The Cost of a Tooth

Kate lost her first tooth on Wednesday, February 27. The tooth was loose for months, and the permanent tooth is fully in.

She pulled it out at school and was thrilled that she got a tooth locket necklace from the nurse. Ellen picked her up from school, and she made Ellen promise not to tell Chad and me. Kate wanted it to be a surprise.

Ellen took Kate to get yogurt as a treat.




With her gappy smile, she met me at the door when I got home.

I bought tooth pillows back in December when her tooth was first loose.




She excitedly hung her tooth pillow above her bed for the tooth fairy. Claire and Charlee both said they were scared of the tooth fairy and hoped she didn't wake them up.

The tooth fairy must have been out of dollar bills but filled with creativity, because she gave Kate a ten dollar bill folded into a butterfly.

Kate has worn her tooth locket every day since she got it, ready for her other loose tooth to fall out.

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2012 Favorite Books

2012 was a good year for books. Looking back, my 3 most favorites were:

• "Unaccustomed Earth: Stories" by Jhumpa Lahiri
• "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller
• "Round House" by Louise Erdrich

I read all three of these later in the year, and in a row. What a great couple of weeks that was! In addition, I also liked the following:

• "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver
• "Yes, Chef" by Marcus Samuelsson
• "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan
• "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin
• "Contents May Have Shifted" by Pam Houston
• "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
• "Beautiful Ruins: A Novel" by Jess Walter
• "The Is Not the Story You Think It Is" by Laura Munson
• "The Sweet Life in Paris" by David Lebovitz
• "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova
• "Falling Together" by Marisa de los Santos
• "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner

Miracles in My Own Life

"It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season—like all the other seasons—is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them."
—Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal

 

My sentiments EXACTLY.

One of the best things about our holiday was spending quality time with our family. I'm sad it wasn't our WHOLE family but grateful to laugh and play with our girls and their Harp cousins. Here are some of my memories of each kid.

CORA

• That girl wanted to be outside. When she wasn't outside, she walked around carrying her jacket and hat. Ready at a moment's notice.

• When Cora was outside, she wanted to ride nonstop in the black truck. Opa pulled her around for an hour and a half one day.

• Cora is generally very quiet, but she's able to express herself clearly. She nods vigorously by moving her head more forward and back than up and down. She's at her noisiest when food is involved.
• On Day 2 of our visit, Cora reached away from Opa and wanted me to hold her. My Mom, Dad, and I spent the rest of the time vying for her cuddles and reaches. Uncle Chad got in on the action, too.

 

 

OWEN

• About a week into our visit, we took the girls and Owen to a drive-through safari zoo. We got to experience what having a fourth kid would be like. Owen was so easy, it hardly made a difference. He sat on my lap in the front seat for a good part of seeing the animals.

• Owen and Claire were attached at the hip most of the time. I heard him say more than once, "Claire, you're my best friend."

• There were a few times that Owen said things that made him sound very grown up. My favorite was when he walked up to me and his Mom and said "Well, my knee hurts. I think it's swollen."

KATE

• Kate tries to run the kid show. She succeeds most of the time.
• She started learning to ride a 2-wheeler while we were there. Hopefully, she'll remember what she learned in the Spring.
• Kate reads everything right now and loves to write. She wrote two letters to Santa, and he wrote her back.

 

CLAIRE

• Claire loves playing with animals. Real and toys. She was outside with the kitties several times a day. She shows no fear around the farm animals.

 

 

• Claire is also fearless when it comes to the river. She pushed the limits of wading every time.

CHARLEE

• Charlee loved swinging. She wants to go high, so she loves the big swings.

• The kids all slept in the bunk room, and Charlee slept on the top bunk. We were all impressed that the youngest kid took the top.
• Charlee's obsession with Annie remains strong. Santa brought her an Annie doll, and she still wears her Annie dress as much as possible.