Where to put the tree--

So, it's that time of year again--Thanksgiving is over and it is finally time for Christmas and that means decorations and the tree. So we decided where to put the tree--same as last year, in the living room by the fireplace--and Levi hauled it in from the garage along with the boxes of decorations. I put the tree together and the girls went crazy hanging decorations, only there was minor problem we forgot to consider before putting up the tree--Jett!!
Now that he can stand without hanging on to something as well as walk and climb, and the fact that he is very curious and a boy, anything he can reach is fair game for inspection and if it is round and ball like, that means he can throw it and bash it together with another round object. So no sooner had we started hanging Christmas ornaments (you know the round ball ones) he started pulling them down and chucking them across the room. I came to the realization that this isn't going to work. We can hang the ornaments higher, out of his reach, but that just means he will drag a chair over to climb and get a better reach, or he might just decide to try and climb the tree itself. So, we had to figure out a new place for the tree, some where Jett wouldn't have easy access too.
Our house is pretty open, but we finally decided we would put it in the living room with the pool table, by the front door. We can put the ottoman between the two couches in the other living room, so Jett can play in the living room, and still have access to the playroom and his bedroom, but not the tree. It's not my ideal place for the tree and adds a new level of difficulty to playing pool, but I guess with kids come sacrifices. I don't remember it ever being a problem with the girls.

Happy Thanksgiving--

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was actually pretty eventful. Levi had to work today (and he worked last night) so rather than having a huge Thanksgiving here making lots of noise so Levi can't sleep or leaving and having Thanksgiving out of town leaving Levi all alone without dinner, we decided to go to a friends house in town. Levi was able to sleep until a little afternoon and then we loaded everyone up, and headed over to the Andra's house for dinner. I took my turkey over there last night to be brined, and we arrived about the time they were putting the turkeys in the roasters to cook. They decided to put them in the garage, as Bree doesn't have much counter space to begin with. After two hours of cooking and what should only be one or two left to go, Bree and her mom went out to the garage to check on the turkeys and low and behold the breaker had blown and turkeys were still very cold. So they turned them on again, and decided to check on them sooner, and what do you know, the breakers blew again. Well they decided to put one of the roasters on an extension cord to the house, but somehow it didn't get plugged in. With the roasters finally plugged in and working, we just had to wait for the turkeys to cook. In the meantime, the girls colored, Jett showed off his walking ability as well as sporting a pink bib, since he couldn't wait to eat and David taught Kaidyn how to multiply. Levi's cousin Thomas also came over to visit for a bit.


Well we got everything else ready, and Levi had to head to work, without dinner. Finally, about 7:30 one of the turkeys was done and we sat down to eat. It was a very good dinner and worth the wait, but it was a crazy road to completion.

Kaidyn Thanksgiving Program

Oh the joys of working. I used to think that staying home with my kids would be boring and I'd go crazy, but I'm beginning to see the upside, especially with Levi being able to fulfill that role since he works nights. Levi and Jett and Jayd went and had a Thanksgiving lunch with Kaidyn today and then Kaidyn's class put on a Thanksgiving program. Fortunately Levi video taped it for me so I still got to see it, although it's not quite the same as being there.

Girls day out--

Well, today I took the girls to see High School Musical On Ice in Spokane. We made a day of it, and decided to do a little shopping first, but unfortunately since it was Sunday, the mall didn't open until 11:00 and we still had to go to lunch and be at the arena before 1:00. Since we got there about 10:00 we decided to got to Barnes and Nobles, since it was open, and then Costco. Then we went to Applebee's for lunch and the whole time Kaidyn was in a hurry and didn't want to get dessert because she thought we were going to be late. Well we got dessert and then headed from the north side to the arena. I forgot what driving in Spokane was like and it took longer than I thought to get to arena. We finally arrived and I got into my purse to get out the tickets and there were only two tickets, and I started the day with three. I dumped out my purse, looked all over the car. I have no idea what happened to that other ticket. Fortunately I had the reciept, so I was able to go to the ticket window and get the tickets reprinted, but as a result we were now late.
Now this wouldn't be a big deal, but I got awesome seats that were a row behind the front row, down on the ice. So being late meant walking down in front of everyone, and to top it off, our seats were in the middle of the row, so we had to squish our way in front of all those poor people.
Once we got settled in for the show, the girls really enjoyed it. They had stuff from the third one, which I took the girls to see at the theater a couple of weeks ago ( i still like the second one the best) and then parts from both the first and the second shows. The girls loved singing along and dancing and watching the ice skaters do the jumps and spins. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so no pictures this year, but it was still fun.
Since we had got there to early to shop before the show, we went shopping after the show. I needed to get Jayd new pants, because her 3T pants show a lot of ankle, so she is now in 4T pants.

The Dentist!!!

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I took the girls to the dentist--it was Jayd's first time and Kaidyn's third or fourth. Jayd was a little nervous, but I figured Kaidyn had gone enough times that she could go first and show Jayd how it was done. Well, the hygienist had other ideas and wanted to take Jayd first, I insisted that Kaidyn go first, but in hindsight I think she knew something I didn't know. I gave in and Jayd went first. GOOD THING!!!
Jayd was nervous and cringed everytime the hygienist held up a new tool, but once she got familiar with the routine she sat there with her mouth open and allowed the lady to do her job. She still a little young for x-rays, so we didn't have to deal with that. Overall, she did a very good job for her first time.
Kaidyn was a whole other story. Can you say DRAMA QUEEN and FREAK?? What do you get when you cross those two things--Kaidyn (she's going to read this someday and hate me). Anyway--she would not let the lady take the x-rays, she claimed her mouth was to small--if you've seen her eat, you know this isn't true--and she screamed through the cleaning--the hygienist wasn't able to finish with her tool and had to finish with a toothbrush. I felt so bad because Kaidyn was so not cooperative.
As a result they referred her to a children's dentist in Wenatchee where they do sedations on children who are nervous about the dentist. We went to our initial appointment about a week ago where they learned just how "nervous" Kaidyn is and to meet the Dentist--Dr. Cara.
Well I have to say, the office, staff and dentist are AWESOME. They recommended consious sedation for Kaidyn (as the couldn't get the xrays with the hygienist and me holding her down) so they could do the xrays, clean her teeth properly and she had a few small cavities.
Since she can't eat or drink after midnight, I requested the earliest appointment--which is 7:30. I had to get up super early, get myself ready, get Kaidyn up and in the car by 6:15 so we could make the drive to Wenatchee. It generally takes about an hour, however, this morning it was super foggy and possibly slick. I was nervous driving myself in that weather, but Levi insisted I take the truck so I felt a little better--at least if anything happened, I had a lot of metal around me.
We arrived at the office, and they gave Kaidyn something to drink, which she freaked out about because she didn't know what it tasted like. But between the me holding her down and the lady opening her mouth, we got the liquid down her. We then watched cartoons and cuddled for a half hour until they came for her. I was not allowed to go with her, which she cried about again, but she was so relaxed, she wasn't able to fight it. They took her back and about an hour and half later she was out with clean teeth and a filling. They said she was very grumpy until she finally gave up and just fell asleep. At least they got it done. They then informed me that she needed another visit because the xrays revealed 2 cavities on the bottom as well as one of her front teeth is growing in faster than the one above it is coming out, so they will have extract it. So that makes for another visit is two weeks. Oh yeah--did I mention the sedation is $288, which is generally not covered by insurance. Luckily we are double covered under Washington Dental, so usually what the primary insurance doesn't pay, the secondary picks up, so we're hoping they pay for the sedation.
Not one to miss an opportunity to shop, we hit a few stores while in Wenatchee as well as Costco. Kaidyn was a little wobbly throughout all this, and slurred her words for a while. She was mildly upset that she couldn't have Red Robin for lunch (it was only 10:00 am) but I appeased her with a milkshake from McDonalds. After shopping we headed home, rented Wall-E and I had the rest of the day off to hang out with my family. How cool--I could get used to this

This isn't supposed to happen anymore--

So there I was, in the middle of my class, walking across the front of my classroom when all of the sudden, something "shifts" (I don't know how else to describe it) in my knee after I take a step and I all but fall on face in front of my students. I, obviously, start crying and my first thought is "this isn't supposed to happen anymore". My students run down the hall to get the principal, who is actually walking down the hall towards them and yells at them to walk (how typical). Someone finds me an ice pack, advil and crutches to get me through the day.
Okay, as many of you may or may not know, I had knee surgery this past summer to repair my "screwed up" knee so that I could walk like a normal person and not have issues. Well today in the middle of 3rd period I "tweaked" my knee again. The same thing that used to happen all the time before the surgery. It is very frustrating because that is the whole reason (and the only reason) I had the surgery. If I had known that I would have the same problems afterward as I did before, I would not have messed with the surgery (and being laid up for 6 weeks during my summer vacation) and just lived with it. On a normal day I could go home and get to the doctor to see why my knee did what it did. But no, not with my luck. It just so happens that today is parent teacher conferences, and to top it all off, I also have night conferences. So I will not even be home until well after 7, so forget going to the doctor--maybe wednesday morning, before conferences. At least tomorrow is Veterans day and there is no school. I can rest for the day. Boy I'm glad we just got a Wii.