6.75 years and counting

Last Saturday, Summer pulled her 3rd tooth which, just as the other two, came off of her bottom gum.  She wiggled it and played with it for a few hours before it finally came out.  The tooth fairy left her five one dollar bills.  She managed to get five more dollars from various family members the be t day at Sunday dinner.  I guess it pays to tell everyone about your lost teeth!!!

I can't believe she is going to be seven in just over two months.  She has really grown up a lot this year, but the morning walks into class have not stopped.  However, she no longer needs or really wants me to hold her hand at the skating rink.  She will let me for a little while though if she doesn't have a friend with her to keep her occupied.  She has been to the skating rink about five or so times since the beginning of 2013 and has improved considerably.  After the first time or two, we brought her knee pads so falling down would not be so painful and cause unwanted tears when we are supposed to be having fun.  I have a feeling she is not going to want to wear them the next time we go though.  She has recently acquired a used pair of skates and has been wearing them around the house and in the driveway giving her lots of confidence.  I must say, I am proud of how far she has come.  Her next conquest:  ice skating!

Last week, she had a run in with the flu.  She came home from school Wednesday with a fever of 101.3 and it peaked at 104 when we were at the doctor's office two hours later.  Her flu test came back negative, but her doctor said that given what he had been seeing with his other patients, he thought it might have just been too early to tell and put her on Tamiflu for five days.  She fevered for the next two days and spent most of that time on the couch.  She did have bouts of feeling good in which we would play games or she would spend a little time playing.  The Qwirkle game that Paw-Paw gave her for Christmas has proven to be fun for us, but I always seem to win.  She still plays with me though!  Sorry and Parchesi are two of her other favorite games right now.  We recently started playing Sorry a new way where everyone gets five cards to play from.  She was excited to try it and we both agree it's fun.

I feel like there is so much I have forgotten to post as I have really been slacking on keeping this blog up to date.  First grade seems to be flying by.  I think she is really learning a lot and seems to like school.  Math still seems to be her best subject.  We were working on compound sentences yesterday which she missed last week due to being sick.  It was then we rediscovered why homeschooling would not work for us.  We finally got through it without too much drama, but it was not pleasant.  I guess life isn't always pleasant though so no surprise there.  She did excellent on practicing her new music pages after that though so maybe writing is just not something she enjoys.  One of her favorite things to do is play outside, especially if there is a climbable tree around.  Lucky for her, today has turned into a beautiful afternoon so that is what we are going to do after her homework is done.  No worries there, it's only two math pages.   She should be done in no time.

Christmas has come and gone

Time has once again gotten away from me and my blogging has slipped.  Thanksgiving was spent with family.  Our first stop was at my Aunt Sandra's house.  Then, we headed on to my mom's house.  It was a wonderful day filled with lots of food and time with cousins.  A grand baby sleepover was in order, and I even stayed the night too.  The next day, we were off to an exciting vacation with Summer's friend Abby.  Everyone maintained great health throughout the trip and Summer was not ready to come home when it was over.  One of the highlights was swimming with dolphins which we all loved.  We got to kiss, dance, pet, and ride a dolphin.  We held onto it's fins while it swam on it's back, and it also pushed us by our feet when we were holding onto a boogie board.  Another of Summer's favorite parts was swimming in the pool.  She loves the water as long as she's got her goggles!  We also got to see a few movies while we were gone.  I think we all thought Brave was better than The Odd Life of Timothy Green, but they were both good.  Summer was not ready for the trip to end, but back to school she went.

The weeks until Christmas break flew by.  The book fair came and went.  She attended her music and dance classes.  She learned to spell 12 more words.  She participated in the school's Christmas concert one Tuesday morning.  She had been practicing her songs around the house and in the car and was all ready, but the morning of the concert something that some may consider insignificant, broke her little heart and caused her to cry most of the way through the play.  She was told that I was not allowed to walk her to class after the concert.  (The nerve of some people!  LOL) We had already planned it out that I would when I dropped her off, but that was before we knew that there was a going to be a short announcement afterwards.  Well, halfway into the first song, she looks at me and starts crying.  She kept on singing, but she would noticeably choke up and tears were streaming down her face.  It continued for the next two or three songs before one of the teachers waved her off the stage.  No one knew why she was crying, but we found out quickly once she was off the stage.  I don't know why it was such a tragedy to her, but it was.  I talked her into going back on stage for the last song and but only after I guaranteed her I would indeed be walking her back to class.  Crazy how something that seems so minute can set off another person in such a major way.  But, she feels how she feels and there is no reason for me to undermine that by not understanding and making a bigger deal out of it.  It is sweet that she still wants me around so much, so I'm not going to discourage it.  I'm sure it will wear off soon enough!

On the morning of the 13th, our elf Gumdrop came with his first mission for Summer.  She wanted him to bring her missions from Santa like last year, and he did everyday as we counted down the days until Christmas.  She enjoyed doing them all, except for the last two which we were too sick to finish.  She came down with bronchitis last Saturday and it has had us both down since Sunday.  I think her favorite mission was to make goodies, taste test them, and deliver them to her neighbors.  Her least favorite was probably cleaning her room and getting rid of stuff to make room for the new things she was going to get for Christmas.  It definitely turned into her having a bad attitude and even shedding a few tears over a stuffed animal she has never played with, but did NOT want to give away.  Next year, I'll take on that task without her help!  On Christmas Eve, she went to bed with Gumdrop and when she awoke Christmas morning, he was gone!  She never even said a word about it, I guess because that is what she expected would happen. 

Most of our Christmas Eve was spent on the couch.  The day before that too.  We felt well enough to go to my Grandad's house that evening.  I really did not want to miss it since we never know how long we have with our relatives and this is the one time of year we all manage to get together.  My cousin Lindsay was the exception this year.  Summer was excited to see her cousins as usual.  We had finger foods and Summer's favorites were the chicken on a stick and green olives.  She loves black olives too, but they were not served.  She did eat a whole can out our Christmas get together with the other side of my family.  The evening did not last too long since everyone was anxious to get back home and get ready for Santa Claus.  Summer got some nice things from my aunts and uncles.  Her favorite was a Nerf disc thrower.  She also got a really soft Tinker Belle blanket and pillow that I'm hoping she let me use sometime. 

Christmas morning she woke up around 7:20 and came into my room as she usually does.  I don't think she was even really thinking about opening presents, but as soon as I reminded her she was ready.  She patiently waited for her daddy and I to get dressed, and we when we came out of my room PawPaw was on the couch waiting to watch it all.  She found her gifts from Santa unwrapped.  She got the remote control helicopter she asked for along with a surprise - a veterinarian Lego set.  She was also happy to see Santa answered her request for him to bring her pets something.  She then handed out all the gifts under the tree before unwrapping any.  Then, she tore into them one after another until they were all open.  She was excited to get the guitar she had asked for.  She received an abundance of things throughout the day with two more groups of people coming over to open presents with us.  Some of the things she got are as follows: Easy Bake Oven, basketball, kickball, walkie talkies, clothes, Qwirkle, butterfly connectagons Nerf gun, books, gloves, Justin Bieber singing toothbrush, and a unicorn Dream Lite Pillow Pet.  Too much for me to remember and way more than enough for one girl!!! 

Well, the couch is calling my name.  I hope that soon Summer and I will not feel like getting on it for a long while!  She's already there waiting for me to come snuggle with her again.  So, off I go......

No ordinary girl (at least not to me)

It is interesting to watch your child grow and see their personalities unravel before you.  My fixation on my child may seem a little much at times, but she is truly the most precious gift I have ever received.  A sweet little girl for me to love and cherish and help mold into something great, at least I hope.  You never know as a parent which steps are right or wrong along the way, but you learn a little more everyday as life unfolds.  I love my role as a mom although this is not how I pictured my life when I was growing up.  I always thought I'd be an accountant or some kind of working girl.  When she was born, something inside me clicked and I found a new perspective on life.  I had my own family now and being a stay at home mom and housewife was enough for me.   

Although my child is as cute as can be, she does not always act precious.  She tests her limits, especially with me, and has had a night or two without cookies in the past few weeks.  Bad habit, I know.  But, life is short.  So, why not make everyday special in ways you can?  While I do try to make each day special, I still make her responsible for her actions with what I hope are appropriate consequences.  Believe me, she does not like losing her cookies!  Luckily, it does it happen very often.  At times she does pretend to be excited to go to her room when she is sent there, but I know it is a front and she is hoping to get off the hook.   I think a little alone time in her room is good for her, but it does not happen often.  It gives her the chance to play with some of the gifts she has received over the past few years.  It is crazy the amount of stuff she has accumulated!!  For the most part, she loves to either play outdoors or in the basement.  I don't even dare go to the basement anymore because every time I do it is a horrible mess which if cleaned will magically reappear upon her return. :)  I've learned to pick my battles and this is one I'm willing to lose. Out of sight, out of mind.    

For the most part, she is kind and helpful.  Her teacher gives her lots of good reports at school.  I think she is probably more helpful at school than at home, but she does have times where she wants to help at home.  She likes to help me cook at times.  She loves to lick the muffin bowls.  At times, she retrieves a couple gallons of distilled water from the garage.  She vacuumed the other day and got 5 stickers for her chart (50 cents).  We don't have a chore system set up, but maybe one day I will get around to organizing that.  Maybe not.  One of my favorite things that she does to help is to put her clothes in the hamper where they go.  It's the little things...

She has a silly streak and definitely likes to make people smile and laugh.  She makes some crazy annoying noises that I try not to let drive me crazy as I know it is all part of being a child and discovering new things.  Sometimes I wonder why she acts the way she does, but I try to just accept her as she is.  My Sunday school class has been studying a book called Grace Based Parenting and the concepts are quite interesting to me.  While I would prefer she used her manners all the time, she does not.  That is a work in progress.  She is polite for the most part, but a bit demanding at times.  This is probably one place I could work on as a parent - modeling the behavior I want to see in my child.  Like I said, every day is part of the learning process.  As a child, I was asked to use the terms ma'am and sir and Mr. and Mrs. when talking adults.  I believe that taught me respect for others.  I hope I instill this quality in Summer too, but sometimes this world is so out of control it is hard to teach your child in the right ways because it is not always reinforced in the real world. So, I accept that I do what I can do and move on.  No need to worry about things beyond my control.

Summer has a very sensitive side too.  She is very much a mommy's girl and does not like to think about times when she will not be able to be with me.  She would prefer for me to always be at her side, unless she is at her Memaws or cousins.  Then, I'm pretty much low man on the totem pole.  The reason for her attachment is understandable and right now I am just clinging to it in hopes that it will last a few years longer.  It won't be much longer before I'm off the A list...unless I do everything right and there is not much hope of that.  Nonetheless, I love my sweet baby girl!  I am thankful I am still able to carry her when she wants.  My lap is never too full when she is in it.  It feels just right.  We are very much snugglers and very affectionate.  Sweet kisses from my little girl make my heart skip a beat!  I know one day they will not be so easy to get.  Bedtime nuzzles, rocking her in my arms when she needs some extra security....why do they have to grow up???  

She tends to be very aggressive with her dad, and they play a lot more rough than we do.  He definitely brings out the fighter in her.  She loves to roughhouse with him and gives him a hard time.  Her affection does not flow so freely to him, but the love is definitely there.  I love to watch them together, and see the smiles on their faces when they are playing around.  Sometimes she gets out of hand, at least in my opinion and gets a little too rough.  I'm not sure how to handle it when it comes to her dad, as he is an adult and can set his own boundaries with her.  But, she knows I do not tolerate hitting or intentionally inflicting pain on others.  Luckily, we haven't faced that yet.  She seems to get along fine with all kids at school which always makes a momma happy. 

She's six and a half going on seven.  She really doesn't seem to be much older than that yet.  She's a fun loving and down to earth little girl with a little bit of drama thrown in at times.  Above all, she's mine and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She definitely makes life worth living!

Lots of catching up

 Summer lost her first tooth the 2nd week of school.  She pulled it herself right before bedtime one night.  She put it in her tooth fairy pillow that she had sewed the week before and put it on the bedside table.  She lost her 2nd tooth two weeks ago.  Again, right before bed time.  She had tried to pull it in the bathroom after we brushed our teeth, but she gave up.  When we got in the bed to read her bedtime story, it fell out.  Both times the tooth fairy came and brought her $5 which she immediately put in her piggy bank, not her wallet.   

She started taking tennis lessons a few weeks ago against her will.  She loves to play with her daddy on the courts by the playground, but has protested lessons for as long as we've been suggesting them. One of her friends from school joined her on her second week which has made the transition to lessons easier I think.  She  still complains that she doesn't want to go, but she's going to finish this clinic out at least.  

Her reading is getting better and better.  Usually, we both read at night.  She picks a level 1 book, and I read whatever she has brought home from the library at school.  This week we are reading about African critters and also some scary stories.  I just love our reading/ tuck-in time every night.  We have beEen going over her list of 100 sight words a few times a week, and I definitely think it has helped.  She does well in everything at school.  She's pretty much mastered her doubles and loves her math homework.  Spelling seems to come pretty easy for her too.  Although homework is not her favorite part of the day, she usually does it quickly and without complaining.  Two thumbs up from this mom!! 

She was very excited about my birthday last week and counted down the days all week.  I told her all I wanted for my birthday was hugs and kisses, but she had to make me something.  She used her 
creativity and made me a life size cut out of her body-- fully colored to match the clothes she was 
wearing.  She also made me card and decorated the box she put it all in with a picture of me and her 
and a house.  Her surprise made my birthday day special even more special than I expected.  We went on a hike that day with some people from church which was very nice and enjoyable for us both.  She is such an outdoors girl and was in heaven when we got to the waterfalls.  She asked to take off her 
shoes, rolled up her pants, and took off with the other kids. Before hearing home, we stopped by 
Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party (no not for me).  To our delight, there were lots of new games, 
as well as our old favorites!  We made it out without cashing in her tickets. I'm not sure how, but she 
never said anything as we headed out the door.  It had been a long day for us both and I think we 
were both ready to be home.

Tonight is the first night this week Summer has had oven fresh cookies...almost a nightly staple if she has her way. She likes them cooked very soft and licks all the melted chocolate from her finger tips in lieu of using a napkin.  Sometimes I doubt the nutritional value of this habit, but seeing how she has already beat cancer, it almost seems silly to fret over.  Whatever will be, will be.  The choice is definitely not mine you see.  

October has been a very busy month; maybe the busiest of the year.  With our new activities, we have
 not had as much free time as we did earlier this school year, but we still make the most of every day. Lots of fun plans for the weekend ahead!  I am so thankful for the people in my life.  My daughter is just one of the many people I love and cherish.  I am grateful for each and every day I have to spend with her.    I'll never be able to stop counting my blessings.


cherish.  I am truly blessed beyond measure!  Life's twists and turns are never predictable.  

School days (post delayed a week)

Summer is loving the 1st grade.  She was so happy the first day she said she didn't even want to leave.  I am a happy mom to have her loving it so much when she initially was not thrilled at the thought of returning to school.  Last week, she had her first spelling test and got them all correct (see, is, have, the, can,and today).  She is learning about the human body and finds it pretty interesting I believe.  She was amazed that it takes a whole day for your food to go through your body.  Math homework is easy for her so far, and they have some every day Monday to Thursday.  They also have reading most days in the form of a decodable book.  Although homework is not her favorite part of the day, she has been good about doing it without a fight.

We had a great long weekend.  Friday after school we went bowling with the Lynch family and then to eat at Mellow Mushroom.  We topped our pretzels, calzones and pizza off with some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery....well Summer did.  I was a good girl and did not have any myself.  We let them burn a little more of their energy off at the playground afterwards.  It was a great time which I believe we will repeat again in a few weeks.
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Saturday we were invited to a cookout a a friend's house.  We took Willow with us and the girls all played great together.  They had so much fun that Sidda ended up coming home with us for a sleepover.  They played dress up and the Wii for a while before I was finally able to wrangle them into bed around midnight.  They were up by seven o'clock the next morning when I heard them jumping off the bed.  I questioned Summer about the bed jumping after she came down and she was honest about it.  I'm so thankful for her honesty at this time and hope it continues as the years continue to pass.

Our last week of freedom

The week before school starts has come and gone.  We started back to our school routine of an 8:00  bedtime which was not always sucessful, but we did manage to do it a few times.  A lot of those days were spent watching Barbie A Fairy Secret and playing games at home.  Some days we watched it twice!  She has a few favorite parts that she rewinds or mimics.  It's cute!  We went swimming. We had a play date at the malls with some friends.   Summer had a great time playing on the playground there although technically she is too big to play on it.  We also did a little shopping.  She was excited to get some light up flip flops with butterflies on them.  We both got some new sunglasses since the guy was closing up shop and had them all marked down to $5.   She looks totally adorable in the pair she got.  I hope I do too.  LOL

Saturday, Summer decided she wanted to stay home all day so we had a pajama day.  We watched Barney Best Manners and also her  new favorite Barbie movie yet again.  I had picked a movie that was too sad the previous evening -My Dog Skip- so I didn't get any say in the movie selection.  She did not like some parts because there was bullying and therefore it was a "scary" movie.  The dog also dies so that was not good in her book either.  So much for the movie I thought would be great because it had a dog in it.  I guess I need to read the full storyline next time.  After we were movied out, we had a bubble bath and wardrobe change.  Lots of bubbles!  Clean pajamas! Not too long after that, she decided a bike ride sounded good so I had another wardrobe change before we headed out on our bikes.  (I really don't think my neighbors would've appreciated me parading my pjs up and down the street.)  She is doing really good at getting out of the driveway which used to be scary for her because of the height difference between the street and the driveway.  Poor Trixie was leashed to her bike and therefore ran along beside her as she rode down the street and back.  It actually worked better than I thought it would when I realized what her intentions were.  Trixie did not seem to mind.  Score!  Afterwards, we spent some time on the playground in the yard.  It's been too hot to do much I it this summer, but now that the weather is cooling off a bit she might use it a little more.  It sure would be nice to have Lexie over to play with her on it sometimes, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.

Sunday we cashed one of her library program coupons/rewards at Lake Winnie.  The weather was perfect and Summer and I were both in good spirits so it was a lot of fun for us both.  One of her favorite rides was the Sea Warrior which is a spinning, spinning, up and down type ride.  I was worried I would get sick, but the motion sickness medicine did it's job.  She also loved the Tilt-a-whirl and the Scrambler.  She was not big enough for the big roller coaster, but the Wacky Worm was good enough for her.  We probably rode it five times and every time she made us keep our hands up the entire time.  I was happily surprised when she wanted to ride the carousel since the year before she definitely thought it was too slow for her to even get on.  We rode and rode and rode until we were both worn out and back at the front entrance.  We gave the Sea Warrior one lost whirl and headed home.  She was asleep before we got there.  After showers, I tried to get her back I her bed and out of mine.  I lay with her for a while and even left the room with her in her bed, but it did not last very long.  She came out and I ended up just letting her sleep with me again.  I guess this is one battle I'm not up for fighting right now.  She is going through so much with this divorce that I just can't justify doing it now with school also starting and that not being too exciting for her either.  Maybe I'll give her a few weeks to get settled into that before I try again.  We shall see.

Today was our last official day off, but we were at the school most of the morning anyway getting registered and stuff.  We found out who her teacher was and were happy to see who her fellow classmates will be this year.  We even went to lunch with one of them after we left.  Now we are resting on the couch and nursing her carpet burned knee.  I really hope she wakes up tomorrow and it is not still hurting.  That would not be the best start to the 1st day of school.  I'm pretty sure we will both be out by 8:00 tonight.  I hope so anyway because school starts tomorrow!  First grade here she comes!!!

Summer's almost over

Last week, I surprised Summer with a trip to Splash in Panama City, Florida.  She was super excited when she found out her friend Willow and her family were going too.  The last time we went there was 3 years ago when she was going through her chemotherapy treatments.  Needless to say, this trip was much different.  Her favorite places to be this trip were the lazy river and the pool with a deep end.  She's become such a great swimmer.  One day, we found a red die on one of our treasure hunt walks.  We kept it, and she ended up spending lots of time diving after it in the pool.  She liked to go look for shells with me, but she was not one to pick a lot up.  She's more of a pointer outer.  We had a few mom and daughter trips down the beach.  We usually didn't go too far, but we found lots of treasures and enjoyed the feeling of our feet sinking in the sand.  Summer was not a big fan of the ocean the first two days when the water was as calm as a swimming pool and shallow for a long way out.  The last day when the waves were a little more active, she had fun jumping them.  I think she told me that was her favorite part of the whole trip. Playing with Willow and Harper was also lots of fun, and they put on several shows for us.  We had quite a bit of rain so we were lucky to have a room big enough to where we could all spread out when we had to be indoors.  There were even bunk beds which the girls took turns sleeping on top and bottom.  Summer had the top bunk the first night and woke up the next morning saying it was the most comfortable bed ever.  I was happy to see she slept so well in it when I thought she might try to sneak into my bed at some point in the night.

Everyday, there was an activity the kids could do at the resort.  One day they tie dyed shirts, and another day they colored a backpack.  They made shark tooth necklaces.  I've yet to see Summer's since we've been home, but I haven't fully unpacked yet either.  They really enjoyed them all, along with souvenir hunting.  On our last trip to the store, Summer ended up with a pink butterfly on a green rod.  They gave her an extra rod just in case that one broke which ended up working perfectly for one of the treasures she found on the beach earlier - a flower windwheel.  Oh yeah!  They played with those for quite a while during one of the rainy spells we had.  The first time we went shopping, she got a magnetic pen that says I Love You and has a pink cat on it.  She had lots of fun testing out all the things that it would and would not stick to around the condo unit.

Summer discovered a new Barbie movie - Fairy Secret - while we were on the trip.  It was her favorite of the one's her friend Willow brought.  So much that yesterday when we were spending her birthday gift certificate at Target, she picked it out and three cans of silly string too.  Of course, when we got to the car, she was having buyers remorse and wishing she would've gotten the princess game I had showed her.  She knew I had bought two that I was going to give to her friends.  Well, one was really for her for Christmas, but I didn't want to tell her that.  We had a little talk and agreed to trade them out so she could go ahead and get the game.  In order to get the Barbie movie, she would do some chores to earn it.  She suggested making the bed and folding clothes.  I added cleaning her room and the playroom.  We had a deal!  When we got home, we immediately had to play it a few times.  :)  The first time we tied.  The next, she won.  It turned out to be a rather fun game, and I think we completely scored by getting it!  She even got her Paw-Paw to play with her this morning.

A bulk of our day has been spent cashing in on the chores she promised to do in exchange for the movie.  We spent hours going through the playroom and her bedroom to see what she wants to keep when we move.  We got it pretty organized and she was a real trooper during the process.  She did take a break to paint a picture with one of her many craft kids.  She also helped me fold the laundry.  She did her clothes while I folded mine.  When I started to wash some dishes, she offered to help.  She took over after I finished the glasses.  I offered to rinse them for her, but she wanted to do it all herself.

The evening has been spent watching the Barbie movie although she still owes me one more day worth of chores.  After two runs through the movie, some leftover Chinese food, and chocolate chip cookies, we are about to be on our bedtime countdown.  Next up, bedtime craft.  We're making a magnetic fishing pole and fish.  Good times!!!