Murry :)

Murry has grown a lot since December. Now he likes to run around outside and play keep-away with sticks. We love little Murry !

Book Review: Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

One of my favorite things to do is to go to the public library and pick out random books. I read the back or the flap, and if it sounds interesting, then I check it out. I like to pick out books that aren't popular. Last week, I came home with Fairy Tale. I like books that have mythical aspects so I decided to give this one a try.
Fairy Tale is about a girl named Morgan and her boyfriend Cameron. Right before their shared 16th birthday, a rather odd kid named Pip shows up and announces that Cameron is really a fairy prince and has to cross over to the fairy world at midnight of his sixteenth birthday to take his rightful place as Fairy King. Cameron and Morgan do not want to be separated, but Cameron's magical fairy powers are slowly starting to appear and he looks less like a human each day, which means he can no longer live in the regular human world. It's the biggest trial of Morgan's life.
I was not overly impressed with this novel. The story line was pretty good, but it seemed like a shallow sort of book. Kinda fluffy. And compared to the other Fairy/Magic/Mythical novels out there, it wasn't very original or outstanding; I was able to predict the ending. Balog works as a magazine writer, and I think this was her first novel. Personally, I hope her magazine writing is better than her novel writing.

"Aang, meet my friend, Foofoo-Cuddly-Poops."

"Water, Earth, Fire, Air.
"Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar - master of all four elements - could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years past and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang. And although his Airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world."
Jessica and I have become huge Avatar: The Last Airbender fans. We have seen every episode in order and we went to see the movie together. She gave me Book 3 (season 3) for my birthday and we went together to buy our t-shirts, which is also when I bought Book 1. We highly recommend the show to everyone. During each episode, we pick out one funny quote and that goes up as my Facebook status for the day. Some of our favorite quotes are these:
"Do you want to go Penguin Sledding with me?!"
"I don't think my parents want me dancing in caves..."
"We are in enemy territory; these are enemy birds!"
"Aang, meet my friend, Foofoo-Cuddly-Poops."

about a dozen trips to Safeway...

This year the Mitton's ended up on the Oregon Coast for our family reunion. Mitton family reunions are always an adventure. One year we had a Mitton's in The Mountains reunion in Colorado where almost everyone got the flu. Another year, we congregated around Mt. Hood and had a Root Beer tasting competition. We've gone on hikes, eaten at Mo's, and of course, at each reunion there is a contribution night.
This year we went on a hike that had a suspension bridge.

There were also some Tide Pool excursions.


It was a very fun reunion. I know I was sad to see every family go back home to their corresponding states. One thing we'll remember about this Mitton Family Reunion? The trips to Safeway. I think in one night, there were five trips to Safeway, all made by different people. And everyone failed to get me lollipops. But Todd did get his Chips Ahoy! :)

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

It took a couple of practices, lots of costume planning, and one dress rehearsal. And the Scott Mitton family's rendition of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything rocked your socks off! We had a blast singing it, especially since we had costumes!
And good luck to Allie, who really is going to Boston in the fall!

Book Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I have read more books than I could ever count. Since I read so much, and read so many good books, it's hard to pick 'favorites'. But The Host by Stephenie Meyer is defnitely on my list of Favorite Books.
Once again, Stephenie Meyer bombards the reader with crazy creativity. The Host is her only adult novel so far. It follows the story of a Soul named Wanderer who inhabits the human body of a woman named Melanie. Souls must have a Host Body in order to survive. Wanderer has lived on more planets and in more species than almost any other Soul, and is therefore a bit of a celebrity within her species. But as she inhabits Melanie's body, she makes some friends that should technically be her enemies.
The Host is a very well written book. It has much better character depth, development, and plot line compared to the Twilight series. Stephenie Meyer is able to change how you feel about certain characters, which in my opinion, shows fantastic writing skills. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

the attack of the ants

Due to lack of dry weather, the Mitton home has been attacked by ants. Thankfully, the Mitton's were able to retaliate quickly and have stood their ground against the horrible foe of tiny insects. The Mitton's have now switched the status quo and they are on the offensive. The ants numbers are slowly depleting. They have suffered drownings, squashings, and vacuumings. The ants are still fighting, though. Their numbers are way down, but they know when to attack and where. And sometimes when the Mitton's walk away from doing the dishes, an enemy ant will hitch a ride and travel with them until the Mitton notices and immediately kills the sneaky ant. The battle is still going, but hopefully the Mitton's will claim their victory soon.