Chase Did It!

After two failed attempts in the dentist's chair (well, once he wouldn't even get in the chair, so I didn't really word that accurately), Mr. Chase had his first successful dental check-up.  I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM!  He has really matured over the last few months, and his behavior at the dentist was proof positive that Mr. Crankerspanks himself is ready to turn over a new leaf.  He told me on the way there that he was a little nervous, like how he feels on Halloween (it's a true and right comparison, he IS nervous on Halloween).  I reassured him that it is completely natural to be a little scared since it's something new, and reminded him that even Cole was a little nervous the first time.  That, along with my many promises that there would be no shocks (shots) involved, and he made the choice to be a big boy.  He walked right back, sat right down in the chair, made only minor objections about having to wear sunglasses and a bib, and then let them get to work!  This was a huge moment for both of us!

Look at this nervous (yet unbelievably adorable) face.

He was even very polite when he asked the hygienist to be all done flossing his teeth.  "Can you stop that now," was an excellent alternative to what potentially could've been said by the young Chase.  Look at this big boy just handling it like it ain't no thang.  (Although he does have his left hand poised carefully next to the crazy instrument in his mouth, ready to act if it becomes necessary.)

We were both very proud and elated when it was over.  Both of us.  

(His teeth feel so lickably clean...it's heavenly.)

And he is a proud member of the No Cavity Club!

Very very very proud that Chase has finally tackled this hurdle!  Great job, my Chaser!

Spring Is Here♥

For you, Rebecca. ♥

Spring Break Adventures - Day 4

Not every adventure is a fun adventure, as Cole can now attest to.  He went to the dentist yesterday with the plan of pulling two of the four teeth he needed to come out (the other two were scheduled for next week), but he left the dentist minus SIX TEETH!  He was doing such an excellent job with the first two, that the dentist thought it would be better to do the rest all at once, and I agreed wholeheartedly with that.  There were two teeth that were fairly loose when we got there, so they came out too.  SIX TEETH!  He handled it like an absolute champion.  I fared much worse.  I could've cried my eyes out when the dentist was giving Cole's teeth the "sleepy juice", it was really hurting him...and me.  Once that was over, the rest was smooth sailing.  With the minor exception that he swallowed the first tooth that came out and had to choke and gag it back up like a cat with a fur ball.  It was pretty funny when Cole reminded the dentist to be sure and catch his teeth before they went down his throat again.

Pre-dentist smile...so many teeth!

I was so nervous, but I didn't let on except when I literally spelled it out for the dentist.  Literally.  I said, "Doctor Joel, I'm really n-e-r-v-o-u-s."  He just kinda laughed at me, but I wanted him to be fully aware of the state I was in.   Cole was much more relaxed than me.  He looks pretty happy here.

He doesn't look happy anymore.

Daddy came home with a new fishing pole for Cole since he did such a great job with all this.  He feels really awesome now that he is the proud owner of his very own pole.  And they're going fishing this weekend with Grampa, so it worked out perfectly.  Sorry about the swollen cheeks and blood tinged shirt; but SIX TEETH, people, did I mention SIX TEETH?!

As promised to Cole, the Tooth Fairy brought extra special loot since the dentist had to take his teeth out; and no less than SIX.  Cole came into our room at 2:00 in the morning with his present, so I turned on the lights and we celebrated right then and there.  He was beyond THRILLED with the $20.00.  It was so cute.  And the Bionicle was a very specific, special request that the Tooth Fairy somehow managed to realize and grant.  (I actually had to buy it when he was at the store with me a few days ago, it was not that easy to pull off without his knowledge.  I had to create a diversion, stuff the box into one of my bags, and then hope and pray that someone didn't see me and think I was stealing it.)

Here is Cole's new Bionicle, and his new smile!

After we got home, Cole laid on the couch for a few hours, but by 4:00, he was right as rain and ready to hit the mean streets of the cul-de-sac on his scooter.  I am very proud of my Cole, and how well he did yesterday.  The dentist was too!  And I am so happy that we don't have to do this again in a few weeks.  Way to go, Coco Puff.  And I LOVE your new smile!  (MINUS SIX TEETH!)

Spring Break Adventures - Day 3

Chase went to Grampa and Gramma's for a sleepover with Zach, so the remaining boys and I went to the movies to see Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D.  It didn't end up being one of my favorite kid movies, but the boys thought it was "awesome". 

 

Caden wouldn't actually wear his 3-D glasses until after the movie was over.  So he watched the whole thing in a total blur, but he didn't seem to mind.  (Do you like how he's rocking the shades upside down?  He's not constrained by the laws of fashion.  Future trend setter, no doubt.) 

Afterwards, I asked the boys to sit and pose for some pictures, but all they could manage to do was stare longingly at the video games.  Sadly for them, I said a big NO to the games.  Look at their faces just gazing, so mesmerized, by the magical video games.  They're practically drooling.

Next we came home to round up Daddy and get some dindin.  (They're playing Tic Tac Toe...apparently it can be quite the hysterical game.)

The dynamic is always so different when there are two children instead of three.  It doesn't even matter which kid is missing.  Even though it's a tad easier just from a logistics perspective, I really miss my babies when they're not with me.  These little adventures just aren't the same without you, my Chaser.   We miss you, but we know you're having a super fun time!  (And thank you to Grampa and Gramma for giving Chase a spring break adventure of his own!)

Tomorrow is the BIG day for Cole to get his teeth pulled.  He's taking it like a man so far - not too worried or nervous at all.  This may be attributed to a few things.  First, I explained it very casually, you know, like the dentist is going to help some of your loose teeth come out to make space for your adult teeth.  Nothing serious.   But wait...there's more!  Oh yes, I can't forget to mention that the Tooth Fairy brings something EXTRA special when the dentist helps your teeth come out.  (And it doesn't hurt that we got some Jello and Pudding from the store today in case that's what he feels like eating afterwards.)  Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!

Spring Break Adventures - Day 2

Well, this rainy, gloomy, depressing weather is making it rather difficult for us to do anything outside (curse you, Washington weather!), so today we went to the new bouncy place at the Super Mall.  What's really sad is that my camera battery was out of juice....and so was my back up battery!  What???  How could this be?  Remember a few posts back when I called myself a poser in the photography world?  Well, after this lame battery situation, it's clear that my poser status remains unchanged.  Here are a few pictures that I took before my battery(s) died.  (Chad, I know what you're thinking...where was the third battery?...It was fully charged and sitting at home in the drawer.  Booooo.)  Unfortunately, I only got a handful of pictures, so I didn't get to be too choosy with quality.

After about an hour of bouncing all our energy away, we had some lunch at the food court.  I would love to share pictures of my cute little sweaty gremlins fine dining on mall pizza, but no. 

Now we're home relaxing with a movie, some blogging, and some battery charging.  Stay tuned for future Spring Break Adventure posts.  Wait until you see Day 4...tooth extraction is in Cole's very near future.  (And yes, I'll be fully-charged-camera-ready to document the whole thing!)

P.S. Unbeknownst to me prior to leaving our house, Caden decided to go to the bouncy house commando.  Yep, commando.  It was quite a shocking discovery.

Spring Break Adventures - Day 1

Since we have Cole at home with us this week for Spring Break, we are going to try something fun and/or new every day. Today we made our own finger paints.  It was gooey and easy and super fun.  Click HERE to see the recipe we used.

The boys helped me pour the ingredients in the pan and Cole got to stir.

After the gelatinous goodness cooled and the food coloring was added, the creativity commenced!

I love their little hands at work.

And I love their gooey, dirty hands too.



Here are the masterpieces.

I know that my friends with girl children probably haven't heard of Ben 10 and company, but trust me, they are actual things, not just figments of Cole's imagination.  Chase is the creator of the bug catcher; specifically for flies.

Sharing The Love

Do you like this?  It's super cute, right?  Do you want one? 

I am happy to share the love and email you a jpeg file so you can have one of your very own.  You can even pick the color you want HERE (scroll all the way down to pick your exact color if you don't like any of the ones listed).  Send me an email with the color code, and I'll send a jpeg file back to you. (I can also make the heart red if you think that adds even more cuteness.)   Then you just need a cute frame and a dry erase marker and you can share the love in your own home!

The Frog Blog

Cole made a super cute piece of artwork at school and requested that I post it to my blog.  Who am I to deny such a request.  We decided to title this post The Frog Blog because it's a story about a frog.  Clever, don't you think?

The story goes like this:  Cole was HAPPY because he found a frog.  He was HAPPIER because he got to play with the frog.  He was HAPPIEST when he let the frog go so he could return to his family.

Nice work, Cole.  And I love what a good heart you have to let the frog go back to his family.  ♥♥