"I Have 20 Teeth!"

Tuesday was Mason's first trip to the Dentist office. We have waited until both of the boys turned three before we took them for their first visit. Since my 6 month check-up was scheduled on Tuesday, we decided that it'd be a great time to take Mason too. He could sit and watch me and then take a turn. So that's exactly what we did.



We arrived at the office of Dr. Kevin Postol and were, as always, warmly greeted by Robin and Jessica - two of Dr. Postol's staff. Mason and I took a few minutes to admire the beautiful saltwater fish in the HUGE tank that Dr. Postol has and then we headed back to the room for my cleaning.


Mason literally sat IN MY LAP in the chair while Jessica cleaned my teeth. He was quiet and a little VERY apprehensive about what was going on. We tried to divert his attention with some cute videos on the computer screen in the exam room about the Dentist and your first visit to the Dentist, which worked for a bit, but he was still as quiet and shy as I've ever seen him.

When Jessica was finished, Mason helped pick out my tooth brush and tooth paste and then we told him it was his turn to sit in the chair. The look I got was one of complete dread and like he was saying "Please Mom! Please don't make me do this!" with his eyes.



After lots of talking about the different things in a Dentist office and what Jessica was going to do, she was able to get Mason to allow her to count his teeth! Which he very willingly opened his mouth for. After he was done, he proudly said "I have 20 teeth, Mom!". He chose bubble gum toothpaste and allowed Jessica to show him what the toothbrush felt like on his finger but when it came time for the actual CLEANING of his teeth - he said "Nope!" and was done.


All in all, not a bad visit for his first time. We'll try again in 6 months and see if he can get further than this. It took Jack a year and a half before he was comfortable at Dr. Postols office and allowed them to clean his teeth. Before that he'd clamp his jaw shut and wouldn't budge for anything.

Thanks Dr. Postol, Robin, & Jessica for a great FIRST visit! We'll see you again in 6 months!

Wordless Wednesday

Pray For Kate

Every once in a while a story from the blogging world touches me to the point that my heart hurts for the parents who are going through such a traumatic experience with their child.

5 year old Kate was diagnosed with a brain tumor about 2 weeks ago. Taken into the Dr by her Mom for a slight hand tremor, a CT revealed a large tumor on her basal ganglia portion of her brain that was determined to be malignant and very aggressive. She has since undergone surgery that was able to remove only 50% of the tumor and now she has a long road of chemo and other treatments as the Dr's try to help this precious little girl and her family down the path of uncertainty that lay ahead.

Please pray for Kate! Her parents have all the faith in the world that she is safely in Gods hands and that the power of prayer will carry them through.

To follow Kate and receive updates check out her Caringbridge site HERE

Upside Down

Lately this is how Mason chooses to sit in our green reliner. He will watch TV for awhile in this position and has even talked to his "Moots" on the phone declairing "I'm upside down!". He's always finding a way to make us laugh at him. He's his own man, that's for sure.

More Original Artwork

We are going through reams of copy paper at our house because Jack has turned into a little Picasso. But that's okay - he's obviously found a niche that he likes!

Bugs - ICK!

Okay so I know that I have TWO BOYS and that "boys will be boys" but last night I just had shivers watching Mason play with a Cicada that had "fallen and couldn't get up" on our driveway.

I knew they had never seen a cicada before, so I made the mistake of showing it to them as opposed to just sweeping it into the grass like I should have. Jack was interested but as soon as he heard it buzz when it flapped it's wings, he screamed as loud as I did and headed for the hills (or for the garage door)! Mason, on the other hand, was a bit more inquisitive and kept going back for more. At one point in time, he chased me into the house with the sucker perched on a stick to let me see that it was his favorite color GREEN! NO THANK YOU! Mommy is not a bug person sweetie!

P.S. I have a video of the encounter but had problems uploading it so the pictures will have to suffice for now.

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Mason checking out the creature from outer space cicada

"Look Mommy, he's my favorite color! Green"

Boys will be boys! You've gotta love them!

Unconventional 4th Of July Weekend

Not really your typical 4th of July weekend at the Riley household this year (unlike last year) but we were kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature so we made the best of what we had.

Friday the boys and I headed to the St. Louis Zoo. By this time last year we had been probably a half a dozen times but this was our first trip for 2009. We got there early to beat the crowds and planned our route carefully to make sure we saw at the animals that the boys wanted to see. We hit the "bug-tarium", giraffes, zebras, primates, reptiles and their favorite the Sea Lion Show. We wrapped up our day with a short trip on the Zooline Railroad to get us back to the entrance so we could head home.

Snack time at the Lakeside Cafe w/ the pink flamingos.

"Come On Mom! Let's go find the Zebras!"

"There they are!"

The spider monkey was interesting as they had just been fed and were busy finding "treats" in their toys.

It's Zaboo and her baby!

Jack that snake is so big it could eat you whole! Eeeek!

Our favorite - The Sea Lion Show

"Let's go to see the River's Edge Next - sound good?"

And for lunch....every good mother feeds their children.............ICE CREAM! Yep, I did!

Saturday morning we woke up to a dark, rainy sky that dropped almost 2" of rain on us. Tim and I had plans to take the boys to a local parade, which of course was cancelled so we waited the morning out to figure out what we were going to do. Well....we ended up at the LAST PLACE that I'd ever imagine I'd spend time at on the 4th of July...............CHUCK E CHEESE!!! Yes, I said it! Chuck E Cheese for TWO HOURS but the boys had a great time running around, playing games and seeing how many tickets they could collect. Tim and I were pretty proud of ourselves for the brilliant idea that not too many other parents had (it wasn't that crowded)!.



Look at that concentration!

He could have played on this for HOURS!

How many tickets did you get? I got 165!!!!

Saturday night, we waited until about 9:00pm and then headed over to watch the Chesterfield fireworks. We strategically found a spot that we could park the car and sit in the back and watch the fireworks from far enough away that they weren't too loud for the boys and we were under cover so that as the rain started to fall again, we were protected. Since these were really the first fireworks that the boys have ever seen (last year they fell asleep waiting for them to start) they were a bit unsure but as they began, the oohs and aaaahs let Tim and I know that they approved. Mason kept saying "I like fireworks!" and Jack's intense "Look at that one!" let us know that although soggy, the day was a good one.

Sunday was pretty typical at our house, add in the fact that it was cool and damp, we hit the grocery store, did laundry and just hung out. Nothing fancy, nothing special, just watched the baseball game and enjoyed a relaxing day at home gearing up for another busy week.

We hope you had a great 4th of July wherever you were. As for us.....typical or not - it's the memories that we'll always hold on to forever.

Happy Birthday, America!

Yes, it's from 4th of July last year but it still is cute!

Comfy & Cute!

So, a friend of mine has embarked on a new adventure. She's making PJ shorts and they look SO comfy!! Oh, and the best part is she makes them for moms AND for little girls too! I don't think that I could get away with putting the boys and I in matching PJ bottoms though!

She's just getting started, so you'll have to check out her new Etsy store and let me know what you think! She also has a website and will accept custom orders!!