Life with an "e*panda"

Actually, it's an expander, but Anna can't say that very well. In fact, she's having a little trouble saying quite a few things! She got her expander put in on Wednesday morning. She was prepared and excited to get to the dentist that morning. She was very brave. She even got pink rubber bands on her front brackets. I've been pleasantly surprised with how very well she's handled the whole ordeal. Instead of getting frustrated at not being able to pronounce words correctly, she's having a blast with it! She likes to say things that sound the funniest over and over again. S and T seem to be the toughest for her, though the x in expander is also a challenge :)

After researching the appliance, I fully expected Anna to be experiencing some discomfort at the very least. But, when I spoke with the dentist he said that she shouldn't really feel anything. Maybe just a little pressure when we turn the key once a day. This morning she didn't make a sound when I turned the key. She said it felt a little weird, but that was it. I suppose getting all of this handled at a very young age cuts down on the difficulty and pain of expanding the palate.

The one frustrating experience she has had was eating for the very first time after having the expander inserted. We treated her to pizza and A LOT of it got stuck between the roof of her mouth and her expander. She wanted me to clean it out after every bite. When I tried to convince her to wait, she got irritated and decided to eat only yogurt. Of course, Justin's old saying "She'll eat when she's hungry" proved once more to be very true. By dinner time she was eating like a pro. Of course, she wants the food cleaned out the very second the meal is over, or she'll walk around making a sucking sound trying to rid herself of the pesky pieces.

God has been faithful to answer our prayers on this matter, and He's done so in spades! As Henry Blackaby said, "Oh, God, if I ever give You a request and You have more to give me than I am asking, cancel my request." We asked that she not be afraid. She was excited. We asked that she be able to handle the pain. There is not pain. We asked that she not get too frustrated by speech impairments. She's having fun with them! God certainly had more in mind than what we asked. Consider our previous requests canceled :)

Sea World and Spacers

The last several weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Highlights have been:

1. Anna's Kindergarten Round-up- I took Anna to register for school on May 7. When we arrived in the cafeteria, it was really loud. The teachers took the students to the library so that the parents could fill out paper work. Anna was a bit nervous at first, but once she spotted her friend and neighbor, Kade, she felt a little more at ease. By the time I went to pick her up, she had gotten so comfortable she didn't want to leave! The highlight for her was the animals in the library. A sugar glider, various birds, fish, frogs, a ferrets, and 3 guinea pigs. She has informed me that she'd like to visit the library often.

2. Sea World- On May 9, the Mitchells and the Benskins went to Sea World in San Antonio. It was a long, hot day but we had tons of fun. The girls really enjoyed that animals, shows, and rides. I think we have roller coaster riders in our midst. Mommy is going to have to toughen up and not be such a chicken, methinks.

3. Mother's Day- I had a great Mother's Day. Anna made me a card the week prior, brought it home without me seeing it, hid it in her room for an entire week, and then remembered to give it to me Sunday morning! I was so proud. She's growing up so fast. We spent the morning recovering from our trip to Sea World, then headed to Gatesville for time with moms and grandmothers. Then, Sunday night the girls spent the night with Maw Maw and PaPa David, and Mommy and Daddy got to go out to dinner for Mother's Day/Anniversary! It was nice.

4. Spacers- Anna will be getting a Rapid Palatal Expander put in the top of her mouth on May 26th, so this past Tuesday she had to have spacers put in. It took less than five minutes to insert them (they basically like little rubber bands), and she was extremely proud of herself for being so brave. The dental assistant said Anna would be pretty sore on Wednesday, but she hasn't complained at all. She described being a tiny bit uncomfortable when I asked her Wednesday morning, but she hasn't mentioned anything on her own. The fun part will come the next two weeks, when she has a mold made of her mouth on the 19th and the actual expander inserted on the 26th. And, in saying "fun part," I AM being sarcastic :) If you think about it between now and then, please be praying for her, as this will be uncomfortable and frustrating for her for a little while. The expansion will be a bit painful and the expander itself will affect her speech. She only has to have the expander in for 3 weeks, so that's a bit of a relief.

The start of the day...

Anna helps daddy hold the snake

The Viva Show- by far my favorite

The guys would swing...

then launch themselves into the air...

Believe- the Shamu show. Not as great as I had hoped.

But Laura Kate liked it.

Chinstrap Penguin

Puffin

Anna and Laura Kate enjoyed the "stinky" penguin and puffin exhibit.

Getting ready for the 4-D Pirate Adventure movie

Alligator Alley

Journey to Atlantis...Anna rode this! She's much more brave than her mommy.

Mother's Day at Grandma's. Cousins Shannon, Corbin, Laura Kate and Anna

Grandma

Mother's Day at Granny's

Mitchells + Leutwylers = Fun!

This past Sunday we went to visit our good friends Dusty, Diana, and their kiddos. We had a great time playing the Wii, running through the sprinkler, and just relaxing and talking. Not only that, but they fed us steak! It was yummy. When the girls left, they were exhausted. When Justin and I woke up the next morning, we were sore. His soreness was probably due to the thrashing he received from Logan, Dalton, and Kaleb. I suspect my soreness is from boxing Dusty on the Wii. My shoulders STILL hurt! Atleast he was kind enough to let me beat him. Good times :) We're blessed to have such friends.

Dalton and Diana play the Wii

Anna looks on

Princess Rayleigh

Dalton

Justin and Laura Kate

Dusty runs from the sprinkler

Logan is a dinosaur

Laura Kate didn't want to play in the water, so Kaleb kept her company

Kaleb shows off his muscles

All of the kids show how strong they are

Happy Rayleigh, pretty in pink.

Time for a "running race"..

..and yet here we still are.

Easter

Sorry it's late. I've been scolded for not updating the blog. I apologize.

We had a great Easter- wonderful message Sunday morning and fun times with family. It was cool and a rainy that morning, so the girls wore jeans instead of dresses. We got up early and went to the first service at church, which is something we don't usually do. There were a lot of people there! I was pleasantly suprised. The egg hunt took place during Sunday school. I had one child in my class...little Larkin. She's such a sweet baby. I'll miss her when her when she and her family move to Alaska this summer. They could have picked somewhere closer. I'm just sayin'...

We spent the rest of day in Gatesville, which is always fun. We spent the morning with my family at my sister's house, then made our way over to Justin's parents' for the dinner. Nana and the Benskin were there as well. We are so blessed to be close to most of the folks we love.

By the way, my girls don't look at the camera now. Have fun looking at their profiles or the tops of their heads!

This is Larkin. Isn't she darling?

Aunt Kayla and cousin Sara dying Easter eggs.

Laura Kate decorates eggs.

Baby Maddie

Getting ready to hunt.

Candy! Eggs! Let's eat!