Progression of Carley's Teeth

Carley's braces were removed on Tuesday! I took a before and after that day but realized I didn't take a photo before she got her braces on.

Looking back through pictures, I can see the major changes in her teeth over the past three years.





First she had oral surgery in March 2010 to remove an extra tooth that was growing up into her palate.



I didn't realize it at the time but that was what was causing the space between her front two teeth while all the rest were over crowded. Once it was removed, Carley's front teeth pushed together and began overlapping.




Carley got upper and lower palate expanders in November 2011. 


The upper palate isn't fully formed until about 12 years old so the orthodontist was able to create more space in Carley's mouth to reduce crowding of her teeth. We had to turn the expander every night for a while and then it stayed in place just to make sure nothing moved back.



Braces on the top front teeth and a permanent retainer on the lower teeth was the next step.


Carley was so excited to have braces. She loved picking new rubber band colors at checkups.



Finally after nearly a year with braces, Carley got them taken off. She now has a new top retainer that she has to wear 24 hours a day for six months. After that, she'll only need to wear it while sleeping. 



The orthodontic visits don't stop yet. She has a followup appointment in February and will need braces again when she has more permanent teeth, probably around 12 years old. For now she's sporting a beautiful new smile.

Thankful for Family

Yep. Thanksgiving has already come and gone; it's hard to believe. First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. 

I twisted some arms last week and made everyone get outdoors in the beautiful fall scenery for some family photos. The last time we gathered together specifically for family photos was Thanksgiving 2008. Otherwise it's been a quick family shot here or there, usually with the timer feature, on family outings. 



2008

2012

So here you have it; updated family photos from 2012. And yes, I used the timer feature. I haven't been able to figure out how to use an off-camera remote with my new(ish) camera.  

On a side note: I do like to see how much my photography skills (and equipment) have improved over the past four years. 






These kids. Always has to be a "silly face" picture. I sure do love them though. 

Meet you back later this week? Carley will be sporting a new braces-free smile. 

Carley Turns 9!

Did you think I was gone for another 6 months? Not a chance.

We celebrated Carley's birthday a couple weeks ago. She's 9! 

This is the last year she'll be a single digit age. Ever. My kids just grow up too fast. 

 

Carley doesn't think she's growing up fast enough. She thinks she's 9 going on 15, I swear. 

I knew she'd want to dress up for her special day so we let her open this birthday dress in the morning with breakfast.

This year we didn't throw her a big birthday party but kept it simple and quiet at home. She invited her best friend over for dinner and cake. 

Every birthday I let the kids pick their breakfast and dinner; a tradition I learned from my mom who learned it from her mom.

 This year for dinner Carley picked baby back ribs with Chaka's MMM Sauce. Walt smoked the ribs for hours and they were so delicious. 

I don't think Carley remembers mentioning several weeks ago that she wanted a three tier cake for her birthday. And polka dots. But I remembered and that's what she got. 

My baby girl just isn't such a baby anymore. 

Nimbus Fish Hatchery

Walt asked me to go for a walk along the river last week. Somehow it turned into a visit to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. The salmon are running up river to lay their eggs and die. It only happens for about a month once a year. 

There were so many salmon.

In the 16 years I've lived here, this was my first visit to the hatchery. We decided the kids needed to see all the salmon too and took them back to the hatchery a few days later. I brought along my camera.










The fish ladder had water running down it, flushing it out.


The gate to the ladder wasn't actually open but the fish were drawn to current. The salmon kept jumping and trying to get over the gate. Occasionally one would make it. 


There were so many salmon. 


The kids raced up and down the stairs. 


Josh and his long legs won every time. 

(On a side note, Josh is 5 foot 5 inches now. That is only five inches shorter than me. I can hug him without bending over! His shoe size is almost as big as his dad's shoe size!) 




The fish ladder was open on Monday morning. Carley happened to have the day off from school so we went to see the sight. ...

It was pretty neat! Unfortunately I forgot the SD card for my camera. I used my phone to record a little bit of it. The place was packed! 

Halloween

Happy Halloween! 






I made a Jack o'Lantern cake instead of carving a pumpkin. 


Josh is "Steve", a character from a popular game called Minecraft. Carley, of course, is a vampire. I think we spent about $25 total on both costumes! Just add elbow grease. 







Josh by no means thinks he's too old to trick-or-treat. Right now he can't even imagine not trick-or-treating. He told me the other day that he's pretty sure he'll do it until he moves out of the house.

Oh, the loot. The kids actually didn't get as much candy as normal this year. I don't mind.