Jack FINALLY lost that top front tooth. That thing has been hanging on by a thread for the last week or so. It had been pretty loose before, but then after an unfortunate boogie boarding mishap it became REALLY loose. John tried his dental floss trick to get it out, but that didn’t do it. I really wanted it out before the first day of school just in case it was bloody (which would totally freak Jack out and possibly cause tears during the first day) and messy. So after me wiggling the hell out of it all day at the beach and "hocking" Jack all day that we should just pull it out, I ended up discussing it with Uncle Joe A. As it happens, Uncle Joe is apparently an expert tooth remover- in addition to being a better lifeguard than the real lifeguards at the beach, a master plumber (that’s his real life job), a gormet chef, a fireman, and Malibu Barbie Joe- so after much convincing, Jack allowed Joe to pull it. Jack was standing there just waiting for the pain and as he was bracing himself, Joe was already showing Jack his tooth! Easy peasy.

So here he is with his big hole where there should be a tooth. The other front one is pretty loose too. I am just hoping he has John’s nice straight teeth, instead of mine. We’ll just wait and see…

Just dropped off the boys (the ones that are not mine) this morning back at Maureen’s parents house. We had such a fun, fun visit with everyone. My boys were SO happy to see Connor and Spencer (aka Finster), and Katie too. It’s hard when your BFF lives in Michigan and our visits have become a once a year thing. I was thrilled to see my friend too. The nice thing is we just pick up where we left off. All of us. Timmy and Katie got along much better this year and Katie says Timmy is not a baby anymore. He’s graduated to "big boy" status-at least to someone!

Their visit to New York is a short one (4 days) this year because Connor had hockey commitments at home. However, due to a Zamboni explosion (not even kidding) and then a tornado which cut the power to the rink, which in turn caused the rink to become a puddle…there is no hockey right now, so they could have come for a much longer visit. Hindsight and all. Anyway, we were lucky that we got one whole day with them. Headed to the beach with all the troops yesterday for the day. They were in the ocean for 2hrs straight. (click on any of the pictures to see them bigger)

Connor and his very WHITE skin got a little burned on his face, but other than that it was a great day. We came back home here for pizza for the kids, sushi for Maureen and I, and cake to celebrate the older boys birthdays (Spencer in July, J&P in August, and Connor in September). The boys ended up sleeping over here Thursday night which they all loved. Of course, there was not a lot of sleeping during the sleepover, but once a year, I can let it slide a little, right?

There was much sadness on all sides saying goodbye today. But hopefully we can work something out before next summer. Maybe meet somewhere inbetween for a baseball trip…

Oh, and my favorite picture from the day today that my son Patrick took…

Today was officially Doctor day. The big boys had a pediatrician check-up this morning, then an eye doctor appointment later in the morning. Then all 3 boys got haircuts with Mario. Home for lunch and a nap for Timmy, and then Jack had to get a cavity filled this afternoon. We wound up the day with an unexpected but very nice dinner at their cousins.

They had all good results from the pediatrician. Both Jack and Patrick are  4ft, 4inches (the 85th percentile for height!- I had no idea they were so tall!) so they are the exact same height again this year, and both grew 3 inches. Jack gained 7lbs (75% for weight), Patrick gained 8lbs (55% for weight). The doctor said Jack is doing fine on the weight (he was a little concerned last year with a gain of 11 lbs) and to keep it up. He has always been bigger than Patrick, even when he was stealing all of Patrick’s food in the womb! Unfortunately for Patrick, he can still fit into the jeans from last year so he dosen’t get any new ones, but Jack on the other hand needs new jeans and sweats. But with the 3 inch growth, I’m not sure how long Patrick will last in last years pants either. Oh, and most importantly (to the boys at least) NO SHOTS today. I didn’t remind them that they are going to need flu shots in October though…

They are both apparently farsighted. But as long as they are not having any problems with reading, then just let it go. The eye doctor said that he got a good baseline on them this year (the best he’s ever gotten from them-cause they were able to sit still well) . So no glasses. Fewf! (as the boys would say).

Haircuts went well. Timmy had been soooooo good about getting his haircut up until last month when he totally FREAKED OUT. Crying, screaming, sliming out of the chair, you name it. He loves Mario and I was so surprised it happened cause he’s had a zillion fit-free haircuts before that. I was used to that behavior from the boys when they were little but it was really no fun to revisit that. Anyway, we found the "magic bullet" for Timmy- he gets to hold the green squirty bottle and spray everyone while getting his haircut, including the barber. Let me tell you that Mario is just the nicest, most patient, calm guy around. He just adores the boys and lets them do what they want. And when they scream he just keeps going with the haircut, totally unfazed but speaking to them sweetly. So it went fine today, although everyone was totally soaked from the spray bottle.

Jack was very brave at the dentist this time and Dr. Kelley was very proud of the way he sat for the filling. Much different than 6months ago for the first cavities! No sniviling or whimpering. Just still and brave. Guess they are growing up! And there was some mention about an orthodontic consulation for a palate expander. I am so not ready for that one. Gonna put it off for a month (ok with the dentist) and just sit with that for a while.

My friend Jen (Timmy’s friend Jack’s mom) was so sweet to watch Timmy this morning during the pediatrician appt. I know it’s silly but I am a bit of a germophobe when it comes to the dr’s office so I was so glad he didn’t have to go with us. Then this afternoon during the dentist, Grandma Inez took Patrick and Timmy to their cousins house so I could just go with Jack. When I arrived to collect my kids, my sister in law was just getting home from work so we ended up staying for playing, chatting, baseball, and some pizza. It was a nice tie-up to a hectic, not so fun (but not terrible by any means) day.

Off to the beach tommorrow with the boys to soak up the last bit of beach-dom for the summer this week. Then a photo shoot tommorrow evening at another beach. Pictures on that soon as I can.