And just like that, the tooth was gone.

Cullen was knocked in the mouth by the teeter-totter at our local park about two years ago.  Then, this winter he took a nasty spill on the ski hill and hit his mouth again.  These two incidents, caused a bruising of his front baby tooth, which caused a chronic infection.  In order to ensure that the permanent tooth did not suffer any damage, our dentist, Dr. Funk, recommended that he baby tooth be pulled.  On the way to the appointment, Dirk and I had butterflies.  We were hoping that the tooth pulling process would not be traumatic for our little guy.  For Cullen, ignorance was bliss.  He was excited to get the tooth yanked so that he could have bragging rights among his cousins and classmates.  When we arrived at the dentist office, the assistant said that they would take Cullen back and let us know if we were needed.  I was a little unsettled not to be by his side, but off he went.  25 minutes later Cullen came back minus a front tooth.  The novocane and gas worked wonders and he didn't feel a thing.  He looks great, but a year or two older.  The reality is setting in that our baby is growing up and there's not much I can do to stop it.  Sniff, sniff.

Our funny valentines.

Cullen and Simone love Valentine's Day.  Whether the process of writing notes to their classmates, waking up to treats from Mom and Dad or the party at school - what's not to love?!  On Valentine's morning Cullen asked me how to spell "love" and then proceeded to go into his bedroom asking that we not disturb him. He came out with a valentine for each of us and enclosed in that Valentine was a dollar from his hard earned piggy bank.  What a sweet and generous kid!  Simone then went to the pile of saved art projects and gave Cullen a Christmas Tree from last December.  I suppose it's the thought that counts - right?

Builder, Architect and Engineer.

Cullen's favorite toy of the moment:  Magnatiles.  These super cool tiles fit together with magnets to allow for some inventive creations.  Cullen builds garages for his monster trucks, an airplane hanger for his planes and towers taller than his five-year-old body.  Simone sometimes joins him and screams can be heard if she "knocks down his work".  I'm not sure what this kid will be when he grows up, but he sure seems to like building, creating and inventing.

Dirk and Charlie took Cullen on his first ice fishing expedition.  Cullen called it a "wild goose chase" as there weren't any fish biting that day.  They'll get 'em next time....

Cullen and Dirk also have a new obsession with the Wii game Mario Kart.  While not a huge fan of video games, this winter has left us no choice!  It's actually been really fun to see the boys race each other and then team up together to try to beat the game characters.  If you are up for some competition, stop by!

Doc Simone

There's a new cartoon on the Disney Channel called "Doc McStuffins" about a little girl who takes care of all of her sick toys and makes them better.  Simone loves Doc and is frequently using her doctor tools to diagnose our family's ailments.  Sometimes, I actually think she enjoys giving us shots!  Hopefully her desire to help others will stay with her for the long haul.

Simone is quite the spitfire.  She is very dramatic.  Highs are high and lows are low.  Crying comes easily when frustrated or told "no", but she seems to recover just as fast.  Simone loves pretend play:  dolls, doctor, store, etc.  Ever since she was a baby, she can often be found in a corner with books.  She actually thinks she can read and tells elaborate stories to go along with her pictures.  She is very much a momma's girl.  Only I can read her books at night (if I am out of the house, Dad will do!). However, she demands that after books, her dad cuddle with her in bed.  Simone still adores Cullen, whom she refers to as "brother".  She is often his best friend and worst annoyance all at the same time.

Showing off their skillz.

Enjoy the videos of both kiddos in their skiing greatness.