Braces

On Monday, February 21, 2011, Niah went to the orthodontist and had spacers put in her back teeth in preparation for braces. Niah was all smiles as we loaded up the van and headed out for her appointment.

Daddy took off from work just so he could be there. THAT was really special to her! I didn't cry, but I was a little teary-eyed at the thought of my baby having braces. I'm thankful, though, that she REALLY wants braces and is excited to have the responsibility of caring for them.

Today (one week later), Niah went in again...this time to have her braces put on. This appointment lasted about 2 hours. TJ was able to come for the last hour...which I was thankful for! I wanted to be in there with Niah, but I also had to watch over the smaller ones. Having TJ there allowed me to be with Niah.

Niah was excited, but a little nervous. I think she was more concerned about the camera being in my hand than the actual procedure!!!

The fun part came at the end when Niah got to pick which rubber-band colors she wanted to have. She choice a teal and rose/pink color. Her mouth is a little sore now, but she's happy.

Just a little side note...I was SHOCKED when I was told by the orthodontist that once the braces were off, Niah would need to wear a retainer for the rest of her life if she wanted to keep her teeth straight. I had NEVER heard that before! I've known a lot of people who have had braces, and I am not aware of anyone wearing their retainer. So, for all of you guys out there who should be wearing your retainer and are not....SHAME ON YOU!!!

Not BUBBA!

One day a few weeks ago, TJ came home from work and said, "Hi, Bubba!" to Isaiah. Isaiah immediately said, "Not Bubba!" Apparently, we are allowed to call him Isaiah, Buddy, Titou (T2), but NOT Bubba. Bubba is Isaiah's special name for his special cousin Henry.

Carriage Ride

Tonight we rode the carriage rides downtown. The weather was perfect...not too cold, but cool enough to need the warm, fuzzy blanket. Over the past few years, we have visited Bricktown from time-t0-time, but we never rode the carriage rides. The kids were convinced that the time would never come...but it did!

After the ride was over, Isaiah got to sit up on the big horse. That was an extra special treat for him! The horse was HUGE! I can imagine how much bigger the horse seemed to Isaiah! This was definitely a night to remember!

Niah's 14th Birthday

Niah turned 14 years old today! Her birthday festivites began last night with a special dinner and a movie at home. Then this morning Daddy took all of us for a breakfast treat, followed by a game of laser tag. Right before sundown, we took these pictures. According to her sisters, Niah always has the BEST birthdays!!! I truly hope she had a special birthday. She doesn't have many more birthdays left of her youth, so we are trying to treasure the remaining ones. She is such a special daughter...a prize to cherish. We love her so much.

Daddy's Helpers

TJ had to fix something on his truck today...and Isaiah was convinced Daddy needed his help! When TJ would grab a tool, Isaiah grabbed one, too! When TJ had to crawl under the tool box, Isaiah had to crawl under there, too!

And since the guys were out...why not get all the girls out there!!! Kiahna brought out iced drinks for "the working guys". Aliya eventually got her bike out and rode around for a while.

After working REALLY HARD with Daddy, we left Daddy to go on a walk in the field so that Daddy could actually finish the work. One thing's for sure...we have GREAT help at our house!

Dry Ice Experiment

One of the subjects we have been studying this year in school is astronomy. We have learned that comets are made of dry ice and chunks of rocks. We have also learned that Mars has a lot of dry ice on it. It's hard to really grasp the concept of dry ice unless you experience it...so that's what we did!

We put the ice chunk in some water. At first it really bubbled and "steamed". Then after about an hour, it quit steaming because there was frozen water all around it. We had to change out the water in the bowl and replace it with HOT water in order to get the steam going again. We had fun with it, and the kids are already asking when we can get some more!

Isaiah Turns Two!

On February 9, 2011, Isaiah turned 2 years old! We've known for some time now that he is not a baby anymore--now he knows it, too!!! On his birthday we were blessed to have another snow blizzard. We had to rearrange some things, but we were still able to have his party on Saturday. He had a blast! When it was time for his cake, we sang the song and re-lit the candle AT LEAST 3 times! We are so blessed to have Isaiah in our lives. He is a precious son.

Shower Games

Isaiah loves water! He loves the bath. He loves the shower. He loves the pool. Wherever there is an accumulation of water, Isaiah wants to be in there! Isaiah takes it as a personal insult if someone is taking a bath or a shower WITHOUT him!!! A few months ago, Isaiah figured out that Daddy ALWAYS takes a shower when he comes home from work. Isaiah soon decided that he, too, should be taking one! It wasn't long before taking showers with Daddy turned into a daily routine. Daddy also started another habit--when it's time for Isaiah to get out of the shower, "they" both call for me so that I can help get Isaiah dried up. Isaiah "surprises" me by peeking over the top of the shower curtain.

Harris Family Portraits 2011

SNOW!!!

We really got some snow! I was beginning to think that maybe we were not going to have any this year...then we end up having A LOT!!! Of course, the kids wanted to play in it. TJ volunteered to brave the cold and take them out.

It was REALLY cold, so they were all back inside within half an hour. The snow is supposed to stay around for at least another day or two, so we will probably be back out in it again tomorrow!