Uncle Jeff

When Uncle Jeff called to say he would be in nearby Oklahoma for a couple of days we didn't hesitate to jump in the car and meet him in Tulsa. 

He was ready to shop and the first night we were introduced to the wonders of Steinmart and one of Tulsa's malls.

We enjoyed dinner at the Cheescake Factory. 

She was so excited, not even a seat-belt could keep Allyson contained in her booster seat.  

   (By the time we got to the hotel Allyson was so exhausted she actually asked if she could go to bed!)

The next day we visited the Oklahoma Aquarium. (I know- an aquarium in Oklahoma. Strange but true.) 

 They'd never seen live shrimp before. 

 Eel.... eew

Can you find the fish? It's eyes are on the right side of the picture. Notice its outline. Pretty cool camoflauge. 

I'm sure I caught this guy's relative at Table Rock last year.

 And then there were the sting rays.

This video shows how the girls got to feed the sting rays. There was even a petting area. Unfortunately, we had to wait about 15 minutes for the petting time. The girls were raring to go. And then, after all that waiting, they chickened out. Argh. I admit, petting the thing did freak me out a little. Slimy.  The end of the video shows the cutest, fastest little otter ever, Swim Jim!

Here the girls get to feed turtles.

The girls loved the sharks.  

  Actually, Allyson like the shark cage the most.

 Wrestling alligators

 Time to go...

We had a quick lunch before saying goodbye.

And then Allyson had a quick cigarette. I'm not kidding. Jeff found her with this in her mouth. She picked it up off the ground. And then, as I'm freaking out about it, he puts it back in her hand to take these pictures. What a great uncle...

Guess it's back to the cage for her...

Fishing for a Front Tooth

Yesterday was all Papa Davis' fault. Well, sort of. While visiting in August he showed us videos of kids pulling their teeth out via motorcycle, rocket, and all kinds of crazy things. That is the only explanation I can give for Nicole's crazy idea. I have no explanation for why I went along with it.

She was already down one front tooth. The second has been on its way out for a while now but when I picked her up from school it was obvious this was going to be the day. 

After a few good yanks she suddenly asked me to pull her tooth out with a fishing pole. As loose as it was I thought surely it would come out with just a little tug. But it turned out to be quite an ordeal, all of which I captured on video in case CPS ever gets wind of what I've done. The video is a little longer as it shows the entire process from idea to preparation to the actual pulling of the tooth. 

(Facebook readers click on "show original post" to watch video.)

Ta Da! It's finally out!

Nicole's new smile!

We celebrated with a bike ride to the park and some play time. 

(She actually crashed into a sign at the park which, I'm sure, would have saved us all this trouble and knocked that tooth out.)

This morning I think made all of the effort worthwhile for everyone. Thanks, Tooth Fairy!

(Pretend you don't see the laundry that needs to be put away.)

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

This Friday is the annual fall festival at Nicole's school. That means it's time for the pumpkin decorating contest. This year I found a great idea on the internet and Nicole and I decided to go with it. We would turn this gourd into a strawberry!

Britt thought we were nuts. But he willingly put the chicken wire on the bottom of the pumpkin to form the strawberry's shape.

Next came the paper mache'. Not one person in this family has ever done paper mache'. But, again, the internet served us well. We all donned our yuckiest clothing and got to work. Allyson got to help pour the glue. 

Allyson decided she was going to get in on the act, too. 

The pumpkin was due the next day so we had to work fast. The girls weren't too interested in blow-drying the paper mache so this ended up being mom's job while they played in the back yard. But, oh, when the paint came out Nicole was back for more!

Things got a little interesting when it came time to paint the stem as the red paint was still wet. 

After another long session of blow-drying it was time to glue on the seeds. Earlier we had cut open a smaller pumpkin to retrieve its seeds.

But Britt had a much better idea. These were already dry!

By this time the girls had gone to bed and, with Britt's blessing, I went to go see a movie. When I came home I found my police-officer husband armed with a glue gun, dutifully donning pumpkin seeds to our little strawberry.

I added the felt leaves at the top.

And we're done! Ta Da!!

Nicole was so excited to see the finished product this morning.

Unbelievably, the paper mache was still somewhat wet this morning. This caused some seeds to pop off but we did our best to repair it and ever-so-carefully deliver it to school. There were sooo many other great pumpkins. I cannot believe the creativity! 

In the litter box! 

An owl complete with tree! 

Charlotte's Web!