Tooth Fairies And Reindeer

Over Christmas break Brandon got his first loose tooth. Him and Lindsey were messing around trying to move something and she bumped his tooth. It started bleeding, and he was really freaking out. We all tried to make him feel better by telling him it was because he's a big boy, but it really wasn't working. Then I mentioned that the tooth fairy would come when he lost the tooth and he really perked up. The tears stopped, and he stopped complaining about the pain. A few days later when he was eating an apple the tooth fell out. He was excited because he realized this meant he got to be on the chart at school that keeps track of the first grade tooth loss. He was ecstatic when he woke up the next morning and found $2 under his pillow. Ahh he's still so easy to please.

Then one night we were sitting around watching the Planet Earth series I bought as a family Christmas gift. I think we were watching the Ice Worlds episode. It shows a reindeer being attacked by a hawk of some kind. It really just looks pretty ridiculous I mean the hawk is tiny compared to the reindeer. I say "wow, I can't believe he's attacking a reindeer." Brandon says, kind of confused "yeah, I thought reindeer could fly."

$185.00

That is what it cost to fix the living room window. Yeah, funny story. Every day Shadow, Nathan, and I take a long walk in the afternoon. Saturday Dare decided he would come with us. Just as he shut the front door he looked at me and asked if I had keys. No, I never bring my keys on my walk. I don't worry about locking my door when I go for a 30 minute walk around the block. I also have enough to bring already with the dog, the leash, a poop bag, the baby, his pacifier, and my cell phone. I'm not paranoid enough to lock the door, but I am paranoid enough to bring my phone usually, but not today since I'm not alone. So as I realize we are locked out I do a quick mental run through of all of the windows and doors in the house and I know none of them are unlocked. In fact a few weeks ago in a moment of late night paranoia I checked all of the windows to make sure they were locked, and since it's no longer summer I knew none of them had been opened since. So what do we do? Decide to go on our walk anyway maybe the fresh air will help us figure out a way to get in the house. We decide our only option is to go to our neighbors house and ask to use their phone to call a locksmith. This is not a great option. We don't know our neighbors, and have never really talked to them except for a quick hello or wave. And although I've never called a locksmith for anything I'm pretty sure it's about $75 even more on a Saturday evening. So I decide maybe we should try to see how strong the locks on the windows are. Of course we'll have to be careful our windows are the original single pane, aluminum frame ones that were installed when our house was built in the 70's. Almost immediately after putting this plan into place Dare's hand goes right through the glass. Crap!! There is a hole in the glass I reach through and unlock the window, but because of the broken glass we can't get it open. I'm not about to pay for a new window AND a locksmith. We do manage to get the window open, and I climbed inside. I then proceeded to tape up the window with cardboard and fix up Dare's hand which was cut, but not badly. That's the story of how we spent our Saturday night.

Ummm....That's Not My Dog

Let me start by telling you a little bit about my dog. We got him last year around Halloween. It took a lot of convincing on my part because Dare was not at all thrilled with the idea of having a pet. After talking him into it we took a long drive to pick up the cutest little ball of black fur you could imagine. We had some rough times in the beginning, but a year later you could say we really like our dog. Dare would probably not readily admit that, but I know deep down it's true. I actually find I like Shadow more than any pet I've had since my childhood dog Peaches. Shadow definitely has a unique personality. First of all he has a small dog complex (he is a shih tzu) and must try to prove to all other dogs and humans that he is tough. He likes to do this from the comfort of our living room by barking at everyone who walks by. Out in the real world he isn't so tough, and has been known to actually turn and try and run back home at the sight of another dog. Another thing is he just has random people that he really doesn't like. When Dare's sister visited a couple of months ago he growled, and barked at her the entire time. He always does the same thing to Lindsey's friend Karli when she is here. So we shouldn't have been surprised when we went to get him groomed a couple of months ago and it didn't work. The lady said in her 15 years of dog grooming she had never had a dog she couldn't cut. She suggested we have him tranquilized before we try again. So I had been putting off trying again for months as Shadow got scruffier, and scruffier. I finally broke down last week, and called one of those mobile grooming places. The lady came and picked him up, and the kids and I waited anxiously by the window for them to come back out. About 45 minutes later she emerged with what appeared to be a completely different dog. Shadow immediately went to hide under the bed. The first few days he acted so different the kids started calling him "Robot Shadow". They were convinced the lady had stolen Shadow and replaced him with a robot. It must have been really traumatic for him because it took about 5 days for him to start acting more like himself again. Just for a laugh here are some before and after photos.


Before


After, and yes he really is that small without all of the fur.

My "Safe" Place

Friday we took the kids school clothes shopping. I had been waiting all summer to get my Macy's coupons so that we could make this trip. Well they came in the mail about a week and a half ago so I put them away. Fast forward to Friday morning as I am franticly searching our bedroom.

Dare "What are you looking for?"
Me " The Macy's Coupons"
Dare "You put them in a "safe" place didn't you"
Me "Yes"
Dare "Great"
Me "I know they are in the room somewhere. I think I should just get a box and write "safe place" on it. That way when I get something important I can put it there, and I will remember where it is."

Anyway I am notorious putting things in a place that's "safe". In fact it's often so safe I have trouble finding it again. Well sometimes I never do find it. Just ask Dare about his old watch it's been in a "safe" place for over a year now. =)

I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me

So I had my first chiropractor visit today. If only someone would have told me I'd have to get undressed. I always like to have prior knowledge of these things. Luckily I shaved yesterday, but when rushing home to change I left my work shoes and socks on. That was not pretty!! If I had known I would have worn flip flops so not to subject the friendly people at the office to my swollen, sweaty pregnant feet in the socks I'd had on all day. Anyway the chiropractor was very nice, she gave me a full exam, minus the xrays. She also asked a lot of questions. I have to be honest there were times I felt her questioning was borderline psychic friends network. Like she was probing for clues to come up with the correct answers. Once she determined the problems we began the adjustment. When she pulled out her instrument I must say I was not impressed!! She didn't do much today I'm supposed to go back again tomorrow we will see in a few days if it seems to make a difference.

Also Dare pointed out to me that I had blogged about getting a 3D ultrasound and then didn't follow up. Well after speaking to my midwife I decided not to. It was supposed to be done at a training place and they take along time it's a lot of ultrasound to expose the baby to. She said although an Obstetrician would probably have no problem with it she couldn't write the note without warning me first.