Blog Printing???

Has anyone printed their blog? I have been looking up ways to do it online but don't know what program to go with. If anyone has done it, or has known anyone who has, please let me know. I looked on blurb.com but I'm not sure that they support blogspot.com blogs.
Thanks for the help!

Santa's real

I was at Costco today picking up a few last minute items I needed. I finish my shopping, check out, start walking out of the store, when I spot something out of the corner of my eye. That's right, folks. At the return desk, was a beautiful, HUGE monster truck. It had JUST been returned and they were tagging it to put back on the shelves. I walked over and asked if there was anything wrong with it and after they tell me "no", out comes the credit card and into my cart goes the monster truck. I felt like I just won the jackpot or something. One more year of believing in Santa.

Mark the Moose

Anyone in the Dance family will appreciate this...Mark the Moose. Thanks to Grandpa Hawkes about 6 years ago! He comes out every year at Christmas time.

let it snow...let it snow...let it snow...

It snowed a TON last night and today! No school!

Christmas is coming...

I am SO behind on my christmas shopping, it's ridiculous. I feel like I'm running around constantly picking up this or that and I just can't seem to get it all done. I need a day to myself to just get everything for stockings, santa gifts, and odds and ends. I'm really not even doing that much, but when your kids TALK to Santa on the phone (thanks to a stupid program at the school) and he tells them that "I think I saw my elves making one of those just the other day", it's either I blow the secret right now or find a STUPID monster truck he's been asking for!

OK so back up a second. A few weeks ago I went to Costco with Cameron and he saw this huge RC monster truck. It's only like $40.00. Then later, he tells me he wants that for Christmas. He wrote santa at school and asked for it. He's been talking all about it. I go to Costco to get it and of course, it's SOLD OUT! I ask them to look it up in all the Costco stores around here and in the SEattle area and Las Vegas (have family grab it and ship it here). Of course, no luck . Sold out everywhere.

So then Cameron mentions it again and I tell him I tried to get it for him but it is gone gone gone everywhere and most likely Santa can't get it either b/c they are all gone. He looks sad, then a huge hopeful smile crosses his face as he says, "Mom, it's okay. I know Santa will just have one of his elves make me one!"
Then, of course, a few days later he "calls" santa and Santa confirms all his thoughts!
Just great for me!

Newspaper Article

So I tried copying the exact link for this article but it won't let me. So if anyone has a minute, go to
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/

type "dr. dance" in the search box at the top of the page and click on the first article.

This guy came out and did a free article on our new business and we think he did a fabulous job.
It was actually on the front page of Saturday's business section. Thanks for looking!

Life lately...

I love to host! Over Thanksgiving weekend we had some very fun visitors! Two of Tom's brothers came...Dave (with Channing and kids dallin, annie, and baby davey), and Jeff (with 6 month pregnant wife, Kari). We had a blast with them! It was just a perfect mix of relaxation, entertainment, hanging out, and eating! (Well, a little more eating than normal!)

I broke out the china and goblets for the occasion. (Adults only, of course)
Tom: Why don't we save the china for a different occasion.
Me: Like what? What is more important than Thanksgiving?
Tom: Things like Christmas Eve dinner.
Me: And what else?
Tom: I don't know. Times when there aren't so many kids around.
Me: Like when we are in our 50's?

I mean seriously, is there ever going to be a "perfect" time to use the china? Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the table, food, and people all together. The food was amazing, and we had a fabulous time. We even ended the night with a talent show that everyone participated in! The start of a great tradition.
Braden lost his first tooth, and he felt so cool about it! Now he and Cameron have each lost just one tooth, the same one.
As for me, I've been keeping busy. The honest truth...

1. I like to work. Yes, I do. I've been going up to Tom's office a few times/week to help out. I put Jane down for a nap there while Braden is at school or occasionally drop the kids off at a friends house when it's a busy day there so I can help answer phones, check people in/out, etc. It is SO much easier going to work than being at home. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I love being a stay-at-home-mom. I love cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework, messes, fighting kids, and utter chaos, but every once in a while, it's nice to get a break and go to work!


2. I love my boys being just 18 months apart, but I REALLY like my baby being 4 years later!
Yes, the truth is, it is wonderful. For all of you who haven't had the experience of having a baby without having a two-year-old "helper", I highly suggest it! We enjoy her so much, and I enjoy doing everything I did with the boys all over again with her. She has 4 adoring fans at home.

Here is a little video clip...

We're looking forward to the holidays! Our first Christmas by ourselves in our own home! It'll be really fun!

November...so far

First, Cameron's birthday. My boy turned 7-years-old! He wanted an "at home" party this year. The reason? He wanted a pinata. So what did I do? Being the awesome mom I am, I started a few days before and made my first pinata. I got a big puncher balloon and covered it with newspaper strips dipped in flour/water. After the 4th round, I decided next year I'll spend the $20 and buy one! I was quite impressed with how well it stood up to eight 7-year-olds whacking it with a plastic bat. I think we made it through 2 whole rounds before it was punctured!

Cameron was super happy and had said he had so much fun at his party. It was an "I'm a good mom" moment.

On another note, last Saturday night (shortly AFTER Tom got home from his "travelling dentist" job in Moses Lake), Braden slipped and knocked his head on our railing post. The thing makes me so mad! It's got pretty wooden edging in various spots that have totally sharp edges. Totally ridiculous. I've seen this one coming since we moved in...just a matter of time. Well, Braden slipped and gashed his head. It was one of those things I didn't freak out about b/c it wasn't very big, but I knew when I saw it it meant a trip to the ER. It was deep and just big enough to require something more than a butterfly.

Luckily, we have a few connections and came up with a suture kit from our neighbor who is a doctor. Tom was happy to do it (he does stitches in the mouth all the time), but then our neighbor came over with some superglue he had in his kit and had Tom try that first. Well, thank goodness for superglue! This is the second time Braden has gotten out of stitches. The first time we lived in Seattle and he gashed his eyebrow about 1/2 inch below this cut and they glued it then as well. Here is a picture from Halloween of Jane and our neighbor, Malachi. They seriously love each other. They are 4 days apart in age. Also, my mom asked me what Jane was so I decided to show a little better picture of her tinkerbell costume.
And our best news yet? The office is doing great! Tom is still busy and here we are, a month later! Last week we got 32 new patients calling in and this week we were at 22 new patients by Tuesday. We are even having another assistant come in a few times before thanksgiving so we don't have to book out more than 2 weeks out. Our postcards are going out next Monday. We are doing 4 batches of about 2500 families (with at least one child in the home ages 0-15) each batch. So hopefully that will bring in lots of calls as well! It's just really amazing watching it all happen. We are SO happy we did this!

Thanks Grandma Pam

Mom- Cameron opened his birthday present early. We really needed a fun Sunday activity today. It's cold and rainy outside. So we opened your gift and the boys LOVE it! Thanks a ton! Here is Cameron thanking you himself...he's making crazy and fun things as I type!

Jane's almost walking!

Happy Birthday Jane!

My sweet little Jane turned one! I can't even believe it! Where did the last year go? Just look at her, isn't she the sweetest thing you ever did see?She started off very dainty and just poking around at the cake. Then she decided to dig in!

She loves to help me unload the dishwasher, whether they are clean or dirty! I tell her "thank you Jane", and she laughs and grabs me another spoon!

Can't you see why I'm just totally smitten by this little girl? She really is my angel!
On another note...here are a few other things we've been up to...

Halloween! The boys had SO much fun! Jane experienced her first Halloween...if the candy bowl was anywhere within reach she booked it there! It was hilarious! She opened a kit kat all by herself, and she enjoyed her first sucker as well. The boys loaded up with candy, and we handed out toothbrushes at the door with our business cards attached (with a piece of candy as well). The word on the street..."that house has toothbrushes!!!" We handed out about 200 and got LOTS of parental approval, as well as excitement from the kids about it! Funny, huh?

Grandma Julienne came a few weeks ago prior to opening to help out. She got to come watch Cameron's soccer game as well. It was so fun to see her! Next time we're going to make her stay longer than just a day! The boys were sad she had to go so soon.
Cameron's birthday is next week. He's invited 6 boys and then Kate. It's so funny. He told me today, "Mom, you know who I like the least in the whole world? GIRLS!" What? When did this start? Kate is different, however. Kate is a pal that Cameron will always just love! I tried to get him to invite another girl to his party but he'd have nothing to do with it. Just Kate, Mom.
When Braden isn't playing with Jackson, he's quite smitten with little Sally. I can see the picture now...20 years from now...a happy couple with their little baby! :)

Well, that's about it. We've been really crazy, but who isn't? I've been up at the office a lot, but am starting to phase out. It's been really good though.

Tom has actually been really busy. He's seeing about as many kids as he can see in a day with just one assistant. We're contemplating hiring another assistant or opening another day. It's really going well! We had an ad in the newspaper last week and are getting ready to send out 11,000 postcards over the next 3 weeks. It's all really exciting for us.

Opening Day!!!

So I finally have a minute to post to all my fellow bloggers what has been consuming our family's time! The office is DONE!!! You don't know what a sigh of relief I gave as I walked into my home this afternoon (after being in the office all morning...jane's pack-and-play in Tom's office for her morning nap) and just knowing I can just be a mom again! It feels so good. Sure, there are little things here and there I will be doing, but I can handle it during Jane's nap and when the kids are in bed. Not every second of the day.

So with that being said, here's an official tour...

Here is a look of the waiting room as you walk in the front door

Here is a view from the deskHere is a view at the front door again This is the kids play area (you can see the opening on the right side in the picture above)Here is a view from the hall looking behind the front desk and into the waiting room

I skipped pictures of the staff room, tom's office, and bathroom, all to the left of this pictureKeep walking down the hall and turn to go to the open bay (where he has 2 benches, a half wall with the hanging airplane, and two more benches). Behind me are the two treatment rooms.This is a room off the hallway too, our sterilization room

This is one half of the open bay. This is the other half. I couldn't get all the benches to fit in the picture.
That is it for now! Tom saw 13 patients today! And 4 have to come back for treatment. Tom has one assistant and one front office girl. They are both great!

Thanks to everyone who has been cheering us on in this great adventure. We really appreciate you all!

Pictures

We got some professional pictures taken for the office and for our marketing/brochures/website. Plus we just wanted some for our house. I think they turned out pretty cute! Well, these are a few of my favorites...

Luck, or Miracle?

4:30 - Tom leaves for the airport. He's going to Utah to work. His plane leaves at 6:30.
4:45 - Tom's gas light comes on.
4:55 - Tom stops at a gas station in Spokane to get gas
5:20 - Tom gets to the airport
5:25 - Tom boards the shuttle from the parking lot, sits down, looks for his wallet in his pocket to tip the driver, and can't find his wallet. Tom then gets out of the shuttle, goes back to his car and begins a frantic search for his wallet. NO LUCK!

Tom then calls me completely panicked.

"Well hun, did you leave it at home?"
"No, I had it when I got gas. I think I set it on top of the car and must have drove off."
"I'll get online and find the gas station and call it. Get BACK in the car and head towards the gas station."
"OK, but my plane leaves in less than an hour. There is no way I'll make it."
"Just GO."

We both say a little prayer. HELP!!! About 2 minutes pass when...

5:35 - REI calls Tom's phone. "I just got a call from a police officer in downtown Spokane that has your wallet. Here is the phone number. He said to call him directly." (Apparently the police officer called REI when he found Tom's REI card in the wallet and REI luckily had his cell number on file.)

Tom calls the police officer

5:45 - Tom meets up with the police officer in downtown Spokane and starts racing back to the airport.

6:05 - Tom pulls back into the airport parking lot, parks his car (in a closer lot where he can make a mad dash for the Southwest counter). He makes it to the counter, checks his suitcase, gets through security.

6:25 - Tom makes it to his gate with 5 minutes to spare!

Luck or miracle?

Tom checked for his wallet before he got to the ticket counter...
A police officer had his wallet...
He called right away...
REI had his cell number...
He made it back in time to park and check a bag...
Tom made the LAST flight of the day to Salt Lake (he has a full day of patients scheduled tomorrow)...

We feel blessed!

Surprise!!!

This is what my sisters & sister-in-laws were doing on Thursday afternoon. Flying up to Coeur d'Alene to SUPRISE me! I guess Tom called them way back in June and told them it would be fun if they flew up here for my 30th birthday. It only took him asking once and the next day they had their tickets! WOOO HOOO!!! It was a total shocker for me and I was TOTALLY emotional when I saw them all there at my house! I've been missing them all like crazy, and was just so surprised to see them all, including my sweet sister-in-law Amy, who JUST married my brother last May, and my sister-in-law to be, Tabitha, who is marrying my baby brother Will next month! I really just couldn't believe they all made the effort to be here!
We went for a little walk/hike to get some beautiful views of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Then we got a famous "Hudsons Hamburger" and pie! We had to hit up some vintage and thrift stores before we left downtown CDA.
Then early Saturday morning, the weather was gorgeous and we went out on the boat! I was SO proud of my sisters for even attempting to ski/wakeboard/surf. Then when they did attempt, they were pro's!
Kate on the wakeboard:Rachelle surfing slowly behind the boat(and yes, she is 18 weeks pregnant with a baby GIRL!!!):Emily showing us all up on the surfboard! She was amazing! Our little family cheerleader is athletic after all! She's been pretending all these years:Way to go Amy for attempting! She's been on a boat all of 2 other times in her LIFE! she's awesome!Whitney surfs goofy, so the wave never quite treated her right! But after this she showed us all up on the skis!The only one I didn't get a picture of was Tabitha...who got up for a quick moment on the waterski. She's awesome!

To say the least, we were all exhausted and sore the that day and even more the next morning! We had so much fun!

We headed to the spa after the lake. Not just any spa, "Anew Start" Spa. We got the following treatments: a massage on a massage table with warming Jade stones (not pictured),

a 30 minute infra-red sauna treatment with temps getting to 145 degrees: (in just a towel...Emily and Tabitha were modeling here)

A vibration machine...or the butt jiggler: A detoxifying foot bath and chair massage, along with a foot and leg rub at the end. The water did start off clear. It takes the toxins out of your body and everyone's was a gross rust color by the end!A picture of us all after our 3 hour spa afternoon!Thanks to you all for flying up! Thanks to Tom for planning the big birthday bash. Thanks to Lizzy for hosting the big surprise party Thursday night! Thanks to all my friends here for coming! Thank you, thank you thank you! This was definately the best birthday ever! No bad memories about turning 30! (Except I guess I don't really turn till tomorrow!)

girls weekend

Last weekend I spent with some of my favorite girls on the planet! Since we all turned 30 this year, my old college girls and I decided to throw ourselves a big 30th birthday party and get together.

I came from CDA, Tiff from Utah, Pepper from Colorado, and Brooke from Norfolk, VA. We had an absolute blast together!

It was three days of staying up way too late (I think the last time I stayed up till 3:30 am I was in college with these very girls), eating out, watching olympics, going on the 4-wheeler (all together), a midnight visit to a "borrowed" pool, visiting Shelly's grave (so glad she was with us!), missing Lake and Mara who had to drop out last minute, Mama Mia, and tons of laughing, smiling, and fun!

Thanks girls! I had the time of my life! Thank goodness for Chipman Hall in 1996!

busy busy busy

Life has been SO busy lately! I need to get copies of some pictures I really want to post from our family reunion and a few other happenings lately but I FORGOT my camera! I know, how is that possible? Since I've been blogging I've been so good at documenting everything. This is really a good thing for me since I don't journal like I should. At least I have somewhat of a record of what goes on in my life.

We drove to Lake Alturas, by Sun Valley, Idaho, for a family reunion with Tom's family. Tom wasn't even there. 8 1/2 hours in the car...it was fun...but i was glad to get home. A crawling baby at a girls camp. The whole family in one cabin with two babies waking in the night. Need I say more? It was worth it though. Great family, great food, great memories.

Jane is crawling. She is the highlight of this post. She's just been so cute lately I have to post pictures. She is SO busy though. She puts everything in her mouth. She stands up in her crib and screams at me. But she is so fun. She took a bath with the boys tonight and was laughing at them like crazy! It melts my heart.

Here is my little miss blue eyes...

People tell me she looks like Braden and usually I just think she's a mix of the boys but not here...baby Braden or Baby Jane???
I was shooting pics of Jane outside and the boys decided it would be fun to all take a picture. Funny that I'm in it...usually I'm the one behind the camera!
Here she is scrunching her nose. She does this ALL the time at people. It's so cute!
The end.