Braces for McKenna and Braces for Me...

Last week was McKenna's six-month check up with our incredible orthodontist and great friend, Dr. Coleman. He finally said the words McKenna has been dying to hear..."McKenna, it's time for braces." She about jumped out of his chair with excitement! Then he turned to me and asked if I had ever thought about braces...I have dreamed about straight bottom teeth and fixing my overbite, but I never thought it could become a reality.

Well, it has! McKenna got her braces put on Tuesday morning before going back on-track on Wednesday and I went in on Wednesday for mine. Garrett and I joked about sending the bill to my parents who really should have put me in braces years ago, but I think I'll refrain!

The girls at the office mentioned how much older braces made McKenna look and I agree - she is darling! Maybe mine will make me look younger?? After getting Kenna's braces on we picked up grandma Berk and took her to lunch and then stopped by grandma and grandpa Nichol's so they could give Wyatt his birthday gift...a new bike! Around 2:00 McKenna started feeling a little pain, so I gave her 200 mg of Advil and hoped it would kick in quickly for her...she still had to go to soccer training and even keeper training before coming home to crash. She was in pain all night long and not until after I got my braces on and the cute girls in the office told me to take 800 mg every 8 hours and that McKenna should have the same did I die! I had only been giving her 1/4 of what I could have - no wonder she cried most of the night from pain. Oh, I felt sooo bad.

I immediately left Dr. Coleman's office and found her at school to give her more pain killers...she came home with no pain, but that's when mine started ...just when Garrett and I were heading to Stake Temple night, so I took more medicine and made it through.

But this morning, my own kids, and Garrett too, are making fun of me because I can't say my p's or b's (McKenna doesn't seem to have this problem) and it truly hurts to talk at all and I'm getting a little tired of eating yogurt, pudding and soups for the past week since having the spacers put in...I better be losing weight, but, if not at least in one and a half years I will have a beautiful smile and it will all be worth it, plus I'll definitely have a lot more compassion for when Ashlyn, Colt and Wyatt go through this!

Random Photos of the Kids...

Before church and before the snow falls later today, I thought I would get a few pictures out by our double weeping cherry - this time of year it's my favorite tree!

My Baby is 4...

Seriously...how did this happen? Wyatt will always be my baby, but he is getting too old to rock to sleep and too old for mid-day naps and too heavy to carry around on my hip all the time and too grown up to want me to hang out with his friends and too independent to really want me to do any of that stuff anymore. He is the funniest kid...Happy Birthday, Baby! We sure love your cute face!
Wyatt's day began with an early morning phone call from dad who was at a Venture Leadership overnighter with the Priests in the ward, then calls from grandmas and grandpas, then breakfast in bed (not such a healthy breakfast here, but something he'll eat), then making his turtle cake, out to get a bubble gum flavored birthday shake from Iceberg, off to Kenna's soccer game, a little afternoon nap in dad's arms during the game and finally home for his late night BBQ party with his friends...he always sees the older kids having late-nights and always asks when he can have his own. This was the perfect excuse for a late-night party of his own! Wyatt, Kaden, Dax, Stryder, Sam, Kyler, Kurtis and Wyatt W ran through an obstacle course, ate hot dogs and hamburgers, openened gifts, ate cake and ice cream and ended with popcorn and a old cartoon of Alvin and the Chipmunks...it was a success and only 2 kids fell asleep before it was time to take them home...I guess 9:00 is kind of late for 4 year olds!

Following Directions...

Colter can build anything with Legos or Zoobs. He is awesome at reading and following directions and even building things without directions. Today he built this motorcycle and rider out of Zoobs...pretty cool, son!

A Day on the Provo...

Garrett got away last week for a few hours on the river and this is the proof of a good day...

Family Night Fire Pit...

Monday night, after working hard in the yard all day, we settled in to roast hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire. McKenna has been participating in a volleyball clinic for the last few Monday nights, so she joins in for the lesson a little later.
Monday and Tuesday the kids and I worked hard all day in the yard. We mowed the lawn, we brought in new dark bark and picked up all the leaves. I knew we had to work hard because the rain was coming again on Wednesday, but the kids didn't know this. When we woke up Wednesday morning, Ashlyn looked outside, saw the rain and said "I'm so glad it's raining, now we don't have to work outside!" I smiled and told her that's why we worked so hard the last two days because I knew the rain was coming...they sometimes grumble about working in the yard, but I overheard the girls say to each other that they really do like to work in the yard and see how nice it looks in the end...and it truly looks great. It's amazing what a fresh lawn mow and new bark will do for the yard as it's coming out of it's winter blahs.

A Girls Weekend...

After sending the boys off to Falcon's Ledge, the girls and I watched a bunch of neighbor kids so their mom's could set up for the Primary Activity, then we took off for a few hours of shopping at the mall, and after the primary activity we made our way to Mapleton for McKenna's evening game with grandma and grandpa Nichol joining us. At the field, I dropped Kenna and Ashlyn off with grandma and grandpa and went with a friend to the nearest gas station for a quick potty break. When I got back to the field, McKenna couldn't wait to tell me how funny grandma was...the evening was getting a little chilly and as the team was arriving, McKenna ran over to the sideline and asked grandma to warm her up...grandma opened her arms wide and said "Get in her and I'll warm you up!" McKenna laughed. She needed to be warmed up for goalie, she needed someone to shoot the ball on her, not keep her warm under a blanket...luckily Brenda obliged as they all laughed at grandma. And she wonders where I get my naivety? After the game we all headed to the Brick Oven Restaurant in Provo for some yummy late dinner, then we spent the night at grandma and grandpa's and headed out early Saturday morning to run to Walmart to get some food for the sister missionaries to eat dinner with us later that night, then to the Jr High to sign Wyatt up for AYSO soccer and then to Wyatt's preschool to register him before going to Nicole's for Amberly's baby shower. We did it all and that was only by eleven that morning...Garrett's youngest sister is having her first baby in July so while she was in town, her sisters and Lori and I helped her celebrate with a baby shower for her and baby Xander.

The girls enjoyed hanging out with their cousins, Amanda, Justine and Natalie, who live in Arizona, then took off on the run again for another quick stop at the mall, back home to prepare dinner for the missionaries (who never came) and a night out with G to our stake's marriage and relations class while Kenna babysat...a great weekend!

Boys Fishing Trip...

Garrett, Colt and Wyatt took off early Friday morning to spend the weekend fishing, hiking and shooting guns at one of their all-time favorite places in Utah...Falcon's Ledge. Chopper even got to tag along and run free for a few days in the great outdoors. Colt had the golden touch Friday afternoon by catching one fish right after another. He's definitely learning from the best. Wyatt was just happy to be there eating his Pringles wherever they went...