Picture Update

I have been lacking in the blogging department. Or even in the uploading pictures department. So here are a bunch of pics from November and December. And some videos as well.

http://picasaweb.google.com/timandmelody

Our Little Singer

Our church had a Christmas program today and Erin had a solo in "The Friendly Beasts" song. A video is below. Melody and Tim were part of a six person Christmas choir, too. But, thankfully, there is no video of that!

Going to the Dentist

We finally got our oldest daughter to the dentist at age 4 and 2 months. While my daughter's health is of utmost importance to me, I admit I have been procrastinating on this one major rite of passage. We brush regularly, and try to drink water instead of sugary drinks, but our insurance didn't cover any pediatric dentists and our family dentist wouldn't see a 3 year old. So I used all these excuses to cover for what I was really worried about...a child who would totally freak out and cry, bite the dentist, you name it...

The day before "D" day, we checked out all the "____________ Goes to the Dentist" books you could find. You fill in the blank...Dora, Green Puppy (from Blue's Clues), Vera, etc. In 'Vera Goes to the Dentist' the child, Vera, actually does bite the dentist, and runs out of the dentists office while the dentist and her mother chase her around the block. Oops! I should have pre-screened the books!

It turned out that all my worrying was for naught (as it usually is). While she did request that I hold her hand throughout the entire check-up, that was a small price to pay for her calm cooperation.

They cleaned and polished her teeth, and I even snuck a photo while the dental hygienist went out to get the dentist. The dentist said her teeth looked good. When I said it was her first visit to the dentist, he said, "Then they look really good." So now I can leave my mother-guilt behind. I did not permanently harm my daughter's teeth by waiting so long to take her to the dentist.

Just an informal poll...What age were you, or your kids at your first dentist appointment? I personally have no recollection of going to the dentist for the first time. I'm sure my daughter will forget it too!

Anna - 7 months

Here are Anna's 7 month pics. And one of Erin painting a pumpkin today.

Anna: 6 month stats

Height: 26.25 in; 70th percentile
Weight: 17.5 lbs; 75th percentile

4 shots and lots of crying.

An October Break

Since Melody is not working this year, we were able to join Tim's family for an October trip to Myrtle Beach. The weather was great: sunny and low 80s.

Here are some pictures.

Six Months

Anna is now 6 months old. Here are some pics from September.

http://picasaweb.google.com/timandmelody/Sept2008#

So Says Erin

#1.
It's been a couple of weeks since preschool started and every time anyone asks her if she likes preschool she says, No. But then, one day, Erin whispers to Melody:

"To tell you the truth, I like preschool."

Finally, the truth!

#2
Erin asks Melody, "Do you know what I was doing?"
Melody responds, "No."
Erin says, "Then I wasn't doing anything."

Hmm, somehow I doubt that!

(Pre)School Begins

Erin started preschool at a local church last week. She really enjoys it, yet at any given moment, if you ask her if she likes school, she may say yes or no. She gravitates toward the dress up area. A popular game is pretending to be princesses who fly in a space ship!






This past Saturday, Erin began taking soccer classes. She wanted to be on the red team and we showed up and everyone got a red shirt! The classes are more about learning the skills. The picture below is after Erin dancing after she scored a goal.




Anna is now able to sit up unassisted for fairly long periods of time. But she still isn't fully versed in the art of sitting as the pics below show.


Sitting up


About to topple


The topple


The roll

Our New Kitchen

This spring we decided to add a dishwasher to our kitchen. After realizing that we'll be in this house longer than planned (thank you, housing market!), we decided we might as well redo the whole kitchen. So after several weeks of construction and waiting, we finally have our completed kitchen. We love it! And no more washing dishes by hand!

Here are some before and after shots.