There has been so much going on!! I am sad to say I have been way behind on my blogging lately so I'm trying to catch up with a quick update. Alyssa has been doing what she does best...being a fabulous artist. Here is one of her pictures she drew that I just love, and think is SO cute. My 4 girls.
Here we are trying to teach Maddy how to ride a bike...it's the perfect thing to do in the fall when you live in Arizona. The weather is just beautiful to be outside.
Go Madders! We're still working on it.
Do you see any resemblance to me? For years I've thought...we could at least be cousins. I decided to get braces for a lot of reasons. I really needed to. I have always heard about the English having bad teeth (& a lot of hair!) so I googled it. Here are some answers:
- Genetics. Although scientists don't know the exact cause, it has been shown that people of British ancestory have a genetic predisposition which inhibits the body's breakdown and utilization of Vitamin C and Calcium. This causes decalcification and scorbutic gums.The British slang term "Limey" comes from the fact that the British Royal Navy was made to drink lime juice to prevent scury.
- Many British people (Scots, Welsh, some Irish, & English!) have a deeply ingrained hostility to teeth straightening, whitening, & "cosmetic" dentistry in general. Oh I'm not hostile towards fixing my teeth...not at all! I'm all for it!
- Since about the 18th Century the British have been massive consumers of sugar & tobacco. This, combined with poor diets (lots of carbs, limited calcium & vitamins for many) & the habit of drinking lots of sugared tea, resulted in poor dental health/ hygiene, especially among the poorer sections of society.
Ha ha, I could go on and on...but I can't wait until I get them off already! It's going to be a long 22 months. By the way, my mom is from England if any one was wondering. I just didn't inherit the English accent!
Metal mouth...sorry honey!
Of course two days later, after getting braces, I spoke on behalf of Camp Soaring Eagle to tell Mia's story to a company in hopes that they would donate money so kids could go to camp. A few of the employees from SW Gas collected money and presented us with a check for $350.00. How nice!
Alyssa didn't get a chance to play soccer this fall, so we signed her up for tennis to try something different. She's a natural! I love that no one else in our family plays tennis, except for her. I really hope she keeps it up!
Nice serve...and shoes. (They're mine :)
Wow, she is just growing up way too fast. She's almost as tall as I am now. Sigh...they just grow older way too quickly now a days.
Hopekids HOPE DAY - This is Grace, Mia's new little hospital friend. It turns out, she lives about 2 miles away from us...they hung out at Hope day and played a lot together. How sweet. I'm not sure what type of cancer she has, but needless to say, we will add her to our prayer list!
And of course Mia was on the news...apparantly so was I (ugh) with food stuck in my braces I'm sure. Sigh...we didn't see it on the news but a lot of my facebook friends did.
Our small group had a picnic after church...so everyone brought their own lunches for their families and we just hung out. It was really fun and simple. I hope we do this again soon! I truly love these ladies...each and every one.
Matt packed some yummy food for our girls.
The guys...
Ethan's Last Treatment!
Mia's little buddy Ethan has been battling Leukemia for 2 years...and he kicked his cancer to the curb. We were so excited, we went to his last treatment party at PCH to celebrate. Way to go Ethan, we all are SO proud of you!!
Sting - Live in Concert at the Dodge Theatre
This was provided to us through Hopekids...for a parent date night. It was something fun and different which we never usually get to do. Pam came up a few days early for Thanksgiving so we had a built in babysitter which was very nice. I am so sorry to my mom and my sister who didn't get to go with me. Aww, next time! ;)
Mia had her 76th blood transfusion. She's counting down to her 100th because we told her we'd have a big party. She just can't wait for it!
Turkey Bowl 2011
Matt and some fellas played flag football the morning of Thanksgiving. I came and took pictures and jogged around the track while they played. It's so fun to watch them play, just as long as Matt takes some advil BEFORE the game
