Homecoming

Eric went to Homecoming with his girlfriend, Halie, last weekend.  Halie is a sweet girl that we all like very much.   They went to dinner with several other couples and then hung out at a friend's house afterwards.   Here are some pictures of them before the dance.  Bet you can spot the one Mormon girl in the pictures below.

Another Brace Face

Here's phase 1 of Nate's braces and expander. He did great getting them on today. He was courageous which is a big deal because up until a year ago, Nate hated dentists.

Speaking of Nate, I have had a lot of Nate time lately. He's been home with a fever the last 3 days. I think he can finally go back to school. But I've loved my one-on-one time with him. He's a very sweet kid. I love him.

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He's a Priest Now

Mario finally had a Sunday off and was able to ordain Eric to a Priest today after church. Eric also played the piano for the intermediate hymn in Sacrament Meeting. He played, "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer." Erin gets to play next month. It makes all those thousands of dollars we spent on lessons for the last 9 years worth every cent.

Here's a picture of Eric with Mario and Brother Snow (his super cool YM president). Eric looks sharp in his brand new suit.

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Brotherly Love

I love those tender mercies from our loving Heavenly Father. Today, the boys couldn't agree on the best method of transportation to school. Zach always wants to ride bikes and Nathan likes to walk to school. Zach was pouting because we told him it was Nate's turn to choose today. But then Nate at last minute decided to ride bikes so he wouldn't have to leave as early. Problem solved.

So the boys left and a few minutes later, Zach comes flying through the door crying his eyes out. He told us that Nate had a bike accident and couldn't feel his leg (immediately brought back memories of Eric's skateboard accident).

The way Zach was crying, I thought Nate had been hit by a car. Mario ran out the door and I ran up to my room to change out of my Christmas flannel pjs. I didn't want to be wearing those at the ER. I was glad Mario was home or else I wouldn't have taken the time to change.

By time I got outside, Mario was with the boys and Nate was able to walk his bike home. Besides some bruising, Nate was just fine. What a relief!

But I consider it a tender mercy because it reminded me of how much love my children do have for one another.


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Five Out of Six (so far) for Braces

I took Nathan into the orthodontist after being referred by his pediatric dentist (our Bishop).   Unfortunately, Nate has a crossbite, overbite, and crowding.  So he is the only one in the family that has to do the two phases of braces.  I would have balked because I think they overuse the two phases, but after doing some research online, I feel that two phases is the right approach due to his crossbite.

So Nathan will start with an expander on the roof of his mouth and have four braces on his top, front teeth.  They will leave all that on for about 9 months and then give him a retainer to wear to hold everything in place until he's a teenager and ready for phase 2.  His braces don't come cheap.  In the end, the whole treatment will cost about $7000 with insurance paying only $1750.  The phase 2 is the expensive part.  We only had to pay $1000 now and the insurance matched it.  So I guess I'll have to put aside a couple hundred dollars a month in my orthodontics envelope for the next few years to pay for Nate's second phase and for Zach's braces.  Yep, all 6 of us will have had braces within just a few years of one another.  Mario's hoping to get his off soon though.  His teeth look very good and then he will get a free implant through the base dentist office.  We have a friend in that department too.  It's awesome having all these LDS friends that are doctors in the military.  Mario had Lasik surgery in Hawaii, braces here and now an implant.  Just another added benefit of the military.  Have to think positively since there can be so many negatives too (like Afghanistan).

Mario and Sophie

Mario wouldn't admit to how much he loved Buzz until I tried to tell him it was time to put him to sleep. He resisted for months. I finally just had to tell him it was time and didn't really give him a chance to say no.

Now with Sophie, he acts the same way. He won't admit to liking her. But he did slip the other day and admitted to loving her. He was so proud of her the other day. We had taken her to play at the dog park. We were the only ones there but as we were leaving, a car pulled up. A couple got out with their Doberman, Rottweiler, and German Shepard. Those are all breeds that Mario stays away from because of their reputations. But for some reason, he decided to stay and see how Sophie does with them. He was so proud of her. She didn't back down to any of the dogs even when they started to gang up on her towards the end. He was impressed with her strength in standing her ground and also just keeping up with them. She was amazing. The other owners were impressed with her because I guess most dogs back down.

Mario has a lot of fun with Sophie. We have a stuffed animal squirrel that I tried to throw away the other day. Mario saw it and dug it out of the trash. He had the crazy idea to put it on the end of a fishing rod and tease Sophie with it since she has this squirrel obsession. We were all laughing so hard.

The squirrel worked so well that we used it to lure Sophie back after she escaped out the front door later that day. Mario and I definitely have a love/hate relationship with her. Obviously the love part outweighs the hate. She seems to get in some trouble daily like eating a plum (on the carpet) or running out the front door as soon as we open it or digging through the trash and eating all the chicken bones or eating chocolate cake off the counter or running out into the street in front of cars. The last three things could kill her, but she doesn't know any better.




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Back to School

Would it be bad to say that it has been a REALLY long summer and I am so glad the kids are all back in school?!  Seriously, I don't know how homeschoolers do it.  Those moms (and dads) must love their kids a whole lot because they are giving up so much (like two naps a day, grocery shopping alone, quiet time, etc) to be at home all day everyday with the kids.  I personally need a break from all the whining, asking for a million snacks throughout the day, and all the little messes that they leave behind everywhere.

Mario started working shift work this month, so although he will be working overnight several times a month, he will have off about 15 or 16 days a month.  So we will have a lot more time to spend together during the days.  Today was our first day without the kids.  Yesterday, the three younger ones went back but it was only 3 hours.    As much as I love and adore Mario, I was a little anxious for just some "me" time and do whatever I want today.  But in all fairness, he helped me clean and grocery shop.  He has to work all night tonight, so tomorrow I will get some quiet time while he's sleeping.  I think I'll feel guilty taking naps and watching the morning news and talk shows while he's home with me.  He doesn't like wasting time.  He doesn't care if I waste time but I know I'll feel guilty if he's getting things done while I relax. It will be an adjustment for me, but I am excited that we can do lots more together during the days.   The most exciting is going to the Temple on Friday mornings when he's home.  We home to go on the Friday mornings that he doesn't have to work or sleep.  What a blessing to have a Temple so close.

Here are pictures from the first day of school.  Erin is in the "I'm not photogenic phase" and so she wouldn't cooperate for pictures.  She's still beautiful even when she is pouting.  At least Eric is back to cooperating for pictures.