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.

The Best Workout EVER!

Last Thursday I went to spinning class at Desert Sports and Fitness while my mom took care of Shyla! I hadn't been to spinning since before getting pregnant with Shyla. I used to go to LA Fitness and the class at Desert was much better.

It was a great workout. I sweated. I was tired. I felt energized.

That is not what this post is about.

Friday evening, Chelsea and I took the three kids to get their pictures taken. Together.

Three Kids (ages 3 years, 19 months, and 14 months) + Photo Shoot = Best Workout EVER!

We were relying (probably too much) on 3 year old Lilly to keep the babies in check. Here she is with Shyla is a choke-hold. Where is Zac? He would not let Chelsea put him down. I would call him a "big-baby" here, but I am fairly certain that when I was a baby I wouldn't let my mom put me down either and our professional photos always had Chelsea holding me down. I love Zac! He looks just like Chelsea but he acts like me!
And then we tried to have a dance-party in front of the camera. The result: well, you see.
And then it was tumble-time! If you look to the left of the above picture you can see Chelsea. That is about as far away as Zac would let her go. And he doesn't look too thrilled about being that far!
And, finally, the shot we love. They are all looking at the camera. And they are all smiling (well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad). Oh, and yes, you can still see Chelsea.

So for about 45 minutes we ran, danced, yelled, jumped, chased, frolicked, comforted, laughed, and sighed.

It was well worth it.

Shyla in 11 years...

It is hard to believe, but one day this cutie-pie that is the reason for my heart beating, will be 11 years old and in middle school.

For those of you who don't know, I teach 6th grade.

Today, looking around at my sixth graders I had to wonder...what will Shyla be like when she is eleven years old?

• Will she be the girl who has to have everything exactly right, and neat, and perfect?
• Will she be the girl who sits silently in her chair and is too shy to share answers or ideas with the class?
• Will she be the girl who jumps out of her seat with her hand in the air because she knows the answer?
• Will she be the girl who struggles academically but tries?
• Will she not try?
• Will she be a good friend?
• Will her teachers be able to count on her to help other out?
• Or will she be the one who needs help?
• Will she have lots of friends on the playground?
• Or will she be the one wandering alone?
• Will she say "please" and "thank you" and "hello" and "good bye?"

It reminds me of an episode of Friends as Ross and Rachel and talking about their unborn daughter who they hope will be cute, and smart, and pretty, and popular, with an aptitude for science (to which another friend wonders if they are talking about the same kid).

We can't plan how she's going to be but I pray that she will be comfortable in her own skin, will always want to talk to me about anything, and who will make all other people feel loved and welcomed.

Oh, and I hope that at parent-teacher conferences we aren't told that she "is very energetic" because we all know what that means....

What a Week!

I had quite a week and am looking forward to a new one and starting fresh today!

You are cordially invited to my pity party for a few minutes as I explain:

MONDAY, 4:30 PM:

Shyla sees a new pediatric ENT. Her ears look good but based on her ear infection history he recommends tubes. We take his first available appointment which is September 2nd.

TUESDAY, 9:30 PM:

Shyla wakes up screaming. She is up screaming until 3:00 AM. I have written sub-plans and called in sick, suspecting an ear infection.

WEDNESDAY, 8:30 AM:

Stevie leaves for Indianapolis for work, leaving me with a screaming baby.

WEDNESDAY, 10:15 AM:

Dr. Vondrak confirms by suspicions and diagnoses Shyla right ear as "badly infected; looking like a blister that is about to pop." He puts her back on antibiotics (Augmentin).

(Thankfully, I was able to contact the ENT office and they have made special arrangements to get her in before September.)

THURSDAY, 4:00 PM

Shyla had a good day back at daycare. I picked her up at 3:45 and we hustled home. The plan was for Grandma Palmer to come over and babysit Shyla so I could go to spin class (this was set to be the first of a Thursday evening routine).

Upon arriving home, we discover that Pancake is missing!! She has chewed a hole in the gate and is no where to be found. We run around the neighborhood screaming for her like crazy people. Grandma Palmer leaves work early and drives the neighborhood looking for her. I am hysterical. I can barely talk to the dispatcher at Animal Control. And, remember, Stevie is out of town on business. I call him, screaming and crying, knowing full-well that there is nothing he can do.

About an hour later, thankfully, Pancake showed back up with her tail between her legs. Scared. And thirsty.

We will never know where she went or what she did that day, but I love that damn dog.

THURSDAY, 6:00 PM

Grandpa Palmer comes over and fixes the gate so she won't escape again. I pop a gourmet pizza in the oven and instead of burning 600 calories, I ate that many.

FRIDAY, 4:30 PM

Ahhh, the week has ended. Stevie is home. I am ready to relax with my family and rest. Except as I walk into the house I am hit by a wave of hot air. Yep, Friday afternoon and our A/C unit is not working. I start sweating immediately.

FRIDAY, 7:00 PM

We head over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to spend the night with the A/C. Stevie gets us settled then goes back home (to the sweatbox) to spend the night with Pancake. We love that damn dog.
Thankfully, the A/C unit was fixed on Saturday. $120 is a small price to pay for serve on a Saturday.

Oh, and a big Happy Birthday to Grandma Palmer. Thank you for spending your birthday weekend taking care of us!

Here's to a great week ahead!