ashton's big big day

Yesterday afternoon started out like any other. Tater and Ashton came in off the school bus, had a snack (it's almost always an avocado)

and we went outside to play. (I had ulterior motives. It was the day for Bug to learn to ride her bike!) Once I told her what we were doing she was a basket case. She had tears streaming down her face, "Mom, I'm just really scared. I don't want to fall." I promised her it wouldn't take more than 20 minutes and I promised, promised, promised I wouldn't let her fall. We started. The tears poured and continued to pour until she realized she could do it. Less than 20 minutes later our little Bug was riding along without help. She still "hates to turn" though.

She still has a bit to learn but the "scary" part is over. Now she knows she can do it and my worries that she'd go off to college and maybe even on a mission without learning to ride a bike are no longer warranted. My baby girl can ride a bike. Yee haw!

While Dust & Tater were at soccer practice Bug got ready for bed. We flossed her teeth and brushed her teeth. I noticed that one of her top teeth looked a bit gray. I asked her if she'd fallen and hit her mouth to which she replied no. I wiggled her tooth and wouldn't you know it was loose. It even sprayed a bit of blood with the wiggling, hence the gray tooth. Ashton was thrilled! She was now closer to joining the ranks of children worthy of a visit from the Tooth Fairy. We wiggled it and jiggled it but nothing happened. I tucked her into bed. About three minutes later she appeared in my bathroom evidently too excited to sleep. She had more wiggling to do.

(We filmed the tooth wiggling to send to Aunt Stacey. Stace can't stand the sight of loose teeth.)

Ashton pulled and pushed and yanked and tugged that tooth till it literally popped out of her head, landed in her lap, and blood splattered the bathroom mirror. Ashton smiled and laughed and swished water. She was one happy little five year old.

This morning she couldn't wait to show her new smile to Mrs. Turner and her kindergarten class.