Princess Stories and Science Fiction

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was a wonderful tale from beginning to end. After the boys overcame the..."WHAT?! ANOTHER PRINCESS STORY!!"...syndrome they were sucked into the story of Crown Princess Ani. This book has several intense scenes, so a light and fluffy princess story it isn't. The characters are interesting and the imagery is amazing. Ani's character has many layers and she is extremely uncertain of her self through most of the book. She meets a young woman who believes in Ani more than Ani believes in herself. The relationship Ani has with animals is strange, but comforting for her and disturbing to those who find out about this ability. Shannon Hale's stories grab you quickly and take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions and after a long ride she lets you catch your breath.

Overall, if you are looking for a great story this is one. If you want a light and happy princess story...skip it. Rachel and I, especially, are more and more becoming fans of Shannon Hale's work. She wins more props from us with each book. I give this book 10 out of 10 Princess Crowns...with little emeralds.

::::::::::::::::::::::The Next Family Book:::::::

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. Science fiction at it's really cool and kinda creepy best.

::::::::::::::::::::::Loose Teeth:::::::::::

Rachel lost one of her molars today. She came home from a friend's house and said, "Dad, I need you to pull my tooth." 30 seconds later she had a molar in her hand, a rag in her mouth and a big grin.

Aaron lost one of his molars this week too. He had Michael pull it, as well. The dentist wanted to charge $500.00 to pull the tooth in November. I said that the price was too high and I would see if it would come out on its own. Aaron decided that the tooth was bugging him enough to want to finally get it out. He used the Power Bar and Starburst method. He chewed those tough items on the side with the loose tooth and was able to get it ready to pull. He was so excited that we didn't have to pay the big bucks and that he wouldn't be getting any Valium and Nitrous Oxide this time. He gets anxiety about the anxiety medicine. So good thing.

::::::::::::::::::::Birthdays::::::::::

It was fun to hang out with my mom for her birthday. She wanted some barbeque, so I took her to lunch at The Hickory House. Michael came along as another birthday celebrant. The evening was capped off by a spaghetti dinner fund raiser at my mom's ward. The young women did a great job serving and there was a dance at the end. Michael and I had a good time cutting up and dancing together.

::::::::::::::::::::Merit Badge:::::::

Aaron and 3 other scouts were able to achieve their Chemisty Merit Badge for Scouts during a day long class at Georgia Tech University. He had a great time learning and was proud to be able to answer some questions because he had recently read about what they were asking in some books on electricity he was researching.

Well, I'm off to read! Smiles!