A Holiday Conversation

Me: Heidi, if you get ready really quick, we could stop at the new Holiday store and have donuts for breakfast.

Heidi: It is not ready yet.

Me: Yes, it is. Daddy went there the other day. It was open. Wouldn’t you like a fresh bottle of juice and a yummy donut for breakfast today?

Heidi: It is not open. Daddy would have told me if he went there. Let’s just go to Burger King.

15 minutes later, after leaving Burger King.

Heidi: Look! There are people using the gas pumps at the store!! (The store is the new Holiday).

Me: Yes, Heidi. They are open.

Heidi: Their sign looks really nice, it is working now!

Me: Yes, Heidi. They are open.

Heidi: Look! The lights are on in the store!

Me: Yes, Heidi. They are open.

Heidi: Look! People are going in! Why are people going in?

Me: Because they are open. Daddy went in there the other day. I want to go there soon before we ghetto it up.

Heidi: Will you hand me my drink?

After this conversation, I am pretty sure she still believes the store is not open yet.

We went to Super America and got gas.

Adventure Cat Climbs A Tree

Heidi's cat Sneaky Pete has become a continuous source of entertainment for our family.

If a car door is open, he gets in.  If hand is visible, he makes it pet him.  If a moth is in the neighborhood, he chases it.

Heidi has taken to calling him Adventure Cat and even wrote a story about his adventures.  Here is the latest.

One evening, Shawn was walking through the living room on his way to take a shower.  He looked out the bay window just in time to see Adventure Cat chase a squirrel up to tree.

Do you see him up there?  Above the bird feeder.  In that branch about 10 feet up.

He just kept going higher as the squirrel ran away from him.  Eventually the squirrel leaped into the next tree over.  Pete weighted the odds of making that same leap.

Think.  Think.  Think...

Should I jump to the next tree?  Should I sit here a look pretty for the camera?  Decisions, decisions.

At this point he is wondering how he is going to get out of the tree.  10 feet is a long way.

He is thinking, "Maybe you could put the camera down and come help me..."

He circles the branches a few times.   Looks down at the grass.

Go up?  Go down?  Wait for help?

As Shawn arrives to help, and Pete is starting to get a bit higher, and Heidi is starting to freak out a little bit, Pete comes to his senses.  He doesn't want this man grabbing him and dragging him down the ladder.

So, he runs as fast as he can straight down the tree trunk and off to safety.

And a quick roll on the steps before he is off to his next adventure.

What's For Dinner: Spring Asparagus and Pancetta Fettucine

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen site and I just had to try it.  I am still having issues with the Meatless Monday menu but after we tried this, I realized this could have been meatless very easily.

It's called Spring Asparagus and Pancetta Fettuccine and the recipe is posted here but that is not exactly what I made.

I didn't have Pancetta on hand so I used bacon.  Pancetta is similar to bacon in saltiness and thickness and are both pork so I figure it would be fine, and it was.  However, I plan to make this again with out any meat at all.  It was nice to have the bacon but it was not necessary by any means.

I did not get a picture of the the ingredients list but here it is anyway:

150 grams (about 1/4 lb) Pancetta, thick cut - again, I used bacon
4 tablespoons butter - divided into 1 tbsp and 3 tbsp
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/4 whole medium red onion, diced - I picked up a red onion for this dish but I don't typically have them on hand.  I do, however, have a yellow onion in my pantry at all times.  The yellow onion would have been just fine.
1 pound Crimini Mushrooms, sliced - my Cub Foods did not have Crimini Mushrooms so I used baby Bella's - YUM!  And I only used 8 ounces because that is what comes in one package and that was plenty.
1 pound Asparagus, trimmed of stems and cut into 1 inch chunks - Do you know how to easily trim asparagus?  Take 1 stem and snap it, use that as a guide to cut off the rest the bottoms.  This is the fastest way!
4 liters Water - Do you measure the water when you boil noodles?  I don't.  You really just need a pot of water to boil the pasta.
375 grams whole wheat fettuccine or linguine - I had neither so I used angel hair.  About 3/4 pound.
1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese, Finely Grated
Salt to Taste
Fresh Ground Pepper - I prefer fresh ground so I buy the McCormick's Pepper Grinder.  But regular black pepper would work if that's what you have on hand.

I had a heck of a time keeping Heidi out of this plate.

The directions call for using a small pan to cook the bacon and a large skillet to cook the veggies.  Well, I am a one pot lady so using three was completely out of the question.  I used my favorite large, non-stick pan for both the bacon and the veggies.

I removed the bacon from the pan and then the phone rang.  When I got back to the pan, I tossed in 1 tablespoon of butter, the onions, and garlic.  That's when I realized I had not removed the bacon grease from the pan.  Oops.  Too late!  So, I sauteed everything in one tablespoon of butter and about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease.

Here is the three tablespoons of butter.

Not a great picture of the end result but it really was very good.


This easily could have been made without the bacon to be a meatless meal.  Next time I will saute the veggies in Olive Oil, not butter, because I like the fats in Olive Oil better.

I think there is some wiggle room in the ingredient list, like I mentioned in the list above but overall this is a solid dish that will be added to my rotation.

It served two adult dinner portions, one child portion, and two adult lunch portions.  We could have served four adults or stretched it to five or six by adding more noodles or some french bread on the side.

Enjoy!!

And The Tooth Is Out...

With all the craziness of Daisy Mae, I totally forgot to post about Heidi's tooth.  And that's bad.  Because even though the Daisy Mae drama is overshadowing a lot in my life at the moment, I can't let it get in the way of one of Heidi's biggest moments in growing up.

Friday night we went swimming at the community center like we often do.  While swimming, Heidi was playing with the loose tooth.  Moving it back and forth.

I said "Heid's, you should stop that. What if it falls out in the pool?"

She snapped her mouth shut.

Shawn said "Don't worry.  If it falls out, I will swim to the bottom and find it!"

And we continued to swim, with all of our teeth in our mouths for another hour.

After swimming, we were all starving.  We stopped at BK for Heidi and got her a Whopper Jr.  Her favorite because they will add bacon!  Then we hit up TBell for the rest of us.

While sitting in the TBell drive thru, Heidi starts freaking out - "I lost my tooth!  It fell out!  I can't find it!!"

She spit her food into her hand and started to cry.  I threw the van in park and grabbed her burger.  Shawn leaned over the seat and started looking for the missing tooth.

She kept telling us that she might have ate it but she didn't swallow anything.  It was shear panic on her part.

After two good minutes of searching the food, the car seat, her lap, and the floor, we had to give up and head home.

At home I searched everything again, no tooth.

She was worried the Tooth Fairy would not come if she didn't have a tooth to give her.  We told her that the Tooth Fairy would still come, we should just write a note explaining what happened.

It happened so fast.  No pain, no blood.  Just like I wanted.  She has been so stressed about losing this tooth because she has a fear of the unknown.  And band aids.  But that's a different story.

We settled in at home and finished our dinner.  I told her about how I broke my braces eating a Chili Cheese Burrito 15 minutes after my ortho appointment.  My brother, who was also my driver at the time, refused to take me back to the ortho so I had that stupid bracket spinning in my mouth for an entire month.

Then Shawn reminded her about how Willy ate Johannah's tooth.  I am not sure why.  Maybe he was jealous.

We were able to get her mind off the lost tooth for a bit.

Shawn wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy explaining how the tooth was missing but it really did fall out.  He signed it Heidi and put it on her dresser.  And, don't you know it, the Tooth Fairy did come!  And she left one dollar.

The next day, she woke up to discover the dollar.  She was so happy and felt so grown up.

She told her Granny that she had lost a mystery tooth.  It was a mystery tooth because it was a mystery as to where it went.  Did she swallow it?  Or is it on the floor in my van?  The world will never know.

The picture is a bit darker then I thought but you can kind of see the missing (mystery) tooth on the bottom in the middle.

Daisy Mae - Post Op Update

Daisy Mae had her bone Biopsy on Monday afternoon and did so well in the recover room, they sent her home on Monday night.

It was a crazy evening as I was not expecting her until Tuesday afternoon.

I had to leave work, pick up Heidi, find baby gates, drop Heidi at my parents, switch cars with Shawn, get Daisy by 6:30, get her settled at home, get Heidi back home, and eat dinner.

Heidi was amazingly helpful.  I explained that we were going to stop at home to check for a baby gate and let Pig out.  We had to be very quick.

When we got to the driveway, she jumped out of the van, ran in the house, and called for Pig to go outside.  When I was down in the storage room looking for a baby gate, she found a snack, hauled her old blanket up to the kitchen for Daisy, and got back in the van.

After we arrived at my parents house, she jumped out of the van, told me I was not allowed to get out due to my hurry to keep going, and ran inside.  I waited for her to close the door and called my step-mom.  I told her not to let Heidi know I was calling but I needed to know that she made it in okay.  Terri played along and Heidi was able to feel like a big girl.

I ran over to my mother-in-laws house to pick up some baby gates. I found mine but all the hardware is currently MIA.  Thank goodness for Renee, she had two that will work for now.  We need to keep Daisy off the furniture for the next two to three weeks so when we are not home she will be gated into the kitchen.

Then I needed to switch cars with Shawn and find my way to the University.  That was uneventful except I think Shawn's bosses girlfriend believes I stole a car from their parking lot.  I had to pass her on the way from the van to the truck, we were both on our phones, and she was giving me an odd look.

I arrived at the vet to a dog who was very mad at me but equally happy to head home.  After I checked her out the vet and the vet student helped me load her in the back of the truck.  It took both of them to lift her up.

The ride home was insane!  Daisy was supposed to lay down in the back but instead she climbed between the front and back seats about 12 times while I drove down the freeway.  She was unable to find a comfortable place so she paced back and forth.

My brother and Dawn met us at the house to help get her out of the truck.  I love my brother!!  He left his half cooked dinner to come to my house and lift my large dog out of the truck so I wouldn't accidental drop her. Isn't family the best?!

We will get the results of the biopsy in two to seven days.  This will tell us what kind of cancer we are dealing with and allow us to understand our treatment options. 

Until then, Daisy has to stay calm, off furniture, and must stay on her leash (even when outside to go to the bathroom).

And she will sleep here:

 But that's not her.  I put down two sleeping bags and a comforter so of course Pig thought, "Oh! A bed for me?  In the kitchen?!  I have to lay on it!"  And he did.

She also has to take her pain killers three times a day until the vet says to stop.  This will probably be about a week.

As I write this, on Monday evening, I am remembering last Monday when she was sedated and acting very goofy.  She is not so goofy this time but in a lot more pain.  I have never heard this dog cry before but she is whimpering now.

She occasionally gets up to walk and her limp is pronounced.  She cries when she lays down and my heart breaks to watch her try to get comfortable.

The biopsy is the only way to know how to treat her so I know it was necessary but watching her tonight is very difficult.  I am left wondering how we went from "just fine" to "biopsy" in 8 days.

I will continue to post about her progress, as well as her treatment.

Daisy Mae

This is my dog.  Her name is Daisy Mae.  She is an almost 9 year-old Bullmastiff who we have had since she was 9 weeks old.

She was born with an eye condition called Entropion.  It is a condition where the eye lid is turned in causing the eyelashes to rub on the eyeball.  It is easily corrected with a surgical procedure which she had at 12 weeks.  After that, she had a broken toe (see how the "ring finger" on her left hand turns in?) and the occasional ear infection, but otherwise she has been healthy as a horse.  And as big as one.

That is until a week a go Sunday.

Saturday, she went to bed feeling just fine.  On Sunday morning she woke up with a limp.

She is a large dog and she is almost 9 years-old so sometimes we wake up with a limp just from being old.  But this time, instead of getting better within a few hours it got worse.

By Sunday night, it was clear that she needed to see a vet.

First thing Monday morning I made an appointment and we were in the vets office at 4 pm on Monday night.

I was worried about her but I thought she had a simple sprained wrist or pulled ligament.  Something that would be fixed and we would go on with our lives.

I was not prepared for what they found in the x-ray.

Cancer.  In her bone.

I was in complete shock.  I paid my bill, loaded my sedated dog in the truck, and went home.

I am honestly not sure how I got home.  I called my best friend while I was driving and dissolved in tears.  I told her not to come over, I just wanted to be alone until Shawn and Heidi got home from skating.  But five minutes after arriving home, my brother and his fiancee showed up and I was so glad he was there.  I ran out of the house, blurted out the news, and fell apart again.

I needed to pull myself together before Heidi got home.  She did not need to be stressed with this news.

Daisy was not moving well that evening.  Shawn kept reminding me this was due to the sedation and not the diagnosis.  She was panting and pacing and jumpy.  And for the first time in her life, she skipped her dinner.

Tuesday came and I went to work.  I cried most of the day at my desk. It was very hard to comprehend the diagnosis.  I was just expecting to hear she had a sprained leg.

Shawn called the vet on Tuesday and asked all the questions I should have asked on Monday night.  We were waiting for the second x-ray reading from the University of Minnesota but that would not be back until the following Wednesday or Thursday.  Daisy should continue to take the anti-inflammatory for the time being.  Once the results were back, we would be referred to an oncologist at the University who would be better prepared to discuss treatment options.

Tuesday night, Daisy was doing really well.  She ate dinner and hung out in the back yard with us.

But Wednesday was a different story.  She seemed to be okay before we went to bed but had settled into a one meal a day routine.  At 1:30 am on Thursday morning, she woke up panting and unable to get comfortable.  Every time I was able to get her to calm down something would stir her up again, the cats fighting, a car door outside, Heidi waking up from a bad dream.  This went on until after 4 am when she was finally able to relax for a few minutes.

I got to work on Thursday morning and called Shawn (who had to go to work before I got up.) to ask if I could call the vet and demand a pain killer.

He told me to make a list of what I wanted to ask and then call.

The vet explained that Daisy was on an anti-inflammatory which is not a pain killer.  I could pick up an actual pain killer that evening.  I was also given a referral to the University of Minnesota.  She would call right away and we would probably be able to get in on Friday.

Let me tell you.  Camden Pet Hospital in North Minneapolis has been so wonderful through all of this.  They are very understanding and empathetic.

About an hour later, I had an appointment for Friday at 12:15.

Friday, we went to the University and they started the diagnosis all over again.  We had her x-rays with us so they reviewed those and confirmed the diagnosis of bone cancer.

We then had a second set of x-rays to check her abdomen for tumors.  Those came back clear, which means she only has the one tumor.  This is great news as bone cancer can spread quickly.

She also had blood work to check her organs.  Those numbers came back perfect.  This made me happy for a few reasons. 

First, this entire time, I keep wondering if I missed any signs.  Until about a year ago, she has blood work done every 6 months.  If these numbers came back elevated, I would have wondered if there was something we missed in the past.

Second, it meant her organs are healthy.

And third, she was a candidate for the next step.

The next step is a bone biopsy, which is happening today, to determine what type of cancer we are dealing with.  She will be home either tonight or tomorrow afternoon.  After that we will be able to discuss treatment options.

Right now we are looking forward to a few more good years with her.  But first we need to get rid of this cancer.

The Music Man

Have you ever been to an outdoor theatre?  If not, I demand you find one and get there now.

Okay, now that you are back, did you have a good time?

We did!  We loved it!  We cannot wait to do it again!

I work with a guy whose family is very active in community and school theatre.  In the Spring we saw his daughter as the lead in Cinderella, a Plymouth Middle School Production.  Last week, we attended The Music Man, a New Hope Community Theatre production, in which he and his daughter both had rolls.

We went with Shannon and Matt, and Tonya, Sam, and Jayden.  It was a nice warm evening to be out in the park.

The play began and so did the rain.  Look at that menacing sky!  It was shortly after the first scene when they stopped the show, sent the actors into the building, and the audience dove for cover.

Some hid under trees, some went to their cars, some hid under blankets,

but most went under the bleachers.

As they say, the show must go on!  After 15 minutes of rain, the audience returned to their seats and the cast returned to the stage.

It was a fantastic show.  I just love the music in The Music Man. 

Matt and Shawn loved the Shipoopi number which they recognized from a Family Guy episode.  Both Family Guy and The Simpson's take their jokes from all different mediums. Not just pop culture, which gives them their longevity.  It's funny to see someone get a joke well after the fact!

Once the rain stopped, it cooled down a bit and ended up being a very nice evening.  I was very surprised at the level of acting and singing found at a free show.

This is something they do every year and we are already planning to go back next summer!

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Oh, my, yum.  That's all I can say.

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website the other day and knew I needed to make it.  As soon as possible.

My parents were over for dinner the other night which turned out to be the perfect time.

Besides the rolls, I had everything I needed to make this in my freezer and pantry:
Hamburger
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Bread Crumbs - I toss my old bread in the food processor, make it crumbly, and then put it in a zip lock bag.  This way, I always have bread crumbs on hand and I waste less bread (who eats those heals?!).
Onion
Olive Oil
Marinara Sauce - I don't keep that on hand but I had 2/3rd's a jar of Prego Meat Sauce in the fridge so I used the rest of that and added 1 can of diced tomatoes which worked out perfect.
Provolone Cheese (I was out so I used Mozzarella, Swiss would have been good too.)
Dinner Rolls (we used wheat because I don't like white bread.  At all. Really.)

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe so you have to link here for the details!  Trust me, it's worth it.

She calls this a 16 minute meal, but this is what you will have at 16 minutes:

So, it's really 16 minute prep.

20 minutes later, you will have these.

I ended up with 13 meatballs.  I was able to make 6 sandwiches.  One was enough per person.

Heidi, the non-carb eater, removed her bun and cheese.  Next time, I will just serve her the meatballs.

The adults all really liked the sandwiches.

I served them with Corn On The Cob and Mashed Potatoes.

YUM!  Enjoy!!

A Day At The Races

One Sunday, a few weekends ago, we gathered up the few people who were willing to brave the extreme heat, and headed out to Extreme Day at Canterbury Park.

Here are three of the very brave soles (or two and a beard...)

Here are the other two

It was unbearably hot.  We went through 7 tubes of sun screen and 247 gallons of water.  We left puddles on the ground and looked like we had just gotten out of the pool when we left.

But it was worth it.  Any time Heidi can see these guys, she is happy.

They ran on the dirt track.

They ran on the grass.

There was a Buffalo Wild Wings eating contest.

But this is why we really went.

Camel racing.  Yes, camel racing.

It's non-sanctioned and they only run about an eighth of the track, but it was so funny!  I cheered for Karma Chameleon.  He lost.

Four races later, this happened:

Yes.  Those are Ostriches.  And they are stubborn and sure can run.  Every Jockey fell off before they hit the finish line.

Speaking of the finish line, to stop the camels and the ostriches, they had this huge net.  When the animals were at the finish line, the people holding the net closed in and guided them back into their trailer.

This is a yearly event.  I highly suggest you all attend this event next summer.  The guy who supplies the animals trains in Missouri.  I was not able to find a website for him but on the news he said they have a B&B on their ranch.  That might be a cool weekend trip!

Johannah was very excited to meet this big guy.  He had just lost his race.  She was there to console him.

The only thing that might have made Heidi any happier about this day would be a ride.  I guess she will just have to wait a few more weeks until our friend Ashley can introduce her to her family horses.

Oh!  And did you know!  It is the 25th Anniversary of Canterbury Park.  Admission is free for the entire season, you are welcome to bring in food and drinks (no booze or glass), and Sunday's are Family Day with free Pony Rides, Face Painting, and a petting zoo.

Homemade Honey Wheat Bread

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a blog called Window On The Prairie.  It appears that she started her blog this past spring so it's kind of new but her content is fun!  She lives on the prairie with her husband where they have a farm, some cows, and a garden.  She writes about her live and her weekend trips on a daily basis.

Her post and recipe for Honey Wheat Bread inspired me to make my first loafs of homemade bread.

I am going to try her peach pie in the near future too, so watch for that post!

It is so easy! Everything you need is probably already in your pantry:
Whole Wheat Flour
All Purpose Flout
Yeast - did you know 1 packet equals 2 1/4 tablespoons?  It does.  And the jar is much cheaper than the packets.
Shortening
Honey
Water
Salt

Link here for the step by step directions on how to make the bread, since this is her recipe, I am not going to give details on measurements, you will need to visit her to get that!  She also has some really nice step by step pictures.

If you follow her directions, and add in a helpful 5 year old, you will have a dough ball that looks like this,

And a barefooted child that looks like this.

When your dough ball looks like this

Let your 5 year old do this.  I promise, she will enjoy it!  If you do not have a 5 year old, do it yourself.  I promise, you will enjoy it!

Keep following her directions and eventually you will have loafs that look like this.  But hopefully you will have pans that do not look like this.  These pans have had much love, many a meat loaf and banana bread have been baked in here.  This is their first time holding actual bread!

All you need is a little patience and before you know it, you will have these!  They are ready for the oven now!

And after about 45 minutes, you will have these beauties.  Just don't fall asleep on the couch and miss the buzzer. 

What?  No, I did not do that.  Really.

Oh, wait, maybe I did.

Anyway!

The end product is YUM!  And the process was so much fun.  Heidi was home from school that day and this was a very productive, enjoyable way to spend our day.

Enjoy!!

A Conversation About The Tooth Fairy

Heidi has her first loose tooth. I am not sure what the going rate for the Tooth Fairy is so I figured I should ask her what she thought.

Me: Hey, Heids. What does the Tooth Fairy give you for your first tooth?

Heidi: Um… $1. It’s always $1.

Me: Okay, good to know.

Heidi: Unless it’s big. Then maybe it’s more.

Me: Oh, do you mean, like, a molar?

Heidi: Yeah, or a long one.

Me: What’s a long tooth?

Heidi: I don’t know. But it’s $1.

Me: Okay. So, it’s always $1?

Heidi: Yes. $1. Unless it’s not.

Me: Okay. Glad we cleared that up.

A few minutes later.

Heidi: Hey Mom?

Me: Yeah?

Heidi: Do I have to put the tooth under my pillow?

Me: Well, you could put it under your pillow or under the one next to you. Whatever you want to do is fine.

Heidi: What if the Tooth Fairy comes when I am not on my pillow. You know, I don’t sleep on my pillow most of the night. What if I am on the wrong side of the bed? Will she still leave the dollar?

Me: I think you could leave it on your nightstand and she would take it. I don’t think it has to be under a pillow. And I don’t think your head has to be on the pillow. You will be fine.

Heidi: Okay. Mom?

Me: Yes, Heidi?

Heidi: I love the Tooth Fairy.

Me: Why? Do you love her because she brings you money?

Heidi: No. Just because. She is pretty.

Me: Okay.

Ok, to all the moms and dads out there, I need your help! What is the going rate for the Tooth Fairy? What happens if a tooth comes out and I don’t have any cash? Do you keep a stash of $1 in your drawer for this occasion?

Shark Teeth

I truly, honestly believe that Heidi has been living for the last five years so she could lose her first tooth.

She has wanted to lose a tooth as long as I can remember and talks about it all the time.

That time has not come. Yet.

About six months ago, I noticed a new molar in her mouth. This is something a mom needs to notice. New teeth.

I asked around and found out it was her six year molar. You would think Heidi had complete control over teeth growth, she was so proud of herself for growing a six year molar when she was just barely five years old.

At her dentist appointment, a few months later, she had three of these molars.

The Dental Assistant (not a hygienist, but the assistant to the dentist) was reviewing her X-Rays and told her she had not cut her six year molars.

Heidi’s world crashed down around her. She loved the dentist but this was all in question now.

A long, painful, sad five minutes later, the actual Dentist arrived to review the X-Rays and count her teeth.

She casually states, “You have three of your six year molars. You have one more to cut and then shortly after that you will start to lose your front teeth. Take really good care of your molars. These are teeth you will have for the rest of your life.”

The skies opened up and Heidi’s life was repaired. But her trust in Dental Assistants was completely lost.

Over the last few months, she has cut all four molars. She checks on that last one daily as it has been making its way in oh, so slowly.

Then, last week, at lunch, her best school friend lost a tooth eating an apple. Heidi was so jealous! We reminded Heidi that Rena is older than her by almost a year. It’s normal for six year olds to lose their teeth.

I promised her she would start losing her teeth soon.

For the next few days, she complained about her mouth hurting.

She said it hurt to bite with her bottom front teeth. I check. No loose teeth.

She said it hurt to check on the left side of her mouth. I checked. The last molar was still cutting and a bit red.

On Tuesday, she downright refused to brush her teeth. She said they hurt too much.

I explained that if she did not brush she would have cavities. It might not be fun to brush now but having a cavity filled would be the pits!

We came to a compromise and I brushed her teeth for her. I do this once in awhile. She has a spin brush so she is able to do the day to day cleaning on her own fairly well. But sometimes, just for good measure, I will get in there and give them a scrubbing.

I tell her to open like a Hippo. Meaning, open as wide as you can.

First, I check out the last of the molars. It is almost all the way in but there is some redness around the back where the last of the gums needs to just let go and let the tooth in already!

Then I start brushing. And I notice that she appears to be turning into a shark.

Not really.

But she does have two rows of teeth. And so does a shark.

And the tooth in the second row is razor sharp. And so is a shark tooth.

She was so excited to have her first permanent front tooth coming through. And all of a sudden, I understood why she said it hurt to bite with her bottom front teeth. It wasn’t loose baby teeth. She was cutting a new tooth all together.

I yanked on the two bottom teeth blocking this new permanent from view. Not loose. Not at all.

I told her they would be loose in the next week or so and then they would fall out and she would have this pretty, shiny, large, sharp, new tooth to take care of.

Man, I hope that is true! I didn’t tell her, because she didn’t ask, what would happen if that tooth came all the way up and her baby ones didn’t fall out quickly.

I said a quick prayer to the Patron Saint of Straight Teeth that these early permanent teeth do not cost me a fortune in orthodontic work five years from now.

That’s all I can do for now. And Heidi is on top for the world and that’s what really matters.

Chippewa National Forest and Morning Star Resort

Now that Heidi is getting older, we are doing all we can to make sure she gets to experience new things.  She had never been camping in a tent before.  Shawn had never been camping in a National Forest before.

So, Justin made reservations and we all headed up to Walker for a weekend in Chippewa National Forest.

We stayed on Pike Bay which is part of the Cass Lake chain.

I just love driving up Hwy 10 and Hwy 371.  All the small towns have so much character and the scenery is beautiful.  Once you hit Hwy 371 you see Paul Bunyan just about every 40 miles.

The campground is on the Mi-Ge-Zi Trail and overlooks Pike Bay.

The girls had a lot of fun swimming.  The water is very shallow until a long way out so it was pretty warm when the sun was out.

They took a rest and sun bathed for awhile.

And built sand castles as best they could with no buckets or shovels.

Justin picked up two of those Camp Chef things.  You put bread and apple pie filling in it, set it in the fire, and after 5 minutes you have a hot apple pie.  We had these when we were kids and loved them.

So Justin and Dawn used them for lunch to make grilled sandwiches.

Justin left his in a bit to long!!  I told him I was going to put this in the "What's for dinner" section on my blog as something not to make.

Dinner was much better.  Thanks to Grill Master Shawn.

Heidi enjoyed riding her bike around the grounds with the other girls and looking for wildlife.  One of the girls was sure they saw a bear so the took Shawn out looking for it.

Shawn explained that if you happen across a black bear you should yell "Hey, get out of here bear!!" and throw a rock at it.  We all took a turn practicing scaring away pretend bears.  It was a riot!

I heard they found some frogs in a hole.  I think the plan was to set them free.  But we advised they did not stick their arms in any dark holes in the forest.  I would venture to guess it's not a frog in there.

Our wildlife sighting were limited to the caterpillar on the stick in Heidi's hand in the picture above, chipmunks and squirrels that Libby treed, a Bald Eagle that blurred past, and this strange little fellow:

Not sure who he is but he hung out for about 10 minutes one night.  Libby never even noticed him.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed for the resort.

We were all a bit hungry so we pulled into the 371 Cafe for breakfast.  Gracie and Heidi were connected at the hip the entire time they were together.  They are about 3 weeks apart in age and both will start Kindergarten this fall.

Aren't they adorable?  We had a bit of a child exchange program going on that weekend.  We started the weekend with Faith and Ariel, Gracie was at home with an ear infection.  Before we had dinner on Saturday night, Gracie joined us.  Then after dinner, Ariel got sick and went home.  Good thing we were only 20 minutes from the resort!

As soon as we arrived at the resort, the girls dove in the lake.

And Hunter, the strangest dog I have ever met, begged for a game of Frisbee.

After swimming, there was time to play with the new kitten.  And that's what Heidi did until it was time to jump in the van and head back to the cities.

Another first in the books, great memories in our minds, and the spark of an idea for next summer.  And so ends our busy month of July.