Back From The Dead.

I have one major statement about my surgery! I will NEVER have to do it again. I don't know if I would ever recommend getting all four teeth cut out of your head at the same time, but I lived through it so I am sure it's a common practice.

I was told by the first surgeon I went to that I would have to have my left jaw broken and wired shut afterwards, but the doc that did it didn't seem to think that particular procedure was necessary. He did say it would probably feel about the same post-operatively....yay for me! Anyway, the teeth were sliced out, stitched up, and all I had to show for it was bulldog cheeks and a bruised face.

The post-op period was definitely not fun, but I am doing very well now and I appreciate everybody's calls and generosity......thanks!

D-Day....Or Dentist Day.

Today is the day I have been putting off for a few years now! I am taking the plunge...all four wisdom teeth are coming out of my head. I don't know why they are called wisdom teeth...they contain only trouble...causing just plain ridiculosity when they show themselves! Goofy things. Anyway, they are causing serious issues in my mouth, and if I don't want to become septic, I need to woman-up and just do it.

So, I am not allowed to eat before the surgery, and my stomach is growling as I type. It's a great appetite suppressant, huh? (Except for my appetite is not really suppressed, just not permitted...hurumph.) My surgery is at 2:00 p.m. and we have to take the long drive to Kana to make it happen. Maybe I will take a nap on the way there so the suspense of the drive will not keep creeping up on me....or I will just uncontrollably jabber until my husband's ear falls off. That will be a fun hour for him.

Couple things about the procedure that you all may find amusing! There is a slight chance that afterwards my stitches could come out prematurely causing drinking to be an entirely different experience for me and everyone around. You see, my tooth sits very close to my sinus cavity and if not perfect, I could leak liquid from my nose each time I take a drink! How wonderful! Won't I be the life of the party? The kids will just love me....maybe I will make it on the internet!

I am sure everything will go as needed...just thought I would get a few thoughts off of my chest. I will post about my experience soon...

Oops!

The other night Chris and I were playing a card game. (UNO....we are wild aren't we??) We had finished and were getting ready to head back to the bed when I decided just to shove the box of UNO cards underneath the table with my foot....that didn't work out so well for me. The cards came out of the box and they fanned out in all directions, including underneath the couch....CRUD! I know with my ridiculous OCD issues that I would never be able to leave them de-containerized until that next morning. So I started gathering and collecting. I was trying so hard to get all of them that had meandered under the couch. Not a pretty picture...derriere up in the air grasping for silly UNO cards. (This entire time Chris is just laughing at me....rightfully so..I am a little crazy.) Well, I couldn't reach all of the cards so I had to move the entire couch out, which is not the easiest of tasks since our couch is a sleeper sofa. Anyway, I moved the couch and retrieved all of the blasted cards and started to push the couch back towards the wall. It seemed as though I was experiencing some resistance...it wouldn't go all the way back in. I figured one of the couch legs was stuck on our carpet...so I pushed even harder....still no movement. I decided to investigate and the goofy chihuahua had climbed behind the couch and was getting smashed up against the wall....oops, sorry Fargo! I pulled the couch back out and the dog started walking the wrong way...towards the narrow, not pulled out from the wall end. When his pea-sized brain figured out that he couldn't fit through that way, he put it in reverse, got out, and went and hid in our bedroom! We are assuming no damage was done....to the couch, the wall, or poor Fargo.

A Very Kind Gesture!

Yesterday, my husband came home with these:
What a nice treat at the end of a workday. He also had a very endearing card stating how much he loved me. It's these wonderful sporadic displays of love that I adore about him. I am so thankful to have found my one and only! Thanks honey, I love you.

Almost That Time Of Year Again!

It's getting down to the last few weeks of summer and the boys are not too happy about that! Oh well...summers just don't last as long (it seems). They like school, but they would rather just do their little bit of "summer school" and then get on with their day. Anyway, I have ordered almost all of my curriculum and should be getting it soon.

Braydon is doing preschool/kindergarten this year. We are using Sonlight and Handwriting Without Tears for him. I haven't purchased a math curriculum for him yet...I am still looking into them..thinking maybe Saxon, Singapore, or Horizons. (More research for me!)

David is going to do Sonlight for Bible, Literature/Reading, and History. We are using Christian Liberty Press Grammar and Spelling along with Apologia Science. He will still be doing Spanish and Health (Abeka), and of course, Math (Saxon). He will also be learning his way around the kitchen more and will be building an entire engine with his Dad.

I am excited to see how this year goes...last year was a sucess...so we will see!

Fun Day At The Fairgrounds!

Today, the boys and I went to a 4-H gathering/event at the Texarkana Fairgrounds. We had a blast! There was an entire day planned out of wonderful entertainment for the kiddos and myself. Here is some of the "coolness" we participated in:

• Shooting BB guns
• Flower planting
• Dog Training
• Livestock Showing
• Hunting Simulations
• Photography
• Cooking In the Kitchen
• Horse Maintenance
• Unlimited soft serve ice cream cones (the boys double fisted these at times!)

There were several other activities to participate in, we just were not able to fit them all in. We did have some monsoon-like rain at times, but we did not let that stop the good times! We were served lunch and all of this fun was...FREE!! Can you believe it?? Oh, and I entered a drawing and won fifty dollars....wowweee! Could this day be any better??

We did meet some fellow homeschoolers there and are delighted that they are going to be a part of our schooling experience this upcoming year...such wonderful people! What a blessing from God! The boys met some great new friends and traded emails/phone numbers so they could stay in contact since we live farther away than just down the road.

It was another great day for the Smiths!

Mastering A Couple Of Consonant Blends!

Finally, the day has come! Braydon has figured out the ST and the SM sound...yeah! We constantly were working on this, but it was just not something that was clicking with him. We were in our bedroom the other night just working on saying some words correctly....and BAM...he did it. No more fmell, fmart, fop it!, or finky. (Smell, smart, stop it, and stinky,) Now, we are still working on the TH sound....maybe it will come with time just like the others. He can now partly say his last name. It was Braydon Fis....now we have graduated to Braydon Smif! I will take what I can get.

Other progress for Braydon:

He can write almost all of his letters (uppercase only)
Writes his name by memory (mastered this at 3...it is just looking nicer now!)
Knows almost all of the letter sounds
Can write a few words from memory: (all uppercase)
Mema
Pepa
Papa
Mommy
Daddy
David
Nanny
Fargo
Jax
Hammy

He has asked so many times to write these out he has just remembered how they are spelled. I am in the process of teaching him how to read two and three letter words...so I will keep you posted....not too shabby for a four year old!