A Letter of Explanation

Yesterday was the final day of spring break. It was well above 80* so the kids spent much of the afternoon outside, especially once the neighbor boys invited them over to play in a bounce house. It was a mini one, much smaller than those giant ones you see at carnivals or even a birthday party. Jamie, Allie, and I were inside when we heard screaming. To me, it sounded like "I'm having fun playing in the backyard on a nice day" screaming, but Jamie heard it differently and stepped on the porch to investigate. As he did, Ainsley and our neighbor were crossing the yard toward the house.

As it turns out, Ainsley sort of half-fell out of the bounce house and bumped her face on the little incline that leads away from the bouncing part. She apparently hit so hard it knocked one of her teeth out. The tooth in question was waaaaaaay loose anyway, but that didn't make the incident any less traumatic for Ainsley. I'm not sure Anastasia even noticed.

The big problem came, not from Ainsley bleeding or sobbing, but rather when we couldn't locate the missing tooth. Our neighbor gave her $1 as she left last night (I'm pretty sure he felt bad that we couldn't locate the tooth.) and the Tooth Fairy must have been feeling extra-generous as well because she left twice her usual deposit.

Below is the letter Ainsley wrote to the Tooth Fairy to explain why there was no tooth under her pillow.