Happy Hearts Day

Jayla was thrilled about her clean chompers at the Dentist's office yesterday.
These guys were happy too......
Because they were watching this: Sponge Bob is a major treat for boys without cable.
Hmm.....how long are we going to have to wait here? (only 3 hours)

Too long. Too, too long.
Paperclip dude was the only one with cavities. Boo. Our first child to need fillings. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
The Wild One's newest fashion fad: Bandaids on the snoozle. Every day. Who knows?
2 crowns needed for me will make for some fun upcoming dental visits. Can hardly wait!
Very early this morning kids' TB tests were checked. Guess what? They are tuberculosis free! Shocking, I know. Pediatrician gave them all a clean bill of excellent health and no reason more children shouldn't be able to enter the home.
Waiting on results still for the slew of blood tests on Bob and I. While we were having physicals done anyway, our Dr. decided to check cholesterol and everything else under the sun. Probably best for old folks like us.
We'll see if all that healthy living is doing the trick. I don't think I've ever had an actual physical before. Only babies. I have had several of them.
Dr. laughed at me when asking about my alcohol consumption during the check up.
Her: How often do you drink?
Me: Oh, I've really been meaning to drink more, but I forget. I'm pretty busy around the house, you know?
Her: Hahaha.
Me: (Straight faced)
Her: Seriously?
Me: Totally. I try to remember to hit the red wine for the anti oxidants etc. I just rarely ever remember. Maybe a glass once or twice a month.
Her: (Chuckling) This is the first time in my entire medical career I have ever heard someone tell me they intend to drink more.
Me: Hey, I aim to please......The good Dr. Oz recommends it. It's my obligation to comply, no?
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I'm spending a romantic Valentine's Day tomorrow with a first aid/CPR class. Bobby is already certified through his work.
We are almost finished with round one of our paperwork extravaganza.
Not bad, not bad. Lots accomplished in the past couple of weeks.
We love ourselves some little Ethiopian people. So so much.
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6) More compensation and privileges for more work-
That's what I wanted to mention yesterday but ran out of time.
Our older kids have more responsibility around the house and they assist us with the younger ones. To help keep their attitudes pleasant and their motivation to serve high, they are compensated for their efforts.
They get more allowance-we give 1/2 their age/week. So, Jayla earns $3.50, Onyx $2.50and so on. That may sound like a lot, but they do several chores each day, and they divide their loot between Give/Save/Spend envelopes. For an extra helping hand or job, I might give 5 or 10 character points.
In addition, we try to do bonus fun things for them. One of our favorites is to pull them out of bed after everyone has fallen asleep to hang out with mom and dad *late* at night.
We want to try and avoid the always tempting larger family dynamic of older kids becoming burdened with overwhelming responsibility that should belong to the parents. Yet, at the same time, they are required as part of our clan to joyfully labor. This seems to be an ever-changing balance.

Signing off for the weekend.
Have a great one!