Valentine's Day and a Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Valentine's Day was great this year.  Tyler took a half day off clinic so we could do our annual breakfast at IHOP (long story how that tradition began).  Then the kids and I went to a party which was fantastic and helped us get to know some of the new people in our ward a little better.  We rushed home to put up the hearts we made for Tyler before he got home (early!), went for a walk and had a nice candlelit dinner of spaghetti with meatballs.

"Wen you get to stay home"

We wrote reasons why we love Tyler on hearts and covered our bathroom mirror with them.  These were some of my favorites from the kids.

Spaghetti dinner...

The kids loved it.

Except Eliza.  While I was making dinner she crept into the pantry, snuck out an apple and started eating it with all 4 and a half of her teeth.  She actually ended up eating most of it.

We had homemade fudge for dessert.  Unsweetened baking cocoa, coconut oil and honey.  Easiest thing I've ever made.  And yummy, too.

Now, I don't know if I mentioned that Cade lost his first tooth recently, but he did.  And he lost his second one today.  And I lost four last week.  

I actually didn't lose them.  I had my wisdom teeth pulled out.  3 of them had grown all the way in and the 4th was trying, but it was getting to be a pretty tight fit in there.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, Lorrie and the wonderful dentist she works for, I was able to get those removed.  It wasn't too bad (other than throwing up all day any time I stood up) and I didn't even swell up like everyone said I would.  The biggest bummer is not getting to chew big hearty meals.  Oh, well.  

When I woke up the next morning the kids heard some rattling under my pillow so we investigated and found a container of gum from the tooth fairy!  I can't chew it, but the kids are really enjoying it.  And I thought it was pretty cute and nice of the tooth fairy to come visit me.

And, for those wondering the size difference in a baby tooth and a giant, adult molar, check this out:

Of course, these still have the roots on them (and some blood, I know), but that is INCREDIBLE!

Sweet Pizza

For anyone who hasn't asked yet, homeschooling so far is GREAT.  I feel like our lives are so much richer.  My kids have always gotten along pretty well, but they are amazing together now.  They climb into bed with me in the morning and we spend 20 minutes or so reading, then in the afternoon we'll read for another hour or two.  They like to surprise me by going and making breakfast (or at least getting all the food out).  They beg me to teach them more and more about so many things.  They don't ask to watch movies ( or TV shows) AT ALL.  We checked out a Go, Diego, Go! DVD from the library last week, brought it home and have not watched any of it.  And they don't care.  Instead they play pretend.  They like to be Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House books, or Kurt and Gretl Von Trapp (from The Sound of Music).  They like to sing songs from "Annie," like "Tomorrow" or "Hard Knock Life."  I am so happy.

This week Cade wanted to open a restaurant.  He wanted to call it the Sweet Pizza Restaurant because the pizza we make every Friday is so sweet, he says.

So Monday was the menu and sign preparation.  He wanted to label everything.  He made a sign to go on the door of what the restaurant was called.  He made a sign for the bathroom (Ali helped with that one).  He made signs for the other rooms in our house where we didn't want people going.  He made an exit sign and even a handicapped parking spot.  He thought of these on his own.  I had no idea children were so observant.  

Tuesday we made the desserts.  Chocolate cupcakes with star sprinkles and little mini cheesecakes.  Cade thought up the whole menu on his own and we made sure we had the food we were offering.  The pizza was made hot and fresh today.

Today was the grand opening.  It was great.  We had a friend come over and it was so fun to see Cade get in character to wait on everyone.

Can you tell which one Ali did?  That girl is Rapunzel.

Our "do not enter" signs for the bedrooms.

If you notice, sweetest pizza, cheesecake with chocolate and chocolate cupcakes are all $1.  This is so everyone can buy it because it is so yummy.  The pickled pepper sandwich (which is actually a wrap and actually very tasty) was $20.  He's never had it before.

Handicapped parking: