Dental Fail

Every mother has her faults. Admittedly, I have many. But I have known for a while that one of biggest faults was going to come back to haunt me in a major way if I didn't get my act together soon.

Sure enough, the day of reckoning arrived this month. At the dentist's office.

*Cue the horror film music*

Yes, I'm being overly dramatic. But it's confession time. My kids had their regular dental checkups at the dentist this month, and it was not a good report. Why? Because I was terribly deficient in overseeing my kids' dental hygiene. I almost always forget to remind them to brush. We never flossed. And even when I KNEW they weren't brushing or at least not brushing right, I didn't correct them. I'm not sure why this was such a chore for me, but when it came to my kids' teeth, I admit that I failed miserably!

The dental hygenist discovers the months (years) of abuse.

The one positive note from our visit: Kaitlynn was finally a BIG girl and handled her cleaning like a champ.

Well, NO MORE! After our visit this month and having to schedule additional visits to fix the problems our lack of hygiene created, I have turned over a new leaf. Now we have a new routine which requires Mom or Dad to brush and floss each kid's teeth every morning and every night after they first do it themselves. It is SUCH a chore! But at least now I can mark ONE fault off of my long list. ;-)

After our visit, they were all smiles vowing to take better care of their teeth.

Spring in January

Why is it that every January my blog seems to be completely empty of new posts and updates? We're still here, and we're still as busy as ever! I thought I would start the first blog post of the new year with some fun in the sun. After a COLD start to 2014, it has really warmed up and become very spring-like around here. We are enjoying gorgeous and cool sunny days, perfect for family bike rides with the kids' new bikes from Santa!

Kaitlynn's new princess bike has streamers, a basket, and even a carrier for her babies. But of course!

The kids love to go on bike rides up to the elementary school, which is around the corner from our house. Once there, they enjoy playing on the big playground and eventually ride their way home. A perfect activity for these gorgeous spring-like days. I wonder how long this weather will last??

Jeff, Kaitlynn, and Connor at the school playground.

Jeff decided to get a little daring on the kids' playground equipment.

He thinks he's just one of the kids.

Like father, like son.

On their way back home, riding down the sidewalk behind the school.