Samuel keeps the Tooth Fairy busy

Samuel just lost his first front tooth on January 17, but it's neighbor came out less than a month later on February 7th. 

While brushing his teeth after Awana that night the toothbrush came out bloody. I insisted he pull it and it came right out.

We sent this video to daddy who was still at church for Youth Group.

I caught daddy coming out of Samuel's room later that night where he had been to "inspect" the tooth.

Only five days later, while the poor boy was sick with Influenza B, the neighbor to the bottom tooth he lost back in August finally came out too. I wasn't even present for that pull so he must be getting comfortable with the idea.

I love his little voice.

New glasses for the Olders

Noah and Evie got new glasses!

Noah and Evie have been complaining about not being able to see, yet again. It's only been about 18 months (August 2016) since they originally got glasses so I thought it couldn't be all that bad. But then again, I tend to think most things aren't a big deal and they were definitely were due for a checkup. Evie would often take her glasses off and shift them to look through the more powerful, thicker part of her lenses to see things far away. And I never realized until after she got new glasses that the reason she sat on the floor during family movie night was not because she liked it, as I had thought, but because she couldn't see. Whoops. 

Her old glasses at Samuel's 7th birthday party on February 1.

Noah wearing his old glasses while messing around when Samuel was posing for his reading game  the day before Samuel's birthday. 

So, since it's finally a new year and we had more medical money (the bulk of it going to Noah's braces and my Lasix last year), we set Noah and Evie up with an optometrist appointment the day after Samuel's birthday, Friday February 2. They had both gone up a step and a half or even nearly two, I guess. Judging from this original glasses post, they both only had negative one (-1) prescriptions originally, but now they needed negative three (-3). Apparently that's a big jump for so short a time period. 

When Terry returned home with them (since he had a checkup too) and told me the news, I grabbed my old glasses from 2009 and gave them to Evie to try (crazy that the baby I was holding in that post could now wear them!). When she put my glasses on, her face was "a study of wonder," as Tolkien said of Butterbur in Return of the King (I just listened to that yesterday).

  

For the next week, while we made up our mind about what to do, since the optometrist suggested a couple different expensive contact lens options, Noah and Evie would argue over who got to wear my glasses. Ha! Evie won most of the time since they were more feminine.

But in the end, we decided to stick with glasses for now, though we may try on some contacts...

Time for a before and after session. 

Here is Noah in his first pair of glasses a year and a half ago. They're so much bigger on his face back then, and therefore we can see that yeah, he had clearly outgrown them.

And the new glasses! They're a darker, more mature red. They're perfect.

Evie's original glasses were always a little wide for her face. Plus I didn't like them due to the nose pads that always got bent out of shape. She looks so much younger!

And the new ones! They are crazy light due to being made out of nylon (!) and they fit her face much better. I love them on her.

I made them stand in the frigid cold outside Independent Optical to capture their new specs. This photo made me realize that Noah is quickly maturing. He's so much taller than Evie! Plus look at his upper lip...! Gah! My kids are getting huge!

As an added bonus, here's a funny one of Terry. Ha ha ha.

I really liked these Oakleys for the future since his current glasses are pretty sad. Maybe we'll get something similar since they're ungodly expensive. He looks so handsome! 

Samuel's 7th birthday

On Thursday, February 1, Samuel turned a whopping seven years old. I really can't believe he's that old, that all of my kids are getting so big, but of course I say that every year. It doesn't seem that long ago that he woke me in the middle of a blizzard, we drove to the Gburg hospital, they wouldn't let me drink anything, he was born after only three hours, and my first glimpse of my new baby was him peeing all over as Dr. Hult held him up to me. HA! 

Our tradition is to "wake up" the child with the birthday song and usually to present them a balloon. 

Happy birthday to Samuel!

We got him a glow in the dark punch balloon this year.

Gluten free pancakes for breakfast even though it wasn't even our special breakfast day, Friday. There's no gluten free donuts around though so that's what we did for a special treat.

Samuel was exempt from school so he got to watch The Price Is Right. Ezra took the day off as well.  

After lunch I took the kids to the park down the road for some play time. 

Luna is allowed to run free as her other persona, the Lava Monster, as long as no one else is around. Look at how fluffy she is!! 

He's such a cutie.

Ezra with the others in the background.

An animal on a coil. ;) 

Enter Samuel. 

Luna ate and ate and ate the grass that day.

Evie imitating a reverse planking Noah.

Samuel and Ezra were fighting over the sand digger. 

Pretty big tree and a running Luna.

Evie barely made it up. 

Jump! 

Bean Dinner is Samuel's favorite so that's what he got...

...A big ol' pile of beans over corn bread. Ha ha, but it's really good.

My folks came over to celebrate after dinner. 

Happy birthday to you! 

Filming commencing.

He's a cat and dog whisperer. 

New Pokemon cards 

The perfect Ninjago set from my folks to match his Ninjago shirt. 

A new Boogie Board which we had to return since Amazon sent the wrong one. 

One final gift from Grampa required a little help. 

A pen and pencil...and a bunch of rocks. Ha! Samuel actually really likes that pencil for school. 

The gluten free chocolate cake was actually pretty good! 

Putting together his first smaller Lego set from Noah and Evie.

Ezra playing with the cat. 

Luna passed out because it was past her bedtime. 

So the kids covered her up with wrapping paper. 

Mom's turn with the kitty. 

Evie wrapped the kitty up with tissue paper. 

Then she bedecked Luna with some...

...and the cat. Then we had to make a rule not to tie things on the pets because the cat freaks out.

Samuel put together his Ninjago ship the following morning. 

Sunday after church we went to Pizza Ranch with Terry's family and then to Shari's new place to celebrate again. 

Grace's birthday is only two days before Samuel's so we usually get together. Grace had a party the day before and we used the amazing leftover Shopkins cake for the song, though everyone was too stuffed to eat anything afterwards. Or at least the adults were too full. Kids don't overeat do they? 

One more gift from Gramma and Grampa B. We love Legos around here. Happy seventh birthday Samuel! We love you SO much!!