1st Day of Preschool

Today Connor started his first day of preschool.  He was very excited to be going to school like Dillon.  Like every middle child, he had to share his big day.  Brenna will be joining him for the year.

Expecting a Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Dillon has had a loose tooth for the last few weeks but tonight it fell out.  Yesterday he had a dentist appointment and the dentist said that based on the x-rays it will probably take two weeks for him to lose it.  

Tonight he had the bottom of his shirt in his mouth exposing his stomach while standing next to Brenna.  She pretended to lunge at him to tickle his belly.  Dillon took a step back and yanked his shirt down quickly, snagging it on his loose tooth.  He glanced down at the tooth on the ground and then looked up at me with a scared expression on his face, unsure of what just happened.

Christina got him a rag for the small amount of blood coming out of the hole.  Connor and Brenna followed Dillon around, wanting to take turns looking at the tooth.  A few minutes later as he was being tucked in to bed there was the following conversation:

Christina: What do you think the tooth fairy will bring you?

Dillon: A present.

Christina: Yes, and the present will be money.

Dillon: (Flashed his smile, now with a one less tooth.)

RIP Otis Milhouse Nixon

On Valentine's Day 2005, the Nixon family welcomed Otis Milhouse into our home.  On July 11, 2012, we said goodbye to him.  We won't forget his short, black nose or his curly, wagging tail.  We will remember him chasing his favorite stuffed teddy bear down the hallway and Dillon (in a Kobe jersey) dunking on Otis (in a Steve Nash jersey).  He welcomed the three kids to the family with a friendly sniff.  He was pushed in strollers, played ball, and ate birthday cake with us.  He will be missed.

One of his first pictures taken... 

...and his last.

Cultural Exchange

This weekend a group of international students from the Bay Area came to Sonora. The student that stayed at our house was named Dawei. Technically, he wasn't a student, but he still goes to the community Bible study that all the students attend.

Dawei (pronounced Da-way) came over from China in 2008 to attend grad school in Pittsburgh and then moved to the Bay Area in 2010. It was great to hear about his experiences in Shanghai, China. We also had some great conversations about the American perception of China and Communism versus the realities.

Thankfully, the Sonora community provides many opportunities to host international students and adults. We hope to take advantage of these opportunities in the future to help give our children a broader vision of the world.

We hope it was the first of many visits from our new friend.

Connor's Prayer

Every time we sit down to eat I ask, "Who wants to pray?" Normally, Dillon volunteers and prays the prayer he learned in preschool, which is:

"Thank you Jesus for mommies, daddies, teachers, and friends. Amen."

A few weeks ago, Connor spoke up and said he wanted to pray. His prayer was:

"Thank you Jesus for Mommy, Daddy, and Dillon's teachers and friends. Amen."

The Nixon Adventures in 2011