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Today I took Kaeli to her ortho appointment. We got a bit of a late start, so the "Driving Nazi" had a few choice comments during our time on the road. Unfortunately we got there a few minutes late so she didn't get any award tokens from their office. She did get a surprise at the end though: her next appointment will include getting a digital scan of all her teeth. They have started using a program to finish off the teeth straightening which includes sending a scan to a company in Texas, where they custom-bend the wires and fittings by robot and mail them up to the orthodontist. Apparently it cuts 40% of the time off of the treatment and typically gives better results.

Next we ran a few errands, dropping off gifts and picking up various things. Another stop at the department store for a few last gift items. One item was to replace the pitiful version I had "man purchased," and instead was to be replaced by someone with a "woman's eye" ... that would be Kaeli.

She did homework from the relative quiet (read: BORING) of my office, and did actually get a couple of unit tests completed. She had packed a nice lunch, most of which we brought back home since there were free leftovers in the kitchen. Sounds like I'll have Ceana with me the next two days, since she'll be driving Rory to her appointments. We had hoped she (Rory) would be feeling well enough by this point in the chemo cycle to drive herself, but she's still not confident in her energy levels to make the drive alone. Should work out fine for this week.

The big kids took themselves to the school music concerts while we fought to keep the little ones in bed. Kelsianne for one absolutely refuses to go to bed without Kaeli tucking her in. Anyway we thought it would be a good time to wrap a few presents since Rory had a bit of energy. So of course as soon as we've got everything all spread out on our bedroom floor, in walks Kylan. Usually turning off all the lights downstairs is a good "buffer" since he's afraid of the dark, but he sauntered in, ninja quiet, as if that were his own bedroom. Apparently they got naps today, which is why they aren't sleeping.

Rapid-fire food news:

Rory was feeling good enough that she decided to cook up pancakes for dinner. When I got home from work she was sitting on the floor; not sick, just wiped out and resting.

Secret Santa Day #2 was a tin full of oranges. Those are always a big hit at our house.

Got a quick visit from the RS President to share some ideas with Rory about making "Green Smoothies." We're also borrowing an industrial-sized blender from someone in the ward for awhile. Rory said, "We might end up investing in one of those eventually."

Another visitor from the ward stopped by tonight. He said he had heard a rumor that Rory liked cinnamon rolls, and he had a large tub of mini rolls for her. Actually, it was a tub of icing with some bits of cinnamon roll, but that's just how she likes them. He claimed "a little birdie" had given away her secret. Had a nice visit for awhile - thanks Brother G!

It was strange to hear Rory say that she really hopes her cell counts are good at tomorrow's lab tests so she can have her treatment on Friday. She WANTS to have chemo??? The schedule she's on now puts Christmas Day and upcoming baptism and birthdays on her "off" weekends, but if we end up skipping a week that could really mess up that little schedule. We'll know more tomorrow.

Hanging in there ...

Look Who Has Braces....

Kaeli's orthodontist finally decided that she is ready for braces. I was blown away at how much it changed her face, and how much more grown up she looks. I remember that happened with ceana too.

Kaeli just has her top braces on for now. She will get the bottom ones done soon. Her doctor's office is esp excited about kaeli participating in a new technology project. It is a project using robotics technology to bend and form all of the wires and bands for the braces. Images are taken of Kaeli's mouth and teeth and then the bands are bent and shaped perfectly by robotic technology. The office just had their very first patient using this technology get their braces off. The PR gal at the office said they were more than astounded - the teeth were perfect and it had taken 10 months off of the length of having to wear them. They have been ecstatic with the results. It is esp hopeful for Kaeli too and we cant wait to see her new smile!

Kaeli's 1st Surgery

I am hoping that sometime during Winter break that I will be able to get blog posts caught up...keep watching for new stuff to arrive - we have done so much in the last month and there is tons to write about...

Before it gets too far out I did want to do a small post about Kaeli's first surgery. She had 4 teeth extracted last weekend. She was put under to hopefully help her get through things better.

We were told it would be about a 2 hr surgery, with up to 2 hrs of recovery. She did so well that she was only under for 30 minutes and we were only there 1 1/2 hrs total. She recovered really well with only minor discomfort. The biggest challenge was having her mouth be completely numb. We had a good laugh together in the car about that on our trip home.

She will go in to see her ortho specialists next month, and hopefully they will have good things to say about getting back on track for her braces.

Award Winning Photos

We girls entered photos at the fair this year. It was our very first time. It was a very stressful undertaking, but well worth it after all the surprises we got! Kaeli was extra hesitant to even enter, and we made her choices at the last minute....

Kaeli got the biggest surprise of all by winning the overall Superintendent's Choice award. I was SO excited for her. She received a beautiful, ruffly ribbon (that will match her room perfectly) and a cash award. She also won 2nd and 3rd place ribbons, also with cash awards, in her division for the categories she entered. It was a great experience for her first time.
She took her big award winning photo at the capital grounds during Spring Break this year.
Here she is receiving her award from the Superintendent.

Showing off one of her FAVES - taken at sunset off our back deck

She took this at the brand new carousel at Hogle Zoo in SLC last Summer.

Another one of her FAVES from the Capital grounds

MISS CHEF I

Kaeli really does love to be in the kitchen. She esp loves working with dough, she thinks it is fun to play in it and be able to create things
She ran to come and find me to take this pict. She thought it was cool and fun that the dough had risen so high. It was pretty warm in the kitchen with the fireplace going, the heater on and the oven on - it had plenty of heat to do its thing

I was shocked when I got this smile flashed at me. When I wanted to take picts of her when she got started she covered her face with her arms and held the cookbook up so I couldnt see her. I went away and then got it out when she was finishing. I think by then she was enjoying herself so much she didnt mind the camera.

All Kaeli's hard work definately paid off - 5 beautiful pizzas - boy were they YUMMY!

OUR MISS CHEF II

The pizzas all turned out so pretty - and VERY yummy! Kaeli made cheese (boys' favorites), cheesburger (her fave) and meatlovers (her dad's fave). We had enough pizzas for several meals plus we put a whole pizza in the freezer! Kaeli did a really great job - thanx sissy for doing so awesome and being so willing to help!
The little kiddos were more than happy to dig in. I think I lost track of how many pieces colton ate....

A DAY OF PAMPERING I

The day after Kaeli's birthday I hosted a girls' play day. A good friend of ours is AWESOME at all the big "girly" stuff and she treated all of us to an extra special day of pampering. We all took turns getting pedicures, manicures, facials, hand massages, foot soaks and massages, and we moms even got our hair done! We were pampered and spoiled with the WORKS! Plus we enjoyed a yummy lunch of chef salads. We all had a wonderful time and I just have to say a great big THANK YOU again to Brie for treating us to such a WONDERFUL day!

Just a fun creative shot of all the fun stuff we got to pick from for our nails
Kels had to be in on all the action too - unfortunately she got into everything too much. We ended up putting her in her booster seat on the rug with her favorite snack - green beans right out of the can! She was happy to be part of all the fun and to be in the room with all the big girls

Brie working on JaNay's manicure. She got pretty pink polish

A fun pict of some of the "girls" - it was a fun time for us moms to spend with our daughters and I think everyone had a great time

A DAY OF PAMPERING II

Kaeli soaking her feet in a mini massage tub prior to getting her pedicure done
Brie putting on the finishing touches to Kaeli's "French" manicure

Kaeli didnt think she would want to do a facial but after watching several of us get one she decided to get one too. We kept rubbing our cheeks because they felt so clean and smooth and soft.

Kaeli's finished pedicure complete with nail decals for an extra special touch

KAELI BIRTHDAY BEACH OUTING I

I surprised Kaeli on her birthday by taking her out to the coast. She had been asking me for some time when we were going to get to the coast. The day before we went out we were driving in the van and she asked again, and when I casually replied "probably" - she responded "In the next 2 days?" She knew that we were getting ready to leave for vacation, and that by the time she got back home the Summer would pretty much be over. I had to really work hard to keep my composure as I calmly tried to reply, knowing we would be out there for her birthday.
We got a DVD player installed in the van, and Kaeli watched movies the whole time we were in the car. I kept expecting the surprise to be blown as we drove by freeway signs and huge billboards. When we finally arrived by the decorative sign entering Lincoln City I told her to look out her window and then said "Happy Birthday!" - her response was "the golf course?" - I laughed hard and asked her to look at the sign - we really havent been out to the coast since last summer - so it really took her awhile to figure out where we were. She was very excited and I was thrilled that I had been able to keep the surprise.
We started our day with shopping at the outlet store. The first store was fabulous, as everythinig was on sale. The shoe store was a different story. After going into a couple shoe stores with no previous luck we were referred to a store that always carries shoes in "wide" styles. We felt we had scored big when the shoes we found were on sale AND "buy 1, get 2nd 1/2 off". We were shocked when the sales guy told us the one pair of shoes was actually not on sale, and had accidentally been put with ones that were ($70 vs $40).....I had to chat with Kaeli and she did some hard thinking before she decided to go ahead and get them. She really had "sticker shock" after that and even though we browsed through other stores she wouldnt buy anything else. During our conversation about shoes and the expense about things in general, I mentioned that really $70 for a high quality pair of running/walking shoes is swallowable. She came right back at me to say "$70 is not swallowable, $40 is swallowable, $70 is gag, $100 is choke and die!" I just laughed and laughed and tried to reassure her that it really would be ok. We also went to lunch at a place called Sambo's where we had a yummy lunch and had fun chatting. I think we enjoyed our time at the beach the most. Just playing together building a huge sandcastle and playing in the water and sand was tons of fun. After we were done we stopped at Cold Stone for ice cream - and what did Kaeli order - vanilla, of course. I got a yummy chocolate brownie mix. I also bought kaeli this cute little lip gloss in the shape of a quart of vanilla ice cream. It was so cute, and knowing she is our ice cream girl I just had to get it for her.
We really did have a ton of fun in all of our activities and I think that Kaeli had a great birthday.

The first thing Kaeli did was run right into the freezing cold waves. She loved running in and out of the water and getting water in her sand bucket for the sandcastle "moat"


Here is our finished sandcastle. It was way fun to figure out building, landscaping and decorating.

KAELI BIRTHDAY BEACH OUTING II

Kaeli and I had a really fun time building this sandcastle. It was extra fun for me to be able to just devote my time and attention just to her doing something Kaeli really loves to do.
We found a new beach - which we always love to do - and this beach had a fresh water stream coming down the mountain to meet the ocean. Kaeli had fun just plopping herself down in that stream and playing in the water and mud. I kept asking her if she was having fun and if it was a good day - this smile definately says it all!

Just a fun, creative shot of the sandcastle and Kaeli playing in the stream

Kaeli was so proud and happy about how the sandcastle turned out. It really was so fun for us to have the time together to really play and just enjoy being together

KAELI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT FUN

I like to do a personal shoot for the kids for their birthdays. Kaeli is my one that REALLY doesnt like to have her pict taken though. I had been watching all the crop fields around us and hoping to get picts in one of them - only to find the field cut soon after or that it was bordering the freeway onramp or right next to the highway - making it impossible and unsafe to attempt any picts in them....We have a field very close to our house. They had already cut the grass seed but the parkstrip was left overgrown with grass seed, Queen Ann's Lace and other wild flowers. We decided to give it a try, although it took some time for Kaeli to get comfy as the plants were next to her skin and in her face. She really did well to humor me though, and we got some really great shots.
Kaeli is also our resident drama queen, and since picts arent her favorite thing, I often get picts that she sets up herself - which is usually her being VERY silly. Below are some of our "blooper" picts from the shoot.

Between all these silly ones we really did come away with some really great shots that I am thrilled with. Be sure to watch the photo blog for those to be posted very soon!

"Mom! The weeds are in my face!"
Drama Queen showing off her silly side...

KAELI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT FUN I

She was working off some energy and just played around a bit while I was trying to decide our next picture plan. She can be such a goofball, but it was fun that she took time to have fun and goof around between doing her best to cooperate with me during picts
We kept trying to get the glasses to sit on top of her head - except they were a bit too big - and they kept sliding down over her face....

Very rarely do I get this kind of laughing - I just had to share

She kept making funny faces during the shoot, and I warned her that these would be the ones that I would post, so here you go!

KAELI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT FUN II

happened to catch an unexpected sneeze....

Joe Cool.....

OUR DRAMA QUEEN

This term at school kaeli has been taking drama as one of her elective classes. She has really enjoyed the class and the teacher. For their end of the year project they put on a play of the story of "Helen of Troy" - with some slight modern tweaks of their own. It was pretty funny and the kids did a great job.
Kaeli's part was Homer- the author of the Iliad and the Oddessy which the play was based on - she narrated the play as well as played a part in a group the kids named "The Homerettes" -in which they sang lines of the play to modern songs such as "The Brady Bunch" and others. It really was pretty funny and Kaeli seemed to enjoy the whole experience. It was a great way for her to end her class time at school.

Kaeli as "Homer/Narrator"
The Homer-ettes

KAELI OUTDOOR SCHOOL

This last week Preston & Kaeli attended 6th grade outdoor school. Kaeli was nervous and excited and Preston was concerned that although he was helping, that he wouldnt see/get to spend much time with kaeli. They did see each other at every meal time, but other than that Kaeli only saw Preston at the station he was in charge of.....
They started off their 3 day adventure with very wet, chilly weather. Thankfully the weather let up and they were able to have their full day of educational "stations" in warm, dry weather.
I will have to have Preston & Kaeli add more editing to these picts and this post so you can get more details from them too.

Kaeli took this pict...will have her fill in details soon
Each year the kids get to do something like "spin art" - they put the frisbees in a machine that spins it and the kids drop paint onto it which makes creative designs

Kaeli especially liked this "station" The kids were taught about caring for pets as well as stock animals. Kaeli, and all the kids, esp fell in love with this darling Blue Healer puppy. She said he was so snuggly and fun. She said lots of interesting things happened with all the animals while she was there - apparently a reptile got stepped on and squished, a wandering lizard was rounded up by letting loose a large predator, and a rooster just up and ran off and disappeared. It sounded like lots of adventure.

Kaeli mentioned that the 1st night there they had served tiny slices of pizza. The one meal she really enjoyed. She had an eating contest with another girl, and Kaeli was proud that she blew the other girl away (and all the other kids) by how much she ate. Her description of the slices though was that the leaders had cut everything thin to make sure there was enough to go around - Kaeli's 8 slices probably amounted to 2-3 regular size pieces. Still, she thought it was pretty funny.