Reviews: The Hobbit

We just finished this book as a Read Aloud for our home education. Nayna and I have read it before, Nayna several months ago and I read it in middle school. It is one of my all-time favorites! I'm a sci-fi and fantasy junkie! It is so nice to find classics in those genres. I highly recommend this book for all readers and especially as a read aloud book to the family.

We have also watched the cartoon movie, we actually watched before reading the book as a read aloud together. You can find the movie on YouTube here. The Hobbit does not seem nearly as gruesome as The Lord of the Rings series, although it does have scary parts. It is a good place to start for all ages.

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.

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.

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.