Cadence vs the Tooth

Cadence is 6 1/2.  She has been checking her teeth daily since she was 5 years old for a loose tooth.  She has waited in anguish for her turn.  She has longingly admired cousins and friends who's teeth have gone missing. 
And then one day, it happened.  A loose tooth!  Front bottom left.  She loved it.  She spoke of it often.  She wiggled it endlessly and asked often when it would finally come free.  I tried to help her to be patient but she isn't exactly built that way (and who of us is? :)  ).
A couple of weeks ago I sent her off to practice her piano and then noticed after a few minutes how quiet the house was.  I turned around to investigate and found her near the front door.  Like this:



I was so proud of her drive to get that tooth out at any cost.  After several attempts to slam the door shut and yank the tooth out, which didn't work because the twine was longer than her distance to the door, she got one of those lightbulb ideas.  Her face lit up and she changed her approach.  Instead of slamming the door closed, she would use the twine to pull the door open.  When the door flew open, it would smack her in the face and VIOLA! the tooth would be knocked out. Genius!  Honest, I can't make this stuff up.

Then next day when she got off the bus, I noticed she wouldn't look right at me or smile, and then I noticed the small tooth-sized treasure box in her hand. I looked up and ordered her to show me her smile, which she couldn't help but do, though she tried not to.  And there it was.  WAIT! Let me get the camera!


Later in the day she admitted quietly that her plan was to not tell anybody that her tooth had fallen out, so that she could see for herself if the tooth fairy were real.  Clever little thing!

That night as the tooth fairies were climbing into bed, Mr. Fairy said, "THE TOOTH!"  Phew, they almost totally ruined that magical moment in a child's life.  He went to the room to make the trade and came back a little befuddled.  He handed Mrs. Fairy the note Cadence had left with her tooth:

I can't seem to upload the picture so this is what it said, in adorable six-year-old handwriting:

"Dear, tooth fairy Have fun with
My tooth.  I Hope I get $1.25 for it

Sincely,
cadence"

Well, that was considerably more than the Fairies were planning to pay.  But Mr. Fairy knew just what to do.  They don't pay him the big bucks for nothin'.  He responded that to earn 1.25, she'd need to lose 5 teeth, but that, since this is her first tooth, he would give her the quarter for the tooth, PLUS a Canadian quarter.  Just this once.

In the morning, Spencer went to get the girls up for scriptures and he was able to witness Cadence checking her pillow.

"Dad, this looks like your writing.  Did you write this?"

---Er, uh, what is a parent to do about that? 

Don't worry, Spencer didn't sweat it (that's why I pay him the big bucks).

"Yeah, Cadence.  Do you really think I would dress up like a fairy and fly down the chimney just to put this under your pillow!?!"

"Oh, yeah, you're right, Dad."

Happy Childhood Intact.  Phew.