Don't clean teeth feel great....(even if they do cost $100)?

Elena had her first visit to the dentist last week, and she absolutely loved it! She didn't want to leave. Everyone there was very impressed, saying she was the best 2-year old they've ever had. She let them do a full check-up and cleaning.

Polishing her teeth

No cavities!!

I also went to the dentist this week, and though I personally think I was also very well behaved, they didn't seem as impressed with me as they were with Elena. As a child I hated the dentist and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd enjoy it; but now that I spend my days caring non-stop for 2 little kids, I was just happy to have an opportunity to lie down for 45 minutes straight without interruption.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

It's Saint Valentine's day - the feast day of the 3rd century priest who secretly married Christian couples and is therefore considered the patron saint of lovers. Interestingly enough, he's also the patron saint of bee-keepers and epilepsy. He was beheaded on Feb. 14th after beating him with clubs proved ineffective. Sure makes me glad we live in a country that respects our freedom of religion!

Anyway, to celebrate Seth and I went to the annual Chocolate Affair here in town - a fund-raiser for the library with a catered meal, live jazz band, dancing and unlimited chocolate. Mmmmm.

We so rarely get a chance to dance so we took full advantage of the opportunity - apparent by the fact that several inches of my skirt and part of my shirt had torn from dancing by the end of the night. Fortunately, none of the tears were severe enough to be considered indecent. My hair also came out (my hair-do I should say - I still have a full head of hair) and my shoes flew off all in one move. The shoes managed to avoid inflicting damage on any bystanders. Next year I'll have to remember to dress for mobility over style! A few band-members blamed us for messing up the song, though, since they stopped playing so they could watch. Needless to say, we had a great time. The only problem is we get winded a little sooner than we did when we were 18!

And even though it has nothing to do with Valentine's, here's a picture of the kids in their latest favorite hang out.

My baby is growing up!

You know your baby is not a baby anymore when he starts doing this:

Future Homecoming King?

Mixed Feelings

The Good News: Elena can dress herself.

The Bad News:

(notice she managed to find and put on TWO shirts that clash not only with the pants but also with each other)

It's My Golden Birthday

I'm 27 on the 27th. As a kid, my golden birthday always seemed light-years away. "I have to wait until I'm sooo old to celebrate my golden birthday!" I used to say.

Now that it's here it's a little different than I imagined. For one, it's not as big a deal as I had imagined. Gold doesn't shower down from the skies all day long with people bursting into song and dance every time I pass by. I don't think that's quite how I envisioned it when I was little, but you know how kids can be. Now, I would be ecstatic just to get in a nap by the end of the day.

Secondly, I don't feel as old as I thought I would. Although my 10th grade students at religious education confirmed that I was correct to think that I would be "old" on my 27th birthday - or that I would at least seem that way:

"You're only 27!??" "Wow! I thought you were in your 30s"
Thank you.
"What? You look old."

Of course, I assume that they meant I seem old. I can still recall being a teenager and thinking that anyone who was married was old - throw a couple of kids in the mix and they're ancient.

and sometimes it doesn't matter how you ask

Me: Do you want yogurt or cottage cheese?

Elena: Hmmm.....ice cream.

It's all in how you ask.

I've found that re-wording questions with Elena can make a big difference in convincing her to do something. I'm waiting for the day she catches on. Here are 2 recent examples (both conversations happen on a regular basis):

Me: Do you want some bread?
Elena: No.
Me: Do you want toast?
Elena: Yeah, but I want it cold.
Me: You mean you don't want me to toast it.
Elena: Yup.
So...you want bread.

Me: Do you want to wear pigtails today?
Elena: No!!
Me: Do you want a ponytail?
Elena: Yeah! I want 2 of them.

Meat

While digging in my freezer this morning, I came across a beef liver and a heart approximately the size of Elena's head.

Suggestions?

Takers?

Memories

Mary's cleaning out Seth's old room so we got a box of old stuff.
Best find:

Worst find: Seth's wisdom teeth. (Sorry, I threw them out before I could take a picture)