Braces for Molly

Molly with the spacers

Spaces up close and personal
Getting the back brackets
Smiling with the back brakcets in place
Yuck -- the pallette expander

Front brackets without wires yet

The pallette expander sure did make a gap!!

Expander cemented and front wire in place

Making great progress!!!

** These pictures are from right before Thanksgiving through mid December. ** Molly has started her orthodotia treatment. In comparison to Abby's one year of braces time (not including retainers), Molly's three year treatment plan sounds a little more intense. Molly's mouth is too small for all of her teeth, so she has an entirely different process than what Abby has. Molly started out with expanders to make room in between her molars for brackets. Next she got a pallette expander, which does exactly what the name says -- it expands the pallette to make more room as I had to crank the contraption twice a day. Then the expander gets cemented and then braces start pulling teeth together to make room for adult teeth of which she still has the baby teeth. Molly has been a trooper with this whole process. She's counting down the days until she gets the expander out in March. It's expected she will get brace brackets on all of her teeth sometime in 2011.

Powder Puff Football

Introducing Team Pink

Don't mess with this defense!
Team Pink's victory group hug

Abby surprised us when she told us that she had signed up to paticipate in the annual 8th grade powder puff football game. Typically she would sit and watch such a thing, but this time she jumped in full force. After one of the practices she was frustrated because "so many of the girls don't even know the rules of football" or something to that effect. Abby really does know football quite well -- must get that from me. OK, maybe not! Team Pink, of which Abby was a part, were victorious!

Halloween 2009

One costumed and one not... Cool Molly!
Trick or Treat, aren't they sweet?
"Meet ya later at the malt shop!"
Abby and some school friends ready for Trick or Treat
Molly and Rebecca after going door-to-door

Halloween cookie decorating party
Molly's Halloween cookie creations

Halloween is always a highlight of our fall. This year the girls managed to use costumes (or clothes to make into costumes) we had at home. Molly had two costumes -- a hippy for school and a sixties girls for Trick or Treat. Abby didn't dress in costume for school this year, but was a nerd for Trick or Treat night. Molly and Abby didn't go Trick or Treating together, which was a first. Paul took Molly with some friends (and their parents) and Abby was invited to go with some school friends. Both girls got to go little Halloween parties after a night of Trick or Treating.

Leaves!

Molly wanted to try some action shots at the end of our photo shoot. Molly had Abby throw leaves to make it look like Molly was in the middle of a leaf storm or something. It was fun, fun, fun and we were laughing so hard while doing this!

Fall 2009 Photo Shoots

This year we decided to stay close to home for the girls' annual fall photo shoot. Usually we go to a nearby park, but this year I thought we might as well try staying in the back yard. I think we got some nice shots. We ended up doing it over a couple of days, so you might notice different hairstyles and different outfits -- after all, variety is the spice of life.

Puppy Adventures

Puppy or Spider?

Who needs a pillow when you've got a shoe?

When we got Casper in 1996, he was a year and a half old, so we missed most of what people would consider the puppy stage with him. With Griffin, we are seeing the tail end of puppyhood. It's a different world, to say the least!

One day I was cleaning up in the basement and when I came upstairs I found Griffin had found a fun way of entertaining himself with a ball of yarn!!! I still don't know where he found the yarn, but I do know he must think he's a cat instead of a dog -- or maybe a spider because after the "creation" he made with the yarn looked like a great big spider web all over our living room. He took it from the front door, twice around the coffee table, and even managed to take it in and out of the play tent we had up for him twice. I sure wish I had a video recording of Griffin in the midst of the "fun." All I can say it's a good thing he's so cute!

Another day I was sitting at the dining room table and I looked over to see that Griffin was using one of Molly's shoes as a pillow, with his snout in the shoe. Too cute! I'm just glad he chose to use the shoe as a pillow rather than a chew toy!!

Happy Birthday Paul!

We celebrated Paul's birthday in style -- dinner out at Chick-Fil-A. Doesn't get much better than that, for sure!