Catch-up

No excuses here...I'm 2 months over-due for a blog post. 

Life is GOOD! I have been with my new job for 10 months and love it! I definitely feel at home there and have already made a lot of connections with my patients. I now remember why I chose dental hygiene as an occupation. I also completed my 6th 1/2 marathon this year with a new PR and I have been enjoying my time bonding with my son while the girls are in school. 

Genevieve and Jocelyn are very active and involved in soccer, basketball, skiing, etc. and are truly enjoying their little brother. They adore him and tend to his every beck and call. 

Jonah is growing like a weed (slow down buddy!) and keeps us busy yet completely entertained. His favorite word is "mama" (can you blame him?) His favorite toys are my kitchen utensils. Why we buy him cars, balls, building blocks, etc. is beyond me. He prefers measuring cups.

Sam has enjoyed skiing with the girls almost every weekend. He is also gearing up for his 5th (?) annual "Reach the Beach" 100 mile bike ride this May. Be prepared, he might hit you up for a donation to the American Lung Association which supports his race. 

Sam and I celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary this year. We are definitely blessed!

But I know that really what you want is pictures, so, here ya go...

The snow wasn't coming to us...so we went to it! Mission Ridge didn't have much either, but more than we had at home. The girls currently live, breathe, and sleep skiing. Sam took them down an unnamed "run" which he considered a "cliff" or "black diamond." They obviously got their talent from their mother  father.

 

Daddy's little man visiting him at work

Drinking mommy's protein shake. Could he be any cuter?

I mean, Seriously?! 

These 3. They are mine. Don't be jealous. 

Pre-Christmas excitement

Our girls have reached a milestone in their lives. The one where their parents teach them the art of doorbell ditching.

The eve of Christmas Eve, we took them out to deliver some small Christmas gifts to their friends. Only the gifts were left on the porch after the girls rang the doorbell and bolted back to the car.

The gifts? They were a 2 liter of root beer and a can of beans with a sign wishing them a "Rootin' Tootin Christmas!"

The girls were laughing hysterically and it was only a matter of minutes down the road that we got texts from their friend's parents thanking and laughing with us.

The highlight of the night though was when Jocelyn ran to the wrong car...not the one idling with the door wide open ready for her arrival, but the parked car in someone's driveway that didn't even have any lights on! She is such a nut!

Merry Christmas!

From our crazy family to yours!

Wedding Ring Blues

I know that there are worse things in life, but imagine the pain I felt when I looked down at my finger to see this:

And to retrace my steps was not going to be an easy task. I had been to a retail store, a doctor's office, and a grocery store prior to me noticing the diamond was missing at my house.

At first I cried. Yes, I'm a baby. I told Sam that my heart was broken. Obviously, the diamond can be replaced, but the sentimental value it holds in our marriage was gone.

I emptied our vacuum and vacuumed the house. Twice. Then I inspected the vacuum bag only to find mounds of dirt, rocks and hair (seriously, 3 girls in the house can produce a lot of shedding hair!)

I called every place I had been to report it missing in the RARE chance that maybe it would have been spotted and turned in.

I searched the car, the diaper bag, my purse.

I looked through my clothes since I had changed.

Then I went to Sam's Christmas Party...without a ring on my finger. :(

26 hours later I FOUND IT!!!

I was putting Jonah in his car seat and lo and behold, right there on the floor beneath him, my diamond sparkled as if to say "Here I am! You can have me back!"

On a more serious note...

You all should know that I have struggled with the idea of writing the following post regarding an accident with Jonah because of fear, guilt, and sadness. Fortunately, as time has gone by, I know that I cannot keep my eyes on him 24-7 and I feel more comfortable talking about how he scared the living daylights out of Sam and I!

Just a few hours after a previous post (discussing how busy and active Jonah is,) we had a pretty good scare. It seems that even limiting him to 2 totally kid friendly rooms of the house does not guarantee safety.

The blinds in our playroom were pulled up completely (something that we never, ever do) and Jonah was able to play with the long flowing cord that dangled down, somehow wrapping it entirely around his neck and pulling it tight.

I am so thankful that Sam responded to his whimpering because if he went too much longer, it could have been a totally different ending to this story. He basically had a rope burn around his entire neck.We are very thankful that his Guardian Angel was watching out for him that night.

You know you're a hygienist when...

...your daughter's fight goes as follows:

Jocelyn: "Mom! Jenna didn't brush her teeth correctly, she only brushed 3 quadrants!"
Genevieve: "No I didn't, I brushed all 4 quadrants!"

Life with boys

Although raising girls (especially 2 that are 14 months apart) comes with it's own issues, like emotional drama, an overload of accessories and an abundance of irrational tears, the issues don't compare to those of boys.

Jonah is only 13 months old and comes with habits of putting things in his mouth. I'm not just talking about little choking hazards that most kids enjoy trying to eat (although that can be included in our list). I'm talking about finding him roaming the house with a cigar in his mouth...handfuls of fireplace soot, dirty diapers from the garbage, a RAZOR, and urine soaked toilet paper. Seriously! Nothing stops this kid. Ok, to be honest, the toilet paper wasn't in his mouth (that we know of) but it was definitely being played with.

Unfortunately, we have resolved to having EVERY door in our house shut at all times. Jonah can only be in 2 rooms unattended.