To get into the Corlaine after party each individual needed a special
key. They had scenes from the movie set up including props and puppets
that people could touch and interact with. After seeing all the
details behind the movie Monti totally understood why it took Laika 4
years to make the movie.
Author: Elsa
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After party
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Coraline
Joe and Monti headed out to the Coraline movie world premiere in Portland. Joe was offered tickets by his customer – Laika – who created the movie. It was Monti’s first opportunity to walk the red carpet. If I know her it won’t be her last time.
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Full service babysitters
Joe’s parents watched the girls for us when we were in Mexico. Not
only did they give us complete peace of mind where the girls are
concerned, they also were busy making things a little nicer at home
for us. They sanded down and recovered all the kitchen chairs for us.
Rosa also found the time to made comfy blankets for each of the girl’s
beds. The house was cleaner than when we left it and my car was
freshly washed and left with a topped off tank of gas. Just when I
thought it couldn’t get any better I opened the fridge to find a
vegetarian lasagna ready to heat up and eat for the next day.
Babysitting Rating – ***** out of 5. -
Superbowl party
We had a Super Bowl party in Mexico with all the fellow Apple people.
We were starving because the dinner we had earlier in the evening lacked a
substantial vegetarian option. I didn’t really care about the Super
Bowl game but I heard there would be pizza and guacamole. Trying to
get a pizza without meat was a challenge. The first one we found had
pickles and mushrooms on it. Surprisingly it was pretty good or maybe
I was just super hungry. Then they came out with corn and pineapple.
Joe then requested they make just a plain cheese pizza for us however
he forgot to tell them to use tomato sauce instead of the one that came with barbecue sauce. -

Ceiba del Mar
Joe and I spent 5 days in Mexico at a small and quiet resort called
Ceiba del Mar. It was located halfway between Cancun and Playa del
Carmen. The staff at the resort were absolutely attentive to our needs
while being very pleasant. There was even one employee who would spend
15 minutes a day helping us use our limited Spanish correctly. It was
a perfect place to rest and relax and that is just what we did. -

Ski lift
The girls have now mastered the ski lifts. Joe and I got a chance to
ride up with each of them on Sunday. Dahlia is so comfortable that she
told me she almost fell asleep on the long quad lift up the hill.
Their legs are so cute in the way they go straight out instead of
bending at the knees. -

Spoiling the girls
While we were away the girls were totally showered with attention. Above they made cutout cookies. They also had formal introductions announced. Monti was quick to tell me that Rosa would make 2 half sandwiches for her lunch. One was a cheese sandwich, the other one PB&J. She could eat whichever sandwich she was in the mood for at lunch.
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Finale at night
Our act was a complete success except for the fact that I had it in my mind I would be meeting Joe at the ER with Dahlia right afterwards. All the moms had a great time doing the act even those who had their own fears and doubts.
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Dites-moi
Monti sang the song “Dites-Moi” from the musical South Pacific at the
IVE Variety Show. She sang her little heart out. In the musical this
song is sung by a couple of Polynesian children. Monti and I searched the
internet to find an appropriate costume. The dress came all the way
from Guam — we found it on ebay. I will post video when I get it. -

Dahlia’s heart
Moments before the variety show evening performance began Dahlia told
Joe her heart was “beeping” fast. I had to manage the backstage area
during the performance so Joe had to care for Dahlia. He took her out
to the car to see if she could relax and get her heart back to normal.
Relaxing wasn’t working so I would leave backstage every once in a
while to try something new to get her heart to slow down. I tried
gagging her, holding her upside down, and splashing her face with cold
water from the drinking fountain. If anyone saw me doing these things
they would have thought I was just plain abusive. Nothing was working
so I finally told Joe to start driving towards the ER. On the way over
she feel asleep in the car. The little nap did the trick! As they
pulled into the ER parking lot Dahlia woke up and she told us her
heart was OK. At first we weren’t sure that she wasn’t just saying
that because she didn’t want to go in but it truly had slowed down and
no doctor intervention was needed. Thank goodness!










