Last days in CA

I don't know why blogging has been so slow this month. It may be because I broke the lens on our camera and so it just ruined my moon on anything related to photos. This is from the last 2 days on our trip to California a month ago.

We all went to a bounce house place. I don't remember the exact name. Of course the kids all enjoyed it. Katherine tends to be very timid in bounce house places. She would only go down the slide with Sam until about 3 minutes before we were leaving when she really got into going down by herself. Caroline also enjoyed the slide (on mommy's lap).

They had a ball pit.

A bounce house with boxing gloves and jousting.

You can't tell from this photo but I knocked Will down every time.

There was even an area for smaller kids.

Later that day we went to a neighbor's house for a birthday party and swimming.

The weather in California was nice so we walked to a park for the kids to get out energy on the playground. The swings are always a hit and I think the dads were having a contest to see who could push their daughter the highest.

For lunch we made pizza.

A new smile

Last month I took Katherine to her second dentist appointment. We went a year ago and it did not go well. They did what they call a "lap exam" where she sat in my lap and leaned back so the dentist could see her teeth. The look of horror on her face was unforgettable. So, when I got the reminder card for her appointment 6 months later I put it off and procrastinated making her appointment for almost 6 more months. That was a mistake.

When we went a month ago she did great. (I forgot my camera so it is not documented) She was such a big girl. We were told that they would do 3 things: pick out a new tooth brush, count her teeth and clean her teeth. So I sat and watched. Pick out Barbie toothbrush-check. Count the teeth-check. Clean the teeth-check. Get a set of x-rays - wait a minute, that was not on the itinerary. I knew something was wrong. Sure enough Katherine has 2 cavities. Don't I feel like the "Mother of the Year" winner for 2009? So, today we returned to fill the cavities.
Last night I asked Katherine how she felt about going to the dentist to have him fix her cavities. She said, "I am excited he will fix my cavities. No more juice will get in the holes in my teeth." We decided not to tell her anything that might make her nervous.
Again, she did great. When we got there they took her back without me! They said I could come back and peek but that I should stay out of the room most of the time. When I peeked, they had her mask on for the nitrous oxide (laughing gas), blood pressure cuffs, and sunglasses.
I had told her that they would have to put a mask on her to fix her cavities and she asked, "then how will I see?" Luckily, it was just her nose and it smelled like strawberry. Katherine sate very still and both cavities were filled in only 25 minutes. They were small enough that they did not have to use Novocain so that was good.
Both the dentist and the assistant said she did great and was a very big girl. If anyone in the area needs a good pediatric dentist, we have had a great experience and highly recommend our dentist. He is an orthodontist as well so I am sure we will be getting to know him well over the next 15 years.

Hugging Dr. P

California State Fair

I never finished blogging about our Labor Day trip to California. We decided to venture out to the State Fair. It was a lot of fun and the kids did great, especially considering it was a long, hot day with no naps.

We started out on the midway where we rode the carousel. Katherine wanted to be on the pretty bird so we were on one of the non-moving animals. Kind of boring in my opinion but she enjoyed it.

Then we went to the Ferris wheel. Katherine decided it looked too scary so only Will and Sophia rode it.

Then while Will and Jaime shopped for hot tubs, Sam and I took the girls to fire safety town where we learned all kinds of things, saw a puppet show and then sang happy birthday to Smokey the Bear.

After that was lunch. This was one area where the California State Fair differed from the Texas State Fair. In Texas there is literally a contest for the most original friend foods and you can find just about anything in fried form (fried butter anyone?). In California there were a few friend things but more of the food was catered in from restaurants. We decided to get corn dogs. I hate to say this, but I liked it better than the Fletcher's Corny Dogs at the Texas State Fair. The cornbread was sweet, thick and perfectly done. Caroline tried it and enjoyed her first corn dog.

Next we went to the kids midway. Katherine had her mind set on going in a haunted house. This is because in the "Angelina Goes to the Fair" book they go in a haunted house. Luckily she was too short and we were able to convince her to go into a fun house instead.

The girls enjoyed a pony ride. A few months when Katherine went on a pony ride she clung to me the entire time. This time she rode like a pro.

I love the look of concentration on her face.

She was very excited to tell me that the name of her horse was "Dr. Pepper", my favorite drink.

Next up was the petting zoo where we saw cows, sheep, goats, horses and chickens.

Katherine and Caroline were able to paint a pony. I am not sure where they got this idea but the kids enjoyed it.

Instead of a sandbox, there was a "corn box".

Then is was back to the kids midway for a few more rides. I took the girls on the hot air balloon ride and then Katherine went on a canoe ride.

We did finally make it to a few of the exhibition halls. The first was called "Wild Wacky California" and the second one was about candy. Of course Katherine found the princess Pez dispensers.

Finally, here is a picture of Ally at her first fair. She was very content.