New Moon Discussion Questions

So last night we had the 2nd installment of our Team Edward Book Club where we discussed New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. We had a blast as usual! I think I ate like a dozen tortillas :) We even had vampire cupcakes thanks to Nikki.

It was just a fantastic time! The conversation/discussion went great and flowed really well. Except I am the one that kept giving away future book details! Even after I told everyone else not to! Oh well! I like when everyone gets so into it that they are talking over eachother and disagreeing with one another... it's just so fun!

Thanks to everyone who came! Our next meeting is on Thursday, September 4th at 7pm. We will be discussing both Eclipse and Breaking Dawn because we find it is way too hard not to talk about them.




Here are a few pictures of the night:
Abby with the wine:


Michelle and Stephanie (their famous)


Courtney and Linda


Jodie and I


Nikki and Michelle


And here are the yummy vampire cupcakes!


Next time we are having a red/black theme. Everyone is dressing in either red or black and all the food has to be red or black. It's going to be so much fun! Also, we've decided to all go to the midnight showing of the movie when it comes out in November and we are going to dress up like characters from the book! :) YES we are so dorky! But that's why we have eachother, we understand! Right ladies! :)

So last night was great, and if you weren't able to go, here are the discussion questions. We also took a quiz :) I don't remember who won, I think it was more of an ice breaker than anything else. It also started some debates where people were flipping through their books. It's so much fun! :)

I didn't write our answers, as I just don't want to spend the time.

New Moon Discussion Questions:

1. Why is it important that vampires can’t use their powers on Bella? Do you feel that this will hold true if she is bitten?

2. Discuss the dilemma that Bella now faces by having strong feelings for two very distinct enemies.

3. If Bella were to join Edward in the vampire world, what role might Charlie play in her life? Would he be in more danger or would the Cullens feel a stronger obligation to protect him? And how will his role as “Chief” Swan be affected by her decisions?

4. Compare and contrast the traits of Jacob’s pack versus the Cullens and even the “Nomads.” How do those differences help and hurt them when they are up against each other?

5. Edward believes that there is no afterlife for vampires because they have lost their souls. Carlisle believes that his life can have purpose and has faith that there is a reason for it. What do you believe based on what you have read? What about the vampires that hunt humans versus the ones that abstain?

6. Throughout the novel, Bella often puts herself and those around her in danger. Would you characterize these actions as selfish? Why or why not? What impact is she having on
Charlie? Jacob? Her friends?

7. Despite his pack’s disapproval, Jacob still finds ways to help Bella. How will this affect his relationship and status in the pack? Will he ever be able to convince them of the reasons why he needs to be around her?

8. Was Edward’s decision to leave the right one? And how do you feel about how he handled the situation— especially convincing Bella that he didn’t love her? What else could he have done?

9. Do you think Bella forgave Edward too quickly for the “break up”

10. Bella and Jacob become fast friends, and while Bella needs him emotionally, she also discovers that being with Jacob helps her hear Edward’s voice again. Has Jake been able to help her heal or does he stand in the way, even without knowing? What will become of their relationship? Will being a sworn enemy to her and Edward affect that?

11. Stephenie Meyer has noted that each of the novels in the Twilight Saga pays homage to other literary classics. For New Moon, she has said Romeo & Juliet was the key inspiration. Beyond the main characters and the theme of forbidden love, what other similarities did you notice between the stories? What are the differences and how are they handled?

If anyone wants to catch up and read the entire series and be at the discussion group, you are more than welcome!

I think after this series is over, we are reading The Host.

Look-A-Likes

Here is Baby Boy:


And here is a picture of Lyric when she was the same age:


Don't they looks so much alike! I mean, yes I know it's blurry sonogram pics, but their profiles look very similar!
Guys, I'm just so excited! I did not think I would be this excited as I really wanted another girl, but now that I'm thinking about it, I just am so giddy!
I just feel so blessed!
I have a husband who places me as his #1 priority and loves me so much.
I have a beautiful little girl who lights up my life
and now I am carrying my first son who from all reports is healthy and growing fabulously.
I am just so blessed! AHHH!

Here is a pic from us girls this morning. This is a horrible picture of me. I swear my face is not that fat normally, I don't know why it looks so huge. But here it is:


And then on my lunch break I just had to go buy something boyish, so I went and got these:

So cute! Though no one can tell me that boys clothes are cuter than girls clothes, it just isn't true, HOWEVER, it's different and different in a good way.
It's going to be weird not putting bows in his hair :)

Just to take a stroll down memory lane, here are my two blogs from when I found out that Lyric was a girl.
HERE and HERE

Well anyways, I just can't stop thinking about the baby today and decided to write another blog about him! Ahh!

It's A Boy!

I can't believe it! I'm SOOOOO excited!
As you all know, I was FOR SURE it was a girl. I just knew it.
Obviously I am like the worst gender selector of all times as I just knew Lyric was a boy.

So we are sitting in the sonogram room and my sister, mom, Abby, Mabrie, Jon and Lyric are in there. We are all chatting and looking at him move his legs and such and then she says,
"Well, it's a boy!"
and a cheer went up!

I couldn't believe it. She said she had seen it almost immediately and then she shows us, and it was VERY obvious he was indeed a boy.

Actually, to put it nicely, he was standing at attention :)

I honestly was in shock, but soooo happy! I wanted a girl, but having a boy is amazing! I now have my 'set'!

For future babies I won't be wishing for a particular gender (yes, I'm already thinking about more babies).

I am just SO stinkin' excited!!

We've decided on the boy's first name, however Jonathan wants to think a little more about the full name, so I am going to wait to announce the name till we have his FULL NAME so I can give you the full meaning and why we picked it. (I know, I know... blame Jonathan not me)

AHHH! I just can't believe it! I can't get this smile off of my face!

We are going to decorate the entire room in original trilogy star wars paraphernalia! It's going to be awesome!! Though Jon now has to give up his office, but I think he is happy to do it.

Speaking of Jonathan, he is ridiculously excited! When I was leaving for work he told me to be very careful driving because I was carrying his boy "in there". He just knew it was a boy the entire time and always referred to the baby as a he. Even when he was praying over me and the baby this morning on the way to the doctor, he called him a he. I kept interrupting his prayer saying, "Or she", but indeed Jon was right! It's a he!!!

AHHH!

I am so not going to be able to concentrate on work today. I want to be out there shopping!

So here is my baby boy! (I can't believe I can say MY baby boy!)



And here is his "stuff"
I'm having a boy!!!!!!!
AHHH!!!!!!!!!!

And she slept

And so did I.
Life is so much more rosey when you sleep don't you think?

It took her forever to get to sleep. We started trying around 9 and she didn't actually fall asleep till close to 11, but she did and didn't wake up once all night.

Now Jon and I weren't exactly so lucky as I heard a bug and it turned out to be a roach in our room and Jon spent 15 minutes chasing it out from under things moving the bed and end tables around till he got it... ICK!

But besides that, sleep I did :)

She is with Christina today and though she is still fussy, she at least isn't running a fever. I haven't heard yet how nap time went... here's hoping for the best!

I'm so excited about tonight! It's the 2nd installment of our Book Club! We will be talking about New Moon tonight. It should be a blast as we have more people coming this time around. Someone is even bringing vampire cupcakes :)
I got all the discussion questions together and even found a short quiz for us all to take! Food, girls, wine (diet coke), books... can it get any better? I think not.

AND tomorrow! DUM-DA-DA-DUUUMMMM!!!
I have a sonogram tomorrow and HOPEFULLY we will find out if BabyVDP is a girl or a boy! I'm SOOOOOOO excited! I am going to have a full house for spectators as usual. Even my dearest Mabes will be there! I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell everyone... though if it's a boy, I won't be able to announce the name because we still haven't decided on one. But that's okay. Maybe we could have a poll on which name you think it should be. I think we are now between 2 names... but not anywhere close on middle names... sigh.

Anyways, so I have an exciting next 24 hours planned! Good times people.

Thanks for all the well wishes and encouragement on my last blog. Motherhood can be so trying at times... but I think we all know how worth it is.

Tough Weekend

Man this was a tough weekend for me.
It's those types of weekends that moms don't like to talk about. The ones where if they were very honest, they would say, 'I don't want to be a mom anymore'. Although those moments are fleeting, it's still true on certain days when it just seems too hard and too overwhelming.

I've had one of those weekends unfortunately.

Lyric is teething hardcore. Her gums are swollen and red, but those dang suckers won't poke through.

She's run a consistent fever since Friday afternoon and if I say she's been fussy/whiney that would be the largest understatement ever given to man.

Just the slightest thing incites a meltdown. Like she can't get her little person to sit in the car right, meltdown. She trips and falls, meltdown. She wants to grab something she's not suposed to and I say no, meltdown.

Then add on the fact that she won't sleep. You would think if your mouth hurts, sleep would be a happy relief... oh no, she won't sleep more than 30 minutes during the day.

And then when she wakes up screaming, even when you pick her up, she just cries and cries.

Last night was the worst night... she even got choked up and threw up all over me, right after I had taken a shower.

Today I only went into work for a few hours, and then came home with her.

It's just been soooo hard for both of us. Me because I'm trying to be there and be a good mom and love her and comfort her, but all the while my patience is wearing thinner and thinner. Her, as she just doesn't feel good and is in pain.
It's not even like Jonathan can help. She literally won't go to anyone. She just screams and cries. I broke down on Sunday and Jon tried to take her in the other room and she just had a meltdown and wouldn't get off my lap. Jon even went and got a popsicle which she loves and tried to bribe her and she still refused. She just doesn't want anyone but me. I'm her comfort, which is nice normally... but seriously... even comforts need a break.

So, ya, it's been one of those weekends. It's not that I want to be away from her. I'm exhausted, I don't want to be anywhere but home. I just want her to not be so fussy! I want her to nap! I want a good night's sleep!

I did get out of the house once this weekend though. Jon had to go to the Apple Store so we went with him, feverish baby and all. Though she was out of it:


But I was happy to be out of the house. Plus we ate at Uncle Julio's in Grapevine and I have wanted to eat there for awhile. I really liked it. Their queso is YUMMY!


Friday night, Jonathan had gone to Danny McCoy's birthday party and they started "fighting" like Jon and Danny do best. They get twigs and start beating eachother. I don't see the interest in it, but they think it's hilarious.
Here are Jon's wounds:




Then we babysat Ash and Maddy that night when Courtney and Nathan went to a birthday party.
Here they are in my room watching a movie


Then after, Ashlyn fell asleep with Uncle Jon


Lyric did learn how to sing the B-I-B-L-E though (baby style) and I caught it on video :)



So that was my long extended weekend full of more crying and whining than I would care to think about.

Everyone pray that tonight is better... or I may go insane.