Shyla goes to the Dentist!

This has been my first week of Fall Break!

Fall Break, as you know, means sleeping in late, lounging poolside, and catching up on trashy soap operas.

NOT!

That's right, I said "NOT" like it's 1993!

In my life Fall Break means teaching intersession math, working on DFAT stuff, going to the dentist, going to the eye doctor, taking Shyla to the dentist, going to my physician, taking Pancake to the vet, and cleaning the house.

So far I have:

• been teaching intersession - it's going well but I am relieved that tomorrow is the last day
• working on DFAT stuff - and feeling rather productive with it
• gone to the dentist (still no cavities and baby teeth still look good!)
• gone to the eye doctor (reading glasses here I come)
• and this afternoon I took Shyla to the dentist

Even though she's only 16 months old, we thought it was a good idea to establish dental care. We are paying for her dental insurance and it is SILLY and WASTEFUL to pay for insurance and not get your 2 free cleanings and exams each year (hint, hint, Stevie).

I called around and got a recommendation to this Pediatric Dental Office:

They were wonderful and I was super impressed! There was even a welcome sign with all the kids names on it:

The whole office is jungle themed. While in the waiting room (although they were ON TIME) we shook hands with some stuffed animals.

And made funny faces in this mirror.
And, of course, drank some juice under the shade of the (unpictured) inside tree.
When we went back we met the doctor who was SUPER nice! She examined Shyla's teeth and mouth, flossed them, and put orange flouride on them.

She said everything looks great and she was glad we started her care at such a young age. Overall it was a good experience for both of us.

If you have kids and you don't have a good pediatric dentist, I highly recommend this one!

Now I am off to continue enjoying the leisures of my fall break.

Beth's Baby Shower

Beth and I have been best friends since college when we played softball for Pima. We lived together (with Stevie) for years and when Stevie and I got engaged she decided to move out (it was a sad day). But, she had already met Dave who would soon become her husband and now, here we are 6 years later, still BFFs, and she is soon to have Shyla's BFF, Sadie.

I was honored to co-host her baby shower (especially since she wouldn't let us throw her a bridal shower) with her sister, Abbie, and her mom.

She is due October 22 which is fitting because her birthday is October 19, mine is October 23, and Stevie's is October 26. Secretly I am hoping she is born on the 20th (to fit the theme) or the 23rd!

This delicious cake was made from scratch by one of Beth's Mom's friends. She doesn't do this for a living, but she should! Don't you think?

Beth, Dave, and Sadie were definitely showered with gifts. That is going to be one well-dressed little girl!
Beth and Dave - a beautiful couple! Sadie is going to be just gorgeous!

Beth with her sister, Abbie!

And the happy couple again!

Beth - thank you for letting us throw your shower and I hope it was exactly what you wanted! We are so happy for you and we can't wait to meet Baby Sadie and welcome you into this crazy wonderful world of parenthood!

A Playground in our Neighborhood!

As you know we recently moved. We love our new neighborhood! We also loved our old neighborhood...but this one is better! More on that in a moment...

As many of you also know, my blood pressure has been high (much-too-high) since going on bed-rest before Shyla was born. One reason for that could be my lack of exercise (yes, I know there are 2 half-marathons I am supposed to be training for).

Thus, happily, Pancake and I are reinstating our every-morning and some-evening walks. I am now waking up at 4:45 and skipping the blow-dryer to accomplish this, but my slowly decreasing blood pressure thanks me.

Okay, back to our new neighborhood. Our neighborhood is great for walking because it sits right on the "River Walk." A few days ago, while walking on the River Walk, I noticed a small playground, kind of in the middle of nowhere. I can't tell which neighborhood it belongs to but there is no fence around it, so this afternoon Shyla, Pancake and I headed out to play!

Nice huh? And it only took us about 7 minutes to walk there!

And they have baby swings which Shyla loves!

And she climbed up the equipment all on her own!

And Pancake climbed with her!

Shyla had a GREAT time. Perhaps too much, though. Because at 5:45 when it was time to go home and eat dinner, she went crazy. She threw a bit of a tantrum and fought me getting her into the stroller and then tried to jump out of the strolled nearly the whole way home. It was exhausting. Other than that, though, it was a great outing!

And my dear, sweet Pancake was SUCH a good girl! Although it would be nice to have another hand there (especially while trying to take pictures), I was able to drop her leash and she stayed by us the whole time. Pancake is an amazing dog who we all just love! I'm glad to be taking her on daily walks again because it's our-time together and I know it makes her happy.

We look forward to many more trips to the playground!

Our New Kitchen!

My husband has done a ton of work at our new house!

When we bought our new house, this is what the kitchen looked like. Notice the ugly "antiqued" cabinets, the white laminate countertops, and the weird/unnecessary thing hanging down above the island.

My husband did a ton of work in the kitchen.

Wait for it....

Wait for it....

Tada! Our new kitchen! Notice the lovely white cabinets, the beautiful granite countertops, and the two drop-down lights that replaced the weird thing.

Having a handy husband is a beautiful thing.