Wait . . I thought the dentist was suppossed to be fun?

Today I told Hailey that she was having a "Mommy Day" because she got to stay home from school and we would watch movies and drink chocolate milk all day.  She was super excited about that.  Then I told her that first we had to go to the dentist and let him fix her teeth.  She loves going to the dentist because they "tickle her teeth" and she gets to pick out a prize from the treasure box.  Well . . . at her last visit, the dentist said she needed to get some fillings done and a silver cap put on one of her teeth because she had ground it down so much.  He said she would need to be sedated in order to give her all of the shots necessary to numb the six areas he was working on.  Wow!   I have never yet had a child need to get fillings like this before.  So, this morning Hailey couldn't eat or drink anything before the appointment and we got there around 8:15 a.m.  She had to drink the sedation juice (which she thought tasted Yucky!) then she and I had to wait in a special room for about one hour for the medicine to take full effect.

Here is Hailey getting her vitals taken.  She is about to drink the "yucky" juice.

 It was actually a wonderful hour for me to spend with Hailey.  We played with toys, read stories, then I got to rock her in a really comfortable rocking chair as she began to get a little sleepy.  She started saying really wierd things like, "Mom, where do carrots come from?" just randomly as we were reading stories.  It was so fun to snuggle and hold her like I used to when she was a baby.  She is way too active now and I only get to hold her for about a minute or so, then she is off wiggling around or doing something else.  (So, I was actually looking forward to today's appointment!)

Here is Hailey resting in the dental chair.  She wore flip flops but wanted to take them off.  She also got to breathe "bubble gum air" through the nose piece.  Ooh--yummy!

 When Dr. Quackenbush (love him and his staff!) came in to see her, he said, "Hailey, are you doing ok?"  She said, "Hey, do I sound like a boy?  I think I sound like a boy?"  He said to me, "Yep---the medicine is kicking in just fine!"  ha ha!  He and his assistant worked like a well-oiled machine handing instruments back and forth.  I was mesmerized watching how efficiently they worked and with such precision.  It was so nice to know my little girl was well taken care of.  I am bringing their office some lunch on Thursday to thank them for being so incredible.

Here is Hailey---all finished.  You can see her silver cap on the bottom right of the picture.

She fell asleep on the way home but boy is she smart---right when we got home, she woke up and went into my bathroom and wanted to look at her teeth.  She gasped, "Oh my gosh!  I have a silver tooth!  I didn't know I was getting a silver tooth!!!"  We have really had to work through that one today.  It's about 3:15 p.m. and she just said to me, "Mom, I still don't like my silver tooth."  This is going to take some time . . .

First day of school pics

OK - so I know I haven't blogged all summer.  I honestly didn't have the energy to.  We crammed so much into our summer that at the end of every night I just crashed on my bed.  I will do a summer catch-up blog sometime here soon.  But for now, here are some fun pictures of my kids and their first day of school.

Kohler is a sophmore now at Campo Verde High School.  

Kelsey is an 8th grader at South Valley Jr. High.

Here is Hailey and Spencer getting ready for school.  They walk to the bus stop together.  

Here is my little Hailey on her first day of kindergarten.  She was super excited!

       After 16 years of having children in my home, this is the first time everyone is in school full-time.  I have to admit--even though I knew it was coming, that first day was hard.  I cried on the way to the school and then again after I dropped her off.  But I am SO glad that she didn't cry and hug my leg not wanting to go to school.  She is so eager to learn and loves making new friends.  That made it so much easier on me.  Now, after a few weeks of school have gone by, I am loving all of this time now and wonder how I used to do everything I did before!  ha ha!

Kohler is 16 now----watch out!!

Why do I feel so much older knowing that I have a 16 year old now?  I don't know---there is just something about the number 16 . . . driving, dating . . . it's crazy!  I still can't believe my Kohler is 16 years old!

Hailey made Kohler a picture and wrapped it all by herself.  How awesome is that!

                        I asked Kohler what he wanted to eat for dinner and of course, he said, "Steak."  So, we grilled steak out in the 115 degree weather and then opened presents.  He still had football practice on his birthday so we had to wait until later in the evening to celebrate.  How does he practice football in helmet and pads in that kind of heat??  Kohler says it makes him stronger.  Still . . . I worry about him out there!

I am so glad Kohler likes to give hugs.  They are the best!

   
     Kelsey wrote him the most incredible letter.  It was so touching that it made Tom and I well up with tears. Kelsey really loves Kohler and wants to have a better relationship with him.  Right now, they get along--they never fight  (unless Kohler is bugging her incessantly and won't stop--then she gets upset at him! ha ha)  But I think Kelsey is hoping that the older they get, the more he will talk to her and do things with her.  Maybe that will happen more next year when she is in high school.  I think the letter really meant a lot to Kohler.

My two oldest, Kohler and Kelsey.  

Notice how small the cake is----we can't have yummy cake like that lying around here!  It was a very tiny ice cream cake and we all devoured it in one night!

      Kohler is such a great kid.  I am so proud to be his mom.  He does have his rough days that about make me and his father go crazy, but still we love him like nothing else and we are so glad he came to our home!!                          Happy 16th Birthday Kohler!