#70: get dental work done

Oh yeah, you read that right. I did it.

I've had pretty jacked-up teeth for about a decade and a half (well, I've never really had great teeth, but they got really bad about 10-15 years ago). And a couple of years ago, I wanted to figure out how much it would cost to get a total mouth restoration. 

Shit. It was expensive. Really expensive. So, we waited. A couple of years. And then, last week, I did it.

I drove out to Indiana (for several reasons, but mainly because I only really trusted my dentist out there) and I got a ton of shit done. And when I say a "ton of shit," I mean a ton of shit. Among other things, I had 4 root canals, 10 fillings, and 4 CEREC crowns put in. In one day. For 8 hours straight. It was intense. But it got done and now I love my teeth!

To be frank, I'm actually quite embarrassed about the before shot, but I figured that you wouldn't be able to really get the full effect without it. So I pushed my embarrassment to the side. Here you go...

I absolutely LOVE them! I also got a serious teeth-whitening system to make them even whiter. I've waited a long time for this and I couldn't be happier!! And, they look even better in person!

Here's a picture I took with the photobooth app on my Mac the day after the procedure.

I was gone for 4 days and spent several thousand dollars, but it was totally worth it!

Defining Busy

Within the last 10 days, the following events have taken place:

1. I drove by myself out to Indiana (a 9 hour drive) to get dental work done.
2. Wes started a new job.
3. We packed up our old house, moved to a new house, and almost unpacked our new house.
4. I started my fall semester at JMU.

It's been crazy. And stressful. And at times, awesome.

Don't worry, I'll post about all of these things. I found my camera cord today, so check back first thing tomorrow morning for the first installment of our crazy last 10 days...

Unprompted Manners

We've been working on manners around here for quite some time. And in the last month or so, Gavin and Vivian have really begun to consistently use those manners on their own, unprompted by one of us.

For instance, just about every time I put their dinner plates in front of them, they will say thank you. Except, their "thank you" sounds like "nit noo" or "nack noo." They also say thank you when we give them something or tell them that we will do what they want to do next: Viv- "Puppy book first." Me- "We will read the puppy book after the hippo book." Viv- "Nit noo, Mommy."

They also have begun consistently saying please, which sounds like "peas," whenever they want something. We have even gotten tot he point where we can remind them by saying, "What do you say?" instead of telling them, "Say please."

Yay for manners!

They're Funny

Me: "We're going to the store."

G & V (in unison): "Oooooh."

Me: "We need to get bananas and boxes and shower curtain rings, okay?"

G & V (in unison): "Okay, Mommy."

Me: "What else do you think we need from the store?"

Vivian (without any hesitation): "Donuts."

Gavin (directly following Viv's response): "Trucks."

~~~~~

Gavin has recently learned that my name is Jennie. And, he thinks this information is hilarious. The other day, Gavin yelled, "Moooommmy! Milk!" To which I responded, "One minute, Gavin." Then, he asked, "Jennie get milk?"

~~~~~

Vivian is learning that raising her voice and yelling things instead of just normally stating them (especially in public), gets her a lot of attention. Funny attention. The other day, I took the kiddos to Walmart after school. Viv decided that she was going to YELL "Hello!" to every single person she saw. This got her several dozen giggles and "she's so adorable" comments from passerbys. She loved it.

~~~~~

Everyday, on the way home from school, I ask the twins, "What did you do today?" And, everyday, I hear, "Color," "Letters," and "Go outside" as responses. The other day, I asked the kiddos about their day, and they only said "Color" and "Letters." I said, "Did you go outside?" Gavin said, "No, rain. Grass too wet." "Oh," I replied. Then, Viv said, "Yeah, Mommy. Grass wet, no outside."

We've been busy

In the last 2 weeks, we have been BUSY. And unfortunately, the blog has suffered. But, things are settling down around here and I promise I'll get back to my daily, or close-to-daily, blogging routine in the next few days. 

The main problem I'm facing right now is trying to find my lost camera cord. I would love to post a few pics of what's been going on, but it seems as though the camera cord was packed away in an unknown location.

Anyways, I'll be back soon. Promise.

Pomegranate

Last Friday, I had a book signing at my sister's restaurant (Pomegranate) in Troutville, VA.

It. Was. Amazing.

Yep, they're our kids

Rain

Big Kid Bed Update

Well, it's been two weeks since we took the twins' cribs apart and put them in their big kid beds (i.e. two foam mattresses on the floor). At first, they each had a mattress on one side of the room. But, when we would check on them before we went to bed, one of them had made his/her way over to the other's bed. So, we decided to put the mattresses next to one another. 

They've been doing okay. The going-to-sleep part is easy. They do that rather well. It's the staying-asleep part that they have trouble with. And there are a few causes (in my opinion) to this. First, they're rolling off the bed and hitting the wall or the dresser, which scares them and then they sometimes can't go back to sleep. Second, Viv has had 10 night terrors in the last 2 weeks. It has been terrible. For me. She usually goes right back to sleep, but her screaming sometimes wakes up Gavin. And then, he's awake. Other than those two issues, the transition has been better than we thought it would be.

They definitely like sleeping together, but they also kick each other and steal one another's blankets from time to time as well. Lucky for you, I've taken photos on them in their crazy sleeping positions over the last 2 weeks. Here are the highlights:

Vivian Obsessions

Little Miss Vivi is obsessed with shoes. Her shoes, Gavin's shoes, my shoes, and Wes' shoes. Every morning, she picks out her own shoes to wear for the day (which usually do not match her clothes at all), wears them all day long (protesting whenever anyone tries to remove them), and generally falls asleep in them at bedtime. Yesterday, I came into our bedroom to this:

These are my wedding shoes. She instantly fell in love.