This girl loves all things furry.  I think Lulu is saying the feeling is mutual. Some school days are normal…and then there are days when I teach a camo boxing clown!

Zoe had remarked to us a time or two that she couldn’t read things far away.  Words on the TV etc were getting hard to read.  So, off to the optometrist we went.  He found that her right eye was great but the left was a little off.  She needed glasses when looking far off.  Even though it is only a little off, she can definitely tell a difference.  Pay no attention to her photobomber in the background…life with brothers. Some days Emmie just needs to nap in a chair with a book about Star Wars.
As I mentioned earlier, Zoe is taking a Greek class.  These are her study notes.  Posted on my kitchen wall.  And her collection is growing. I think it’s pretty cool that she figured out a good way to study! These two boys were less than excited a year ago when we moved them into a room together.  However, this is their nightly bedtime routine now.  They read together until lights out.

Oh, just a normal lazy Sunday afternoon working on our computers…note the teenager in the background using hers too.

If ya’ll know me personally, you know there are two things that gross me out as a parent. Toes and teeth.  Give me a gash that needs staples or stitches.  Show me that bloody scrape but please, for the love of not seeing my last meal, do not make me pull a tooth or show me one hanging on by a thread.  I just can’t handle it.

But, alas, after fourteen years of mama-ing, it happened.  Mark had a meeting to go to and the girls had American Heritage Girls.  I took the crew with me.  As they were playing on the playground, Malachi let out a big cry and came running with a bloody mouth.  My insides started to turn.  Surely, this couldn’t be happening.  But it was!  The tooth that had been threatening to come out had to come out.  It was just dangling there.  He wouldn’t touch it.  I sucked it up….held my breath and pulled.  Out it came just as I started to gag.  Thankfully, I did not lose my supper. Mark ventured out with Ceili Rain to see a ballet production of Beauty and the Beast.  It was a last minute date night but definitely worth it.  She had a wonderful time and even Mark said the ballet was amazing. I have wanted to do an escape room group date with friends for a long time.  We grabbed up a groupon for one and let it sit for several months before we realized it was going to expire around the time Tobin was going to be born.   So we made plans to go and grabbed up some friends.  We had space for two more and a walk in couple joined our group too.  It was definitely fun!  We escaped with six minutes to spare and a little help from the referee/overseer/whatever.  I can’t wait to go again.
There is one thing I have craved this whole pregnancy…ice cream cones.  This one…did not meet my expectations, but it was still good.

Some days it’s hard being a dog in this house and you just pass out with your tongue hanging out.  For real Tot, we feel ya.

Last year, I started looking for a way to get Emmie moving and active.  She’s shown very minor delays in gross motor skills mainly because of the halo.  Then with the diagnosis of scoliosis, I knew some kind of activity was needed to keep her active and moving.  Gymnastics is out.  Having rods and screws in a toddlers necks and encouraging her to bend on it…too much stress for me and daddy.  So, I looked at ballet and was so excited to stumble across Steps of Grace.  A special ballet class for super awesome kiddos.  The ballet instructor is an occupational therapist AND (which is cool for us) a scoliosis warrior.  She has special helpers all of whom are in school for occupational therapy.  Win-win for us.  We signed her up as soon as it was offered in August. As you can tell, she was only a little excited about this class.

She absolutely loves it.  Her teachers are wonderful and she is usually the first to run into class and greet everyone.  She is a social butterfly and dancing and interacting with others has been perfect for her. We look forward to seeing her grow and blossom through all of this!

So, Emmie had her first haircut at 21 months old when they had to shave her hair for her spinal fusion surgery.  I realized when we sent her back that day that they would probably have to shave it some.  I wanted to cry but realized how stupid that would be to cry over something so minor compared to what they were going to have to do to her neck.  So, I took a deep breath and carried on.  But the nurses at CHOA are amazing and realized the significance of a first haircut and saved her locks for me.

So, when Irma blew through, I decided to go ahead and give Emmie a little trim.  Her hair grows a bit faster and thicker around her plexiform (tumor) and so, the part that had been shaved over a year ago needed to be evened up.

Ta Da! Not that big of a difference…but it made Mama happy.

So, also in September, I stumbled across some curly hair care products and decided to give them a whirl on Emmie’s hair.  She’s had waves and curls but I confess I had no clue what to do with a three year old curly girl.  I’m only five years in to being a curly girl myself and never thought I would have a curly kid.  I think I’ve finally come to the conclusion that after three years her curls may stick around for some time.

And this is the end result of the products! The product is called Curl Friends.  Our morning routine takes about five minutes to do and is super easy.  I dampen her hair, apply the pomade and then spritz with the texturizing mist.  She also has her hair washed with their shampoo and conditioner a couple of times a week.  It leaves her with soft little girl curly hair and the sides have gone from wavy to significant curls.  She’s still trying to learn not to tug on her hair and doesn’t understand that she doesn’t need to comb or brush it like her sisters.

Zoe decided this summer that she was ready to get her hair cut.  Well, she said she did but she wasn’t quite ready but then she was…and then she wasn’t.  She finally pinned down that she wanted it cut before we went to family camp the first weekend in September.

She also knew she wanted to donate as much as possible.  This is her fourth hair donation and second time to donate to Wigs for Kids.  It’s fun to see her giving and adventurous spirit.

I have to admit that I held my breath through this process but she was chill and excited.

And after.  We measured about 20 inches that she had cut off.  She’s enjoying having short hair and has said she wants to go even shorter in the future!

Ceili Rain has been wanting to earn her cake decorating badge since she started American Heritage Girls.  I decided that this year would be the year.  First up, making cupcakes and decorating them.

I love how she tackles most things with such determination.  We had fun with these!  She wanted to make blue and green frosting for NF!