Sunday, May 17, 2009

Check Out Our Pearly Whites

We made our biannual trek to the dentist this past week and boy was I in for a surprise! Jared has always been amazing at the dentist - mouth open wide, letting them clean every nook and cranny, taking x-rays, even having a cavity filled - including a shot to numb his mouth! Liz, on the other hand, has only opened her mouth one time for them and they were able to clean 3 teeth before she said she was finished. Long story short, Liz has had 3 teeth cleaned TOTAL in our 4 or 5 visits to the dentist. Usually she sits with her mouth clamped tightly shut; it is always an experience!!!


I tried to talk to Liz about what would happen at the dentist for a few days before we went. We even went to the library and checked out books about going to the dentist. She was wavering and even considering letting them clean the bugs out of her teeth. Then the morning of our appointment she announced that she wasn't going to let them touch her teeth. Oh joy, here we go again!

On the way there I was trying to be sneaky - I asked Jared what flavors they offer when you get your teeth cleaned. He named about 6 flavors. I asked him if they tasted yummy. He said they were delicious! Liz was silent the entire ride there. I then asked Jared which flavor he was going to choose. He pondered (so many great choices) and finally decided on grape. We arrived, parked, and were unloading when Liz announced, "I'm going to pick cherry!"

They took us all back together and cleaned my teeth first with Jared and Lizzie sitting next to me. Liz must have asked me 6 or 7 times if it hurt. You would have thought I was getting a massage for how positive my answers were! She was very interested in everything that was being done. Then they came and took Jared for his check-up (thus the lack of Jared pictures - I was in the middle of my appointment!). Liz fluttered between the two chairs watching me and then watching Jared. Luckily our appointment time was 8 AM and we were the only patients for a long time!

My appointment ended and I walked over to see Jared finished and Liz being prepped. You can see the anxiety in her eyes.


And then the shocking part...Liz opened her mouth and let them clean her teeth! There was no cajoling, no begging, no bribery involved. She let them clean.


She let them floss.


She even let them fluoride!


It was my most enjoyable trip to the dentist in at least 2 years. I guess my baby girl is getting mature! Here's Liz at the end when she heard she was getting a new princess toothbrush. See, going to the dentist is a ton of fun! Well, let's not get crazy...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Lizzie's Luau

Liz's birthday luau was a blast! We always try to keep the invite list down and somehow it always explodes once you invite the family, everyone in her church class (and their families), her friends from dance class, friends from Cerritos, and on and on... How do you cut down your lists??

We started the party with guests receiving leis as they arrived. The children could either play on the playground equipment or color pictures. Once we had a good number of guests we started our first activity - hula dancing! We handed out hats for the boys and the girls were given hula skirts and Hawaiian flowers for their hair. The kids looked adorable.


Grandma taught the hukilau to the kids and Danny and Grandpa played their ukuleles!





After all that dancing, the children were starving. We served fruit and veggies since it was around 10:30 in the morning! I was happily surprised how much healthy food they consumed!


Once their energy had returned, we had a scavenger hunt! I read a clue and the children ran to the first stop where they found buckets and shovels to hold the rest of their goodies from the hunt.


At each location in the scavenger hunt they would find something to put in their buckets to take home (thus taking care of their party favors! Sneaky, eh?!). They found packets of swedish fish, little necklaces with plumeria flowers, packages of goldfish, candy, little princess stamps, and paddleball games with tiki faces on them. My personal favorite part was watching the children run like crazy once someone figured out the clue! It was fantastic - here's a sample!



The final clue led them back to the table where cupcakes were set up.


As the kids scarfed down their cupcakes, we brought out Liz's cake. It was made by Vanessa and was amazing!


When it was time to sing to Liz and blow out the candles, Liz did a most unusual thing for her - she got shy! She refused to blow out the candles, kept burying her face in Dan's shoulder, and generally refused to look at anyone. Jared blew out her candles for her and when the attention was off of her again, then she peeked around.


Then it was time to open presents. Most of the guests played on the playground while Liz opened her terrific presents. I can't think of a single one that she didn't love. In fact, you can see her new boots that she immediately put on after opening them!


Finally, Liz joined the kids playing until their parents were exhausted and took them home! Here are some favorite guests who weren't kids! First, Jared's favorite babysitters of all time were kind enough to come: Andrea and Aaron. These two are so kind to our kids. Jared is always hugging Aaron in front of his friends and he is still kind to Jared!!! Andrea's gift was a purse full to the brim with different kinds of chapstick - tell me this girl doesn't know my Liz! Andrea also held Lucas for a long time so that I could coordinate the party. At one point she put him in the swing and he was having so much fun!


Next - is Liz's favorite babysitter Kelly. Kelly has been such a huge blessing for me! Right after Lucas was born Kelly came to sit with me at church to help! She keeps Jay and Liz occupied if I'm dealing with Luke or she holds Luke for me if Jay or Liz need something specific from me. I adore her! It started out as service for her and turned into her Young Women's project! We're super grateful to Kelly for making my church experience so much more enjoyable. This past year with a 5 year old, 3 year old and newborn would have been so much more traumatic without Kelly.


Finally, Alan and Miki came too! We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives. I'm always surprised when adults come to things like this just to be supportive. We love Alan and Miki!


It was really a fun birthday party and not too stressful for me (mostly because we had so much help from our families and Vanessa! Thanks to everyone for contributing!!!). Here is most of our family at the end of the party (Lucas was already asleep in Vanessa's arms!).


Happy 4th Birthday, Liz! We love you.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Rocking the Faux Hawk

Slow Down, Luke!

Here is Luke's newest trick. He is growing too fast - I need to slow down and enjoy each moment a little bit more. (Unfortunately the video is sideways...it was taken with a phone).

The first time I saw him do this was April 5th outside when the kids were playing in their little pool... Now he does it all the time. He's growing so fast!

Hold it Right There, Tooth Fairy!

This week Jared experienced his first loose tooth! We discovered it was loose on the way home from Liz's birthday party. He played with it and wiggled it continuously until it finally fell out on Monday while he was eating an apple. He refused to let the tooth fairy take it - he wanted to enjoy it for a few days. Finally on Wednesday night he put it under his pillow and was excited in the morning to find two fifty cent pieces under his pillow. My baby boy is growing too fast!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Life of Liz

Here is a short pictorial of our life with Liz.

2 days old:


6 months old:


1st birthday:


Already practicing her model poses:



Has an older brother and doesn't mind getting dirty!


2nd birthday diva:


3rd birthday princess:


Becoming a big sister:


4th birthday hula dancer:



Can't wait to see what this new year brings...