Brace Face

We have joined the ranks of the orthodontist visiting throngs.

Will and Georgia both had their appliances put in at the beginning of this week.

I got some shots of them with the kids with the clamp they use to hold the mouth open while they put the braces on. I am thinking these are wedding video material!

(These are pictures of the clamp, NOT the actual orthodontic appliance the kids will wear! There has been some confusion amongst my friends that grew up a generation before me. Lots of concern that I was subjecting my kids to torture devices. Ha!)

Will has a full set of braces! One of the two sets he will wear over time.
Georgia had an expander cemented in on her upper pallet. She will wear this for six weeks, and then in a couple years she will get her set of braces!
Wally will join them in about eight months when he gets a mouth full of braces of his own!

Yes, three kids in braces at the same time! Ouch!

I called Del when I got done with the first visit to give him a dollar amount to come to grips with on his drive home from work.
Those are always the best phone calls.

In other news, we were devastated to learn back in February that our health club had fired our swim teacher! It has been a real pain.
Our schedule is a mess as we try to fit the kids swim lessons in wherever we can with another instructor. The club does not have enough instructors, (or I should say good instructors) to fill in the holes left by Nancy.
So it has been reeeeaaallly irritating!

If I knew of an alternative pool to take my four kids to for private lessons, I would do it! As it turns out, it is not that simple, so we are taking any slot we can get, even last minute, when someone cancels and the instructor we are using now is available. I drop what I have going, and run a kid to the pool.

It has also been sad because of the friendship we have with Nancy and her family. We miss her, her style and her expertise. I personally feel that the handling of her firing, and the reason it was done itself, was a tad unprofessional, and that they let an employee who had a problem with Nancy get her way. And now we all pay. Nancy is amazing, and we can't wait for Summer when we can start lessons in the pool in her backyard! Aaagg! There, I vented!
It looks like our next step is a private swim team. But I am holding off as long as I can before I let that take over our lives!

Here are the kids at a local pool in town this past Saturday. Del and I took them to make the boys swim laps, and let Walker practice going to the bottom of the pool and coming back up over and over, to get comfortable. He is hilarious! He thinks he is pretty impressive when he goes under the water! I just noticed he is not wearing his goggles. Now I need to go check the swim bag, and I really hope they are in there!

I am adjusting to the way our lives work when it comes to Del's new calling at times. It is a different kind of crazy when all four kids decide to be their chaos- causing, alter egos during Sacrament meeting, and I am alone.
Or when I learn a lesson the hard way, as I did this past Sunday. I went to lay down for a short nap, and awoke to shouts from Georgia telling me that Will was throwing up.
I jumped out of bed, still half asleep and threw on some sweats I had left on the floor, as I ran down the hall. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, still pulling my shirt down over the waistband, I saw a strange man sitting at my dining room table below looking up at me!

While I was asleep, a man from our Stake had called Del and asked if he could come by to give him something, and they ended up going over things at the dining room table.

So, I guess you never know who you will run into, even in your own dining room!

In the meantime, I am sure that he is trying to block out the vision of an upshot of my torso.
Poor, poor man.
I don't remember his name because I was too embarrassed during our introduction. Seeing as I stood there in my pajamas with bed hair, an armful of kids church clothes that had been strewn about, with a kid throwing up in the powder room behind me.
But whoever he is, I am sure he thinks our family has really got it together! HUMPH!!

We are excited for Spring break! We would just love to have some Spring weather to go along with it! I have a running list of things that need to get done because we are going out of town for Spring break at the end of the week, coming home to throw a party for Wally and Will's birthdays, and then getting things on track for Grandparents to come visit for Will's baptism! To do lists are good.
Here are a few pictures of recent happenings that I may as well throw in this random post. All my posts lately seem to take a turn for the random.

Will had his Second Grade Concert at school several weeks ago.. It was very cute. The music teacher does a great job! He is a talented musician and teacher, which is great because he is also Will's piano teacher!
Will looks cute in this shot, but the lighting is not my friend.

Here is a shot of the kids on Valentine's Day. The day was good to them!

The boys were very focused when it came to getting those class Valentine's organized. Walker just ate yogurt as he observed.

That's it! We are off for an adventure that promises I will be back with something to blog about!

Wally Turns 10!

Yes indeed! That is double digits!

Wally is ten, and I am so happy for him! I love watching the milestones pass. It is always sentimental, but I feel like every year of Wally's life has brought us new options, and answers. New challenges too, certainly.

But time only makes this boy better. Time is on his side.

I love that Wally works for things. He has many inherent gifts.  There are some pretty amazing qualities that shine when you meet Wally.
But, like all of us, there are also things that don't come easily.

Wally has always had to work for some of the basics that you and I may take for granted. Starting with the air he breathed when he was born.

I love who this makes him. The person he is being shaped into because of this path that he has to take. That somewhere along the way, he chose to take. I am very protective of my Wally. I am open to help and opinions from others, but I know who he is. And I will stand up for that.

Del and I, and all those who love Wally, have had a lot to learn from him. He teaches us more with every passing day. I am trying to embrace everything this little boy has been sent to my home to refine in me.
I sometimes use humor to express the level of mental and physical energy it takes to raise all my kids. But parenting brings new levels of happiness, worry and heartache, joy, hope and flat out faith, that I take very seriously when it comes to raising my Wally Boy.

Wally's future is bright! He can open any door that may seem closed to him! I am determined with every fiber of my being to help open them! I am grateful for the opportunity. I pray I am up to the task, and honor of being Wally's Mom. No title could be greater!

Happy Birthday Wally!

We had some fun right after the kids got home from school, but we were not able to have our official Wally celebration until after dark, when Del got home.

In My Face

This time of year always seems to do the same thing to me. February and it's grey skies overstay their welcome and I am ready to move on. My mood gets a little gloomy when all I see is haze and ice outside.
The good news? I was just looking over the calendar and noticed that next weekend ushers in daylight savings time! Yay! The sun will stick around for another hour in the evening! I am just waiting for the day I hear that first bird chirping! Walker and I are ready to break out the stroller for our morning strolls again!
More good news? We have a plan for Spring break! It involves a road trip, but I will wait to share details, because with my track record over the past couple of years, I won't get it planned and it won't happen.
We are gearing up for Birthday season at our house. Spring brings a lot of cake around here! Wally will be TEN next week! Oh my! Will is turning eight in April and he is very excited to have guests visit for his baptism. I don't remember being so glad to see March in many years, and I have a feeling I am going to be just as ready to see April!
I have had a lot on my mind, and a husband that is not home a lot lately, and when I am thinking hard, I tend not to write on my blog. It should be the opposite of that. But as my husband has helped me realize over the past couple of years, I tend to mull things over for a long time before I share. That is the reason for this very uneventful post.

I thought I would share something that seems very trivial, but, it has made a difference in my life.

During the Spring of 2012 I began to have problems with acne. Most especially on my chin. At first I thought it was just a few months of bad luck, maybe some stress, and not helped by the fact that I often sleep with my hands on my face, and it would be a nuisance, but go away.
By Summer, I was seeking treatment in the form of facials and peels with an esthetician, and changing the makeup I used. Nothing seemed to be helping. Problems with my chin persisted. The esthetician's opinion was that it was a combo of stress, and hormones. I believe her.
I started eliminating foods from my diet that I thought may be provoking break outs. I was at the point where I was avoiding eggs, dairy and wheat as much as possible. I learned I am no good at avoiding good food!

But it wasn't getting better. The truth was it was taking it's toll on my self esteem. I have never had to deal with persistent break outs, and I was getting desperate! I did however, refuse to go on any kind of medication for the problem, including taking birth control. I don't need to deal with those side effects.

I have been using Aveda products for about nine years. Hair products and their facial moisturizer mainly. But I decided that I was ready to change up my facial cleaning routine completely after a visit to my salon to get my eyebrows waxed. The girl doing the wax told me that the only thing that works for her is using all Aveda products and pretty much giving herself a facial everyday.
I had nothing to lose but a little time, so even though I scoffed at this for a minute, I decided that I better give it a try.
So now I have a new routine. I want to share it, just in case it is beneficial to anyone, but, I do realize that skin comes in as many forms, and with as many differing issues as anything in this world. So this may be the exact opposite of what your skin needs. I discovered that my skin has to be scrupulously clean, and constantly exfoliated.
This is just what has finally worked for me! I had to throw a little money at the problem. I figure it is probably costing me less than filling a prescription each month. All of these products have lasted me at least four to five months. And that is with use twice a day for some.

I switched over to Aveda Purifying Creme Cleanser

I use this cleaner morning and night.

I purchased a Clarisonic Mia cleansing brush.

I read mixed reviews about this brush, from those who loved it, and those who found it too abrasive. I even got a warning from yet another woman at the salon about how it can spread bacteria on your face. That may be the case for some, but I have loved this thing! I use the Aveda product with it, and not the cleanser that comes with the brush. That may be the distinction that some are overlooking in their bad reviews.

I use a facial mask every night. I am sure to get the water nice and warm while I cleanse, if I don't steam it, so that I get my pores open, and then I apply one of two masks I like. The first, and one that I use most consistently, is the Aveda Cleansing Clay Mask. I love this one! You don't have to leave it on very long, it feels soothing to the skin, and it has a lovely smell.

I do use an exfoliating mask instead of the clay mask about once a week. I use the Aveda Tourmaline Mask.

I follow the suggested time to leave the masks on, and then rinse with warm water. I then use the Aveda Hydrating Lotion. ( Sorry for the blurry photos, it was impossible to find images that came out clear.)

I also became more diligent in taking my multi vitamin, and Biotin. I have been using Trader Joe's brand for both of these, and have really liked them. I also purchased some Cod Liver Oil, which I have read is amazing for the skin, so I will have to let you know how that goes as soon as I get up the nerve to take it! Ha!
So there you have what looks to be a very involved skin care routine! I really is not so bad, especially now that I have it down, and I must say that for the past few months I have been beyond relieved with the results! I have definitely had a few problem spots pop up now and then on my chin, but they are what I would categorize as normal compared to what I was seeing before. I may never have the youthful, glowing skin I wish I had, but I will take what I can get!
I do love Aveda products!
I should be a paid spokesperson at the rate I am going!
I was sure glad someone told me about these products, so I thought maybe I would tell you!
Happy scrubbing!