Zero Cavity Club

Nothing is better than hearing your child made it into the Zero Cavity Club! Ever since Ethan got his first tooth we were brushing away. Floss has always been a favorite, too. And, then there is Auntie who at school brushes his teeth after lunch every day. What can be better than that?! So, on his first real cleaning at the dentist (we'd been going since he turned 1, but all they did was look around inside) they found all 20 teeth looking awesome! He sat good as gold in the chair and even took all of his x-rays just fine. Wow! My little baby is growing up fast.

Lucy, My Favorite Dog

Yes, Ethan admits it, Lucy is favored over Skippy. Perhaps it is her "old Granny dog" ways. Lucy is going on 14 in September. She's calm and appreciates Ethan's hugs, pats and kisses.

I had to laugh today when Ethan was talking about Lucy. Actually, we were all lying on the playroom floor building with Lincoln Logs when Ethan suddenly looked under Lucy and said, "Mommy, her wiener must be sucked up." Honestly. So, I had to explain that Lucy is a girl and doesn't have a wiener. You'd think he'd relate this to us, but apparently not. :)

Happy Father's Day!

Mom: No more TV this morning (cartoons).

Ethan: No more cookie TV.

Mom: What?

Daddy-o: Laughs. I think he said, "No more cooking TV."

Mom: What did you say, Ethan?

Ethan: No more cooker TV.

Mom: Do you mean the cooking shows?

Ethan: Yes.

Daddy-o: Laughs again. He means no more Food Network!

The funniest part of this conversation was I hadn't had the Food Network on at all or in recent days. However, I think both boys are grateful I watch Food Network and read fabulous cookbooks because they were treated to the best cinnamon sugar nutmeg muffins for Father's Day breakfast (thanks to The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook! I love her recipes!).

Where in the world is... Turks and Caicos?

The #1 question everyone asked me before "How was your vacation?" was "Where's Turks and Caicos?" It is south of the Bahamas, north of Haiti, in the Caribbean. The TCI (Turks and Caicos Islands) have the whitest sand beaches and the clearest turquoise water you'll ever see. We stayed on Provo, the most developed of the islands. During a private sailing trip around the island, we learned about TCI history and the ocean life. Who ever knew a dolphin was more dangerous than a shark? Turks and Caicos is known for it's amazing underwater life, from reef and nurse sharks in as little of 2 feet of water, to sting rays, turtles and every color and size of fish you can imagine. TCI also has quite a bit of pirate history which can be found engraved into rocks on the outer edge of Provo. Ethan enjoyed the sand, pool and ocean (in that order). The salt water bothered him the most so he was often found going to shore to wipe his eyes on a towel. The ocean was warmer than the pool and we happened to have the most popular snorkeling site (reef) right off our beach. Ethan was curious about snorkeling, but after towing him out with us on a floatie, he preferred to dig trenches in the sand. The water was calm and we spent most of our time floating on noodles in the hot sun or sipping rum punch or other foo-foo drinks. I've never tanned so quickly in my life. Shopping was limited. Restaurants varied. Ethan ate Conch soup every day and we had the best Grouper ever - our favorite new fish. We celebrated my birthday in Provo, with Ethan's birthday the day before we left and our anniversary the day after we arrived home! We are happy to be home in the dry heat where we can quickly jump in the pool (getting ready to go to the beach was as time consuming as getting ready to play in the snow!), but enjoyed another Caribbean experience!

Happy Birthday to Ethan!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Ethan,

Happy Birthday to you!

And, our 81st post. I started the blog when Ethan turned 2. Today, he turned 3. Here's to our "big boy" who celebrated dinner out at Houstons with lots of new Monster Trucks and jungle gym in the backyard. Stay tuned for more fun to come in the next couple of weeks. :)

(Isn't it great when kids make funny faces especially in their birthday photos?!)