The $3,000 Smile

 So it begins.

8-12 months for Phase 1 treatment which includes braces on top and expanders inside (to make space for permanent teeth that have yet to come in).  Then we get a couple years break before Phase 2 which will be another 18-24 months of braces.

So far Miss A has been brave and positive about it all even though she has to give up sticky/chewy food (caramel, marshmallows, etc.) and popcorn.  She likes to choose the colors of the elastic bands and her friends seem to think her new look is pretty cool.

Amy's Baptism

And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.

Doctrine & Covenants 68:27

On August 6, 2011 our sweet little Amy was baptized by her father.  It was a beautiful, simple event with many dear friends and family in attendance.  A big thanks to Grandpa Tolley for his excellent talk on baptism and for all those who came to show love and support.  We all had a beautiful day.

Afterwards we got the family together - including Tolley grandparents and Great Grandma Brooks - for a photo at the temple (next door to our stake center).

Amy's 8th Birthday Party / Science Party

I can't believe my little Aimster is 8 years old already!  On her special day, we treated her to breakfast in bed - complete with the "8" pancake (which is somewhat tricky to do!)

That afternoon, Amy had 8 friends come over to celebrate her birthday.  She wanted a science themed party and we had a lot of fun putting it together. The invitations went out 2 weeks ahead:

Amy helped with the design.  I thought it was very clever (and simple too).

When the guests arrived, they were each issued with a lab coat to decorate.  Wal-Mart had Ladies' dress shirts on clearance for $4 each and with a little alteration, they made great lab coats.

Once everyone was suited up, we got busy.  And messy.  First task was creating Flubber - inspired from the old school science professor Disney film.  It's simple to make - you only need some Borax, water and school glue.  The rest is magic.  (Click here for the recipe).

Flubber is bouncy and squishy and was a big hit at the party. 

Next, we cleaned up and enjoyed some party food: pizza rolls, chips, pretzels, M&Ms, carrot sticks and cucumber slices.

Once re-fueled, we moved onto the Science Scavenger hunt. This involved 5 areas of science:

1. Paleontology - Dinosaur Dig (in the sandbox).  The girls each got to dig up a toy dinosaur skeleton.

 Each 'scientist' was given a folder (field kit) with ziploc baggies to collect their samples/finds.

2. Botany - Leaf Rubbing

3. Geology - collecting specified rocks/sticks.

4. Chemistry - identifying acids and bases. 

The acids were lemon juice and vinegar.  The other solution was water.  I disguised the liquids with food coloring and filled each of the girls test tubes (6 pack from the Dollar Store) with a bit of baking soda in the bottom.  If it 'fizzed' it was an acid and they were to record their findings on their data sheets.  Very simple, but they loved this activity and at the end of the party, went back to play some more.

5. Forensics - dusting for fingerprints.

Using a plate of glass (from a glass frame our movers chipped the edge off), I sprayed my hands lightly with cooking spray and rolled prints all over the glass.  To lift a print, we dusted the surface of the glass with corn starch, then softly dusted until we discovered prints.  A simple slab of clear packing tape was applied and we stuck the lifted print onto black paper (so it was clearly visible).

Notice that I wrapped the edges of the glass with a rubber tape so there weren't any sharp edges.  (Health and Safety!)

We finished up with some cake.  Amy requested a cake in the shape of a Florence Flask which challenged my creativity a little bit.  I ended up using two bundt cakes (the bottom one inverted) then frosting a paper towel roll that I covered in foil (for the spout). 

I'm noticing that the older the girls get, the better behaved they tend to be and consequently, more fun.  These gals were great... and so cute!