Our poor, toothless Kellyn

Well, she will be with one less tooth on Monday. ;( Unfortunately, Kellyn fell on the cement while we were at the park yesterday and now has a fat upper lip as well as a top, front tooth that is cracked and split straight up the middle. We went into the dentist this morning as she was complaining that it hurt. All the tooth is there, it is just in two separate halves. I was amazed today when I saw that the dentist could separate them completely just by moving one piece!

So, her nerve is exposed/severed and the best option is to just get the tooth pulled. ;( There is no way a two year old would be compliant for a root canal and the anesthetic options are not appealing to me as her mother. Thankfully, it is just her baby tooth and it seem this will have no affect whatsoever on her adult tooth. In the grand scheme of things, this is no big deal. There are much, MUCH worse things that can and do happen to children everyday. And yet, I am having trouble not fretting about the situation. I think this is part of God's grander design to get me to stop worrying about all the "little things" in life that rob me of my serenity and be thankful for all the abundant blessings we have! ;)

She started antibiotics today to prevent infection to her exposed tooth parts before Monday. I ask for your prayers/thoughts that the tooth removal goes smoothly, that the dentist's hands are skilled and swift and that she is not too traumatized from the whole process. I have a feeling this may be a bad way to start trips to the dentist. ;) Lastly, please pray for her mama that she can not be too stressed about the issue and place it fully in God's hands!

This incident is reminding (forcing???) me to "let go and let God". I can't say I am having an easy time learning these "lessons". Maybe it's my red hair or my Irish heritage or maybe just b/c I am who I am, but I have to hear things over and over before they sink in or I think I am ready to assimilate them into my life. I wish this road was smoother for me, but I am trying to trust that God knows better than I do. Sounds simple enough, right? I wish it was that simple for me to do. Amazing what a little tooth can trigger in your life . . .

Music lessons

An interesting article here. Mr. Tucker laments the fact that most of our society is musically illiterate since they never stuck with their piano/violin/etc. lessons when they were younger. He places a good bit of the blame on the parents. Good read.

One of my colleagues told me once that he had three non-negotiables for his 4 sons; 1) You go to church on Sunday, 2) You do your homework, and 3) You play the piano. The third is clearly the one that most parents (and children) bristle at, and I was a little taken aback at first as well. Nonetheless, think of it this way: How many people do you know (maybe yourself) that have said, "Now that I'm older, I really wish I had stuck with my piano/violin/etc. lessons when I was younger."? I know lots. Now, how many people have ever said to you, "Gosh, now that I'm older and play the piano well, I sure wish I hadn't wasted all that time with lessons."? Probably no one.

As one who did stick it out (though with a five-year hiatus from ages 11-16), I must say that I derive tremendous joy from my musical prowess, and, looking back, I don't regret a second of my formation. Sure, there were lots of times that I would have rather been playing video games instead of practicing, but clearly the time put in with the piano has done me much more good than the time I put in with Double Dragon.

So what's the plan for our children? Well, there's no question that all my children will study the piano, learn to read music, sing, and possibly play another instrument of their choice (finances will play a role in how all this plays out). I'm sure there will be some resistance at certain times, but there will also be resistance to eating vegetables; we won't give in on either!