Open wide.

On Thursday, the girls (plus a friend of Macie's) made a little trip to the orthodontist.

First, I would just like to say how odd it is to me that they start ortho work so early now. I have never had braces or any work on my teeth besides what the dentist does, but looking back, both my sisters did not have braces and all that jazz until high school.

And here, Macie is going to be in the second grade.

Anyways, we show up and the place is awesome! Very kid friendly and big! Love it already. We get back to the private room and I start taking a few pictures, with you in mind.

Macie and her BF talking...

Notice how her friend is holding her hand. Just last week, her friend, who we shall call M, got an expander so she is familiar with the whole procedure. She is giving her tips and trying to calm Macie’s nerves…so sweet.

A few minutes into it, Zoa started getting restless and a bit upset.

So I opened a new app on my phone for her to play with (so cool!). About this time, the doctor came in. Little did I know, Zoa had started snapping pictures. I have deleted about 15 or so pictures but thought I would show you a few. Be prepared, these are high quality...

Peeping out the window...

The orthodontist said Macie would need a palette expander and possibly a lip bumper. We go back in a few weeks. How much fun this will be! (Hear the sarcastic tone?)

Enjoy the weekend!

"As much as I'd like to meet the tooth fairy on an evening walk,
I really don't believe it can happen."
--Chris Van Allsburg

5:00 AM

I thought 5:00 AM was way too early to get up. Once I got out of bed though, it was not that bad. I am pretty energetic right now too. Yesterday, I heard the alarm, told Jeremy is was 5:00, and layed back down.

Oops.

Today was Day 1 - Back and Chest along with the Abs Ripper. We did back and chest for 50 minutes and my arms feel like a big bowl of spaghetti noodles. A friend of ours started this as well recently and could only do 16 minutes of Day 2 because he was so sore.

I, on the other hand, enjoy the feeling of soreness I get with I bust my butt in the gym. It makes me feel like I am doing something productive.

I have never done so many push ups so I expect to be fairly sore tomorrow! Tonight we plan on doing the Abs Ripper because this morning we didn't have enough time.

I know exercising releases endorphins also so I am hoping this helps me mentally too. I feel like I need a release, I hope that makes sense.

But, so far so good!

Today, I will be leaving work for a bit to go to funeral. My great-uncle passed away earlier in the week, so I am going with my family to the funeral. Rest in Peace Ed.

In other news, today is Day 2 of Macie's school fund raiser for Jessie. My sister and I put our heads together for some ideas. I cannot begin to imagine how much everything costs them the past few months, plus normal maintenance (medicine), physical therapy, doctor visits...etc. I thought that since Macie goes to a private school and Jessie is alumni there, we could have a few 'Dress-Down Days' (DDD) for her. For DDD, we usually have to pay $1 or $2 and it will go to a charity or a good cause, like St. Judes. We are hoping to collect a bit of money for her through this. We know it won't even begin to make a decent dent in the costs of her care, but every little bit helps. We also have her former high school doing the same thing for her. We have a few more ideas that would involve the general public, so I will be sure and keep you all updated on those details, as they become available. If you could only meet Jessie, and see her personality, she really is a riot to be around! She is the type that always makes you laugh and there is never a dull moment! Her laugh is truly contagious!

Jessie was released yesterday! She will be living within minutes of the hospital for the next few months while she undergoes physical therapy among other things. Once she is cleared, she will be able to come home! She will still have to see doctors on a normal basis also, but she is doing great!

If you have any fundraising ideas, please leave me a comment and let me know!

Introducing...

...Broderick Reed

Remind me why I don't want one of these isty, bisty, cute, soft, sweet smelling babies right now? They are definitely my weakness! I have baby fever, but not ready to take the plunge just yet.

Congratulations Adam, Desera, and Big Sister Avagail! Mom and baby are both happy and healthy. We plan on bringing dinner to them one night next week once things settle down for them.

I cannot wait.

Stop, Collaborate and Listen

Winter is not going out without a bang! As of about an hour ago, we have a sheet if ice in our area of about 2 inches. Whew...should make for some good sledding later. I have been home since about 12 noon and what normally is normally a 30 minute commute took a little over an hour. Thank God everyone was driving sensibly. I was keeping up with traffic at a steady 35 miles per hour.

I have never been in an ice storm, but it was quite interesting. I had to pull over a couple times on the way home because the ice was freezing on my windshield wipers, which in turn meant they could not do their job of clearing my windhield. It was a bit frightening with the girls in the car, but we made it home safely. Jeremy is at work for another 30 minutes or so, so now he needs to get home safe too!

We had a wonderful time at the dance on Saturday. It was great to see so many people and catch up with everyone. I recommend that anyone go next year...it is well worth the money!

Have a good week!

Running in circles!

No major post here. Just wishing my children would not make a mess while I am cleaing up one. I feel like cleaning is a viscous cycle!

Jeremy is helping some very good friends of ours move. They are really more like family. We only live 3 houses up the street from them. I keep looking down the street and just looking at the moving trucks is making me sad. I was thinking we would leave the neighborhood first but they beat us to it. Now I understand why Desera said she didn't know if she would be able to help us move. She was right by saying it will be too sad. Plus, I don't know how big of a help I would be with the girls. We love you and will miss you...but are very happy for you and your new house!

I am off to wash my car. The birds attacked the passenger side with their waste...ewww. Jeremy wanted to know what I did to make them mad! The weather is finally above freezing so this is the first opportunity to wash it.

Have a great weekend!