Kashann and Clan

Brent can fix anything. If it breaks. . .  He takes it apart- Superglue's, jimmy rigs - Whatever it takes, but he has it back together and running smoothly by the end of the day.  Around our house that is a prize possession. The kids and I break at least one thing a day. 


Apparently that is the way it goes around the office also.

Brent's VERY first day was a total bust. After 15 years without a single glitch, the suction system went out exactly at 10 a.m. Monday morning just as he was finishing making his first buck ever as a dentist. 

All appointments had to be canceled for the day for both him and the hygienist. I guess you can't do dentistry without suction. His office staff urged him to call the dental suppliers after a couple hours of his tinkering.  But Brent was determined to figure it out and avoid a thousand dollar professional office visit. 

Turns out, the system was completely backed up with 15 years of amalgam. He spent the rest of the day in the attic or basement successfully unclogging it.  (Just a little edit by Brent.....I didn't unclog the system, I had to replace the entire plumbing of the suction system by working on top of and around the desks of the office below the practice-Not my idea of an ideal first day as a dentist.  I felt like I was back in my farming days fighting fires)

Tuesday they were open for business again. 

I don't know how a normal person manages to be a dentist. I am sure that there are people that can be hired to do these things. . but how much would it cost and how long would it take? I am convinced Brent is is our best resource.

He also found out during his first appointment that the burrs used for drilling don't shut off with a simple foot tap. It was more like a long pronounced stomp. That's something you would prefer to find out before you are inside someones mouth. Later, after questioning the former dentist he told him it had been like that for years and he'd grown accustomed to the extra time and strength it took to shut the darn thing off. 


Brent fixed that also. . . of course. Just another day at the office.

And he also fixed THE CHAIR. The one that has sat right in the middle of it all collecting dust for over five years. There are three operatories in the office and one of them has been out of commission forever due to a dental chair that just stopped working one day. Two different dental supply reps came out and spent several hours with no luck. Rather than replace the chair, that operatory was abandoned and became a storage room.

 Brent took a look at it, and within an hour of tinkering . . . It was the best seat in the house! His hygienist liked it so much she asked him to please exchange it for the one in her operatory. 

So that is how things are going at the office. 


At home. . Marcus refers to the big blue house as "New Hampshire". I spoke with him so much about his new house in NH that it is all one and the same in his mind. Now whenever we run errands or leave for the day. . . or even go on a walk he keeps asking "When are we going back to NH?" 

His favorite game is Marco Polo. Sometime in Washington this summer it started and he would play forever, us saying Marco and him answering "Polo".  Yesterday he took it way too far. I didn't even know we were playing. I just knew I couldn't find Marcus and I had been yelling "Marcus" all over the house for over five minutes and was beginning to panic.  The girls came to help and Smart Savannah hollered out "MARCO".  Just then from behind the dehumidifier we heard a "POLO".  He had been there the whole time just waiting for it. Little turkey. 


Caroline is insisting on doing some school shopping with her hard earned painting money. I reminded her of her overflowing closet. Not only has she inherited the hand me downs of four sisters, but has also been the recipient of many other families in Buffalo that thought we looked like we needed a donation. The last bag we got in her size were full of Hannah Montana T-shirts. At least 10. She was in heaven for months and even went through an "I am going to be a rock star when I grow up" kick. 

But now that she is looking forward to first grade. . .  Hannah Montana is so yesterday. Everyone knows it's Miley Cyrus now, right? So she was telling us all this on the way home and declared that she won't be wearing a single hannah montana to school, they are all "too Kideous".  

Don't you love it? Kiddish and Hideous all in one word. I think that word is going to be used a lot around here. I love it. 


"Caroline stop whining, You are acting so Kideous!" 

Savannah has declared our sunroom to be the Dress up/Craft room. She had it all unpacked and organized before I had any say in the matter. Now it's easy to put on shows like this with all these accessories right at your fingertips. . rather than down in the Halloween boxes in the basement. 


Camille and Caroline go along with everything she comes up with.  They each redecorate their separate rooms every other day. One day they have yellow throw pillows on the bed. The next day they are silver with sequins thanks to a shirt they found in the donate box.. They have learned the art of re purposing quite well from their mother. 

Kennon thinks decorating your room once a day is way too kideous for her. She spends her time blogging, playing the hymns, and reading Twilight. I finally gave in and let her read the series.

As for Kashann, for the first time since we we arrived I'm enjoying settling in and having some time to figure out what you can do with a big rental house after moving in from a 15 ft. pod. So many empty spaces. Too many windows to cover.  No money coming in from dentistry. (It probably isn't even that big but you have to remember what I am coming from) I can't help but call that one- our house in the hood and this one- the Big Blue House.

We were invited to our first party here. We were pretty surprised to recieve an invitation from the dentist that once interviewed Brent in his office, since instead of working there we bought a practice just 10 miles away from Dr. Howard.  That's another big plus about the area, I guess. They don't seem to hold a grudge. This party wasn't your typical backyard bbq. It was an actual pig roast, and we all wore our island garb.

 Brent and Marcus were the only ones in the family who own Authentic Hawaiian. Brent was super proud to put on his Dad's shirt with the gold buttons. It isn't usually very appreciated but that never slows him down and he always insists that when it comes to party shirts this is as good as it gets.  Marcus is wearing Brent's shirt that he got from Hawaii when he was a toddler. Thanks Momma Jo for saving it for Marco. Talk about a proud father son moment. And look at the perfect backdrop that is everywhere to be found outside.

There was a craft table, bounce house, slippin' slide, and a hired band. And I was the only one who came potluck style with a salad and fresh peach pie. It was all catered. Oops! 

We met many other dentists and specialists in the area and everyone was super encouraging. Nice to make a few friends.