Tuesday, March 28, 2006

More of This and That

Many thanks for all the concern for Brendan and his tooth extractions. Following his sleepy morning, he has carried on as if nothing has happened to him at all. He's very anxious to get those braces and get his teeth straightened out. He's quite familiar with the routine, if he has paid any attention at all to the experience of his three older siblings who have also gone through the pain of extracting teeth, oral surgery, palate expanders, and the actual braces. It's not a fun process at all, but the final product is worth all the pain.

And while Brendan (and the others) experience physical pain, Mom and Dad have the pain of paying the orthodontist. After Brendan, we have the twins who will need work done, and I'm thinking we may have three boys visiting Dr. Brown at the same time! Kirsten will also need work done, I have no doubt. We'll be 7 for 7 needing orthodontia. As I told the girls at the front desk as I was paying for the extractions, I should have married for teeth, not hair! They all enjoyed that line immensely as they could see Brendan's gorgeous head of wavy hair.

DD Melanie had a fun 18th birthday bunco party on Saturday afternoon. She requested everyone wear a costume or dress up and several of the kids came through hilariously. Melanie baked her own cake, then painted an impressionist-meets-Van Gogh style landscape with frosting. Quite unique as you can see, lol!



Early, very early, this morning DH and DS-Geoff, left to drive to Seattle, board a plane, and fly to Japan. They are armed with lots of brochures and maps and lists of things to do. No Hilton Hotel for them - they have found an inexpensive Japanese style hotel, with internet of course. I made DH take his larger suitcase so he'd have lots of room to bring home goodies for those of us left at home! Can't wait to hear from them!

15 comments:

Von said...

Hehe, Ria, you wouldn't believe the whopping discount we get as repeat patients - $100!!

Dawn T. said...

I hope by now you are on a first name basis with the dentist. :) The cake looked awesome.

Carol said...

So glad to hear that Brendan bounced back so well :-)

Dianne said...

Wow, there's lots of excitement in your household lately.
I think Melanie is very creative. I guess I know where that comes from. : )
Happy Birthday to her from Penna. And a trip to Japan-how cool! My sister-in-law and her mom went there a few years back to visit a high school friend who lived there at the time.
Been through the orthodonist here, but I only have one son. He had a pacifier that made his teeth stick out. Next it looks like he'll have to get some wisdom teeth out. I don't look forward to that.

Anne S said...

A work colleague just got back from spending time in Japan, and he raved about it - the blossoms are coming out, and apparently Kyoto especially was stunning :) Have to say, too, I think the birthday cake is spectacularly stunning - great job!! :D

Unknown said...

Hey Von, I did it, I made a post on my blog!!! Thanks for the gentle encouragement!

I can hardly wait until Friday!

Love you
Connie

Cathy B said...

Yikes! I think I understand why the SB stitching retreat is out of the question - instead, you are making trips to the orthodontist!

Rachael said...

Wow- Melanies cake is stunning. Very impressed by her impressionist.
You should almost own the Orthodontists office by now!

Leeland said...

What a beautiful cake! Did you eat it? I think I would have frosted it just to keep it as a wonderful souvenir! This is called cryogeny lol! How proud you must be of Melanie's skills, you happy mom! Wish her a happy birthday! And I wish you that you win on the lottery so you can pay all your tooth bills ... Oh, my!
Take care!

Unknown said...

What a fabulous cake! It looks very much like a Monet. She is a very clever girl!

Schokti said...

I guess there would be some benefit to marrying a dentist, huh? We are going through dental work for DH and that is more than enough - your poor pocket book!

Melanie's cake looks awesome! What talent!

Lelia said...

Japan? How kewl!! Good for them to find affordable hotel!!

Oh groan, we paid so much to our dentist last year (and January this year). With a family of 5, it adds up -- cannot even imagine adding bills for braces, too.

That tooth fairy should be giving US $$ for dental care LOL ; )

Anonymous said...

Poor kid. I went through the same thing when I was young. I had to have teeth pulled, those nasty things put in between teeth--I cringe even now thinking about it! But it will be very worth it in the end! Of course, ouch, for you and the pocket book--this type of work is never cheap! The cake looks great by the way! :)

YeOleImposter said...

We are having fun in Tokyo and it hasn't really even started.

I just want one of my kids to become an orthodontist so that all my grandkids can get a discount when they inherit my families teeth. :)

Gary, aka DH
Dogberry Patch

Katrina said...

Hi Von, a happy belated birthday to your DD, her cake looks fantastic and so creative.

I also hope your DH and DS have a wonderful trip. look forward to seeing more pics :)