Reading together

Ava has been getting much better at reading on her own. The other night, we asked Ava if she wanted to read to Tyler instead of to one of us. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a photo of the sweet moment.

It wasn't long before they heard me, and then they didn't want their picture taken. I can still see you!

 Tyler left Ava for a little while to get his jammies on...

 ...ok, now he's back for some more of the captivating story of "Pinkilicious." Thanks for being a helpful big brother and listening to your sister read, Tyler.

Ava read some of a Curious George book to me today and she needs less and less help every time we read! It's amazing what a couple weeks in first grade can do for a girl. Nice job, Ava!

Orthodontic time

Tyler's orthodontic journey has begun.

On Friday, he got spacers put in his top teeth. They're little tiny rubber bands that were placed between his back two teeth on his top jaw. The spacers are there to make room for the brackets that will go on his back molars, holding the expander in place. In a week, he goes in to get an impression done, and then they'll make the expander that they'll place in his mouth a week later. Getting the spacers put in wasn't a big deal, but he was not a happy camper later that night. Dave had spacers done when he got his braces, and he knew what Tyler was going to have to go through. It's definitely painful. His teeth were sore all weekend, and he wasn't able to chew anything. I think he's gotten pretty used to the feeling of having something stuck in his teeth, but it's still hard to chew. On top of it all, he caught the cold that Ava had last weekend, so he's pretty miserable right now. We'll have to see if he goes to school tomorrow. He's not so good at dealing with pain--we joked that it was a good thing it was Ava who broke her arm, and not Tyler. He's a tad....dramatic. I know it hurts. Mouth stuff is no fun, I can definitely relate since I had braces so recently. I hate that he has to deal with all of this so early, but I think it's good that we're doing it now before it gets too bad. I guess it's part of life! Hang in there, buddy.

Ava's writing

I ran across this note that Ava had written in a notebook that is on our coffee table. I've mentioned that she is getting very good at reading, but also writing too. First, she has lovely handwriting, but second, she spells pretty well too! Dave said recess was the only word he helped her spell. It says "My day was great. My BFF is Rowan. I pla with hr evre day at recess." 

Wicked

I've wanted to see the musical Wicked since I first heard about it in about 2008. I'd heard it was an amazing show, and nothing but rave reviews. I knew it was coming to Gammage this summer, and back in March, it just so happened that Kathy's friend was arranging a girls trip to the show. 

We went out to lunch before hand, and then to a 2:00 show. We had good seats, towards the back of the first level. To be honest with you though, I was a little disappointed. I'm no theater expert, but any means, so I don't really know what to look for. My first impression was that the acoustics in Gammage were terrible. It was way too loud. It was so loud that we couldn't understand the words to the songs. The acting was good, and the singers were amazingly talented, but the volume was over the top. I didn't know the story at all, other than that it was the story of the Wizard of Oz witches. It was a great story, that's for sure. 

The one thing I really did enjoy was hearing the song "For Good," which was sung by Marv's granddaughters at Joyce's funeral. They are extremely talented singers, and the song was such an appropriate representation of the way we all feel about having had Joyce in our life. "I do believe I have been changed for the better. And because I knew you, I have been changed for good." If nothing else, I'm very glad I got to hear that special song sung live on stage. Although, Kaitlin and Gracee could give those singers a run for their money one day! It's very fitting that I heard this song today after the special picture I posted earlier tonight. 

I loved the last musical that I went to so much that I think it'll be hard to top. Kinky Boots still gets my vote for best musical--you know, out of the handful I've seen. I'm going to the show Book of Mormon at the end of October, so we'll see how that stacks up.

Just sayin'

How many days until we're in Turks and Caicos?

A memory from 5 years ago

Facebook does this cool thing now where they show you memories of things you posted on that date in years past. I had a lovely memory show up on my screen this morning of a picture that I captured 5 years ago today. Here was the original blog post that included this picture. At the time, Joyce was writing a blog on her Human Tribe website, and she wrote about how special this moment was to her. Ava was walking around the pool, and without any prompting, walked to Joyce and hugged her. Joyce wrote about how she carried the feeling of that moment with her when she went through her next chemo treatment. Kids just seem to know when someone needs some extra love.

This morning, I went for a 12 mile bike ride, followed by a 5k run in preparation for a triathlon that I'm doing at the beginning of October. I was exhausted after this workout (recovering from a cold--and it's HOT outside!) and checking Facebook while sprawled out on the floor under the ceiling fan. This photo came up and I cried for the first time in a long time. This photo will always have a special place in my heart, and I will cherish it always. I can't believe it's been almost 5 years since Joyce passed away. I miss her so much. I hate that my kids won't grow up knowing her. It breaks my heart. 

Butterbeer

Tyler is fully immersed in Harry Potter. I've been encouraging him to read the books for awhile, and he finally listened to me. I read the first 2 books to him, thinking it would be easier for him to get into the series if I could help him understand the story and the characters. It was fun to read together--I love those books and it was great to see him learn the story. He's now over half way through the 4th book and is on the verge of a typical Tyler-obsession. I'm ok with it though, I can relate to this one! He asked me if I could make Butterbeer, which is something they drink in the stories. It's also served at the Harry Potter World at Universal Studios (which is opening up in CA in 2016, YAY!). There are tons of different recipes out there, but I went with the easiest one....which probably wasn't very accurate. Ice cream, butterscotch syrup, and cream soda....they liked it, and since none of us know what it's supposed to taste like, it's good enough for now. Tyler and I are very excited to go to Harry Potter World in California next summer!

Ava's first reading log

It's the 3rd week of school and Ava finally had to start doing homework. I've talked about it before, I'm sure, but I love that Montessori doesn't require a lot of homework. When I hear about the amount of time everyone else's kids spend doing homework, I'm very grateful for our school. I just don't think kids should have 2 hours of homework at night. What the heck are they doing all day at school?! Since Ava has the same teacher that Tyler did, we know what to expect for homework. She has a reading log that has to be turned in every Friday, where she has to read for 15 minutes every night (or be read to), then write something about what she read. She also has to draw a picture and write a little something extra about one of the stories. She love school, loves reading, loves homework...so she was looking forward to this. She mostly read Dr. Seuss books this wee, and read them herself! On the list were Cat in the Hat, Fox in Socks, and a Pinkilicious book. She is getting to be a good reader! 

Good job Ava! We hope you always love school as much as you do right now.

A summer visit from Grandma

We don't usually get many visitors in the summer around here. It's not exactly a dream destination when it's 112 degrees on a regular basis. Mom decided to come out for 2 weeks to help out with the kids during their last week of summer vacation. We've actually had what has seemed like a pretty mild summer around here. It didn't get hot until June, and even then, had very few days over 110. That always seem like the years where we have day after day of 110+ are the longest summers. Here we are, almost September and it really wasn't too bad!

While mom was here, she took the kids swimming (after Ava's cast came off) shopping for new books and clothes, to the Music Instrument Museum with Karen and Dawson, and lots more fun stuff. She babysat for us so we could have date nights, and joined us for some dinners. I love having her here anytime of the year, but the summer was a special and unexpected visit. She also made us a bunch of meals to stick in the freezer for the crock pot! I look forward to the days when she's here year around, but for now, I'll enjoy the winters and the occasional visits.  She was supposed to only stay 2 weeks, but her flight on Monday was delayed until after 8 pm, which would have gotten her home too late (and it was eventually cancelled). She had already been debating staying a little longer, so that helped make up her mind. She stayed an extra 4 days, so she got in on a little more sunshine before heading back.  I'm always happy with a longer stay. Thanks for the visit Grandma!

A round trip for my mom

Mom was here for a little over 2 1/2 weeks, and got to come watch me fly a couple of times. The first time, Rod wasn't catching so I couldn't show her my out of lines tricks. He said if she came back another night, he'd catch so she could see me try for a round trip. The night she ended up coming was another night Rod didn't plan to catch. Since she was there again though, and since everyone there is so great to me, Rod got up in the catch trap just for me! He caught me and one other person, and then came down. I had to make it worth his time! I did one of my best round trips yet, making it back to the board without even needing any help. It was awesome!

This video was taken using the slow-motion function on my mom's phone, so it's a fun one.

Lost another tooth!

Ava lost her second tooth today!

Lots of new posts--keep scrolling!

Just a heads up, blog readers....I did a mass blog catch up today. I posted a bunch of stuff, all in chronological order, so just keep scrolling or else take a look at the list of posts on the right side of the screen to catch up on any you haven't read. I think I just posted about 10 of them, so enjoy!!

The count down is on

Who am I kidding...the count down has been on for months. And, after this 117 degree day that we are having today, it's nice to know that October is only 2 months away. I can't wait to have my feet in that powdery white sand and to swim in that turquoise water with my amazing husband. Ah, paradise....only 60 days away. 

Orthodontics time

With Dave and I both having had braces as adults, we are aware that our kids are probably going to need them as well. Just looking at Tyler's smile, you can see that his teeth haven't exactly come in where they're supposed to. He's only 9 though, so it didn't seem like something to worry about just yet. We went to the dentist a few weeks back for the kids' six month cleanings, and they found some interesting stuff on Tyler's x-ray. He's missing 2 of his permanent molars on his bottom jaw. He has baby teeth there now (it's his second molar from the back), but there is no permanent tooth below it. The dentist told us there were a couple different ways that could be handled, and recommended we get an orthodontic consultation early. She referred us to an office in Mesa, and I set up an appointment for Tyler.

First of all, it was the fanciest, most creative and patient-friendly office I've seen. We pulled up to a personalized parking spot by the front door, fun beach themed decor, and very friendly staff. They showed us around the office--the Apple bar (computers/ipads), the frozen yogurt machine, video game area, the prizes you can win...and then they took Tyler back for x-rays. After showing us a fancy video about their practice, they pulled up Tyler's photos and x-rays on a giant tv screen. It was actually really helpful to see what they were talking about.

Here's the just of what Tyler has going on....his main problem is that he has a cross bite. You can see it in the bottom two pictures on the left. Your top teeth are supposed to overlap your bottom teeth just a little bit--like Tyler's do on one side of his mouth (the right, if you're looking at the picture). On the left side, however, his top teeth sit inside his bottom teeth. This is bad. Apparently it can lead to a lot of dental issues, teeth/jaw development problems, and much more. Side note, on the x-ray on the bottom right picture, you can kind of see where he's missing the molars on the bottom jaw. There is just a blank space below where the permanent teeth should be in the jaw. Isn't he handsome?! Also, I hope this is the only "mugshot" he ever takes.

You're probably wondering what they recommended for these issues. Well, after getting the recommended treatment plan and cost at this fancy schmancy orthodontist office, we decided to get additional opinions. I wanted to try out the place that our nephew Talon recently had his treatment done, and also the place I went for my braces. I was very happy with them, and wanted to see what they recommended. It was interesting seeing the different offices and hearing the differing treatment plans they suggested. All 3 recommended something called an "expander" to fix the cross bite. They all had either different appliances and different timelines for treatment. The second place we went (Talon's doc) recommended the expander, pulling 4 baby teeth to make room for permanent teeth to come in, AND braces on the top and bottom 4 teeth now. The first place and the last place both said no braces until he's 11 or 12. The first place said to just leave the baby molars in as long as they last, and let him deal with it (implants or a bridge) if needed when he's an adult. The last place said they might pull those molars and suggested another method to close that gap.

So, after all of that information, we decided we liked the plan at the 3rd place best--the same place I went for my treatment. First of all, I really like the doctors there and I had a great experience. Second, we'll get a discount on braces when that time comes, and third, I liked their method for dealing with the cross bite better. Simply put, the expander is going to suck for Tyler. He'll hate it, we'll hate it....but it has to happen. This method seems the least miserable. The type of expander the first two places use is even more miserable. It's a giant piece of hardware at the roof of the mouth, and twice a day, we have to go in with a little key and turn it to expand the jaw. OUCH! G & M (the place we're going with) uses a different type of expander that is smaller and doesn't need to be turned. It is sort of spring loaded and expands more gradually on it's own. It looks like this. Still not fun, but if you clicked that link above to see the other one, you'll agree it's better.

G & M doesn't want to make any other treatment plans until they see how the expander works. Ideally, it'll open up his jaw enough to make room for his other teeth to come in properly. He'll still need braces eventually, and we'll have to decide what to do about the missing molars, but I rather wait to make that decision until we see how this works. The other places wanted to push us into more advanced treatment plans right now. The cost was also much, much more reasonable here. The doctor at G & M also made some interesting observations about Tyler's apparently larger than normal tonsils and adenoids. He asked if he gets frequent sore throats and if he's a mouth breather...yes and yes. He said these things could all be connected--something about because of the large tonsils and mouth breathing, his tongue isn't sitting where it's supposed to, which could play some role in the cross bite. He recommended seeing someone about removing his tonsils--which we've wanted to do since the 3 bouts of strep throat last winter.

Anyway, very long story short, Tyler will soon be getting this lovely expander at the roof of his mouth, and he'll have to have it in there for 9-12 months. He has been a very good sport about all of this so far, and is somewhat excited about getting it done. I personally think he's just looking forward to earning tokes to put towards prizes and playing x-box when he goes in for appointments. I'll keep you posted!

The cast is OFF!

Ava got her cast off today! She had that pink thing on for a total of 5 weeks since she broke her arm on July 3. I am so very proud of how well she handled the inconvenience and annoyance of having a cast on her arm during the hot Arizona summer. She didn't complain, she didn't wine, she didn't mind when she got left out of swimming or birthday parties. She just dealt with it. It was no fun, but she really made it a non-issue. We are all happy it's off, but thanks to her and her good attitude, it really wasn't that big of a deal! I hope it's the only time we have to deal with a broken bone (or any medical issue, for that matter), but it was as good as it could have possibly been thanks to this little rockstar! We love you Ava, and we're so excited that you can go swimming now!

Here is her last picture in a cast.

They cut the cast off (which she wanted to keep), and she didn't like that very much. She wasn't scared of getting it cut off, but they had to pull and tug on it quite a bit to get it all the way off. It was very sore afterwards, and she didn't want to move her arm at all. I can't imagine how stiff her joints must have been after 5+ weeks of not bending her elbow or wrist. The whole day, she kept her arm and fingers in the same position they were in the cast. It'll take some time get everything loosened up, but the bone healed well. She has a couple more months that she has to take it really easy--no gymnastics, cartwheels, handstands, bikes--anything that could cause her to put pressure on her bone. Since the break was right in the middle of the forearm, it has the highest likelihood of re-break due to being the weakest part of the bone. She has a brace that she is supposed to wear when she's at school and out and about, but can take it off when she's at home or relaxing.

I left work a little early today to take the kids swimming at Grandma's. She was very excited to jump in the pool for the first time in almost 6 weeks! You'll see she's still holding her arm like it's in a cast. She had fun swimming, even if she only used one arm. We're so glad to have you back in one piece again, Ava! Good job taking care of your cast and your arm. I hope you never have to deal with that again!

3 years ago today---first time up the ladder

It's hard to believe it's been three years since I was first given the opportunity to climb up that ladder and grab the trapeze bar for the first time. I had no idea at that time if I'd ever do it again, and certainly didn't know how much it would eventually change my life. It wasn't until a couple months later that I started the regular practices, but it was that first hot night in August of 2012 that began this amazing journey for me. It's fun to see how much change I've made in 3 years from that first knee hang to the round trips to the board that I'm making now. I am eternally grateful to the people who make this possible for me, and for the friendships that have come along with it. Read about my first trapeze experience here!

This is still my trapeze smile--minus the braces. It is truly my happy place.

First day of school!

It's the first day of school!

Fourth grade and first grade--how did that happen so quickly? The kids are starting another year at Montessori Education Center, and they're very excited! Tyler had some times over the summer where he was sad about leaving Ms. Shelly's class and nervous about starting with a new teacher. He's had the same teachers in the same classroom for 3 out of his 4 years of school. It's a big change for him to be in a new classroom with all new kids and teachers. As the summer went on though, he worried less and got more excited about fourth grade. He gets to be in a class with his cousins Matt and Aiden again, like he was in 1st grade. I know he'll enjoy that.

Ava was very excited for school. She gets to be in Ms. Shelly and Ms. Mylene's class, just like Tyler was for 3 years. It's nice for us to have her in the same room since we're familiar with how Shelly does things and her expectations of the kids. She's excited to make new friends and see her friends from last year. There are only going to be a couple kids from her Kindergarten class in her room this year, so she'll get to make a lot of new friends. I'm so excited to see all the changes that both kids have in store for them this year.

Here are the traditional first day of school pictures! It'll be fun to look back on these pictures down the road and remember the summer that Ava had her broken arm. She'll have just a couple days to get school friends to sign her cast, and then she gets it off!

Have a great year, kids! We know you are going to learn so much and have a great time in school. We're so happy that you both enjoy school so much, and we're grateful for the awesome teachers at your school who encourage your love of learning.

You're growing up so fast! Tyler, here you are in Kindergarten, which seems like yesterday! Ava, this was you in your first year of preschool, the first year you got a picture with your first day of school sign.

Have a great year you two! We love you!

Happy birthday Dave!

Happy birthday Dave! We're getting closer and closer to that 4-0, but we're just getting better with age--as shown in these two pictures of Dave trying to do some exercise with Ava climbing on him. We didn't do much of anything for Dave's birthday. I feel kind of horrible about that! We had brought up a couple ideas, but in the end, we just hung out at home most of the day. I don't hink Dave minded too much--but he wouldn't say anything if he did. I'm going with the hope that he likes to have relaxing days on the weekends because usually we're busy with one activity or another. For his birthday, he didn't have to do a darn thing! 

It's the night before the kids start school, so we went out to an early dinner at Cheesecake Factory with my mom. We had a great meal, and then they brought out this nice little birthday dessert, which the kids helped him eat. These two sure love their daddy, and so do I!

And this one sure loves dessert....and so do I.

We were all dressed up for our big night out, so we stopped to take a few pictures. I love my beautifl family!

It's been so great having my mom here for awhile. She's not used to being here in the heat, but I don't think she's minded it too much. It's been hot back home too, so at least she has air conditioning here!

I kind of look like I'm going to prom in this picture. Dressed up, posing weird in front of a mall. I'm only 20 years late for the prom. But at least this time I have a super handsome date!

I had to get this picture of our matching hair. I had fixed my hair with a braid and side pony tail (it's my "I need to wash my hair" hair), and Ava wanted the same thing. Her hair is finally long enough to do fun stuff like this. My little mini-me...

So, here's wishing the very happiest of birthdays to my amazing, wonderful, kind, funny, sexy, loving husband. I love you more and more every year, and look forward to bunches of birthdays to come. Thanks for being the fantastic husband and father there is. We all love you so much!

Enjoy your swamp cooler for the garage, your nose hair trimmer and your giant yoga mat. Apparently those are the things you want when you turn 37.

Rowan's birthday

Ava's buddy Rowan had her birthday party at Skateland today. She's been very excited about it for weeks. With her cast on, I figured I'd have to help her skate, but we found out when we got there that they wouldn't let her skate because of her broken arm. I guess it makes sense, but I hadn't thought of that being a possibility. She was a little bummed at first, but the manager at Skateland was very understanding, and gave her a giant bag of tokens to spend on the games instead. This seemed to cheer her up. She probably had more fun doing that than she would have on skates anyway--and it was much safer! 

I had fun playing the games with her too! This game, and skeeball were her favorites. She got 300 tickets by the end of the day.

Skateland may need to invest in a new air hockey table. There were lots of games that didn't work. I couldn't wait for this game to be over. Air hockey without air flowing just isn't much fun.

I'm pretty sure they haven't changed much at this place for years. If you're wondering, it looks just like ever skating rink that ever existed.

 Rowan's little brother loved the giant Hello Kitty balloon.

Yummy, Skateland pizza.

They happened to do cake during the glow-skate, so it was totally dark in there. Happy birthday Rowan!

Ah, Skateland.....yep. Although, I was very happy with their customer service--so they earned a few points in my book. Ava had fun, which is all that matters!

No more Fridays off

I love having Fridays off of work in the summer. It's one of the many perks about my job. We work longer days during the week (although this summer I used comp time from the end of the semester to avoid those long hours), but it's so worth it to have a 3 day weekend. Unfortunately, that schedule doesn't last long. This morning, the kids were surprised to find out I had to go to work. I was as bummed as they were. It was a nice morning and I got ready for work early enough to have some extra time to relax at home. I was sitting outside drinking my coffee before anyone was awake. Ava found me though, and it just felt like a time for some selfies with my girl. Glad it's almost the weekend!

Root beer floats

Happy National Root Beer Float Day! Did you know that was a thing? Apparently it is.

I have recently discovered this delicious beverage called "Not Your Father's Root Beer." It's grown-up root beer, that just happens to have 5.9% alcohol--but you'd never know it. It tastes just like the soda! It was apparently National Root Beer Float day today, so I picked up some kid friendly root beer and ice cream to share with my kids after trapeze tonight. Ava said "but we're not allowed to have soda!" I told her we were making an exception tonight. It was delicious!