We are going on tour...

We had Samantha blessed yesterday. It was a typical family function full of chaos, but went fairly well, all things considered.

Sammie loves to be held, so she seemed to enjoy the stream of relatives to hold her. She was pretty good natured through the whole thing.

I always enjoy when my kids get to play with their cousins. I am so looking forward to when Sammie and Kaeden (my too cute for words nephew) will be able to play together. They like to look at each other now, and Kaeden will reach for her, but I can't wait until they can actually play.

The house was too crowded and I was too preoccupied to sit and visit much, but I really appreciated all who came and supported us. It turned out to be a very nice day and now I feel like I can relax and enjoy the holidays.

I found out a couple of weeks ago that the last Wednesday of each month is free admission day to the Hogle Zoo. (At least through February). So, I called the next door neighbors and off we went. The weather was warm and we had a really nice visit.

The kids love taking pictures on the statues throughout the zoo. It was Sammie's first trip, not unsurprisingly, she was not too impressed. We ran into four other families from our neighborhood, guess we are all a little on the frugal side.

Can you tell that I nurse Sammie?

HIP HOP DIAPER HEAD

We don't know why Aubree does half the things she does, but she does it all with flair. So the day before Thanksgiving Aubree informs us that her new name is Hip Hop Diaper Head Aubree. She hopped all over the house. I didn't think it was worth getting mad over, so instead I opted for future blackmail material.

Ethan, not to feel left out, decided to get in on the action as well. So, we took the pictures and then he asked "You're not going to put this on the blog, are you?"

Yes son, I am.


Even Sammie knew this was somehow a little wrong and hung her head in disbelief.

Sammie Smiles!

Okay, she's been smiling for awhile, but it has been elusive to catch on camera. (Stupid camera, batteries dying, us to cheap to spring for new, etc . . . ).

Baby smiles always make us happy, so we thought we'd spread the sunshine.

Here's a baby/kid story for all y'all out there:

I took Sammie with me to a baby shower in the neighborhood this past Saturday. There was a little bit of "pass the babies" going on, so Sammie was sitting with a neighbor. She had a little bit of a blow-out and was promptly handed back to me.

Rather than change her outfit and all there, I decided to take early leave of the shower and head home. When I walked in, Ethan and Aubree looked surprised and asked why I was back so soon. I told them that Aubree had had a blow out. Ethan said." Man, I hate it when she explodes!" Don't we all?

That night, Aubree was giving the prayer. After opening, her first line was , "Please help Sammie to stop pooping on people, it's embarrassing!"

Phase 2 - Halloween

Sammie the cat

Indiana Jones


Girl ninja Extraordinaire

At the neighborhood carnival - E as Indie, Bob as the purple princess

Aubree's Birthday/Halloween Craft Party

Halloween Activites - Phase 1

Updates of Sammie. We are trying to showcase the bows. Our friend is starting a business selling the bows and they will use the neighborhood kids for the bow models. We thought it was funny to use a two-week old as a model for hairbows.

Aubree has been busy creating. This is her latest play-dough sculpture. She won the dough at Red Ribbon week.

Every year we take a hayride out to a pumpkin patch and pick our own pumpkins. Here is a picture of the tractor.

Here are the kids all bundled up on the ride. (Sammie and Corinne stayed in the car).

Ethan finding his perfect pumpkin.

We went to Frightmares with the neighbors. Usually Frightmares is not that crowded, but it has been a zoo this year. These pictures are horrible - blurry and freaky, but the kids think it makes them look scary. They wouldn't sit still for the night shots - many of them were taken by the kids, so sorry if it hurts you to see these.

Also, Aubree turned six. We will have updates from that as soon as we upload new photos and take pictures from her party tomorrow.

Pics of kids with Sammie

This was on the first day at the hospital. The kids were so excited.

Aubree with Samster at two weeks old!

Here, we think that Sammie takes most after Ethan. Here are the two of them together. I wish I had thought to put one of Ethan's baby pictures next to hers.

Ethan wanted to hold her before he left to sing in Conference. Samantha was just five days old.

Just wanted to get a few more pictures out!

HAVE YOU DONE THIS?

Just copy and paste this to your blog and highlight or Bold the ones that you HAVE done.

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - I was sick, just not contagious 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person- 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors – more recent ancestors, but ancestors nevertheless. 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Learned a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – for at least awhile, I don’t need much 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke . 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business . 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check . 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy) 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job . 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone. 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House . 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s lifef 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee

This is Corinne's list, Chad's would have different things highlighted.

Latest Ramblings

I'm not doing pictures this time, but don't be surprised if Chad comes back in and adds them. We have lots of good ones as it is a major picture taking time at our house.

So much has been going on. We brought Sammie home and she forgot how to sleep without me holding her. As a consequence, I don't get much free time, but I am enjoying (for the most part) just cuddling with the little one. The kids adore her, and the dog is strangely in awe of her. He seems to understand that she is a heck of a lot more important than him, and he seems to be okay with that.

Ethan had a great opportunity and experience this past weekend. He was selected to sing in the Primary Choir for the Saturday afternoon session of the LDS General Conference. He gave up Sunday evenings for six weeks, and a couple of Saturdays - but didn't they sound great? Chad was able to go be in the Conference Center. It was a wonderful experience for both of them. It wasn't too bad at home, we saw Ethan a few times.

Aubree is finding her groove in kindergarten. She is finally adjusting and not playing dumb for her teacher. She is making new friends. Her birthday is next week and she will be turning six.

I can't believe my little girl will be six. She is having a Halloween themed birthday party. She pretty much planned it herself. I wanted to do tie-dye T-shirts for the party, she decided to make monster lanterns.

Well, it sounds like Miss Samantha wants her mom, so I better be going.

Samantha Brynn

Samantha Brynn Hoffmann was born at 6:19 PM September 23rd at McKay-Dee Hospital weighing 8 lbs 9 oz (Our smallest baby yet), and measuring 21 inches long. She has about 3/4 inch length hair all over, and is blond. She sleeps well (so far), and likes to snuggle. Mother is doing better than at the same point in any of the other deliveries. All things considering, she is feeling great. The siblings are excited, and jockey for chances to hold her. The parents are proud and dotting - and can't wait to show her off.

Just Stuff

Well, our computer has kind of been out of commission for a bit, so I could excuse not updating the blog with that, but we all know that this blog is rarely updated.

The kids started school, and I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. Ethan is, as usual, loving school. He hates to miss school and especially loves his teacher this year. She is a good friend of mine from the neighborhood, so I am partial to her too.

Aubree is having a hard time adjusting. She knows most of the material they are going over, but is playing dumb. As a consequence, her teacher does not believe that she tested at a first grade level her last year in her private school. I can't say I blame her, Aubree can be very convincing and is extremely strong willed.

It has been kind of hard for me to watch Aubree struggle because she cries about how much she wants to go back to her old school. I feel like I let her down, she was happy there and was excelling. I keep reminding myself she could have the hard transition this year, or next year. It was inevitable.

I, Corinne, have been partying as much as my sorry, worn-out body will allow. It is finally starting to sink in that this little girl is coming soon. So, in the past two weeks we took the kids to Lagoon, had a picnic at the park, several wedding/baby showers, a jewelry making party, a couple of BBQs and last Friday attended the annual neighborhood Girls Night Out Sleepover (I didn't spend the night, but stayed past midnight and made the trek home with another neighbor). Tonight, I have a Girls Night In party at the neighbor's house and tomorrow, the neighborhood tailgate party to kick off the flag football season. Then, I think I will collapse. Life will change.

So, we are having Sammy (Samantha) Tuesday night. So much for the "because you have ten pounders, we will do the C-section a week early." At least it is four days early. Since it has been six years since we had a little one come to us, this time it is scary, but we are excited. The kids are so overjoyed and excited that it is fun. We have not done any prep work - so nothing is ready. However, we have what we need. I figure I'll be in the hospital for four days, so Chad can take care of the nitty-gritty stuff while I am basking in the "relaxing atmosphere" at the hospital.

A Month Crammed Into One Blog

Okay, I am horrid about updating this blog, and even worse at adding pictures. But here goes.

So, Chad and I are having a new baby sometime in the next month. We are excited, the kids are excited- heck, even the dog seems excited. The neighborhood is abuzz because unlike normal times when eighteen kids are born in a four month period, this will only be the fourth this year. For some reason people seem to think I will be willing to share the wealth and let them hold the little one (okay, they’re right on that one.)

I have been trying to make sure that my kids get the most out of being a family with older children before we pop this little girl on them. Life is going to change and they don’t fully realize it. So, we have been running like crazy – and my ankles show it.

In the past four weeks we have made it to Logan, not once, but twice. We visited a friend and toured his new rocket manufacturing workshop. He actually built a portable two-story launch pad and has some awesome machinery. We also waded in the Logan River, visited the fantasy land of Gossner Cheese Factory and last but not least convinced the neighbor kid we brought along that he was what we brought along to feed the cougar at Willow Park Zoo. The second time we visited with family at the Hoffmann Reunion.

We celebrated Ethan’s birthday with a train ride into Salt Lake and a family movie. Our little boy is now a big, grown up NINE!! The next day Aubree packed her bags to run away because we only cared about Ethan and Sammy (the yet unborn child). I asked her why – I should have known. We let Ethan choose everything for his birthday and I take Sammy with me everywhere I go. The nerve of me!! I think she is over it, for now.

We tried to go camping last weekend; it didn’t work as planned, but was a wonderful adventure. We made it to the Davis County Fair – we had to hit the petting zoo and buy cotton candy and cinnamon roasted almonds and pecans – HEAVEN!
We also made it to Thanksgiving Point’s Dinosaur Museum. We met some friends there and enjoyed $2 Tuesday. We got in for only $8, instead of the normal $30. It was a blast.

The kids have been swimming at Nana and Papa’s a few times and school has started. This school year will be interesting.
So, besides Chad acclimating to his new job, me preparing to “retire” from my job next Thursday, this is what we have been doing.

This Weekend - Including the 24th

Well this has been some weekend.

We started out on the 24th. We slept in a little bit, made chocolate twists for breakfast and jsut hung out for a little bit. For lunch we backed pizza. We noticed the house was getting a little warm and thought, we got to back off the oven - it is getting hot. Little did we know our central air had gone kaput.

We met our neighbors over at the mortuary for the fireworks show around 8:00 p.m., we wanted to get a good spot. (There is a mortuary with a great view of Lagoon's fireworks, we have passes to Lagoon but didn't want to deal with the crowds.) Our two families had a nice time - the kids played tag and catch and all sorts of games. Many other neighbors drove by and then came back to join us. We had a great old neighborhood party at the mortuary.

The fireworks started at 10:00. Unfortunately, so did the automatic sprinklers. I have never seen about three hundred people move that fast. All except for the one huge pregnant lady who couldn't get up. So, I, Corinne, was left all alone. I had been hot all day and that water felt good. I noticed that the kids had left their baseball gloves and shoes, and that our snacks were still sitting there. So, I took my time and gathered everything up. We moved the party across the street to the sidewalk of the church building. It was so funny. All the kids complained about being ripped off, I personally think it was great and we have a great memory now. (That and I can tease Chad about abandoning me and leaving me to deal with the sprinklers while he ran away with the WATER- RESISTANT BLANKET).

Corinne went to work on Friday to get out of our oven of a house and to train my replacement there. Chad dropped me off for "a couple of hours" while he golfed with his dad and brother. Well, four hours later he called to tell me they were only half way through. Our cafeteria was closed and I had no car, and my doctor told me to not walk so much, so I was stuck. We had promised the kids they could go swimming after Chad finished golfing, so I ended up working nine and a half hours straight. At least it was all air-conditioned.

So, we could finally get someone out to look at the air conditioner on Saturday. Apparently the unit was almost 19 years old and the motor basically blew up. Our new unit will be installed tomorrow. I hate that it is on a Sunday, but I am 31 weeks preggo and the ox is in the mire. I can't take another 90 degree night with the windows open.

It sounds like I am whining a lot, and I guess I am. But the thing is - this weekend has actually been really fun and caused us to be creative and eat lots of frozen goods - I call that a good thing.

Long Time - No Write

It has been a long time since we last reported anything on this. I am being told that I have a lot to do on this site: add pictures, express my undying love, etc.... Anyway, I think I can upload the pictures.

By the way, Aubree is again telling people in public places that Corinne is not her mom and that she stole her from a grocery store. Her real mom left her while she went to work. She never saw her again. So Aubree is greatful that Corinne found her. The conversation comes up when she is asked if she is excited for a new sister (Corinne really looks pregnant...she says I can say that). Aubree responds: "I would be, if that was my sister." And then the story about the grocery store follows. It is a good thing that Aubree looks like Corinne.

We had the ultrasound

So, this past weekend we went to Yellowstone for Mothers' Day. What an absolutely fantastic trip - we saw five grizzlies. We will be posting more about the trip with some awesome pictures.

The big news is that we had our ultrasound on Monday. We kept the kids out of school and had them come with us. They were both thrilled. It was a risk because we knew that one of them would leave very happy and one very sad.

So, we found out that our little GIRL is progressing nicely and everything looks perfect. Boy have things changed since I had the last two ultrasounds. The doctor was right there watching and could answer any questions we had, and they put the whole thing on DVD for you. How awesome is that?

When they announced that we were having a girl, Aubree yelled, " I knew it! I had a vision that it was a girl. I'm kind of freaky." She has been talking about having visions for the past six months, and we all know and love the fact that she is a little freaky, but it was still funny.

Ethan is upset. It doesn't seem fair to him that he should have to have two sisters. He claims that none of his friends have two sisters and no brothers. We pointed out to him that he was wrong and listed the friends. So, okay, that didn't help. We pointed out that he would probably never have to share a bedroom (still not cool). So, we did the only thing we could think of to help him feel better - we let him choose where to go to lunch. Strangely, that helped.

We are so excited and just wanted to share the news!

Everythings Going To Be Alright

Sorry to those of you have have recently checked this blog. I (Corinne) have a hard time getting on the computer lately. A lot has been happening, and most of it is really good. Chad is on the computer all the time working on his business, so he doesn't spend much recreation time on the computer.

I have had to put in a little bit of extra time at work lately. Mostly because I missed six days worth of work for the threatened miscarriage and the flu. This has made me loathe getting on the computer at home, and helped the Bureau director realize that I was not a full-time employee (more on that later, I'm sure).

First things first - thank you for all your prayers and support, they have made a world of difference. We didn't lose the baby and now are in no higher of a risk category than we were before the threatened miscarriage. It was scary, but a lot of great things have happened because of this experience.

I had to learn to accept help from other people, and I was amazed at how many people are willing to help. I am so not good at relying on other people. I never mind helping out and I don't feel like people owe me when they do, but I always feel like I owe people when they help me. My neighbors took my kids so I could rest, family and friends had to help Chad finish our bathroom because I was stuck in bed. It was a very humbling experience for me and in a way I am very glad this happened. It was a lesson that I really needed to learn.

We have also learned to rely on our immediate family a lot more. The stressful situation has forced us to consolidate a bit more and focus just on us. While we love our extended family, we realized that in trying to keep everyone else happy (and failing miserably), we were miserable. How sad is it when your kids think your holiday traditions all include getting in the car and driving to different places until you are sick of the car? Our kids did. We never had time for just our little family.

In the past three weeks, we have had mini-vacations with just the four of us. On the Fridays that Chad has off work, we wait for Ethan to get home and then we take off for the afternoon/evening. It has been so fun. We took the kids to Antelope Island - we played on the beach, explored the ranch there, hit the visitors center and then went out to dinner. The kids loved it and so did we. Yesterday, we went to Logan. Our kids love going to the Gossner cheese factory and buying the little cartons of milk for school lunches; Chad and I love getting the good cheese for a fraction of the cost. We also took the kids to the zoo at Willow Park, we ate at the Bluebird, toured the old campus to see how it had changed and went down to First Dam. We never had the freedom to do these things before.

Things changed at my work too. I am only scheduled to work 20 hours a week, but usually end up with a little more because of the kids' schedules. I leave for work after Ethan leaves for school and get home about the same time as he does. (By his request, I come home about five or so minutes after. A boy needs some alone time, you know.) I guess that things really went to pot while I was gone. I am the only person that knows my position, and there is no back-up whatsoever. Our Bureau Director really felt the sting of my being gone and him being flooded with questions. When I got back I had so many e-mails and phone calls to return, plus all of the paperwork that came in. I will proudly admit it, I threw a bit of a tizzy. I don't mind doing my job, but because I am efficient, I have been given a lot of things that have nothing to do with the core of my job. They tiddlywink my time away.

It turns out that I had to make a list of everything that I do so that it could be reviewed in managers' meeting. The Bureau Director was impressed at everything I did and said that we needed to relieve my load a bit. It was too much for one person. Then he was informed by my supervisor and some of the other managers that I only worked part-time. He was floored, and I am now getting an assistant. I hope to have them trained by July so that they can cover for my maternity leave (and hopefully take over for me, when by miraculous intervention and hard work I have the opportunity to stay home.)

So, I know this was a long post, but I hope that you all get the gist. ALL IS WELL and I feel very blessed.

These last three weeks or so...

These last three weeks or so have been a whirlwind. For those of you that didn't know (don't live in our neighborhood apparently) we are expecting another child. Chad got the bright idea that because this affects the children we currently have, they should know first. As a consequence the whole ward knew long before we planned on saying anything. Sweet little Aubree is so excited, she went door to door to tell our close-by neighbors, and announced to everyone as they came in the church library (I'm one of the ward librarians.)

Unfortunately, there have been some hiccups in this pregnancy. At eleven weeks there was a pretty stressful situation that happened, and a few hours later I was diagnosed with a threatened miscarriage. The doctors said there was nothing we could do about it, just wait and see. A few days later the situation got worse. They told me bedrest would not help, but it really helped my aunt, so Chad and I decided that any little bit I could do would help me at least feel that I did everything that I could. I was told that if I made it four days my chances would drop from a 70% chance of losing the baby to a 30% chance. We made it.

When I went in for my appointment yesterday, they were able to find a heartbeat, so I am now at only a 20% chance, but if we can make it for three more weeks, I go up to the normal risk. Which is to say if I make it to 16 weeks, I have a 99% chance of a full-term pregnancy. So we are very cautiously optimistic.

The day before this happened we had pretty much gutted our main bathroom. Thanks to the help of some really great friends and cousins (who are also friends), I was able to stay off my feet and they came and helped Chad with the bathroom. It will be gorgeous and should be, for the most part, finished tonight.

I personally am so greatful to those of you who knew what we were going through and kept checking on me. It has really helped to keep my spirits up. I am not a very strong person and tend to be pessimistic, so I know I couldn't have done this without the support that I have had. Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes.

On a lighter note - my sister is getting married this Saturday and I am so excited. I didn't find out until this past Saturday that she was the flower girl, but it makes sense, she is the only niece of the fine couple. I also got asked to be a bridesmaid on Saturday. So, I get a new dress. Woo Hoo!

Update on Teeth

Well, Ethan lost another tooth, and he lost yet another tooth. We think he may have swallowed it in his sleep. So, the tooth fairy is 0-9 at this house. Here is to hoping that one day the tooth fairy may be able to use less than magical powers to obtain Ethan's teeth.

Check out my Slide Show!

Just Inane Ramblings

So, we got a new computer and we set it up this past week. We also use vonage - VOIP services. We thought it a bit strange, but nice, that we did not get any phone calls for four days and discovered that we had neglected to reset our phone. So, if anyone was trying to call us, we weren't screening calls or anything like that, we were just negligent of our phone services.

I am very upset with the horrible "short-thing conspiracy" at our house lately. It seems to be the goal of all beings under 52" to make sure that I can not get a decent night's rest. If it is not the girl (otherwise known as Aubree), then it must be the dog (aka Boo). I don't do well without sleep, so I am a might bit cranky. We are on night four and the mom is not happy.

Since the gist of this whole blog entry is a wee bit negative, I thought that I might list just a few things that I have really enjoyed lately.

1. My little guy, Ethan, still loves to cuddle with me. I thought by eight he might not, but he does. Kisses have been outlawed for a year or more, but he still wants to sit on my lap.
2. We found a jar of Nutella at Costco. I know it isn't healthy, but it is a nostalgic bit of comfort for both Chad and I. MMMMMM, Nutella.
3. Chad bought me a snowblower the beginning of December. Although I enjoy shoveling snow because it reminds me of being a kid, we've had a lot and it is tiring to shovel all the snow we have had. So, I love that we bought a small snowblower.
4. I love how Aubree accepts compliments. She used to say "I know" whenever I complimented her. Now she actually sounds a little surprised, smiles and says "thank you, mommy."

Well, I figure this is enough inane ramblings for now. I hope all of you are having a great week!

As long as the mom is writing, chances are I will not be adding pictures (at least not that are relevant to the topic). I know that it is easy to upload photos, I just don't do it very often.

Well, in the past few weeks there has not been much that I either want to or feel like I can write about. Ethan had an ear infection and Aubree has had a killer cough, but we thankfully seem to be on the downside of both of these things.

Ethan did do a presentation in school today about what he wants to be when he grows up. All the kids had to dress up like their desired profession. Ethan has abandoned his plan to be a "Ninjaneer" (for those of you not familiar with this phrase - it's an engineer by day, a ninja by night), and has decided to be a zookeeper. We had to research it quite a bit. He discovered that he would have to go to school for four years and would still probably just end up literally poop scooping (as opposed to his parents who metaphorically poop scoop - j/k). He was thrilled to learn he would make around $20,000 - 40,000. Most kids were dressed up as doctors and nurses, I saw a few in Sunday clothes that said they would be accountants, and there was one dance teacher. They were all adorable. I must say, though, Ethan stood out. He wore khaki shorts, a khaki camo shirt, sunglasses, hiking boots, rugged watch and a walkie talkie. The reason he really stood out though was his blatant refusal to smile or show any emotion. The kid looked like he was terrified, but didn't want to show fear. Afterwards, he explained to me that was how zookeepers acted, because you can't let animals know that you're afraid.

Aubree is up to her usual dramatic antics. We were practicing reading, and she was struggling with the book and yelled that she was stupid. When I explained that it is okay to struggle, especially since she is not even in kindergarten, she gave me a dirty look, ran into the corner and yelled, "Just leave me alone to die, I mean it, leave me alone to die!"

She (Aubree) has also been very busy inventing things. We got a new computer and were setting up a network in our office, so there was a lot of styrofoam around. Well, she has had a boat, a stage, a doghouse and a lemonade stand with the same piece. It is so fun to see what she can come up with.

Chad and Corinne both still work, and it takes up entirely too much precious time in our lives, but we got to eat. Other than that, though - it's been a good couple of weeks.

Eight Teeth - No Payout for the Tooth Fairy

Well, Ethan lost his eighth tooth this week (December 30). Normally, I wouldn’t be so aware of the number of teeth a child had lost, especially by the eighth. Thing is, we have a special problem with teeth in this family. They never make it under the pillow.

Tooth number one – swallowed while eating a chicken nugget, mom was not about to wade through any “stuff” to retrieve said tooth. So, the tooth fairy received a nice note asking for forgiveness and a payout.

Teeth two through five – Ethan’s two bottom teeth started to grow in without forcing the baby teeth out. So, the dentist had to pull the four bottom center teeth to allow the teeth to come in straight. He put the teeth in this cool, little tooth ring and it came home with us. The mom was so excited to finally see a tooth, that she took the ring. She also noticed something wrong in a flower bed and walked across the lawn with the ring to check the bed out. When she came back from that excursion, all four teeth had fallen out somewhere in the lawn. Mom was not above searching through the lawn for three hours, but finally gave up when Ethan said it was okay. Mom wrote a nice note to the tooth fairy explaining her stupidity, and Ethan received a nice payout.

Teeth six and seven – One of Ethan’s buddies at school decided it would be fun to head butt him, knocking out tooth six in the school cafeteria and leaving tooth seven hanging on for dear life. Tooth six was sitting on Ethan’s lunch tray when the lunch lady came and threw it out. When tooth seven finally came out an hour later at home, he wrapped it up in a paper towel and headed out the door for cub scouts. Dad, not knowing what precious cargo was stowed in the wadded paper towel, through this in the trash and took the trash out to the can. Once again, the tooth fairy received a nice note from Ethan, this time blaming the lunch lady and father. He once again got a payout.

Tooth eight was our last hope. It came out cleanly, nicely – no trauma and not embedded in food. Ethan promptly placed the tooth in a Ziploc baggy and was instructed to place the baggy under his pillow. No notes needed this time. However, that night when Mom and Dad reminded Ethan to make sure his tooth was under the pillow, he said he couldn’t remember where he put the tooth. Everyone looked, we still can’t find it.

Well, the tooth fairy quite used to not receiving the payout at this house, felt bad for the poor kid, the first six were not his fault (the seventh, I have to admit was more his fault than neat-freak dad’s), but the kid deserved a break. So a nice dollar bill was left the first night. Mom saw it herself in the morning. She asked Ethan about it, he said he felt he didn’t deserve anything since he lost it. Mom said he should check again. He didn’t find anything. So two nights later, Mom asked him about it again. He checked under his first pillow right in front of her, and said “See, Nothing.” So Mom said, “What about checking under the other pillow?” He did and found his reward. I DON’T KNOW WHY THE TOOTH FAIRY EVEN BOTHERS AT THIS HOUSE.