Ketchup

Kobe lost his first upper tooth yesterday! It has been loose for awhile, and even shifted positions in his mouth so it kind of already looked like something was missing from up there. He wiggled it out yesterday and was so excited. The tooth fairy came last night and nothing is sweeter than a dollar from the tooth fairy.

Kobe has also been hit hard with his infamous cough. It had been SO LONG since he has had a coughing episode, that we hoped that maybe he had grown out of it. But it is back full force and I have kept him out of school the entire week. It sounds so bad that I know I couldn't send him to school, plus it keeps him up all night so he is very tired. I think I'm going to take him to the doctor today, even though I know there's nothing they can do for the maybe asthma/maybe reflux/maybe croup/maybe allergies cough. It is incurable.

Have you seen that they cast the Cullens for the 'Twilight' movie????? So exciting! I think they all look great. They also cast James and Victoria. And I think James is better looking than all the Cullens put together, but maybe that's just me. They also had open casting for extras in the movie, but you have to live in Portland. So bummed! If I was single, I swear I would move to Portland for the taping and just get an apartment there. They were also looking for extras who have beat-up, small town cars to drive around town. It was like they were just begging for me to be in that movie! (PS I changed my mind about Bella. I am not loving her. She looks too normal. I know that's the point, but I am such a snob when it comes to who I watch on TV or in movies. I want them to be beautiful. I get to see average everywhere I go.)

Speaking of cars....Jude had his two-year-old doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Kobe was home sick so I gathered all of us into the car and got on the freeway to head to the office. I was going @ 70 mph when I started to feel the steering wheel lock up. Was I imagining this? No, it was definitely locking up. So I exit at the next off ramp and the steering wheel is getting so much worse. At first I was able to gradually veer one direction or another, but by the time I pulled into the Target parking lot, I was having to us all my strength to jerk the steering wheel and make a very wide turn. I was all over the curbs and it was very scary. I could not believe this was happening! Well, I mean I kinda could. Our cars are both pieces. We called AAA and Jake came and took us home. It turns out that the container that carries our power steering fluid burst and we had none. I do want to say how completely blessed we were that day, though. My steering wheel could've completely locked while I was going 70, but it allowed me a few minutes to exit the freeway before it did that. We could've been in a serious accident. Also, the weather was so pleasant that day. What a blessing that I didn't have to walk around and wait for AAA with the boys in a snowstorm or something. And last, the closest exit just happened to be the exit of Super Target. Could I be anymore blessed? Heavenly Father is definitely mindful of my little family.

While surfing blogs, I read about Denae's sister, Angie's, chore chart that she has set up for her kids. It was such a revelation! I knew that I was really bad about teaching my kids to work, and I definitely wanted to change that. But I had no idea that my kids were capable of vacuuming and cleaning toilets all ready! Well, they're not really that capable, but they are capable of learning how to work and starting to learn how to do these things. I was so inspired that I made up a chore chart for my boys. Toilets, Sinks and Mirrors, Vacuuming, and Stair rails. Jude's chores are mostly just so he doesn't feel left out. It has been going SO WELL! I actually despise the chore chart, though, because it's basically a chore chart for me that is enforced by my children. I need to do these chores with them at this stage, and I haven't done these chores regularly our whole marriage. But I know it's good for me to upkeep the house better, and good for me to work along side my kids. And I am very lucky to have something that motivates my boys more than anything else - video games. We are whipping out the video games now every Friday if they do their chores all week. They are so excited.

I NEED everyone's help in coming up with a great talk on Baptism for tomorrow. I am giving the talk on Baptism at the baptism of two of my 8-year-olds. I'm searching everywhere for some great ideas, but have found none. Do any of you have any great object lessons or twists on a baptism talk that 8-year-olds would love? Please send any of your ideas my way. Thanks!

Now I'm off to make a doctor's appointment!