Bells

Dani has started in the band playing bells. She has been watching Angela playing bells for her "Let's Play Music" class. When Ang is done, Dani picks up the mallets and starts to play the bells. She was so excited to be in the band that she took it upon herself to ask the band teacher if she could be in the band. Dani loved the first day of band and I can't wait to hear her perform on the bells at the upcoming concerts. She is in her second year of piano lessons, so the bells will help her with the piano and vice versa.

Braces Removed

Josh had his bottom braces removed. He just needed 4 braces on his bottom teeth during his Phase I of the orthodontic plan. They made room for some teeth without needing an extraction. They look really nice. Most people can't see Josh's bottom teeth, so they may not have noticed that he had braces nor will they see the difference the braces made. If no one really sees your bottom teeth, why fork over the big bucks to fix them.? Anyway, he was very excited to complete Phase I and get those braces off. He now has a metal retainer on the bottom until he is ready for Phase 2. The retainer doesn't come out nor does it bother him at all. After he had his braces removed, the dental hygienists put on some silly hats and sang to him. They gave him some yummy treats, especially the ones you shouldn't eat with braces on. He didn't know what to think about the performance, but sure did love the treats. He will see the ortho every 6 months until it is time to get full braces on all his teeth. It's a long road, but Phase I is over.

Josh before he had his braces removed. Can you see them?

The sweet ladies sang to Josh and gave him a lot of candy. That was the best part for Josh. He worked really hard for a year taking care of his teeth with the braces and wearing a retainer. Well, he only wore the retainer for a few months, but that will help when he gets braces on all his teeth.

Congratulations Josh!

I'm Going Private

When I discovered blogs, it was such a great way to find friends and reconnect with others. There have been friends who have found my blog and I'm glad that I was able to reconnect with them. Well, now I have decided to go private. Some of my friends and family members receive my blog via email, this decision should not affect you. You will continue to receive the emails through the blog. If you would like to view my blog, you will need to give me email address and you will have access to my blog. If you would rather receive the emails instead of checking my blog, leave me your address and I'll include you. Thanks for understanding. It's important for my kids to see me protecting them from the Internet. I tell them not to give information out, but I do. So, I'm changing that. You can email me at tamipace@yahoo.com and give your email address or leave it in the comment section. I'm going private on Sunday Sept. 14th.

Dani got her ears pierced

Dani went to the mall on Tuesday and got her ears pierced. I was more nervous than she was. I took pictures and that helped calm my nerves. She was really nervous but so excited. I wanted her to wait and decide for herself if she wanted her ears pierced. Some of her cousins get their ears pierced when they are 8 and others wait until they are 12. It was so hard to decide on that magical age when Dani could get her ears pierced. Dani has a cousin, Brittany, who just turned 12. These two cousins are very tight and do a lot together. So, Dani and Britt went to get their ears pierced together. The girls were very brave and look so cool with their ears pierced.

When I was young, my parents made my sisters and I wait until we were 16 before we could get our ears pierced. I waited until my 16th birthday, but when it came I decided not to get my ears pierced. Til this day, my ears are not pierced. That saves a lot of money on ear rings. I refuse to wear clip-ons, except on my wedding day and only for pictures. Those guys hurt, probably worse than getting your ears pierced. For a brief moment, I thought of going with the girls and getting my ears pierced too. Then I came to my senses and realized that I really didn't want them pierced. I didn't want to deal with earrings and finding the right pair or it's match. I've gone 30+ years without earrings and can go 30+ more years . Dani really wanted her ears pierced, I never really did.

Here is Dani and Britt before they got their ear pierced. They were so excited, but they had to wait. When we arrived the first time, we didn't have the proper ID. The second time, the stores closed early on Labor Day. The girls went the third time, and finally got their ears pierced.

She looks terrified and brave all at the same time. I'm so glad I changed my mind. That looks like it's going to hurt.

She survived.

Here the girls are with their ears newly pierced. They are happy the ordeal is over.

Surprise Work Day

There is an advantage to working in downtown Phoenix today. Jim received a phone call about 7:00 this morning telling him to stay home from work today. The streets near his workplace are a mess with downed power lines and trees. There is no electricity for the building nor for the server in the building, so he can't work in the office nor at home. What a great surprise for our family. It's been nice spending time with Jim. He will be able to have a four day weekend. How often does that happen?

During the electric storm last night, I took pictures of the lightening instead of putting my kids to bed. It's not every night that it rains, except lately. Dani had to run and play in the rain before going to bed. Josh had to check out the lightening storm, so my kids went to bed again late. With the Olympics and the storms, my kids haven't gone to bed at a decent time since school started. We need to work on that.

Here are a couple of photos I took last night. This is the reason my kids went to bed late again. It was very entertaining to watch, especially knowing that it wasn't so close to home.

Josh turns 12

Josh turned 12 yesterday. I can't believe how fast those 12 years went by. The highlight of the day was when Josh was conferred the Aaronic Priesthood by his Father. It was so special to have Josh's grandparents, parents, and sisters there for the ordination. Josh has been looking forward to this moment. He also earned his Faith in God award from Primary, which helped Josh prepare to receive the Priesthood. Josh's favorite memory of the day was the ordination. It just makes a mom proud.

Later that evening, we celebrated Josh's birthday with cake and presents. He picked out the cake, and created the menu for his birthday dinner. He opened presents and just loved being the center of attention. He loved every minute of his birthday, except bedtime. He just didn't want it to end. We will have a birthday party this year, so he can look forward to that. Here are some cute pictures of Josh growing up.

The Music Man

Friday night, Jim and I went with his family to see the Music Man at the Hale Theater in Gilbert. It was so fun to watch the musical and harder not to sing along with the actors. There are some clever songs and great lines in the Music Man. In Women's Conference, Pres. Monson even quoted the Music Man. "Professor Harold Hill, in Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man, cautioned: “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.” There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most."

We went to celebrate Jim's Dad's birthday. We went out to eat and then headed to the theater. We knew 3 of the actors in the musical, we didn't know that they were participating until we arrived. It was such a pleasant surprise. We were able to talk to them after the show. A year ago, I went with Jim's mom and my sister-in-laws to see Footloose. When I walked into the theater, I noticed how small the area was and wondered how they could perform a musical in the space provided. I loved how close we were to the performers and truly enjoyed the show. Both shows were amazing. It's an amazing place to see a play or a musical. You might even know one or two of the perfomers.