Kids Learn the Darndest Things

If you have read my Blog, you know that I might be a wee bit obsessed with the Twilight World and District 12/Katniss,Peta,Gale. At my home, my daughter or daughter inlaw will come over and we will dissect the books, movies, and everything in between. Of course, we have only just seen Hunger Games, but the books have been discussed thoroughly.

When we get together to "Twilight" we might have one of the movies playing and the books open, rewinding and rereading a chapter...discussing how the movie missed the mark, and what they got right. I know, it isn't right. There is something seriously wrong with us. I know people who want me to go to meetings. My granddaughter Katie, who is 9, has been a part of many of these parties. We do censor some of the parts, especially in Breaking Dawn.

The past several months I have noticed that she gets on our family computer and  goes to YouTube. She brings up parts of Lion King. There are a few of the neighborhood boys that play with her. She invites (forces) them to sit there with her while she plays the different videos. She tells them what the animals names are and who they belong to and what they are doing and why they are doing it. I am amazed that they will actually sit there while she does this. The next morning while driving to work, I was reflecting on the previous evening when it hit me....She was "Twilighting " in her own way. She is dissecting all the aspects of the story. She is asking questions about why the characters are doing what they do. I just can't believe that she gets those boys to sit and watch and makes them participate. She should enjoy that power while she can.

I was discussing this with my daughter and she came to the same conclusion. Her brother who has autism, also ask questions while watching a movie. It is very hard to enjoy a movie when he is rattling questions off the entire time. She said that Katie thinks that is the way you are suppose to watch a movie.

I got a call from my Daughter inlaw and Lilly, another one of my granddaughters is now acting out the scenes of "Tangled". She also loves her Bella and Edward.  At 2 years old, I am happy that she would rather watch "Tangled".

I just hope that we have instilled in them the love of reading. I also appreciate the fact that Katie digs deeper into the thoughts and reasons behind the author's words.

Hunger Games vs Twilight

The one good thing about having a blog, when you get aggravated about a subject, you have a sounding board. I can rant and rave right here. My topic today is Hunger Games vs Twilight.  First of all, idiots that keep trying to compare them are really making me angry. It shows their ignorance and makes them appear stupid. If you are a critic and you don't like a book or movie, that is your prerogative. But when you are reviewing one entity why compare it to something you don't like.   So I am going to rant and rave here and try and get out my frustration.

First let's just review the similarities. This is a very short list.  The books are both fiction written for young adults by two different but amazing authors. The stories were so long that it took multiple books to tell them. The main character is a young girl and she has two young men that love her. The stories tell how the young girl goes on a journey and how she changes over the span of less than 2 years. They are both love stories, but within two completely different settings.  Both stories are depicted on screen in Hollywood. The lives of these actors have been drastically changed as the fans of the books and the press have lifted them to super star status. This is where it ends.

Twilight was chock full of supernatural, make believe, characters that could never exist except in our imagination. Vampires and werewolves were set in a world that we could only dream about. Not your scarey bloody full of horror monsters either. But a fantasy of the "bad guys" trying to be good. Bella falling in love with someone she shouldn't. The forbidden love. She gives up her world and life to be in Edwards. Not because she just fell in love, but because she feels she belongs there. And as for this fan of the books, sometimes the movies fell short of the mark, but the characters that came alive on the screen were perfect.  She went on a journey of discovering what she needed and wanted and what she could live with and without. All the odds were not in her favor and she had to escape death on several occasions. First the man made one where she was saved from being crushed by a van by Edward. Of course Edward had to deal with his family about what it could have cost him. She was saved from another vampire by Edward and his family. She was saved by yet another vampire by the Jacob and his werewolf brothers. She was saved from the mean and evil Victoria by the Cullens and Werewolves. And she was saved from death one more time after delivering her baby, Edward changed her into a vampire. So No these things cannot happen. This is just a story of forbidden love but in the end she gets everything she wants. Hello!!! A FAIRYTALE.....


The Hunger Games is set in a post apocalyptic world. Katniss is looking to save her family as well as herself. This is fiction, but it could happen. It has nothing to do with fairy tales or the supernatural. From the first page of this book, Katniss is trying to save her family. She volunteers to take her sister's place in the Games. Knowing that the odds are against her coming home. Either choice she had made, she is trying to save the lives of her family.  This young girl that is old beyond her years helps incite a revolution. It is far more reaching than that of a love triangle. This is not a choice of love, but of saving her family and the people she loves.  It is also a journey of finding out what she is capable of. Finding out what you would do and how far you would go.  And throughout the series of books, she suffers loss.  This is not a happy story full of magic and fairy tales.  In the end, she does finally get her Happy...but it is not without much pain and loss.


So when critics start acting like the real fans of both series, seriously would compare them it makes me so angry. "The Hunger Games" is such a serious subject. We know that.  The critics are using "The Hunger Games" to criticize "Twilight" yet again . That somehow comparing the two will make us believe that our Twilight world is less.  I know that this is a stupid Rant, but you know when you are a fan of something, you don't want someone making fun of it. I suppose when you look at how many books and tickets were sold, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. My opinion of the "Twilight" movies were not always favorable. I felt cheated that they left so much out. The last movie for the book fans, had to be the best. I have high hopes that "The Hunger Games" movie will hit the mark. Comparing the both of them, the actors they have chosen bring our characters to life.

Family Day

We spent this Sunday riding down to Mt. Scott in the Wichita Wildlife Refugee. We have been there before, but I think my grandchildren really enjoy it. Mike and Lloyd took the motorcycles and the kids took turns riding there. They had so much fun.

I am not sure what they enjoy the most. It seems that every time we go it is cool and WINDY... wow.. But we ended up with a great day. They even enjoy the visitor center. It seems that we see something new every time we go. This time the Buffalo and Long Horn Cattle were out and more visible.

Six of the grandchildren came with us. Two of the girls were missing. It never seems like we can get them all together. but with Anna being 15 going on 35...we don't see very much of her and our poor Katie girl broke her arm on Christmas Day and she didn't need to be climbing around on the rocks or riding the motorcycle. Of course if she had been there, we wouldn't be able to stop her. It is also a challenge when 4 of our boys are autistic. We never know when we plan an outing how it will end. When you try to cater to our kids, a melt down can make the day miserable...but on the other hand, when it all comes together, it is beautiful. We had one of those days on Sunday.

Noah is non verbal which means he doesn't use words. However his actions and the sounds he makes lets us know whether or not he is having a good day. He had a wonderful day. It was really awesome. As he gets older, you can see that he is learning more everyday on how to communicate with us. And the more he learns, the easier his life becomes and ours in turn....

He smiled all day long. This picture of him and his dad sitting on the top of the rocks, shows him completely relaxed. The sun reflecting in the sky, bouncing off the rocks seems to be showing Angel beams bouncing off his smile.  

Of course we had our Lilly Girl with us and she was telling us what to do all day long.Took her baby with us to the top...

Brody wouldn't ride on the motorcycle with Dad or Papa because neither wore their Overhauls. It seems that Brody doesn't feel safe unless he can use the straps to hold on to. He had a great time at the Visitor center.

Ashton was convinced that the top of Mt. Scott had dinosaur footprints in the rocks. He was measuring up to the "dinosaur track"

And then we have the two older boys..Cousins they are, but also best friends. Listening to their conversations can be enlightening to say the least. Both are high functioning Autistic. Now they are at the age that they really don't want people to know. I am so proud of what they accomplish everyday. We had some conversations on how those Texas Long Horns got to Oklahoma.

Here is a pic of Anna and Katie the ones we had to leave behind on Sunday. Although Katie did not want to miss it...well on the other hand, sometimes Anna just doesn't have time. I so understand..but sometimes I wish she could come and enjoy our outings. She just doesn't know how much we miss her.

Although my daughter and the two girls were missing, we had a great day. We are not always so lucky to have days like this. With our boys disabilities, it is hard to find activities that are fun and sensory friendly. This day, God blessed us with his love and the Angels were looking down on us.