Kiki's photos....

These are much better than mine! Zoe, Jasmine, Kiki Jazzy and Katie.. Grant and Jazzy Zoe and Jazz Kiki and Jazz Part of the gang. The rest of the non-skating kids in Jasmine's 3rd grade class are hugging the walls- which is what I would be doing if I was skating!

Jazzy's birthday party at Ice Den Chandler...

Twenty seven kids at Jasmine's party yesterday! There were supposed to be 30 kids, but one was sick and two didn't show up. They skated for almost two hours- which is a long time to be out there on the ice. They kind of all pooped out after 1 1/2 hours:) After skating, there was ice cream and cake, then presents. The most favorite part for Jasmine was that she got a ride on the zamboni!! Everyone was envious:) Plus, of course..."skating with all my friends":) After the party, we went out for dinner at Rumbi Grill with Abby, Gadiel and Jenny. We didn't get home until almost bedtime! Minnie Mouse ready for her party! We ended up getting there a bit early because Minnie was bugging me constantly.."When can we go, when can we go, when can we go?" over and over again. A bunch of kids skating! In this photo..Jim Kaedden (Katie's dad), Gadiel, Abby (kind of hidden behind someone else), Zoe Felbein, Darby Felbein, Emily Christian, Grant Owens and Paolina Spannings. At one point, they made a circle around Jazzy and skated around her:) In this photo- Abby Dalsin, Kalisia Nulton, Zoe Felbein, Katie Kaedden, Grant Owens, Emma Erlandson, Kate Christian, Kiki Owens, Darby Felbein, Emily Christian. Kiki Owens has much better photos on her phone- if I can get her to email them to me. Getting on the zamboni! Getting ready to go! I asked Jasmine why she wasn't smiling in most of the pictures on the zamboni. She said that she thought her skate guards were going to fall off:). Those things just don't "fall off". I think she was just a little bit scared in general:) Riding around on the ice! Amanda Secord came to give the non-skating kids a little lesson! Amanda Secord, Jazzy, Jania from school... Taking skates off: Jazzy, Heidi Thomas, Kelly Thomas (her mom), Paolina Spannings, Darby Felbein, Isabella and Jania from Jazzy's class at school. Jazzy's cake... Getting ready to blow out candles: Darby, Jasmine, Isabella Zoe Felbein, Kiki Owens, Grant Owens, Emily Christian Opening presents:) Micah Felbein, age 3yrs, the youngest attendee, Lucas from Jazzy's class. Kate Christian, Emma Erlandson, Kiki Owens, Grant Owens, Abby and Gadiel Tindall in the background, Jim Kaedden with his head down constantly texting me photos he was taking:) Paolina Spannings (red hair). Abby and Gadiel- Cake being served.... Hopefully, Kiki will email me some more photos on the ice! We had a great time...

Diamondbacks vs Padres

Chandler Children's Choir and many other local choirs totaling around 500 kids sang the National Anthem at Chase Stadium for the Diamondbacks game last night. They told us to be there WAY too early. It was 102 degrees outside and we had to stand there for two hours! That part was not fun. Everyone was soaking wet from sweat, dehydrated, and irritable. That on top of the fact that Jasmine thought she was "way too fancy for baseball" did not initially make for a pleasant evening. We finally got to go into the air conditioned indoor ball park... FINALLY and sang the National Anthem. Then we got to walk next to all of the ball players whose names I do not even know since I am not the least bit interested in baseball. We made our way to our seats with all of Jazzy's choir friends and had pizza and cotton candy....:( Jasmine said that she really had fun at the game now actually likes baseball! I guess she's not so "fancy" after all:) Not sure we are going to do it again next year. If we do, we will definitely not get there when they tell us to!

National Grandparents Day....

The school was full of grandparents! We had snacks and asked the grandparents (me) about their childhoods. Then a couple of the grandmas read a book called "The Worry Stone" and the class sang a few songs to the grandparents:) Seeing how many words we could make out of "National Grandparents Day". Singing to the grandparents:) Jasmines "selfie" with her friend Leila.

Greek/Roman week....

This week was Greek and Roman week at the school. Most of the grades studied Greek and Roman mythology, culture, architecture, food, etc. Yesterday, they had a little skit to introduce themselves. Jasmine was Hera, the wife (and sister!) of Zeus for 300 years! Hera and Zeus:) Performing the skit! Hera does not want me in the classroom!!

Kimberly's birthday party....

Today we had so much to do. A lot of errands, shopping, then Kimberly Bodine's party at Danette Trett's house. Kimberly was Jasmine's very first skating instructor for the "Parent and Me" class. I remember telling Kimberly that I've had so many broken bones, that I really didn't want to skate. So, she was Jasmine's "mommy" for the skating class as well as being the instructor. Danette (our Coach Rozaline's mother) is also a skating coach at the rink. Kimberly made all the food for the party... which I thought was kind of strange since it was *her* birthday. She is Greek, so it was olive leaves and tubouli, a lot of hummus and other Greek dishes, as well as cupcakes made from scratch by Amanda- her daughter. The kid's table outside. I didn't really want to go out there because it was 110 degrees today, but felt obligated to be the "lifeguard" since other people were imbibing in alcoholic spirits!:) Swimming all afternoon, then had to go to swim lessons right after that! Kimberly and Jazzy:) Too bad I couldn't eat much of the food at the party due to my "soft diet" restrictions:( This surgery went much better than the last one. It took four hours. One hour to get each titanium rod out, then another couple of hours to custom fit the cadaverous bone to my jaw. Another cool thing she (Dr. Lisa Butler) did was take my blood, spin it down and separate the platelets, clotting factors and growth factors. I asked her why they couldn't have done that at the dental school? She told me that they are "ultra conservative" which was suprising to me. I always thought that universities were more progressive, but apparently not dental schools. Dr. Butler then soaked the cadaverous bone in my own growth factors and serum so that the bone was more antigenically like my own. She also packed little bone slivers around the block graft, then three dissolvable collagen membranes, two screws to hold it in, then several layers of sutures. That thing is just not going to come out this time. All the while, I was in a "massaging"/"vibrating" surgery table, constantly sprayed with Bach Flower essences and essential oils, listened to soothing music (ha!) and was given homeopathic remedies! on top of the drugs of course! Much nicer experience overall! Much more expensive too!, but it's what I should have done in the first place!

Vietnamese birthday....

After swimming tonight, we visited Jasmine's favorite Vietnamese restaurant-Pho Van. Everyone knows her there because the owners go to "Power Brain":) She had her usual Pho, then we went to the next door Gelato store:) She said, "That Vietnamese restaurant has everything a Vietnamese girl could want for her Vietnamese birthday":)) Of course, I forgot the camera, but how many photos do we need of Jasmine eating Pho at Pho Van restaurant anyway!! Going to bed early tonight to take Jasmine to school early so I can go to yet another oral surgery. The "failed" titanium rods are being removed, then a bone graft will be done with cadaverous bone. We are not going to place the new Zirconium implants at the same time- which was the mistake that we made last time- doing the bone graft *and* implants at the same time. I just hope my body doesn't reject everything again. Chewing on "bio glass" for a few weeks was bad enough, but chewing on cadaverous bone would be worse. Had to take out a loan for this one:((((