Briahnna's 8th grade Semi-formal dance

Last Thursday evening, Briahnna attended her very first school dance~ the 8th grade Semi-formal dance. We had so much fun shopping for her outfit although it was a challenge trying to find her size. I think the colors she chose were perfect.

She had so much fun and it was a big reminder that her middle school years are coming to a close. I won't lie, I shed some tears when I dropped her off to the dance. I could not wait to pick her back up so I could hear all about it.

Next stop, high school!

2011 South Carolina Junior Scholar | Briahnna Ismail

Yesterday evening we attended an awards ceremony in honor of the elite group of the 2011 South Carolina Junior Scholars. The recipients of this award perform at the academic top 2% of the state and also had high scores on the Fall PSAT. We are so proud of Briahnna for achieving this top honor and you would not believe the amount of mail we receive from so many colleges and universities from around the country. Go Brie!!

Brie's braces

Let me tell you something~ Teenage girls are the WORST beings on earth to photograph. No photo is pleasing to them. Then again I feel the same way about myself. Okay, well here is the updated photo of Brie with her braces. She continues to do well and I am so mesmerized by how quickly her teeth are shifting! I'm not sure if this is all in my mind but it seems as if her confidence has boosted a bit since getting the braces. I am also in such disbelief at how mature my baby girl is getting. She goes to high school next year :( I guess at least she will have straight teeth before junior year. She's so excited!

Sushi is NOT for everyone

Yesterday afternoon I took my daughters out for sushi. We had been talking about going for some time and finally went for it. The girls have never tried sushi before so they were very excited. I expected Brie to be interested since she is my junior foodie but not Chardie. She's more like her dad~stick to what you know. Long story short...we ordered 2 varieties each. Our plates were beautiful. I dove in first and enjoyed mine. The girls had really strange looks on their faces. Chardie ordered the salmon roll and yellow tail roll. I tried hers and I thought I was about to hurl! Too fishy for my liking. Brie had the crunchy roll (safer choice) and the Philadelphia roll. She wasn't fond of either. I forced myself to try to eat theirs after I finished mine. I enjoyed it but was not thrilled like most people I know who swear that sushi is the best food on earth. The girls both said, "Next time we will have the sesame chicken!"

Egg obsession?

I think I have some of the oddest teenagers around. Both girls go through their phases of loving certain foods and drinks. Their current food obsession~ eggs. Yep, eggs. Not just any eggs, they have to be the Eggland's Best eggs. No store brand for these young ladies.

Every night they go into my clean kitchen and cook up a couple eggs each. Generally Chardie prefers scrambled or fried. Brie is taking on a more foodie-like taste having hers over easy. That really surprises me since most kids would dare not eat their eggs runny. I just bought this carton of 18 count eggs 2 days ago. I think we run out of eggs faster than we do milk!

Brie's braces update

It has been almost 2 months since Brie got her braces and I am happy to report that things are going very well. It's going way better than we thought. She adjusted really quickly to them and feels like having them is just normal now. She has figured out what she can and can't eat and methods to make eating certain things a bit easier. The only real issue she has had so far is a bit of pain from the pressure of her teeth moving. It is amazing to see just how much her teeth have moved already! Our schedules have not been coinciding for me to snap a photo but I am sure I can pin her down some time soon and sneak one in. Brie has done really well with the extra teeth brushing and longer flossing time. It takes longer but she knows how important it is throughout this process.

On her last orthodontist visit she asked the technician how many colors she could get for her rubber bands. She was told she can get as many as she wanted. Of course she requested rainbow. My girl loves her colors!!

New Braces!

Finally, Brie got her braces! She has had them on for about 4 days now and is doing really well. I think the key is to not let other people's 'stories' influence you too much and make it a negative experience. I think it was way easier than we expected but we have a long 3 years and some oral surgery to go. She is already planning the colors of the little bands for the next 3 months and seems to like having them. I am impressed with all of the extra time she is taking to keep her braces and teeth extra clean. Thankfully she has accepted the fact that she has to give up a few of her favorite snacks and foods. She is still able to eat fairly well so let's hope it stays this way!

I will try to post a photo each month to show the progress her teeth will make.

Quick update...

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. I have been living in the moment with the family being home so the computer has not been a priority. I took Brie to see an orthodontist yesterday for a consultation about getting braces. The doctor said she will have to wear them for 3 years because she has some interesting things going on with her chompers. One thing she has done for years is chew her tongue. How she does that and enjoys it is beyond me but it is her source of comfort since I took the pacifier away from her when she was 3 months old. She also chews when she is excited or concentrating. William is trending to be in the same boat as Brie since he is also a tongue chewer. Well Brie will be getting her braces on Thursday and she is so excited. There will be some oral surgery she will have to get in a few months that will help correct a tooth that is growing where it shouldn't. She will be going through a lot for the next few years but I am so sure it will be worth it when she has the awesome smile she will be so proud of. We are all so happy for her. Oh, they are going to cost a fortune. Seriously we could buy a car with that kind of money. She is worth it though :)

Does anyone have any advice for someone getting braces?

Christmas 2010- Ismail kids

Every year we take a photo of the kids for Christmas. I end up taking at least 20 shots and for some reason the very first shot always seems to be the best one. I love comparing every year to see how much they have grown.

Look at that silly grin!

Someone does not always cooperate. He smiles and pays attention after the camera flashes.

Mixed feelings

Well volleyball season will be coming to a close next week. Chardie's team improved tremendously this year although it was not enough to take them to the play-offs. Brie's team is undefeated as of this week. Next Wednesday is the final game of the season and that will determine who the District Champions will be. We are facing an equally talented team so it's any one's game. I won't lie, my nerves are bad right now!

I am really happy in some ways that the season is almost over yet really sad. The girls really love the sport and don't want it to end. The bright side of things for them is at least they can have more time for schoolwork, friends and family. During v-ball season they have no life. Just school and volleyball. I have really enjoyed watching some good volley action and next year both girls will be at the same school together. This means only going to one school for both! I really am so happy about that yet at the same time I can't believe little Brie (although she is taller than me) will be a freshman in high school *sighs* I guess growing up is something that can't be avoided. I sure am proud of those girls. At least now I can see them a lot more and I can have my shopping partners back. It's not the same gallivanting all over without them :)

William updates

William is one busy little fella. He is maturing more and more and has made some big strides in his speech... He can now speak in short sentences! We are noticing that he is working harder to pronounce his letter sounds more fluently and is adding to his vocabulary daily. We can sit in the car and I can ask him to repeat a series of words and he will try his best to do it. He is taking directions very well and I get him to participate in a lot of things around the house to help himself more. It's been so busy with the girls involved in volleyball and he has to get dragged around from school to school. So far he is doing pretty well and seems to enjoy watching the games way more than last year. He used to cry every time I would clap and cheer. Now he chimes in and gets into a frenzy of excitement. It sure makes for a more enjoyable experience. It is really funny how as a parent you wonder when certain milestones will be met and if certain things will ever happen for your child. I am glad I am a patient woman and know that everything happens in its own time. I am grateful for a healthy, smart and happy little boy. Oh and by the way, I am officially a mom to a 14 & 16 year old. Brie turned 14 on the 7th and Chardie turned 16 today. It still astonishes me some days that I am a mom to three. I am one lucky gal :)

Flashback Friday

This photo was taken about 10 years ago on a day trip we took to Charlotte, NC. They were all squinting from the sun shining directly on them. The girls were four and six at the time. I even remember the clothes and shoes they were wearing. Look at Chardie and her peace sign. She got that from her daddy <---He is the tacky one. I can't believe within the next week and a half the girls will turn 14 & 16. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend...be safe :)

First day of school

Well the first day of school is finally here and the girls were up and ready! I charged my camera battery last night because I don't care how old you are, you will get your photo taken. Don't they look so pretty? I am so excited for them and they both have amazing schedules. We are all looking forward to a fantastic school year!

Brie's new look and my 700th post!

Here is a new photo of Briahnna without her glasses. At first I did not like it. I have been used to seeing her in glasses for over 5 years. It was too much change so fast. It has been over a week now and it has grown on me. I think the fact that she looks so much more grown up makes me a little sad *sniff*. Funny thing is every so often you see her pushing her "glasses" up higher. Of course there are no glasses to push up! It's out of habit. One thing she has been enjoying is wearing her cute new sunglasses when we go out :)

Someone is getting contacts

We finally decided to let our Briahnna get contacts. I had to take one last photo with her glasses to remember her this way. I know that once the glasses come off she will look more grown up and quite frankly, I am not ready for it. I know that it will be so much better for her with playing volleyball and other sports. I will post photos of the new Brie when she is ready.

Flashback Friday

This photo was taken when the girls were 6 & 4. Look at my short hair! Not sure if I could ever pull that off again. I remember these days so well. Great memories :)

Wordless Wednesday I ♥ these girls!

Look at my teenagers!! They are so sweet and I have thoroughly enjoyed having them home with me this summer. I will be so sad when school starts back in a few weeks. They keep me smiling :)

Why Dwayne should NOT have the camera

This video was taken on Monday morning at the site where Briahnna and her classmates from her school were boarding the buses for their end of the year trip to Washington DC and Virginia. Dwayne had the camera...

This has never happened before

The strangest thing happened this morning. Brie was coming up the stairs and she has just gotten out of the shower so her wet hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was coming to have me blow dry her hair and straighten it with the flat iron. Now Brie is William's absolute most favorite person that walks the earth. When he saw her he hid behind me in fear. He saw her and he started crying as if she was a stranger invading his home. I only see him react this way in front of people he does not know. How could this be?? For about 20 minutes he would not go near her and showed fear towards her. Brie sat in a chair in front of me so I could get started in blow drying her hair and half way through he recognized his sister again. He went on to being his usual rambunctious self and was handing over books for Brie to read to him. Once her hair was completely done he was laying all over her and climbing on her like normal. This was some very unusual behavior and we are thinking it might be because for the last week the girls have had friends over each day. There was a new person to meet daily. Perhaps he thought Brie was a new person! Have you ever encountered anything like this with your child??

Just me and my kiddos

I was hanging out with the kids and we decided to take a few random photos.

No matter how many times you try, it is virtually impossible to get the boy to smile.

I love the shots when nobody is ready. Funny. Notice I was not in it ;)

Chardie and Will. Brie was too busy talking to her BFF on the cellphone.

This would have been perfect if Willie did not look like he was about to sneeze!