All I want for Christmas...

riding Thunder Mountain with Tuti

Finally Evi has lost BOTH her front teeth! The first one to fall out was knocked out while tossing a football with cousin Lucas.  And it wasn't the really loose one.  How that ball didn't get the one right next to it hanging by a thread, I have no idea.  But it was very traumatic.  Then I had to torture her for over an hour to get the second one out!  It was so gross and just hanging there.  I was trying to get her to pull it but she would barely touch it.  Finally I held her down and I tried (Scott is NO help in the holding down department, I have to do all the dirty work).  Well, I ended up turning it around backwards, but couldn't get a grip on it.  And boy was the backside nastier than the front!   Finally I chased her around the house tapping her mouth with my finger as she cried until it fell out.  Yes, I am a great mother, I know.  Just giving her stuff to work with her therapist with when she's older.  So when she was leaving it for the Tooth Fairy, she said she wanted to keep it.  Since she was already in bed, I left a note for the Tooth Fairy asking if she could.  The Tooth Fairy responded in teeny tiny handwriting, "Yes, she can keep it, it's pretty yucky!"  Evi loved it! Man that tooth was nasty!  But she is so cute with that big whole in her mouth!

getting ready for some renfest action

We have started at a new gymnastics school closer to our house, and have moved up to a "team" level.  And while Evi is learning a lot, she is stressing out a lot too.  She has nightmares about gymnastics now.  I think while she may be physically ready to move up, she is not emotionally ready.  She is such a "pleaser" and just wants to do things right to make the coach happy.  I think it might be taking some of the fun out of it.  We'll see. 
Eli is sensitive in his own way.  He gets very mad when he gets embarrassed.  He doesn't like it when we laugh at him.  Poor guy, he better learn to get passed this, because his mother can't help herself.  If he falls, gets in trouble, does something unintentionally funny and we laugh he scrunches up his face and gets very upset.  Then, he boohoos.  Oh, the emotional ups and downs of a 3 year old.

his mad face

Kelf, the Elf on the Shelf, is back this year.  The kids have so much fun locating that damn elf each morning. And Eli is raring to go on the present front.  He was a little hesitant when it came to pictures with Santa, but since his cousin Mila had done it no problem, and his sister was with him, he man'd up and did it. 

Aunt Tuti FINALLY came to stay with us.  And Eli was up her butt.  Even when I came home from a trip, he cuddled with his Tuti and followed her everywhere.  We showed her how rockin' Tampa is...from the comfort of our couch!  Other than a trip to Disney, it was rather boring for a college girl, I'm sure.  But we loved having her.  

One night Eli slept for over 12 hours.  When he finally awoke Scott asked him if he a grown a foot overnight, and Eli looked down at his feet to see if there was another one.  It was too cute.