Good News!

I know, I know, I've promised some posts about holiday activities, but this week I'm the procrastination queen- I've been putting off writing a seven page paper all week and I'll put off holiday posts, too, yes, I will :)

Just a little update here, in addition to what Jon has posted.

Jon entered a drawing at school earlier in the week and was just notified via email that he won 2 adult tickets to the Renaissance Festival. Sweet! We love free :) We got free passes last year and Jon took the boys for the first time (see his post about that adventure here) and I was wanting to check it out (I've never been) but the girls were younger (by a whole year) so I stayed home with them. This year we'll be more adventurous and take everyone. Yay! I'm excited to go and Sally will love dressing up like a princess for it :)

In other news, we've begun the spring story time at the newly renovated Tempe library. The first phase is complete, and the entire lower level has become a child's dream (that is, if you have book worm children like we do). There are more books, better displays, all kinds of secret/quiet/cushy nooks to snuggle up with a book in, new computers, posh interior designs, and a fun play area for little ones and a fantastic new story time/multi-purpose room. We went to the second story time this past Tuesday and it was a blast. The best thing about the Tempe library story times is that its a mini preschool lesson every time; they always have a fun theme- this time it was colors, they sing, read, and have an activity, and then they do arts and crafts. All for absolutely no cost to me :) Super awesome! Plus, Sally loves it and Sophie is learning to love it. Happy times.

I don't have any more cool free things to talk about but I do want to share some SUPER COOL news about my brother, Jimmy. He's been living/going to school in Santa Monica for the past few years and through some lucky chance encounters landed a small role playing a doctor in a TV show called Three Rivers. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled before the three episodes that he was in [and already got paid for (bonus)] aired. Fortunately, one of the casting directors liked him and hooked him up with a recurring role in an upcoming feature film starring Orlando Bloom called The Good Doctor AND an audition for a highly anticipated film (the name of which I can not mention here because Jimmy had to send confidentiality waivers), coming out in the summer of 2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh, and starring Natalie Portman and Sir Anthony Hopkins! He got a spot as a bodyguard and there is a possibility that he may have a speaking role! What?! Crazy, you say?! I know, right?! He has already had a personal telephone call from Kenneth Branagh and an audition with him. I'm hoping it's OK to say all of this stuff in such a public forum, I better check with him. If it's not then you'll understand when it disappears, but I just want to let people know how much we're all totally tripping that this is happening to him. What a lucky boy :)

Note: I checked with Jimmy and have made some changes to what I'm not supposed to say. He's also doing a commercial tomorrow that will probably only air in Italy :)

This is the picture he sent us of the role he'll be playing.