One day in our exciting life.

Today was another day on home leave, and it was awesome!

First, we woke up around 8:30 (rough, huh?) to find out that my sister had her third baby.  We get to meet the little one in a few weeks! I would also like to point out that I correctly predicted the sex of her child (boy).  Hooray for me.  Winning.

Then I went and got my haircut.  I feel fresh and lovely.

THEN we went to an arcade, and Ben and I WON Deal or No Deal.  Yes, my friends, we won the jackpot of 200 tickets!  I know, you are all impressed.  

Our spoils.  The tickets just kept going and going.

Getting ready to cash in.  We ended up with a sword and an eye patch,
 four ninja toys, two dum-dum suckers,  twelve little frootie candies,
 and a glider with a rotating propeller.  WINNING.

My treat of the day (well one of them).  These are amazing! 

My brother and I went to All-you-can eat sushi.

Oh, and I am pretty sure that Ben has purchased my Valentine's Day gift.  I am going to try to keep it a surprise by not reading the e-mails that I know are there...

And we are going to do it again tomorrow.  

Well actually, tomorrow isn't going to be as great, but you know, I like blogging about the best so that no one knows how boring our life really is.

On Being Out-Numbered.

After spending less than twenty four hours with my sister and her family, I have learned two lessons. The first, I have officially decided that having only two kids is definitely the right decision for our family. The second, the next vacation my sister and I go on together will either be without kids or in ten years.

It was fantastic to see my sister and her family. The kids and I were able to meet Andres, the newest member of their family, but the hours together were filled with crying, whining, frustrations, lack of sleep, and short tempers. Although my sister and I were glad to see each other, it might be awhile before our families get together again.

I realize that it is not anyone's fault; it is just a matter of our situations, and the age of the kids. It made me really grateful that my kids will keep getting older, that there are only two of them, and when Ben and I are together, we are not out-numbered.  There is a lot to be said for that.

 

The Dentist Responds

My brother-in-law left a comment on my post about not liking the dentist.  I really thought it would be fair to give him his moment, since most people do not like dentists.  Besides, it made me smile, and I am glad he took the time to make a comment and show concern for all of our oral health.  {Wasn't that nice of him?}


Let this be a lesson to all of you. (Too bad this isn't facebook and only emily will be reading this.) It just goes to show you that teeth are just as vulnerable as any other part of your body to infection. And if not taken care of as soon as you notice it, it can lead to PAIN, time & $$$$$.

Better to go to your 6 mo. appt, or at least a 1 year appt. to get a "check up". A check up is going to cost you a heck of a lot less than a root canal, especially if they can stop the cavity before it gets to that point. (I'm in a "Preventitive Dentistry course" right now so i'm taking advantage of this soap box.)
ALSO, If you have a good dentist, Root Canals are NOT PAINFUL, if everything is going well, you get numbed up, and you get the blood supply and nerves taken out... you shouldn't be able to feel much of anything.(except being soar that you've been holding your mouth open for a couple hours).
*****having a wife w/ 2 kids myself, I can understand that it is near impossible to arrange this kind of appointment. But you should make an effort to go for a "check up" at least once a year. "Once" a year, unless you know that you are at a higher risk of getting cavities.
There, just wanted to stand up for my future colleagues.

Dr. Jason Gonzalez DDS-2B

PS. Quick tips on top of brushing that can prevent cavities: Chew gum with Xylitol after each meal- bacteria can't digest Xylitol; Don't rinse after brushing -it keeps the fluoride on your teeth for a lot longer; reduce your in between meal snacks, this gives your teeth enough time away from bacteria to recover its enamel layers from the last meal.

My Thursday Thanks{giving}.

I am grateful for one of the best Thanksgivings EVER!

Remember last Thanksgiving at the Whitaker's?  Not so great.  This year our goal was to have a good day together, stress free.  Nobody wanted to do the traditional dinner, so we had Chinese delivered.  It was great.  For desert, we had milkshakes from McDonalds. Very, very festive, and stress free!
The entire day was exactly what we wanted, happy time together as a family.

We ended the night with Jason putting on a magic show.  The highlight was when Jason turned Ben into a bunny, it was awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Wednesday Thanks.

{my only picture of an airplane}

I am grateful that my sister and her cute family flew from Iowa to see us! 

I love my sister so much and it is awesome to spend Thanksgiving together. 

Oh, and what the Thanksgiving we are going to have!  Just you wait...