After Christmas Recovery

I love having my kids home during this Christmas Vacation. With that said, is it time for them to go back to school yet? Please say it is! It's been wonderful having the kids around and spending some extra fun time with them. We've had snow to play in, movies to watch, Christmas presents to enjoy and lots of baking to do during the first week. Now, my kids have had enough of each other and are on to the bickering. I think I will go insane before they head back to school. I have to admit, I'm glad I'm back to work this week ;) Does that make me horrible?

Christmas was really nice. Of course I was pretty depressed we couldn't make the trip to California like we had planned. But, Christmas turned into a really enjoyable time. Or course we did it in true Motsinger fashion and threw in a trip to the Emergency Room. Grace was running around the house and flew right into the wall and split her head open. After some rinsing, antiseptics and a few Barbie stickers, all was well again. We then went over to Mike's parents and enjoyed our tradition untraditional Christmas dinner with his brothers/sisters and there families. I have the best sister-in-laws who all pitched in to make a fantastic dinner feast! I have to say, it is fun to all work together and produce such a fun meal for this huge family. After Dinner, we read the Christmas Story, Maddie recited the passage Matthew 1:18-25 from memory, and then we opened up gifts.

Christmas morning we spent at home with the kids. Maddie and Reece had gone shopping, using there own birthday money and Awana bucks, to buy gifts for everyone. I'm so proud of these kids learning such great giving lessons at such a young age. They were so excited for everyone to open up the gifts they had gotten them. :) The kids were all extra happy to receive each gift.

So, that's my little run down of the holiday. It was fun spending the extra time with the kids. Mike took vacation and so did I, so the kids got a double dose of mom and dad time. These kids are growing so fast and time has been flying by since they started school. It was nice to take a week off and slow down to enjoy being with each other.

Merry Christmas

Our family would like to wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas celebrating our Lord's

birth.

Snow

The kid's school canceled today because of too much snow. The kids were pretty bummed because today was going to be a super huge Christmas party. I had baked double batches of No Bake Cookies and Muddy Buddies. Now, we have an overload of cookies at our house. I guess I'll have to do my part and eat then up. ;) They were also going to have a gift exchange and Reece was really jazzed to make a gingerbread house. But after a morning a moping around, they finally decided to go out and build a snow turtle and have a bit of a snowball fight. Unfortunately, we don't have any hills around our house to go sledding down. :(

The snow was really dry and hard to make a ball. So the girls decided a mound of snow would make a great turtle. They worked pretty hard on this little turtle. Reece decided it would be much more fun to try and ride the turtle. It didn't go over so well.

Rusty LOVES snow. It is hilarious to watch him. He puts his nose in the snow and then runs, throwing snow up into the air. Sooo funny. We also caught him just digging in it and rolling around. He has been enjoying his days outside and loving his nights curled up in his warm chair in the garage.

A little side note, in all the previous years of Gracie's life, she has HATED snow. This is the first year she will actually go out in it and not cry. All our previous videos of us in the snow has Grace in the background crying.

Low 20's and High Teens

Please explain to me why the other two school districts in my area canceled school but ours keeps everything as normal? It is freezing today, I'm not being dramatic either it is in the low 20's/high teens and leftover snow is on the ground. I know this isn't a big deal to some of you. You live in the snow for months at a time, but for us Oregon Coast people, this is quite out of our norm. Needless to say, I stayed up extra late last night watching for school closures waiting for ours to appear. It never did. Then this morning I set the alarm to go off on radio waking me up with the local news. You can imagine my dismay when it stated that our school was on normal schedule. What?! Not even a two hour delay??? Drats.
So, my little feet had to be put on the cold hardwood floors as I shuffled in the kids rooms to wake them up. I had turned off there alarms sure that our school would be canceling today.
Oh well, at least I got to cancel my own job today. No way I'm braving the freezing roads and black ice all the way up the coast. I figure if those schools are closing, then there is good reason to not send this California bred girl out on the road. I value my life more than what I would of got paid. ;)

Wicked

Turning 30 is not pleasant. In fact, it's downright horrible. Today is my birthday and I would rather not blog about it, because honestly, I'm trying not to think about it.

BUT, this day is turning into a fabulous one! I'm super super SUPER excited that the musical, "Wicked" is coming to Portland. Today, I'm buying tickets to see this fab show. I can't even tell you how excited I am that I FINALLY get to see this musical. What a wonderful night it will be when my girlfriends and I get to go. Ohhh, March just can't come soon enough!!! I guess there is an up side to turning 30!

Here is a little taste of one of the songs from the Tony Awards a few years back. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nP1wx3eSfI

Because You're Beautiful

"Mom, I'm staring at you because you are beautiful." Reece tells me.

Peanut M&M's

Last night we got one of those monstrous bags of Peanut M&M's. I was elated and could taste the peanut and chocolatey goodness already. My husband was in a stinker mood and decided to act as one too. I had placed the big bag of my favorite candy in the console between us. My husband decides to sucker punch the bag. I'm outraged that he would do such a thing!

"Don't break the nuts, Mister, or I will break your nuts." I say, then quickly add, "I will pick out all your M&M's and smash them." Nice cover, wasn't it?! My kids were none the wiser for my little jab. I was quite proud of myself really.

My husband takes another punch at the bag and I quickly swipe the bag away. I give him an exasperating sigh.

"Daddy is going to hurt when his nuts break." Grace says

How can you not laugh at such an innocent and very true statement.

"More is prettier, mommy!"

A quote from Grace regarding jewelry. I don't have the actual picture from the moment. But she was given some pretty jewelry from her aunt Rechelle and was tickled about it. There were big pink earrings (a very big deal to Grace right now) and a matching pink necklace. Grace LOVES to look pretty!

Biking

I really do live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I love the rich green colors all year around. The rivers and creeks every which way I look. The bay and ocean at my doorstep. Yes, I have grey skies and buckets of rain most days out of the year but that has taught me to appreciate the dry days. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking.

This past weekend we took the kids out on a bike ride. I hate riding on the streets now that the kids are getting older. When they were younger we would load them on the bike of my bike and in a bike trailer and we would peddle all over. Now they want to ride too and I want them to ride. Can you imagine trying to carry 150lbs around in a trailer!? I like to try and find fun trails around our area to ride that are easy enough for the kids to do themselves and open enough that we can let the kids go and still have them insight.

This weekend we went to one of my most favorite places, The Jetti. It's a gorgeous ride. You have the ocean on one side and the bay on the other and the trail weaves into this little forest and out again. The kids all enjoyed the idea of going. Reece got a bit frustrated because every time he wobbled he would stop peddling and thus his bike would stop.

Madison did great and really took off in her biking skills. Grace rides on a little bike that connects to mine. She thinks it's great fun and enjoys singing while we ride.

It was a really fun family time. The only downer of the day was when I was trying to show off for Reece riding with no feet and I broke my seat. :( Reece got a good laugh and I had a sore bum.

Grasshoppers & Spiders

Madison is currently working on science project. She has to collect bugs, put them in a jar and add a moth ball to kill them. After this, she posts them on a board and labels them. She is currently studying insect and spiders and there different part and how they work.

As we were sitting down at dinner a few nights ago, we were talking about the different kinds of bugs we could try and find for her project. The winter is just starting to hit here, so the temperatures have dropped, rains have set in and bugs have gone into hiding. I have no bugs around my house except for the occasional gnat and these monstrous spiders that come out in the late summer and fall.

"Well Abbey found some grasshoppers and used them on her project." Maddie says.

"But there aren't any grasshoppers out right now, honey." I say.

"They are in the grass field at school, mom. They are on top of each other."

"OH?! Well Maddie, what are they doing on top of each other?" I ask.

"Well they are just hitching a ride." Maddie informs me.

Whew . . . I avoided that one by a hair. I love the innocence of my sweet daughter.

Another quick little story. I was sorting through my laundry yesterday and picked up a pair of Gracie's pants. I saw something fall off the pants but didn't think much of it. I started to put my hand back into the basket to grab another pair of clothes and shrieked. There was a huge ugly spider sitting right on top of the pants I was about to grab. I yelled for Maddie to grab one of her jars and together we worked to not touch the spider and get him in the jar. Of course we added a moth ball to kill him and were mighty proud of ourselves for snagging a disgusting little thing for her project. Of course, if I were the spider, I think I would prefer the quick shoe stomp rather than this slow way of dying.

**The top picture of Maddie is not with this spider, but a frog her daddy found for her a few days ago. Maddie hearts frogs.***

Color

Race has never been much of a thing in our family. I could care less what color someones skin color is. Raising our kids we have told them that God makes us all different and unique. It would be boring to have a garden with all the same kind of flower, all the same color, wouldn't it?

With Obama being elected I know my kids have been hearing things like, "The first African American President" and the such. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise when my son popped a question to his dad the other night.

Mike and Reece were picking up a friend after he got off work. As they were waiting in the truck for the friend to come out Reece asks Mike, "What color is Brian?"

"WHAT?!" asks Mike completely taken by surprise.

"Is Brian black?" Reece asks.

"Reece, you know Brian, he's white like us." Mike responds.

"Ohhhh, you mean peach." Reece says satisfied.

I do have to say, I think my son is on to something. You don't go for the white crayon when coloring you reach for the peach one. So for now on when asked my race, I do believe I will state, Peach.

Easy Bake Whatcha Going To Make?

As I've talked about before, my Mother is staying with me while they wait for a few banks to agree how to split up the cash for the sale of the home my parents are trying to buy. She has been here for 3 weeks and counting. I'm trying to talk her into staying longer, but I think she is getting antsy to get away from my crazy house. ;)

Her time here has been really nice. My kids have loved having Grandma here. It's been a great time to bond. Mada and Grandma have been baking. Grandma took some time to do Mada's "Easy bake, whatcha going to make?" as my kids call it. Madison just glowed as she and grandma made a little cake and frosted it.

Good memories.

Midnight Chores

What can I say. I strongly believe in chores for kids. My kids have had chores since they could walk. Give the dog a scoop of food, pick up there toys, or take there clothes to the laundry. I know I know . . . pretty intense chores there, huh? Well currently Grace is responsible for picking up the dirty clothes out of the bathroom and taking them to the laundry. Every morning she is asked to do this chore.

Last night I went into the girls room to wake them up so they could go potty. I do this every night, about two/three hours after they go to bed.

"Grace. Mada. Wake up!" I said.

Grace pops up and stumbles out of her bed. She groggily shuffles across the hall to the bathroom. Normally I take her hand and help her with her nighties, but last night I stayed in the bedroom trying to wake Mada up. Grace got into the bathroom and stumbled around a bit more. I finally woke Mada up and went to the bathroom to see what was taking Grace so long. I walk in to find an armful of dirty laundry in Grace's arms and she was trying to lift the lid to the toilet. I do believe I have succeeded. Even in my daughter's sleep she knows to do her chores. ;) Now, I just need to make sure she doesn't put the laundry in the toilet, but in the laundry room. :)

Glasses

Mada got her glasses today. I think she look beautiful :)

Hedlund Grandparents

I'm always so thrilled when my parents come up to visit. I don't get to see them often, so the time I do get with them is always cherished. This past week my parents came up. My dad stayed for a few days then left. My mom is still here and planning on staying a few weeks. Of course I'm always giddy when my kids and my parents get to spend time together. I believe the grandparents/grandchild relationship is huge and very special.

On the weekend we celebrated Mada's 8th birthday. During the party my sister in law snapped a few pics of my dad spinning the kids on the merry go round. I don't think the kids walked straight for a week. It's funny, watching my dad spin the kids brought back memories of my brother and I on the 'Mad Hatter Teacups' at Disneyland. My dad spun those teacups so fast that neither my brother or I could even move. We were pushed up against the sides of the cup. I remember laughing so hard but tripping on my way off the ride.

My mom was able to go with us to the Pumpkin Patch. What fun that was. She helped Madison find her perfect pumpkin. Which is quite the feat since Madison saw none that would meet her standards. My mom also got to take the kids here and there around the farm to look at things while Mike and I waited in line. My kids adore there Grandma Gayle and I know she adores them as well.

Reece has had fun playing his DS with Grandma Gayle. It warms my heart to hear them over there giggling and laughing as they try to smash each other in Mario Party. What a cool Grandma they have!!

This last pic is just special to me. I have very few pics of my dad and I. The last pic taken was from when I graduated from High school and my dad came down on the field and gave me a rose. It was a special moment and this pic reminds me of that. What can I say, I'm a daddy's girl. ;)

Pumpkin Patch Day

Just a few pictures of our annual tradition, the Pumpkin Patch. We had a wonderful day spending time with our Grandma Gayle and finding the perfect pumpkin. The weather couldn't of been more perfect. A sunny day in Oregon and you have to go and take advantage of it!!

We started the day off riding the worm. The kids always get a kick out of this little ride. I've decided that I am going to buy a tractor and give our neighborhood kids rides and make some big dough too!!!

Afterwards we took a boat ride out to the pumpkin patch and the kids ran around looking for those perfect pumpkins. Reece ran off with Mike across the field to the farthest possible location to look for his. Grace walked around ruling all pumpkins with the slightest bit of dirt on them, "icky" and would not have anything to do with them. Mada took the most time with Grandma Gayle examining all the pumpkins. It wasn't until we told them after they picked there pumpkins, we would take a pony ride. Mada quickly picked her pumpkin and was eager to get on the pony.

The pony rides were great. The kids rode on Fancy, Cherokee (or Turkey according to Reece) and Squeekers. I'm not sure what Reece did to his pony because "Turkey" dropped his "stuffing" and we had to stop and let them take care of that. ;)

After the ride we took the train back in and talked about how we all had a wonderful day. I know, this is pretty gushy isn't it? What can I say, we all LOVE the pumpkin patch. So many fun memories made each year.

Singing In the Shower

A few weeks ago I was sitting at my computer doing what I love to do most, reading all my favorite blogs, and I hear some singing. "Hmmm," I think, "I wonder what station the kids are listening to on the radio, I better go check."So I meander down the hall, using my stealth steps so they wont know I'm coming to check on them. But, it is me, who gets the shock. It isn't the radio at all. It's coming from the bathroom. Reece is the bathroom. Yikes, I had better run and get the camera so that I don't miss this super cute moment. Here is what I caught.

Awana &Twilight

I haven't blogged in a bit. Not much new to tell. The kids have started Awana. They have been really enjoying going. It warms my heart that they are excited to go and learn about Jesus. Madison is having a few problems with some girls there. I don't know if it's Maddie being sensitive or the girls being clicky. Either way, she still wants to go, so I'm trying to remember this is all part of life and some good lessons for her to learn.

I tried to upload a video of Reece that was super cute, but I can't figure it out, so I'll keep working on it and now you have something to look forward to. :)

I have been filling my days reading the book Twilight. I'm so hooked! Not a book that I would normally pick up to read, but after a good friend of mine told me I HAD to read it, I decided I would give it a whirl. Now, I'm dying to get my hands on the second book in the Saga, but our library is taking there very sweet time getting it. I swear it has been "in transit" for a week. I'm driving Mike crazy going back and forth to my email to check if the library alert has come through. I even went into the library to kindly ask about when to expect it.
"It should be in today, I see it has your name on it." - That was 48 hours ago and still NO book!!! This is cruel!!

So, that is the quick little update on whats been going on. :)

GeoCaching and Amazing Race

So, I'm just putting this out there in case any of you think that ALL Oregonians look like this. Because, lets face it, Oregon is known as quite the liberal state. If you watch Amazing Race, kudos to you because I think the show rocks, it's my most favorite. BUT, the couple from Oregon, IS NOT what we all look like!!! So, no jokes from my peanut gallery of friends on this one. ;)

GeoCaching stinks. We went again tonight and couldn't find a thing!!! I swear our GPS is totally off!!! We were supposed to be in a park and we found our self sitting in the middle of a storage unit. Great place to hide things, but not quite what we were looking for. :( We have decided to put this little outing aside for now. We'll look into buying a better GPS unit, but not any time soon. I think my dear friend, Beth needs to come and show me how there family does it. hint hint

Clue

I am completely clueless sometimes. My husband and I were watching the Season Premiere of The Office, one of our favorite shows. A set of commercials comes on and we are sitting there watching them because we gave up our Tivo (a very sad day, but had to be done). A commercials pops up and it's for Clue. Remember the old game where you try to guess who done it and where? Mr. White, in the Conservatory with a WRENCH!!!
Well it rambles on and then it gets to the end;
"Is it Mrs. White with a penny? Is it Cornall Plum with a bottle top? Or is it Miss Scarlett with a nail file?"
"What?!?!" I proclaim "You have got to be kidding!! They are messing around with Clue now! Leave it to those Gun Control, Video games are bad, we can talk about our problems with terrorist they'll make peace with us, kind of people to get a hold of a CLASSIC game and ruin it."

Mike looks over at me. "Are you serious?"

I stare back, well yes I'm serious, I'm annoyed!

"Sarah, it's a scratch it commercial. You scratch the scratch it with a penny, bottle cap or nail file."

Oh. Oops. Well, I bet they would like to get there hands on Clue and mess it up to the weapons being a those things. Ya, take that.

It's a Tea Party

I am really trying to make this last year Grace is at home, special. I'm trying to take her to story time at the library, the park and do other special things. So I previously blogged about our 'coffee' time on the mornings I don't work. Today, it was tea. Grace and her dear friend Kate, threw a lavish tea party. Grace wanted to give Kate the best teacup, so she gave her the one she painted on vacation and Grace took my ONLY China teacup and saucer (that's a whole other blog there). So I steamed up some milk and added some flavor and we were off to having a great tea party.

Now, it's was only a matter of time until I broke into my British accent when playing tea party. Can you blame me here? I mean, how can you not have a fancy tea party without a British accent?! The girls looked at me like I was from Mars but then giggled. Of course Mrs. Bear was an absolute pig and took all the tea . . . . wait, I didn't tell you about our other guests, did I? Well, Grace and Kate had dear friends over, Mrs. Hello Kitty sporting a beautiful blue shirt and Mrs. Bear who wore a lovely red dress. They were divine guests and an absolute joy, until Mrs. Bear started getting a big greedy with the tea. Grace and Kate were gracious hosts and just turned a head to the bad manners. I took my leave shortly after and I have heard the rest of the party was just lovely. Kate and Grace poured many more cups of tea.

GeoCaching

So I've read some of my friends blogs about geocaching. I think it sounds like a blast!! What a perfectly fun way to spend a Saturday as a family!

Our family has never gone, been close a few weeks back, but something always come up and we don't go. So, I'm blogging about it, so we have to go now! I mean I have now put it out there in the blogosphere that our family is going to go this weekend. Have to follow through now, too late to turn back! Look, I have even added a little tally to our page so that you can see how successful we are as treasure seekers!

We are off to find our pirate treasure! :) Of course, these kids will now have to take out there apple smiles and put on there hiking gear!

One Went Wee Weee Wee All The Way Home

Grace has experienced being home alone with just me for a few days now. I asked her if she missed Madison and she gave me a quick no.

"How about Reece?" I ask

"Nope. I like just you all to myself."

I'm thinking that she is so excited to have the mornings all to herself because I give her her own cup of coffee. No, don't worry, it's not REAL coffee. Just steamed milk and a little Almond Roca Syrup to make it delicious!!! Grace loves this!! She made a little teacup and saucer while we were on vacation this summer so I have to put her morning cup of coffee in this. I am training my little girl well. She is just like mommy with her coffee. :)

We were playing a family game last night. I Spy board game. We finished the game and we were letting each of the kids go through and spy something that we had to find. It came to Grace's turn and she says:

"I spy with my little eyes, they are right here, a pink purse" (see the pic)

We thought it was cute.

When #2 Flew Out of the Nest

Reece's first day of Kindergarten was today. Yesterday we went through his clothes and made a shelf with all his approved pants and made sure his collared shirts were all hung up nicely. I set his alarm clock and we pretended it was morning and Reece practiced turning it off. We packed all his school supplies in his backpack and threw in a few snacks.

This morning, I awoke to his alarm (it went off before mine!) and got the opportunity to wake Reece up and tell him that was his alarm he was hearing. He had thrown the covers over his head . . . I hope this isn't a sign of things to come! But he popped right up and out of bed after I came in.

Our morning went smoothly and we left the house right on time. Maddie told Reece how she was scared the first day of school. Reece said he wasn't scared. We got to school and went to reach for Reece's hand, he took it for 1 second and then pulled it away. He's too grown up for such things. OUCH! Can anyone pull that dagger out of my heart?!?!?!

Reece went right into his classroom and straight to his seat. We had scoped it out a few days beforehand when we had dropped Maddie off at school. His classroom door was open so we had gone in and looked for his name.

Reece's teacher, Mrs. Porter, was very kind to him and showed him where to put his things. Reece didn't say one word to her. I stood around for a few minutes and took some pictures and video. Reece's class only has 6 students so I'm so happy for the individual attention he will get this year! :)

Male Bonding

I have to admit, having my kids grow up has been a lot of fun. I went through a few years where I really morned that we were done having kids and that my kids were growing up! It's moments like this, tonight, that just really make me so excited to have older kids.

For the last two hours, Mike and Reece have been sitting down playing video games together. A big passion they share. I have to laugh because I keep hearing,

"Go sock it to him!"

"I got this guy, you go get that one"

"YA!! Just like that!"

"In here!! There is a bunch of energy!"

Mike has so much patience with Reece too, although I think Reece can hold his own in any game now. In fact, I do believe Reece now consistently beats his dad on Mario Party DS.

They are so cute sitting there playing there man games and having some fun daddy-son time.

Becoming Famous

So this is just a little tidbit.

I went the mailbox the other day and pulled out my pile of mail. I walked into the house and over to my desk to sort through the pile, like I do everyday. Bill, junk, bill, bill, weekly ads, camp pamphlet, bill . . . . wait, camp pamphlet?! I pick it up and browse through it. It's the big mailer that I'm assuming they mail out to all the families of the kids that went to there camp throughout the summer. It has a few words from the President on the front and inside a few articles about upcoming events and special seminars they hosting. Another page shows the new remodel of some cabins. I close the pamphlet and look at the back where our address and name were printed and low and behold, there is Maddie. The picture I posted when I blogged about her at camp, the one of her in the boat out on the lake, was on the cover. HA! My little girl is famous! ;)

Madison's First Day of School

As you know, Madison has been homeschooled for the past two years. We decided to put her into a private school for her 2nd grade year. I'm just worn out and burnt out with homeschooling. I so wish I was super mom and could do it for the rest of my kids education.

Today was the big day. Maddie popped right up out of bed and quickly got dressed. She was so excited to wear her new horse skirt. She ate, brushed her hair and teeth and even quickly ran through all her chores. She was ready so quickly, but then the nerves hit. She got a bit scared and wasn't so sure she wanted to go.

We snapped a few pictures before we left the house and then we were off to school. Maddie asked for me to walk her in so I did. She broke my heart, she was so scared and timid. If you know Maddie, you know my little girl doesn't normally get scared by social situations, but will normally be the little butterfly.

We checked out her desk and they even gave her a little gift bag. Some girls she knew came over and said hi, but Maddie was too scared to really say much. They fluttered off and Maddie sat down in her chair and looked around her desk. A teacher came over and took her off to introduce her to more kids and I took my leave after a few kisses and a big squeeze.

After school, Maddie ran up to the van and told me she had a wonderful day. She loved school and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

Well to those of you who actually read this silly little blog of mine, I just wanted to give you a heads up. My computer decided that he had had it. So this morning, after I had made my morning cup of coffee and gotten everything done so that I could sit and enjoy my beloved cup of coffee while checking up on all my favorite websites, my computer decided to throw in the towel and not boot up. He was even a bit dramatic and threw in some major clicking sounds for emphasis.
I don't know when we will get another or if we'll try and save this computer, but until then, I wont be able to get online. :(
Also, I lost all of my email addresses this morning, so if you can shoot me an email to my charter account, I would appreciate it. Then I can add your address to the new computer.

Let my lesson be your warning

A friend of mine posted a story about her little girl's tooth coming loose. I had to laugh because nothing is ever that easy for us. My beloved daughter can't just have a loose tooth and have it fall out. No, she like to get them pulled by the dentist!
Well, that's not entirely true. She does not like to wiggle them and has had about 4 teeth pulled in the doctors office, but not all was entirely her fault.
Madison has been going to the dentist since she was two. Unfortunately, she had a dentist that wasn't thorough and he missed a small issue with the forming of her teeth because he didn't do the x-rays. So a small issue then, turned into a huge issue now. Poor Maddie, had to have her adult molar pulled out this past Tuesday. She did a great job with the help of her dear friend, Valium.
I switched dentists about a year ago and I am soooo thankful I did. Our dentist now is amazing! He is a pediatric specialist and very good with all three of my kids. He caught the problem with the three other molars early on, but this molar was too far gone (hollowed out by a cavity) and too infected for a root canal to help. :( So, the point of this blog, let my lesson be your warning. Listen to your gut. Find the best Dr.'s out there and don't be afraid to shop around. I was stupid. Maddie's first dentist was recommended to me by someone I trusted and respected (still do) so I just didn't listen to that little voice that told me the dentist just wasn't right. I felt he wasn't very thorough in his exams, but thought hey, I know people that have had him for decades and they are happy with him, so . . .
Well, he missed the problem and Mada's been dealing with the repercussions of that. I feel like I let my little girl down. :(

Fair Time part 2

Madison and Reece rode on the Yo-Yo, which is this great big swing that goes around and around and gets higher and higher. One of my all time favorites as a girl. :)

We took a little break in our afternoon and ran home for an hour. The kids took a small nap and changed there clothes into some warmer one for the evening and then we ran back to the fair. Reece decided he had enough of these baby rides and decided to tackle the bigger ones. He went on the Spaceship. You know the one, where you lean back on a board and the spaceship goes around faster and faster till your board goes up and you are forced back and can't move because of how fast you are going. He LOVED that ride and went on it by himself a half dozen times. Reece also jumped onto the Ali Babba. This huge ride goes swinging way up in the air and flies back down. Crazy!! He loved it and laughed and asked to go again as soon as it stopped. I think Reece is going to be my thrill junkie.

Madison enjoyed driving Grace around in the bumpers. The girls kept giggling as they sped around the rink trying to bump Reece or a friend they had bumped into earlier (ha ha, get the pun?). Reece was a riot. He wanted to drive his own car so he got into it and when the cars started up he pushed his gas peddle and spent the whole time going around and around in a backwards circle. He just couldn't get a handle on how to the drive it. It was so hilarious to watch his face as he went around and around and around.

I took the girls to there first concert. Rodney Atkins, a country artist, was performing. The girls loved it and were tapping there feet and Maddie did a few screams for the man. He was a fun guy to listen to. The girls thought it was funny to be able to actually feel the music beat through there little bodies.