books, but marked them on my Goodreads account as read to keep track of them. Still, I would say that total is pretty on track, meaning I might have a serious addiction to books!

I can't imagine I will ever top this total so I feel like I have to make note of the accomplishment (or sickness, if you want to look at it that way) on the family blog. Most of the books I read were quick YA reads, but I had a few very long ones in there too (longest read: 896 pages). I also read some non-fiction, classics, and popular adult reads as well.

Out of the 242, there were a clear top 10 favorites so here is my list in descending order:

10. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
A totally innocent, sweet, and poignant love story. The characters are young but the message is timeless: A friend who is comfortable with who they are is a rare find.

9. Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
A daughter who has just lost her photographer dad goes searching for answers with a mysterious boy who was once his protégé. Emotions are brutally raw and Summers sucks you in from page one. My original Goodreads review was just one word: wow. My only complaint is the excessive use of the f-word.

8. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
This is the kind of story that makes you want to get up and cheer at the end. The completely loveable heroine D.J. is good at football and coming-of-age magic ensues. I love this book as much as I hate football. This is the first book of a trilogy; the rest are not as good, but I dare anyone to read this and not want to see what happens with D.J. and Brian.

7. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Marchetta is the queen of Australian YA and this book is my favorite of hers (I have read them all). I have never fallen so much in love with a ragtag group of friends like this ever. Makes being the uncool kids at the fancy private school seem like the coolest thing ever.

6. Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
When I first laughed my way through this completely original story about a horny young teenager with ADD I didn't know if anyone else I knew would like this, let alone read it. It has been an absolute hit with my friends who have given it a chance. It is totally irreverent and offensive while being sincerely heartwarming at the same time.

5. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
Sweet, funny Bronwen actually has some standards and, when she falls for the ever adorable Jared, her life just gets better and better. This is the book I would write if I could actually write a book.

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty (The Summer Books Trilogy) by Jenny Han
Book 1, total fluff...but good fluff. Bring on book 2 and 3 and welcome to the best love triangle of 2011. These books kept me up late (not difficult), and woke me up early (impossible) to see what would happen next. The only flaws being that Jenny Han has no idea what the word ironic actually means and she didn't write a book 4.

3. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Raw and beautiful, this book is a treasure with a voice so honest it breaks your heart and picks it back up again. I usually skip poems in books, but the ones found here are tremendous and make this story so full and rich. A little bit of scandal here, but I kind of like it.

2. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Another Aussie favorite. I read this the first time too fast because I had to devour it, but the writing is so insanely beautiful that I had to read it again as soon as I got it a month later for my birthday. If I were to make a movie from a book it would be these quiet pages of perfection.

1. Amplified by Tara Kelly
If you have ever wanted to know what it felt like to be a girl in a band, but I mean really totally feel like you are this fictional character who is in a band, this is the book for you. No other book has ever made me forget that I am only me like this one. I was completely sucked in to the highs and lows of this story. Kind of wild, but so worth it.

So there they are! It warms my heart to remember reading each of these books. I enjoyed most of the books I read this year, but these are the standouts. They are all already in my collection and most are out on loan to friends so I can share the love.

SPECIAL THANKS

As 2011 comes to a close, I can't help but be thankful to my mommy for always being around to watch Stella, especially during weddings and photo shoots. Thanks Grammy!

FAMILY PICTURES 2011

Here are some of my favorites from our family pictures this year taken by my dear friend Krisi. I have to say that I think we are one good looking family.

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS

It has been a few days since the extravaganza that was our Christmas came to an end, and finally I think I am ready to tackle going through the pictures and saying a few words about our day.

Stella was of course totally thrilled that Santa came. She opened each present with equal joy and excitement. She got a dollhouse, books, movies, binoculars, a Princess CD player, Princess baby accessories, and a Princess kitchen. Grammy and Papa stopped by as well to see her open her last few presents. Before he knew it, Brent was being directed to start assembling Stella's Princess kitchen. Stella sat down and kept a close eye on his progress, chiding him if he got distracted at all.

Christmas being on a Sunday is always kind of the pits. (Sorry, but those are my thoughts.) Brent being the good Mormon that he is insisted that, since there were no presents for him under the tree, his gift would be us going to church without any complaints. I murmured under my breath, but got ready for church anyway. The meeting was actually really nice, and I am glad we went. As were were leaving church, Stella announced that she loved the meeting so I guess it wasn't such a bad idea to go.

After church we were off to Grandma and Grandpa Sallay's house. We were most excited to be able to talk to our missionary, Kathy. We opened gifts and then finally our missionary called. Stella was super shy, but talked a little. I think she was kind of sure that Aunt Kathy was actually going to be at the house, so when she only got to talk to her on the phone I think she felt like she got the shaft. After our call, Stella and I had our first dance performance to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas." We have been working on it for weeks and Stella loved showing off her cool moves. There are no pictures of the dancing since Brent was busy video taping.

By the time we got to my parent's house we were exhausted and shocked to find too many presents under the tree. The girls were so excited. We had some family drama during and following dinner and it feels wrong to just write about Christmas like it was some sparkly day when in fact there were a few family bumps. I don't want to get into it too much, but I do want to say that even though my family is kind of crazy these days, we still love each other and I am grateful to them all for being in my life.

Anyway, we finally got into the pile of gifts and the girls were sufficiently spoiled. Stella got her long awaited Baby Belle doll and lots of other special treats. I am thrilled to announce that I bought Ava her favorite gift this year: a pair of Barbie roller skates. She had to try them out immediately and it wasn't without some hilarious results. We were all showered with gifts, especially Mom with her Gucci blanket from Santa.

Stella and I performed our dance again and then Ava joined us for an encore or two. We had some more acts for our family devotional and then called it a night. It was a very busy and full day.

It was very nice to have all of Monday to just hang around, and Stella was finally able to totally immerse herself in the gluttony that is Christmas. So many presents! It is almost out of hand really. But she loves them all. She is especially fond of the CD player and takes it everywhere. She has dropped it several times and every time I cringe that it is broken for good because her heart will break with it. But not to worry--it is still working and Stella is forever shaking it to Disney's muzak versions of the hits you know and love.

So that was Christmas for us this year, I think it might go down in history as unforgettable. :)