Comic Con Recap

We've been going to various cons for the past few years, but this year was especially eventful. James entered almost every contest, and while we didn't win the $50 in gift certificates, he DID win a two-night stay at a downtown hotel. The room was nicer than I expected, and the bed was really comfy. The hotel wasn't super close to the convention center, but it made us feel like we were on vacation. And they gave us a bunch of Japanese candy for some reason. Yum!

James also won a photo op with Manu Bennett, who played Slade/Deadshot on the TV show Arrow as well as Azog the Defiler in the Hobbit movies (voice and motion capture).

I'm never one for dressing up, but I love watching James and Atticus have fun. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

Atticus got to meet the original red Ranger and the second yellow Ranger (not pictured--they didn't come in costume)

When they opened the Ranger panel to audience questions, I looked at James and said, "These are the nerdiest nerds I've EVER seen." But then when one of them thanked the Red Ranger (Austin St. John) for his work with the Autism Foundation, it clicked that all of these people were likely on that spectrum. It made perfect sense, and we felt bad for mocking them. We later stopped by Austin's booth so Atticus could ask him how it felt to be a Power Ranger ("It was totally amazing") and get a high five. He was kind to talk to us and give Atticus full attention.

Group costumes are the most fun.

A meet-up of amateur Star Wars cosplayers. Atticus is in the front row, and James is the only Wookiee. We left before the Star Trek cosplayers came for a stand-off photo shoot. That Wookiee mask gets hot...

The big-ticket event this year was the panel with the actors who play Captain America and Falcon. There was rumor that Agent Carter would also show up. To avoid a stampede for seats, the organizers gave out tickets on a lottery system. It made a lot of people mad that they didn't give preference to people who bought VIP tickets, but it worked out well for us. We scored three tickets and got a good seat toward the front. James took this pic off of the jumbo screen (we didn't get this close).

This was my favorite event this year. Chris Evans (Captain America) wasn't as comfortable on stage as Anthony Mackie (Falcon), but they both seemed really genuine and happy to be there. Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) didn't get to say anything, but she got a big cheer when she appeared on stage. She wasn't scheduled to do a panel for some reason.

Another favorite part was my friend Cindy's art booth. She does amazing papercuts. We'd already bought a print of the Utah-shaped one (quote from the end of Raising Arizona, which ends, "I don't know, maybe it was Utah"). I also bought a print of the Yoda to the left of Utah, which reads, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." I loved the quote but didn't recognize it--

it's from The Empire Strikes Back. I would have loved to buy everything she had, but we have only so much wall space.

Other things I don't have pictures for:

• Falcon and the commentator had an impromptu push-up contest on stage, so when Atticus saw the commentator on the convention floor, he dropped to the ground and started doing one-armed push-ups to challenge him. The guy was gracious enough to take the challenge and do a few himself.
• We took a break on Saturday and had lunch at a nicer place down the block. It was fun to sit in a restaurant patio with Luke Skywalker and a half-wookiee (James took off the top half of the costume).
• I stayed late to see John Barrowman, who played Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who/Torchwood. He's an amazing performer, but I was disappointed by how crude he was. I felt even worse when I realized I'd missed the general women's meeting to be there. It was kind of a bummer to end the weekend that way.

Overall, the experience was a lot of fun. The great thing about Comic Con is how nice people are. Even at the most crowded times and places, I never saw anyone rude or mean. You can talk to strangers and ask to take pictures with them, and it's all good. You stand in a long line and make friends with the people around you. I wasn't all that excited about going again this year, but I'm really glad we did. 

Birfday Party!!

Atticus turns three on Monday, and we had his birthday party today. This was his first "friend party," and he's been sooooo excited about it. We even practiced blowing out candles earlier this week. The party was pirate themed, and the idea was to have the kids dress up like pirates, but no one wanted to. Oh well. They still had fun. We had it at the church to give them more room to run around, which I think was their favorite part.

Around the table (counterclockwise from Atticus): Atticus, Abby, Ella, Aubrey, Alex, Mia, Henry, Cardon

In the back (left to right): Baby Ethan, Konnichiwa, and Dennis (Mia's family); Aubrey (Cardon's mom); Patricia (Alex's mom)

Aubrey and Patricia are my gym buddies, and Konnichiwa watches Atticus twice a week when I go to work. I watch Abby's little sister, Shannon (not pictured), each Friday. I was really happy that my brother Mike was able to come with his three kids. Henry is just a couple months younger than Atticus, and they have a good time together.

Mia finally got into the whole pirate thing. I don't think it lasted long....

Opening presents was an adventure, because Atticus wanted to stop and play with each toy as he opened it. But we kept him on task, and it worked out that there were enough toys for all the kids to play, and Atticus didn't mind sharing. He got lots of cool stuff, but his favorites are these two trucks from his aunts Erin and Heather. They make noise. And they're in bed with him right now.

Atticus had a great time, and it really wasn't that hard to put the party together. We'll have to do it again next year. :)

Yes, we do go outside sometimes. Here's proof.

Today the ward moms' group went for a walk in Memory Grove. The weather was perfect, and the company was lovely. Atty slept through half of it but seemed to enjoy it when he was awake.

He really likes being outside, and I like the exercise. I just don't normally take the camera with me. Now that the weather is nicer, I plan to go for walks at least a few times a week, if not every day. He loves to look at the trees and watch the world around him. Sometimes when he's fussy he'll calm down if I just take him out on the balcony. He's a boy after my own heart.

I'm No Guitar Hero

Our good friends the Biddulphs invited us over last night for dinner and Wii, and I have to say I really suck at Guitar Hero. I got booed off the stage both times I tried. I just couldn't get my left hand to coordinate with my right or remember which order the buttons were in, even though it shows you right on the screen. James of course did really well, rocking Iron Maiden and the whammy bar like he was born to it. And Linwood was a lot of fun to watch--he could play on the "hard" level, and I just marvel at people who can keep up with those complicated moves.

I didn't leave feeling like a total loser, though. I scored some serious points on the Wii trivia game Smarty Pants. I was a little disappointed that the game made my cartoon persona wear ankle-strap heels, though. Brook got to wear Keds, and there I was with my swollen pregnant ankles in strappy heels. They looked pretty good on screen, even though I know they'd look horrible on my body. Oh well. No use getting vain over a cartoon persona...