Teeth, Teeth and more Teeth!

Audrey has had quite a lot going on with teeth lately!  Back in November, she lost her first tooth.  She swallowed it while eating a cupcake at school, so she wrote a note to the tooth fairy and wanted the paper to be shaped like a tooth.

The next day I found this entry in the journal she bought at the school book fair.  I love how she loves to write and sounds out the words she can’t spell.

“In Kindergarten I lost my tooth when I was eating a cupcake.  It was good.  My lost tooth fell out.  It was fun.”

Then, less than 3 weeks later, she lost 3 more teeth in a playground accident!  I received a call from school that Audrey had been in an accident on the slide and that she had a very bloody mouth -- not a phone call any parent wants to receive!

I was in the middle of holiday baking at a friends house, so I left Emily there and raced over to school.  Audrey was waiting in the office.  When she opened her mouth, I could see one bottom tooth and one top tooth had been knocked out.

Thankfully, Luke is a dentist, so I immediately drove with Audrey over to his office.  Luke decided the other top tooth had to come out too, so he pulled that tooth out as well.  Luke was happy that only baby teeth were involved in this accident, and I guess she’ll just have a few years to sing “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”

Afterward Audrey requested a cherry milkshake for lunch, and we were happy to oblige.

Her new smile!

 

Piano Recital

Tis the season for a Christmas piano recital.  Logan played “Gentle Mary Laid her Child” and “Frozen Heart.”  He really does a great job and doesn’t seem to get nervous at all when playing in front of a formal audience (an informal audience, though, is another story!).

Logan and his piano teacher, Miss Ann.

A Frozen Halloween

When we looked at the forecast for today and saw little snowflakes on my phone, Audrey exclaimed, “That’s perfect!  Because I’m going go be Elsa, the snow queen!”  Perfectly thematic, right?

The forecast was correct.  All day we have had rain, hail, sleet, high winds, and snow.  The snow queen would feel right at home.

Amidst 35-degree weather and 20-30 mph winds (and plenty of layers under the costumes), Luke and my dad took the kids out trick-or-treating.  They went to about 20 neighbors before returning home to warm up their little cheeks and start eating their candy.

Happy Halloween from Anna, Elsa, and Rocky!

Hello, Yellow!

Logan earned his first belt in Karate – his yellow belt!  It was a proud day.  In front of a small audience, he had to demonstrate to his sensei (teacher) that he knows the moves and has good form, balance, and focus.  Every aspect is graded.  The test took about 30 minutes. 

Logan passed with flying colors!  We are so proud of him.  He has worked hard to earn that yellow belt!

Pumpkin patch

Our fall break included Monday this year, so Luke’s parents came out to spend a morning at a local pumpkin patch with us.  My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece, Riley, joined us too.

Audrey and Riley loved feeding the goats.

Everyone loved the baby chicks and bunnies.

The kids rode a barrel train pulled by a tractor…

… and loved getting lost in the corn maze.

I love this time of year and all the fall traditions!

Fall Break

Hello, hello!  Aren’t fall breaks the best?  I feel rejuvenated after a few days away at this cozy log cabin all weekend. 

We discovered a fabulous nearby park,

enjoyed an outdoor lunch,

spent time with family (my brother and sister-in-law and their four girls came out to the cabin Friday evening),

hosted a cousin sleepover in the loft,

swam in my brother’s pool (it was a warm weekend!),

and played in the leaves after church.

Other highlights: the fire-breathing dragon in Vandalia, shopping in historic St. Charles, Audrey’s hula program on the cabin deck, viewing Disney pictures, Meredith’s soccer game, and eating at Chuck E. Cheeses (although Emily was terrified of the big mouse).

It’s almost November…

…but I still need to blog about September birthdays.  Life keeps getting in the way of blogging, but I want to reflect on our milestones and memories through this blog.  Better late than never is my motto.

Emily’s birthday was first in September.  She turned four this year.

She requested a fairy birthday party, so we ate fairy cupcakes, set up a fairy scavenger hunt for little treasures, and celebrated fairy style!

 

I can hardly believe Emily is four already.  Shouldn’t she still be in a crib, wearing diapers and onesies?  She’s still our tow-headed baby girl, no matter how old she turns or how much she objects (“I’m not your baby!”). 

Then Luke and I celebrated our birthdays.  We both turned… well, another year older.  :)

To round out the month of September, we celebrated Luke’s mom’s 60th birthday.  We enjoyed a meal together in a reserved room at Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant (attached to Bass Pro Shop) while watching the fish swim in the fish tank adjoining our room.

Luke and his brothers made her a scrapbook of memories from family vacations they took through the years. 

A month of celebrations!  I think birthdays are wonderful because they provide an opportunity to reflect on the blessings of life. 

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created ...”  Psalm 148:5