The unveiling, a Basketball victory, and a New Moon

Last week Tacey was having issues- I know this may NOT be a surprise - as she is 14 and all, but these were very serious issues. She had a scheduled appointment the beginning of December to have her braces removed. This was a much anticipated day as she had been wearing them (at least part of them) for just a few weeks shy of three years. She had been diligently counting down the days, but began having issues with her brackets. They had warned her that if she lost any brackets or if any became significantly loose they would have to postpone that final appointment because her teeth would move where they weren't supposed to. Of course, this made her paranoid about every little thing; being anxious to have them off and all, but she did have several begin to come loose. She tried to convince me it was because her body was "repelling" them - they HAD to come off. We made and 'Emergency Appointment', which I had to work during, so Shane took her. Tacey called me at the end of the appointment and asked if it would work in my schedule to take her back later in the day. . . because they were going to take them off!!! In the morning they removed her bottom wire and a VERY visible front bracket. Well really, the bracket had come off all by itself. They also installed her permanent retainers, then sent her on her way. I am not sure how much she learned in school that day given her excitement level and all - but she did name the single, naked tooth. Its name is HOPE. I took her back later, and Shane joined us, and they finished the job.

The tooth there on the right on the bottom is HOPE!

This is Daina. She is one of Tacey's mentors at church. I also believe she was EXTREMELY influential in the decision to take them off so quickly. She denies it, but I still say it is good to have connections. . .

There they are, no longer on her teeth!

This is Tacey and her Orthodontist - Dr. Hilliam. We will be glad to see less of him. Unfortunately, we still have two more kids that need Orthodontic work. *sigh*

The day was stellar for Tacey - she got her braces off and got to skip a math quiz to do it!

And this is what she looks like now!

She had a game Tuesday in Teton. I guess it was HORRIBLE. We didn't go. But Thursday we went to her game in South Freemont. I have to say, they referees were STUPID (anyone there would agree), but in the end, THEY WON! They played really well, played as a team and got the job done this time. Tacey made 2 baskets, had an amazing steal, but more importantly shut down #4 on the other team. She was their 'key player' and made their first couple of baskets. Once Tacey was on her, that all stopped. All she (#4) managed to do after that was get fouls. It was nice to have a win, and a win they played well for!
If you flip on these real fast you can see Tacey shutting #4 down.

Tacey is always going for the ball; this means she spends a significant amount of time on the floor.

Like THIS!
Saturday night Tacey got a last minute invitation to see 'New Moon' with a friend. OF COURSE she wanted to go! When her friend and her Mom came to pick Tacey up, the friend her Mom was going to take had backed out, so with Shane's blessing I got to go too! If you like the Twilight Series - I recommend it - A LOT. The movie was much better then the first one. As you can see, Tacey is Team Edward.

We went to the 8:00pm show, but were worried about the lines, so we actually got there at 6:00. There was no line for our show yet, so we went and got some Hot Chocolate to help us brave the sub-zero temperatures while we waited in line. Yes - in Idaho, they make you wait outside in the freezing, windy weather. It was worth it as we were second in line, and 'went to the left', so we were first in the theatre and had the BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE! I tried to take a picture of Tacey and her friend Alexis, but it was too dark for my phone - sad thing.
We look forward to a happy Thanksgiving, though we wish we had a HUGE house and enough money to fly all of our family and other loved ones in to spend it with us. If we don't see you that day - know that we love you and wish we were with you!
Danielle