Abby Lost A Tooth

I pretty much count on the blog to be the keeper of all family memories/milestones, since no one has a baby book around here.  It's so nice that it automatically dates each post and can easily be made into a printed book (even though I'm about two year behind on that part).  The problem is, I have to actually post about the event when it happened.  Otherwise, who knows the date! 

I can not remember if this story I am about to type happened last week or three weeks ago!  I'm fairly certain it was about a week and a half ago.  We were having burgers for dinner one Sunday evening, and Abby decided to use her teeth to try to open our mustard container.  She tried so hard that she loosened one of her front bottom teeth!  Until then, she had never had a wiggly tooth so she was really excited about it.  She hardly even ate any dinner after that because she was so distracted by wiggling her tooth.  The following day that wiggly tooth was all consuming.  I mean, I don't think she had any clue about anything that was happening around her because she had a wiggly tooth.  It was starting to make me crazy, and I was dreading how long it was going to take for it to come out, since it really wasn't even naturally loose!  Tuesday morning she was in la la land with her wiggly tooth instead of getting ready for school.  I finally asked her if I could just pull it out, thinking she was going to be so distracted/ing in class for the second day in a row.  She asked if it would hurt and I said it probably would because it really wasn't ready to come out.  Then she asked if it would bleed and I said it would probably bleed a lot since I really wasn't ready to come out.  Despite my answers to her questions, she agreed to let me pull it out.  I grabbed it, thinking for sure that one of the two of us was going to chicken out of this whole thing.  Ughh...just thinking about typing it right now I got all heeby jeeby!  I gave it a pull forward and it literally popped out onto the kitchen floor!  Oh, that makes me shudder, even just thinking about it!

Abby was SO excited (and adorable with that little hole in her smile)!  It did bleed for quite a long time...to the point that we were almost late for school!  She was rinsing with warm saltwater and was such a trooper about it.  I finally just gave her a rag, told her to bite on it, hop in the car, and that it would probably be done bleeding by the time we got to school (it was)!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Puppy!

Yesterday Banjo turned 1 year old and we had a lot of fun celebrating.  Can you tell I love any opportunity to celebrate?!  We love our dog so so much.  I can't even believe how much I love him, since I'm not really a dog person.  He's such a good dog and just fits in the family so well.  He matches the energy level of the kids (he runs and plays with them when they are full of energy, and lays on his bed when they're not) and snuggles with them in their beds at night.  He goes running with me (and has only tripped me once)!  He is so great that we've had multiple neighbors say that we've converted them to poodles and that next time they get a dog, that's what they're getting.  Plus, he makes it look like I've worked so hard to train him, even though I really haven't.  He's just that good!

The day we brought Banjo home.

homework helper

Birthday boy (and no, my girls did not plan to match...just randomly both wore purple and bright green!)

We ate this cake.  Banjo got a special dog cookie from the pet store!

You're Welcome!

Seth the American Child

If you know me, you know that I really try hard to not be a "stuff" person.  I try to not talk about things that I want, and I am generally really thankful for the things that we have.  I do love to get a cute new doormat when ours gets old, and I do have a wreath for pretty much every season, but I also LOVE to get rid of stuff. 

Seth, on the other hand, loves stuff.  Specifically he loves getting new-to-him stuff.  So, on Saturday we took the kids to my favorite thrift store (I try not to buy retail clothes) to let them pick out Easter outfits (the one holiday I let them pick out something new-to-them to wear).  As we were parking I said to the kids "Now, you might find something you love and you might not see anything you love.  What if you don't find anything you really like?" and Seth quickly responded "just get something you don't like"!  Oh, my.  He is truly an American child (and this is one of the reasons I always tell Carey I want to move to a remote farm somewhere and start our own little commune)!

It's Spring!

Sheesh, I have been a terrible blogger lately.  Part of the reason is that nothing super noteworthy has happened.  The other part is that I was one of two people in charge of Abby's school's auction, which was last Saturday.  Needless to say, that took up A LOT of my time for a few weeks! 

Things are just swimming along here in the Webber household.  We couldn't be more in love with Banjo.  He really is THE BEST DOG!  He is so good natured (people often ask me how I trained him to stay in our yard...I didn't!) and lovey and cuddly with the kiddos.  I've recently trained him to run with me.  It's fun to take him along and people seem to be totally entertained seeing a poodle on a run!  Last week my fear of tripping on him came true and I fell all the way down on my frontside.  My elbow was rather skinned up and really bruised, but that's all! 

Haley is doing really well in home school.  The first few weeks were great (honeymoon phase!), then we had a few really difficult weeks, and now I feel like we've settled into it!  She's seems so much more comfortable in her own skin and is more ready to give and accept hugs and kisses than ever before!  I'm learning that I am definitely not a homeschooler at heart, but it's working out for now! 

Haley continues to love spending time with her friends, building and creating forts and cozy spots, and drawing and writing.  She's been really fun to be around lately and is full of great ideas!

Haley spent a recent Saturday afternoon on our curb selling pictures she drew (one of her great ideas)!

Abby has taken huge steps academically this year.  Her reading and writing continue to get so much better every day!  She comes home from school happy and smiley and ready to spend time playing at home.  She's been having so much fun playing with the dog, swinging on our swings and jumping on the trampoline.  She is as determined as ever to see her ideas come to fruition, so matter what the cost!  She's become more self-conscious lately, comparing herself to classmates and her siblings, so we're working on that.  Oh, and she just got a new bike because she is just so tall!

Abby likes to show her creativity in her outfits!  Here's a classic!

Seth is...well, he's four.  I forgot how difficult it is to have a four year old!  He's either so fun and funny and wonderful to be around, or he is hitting and screaming and terrible to be around!  He's working really hard on telling people how he's feeling instead of screaming the "h" word (hate) and hitting and throwing things.  He's LOVING preschool and has made some really good buddies.  Seth tells me more about what happens at preschool than Haley or Abby ever did, which is so fun.  I love hearing about it!  He's totally into super-heros and always tells me who he "was" at preschool!  Usually Spider Man!  Oh, and he can ride his bike with me when I run, now!  He just started a couple weeks ago.  I thought there was no way he would make it three miles with me, but he totally did!

We are all excited that it's Spring!  There has been lots of bike riding and going to bed later than normal, since it's so light after dinner! 

Wisdom from the Wee Ones!

So, this year, my dad turned 60 and I had my kids make a book of 60 pieces of advice for him.   I mean, my kids are fairly certain that they know everything!  Turns out, they are so full of advice, I thought it should be shared with more than just Poppa Phil!

1.     eat normal (Abby)

2.     eat quickly (Seth)

3.     close your mouth when you’re eating (Abby)

4.     don’t eat rotten eggs (Haley)

5.     be polite (Abby)

6.     don’t show your butt at the table (Abby)

7.     Don’t talk potty talk at the table (Haley)

8.     Always look where you’re going (Haley)

9.     Always buckle up (Seth)

10.  Don’t talk on your cell phone when you’re driving (Abby)

11.  Don’t throw stuff in the car (Haley)

12.   Don’t eat too much food (Seth)

13.   When you shave, shave lightly so you don’t get owies (Abby)

14.  Drink a lot of water (Haley)

15.   Don’t forget to eat food and when you’re sick eat food that’s healthy for you (Seth)

16.   Don’t break something new (Haley)

17.  Don’t crumble up someone’s picture (Seth)

18.   When you’re feeling mad, walk away and relax and wiggle your fingers (Abby)

19.   When someone is sick, don’t make them more sick (Seth)

20.  When someone is sick, give them a blanket and keep them away from people and put cucumbers on their eyes (Abby)

21.   Stay away from leopards, lions, raccoons and skunks ‘cause they can hurt you and skunks can spray (Abby & Haley)

22.   Put your dog in the house before the skunk sprays the dog (Seth)

23.   When you see a cheetah, run away (Seth)

24.  It’s good when you see a dangerous animal first, because then you can run away before it gets you (Haley & Abby)

25.  You have to pick up your pet’s poop (Abby, Haley & Seth)

26.  Rufus is so funny, make sure he doesn’t get even funnier (Abby)

27.  Keep all your dogs safe.  You take care of them (Seth)

28.  Always keep your dog with you to keep it safe (Haley)

29.  Always keep your eye on your dog (Abby)

30.  Working is hard, but try your best (Abby)

31.  Try your best to build us a swing and a zip-line (Seth)

32.  Keep going even if it hurts (Haley)

33.  If you want to stop, just keep running until you are there (Seth)

34.   Don’t forget to play with your kids (Seth)

35.  Don’t forget to take care of your children (Seth)

36.   Keep four on the floor (Haley)

37.  Sit on chairs when it’s dinner time.  Don’t sit on the table (Seth)

38.   Keep your pants up when you’re at the table (Haley…inspired by Seth)

39.  If you see a bear, don’t run (Haley)

40.   Camping is fun, but make sure to always go potty (Abby)

41.   Stay next to your dad (Seth)

42.  When someone sneezes, it’s polite to say “bless you” (Haley)

43.   Don’t be offended when someone offers you a senior discount.  Take it and then ask for more. (Carey)

44.   Don’t steal money (Haley)

45.   If you see money on the ground, it’s your lucky day because you’ve got money (Abby)

46.   Sometimes on your birthday people give you money (Seth)

47.   Save money (Seth)

48.   If you have a penny, you can throw it in a fountain (Haley)

49.   Always do your best (Haley)

50.  If you go somewhere, don’t mess anything up (Haley)

51.   Never throw something at a new friend at work or school (Haley)

52.   Don’t hurt someone; just walk away and go in your room (Seth)

53.  If someone has a pond with fish, don’t take them out ‘cause it’s kind of rude (Haley)

54.  When you are scared, huddle under a blanket (Abby)

55.  When you’re scared, just get a flashlight (Seth)

56.   If you go to a movie theater and you accidently spill something, try to clean it up (Haley)

57.  Never ever punch someone (Haley and Seth)

58.   Always guide a blind person (Haley)

59.   When you are climbing a mountain, if there is a nest, never kill the baby birds (Haley)

60.   When you go in your yard to pick up poop and you look up in the sunshine and you spot a nest with 3 little baby birds in it, do not let your cat out, if it’s a low branch(Abby)

Oh My, Oh My, Oh Disneyland!

For Christmas this year we gave the kids each a little slip of paper that said that we were going to Disneyland in 19 days!  This past Sunday was finally our day to leave!  We were all packed and ready to go, with the kids all buckled in the car, when I looked at Abby and she just had that look in her eye; the look of sickness.  We took her temperature to discover that she had a fever.  Ughhh.  Such a bummer.  So, I ran in the house, sent a quick email to our church's prayer team, updated facebook asking for prayer, and we headed out for a long drive down to So Cal.  The fever made Abs super mellow, which made the ride down fairly easy.  She did throw up twice, but caught it in a bag both times.  She was a total star for being a sicky!  Haley was a super star car rider, as usual, and then there was Seth.  Seth is not quite as patient as his sissies and frequently asked when we were going to get there, and why Disneyland had to be so far away!  Daddy was a super star, too, driving all the way down.  After hours of being in the car, including a slight detour, thanks to the GPS (Carey and I totally disagree about how helpful that darn thing is...I swear it steers us wrong more often that not) we made it to our hotel, ate some food and went to bed!

Monday morning we woke up ready to go, super hopeful that Abby would be healed.  I had prayed over her the day before and really felt like she was supposed to be healed, which I've not ever had that happen before.  Poor thing did not look good and was really hot, but, awesome parents that we are, we took her to Disneyland anyway!  When we got there, we went to California Adventure first.  We started by going to a Playhouse Disney show, which was a cute, interactive show with some characters from some of Haley, Abby and Seth's favorite shows.  Seth and Haley had a lot of fun, and Abby just sort of flopped in my lap.  After that we headed over to Cars Land, which we were all excited to see.  We hopped in line for Radiator Racers, which is the main attraction of Cars Land.  We waited about 40 minutes, with myself holding the 50 pound sicky, and were almost on the ride when they experienced technical difficulties and stopped the ride.  Not such a great start.  When we got out of line, Abby asked to go back to the hotel.  You know your kid doesn't feel good when they are at Disneyland and ask to leave!  I walked back to the hotel with her and Carey, Haley and Seth stayed for a few hours before coming back to the hotel for a break.

Ready to enjoy Disneyland, despite a sick Abby:(

The street actually ends at the rope behind them, and the rest is a painting!  Disney magic!

Haley catching bubbles at the Playhouse Disney show.

Lovin' the rides!

Daddy time!

 Haley and Seth were full of stories when they got back, and it was so fun to see the delight on their sweet little faces.  It felt bittersweet, though, since Abby was missing out on all of it.  Her fever had gotten up above 103, so we decided we needed to bring it down.  We gave her Advil and after about 45 minutes it hadn't done anything for her, so I headed out to Target to get some Tylenol.  I got back to the hotel to find Abby bouncing around, fever gone, dressed and ready to go ride some rides.  When I was gone, Carey had prayed over her and she was immediately healed!  Wow.  So crazy!

That night we all went back to California Adventure and had a blast.  Abby went on her first up-side-down roller coaster and loved it (Haley was so sad she wasn't quite tall enough).  The girls and I went on the highest ferris wheel ever and didn't love it!  Well, Haley liked it, but Abby was gripping my arm so tightly and I was laughing to try and pretend like it was fun, but it really wasn't.  I just wanted off!  Oh, and did I mention that we were pretty much walking onto all the rides?  Other than the new one in Cars Land, there were really no lines.  It was awesome. 

Cars Land was so awesome!

This is a picture of the picture that they took on the big, huge roller coaster!

Tuesday morning we woke up, ready for a full day of Disney fun, only to find that Haley had a fever!  It was not too high, and she seemed okay, so we figured everything would be fine.  Grammie Lori had given the girls princess dresses for Christmas and then made Seth the most awesome prince outfit, and they got all dressed into them, ready to meet the princesses.  I put on my wedding dress, since it was our 8th wedding anniversary and I always wear it on our anniversary.  So, yes, I decided to wear it to Disneyland!  When we went through the security check point, they told me my dress was a tripping hazard!  They did let us take a picture before I had to change out of it, though!

As soon as we walked through the gates we saw Goofy, Micky and Minnie.  After taking a few pictures we started riding rides.  We walked right onto It's A Small World and then waited about 3 minutes to get on Space Mountain!  That's pretty much how all the rides were.  Other than the new rides in Cars Land, we never waited more than 10 minutes, but most rides we just walked onto!

This is before we gave Haley medicine, so she didn't want to get out of the stroller:(

You can tell how mellow it was by the fact that there's no people in the background of this picture!

The picture they took on space mountain...don't worry, the kids did like it!  They LOVED it!

Haley and Abby and I went to Pixie Hollow and met Periwinkle (Tink's sister) and Tinkerbell:)

Hanging out in Goofy's house!

The houses in Toon Town are Haley's favorite part of Disneyland.  She just loves them:)

When we went to see the princesses, Belle was walking away for a break.  She walked past us and saw Abby in her Belle dress and put her hand out and asked her to walk with her.  They walked, hand in hand and Belle chatted with Abby.  They stopped and twirled and then walked some more.  It was so precious.  When Belle got to the "cast members only" door, she twirled with Abby once more, gave her a hug and waved good-bye.  That was definitely a high-light for Abby (and watching it was a high-light for me).  Throughout the rest of the day Abby would sigh and say "I'm still thinking about Belle."

By the time we were leaving Disneyland Tuesday night, Seth was feeling feverish, so Wednesday morning, when he was really lethargic and not wanting to go to Disneyland, we were not shocked.  I got us all packed up, gave Seth some Tylenol, Carey checked us out of the hotel and we went off for a few more hours of Disney fun.  We went back to some of our favorite rides and had some more fun before loading up into the car and heading back home.

Ready for one more day of fun:)

The kids asked for cotton candy the whole time we were there, so the last morning we got them some!

  The ride home was super easy, since the fevers had returned and the kids were totally lethargic.  We made it home fairly quickly and came home to a super happy puppy and clean house, thanks to Auntie Melissa and Uncle Judah:)  Oh, and the next morning, around 7:00 Auntie Laura showed up with dinner to put in the crockpot.  What could be better?!