Green Thumb

I think Green Thumbs must skip a generation. At least in our family they did. I have a black thumb but Vance has an incredible Green Thumb. At church about three weeks ago we had a lesson about plants. Vance's other teacher had each of the kids plant their own pea seeds and take them home. I have been AMAZED at how big Vance's plant is. He is so good about remembering to water it. I think a plant is the perfect starter pet. :)

Vance and his Pea.
(Don't you love his outfit?! Accessories make the man. lol)

The plant.
I think I'm going to need to transplant it soon.
Any tips or advice?!

Have I mentioned Vance's funny sense of humor lately?!
He must take after his dad. (See here.)

Speaking of Vance's funny sense of humor. The other day Tj was reading to him a "David" book. (As seen here.) There's a part when David is picking his nose and Tj was saying that we don't pick our noses. Vance said, "Yes we do! I do it all the time!" And then proceeded to laugh his head off. :) Such a funny kid.

The Dentist: Act II

So can we just pretend that this is LAST Tuesday?! I thought so.

We took Vance to his first visit. I have to admit I was a lot less apprehensive this time. Although not entirely relaxed because Vance chips his teeth a lot (apparently he grinds them according to Dr. C.) but it's not a big deal right now so after that I was able to relax. I'm actually not dreading their next appointment in September. :) It turned into a whole family affair this time around. Tj had gotten home early from work so he decided to go and Joel's play-date got canceled due to the stomach flu. You know it's a good dentist when your child chooses hang out at the dentist over stay home with daddy. lol

Vance got X-Rays of his teeth.
He did a great job sitting there and wasn't at all nervous.

While we waited for the dentist the boys played video games.

Dr. C checking and cleaning Vance's teeth.
No cavities! Yay!

Vance getting his teeth cleaned.
He chose blue raspberry flavored toothpaste.

We have always been pretty good about brushing teeth but now the boys always remind me to floss their teeth too. :) I was also a bit concerned for a little while because in one of the other rooms there was a kid who was NOT liking being at the dentist. I was afraid that once Vance heard the kid screaming (and he was screaming and having a melt-down) Vance would get uncooperative. But he handled it like a champ. (Thank goodness he had gotten an early nap!)

The Dentist: Act I

I took Joel to the Dentist today- for the first time. I KNOW! I am way behind the curve and about 3 years late. But if you ask me it was worth it because Joel handled it like a champ; and so did I. Here's a little secret, I am kind of afraid of the dentist. Well not so much the dentist but the sounds at the dentist. The drill, the polisher, the clicking of the metal plaque scraper. Even the very thought of all these send my anxiety levels soaring! But this isn't about me. It's about Joel and he was NOT afraid of the dentist.


First they took X-Rays of his teeth. He did awesome and thought it was really cool that the dental assistant let him see them as they popped up on the computer screen.

All suited up for the X-Ray.
(He's such a goof. He looks really serious here but he smiled as soon as I took the picture.)

Next it was time to clean his teeth.
They let him pick his own flavor of cleaner; he chose cherry.
Did I mention that he got to watch "Shrek III" while they were cleaning?!
Sometimes he forgot that they were cleaning his teeth and
they'd have to ask him to open his mouth wide.
He's already training to do the whole "male-zone-out-in-front-of-the-tv" thing.

Then Dr. C came in and counted all his teeth.
He said they all looked good.
NO CAVITIES! YAY
Again Joel got distracted by the TV while the doc checked out his teeth.

All in all it was a great trip to the dentist. We'll go back tomorrow for Vance. Hopefully it will be a great experience for him too. (Crossing my fingers!)

Joel The Artist

I know that this will seem silly to post about but I was really excited about Joel getting into drawing pictures- well more specifically people. My kids have always liked coloring and art projects but drawing things that would be recognizable to anyone but themselves was not high on their priority list. So imagine my surprise when Joel drew this on the white board:


Notice that he even wrote their names on the side. Also take note that Vance has spiky hair. lol

Joel and his masterpiece and his inspiration.
Vance is seriously one funny kid. Love the face.
(Also notice the trusty blanket nearby. sigh)

Of course Vance wanted to show his masterpiece.
He drew hearts- awwwww! :)

When Vance draws on things he likes to use his left hand.
Silly boy, we'll see if he turns out left handed like Tj or not.

Joel's second rendition of himself and his brother.

The only draw back to using the white board is that the drawings don't last if I don't take a picture. Maybe we'll go back to the old pen and paper. :)