Wicked Awesome!

Last weekend my mom, sister and niece were in town to help me celebrate my 35th birthday. With all the drama that has been going down in my personal life lately, it was really nice to get away from it all and have some fun with two of my favorite people. We did a little shopping at Gardner Village, went out to eat at Macaroni Grill, took the kids to Discovery Gateway and then, last but not least, we went to see this...
I have been wanting to see Wicked for a long time and let me just say that it was worth the wait. I think I am borderline obsessed I liked it so much. Worth every penny! Two thumbs up!! Four stars!!! It was the cherry on top of a very fun birthday weekend sundae.

Spotlight: Andrew at Five

I did one of these kid's favorites posts when I first started this blog, but the boy just turned five and as I read through the old list, some things have changed. Here's the update:

Favorite Color(s): Silver, black, white, red and pink (this child will not be tied down to one color, and generally chooses whichever color from the above list happens to drive by us in a cool car that he spots and admires)

Favorite Book: The one that is requested the most is probably: Knuffle Bunny Too! by Mo Willems (sequel to the beloved Knuffle Bunny adventure). Darling book and I Andrew loves the illustrations that are black and white photographs with cartoon drawings on top of them. Are you surprised the favorite book does not involve trucks, cars, trains, airplanes or construction equiptment. Yes, interesting.

Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the classic version). He loves singing all the songs, especially the Oompa Loompa warning about too much TV and getting fat-it is hilarious! He has also taken to quoting entire scenes of dialogue (repeatedly), which has caused us to seriously limit Wonka viewing. So amazing that five year olds aren't bothered by low-budget special effects and less than stellar acting-it's all about the Oompa Loompas!

Favorite Food: Frozen Marie Calendar's Chicken Pot Pie . I know, not the most nutritious meal for a toddler, but it will do in a pinch for a fast dinner on SEP night or lunch on a Saturday and he loves the things! It's not like he's eating them everyday and no I am not defensive! (They have carrots and peas in them!) Favorite Toy: Dad's Pliers. (Should I even be letting him play with pliers?)This child has millions of the latest and greatest toys to play with, but he cannot get enough of a pair of old pliers he found in the laundry room the other day. They have transformed into dentist's tools, sea monsters and remarkably-pliers, all in a matter of a few days.

Other Likes: Jumping on the trampoline, pop tarts, playing at the park, Caillou (the bald cartoon kid), playing games with mom and dad (a recent fave is Pictureka which he is surprisingly very good at), sucking his thumb (STILL!!! although it is becoming much less frequent), Oreo shakes, cheeseburgers ("KETCHUP ONLY! no pickles, no mustard!"), going on field trips, trucks, our cat Rocky (not so much our cat Boo), cake (it's the only way we can get him to attend friends' and family's birthday parties without complaining, juice boxes, entertaining, watching movies.

Dislikes: Cleaning his room, riding his bike (I know, weird-we have to FORCE him), being away from mom and dad, going poop (it bothers him-did I mention this kid is QUIRKY?), shopping (he always asks, "are we just getting ONE thing?"), cheese (unless it's melted on a burger), raw carrots (cooked are fine).