Halloween, 2008

Friday, October 31st--This morning I got Elise all ready to go, she looked so adorable in her pirate costume. She got off to school and then it was time to get Brady ready in his costume. Both cooperated so nicely and I was so thankful for that. I decided to spike Brady's hair to look more Jedi-ish. At Bradys pre-school, there were little 3 and 4 year-olds all over with the cutest costumes. I loved to see how creative parents were, some costumes were so original and fun. Brady's pre-school teacher asked that each child bring enough treats for the whole class (12) so we got some fun party bags and filled them up with yummy treats. Other moms did too, as well as Mrs. Petersen, so Brady came home with quite a large amount of candy.
After I dropped Brady off I went to Elise's school to sit in the gym and wait---a VERY long time--for the costume parade. I didn't mind the wait because I got to sit by my friends, Mindy, Lindsay and, later on, Melissa. I enjoyed chatting with them all, I had a great time! When the parade finally began I noticed all the 1st grade teachers were dressed up as different colored crayons, it was so cute! Mrs. Mair was an adorable "preggo" crayon. Mindy, Lindsay and I had fun picking out all the children in our neighborhood and waving/smiling "hi" at them. After the parade I went into Elise's classroom and gave her a quick hug and kiss then I was off to get some last-minute things at the grocery store, right before I had to pick up Brady. The grocery store was packed! I picked up some fun-looking flower arrangements to give to my kids teachers then off to get Brady. I took some pictures of Brady with Mrs. Petersen AND with Brady's "love interest". Her name is Rylie, as you can see, she's shorter than him (she's just about average height for most 3-year-olds!) but she is such a sweet, pretty little girl and both of them talk about each other when they get home. Rylie has an older brother, Camden, who is Elise's age. Last year, Elise gave Camden his very first kiss, on the cheek, of course! It's so funny how our paths have crossed with all four of these kids. Their parents are great too!
Brady and I got home and I made him a PB&J sandwich and used a large ghost-shaped cookie cutter to create a ghost sandwich---he was thrilled! Elise got a ghost-shaped sandwich too and was just as thrilled.
After lunch Brady helped me get the house straightened up and I got things ready for tonight. We invited Nate's parents, Dan & Rosemary, over and they happily accepted. We planned on doing a fire-pit, cooking meat on the grill, and hanging outside all evening but the wind picked up and it began to rain. Once Dan & Rosemary got here we ate dinner and then got the kids in their costumes. I also bought our dog, Bohdee, a pirate outfit. It was hilarious! Then they took the kids, with Nate, out to trick-or-treat while I stayed back to pass out candy. We had TONS of kids come! After a while, I took the kids and my in-laws up to a street that decorated their homes in a "Harry Potter" theme. It seems like only 6 or 7 homes really participated but those that did made their homes look fabulous. When we were done there we came back to watch "It's A Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and to go through all the candy and munch on some of it. What a great Halloween night, even though it rained. The kids had a wonderful day and Nate and I did too! The kids are already talking about next year and making plans!

A Night of Carving Pumpkins

Monday, October 27th--Sorry folks, I'm back-tracking a little. As I was catching up on my blog I was so stressed over the orthodontist thing that I forgot to include a post on our pumpkin carving last night. For FHE, we carved up the 4 pumpkins that have been sitting on our porch for a few weeks. It was the first time we had the kids help us and they did a great job. Elise chose the smallest pumpkin and I helped her carve a bat into it. I chose the largest and carved out three different faces. Nate chose a smaller one and carved a spider. Then we worked on a family pumpkin--which I ended up carving everything out--and we traced a few different things on there. Elise and Brady laughed and got pretty grossed out by the pumpkin guts. They wouldn't handle them but gladly let me and Nate do so. Bohdee was happy to lick up all the pumpkin innards that dropped on the floor (weird). It was a great night and, of course, we put candles in to see how cool our creations turned out.

Elise's Day at the Orthodontist

Tuesday, October 28th--Still mourning over the passing of my beloved hairbrush, I took Elise to the orthodontist for a scheduled appointment. Earlier this month, her dentist recommended she see an ortho since it didn't appear she had a whole lot of space for all the new teeth coming in. He was right.........so blasted right! We spent over an hour there getting x-rays and photos taken. Elise was a good sport as some of it looked very uncomfortable. The news was not good, not good at all. The bottom line: her jaw, upper and lower, is too small to accommodate all the permanent teeth coming in. She's in for a long, uncomfortable process and my heart just hurts for her right now. Even as the ortho explained it and showed us models of the kind of things needed to be done, I don't think Elise could grasp it all. For starters, next week, she'll get imprints done and then spacers put in on the back of her molers. When the molers are spaced out enough then she'll have metal expanders put on both the top and bottom of her mouth. They will "weld" them on so they don't come off. For 3-4 months we have to "wind" the expander, every night, to widen her jaw. If I heard right, the expanders will be in for up to 12 months. Because of this, her front teeth will seperate from each other, leaving large gaps in between so the next phase is braces on the 4 teeth in front, top and bottom, to bring them back together, hoping enough space has been made to make room for the other teeth coming in. I heard the ortho mention "head gear" but I couldn't bare to have him expound upon that. He said she may have to wear a face piece when she sleeps to help align as well. Once the expanders are off she will have to wear a retainer for another year. And, finally, braces on all of the teeth, in a few years, when all her permanent teeth are in. This is the final comments I played out in my head, coming from the ortho, before we went into his office today: "Yes, there's not enough space in her mouth for her teeth to come in straight so we'll do braces in a few years." I was way off! The cost of this all? Well, we won't even go there yet.
I write this not for sympathy but just out of overwhelming frustration and sorrow. Now I have to hurt both of my children, everyday, for the sake of their health and well-being. Brady gets finger pokes and shots, now Elise will have painful orthodontic work for the next, who-knows-what, years. If it doesn't get taken care of now, the measures to fix the problem later on will be far worse. There is a guilt associated with these things that only another mother or father can understand: "This is my genetic flaw," "my DNA," "I passed it on to my child" "Why not me instead of them?," "If I could take it on myself, saving them from the misery and pain, I would," etc. I've heard, many times over, "It's not your fault.", "There's nothing you could do.", "It's nothing you knew would ever happen." As much as those saying are meant to comfort, they don't.
So, after stopping for a very-fattening shake at Artic Circle ("comfort food"), I took my kids home. I know Elise will be okay, she's stronger than she lets on sometimes. Just like Brady, she'll amaze us with her strength and ability to endure. When she cries, we'll be there to comfort her and help her feel better---probably even spoil her a bit! When we cry, we'll do it in private so she doesn't get worried. And this time, I vow not to gain a bunch of weight by wallowing in every fattening food my heart desires.
What lessons we have to learn from this all, only our Father in Heaven knows. I apologize for depressing anyone that reads this, that's not my intent. Just pray for miracles, pray for Elise's mouth to just straighten itself out---without all this hardware! Pray for cures, not just for Type 1 Diabetes, pray for all cures (I'm so optimistic the "cure-all" to just about everything is stem-cells, there just needs to be that special researcher that figures the magic combination).
So now, it's night time and I'm really wanting that peppermint ice cream in the freezer..........hmmmm, maybe I should see if there are any peppermint flavored carrots instead.

A Tragic Loss

Tuesday, October 28th--Yes, my friends, a tragic loss has occured today. My good, long-time friend and companion is no more. So sad, indeed. My dear hairbrush. It's been through so much! Thick and thin, long and short (I had my hair layered and cut short just to lighten the burden of my aging friend), feathering and straightening, it's been through so much. When I had bangs, it did a marvelous job. It had the privilege few people ever have, being able to run it's smoothe bristles through my hair--something my own husband has never been able to do! It's been clogged up with gel and hair spray and took the extreme hot temps as I washed it clean. It's been around for many years.......many, many, many years.......Today, the handle broke as I was busy ratting my hair to style it for the day. Such a trooper! Farewell, my sweet "Hairy". You were so brave to take on hair like mine. You will be missed, I only hope my new brush will do the same and last as long.

Don't cry for me, people, I will recover.......but it'll never be the same again.......a moment of silence please........

Bohdee the Shaggy Dog!

Monday, October 27th--It's been much too long since Bohdee got groomed. Today was the day! After getting a clean bill of health last week (hooray, no more ear infections!), I made an appointment with the local groomer. He sure needed it! He looks like an Ewok! Since this was his first grooming I asked what was all involved. She bathed him, trimmed his hair, clipped his claws and I heard her say "anal glands" but decided not to ask her to go into details on that one. I just assume whatever she did to his anal glands was necessary.
We thought he was getting a little too plump but, nope, it was all his hair! Once I picked him up it was like a different dog! I can't stop laughing at him, he looks like his head it too big for his body now! Silly dog!

UEA Weekend--A Day At the Zoo

Saturday, October 18th--We didn't make any travel plans this UEA. A short while back I had been asked to teach at a Cub Scout Pow Wow at BYU. Since we hadn't made official plans to do anything that weekend it didn't feel right to say no so we made little plans. While I taught at the Pow Wow, Nate took the kids to Hogle Zoo. I missed being with my family but I'm not a zoo fan and, as much as I try, it clearly shows when I go to a zoo. Since they all like the zoo they picked a place I wouldn't feel like I missed out on. They had a great time! Nate said they loved playing more than seeing the animals. Apparently, much has changed and Nate was, somewhat, disappointed with what's been done and which animals have been taken out. Nevertheless, I think the pictures say it all. They had a great day and I did too! I'm so glad I was asked to teach at the Pow Wow. I'm still learning so much about Cub Scouts (I'm a Stake Cub Scout Unit Commissioner). It's an amazing program for the boys and I'm beginning to enjoy it more and more. I was asked to teach the Cub Scout basics and terminology, which was good since that's all I know right now! ha ha ha Overall, we had a great UEA weekend. Mostly, we were able to just relax and be together as a family. The kids fought a little more than usual but sending them to their rooms cured that. I'm not sad about not traveling. It always seems to be so exhausting and takes a while to recover after we get back. I guess we'll plan a vacay during Spring Break--I bet you can guess the place! ; )

Got Tagged Again!

Thanks Brit, they're fun to do! Here goes!

8 Favorite TV Shows-
1. The Office
2. Dog the Bounty Hunter
3. Little House on the Prairie
4. Oprah (occassionally)
5. Robot Chicken (yes, naughty, I know)
6. King of the Hill
7. a few shows on TLC
8. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

8 Favorite Restaurants-
1. Applebees
2. Braza Grill/Rodizio Grill
3. Olive Garden
4. Pie Pizza
5. Sweet Tomatos
6. Souper Salad
7. Los Hermanos
8. IHOP

8 Things I Did Yesterday-
1. Got Elise ready for school
2. Got Brady ready for pre-school and drove him/picked him up
3. Took Bohdee to the vet (clean bill of health--finally!)
4. Did the dishes
5. Organized the house a little
6. Picked up the girls from school
7. Mopped the floor
8. Went to Girls Night Out--Olive Garden, so much fun and yummy too!

8 Things On My Wish List-
1. Lose Weight
2. A Romantic Cruise
3. Trip to Europe
4. Unfinished projects completed
5. New Carpet or switch to hardwood floors
6. A house with a bigger yard & 3 car garage (for all the kids stuff)
7. A cure for Juvenile Diabetes
8. Complete our year-supply food storage

8 Things To Look Forward To-
1. Holidays coming up
2. Possibly another child (we'll see what's in store for us)
3. Opening our Wii and Wii Fit (have to wait till Christmas)
4. Disneyland
5. Seeing my family in WA
6. A cure for Juvenile Diabetes
7. Watching my kids grow
8. A long, happy life with Nate

8 People To Tag-
*Whoever wants to do this. It's always fun and I'm glad I don't have to take a bunch of pics this time! Cheers!

The Hunt Is Over!

Wednesday, October 15th--PHEWWEEEEEEE! We found a Wii! Thanks to the many of you that made suggestions. Congrats to Brittainey and Marissa for the Wii-obtaining tips! Brittainey got her cookies and now we need to get Marissa's hers. For any of you looking for your own, please let me know and I'll gladly share with you the site we found ours on. The only thing that sucks now is that we have to wait till Christmas! Ug! I'm trying to be optmistic that these next two months will go by fast but also, that we have time to cram everything in Nate and I are planning for the holidays and still enjoy it all.

Cheers!

On the Hunt for a Wii!

Sunday, October 12th--I have already explained my situation to some of my family but I'm making a plea to whoever else reads this...........I need a Wii!!!!!! Well, don't need one but REALLY would like one! My Aunt Maureen saw a Wii Fit for $90.00 at Target and called me up to see if I wanted it, I said, "Yes, of course!" And then I thought it would be so easy to get a Wii console. Not so much! So here's my plea: If any of you fine local readers of this blog happen to see a Wii for sale or know of a secret website that no one knows about and I can go to and buy one for no more than $250.00 (new), please let me know ASAP. I thought I was being good about trying to find one before the holidays really get going but I've had no such luck. The Wii is for Christmas. A batch of cookies to anyone who has better luck than me and finds the coveted Wii for the Armstrong family! Call me at home!

P.S. Yes Brittainey, I am KICKING myself for not buying yours! ha ha ; )

Our Little Smarty-Pants, Continued!

Friday, October 10th--I should have posted this on Wednesday but forgot so here goes. Elise had her first SEP conference for 1st grade. We sat down with Mrs. Mair to see how she's progressing so far, this year. Once again, I was amazed at Elise's abilities. Every night she is sent home with a book to read and pass off. Nate or I will listen to her read and help with any words then we ask her a series of questions to make sure she understood what she read. Mrs. Mair said she expects her students to be at a post-Kindergarten (level C, 3-4) level right now---Elise is at a 2nd grade level (level H, 13-14) and is being bumped up another level. She also gave Elise a list of 100 words and she was to see how many she recognized. Mrs. Mair expects her students to know about 40 of the words, Elise knew 89. Sweet! Her math skills are also above average. I know she gets that from her dad, imagine that! We're so proud of our little girl! Great job Elise!
And, just to make sure she's still a typical 6-year-old in some things, Mrs. Mair said we need to help her work on appropriate times to "chat". She's been caught a few times chatting with her friends instead of doing her work, in particular, that very day of the SEP! Silly Elise! Other than that she's a great helper and friend. Mrs. Mair switched the classroom around and told me she put a shy, quiet girl next to Elise because she knows Elise will be her friend and help her not be so shy. That felt good to hear. She also said Elise is very respectful to the other students and Mrs. Mair. While there are times we don't always see these amazing qualities in Elise, it's nice to know she's doing so in school. Again, great job Elise! We love you!
**Above is her 1st grade picture. I love that she's missing teeth, too cute!