skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Yesterday morning after breakfast, Larissa wanted to show me how loose her tooth was getting and begged me to take her picture, so of course I did. =) If you couldn't tell by the title of this post, this will be the 3rd tooth that she's lost.
After Jason left for work, I set the girls up with 3 baskets of laundry to fold, and I went to get my shower. When I finished getting ready, I came out of my room and the girls were all standing around just outside my door. Immediately I could tell something had happened. Larissa was looking at me kind of funny, and she had her lips closed tightly together. I kept saying, "What? What?" Larissa just kept smiling bigger and bigger with her lips still closed. It finally hit me, and I asked, "Did you pull your tooth?"
There it was...she finally opened her mouth and exposed the gaping hole! That girl has the highest tolerance of pain I have ever found in a child. She actually let me pull one of her teeth one time when it was hardly loose, and she never shed a tear or even flinched! That will serve her well in the future! =)
Look how cute she is...
She was very thrilled to find that the "Tooth Fairy" had visited last night.
What kind of traditions do you have concerning the Tooth Fairy? I have crocheted a Tooth Fairy Angel pillow for both Alyx and Larissa - Sydney hasn't needed one yet but will soon, I'm sure. (FYI: I get a lot of free patterns at Crochet Pattern Central and there are other choices for Tooth Fairy pillows on the "pillow" pattern page.) They each get to choose the color/style of yarn that they want, and Larissa's choice definitely portrays her personality. She chose a bright-colored, fuzzy yarn that makes it kind of difficult to make out the "Angel" on the front, but she loves it and that's all that matters, right? =)
This is a picture of her with her pillow last year when she lost her first tooth.
Using a Tooth Fairy pillow is much easier than having to dig under their pillow, because it just sits at the head of their bed next to their regular pillow. The "Angel" on the front is actually a pocket where the child can leave their tooth and the "Tooth Fairy" can leave her payment for taking the tooth. =) At our house, the Tooth Fairy leaves $1.00 and sometimes a special little note congratulating them on losing a tooth and for being so brave. What does she leave at your house?
The kids have been questioning the reality of the Tooth Fairy for some time now, but I just try to sidestep their questions without lying. They ask things like, "Mommy, are you the Tooth Fairy?" and I'll answer with something like, "Have you ever seen me wear a tutu?" That usually makes them laugh, and the subject quickly gets changed. The questions are getting more pointed, though, and I'm afraid the truth will have to come out soon. I'm pretty sure that Alyx and Larissa already know, but I've told them that if they don't believe there's a Tooth Fairy, she might not leave them anything. I know, I'm so mean! I'm just trying not to ruin things for Sydney, since she's going to start losing teeth in the next year or so. =)
Here is what I've done so far this week.
Transaction #1:
4 Nivea Men's Shave Gel @ $2.99/each ($11.96 Total)
1 Revlon Color Stay Mineral Eye Shadow @ $6.99
Subtotal: $18.95
-CVS Coupon $3/$15
-2 Nivea Coupons $4/2 (Here's a coupon for $2/1-Print it twice by clicking the "back" button on your browser)
-1 Revlon Color Stay Coupon $2/1
Post Coupon and FL Tax: $7.07
ECB's Earned: $8.00
You will earn $0.93 to take all this home!
Transaction #2:
2 CVS Cotton Swabs (500 count) @ $3.19/each ($6.38 Total)
2 CVS Bandages (40 count) @ $1.99/each ($3.98 Total)
1 Listerine Smart Rinse (250ml) @ $3.49
2 Ajax Dish Liquid (16 oz) @ $0.88/each ($1.76 Total)
Subtotal: $15.61
-CVS Coupon $3/$15
-CVS Coupon $3/$10 CVS Products (These print at the coupon stations in CVS when you scan your card)
-Listerine Coupon $1/1 (Click here to get this coupon)
-2 Ajax Coupons $0.20/1
Post Coupon and FL Tax: $8.61
ECB's Earned: $11.47
You will earn $2.86 to take all this home!
With Summer here, I'm sure that everyone is planning or looking forward to their "family vacations." We are always looking for some new, fun and even educational places to take the kids, and we would always welcome any suggestions. I'm figuring that most of you feel the same way, so I'm going to share one of our favorite "stopover attractions" with you. When we plan a trip up to Tennessee, we always stop in Columbia, SC, to spend a couple of nights. One day is spent at our favorite museum: EdVenture Children's Museum or as the kids call it "Eddie Adventure." It is the largest children's museum in the south, and it is really incredible! Check out the site for all the details. Here are a few pictures from one of our visits just to give you an idea of what's there.
The "main" attraction is Eddie - a 2-story tall boy that you and your children can explore. You can actually hear him breathe, hear his heartbeat, hear his stomach noises, hear the nerve impulses being transmitted in his brain...etc. The back side is all open, so you can see the insides and actually climb and slide all through it to discover things. It's really cool!
As you move through the museum, you'll find an area where kids can dress up in head-to-toe firemen uniforms and explore a firetruck and even slide down a fire pole.
There's also an area that deals with farming where you can sit in a big tractor, "plant/pick" vegetables and fruit, "milk" a cow...etc. There's also a mock grocery store where the child can take their cart up and down the aisles and pick out their groceries. When they are done shopping, they can go through the check out line and pretend to pay for it all. The kids really love that! Oh, and I threw in the picture of the "marsupials" just for fun. =)
When we last visited, there was a section outside with really big bubble activities for the kids. (I think that may have been one of their traveling exhibits.) There's also a water exhibit and a net "spider web" for them to climb on.
Has anyone ever heard of or been to this museum? Just curious. We love it and are looking forward to our trip there this year! The traveling exhibit that will be there when we visit is entitled "Air Play" and will teach the kids how air moves and how it affects the environment. They will get to learn about turbulence and air streams. Sounds cool! I'll let you know if I learn anything. =)
For a couple of months now, Alyx has been begging me to cut her hair. As soon as the weather starts warming up, she immediately wants her hair chopped off. She has been growing out her bangs for about a year now, and she wanted the rest of her hair cut even with her bangs (which are just below her chin). Yikes! "Mommy" and "Daddy" said, "No Way, Jose," so she settled on shoulder length. Here is her before picture:
Here is her after picture...so cute! =) She is thrilled with the results!
Of course, once Alyx decided she wanted her hair cut, the other two just had to do the same. Here's Larissa's before picture. Look how long her hair was!
Here is her after picture...she loves to pose! =)
Look at the little bit of curl at the bottom of Sydney's hair in her before picture:
Obviously, she loves it! =) Look at those big, blue eyes!
You thought I was going to give you some kind of lecture on the health benefits of riboflavin, didn't you? Well, I hope I don't disappoint you. The benefits I'm speaking of are more educational than nutritional. =)
Sydney has been going around the house singing a song about "Riboflavin." That girl can make up a song about anything! I don't know how your kids are or even how you were as a child, but my girls LOVE to read the nutritional information on their cereal (and even oatmeal) boxes. My sister and I used to do that when we were kids, too. It's a comparison thing. They like to see how much "stuff" their cereal has compared to their sister's cereal.
The thing that I really love is that by doing this they are helping Sydney with her reading skills. I have noticed just within the last week that she is able to read/"sound out" much larger words than I would have figured she could at this point. She's already reading out of a 1st grade reader, and she hasn't even started 1st grade yet! Yay! I'm so glad that I have another self-motivator! That just makes my life that much easier. =)
A few of you have been asking about how I've been doing, so I thought I would give you a little update. I am feeling much better than I was just a month or two ago. Dr. C had wanted to see me twice a week for a while, then I got extended to once a week, and just today he told me we could wait two weeks before he sees me again. =) I have good days, and I have some "iffy" days. That's to be expected, I suppose, as I continue to get better.
My newest medication (added to the 7-pill and 1-liquid supplement regimen I'm already on) is not always easy to remember to take. Unfortunately, it's not a pill that I can just "pop" whenever. It's actually a powder I have to mix with 8-10 ounces of liquid to take all at once 30 minutes before mealtime. Yummy!! ={ Because it's so time sensitive and slightly "complicated," I don't always take it when we're "out and about." The doctor had told me that I may not feel too well when I started this treatment, but that I should get used to it eventually. It affects me differently on different days. I never know what to expect from it. Last week, I felt pretty good when I took it, the weekend was hit and miss in taking it, and this week it's been making me feel not so good. I've only been taking it for a few weeks now, so I'm assuming that I'll have to give it more time for my body to get used to it. Who knows! =)
Overall, though, I can't complain! I feel so much better, and I'm able to enjoy life so much more than I was before. When a "bad day" hits, I just remember how far God has brought me and that he will continue to strengthen and heal my body. God is good, and I am so thankful that I have Him to lean on! Thank you for all of your prayers...they are greatly appreciated!
We're officially back from our mini vacation! We had a great time and are a little sad that it's over. Our consolation is that we get to look forward to this kind of thing once a month (if we so choose)! At Jason's previous job he couldn't have 1 week of vacation until he had been there for a year and two weeks of vacation after 5 years of employment (incidentally, he never made that...). Now he will be able to have 1 week of vacation this year and 2 weeks next year, AND we get a 4-day weekend every month! Sweet!
So, Friday, we headed out of town and drove up to Jacksonville...
My sister, Tami, had ordered some awesome BBQ for dinner, and after we ate, we headed over to the church for the graduation ceremony. This was a ceremony for home-schooled graduates, and there were three girls graduating including my niece, Sarah. Each of the fathers of the graduates were able to speak at the beginning of the ceremony, and I don't know how they made it through. I would have been a ball of tears. (I don't even want to think about any of mine leaving the house yet.) =(
Sarah sang (mostly solo) with the other two graduating girls a very popular graduation song, "Friends." The girls' youth pastor gave the message, and then the fathers of the girls each were able to give the diploma to their own daughter. At the end of the ceremony, my dad gave some closing remarks and then closed in prayer. After the ceremony we headed over to the gym for refreshments and fellowship. Eventually, we all changed into our "play clothes" and played volleyball for 3 or 4 hours! That was so much fun, and we weren't a bit sore the next few days! (Ha Ha!!)
Saturday, we got to hang out at Tami and George's house for a little while. As you can see in the pictures, most everyone was fascinated by the Wii game being played. My sister, Tami, was telling us about the new Wii Fit. It sounds pretty cool!
Our plans changed for the weekend, and we decided to come back in time to take the girls to Busch Gardens on Monday. Larissa has just recently become tall enough to ride some of the bigger rides (Gwazi to be specific), and she has just been itching to ride it! She and Alyx are both little dare devils! They both love the front row and will wait as long as it takes to ride there. =) Truth is...Jason and I would, too! We weren't very smart, though, because we got there first thing in the morning (along with the rest of the park visitors) and immediately went to Gwazi which is the first roller coaster in the park. We waited in line for an hour and a half! That was the hottest hour and a half I've spent in a long time, but it was worth it. Larissa was so excited, and she thoroughly enjoyed the ride! Later that day they were able to get right on the ride with only a few minutes waiting time. Next time we'll know better...you live and learn! =)
Here are a few pictures from our day. Enjoy!
