Tooth Fairy Turmoil

Well, we may officially be the worst parents in the world now. Actually I take that back. Come on there are some horrible parents out there. But we definitely aren't going to win any prizes for this victory.

It was like Chloe thought she was dying.
Like she thought we were killing her.

Here are some of my excuses:

• Her teeth had been loose for like 100 years and even though she was supposedly wiggling them all the time, she wasn't.
• The teeth had changed color and were looking dead.
• They were just "hanging there".
  
• She kept complaining about things she couldn't eat (usually anything in her dinner). Those teeth were impeding any and all healthy eating.
• She stopped brushing her top teeth. (This one I had to be a detective about since I was noticing some serious funk was appearing underneath her teeth. Sick.)

So we did what any parent would do, we gave her an ultimatum. Either she wiggled her teeth hard all day and made them fall out or she wiggled them all day and then we pulled them out. Either way, they were going to be out that night before bed. Let's remember this is our first kid. It's not like we know what we're doing. We just wing it most of the time with good results. There were a few times though during this evening when we wondered what long-term scars we were creating. I mean Chloe is 5, you can reason with her and she understands what we're saying and why we're saying it. But she kept having these involuntary reflexes where she'd grab her mouth and try to cover it, or when her body would be convulsing and spasming in this elaborate escape maneuevers. (Good to know her instincts are working.) So we were forced to hold her down and when she asked if we were going to pull it, we avoided the truth and when she said, "You're just going to wiggle it." we answered with vague noises. I looked at Daddy and told him in Spanish that he had one and only one chance at this. He had to get it out because there was no way we could do this whole production again. Then the yelling came. Then it was out. Then we told her we were going to get them both out because there was no way we were going to go all through that whole ordeal again. So we did. And she cried partly in fear, partly in anger, partly in pain, partly in relief, and partly in sheer joy.

After some major pep talking about how brave she was and how awesome she looked, some love and a long, warm shower (to recover from the adrenaline), she was so happy. She told me she was glad we did it and she was even more glad that she didn't have to do the other one the next night. She even thanked us.

It turned out that one of them had this like hook piece on it holding it in. That's how it was able to still have so much hanging on even though it was so loose.

And of course the tooth fairy came to visit. Each tooth was dropped into it's own clear water. She named one tooth Adam and the other Eve. This tooth fairy was green--obviously because her fairy dust turned the water green. She got some craft projects, $2 and a letter telling her how brave she was and to make sure she wiggles her loose teeth harder in the future. The tooth fairy likes to throw in advice wherever she can. ;-)

A little scary.

I can't even put these fancy ear phones in. It's hard to decide who likes this ipod touch more, Tati or Daddy.

Snow Day!

We've been getting hit with lots of snow. It has been mostly fun and beautiful. It is getting a little cold though. Below zero just really isn't what my body is made for. I tried to take the stroller to pick up Chloe from the school the other day because I couldn't dig out the car and it was the longest, sweatiest (for me) ride ever. Then the ride home was full of the girls crying. So Daddy came to the rescue and picked us up a new sled. He tied a rope on it and wa-lah, I'm a husky dog.

Tati's least favorite thing is the snow on her face. I guess that was the only place she wasn't bundled up so we fixed that and put a scarf around her. She could barely see but she stopped crying. Chloe on the other hand just kept eating snow. I don't understand this fool. She never tires of eating the snow. She's like her Daddy.

Here's our fun, festive front window.

Snow Angel Time!

Here's our baby birdie making her first snow angel. It was so cute and fun. She didn't really get it even after watching Daddy and big sis do it. I'll put the video of her trying right after the pic.





Greg is so happy in the cold and when it is snowing. Sometimes it is a wonder we survive together. Me freezing, him melting. But when we have a snow day, you should see the energy and happiness that comes out. He had a lot of cold love to share.





That night as the snow kept falling, one of my favorite things happened, the lights in the backyard got covered in snow. I love that effect.

Sorta like a glowy snow cone.

I need to remember snow days like this when it is April or May and still freezing especially since I have such hilarious relatives who like to tell me it is so "freezing" where they live and it is like in the 50's. Yeah, but they're a little jealous right now. At least some of them. I bet you wish YOU had a glowy snow cone too!

Eve R.Green

This is our tree this year. Her name is Eve. Well her full name is Eve R. Green. The "R" stands for "Herbs" because that's the sound an "R" makes, "errrr". Funny Chloe. Anyway, we'll be like practically every t.v. show and do a flashback post. Here is where we ended:

5 Hours Earlier:

Here we are driving to Ikea to get our $20 real tree. Tati was so packed up she couldn't even move but she had a smile on her face and of course her shades so all was well.

We walked around for what seemed like forever or maybe it only seemed like forever for me since Tati was trying to eat the ice melt and running around like a coo-koo bird while Daddy loyally looked through each section until he could find just the right one. Still, the girls had a great time. (P.S. Greg has really perfected this. Some people say you can't tell what it looks like b/c they are all tied down but if you pull out the lowest branch and hold it out, you can see how wide it will be and well for height, you just hold it up.)

Everybody wants to be a helper.

What can we say? Our futures are bright.

2 hrs. earlier:

Chloe decorated her and Tati's tree for their room. Chloe did most of it while Tati napped but we all agreed it was better that way for this year. We let her hang a few ornaments once she woke up. She thought it was all awesome anyway.

Happy Decorating!

Ninja Night

So I don't call this place the "Crazy North" for nothing. I gotta say I've really met some great people here and also some great characters. I got invited out to a "girls night" where we "decorated" our friends' backyard for her birthday. Check it out:

I could only seem to find a flower mask to protect my identity. Where's the balaclava when you need it?
Yeah, t.p-ing is like so high school, you know what I mean? Real women just throw bras around. 40 bras to be exact. Where does one procure 40 bras you're wondering? Well, first one asks for donations (I mean everybody has at least one that is on the way out anyway) and then you have to hit up a few thrift stores for the rest. 40 bras. Just think about that one for a while. That's a lot of bras. It was all so organized and so easy. I couldn't figure out if it was because we were older and so much smarter about the vandalism or if it was because it was bras and not t.p. Since there were 5 of us, we each only had to deal with 8 bras. It wasn't too hard but you really did have to put your "chest" into it. I mean we did try to hang low so as not to be seen and kind of wabble to and fro to stay out of the sensor security light. I gotta say, it went by too fast. Yeah, too fast, like our getaway.
It was such a fast and slidey getaway that the camera couldn't even keep up with us. Luckily we didn't fall into any "booby traps". Now you're all "abreast" of the low down. Any friends passing a milestone soon? Maybe you could set some "booby traps" of your own.

p.s. Her almost 12 year daughter was excited at some of the smallish ones we left there. It is kind of like the gift that keeps on giving.

And then just when we thought the night couldn't get any better, we ran into the w.t. version of the General Lee.

Back to School... with Penguins

I think me and two of my friends are the only ones still blogging in this world. Thanks La and Rebecca.

I'm a little behinds. So here we go:

A penguin came to Chloe's kindergarten class and I was so excited. I know that probably makes me a little dorky but I really wanted to go and see this penguin. Chloe and her friend had been talking it up for weeks. Luckily for me, my parents were in town so I was able to leave my baby coo-koo home and head over myself. It was great to see Chloe at school interacting with friends and with the teacher. I asked the teacher later if Chloe was acting differently because I was there and she assured me that Chloe was always that good. (Mother beaming moment here.) Anyway, so onto the action. She really was the best kid in class too. One kid had to go to his special drawer and get this chew toy thingy to squeeze because he couldn't focus. I felt so bad for him. I especially felt bad that I thought it was humorous that he was squeezing a chew toy.

This is Tweeblick. Yeah seriously. I know what you're thinking. What kind of name is that? Poor penguin. She is an African penguin who now lives at the Edmonton mall (biggest mall in N. America--woo-hoo--claim to fame). That's right, I said the mall. There is a little sea center/aquarium thing there. That mall is really like nothing else I've seen.

I think she pooped on the table right after this shot. Now that was a fun to watch 15- 5 yr. olds reacting to a penguin poop.
Tweeblick is the penguin that gets to leave the mall and do all the classroom visits around town. She was really cute but I couldn't help but feel sadder and sadder for her as the lady was throwing out her stats. Every egg she's ever laid has cracked. And it turns out it is largely due to the fact that her "boyfriend" is too closely related to her. Ouch. Count your blessings huh?
But overall, I'd say kindergarten is still a really fun place. I shared a snack with her, watched her do a craft, played at recess with her and also was able to see them all do the penguin dance in French!


Enjoy her bootie shake/twirl towards the end.

And in case you were wondering what the zoo looks like right now since the penguins are living at the mall and not the zoo, check this out:

Isn't that hilarious? It is too cold outside for me too just for the record. Ok Sondi, you're right it is WAY warmer than last year so I will try and sound more grateful.

But these animals were still outside:

Love List Lunes

Well, I had to start doing this after reading my friend Laura's blog. You should go meet her, here. She is pretty hilarious. We were roommates in college and also in the MTC which seems like several lifetimes ago. I took it as a sign that this was in fact the week that I was starting my love list because I was just thinking this weekend about how much I love the sun. I don't know that rules about loving the same thing on a Monday but since I know La and I know she won't mind, today I love Sunshine See, I used to live in a basement so I know what a 5 month winter is like without sunshine, I can even more so attest to my love of sunshine. But I'll keep my reasons brief:

• Because it makes me warm.
• Because with it on your back, you will have the best nap.
• Because it reminds me of warmer weather coming later.
• Because shining through stained glass, it wakes up happiness in me.