12 Degrees North of the Equator

We are back in our home away from home: Aruba

We left last Wednesday and have had a wonderful vacation. Today is our last full day and it is a bit cloudy out there right now. The Doc is out for his daily run, Madigan is playing games on the Disney website and Stepson #2 Ben is still sleeping (quite acceptable behavior for an 18 year old). We keep it pretty lazy on these trips. Lots of sea and sun. Since we come so often, there is no pressure to have to go sightseeing or exploring. It is just a full on relaxation trip. I have read three books so far. I borrowed my father's Kindle. I love it!! I just went on Amazon.com and ordered one for myself. If you do not know what Kindle is, go check it out! It is like an ipod for books. Kindle is great for avid readers because all those pages are contained on one device. No more stacks of books sitting all around the house. The drawback is that you cannot lend out your favorite titles to people.

We have also hit out favorite restaurants during the trip as well as done some home cooking on the grill. Tonight, as we always do on our last night, we will go to Madame Janette's. This is my absolute favorite restaurant in the world. If any of you ever go to Aruba, please be sure to add this to your itinery. The food is beyond compare!

Hope Spring has sprung wherever you are!

Two Days Late and 5 Dollars Short

It finally happened! Madigan "lost" her first baby tooth! Big Brother Sam was visiting us on his college Spring Break (poor kid has his break a week before Big Brother Ben and Madigan so he gets screwed on the trip to Aruba) and spent some quality time with his sister. She was showing him her wiggler. Sam told her he could probably pull it out for her if she wanted. She did. He did. Out came the tooth and out came the blood! I was on the phone with my D.A.D. so Papa got in on the live action! She was so excited she had to call her dentist (who happens to be the Doc's cousin). Sam the Dentist (no relation to Sam the Butcher from the Brady Bunch) told Madigan that it is standard protocol to split the Tooth Fairy's monetary gift with him! Smart girl knows that is a bunch of crazy talk and told him "NO WAY!!!!"

In the midst of the tooth excitement, Madigan was also dealing with a real honest to goodnesss case of the flu. She came home from a great playdate on Saturday with a temp of 102. It came and went all day Sunday but would rear its ugly head once the motrin wore off. She missed school on Monday and Tuesday. She almost stayed home today but told me she was ready to go back. The congestion and cough started last night along with complaints of ear pain although the NP at the pediatrician's office said her ears were clear. Dr. Daddy stalked the on call pediatrician today on the postpartum floor and explained that in his medical opinion, she needed an antibiotic. Amoxicillin meet Madigan! The kid is a royal pain in the keester when it comes to taking medicine. We forced it down and is all set for the next 12 hours.

Meanwhile, the Tooth Fairy was very generous on Monday night. When she woke up, there was a crisp 5 dollar bill and a lovely note from the Winged One. It was very hard for Madigan to wait two whole days to show her class her exciting news. And now, all is well in the Landcruiser Kingdom.

The End

"IT's WIGGLING!!!!!!!"

When: Friday, February 13, 2009 approximately 07:00 hours

What: Madigan discovered her first loose tooth



I am not exaggerating when I tell you that my darling daughter has been anxiously awaiting this moment in her young life. She is constantly asking me why none of her teeth have fallen out yet. She cries because everyone else in her class has lost at least two teeth and have awoken to a magical monetary surprise under their pillows. She is upset when the second grade boy on her bus tells her that because she has baby teeth, she is a baby. Well, things are about to change.

Every night, we check to see if that one little tooth is more wiggly than it was the day before. We are making progress but I think we still have at least another week to go. Madigan is wishing for it to fall out before we go on vacation. She is very concerned that the Tooth Fairy may never find her way down in Aruba. I remember getting silver dollars from the tooth fairy when I was young. I am guessing with the rate of inflation over the last 30 years, Madigan may be a richer girl than I!