A has achieved a bunch of milestones this week.  First, she learned how to ride her bike without training wheels.  She was incredibly wobbly at first, but now she is an old pro.  After weeks and months of tantrums and hissy fits about how hard it is to learn to ride a 2-wheeler, she looks like she was born to ride.

Yesterday when I dropped her off at TKD, sa-bum told me that he wants to promote A to a yellow belt.  It has been 10 months since her promotion to orange belt and he feels like she is ready.  She is thrilled, and I am so excited for her!!

The kicker is that the qualifying test and the belt come at a hefty price; $550 to be exact!  That is an awful lot of money to spend in one sitting for only one child.  I know we will manage it somehow, but it really kills me that is costs so much!

Speaking of excessive costs, I took A in to have her palate expander put in today.  We need to crank it open everyday for the next few months (with a check-up in a few weeks) and then she gets to wear it for another 9 months or so after her palate reaches the desired position, then it will be time for braces.  I can't believe I am thinking of braces for a kid that isn't even 8 yet!  GRRRR!!

Since she is going to have the appliance for the next year, the dentist office has agreed to let us pay for it over that period of time.  (Of course our dental insurance won't cover it since they consider it to be a cosmetic procedure-- it doesn't even matter that she has a unilateral cross bite and NEEDS the wretched thing!  Anyway, I digress...)  It is going to cost us an additional $950 dollars over the next year.  And that isn't even including the actual braces yet!  :SIGH!:

So, it has been an interesting week for A and the rest of us.  I am proud of her and her achievements, but I just wish she wasn't costing me so much dang money!

My little samuri in action, fighting a yellow belt: