Tennessee forecasters are notorious for calling for blizzards. And then nothing happens. In response to this, schools close whenever the white stuff is mentioned. Mentioned. Not on the ground, not starting. Snow = Bomb Threat. Take no chances, better safe than sorry. They also don’t follow a cry wolf theory.

Yesterday was no different. The snow was coming and I woke up to a text from the news (technology is nice) saying school was closed. I looked out the window and saw nothing.

I called into work (okay, emailed) and worked from home. So did Jay, who was in a training class. His training class was to be held via webcam, complete with microphone headset. Again, technology is nice.

At lunch, I went to meet Kennette. The snow had started to fall but it was light.

Neither Tennessee nor Tennessee roads can handle snow. When I left Prairie Life an hour and a half later, the snow had piled up and it took me almost an hour to go twelve miles.

I got home to some homemade chili. Yum. After Jay finished his class, we headed outside and played in the snow (Mara was still sleeping, probably a good thing, it was way too cold out there!)

Thane loved it. He ate the snow which he announced tasted like chocolate. We tried to make a snowman but the snow would not pack. I tried to convince him to make a snow angel but neither he nor I was willing to lie in the cold stuff!

Later on we headed out with the neighborhood kids and rode on the sled they had. Well, they did, I sat inside with the moms and watched….warm.

Imagine this…

You are about to be three
You are a boy
Your parents are throwing you a birthday party with all of your friends (oh, and theirs)

What would you have your theme as?

A SUPER HERO BIRTHDAY PARTY OF COURSE!

Martha Stewart had nothing on this one!

We talked it up to Thane for awhile, the idea of dressing up is still a new one for him and not always a success. We had two costumes…Spiderman and the Dark Knight. Spiderman had muscles to spare. The Dark Knight had a cape. I was rooting for the Dark Knight. We figured he should choose. Again, I was rooting for the Dark Knight but I KNEW he would choose Spiderman!

We had him try on both costumes early. The Dark Knight was not a hit. Spiderman, Spiderman, Spiderman.

And, what do you dress the 13 month old little sister in? A catwoman outfit of course!!! Well, not your traditional catwoman, more like a 1950s poodle skirt with cats and matching onesie, but we get points for imagination and double for creativity.

Getting in the car he wanted nothing to do with the costume. Actually, I think he might have held it. We arrived and saw some others getting dressed in the cars and I think that made him a little more at ease. Let the dressing begin!

Leading the way, we walked through doors dressed with Super Heros and signs that read…NO VILLAINS ALLOWED!

Thane never touched the bouncy in the backyard but found Madeleine and they hit the sandbox and the toys. Trampolines were discovered in this party as well.

Thane’s favorite part…BIRTHDAY CAKE! Whenever we have cake at home (which is very rare) he always associates it with a birthday, so it definitely was not to be missed at a birthday party!! Yummy!

Mommy, Daddy and Mara had fun, too.

We might be stealing this birthday idea…

I have TMJ. This basically means I can open my mouth approximately two fingers wide. Going to the dentist is agony for me. My jaw is never willing to cooperate, I have to take frequent breaks during the appointment, and I leave with a headache. When I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed, the anaesthetic wore off and I actually woke up during the procedure. When I was a kid, my dentist was in a NYC high rise. He was an old man whose hand shook when he worked on your teeth. He always tried to make jokes. Bad jokes that you had to laugh at while his shaky hand was wielding a sharp object in your mouth. Dentists and I are not a match made in heaven.

With all my trepidation in mind, I decided it was time to schedule Thane for his first appointment. In passing, I told Oma and she stressed that going to a pediatric dentist was the way to go. It would be geared to him, give him less stress, and me less stress. Plus, there was the chance he would not wind up being the anti-dentite that I am.

I looked into it. Pediatric dentists? Did they have these when we were kids? Were we going to the Chuck-e-cheese of dentistry? Or worse…the Wal-Mart?

Battle scars and all we settled on Snodgrass King Pediatric Dentistry in Cool Springs.

I talked it up to Thane for 2 days. We are going to the dentist. That is a doctor for your teeth. He’ll make sure you have big strong teeth. Who else has big strong teeth? (Thane: Lion…ROAR!)

We walked in and it was Willy Wonka’s Playland. Fish tanks. Arcade Games. 25 cent Horse rides (minus the 25 cents).

Thane loved it and looked around in awe.

When we were called back (which was probably faster than Thane would have wanted) he got to pick out his own toothbrush! A Green Diego! Next we went into the exam room, a bright room with a long flat dentist chair/bed. Flat because it was geared for them to lie down, face aimed at the ceiling. And what do you suppose was on that ceiling??? A TV with cartoons! Thane did not need to be asked twice to lie down. He sat there, in his TV Zombie trance, while we spoke with the hygienist. She then brushed his teeth. No fuss…zombie boy in full effect. Then, she pulled out a fancy dinosaur flosser. This peaked his interest only long enough to ask if we could take it home.

She flossed his teeth. Not a single wimper let alone a teardrop. When she was done, she told him he could pick two prizes on the way out.

The dentist checked him out briefly and found him in clean shape. He seems to have a bit of an overbite, but that is pretty common.

Thane got to pick out two (ok, maybe he took three) prizes–2 cars and a triceratops and then ride on the horse a few times.

Now, where nighttime brushing was a nightmare, Thane is eager to let me brush him (seriously!). Tonight he even let me floss with non-dinosaur floss. In the mornings, he is in charge and can brush them all on his own.

Tips: We lie him down on the bed to brush his teeth. He is calm, I can see in. It works.