Peyton Gets Her Braces Off - Finally!

Last Day with Braces!

Last week, the day came after 2 years and 7 months where Peyton finally got her braces off! Every time we'd go for an appointment over the last 7 months, she would get so angry when they would tell her almost there but not quite yet. "Will I ever get these braces off?," she whined. "Do you think it will be before Spring Break?" she asked. Well, it happened. Finally. 

And, while she still has about four more appointments with the dentist to work on her fake tooth and put a veneer on her peg lateral, she is almost there and they are going to look great. In fact, they are already looking great and they aren't even totally done yet. We have about 6-8 weeks to go but she is in the final stretch. 

I'm just looking forward to her actually smiling with some teeth in her pictures now. She refused to really smile with her braces on for shots so she would have these closed lip smiles for the last 2 years and 7 months. 

Your teeth can make all the difference in how you look but also in your confidence too. It certainly has for Peyton.

The Finale!

Beautiful Smile

Be Mine 2026

Valentine's Day 2026 - I'm sure Tom and I will get back around to doing something for ourselves for Valentine's Day when our children are all grown and gone but for now our Valentine's revolves around them. (Although we did make them go to Michigan that weekend.)

Pink Mocktail

Hailey had a birthday party on Friday night but after she got home we took a late ride to Michigan. Of course, our house had not been cleaned in about four months so once we arrived, we needed to all pitch in and dust, vacuum and kill some spiders as well as clean some bathrooms before heading to bed. We did about an hours worth of work (well, Tom and I did) before the girls went to bed. Austen wasn't there so his  tasks got divided up amongst the girls or rather we shuffled some tasks down the pipeline. Peyton did more and Hailey did something (we'd always let her out of cleaning before but not anymore). 

On Valentine's morning, since we had no food in the house, we went out for brunch to a new place that Tom had recommended. We got in right away (probably because it was the off season) and the food was pretty good. I'd go back. After that, we shopped and walked around a little before heading back home to finish our cleaning. (I am always grateful when do clean that we didn't put more bathrooms in that place.) I cleaned out the kids' closets (always clothes they grow out of up there while Tom and Hailey went down to the beach.) After that, we headed out, grabbed some hot chocolates and did a story book trail that was a bit lame but we got our steps in. Then we went to Meijer to buy what we were going to make for dinner - cheese and chocolate fondue. 

We all pitched in for dinner. It was definitely an experience! The cheese fondue is certainly better at a restaurant but still we dipped our steak, apples, broccoli and sourdough bread into the melted fontina, gouda and havarti cheese. We all gave it a 6 or 7 (ha ha) out of 10. The chocolate fondue turned out a bit better and we gave that more of a 7 or 8 out of 10. We dipped pretzels, marshmallows, angel food cake, bananas and strawberries into the rich chocolate. The high light might have been the pink mocktail we made. Now that one was good!

It was a unique Valentine's experience coupled with a nice Michigan sunset. The girls opened Starbucks gift cards and candy from us and we all went to bed fairly early as we needed to head back home early Sunday morning for Hailey's game. 

Happy Valentine's Day 2026!

Valentine's Brunch

Hockey Mania!

Hailey or as her friends call her "Mrs. Bedard" has an obsession with Chicago Blackhawks hockey star Connor Bedard. Ask her anything about his family, favorite food or favorite color and she knows them all. So anytime she has a chance to watch him in person she jumps at the chance. 

Recently, Tom had special tickets to a dinner before an actual Blackhawks game with a high profile retired player and then they had the chance to watch the game. It was a Sunday night and while I like her in bed at a decent hour on Sunday nights due to her late basketball practices twice a week, I couldn't say no to this opportunity. So off they went on a Sunday night  to this dinner and to see the Hawks (Bedard) play. (Peyton and I had dinner together at Peyton's restaurant of choice where she was happy to have me all to herself and get Andy's Custard for dessert.) The special guest was Jeremy Roenick. Tom won a signed jersey. Hailey got to see Bedard, and I think they won (maybe?). It was a good night.

Hailey has also been improving her skating skills to someday get on the ice with a stick. (She attends a lesson once a week but I think she'd be happier if it was every day.) I think she still has awhile before that happens and she's actually playing hockey. As a kid who becomes obsessed with things - Wings of Fire books, certain boys since she was little - I don't know how long this obsession will last. It's been over a year now but there could be worse things than liking hockey so we are going with it and encouraging her skating and her love of watching the Blackhawks (Bedard).

With Retired Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick

Last in Line

I didn't know how much Hailey was missing Austen until she had to say goodbye again after the Xmas break. He was home for almost six weeks so we really got to see him a lot and spend a good portion of time with him but still that wasn't enough for Hailey. 

Our Last in Line

The day he left was a crazy day. Peyton had a cheer competition and Hailey was at her friend's house and we weren't sure exactly what time he was leaving. Peyton had said goodbye to him the night before but the rest of us wanted to say goodbye too. During the cheer competition, he texted us that he needed a ride to his roommate's house to go back to school so Tom went and grabbed him at home while I got Hailey from her friend's house and raced to say a quick goodbye. Goodbyes are never that easy but he was ready to go back and we were going to see him again within the next month to six weeks or so. Eight weeks at the most. On the way back home, I happened to look in my rearview mirror and noticed Hailey crying. "Oh my gosh, what's wrong?" I said, completely unaware that this goodbye had affected her so much. "I hate him leaving," she said. She proceeded to tell me all the reasons why being the youngest child is hard. It's like being left behind. 

I should have known that this was coming. There were signs. A few weeks before she had penned an essay for a writing workshop at school titled, "Last in Line" and it was all about her brother and sister leaving for college and how she would be the only one left - the one left behind. She even read her intro and concluding paragraphs at the dinner table one evening for us all to hear. 

Now we did try to tell her all the benefits of being the youngest child. All your parents' attention (of course only the good). There will never have to be a divide and conquer (especially for college visits as Peyton kindly let us know this weekend that not "all of us" will be attending her college visits). Plus, you learn from your siblings' mistakes. But she wasn't moved by any of our arguments that being the last sibling is probably the best position. For the record, Austen wishes he was the last child and so does Peyton. 

She is in a unique position especially amongst her friends. While many of her friends are third born children in families of three or four (with a few first borns thrown in there), none of the older siblings have left for college yet so she's the first one experiencing this shift in her family. And, she's feeling all the emotions of that shifting dynamic. 

Don't worry, Hailey, Austen will be home soon to see you. But in the interim, I'm sure Peyton will terrorize you enough so you feel differently about her leaving for college (although it was nice of you to include her in your essay). 

Happier times with Peyton

The three