Proud, Proud Mama

One of my goals in life, one that I probably take the most serious, is raising two smart, strong, caring, beautiful girls that can take care of themselves. I think it is so important for girls to be able to marry because they want a partner they love to be with not because they need someone to take care of them. Sometimes I think I push to hard but I always wonder if maybe I leaned on Shawn too much to support and take care of us. I look at my sister and am so proud of her, she is so smart and such a strong woman and I want my girls to be just like her.

So back to the point, Lauren wants to teach Hailey so bad how to read and has been working with her on her letters, writing and sounds. Last week at preschool Hailey's teacher gave her flashcards of sight words and she thought it was the coolest thing in the entire world. So then she saw the Sam books (books they use in kindergarten at Lauren's school) and wanted to do them. She breezed through the first 4 tonight for the first time ever by herself. I was amazed. Here is a clip of her reading.

I am also amazed at Lauren's patience, we all know she didn't get it from me :) She will sit with Hailey for as long as Hailey wants to and work with her. She also sits with kids in her class and works with them. I will be surprised if as an adult she is not in some type of teaching position.

Random Updates

Well, I am finally a much happier less scatter brained person now! Yeah!!!! I have medicated guaze in the holes in my mouth and I am no longer in pain! The down fall is I have to go Mon,Wed,Fri to the oral surgeon to have it changed out but the good news is nothing can get stuck if the hole is covered :)

Today we had our rededication/investiture ceremony for girl scouts. I am so proud of the girls in our troop. We have amazing girls and parents this year and I am loving it. I am so glad to be passing down girl scout traditions that I grew up with to my daughters. Poor Hailey doesn't know that she isn't a girl scout yet. She knows the promise, the songs, the girl scout sign, handshake and circle. She can't wait to be a daisy next year.

I am not good when I am in pain:

I have decided whose ever idea it was to get my wisdom teeth out made a bad decision. It is day 10 and I am still in pain daily. I never thought I would say that I can't wait to go to the oral surgeon tomorrow but I am excited about him numbing everything.

In the past few days I thought I was making brownies and made a cake, emailed Lauren's entire class about her instead of just her teacher, cried in the middle of Petsmart because a cat up for adoption looked exactly like our cat Roscoe that just died and have no energy to get anything done.

One of Lauren's favorite days of the year

Today is one of Lauren's most favorite days of the year. It is Native American day which in turn means Shawn has the day off which translates to daddy gets to volunteer in the class day!

Lauren is so excited when Shawn gets to volunteer in her class and it usually only happens once or twice a year. The funny is part is that it is always a Friday and Fridays in class are alot of work. It is always a half day and test day and art day all rolled together. Last year he got stuff doing paper mache and painting with 1st graders. We will see what he gets today :)

We love our worms....

We started our compost pile a few weeks ago and I can't begin to tell you how much the girls love it. You can see from the picture below that even after adding to it daily with all fruits, vegetables, breads, rice, pasta, and egg shells it still isn't very full. It does seem to be turning much quicker than I thought. It really is a cool process to watch plus it makes me feel good for helping the environment and teaching the girls what they can do. I think Shawn will be very happy when he doesn't have to go buy fertilizer :)




Although many would be grossed out by this I am excited. I was told the earth worms would find their way to our pile but I had no idea that we would have thousands. I thought maybe a hundred but not this! We actually saw a piece of apple moving and when you turn the pile the whole entire pile moves. I add very little cedar woodchips so there is no smell at all. This is a bad picture but even in this picture I still can see about 12 of them!

Why me?????

Okay really I tried to do everything right. I used the gauze pads, I used ice for three days straight, I took my antibiotics, I then used heat, I raised my head up, I didn't use a straw and what happens??? I get dry socket. No wonder I couldn't stop crying or being in pain!!! I think I would trade having labor pains.

Then there is Shawn who years ago gets his wisdom teeth out, leaves the office, goes and smokes, drinks through a straw and eats a hamburger and doesn't remember antibiotics but no dry socket for him.

Where is the logic in any of this!!!!! I do have to say that since have the surgeon pack the hole with meds I am a much happier person, although a scared person because now that that side is numb I am realizing how much the other side hurts :(

Mom and me Martial Arts

So you wonder what girl scouts do with their moms? Here you go! Our new troop had a mom and me martial arts night at a local karate studio. What a fun night! It is such a fun time to be with a bunch of girls and their moms. We couldn't stop laughing to be serious. I think the moms almost got put in time out.

Fun with Hailey and Collin

I am so happy that my friend Robin and her family moved back to Arizona from Colorado. Since it always seems like it's the older kids that get to do everything we decided to take Hailey and Collin to pirate day at the library. They had fun with a pirate play, walking the plank, making pirate hats, learning some pirate lingo, and the treasure chest.

So now that Robin is back you can look forward to our beautiful family christmas picture :)

Glad it's done but....

now I know why I put it off having my wisdom teeth pulled for so long. I am so sore. I was thinking it wouldn't be that bad, Friday night the drugs kicked in and I slept pretty good. Woke up Saturday morning and was in lots of pain, the worst part being that I was nauseuos due to not eating enough. Once I took the meds I was okay but they knock me out. I got past the needing to throw up and getting some food in so I thought today would be okay. I woke up in more pain than yesterday. I was hoping to not take too many meds so I could be alert to the girls. I finally gave in and am now hoping to make it through tomorrow without anything since I have to go back to mom role.

I felt bad for the girls this weekend, everyone was pretty much cooped up here taking care of me. Poor Lauren who can't stand to see me hurting lost it on Friday. I was changing the gauze and an overwhelming amount of pain kicked in and all I could do was cry. I wasn't expecting it but it was about 2 hours after coming home. She started crying and telling Shawn to fix me :) So I'm sure I scarred her for life again.

As I type the pain is coming back so off for hopefully my last real pain med and to bed!

I am a chicken....

Okay so I have been putting off getting my wisdom teeth pulled for almost a decade now. I am getting it done on Friday and went to the oral surgeon today to get a valium so that I could sleep Thursday night. I know that I will lay awake worrying all night and not get any sleep. Oh, I can't wait for it to be over. I know that I am making more out of it than need be but when it comes to my teeth I am a chicken. I didn't have my first real cavity until my 20's so I never knew what to expect.

I am being put under, once he said he needed to cut, drill and pull and it might take some work there was no more question in my mind :) Of course he also told me if I would have had it done a decade ago the healing time would have been half, it figures!

I am thankful though for our great insurance because if it weren't great and I hadn't already paid the deductable I probably would have cancelled the appointment already :)

Lauren has offered to take care of me and filled her entire class and teacher in on the fact that I am scared and she has to take care of me. I have heard that she went on and on about my teeth and probably gave the class way too much information.

When they don'tknow who's watching...

I took this picture when the girls were watching TV and didn't know I was looking at them. These are the days that make me hope they are best friends when they are older regardless of all the fighting they do now.

Lauren's new room

Well, now that Lauren is getting so old :) she decided her bunkbed was to boyish and not cool. So we sold the bunkbed and traded it in for a sleigh bed. She was so excited to go spend her own money to buy a new bedspread.Here are a few pictures of her new older girl room. She is in heaven, hopefully this buys us a few long years before any redecorating is going to happen!!