None of the above

I saw the perfect opportunity for a little physical therapy for Summer. So, instead of workbooks or crafts, we went outdoors. First, we worked our arms by carrying stuff to the car. Then she got to throw the trash away from my car, which she did without complaining I might add. We walked up and down steps, did some hopping and walked around in a pool of water. It was so much fun and it really didn't feel like it was work except when I tried to get her to walk up the stairs with alternating feet. The steps are kind of wide, but eventually she was getting into doing it right. Of course not every time because that would just be too easy. She had to say she wanted to do it the other way, at which point I told her we would end the exercise and just go home. I know, I'm brutal. But, it worked and she finished walking up what was not the last set of stairs for the day. I really wore her legs out because on the last one she could hardly walk anymore. As a matter of fact, she asked me to carry her not too long after we left the water portion of our fun. But, the main point of the excursion being exercise, I did not. I'm supposed to tire her out and then push her to go a little more, and that is what I did. We "hiked" about looking for animals and just enjoying the beauty of downtown. It is amazing how nice the city has become over the last decade. Used to be, we didn't go downtown except on rare occasions. Of course, now we live here so it is pretty hard to avoid. :) Anyway, it was a great adventure for us both that lasted about an hour. I hope to get a few repeats in the next few weeks. The beauty of downtown is there are a hundred paths to take and you never know just exactly which way the road is going to lead you. I love the variety of activities we can be at in just a matter of minutes. Plus, no car ride needed!

But, I think we would all give it up for a yard with a tree house. I know Summer would. On the way to a cookout/play date last night she said, "What if my daddy is allergic to my two dogs and two cats when we get our house? Maybe we should just get a bunny rabbit." Got to love that logic!

Not a cancer patient anymore

I just filled out the registration form for Summer's summer camps and was happy to leave the question "Is your child currently receiving treatment for any condition?" blank. We still go to the clinic for monthly port flushes until they decide to take it out, but she is not currently receiving any treatment. PTL!!! I am super excited about the camps she will be attending, but a little nervous too since I will be dropping her off and I'm not sure how cool she is going to be with that at first. One camp is more of an active "motor skill" camp and the other two are more creative centered around arts and craft activities. The camps have added a little chaos to the music classes she is signed up for, but it will all work out I'm sure. Maybe I should've just skipped the music classes for the summer, but I've already paid for them so we'll try to make them. I think we are going to skip Playgym for the rest of the summer unless she is really just wanting to go one day. She loves her classes.

She is growing so fast now. I am curious as to how much she weighs because it seems like she has gained a few pounds in just the past few weeks. Although I can still carry her around, I can't do it for too long. She fully wears a 5 now although she will still wear some of her size 4 shirts. She just got a package of new clothes in the mail yesterday and couldn't wait to put them on. So, even though her clothes were still clean, I let her change into some new ones. One more change of clothes is not going to hurt the laundry pile. Of course, I could always just put them back in her drawer. Her too small pile is growing more and more everyday and needs to be boxed up, but I can't seem to get that done. Seems like she is outgrowing stuff every week, so what is the point right now anyway? We stay so busy around here, I can't even keep the kitchen table cleaned off for too long.

Next week Summer and I are going to be in a wedding up in Detroit. Summer and I went and picked up our dresses from the seamstress the other day after her last t-ball game. We are going to be two pretty girls with those pool blue dresses on. I love the fact that they are matching and hope we get some good pics of us in them. Clint will be dressed up too, so maybe we'll get a good one of the family too.

Well, I'm off to see what activity she has planned for us next. We've already played a game of War (with playing cards) and Littlest Pet Shop doctor this morning. I'm sensing she will be up for something more artistic this time. Maybe we can do some workbook activities. But, if it's up to her, I'm guessing it will involve scissors, tape and paper.

Flying colors!!!

Summer had her physical therapy appointment yesterday. The lady didn't really see a big problem that can't be fixed with a few exercises at home. So, we opted not to go for a 6 week session with her. Who wants to go to the doctor when you can be home? Or at the pool? Swimming is one of the activities she recommended to help strengthen Summer's legs and overall body. So, lessons it is I guess. There doesn't seem to be a lot of problems in her legs due to the vincristine (Praise God!), but maybe just a lack of overall endurance due to spending much of 8 months laying around. That was great news to me, and I was so relieved to have just been a little bit of a worry wart. However, I have noticed myself stumbling a lot more since the visit yesterday and am wondering if I may need some physical therapy myself. LOL

Her first dental appointment went well today. We got lucky to get a friend of a friend as Summer's dental technician. So, there was a connection to start with. Her son also plays t-ball against Summer sometimes. Summer was pretty apprehensive about the whole appointment, and I am thankful that it turned out the way it did. The dentist said her teeth look great. He was not at all worried about the gap in her front teeth and says that is good for when her other teeth come in. I told him I thought it might have been due to her thumb sucking (which she STILL does), but he said she probably just had a lot of space to start with.

Yesterday, Summer was a big talker. Josh was with us for a few hours, and she talked his ears off. I know he was wishing he was in the front seat instead of me, but he did a good job grinning and bearing it throughout the time he was with us. It was neat to see how she engaged him and wanted to show him all of her "cool toys." Like, how cool is it really going to be to a 24 year old? It made me smile to see her trying to entertain him and be his buddy. I know she is probably hoping to do the same thing to her big sister today when she drops off Lexie, but I doubt she'll have as much time. That's okay though because Paw-Paw will be here shortly and I'm sure she will be wrapped up in playing with him.

Friday night fun

It has been a fabulous family day for us. This morning Summer had her Playgym class. Afterwards, we all went to the sushi restaurant down the street. Then family nap time. We took a bike ride this evening and played on the playground.

This is her favorite part of the playground. She needs no help spinning herself round and round. However, she still has not learned to pump her legs on the swing.

Summer was adorable, if I do say so myself, throwing the football in her princess dress. She put it on over her clothes and made sure not to forget her high heels. I'm just lucky they weren't her princess shoes. I actually vetoed them and told her to put on tennis shoes, but we came to a compromise on her pink dress shoes. She did really good catching the balls that her daddy & I threw her. Plus, she had fun as you can see from the next few pics.


After the playground, she wanted ice cream. So, I caved and stopped at Cold Stone to get her a kid's creation: cake batter & reese's cups. She ate it all except for the one bite she gave me. While we were there, we were having a talk about playing sports and practicing. I told her that being the best wasn't important. I wasn't the greatest at any sport I ever played, but I had fun and that was what was important. She said, "This is what is important. Just staying with your kid and snuggle and love them." Then my heart melted. It was one of those priceless moments to me.

On our way home we decided to stop for dinner. Backwards, I know. :) After dinner, she played in the fountains in front of the aquarium. She had a blast getting soaking wet. Now, she is having herself a nice bubble bath before we play some Hungry, Hungry Hippos. I hope to follow that with some reading. She got several new books for her birthday. Plus, we have some from the library we need to get to reading. Then probably snuggle time in my bed or on the couch. What a way to start the weekend!

Heartbroken

This morning when Summer got home, she was ready to do crafts. So, we made a birthday card for a party we are going to this weekend. Then she made a picture with some stencils, sequins, and stick glue. After that, she was still wanting to be crafty so she asked me to draw her a cat, dog and rabbit. Instead, I printed off these:

Then she cut them out and made a beautiful picture with the animals and a red sun she had drawn with a marker. She brought it in here to me and wanted to put it in a picture frame. Well, then she made the mistake of putting it into the top of the paper shredder (which for some reason was not on the can that catches the paper) and this happened:

She was instantly heartbroken and wept at the loss of her beautiful picture. She didn't think the shredder was on, but she was mistaken. Hopefully, it was a lessen learned. It took her a good five minutes of cuddling to get over it. Of course then she wanted to snuggle with me and watch cartoons. There's always some good to come from bad times I guess.

I remembered this morning that her preschool paperwork is not here. Another bummer. Looks like I won't be getting that done today. I did call the preschool though to check on when I need to register by so there's one thing accomplished.

Well, I better get back to the girls.

N.E.D.

No evidence of disease for Summer! Praise the Lord!!! I am so thankful for my beautiful, healthy daughter. She is such a blessing and joy in my life.

T-ball is going great. She continues to improve and actually started going after balls in this last game. There is only one more game for this season. I am kind of sad, but it is getting hotter and hotter outside so I'm sure we won't be missing it too much. Plus, we've got all the accessories now so we can just play in the yard if she decides she wants to. I kind of doubt that will happen, but never say never.

She got to go to her Memaw's after her game yesterday and won't be coming back until in the morning. So, I am trying to get all the stuff I need to done while she is gone, but the big pile of papers to my left it just not tempting at all. As long as the bills are paid, I can leave it there indefinitely. LOL

I still have yet to turn in her preschool registration. I really need to get on that, but just keep getting sidetracked by life. I seriously need to do it this week though. So, maybe tomorrow after she comes home we will head that way. Who knows? We may even stop by Chuck E Cheese afterwards. Wish I could find that birthday coupon I printed off!

Post scan post (no news yet)

Summer had her CT scan this morning. No results yet, but I am anxiously awaiting them. They are going to schedule her two appointments - one with an opthamologist and one with physical therapy. Hopefully, they will both turn out to be unnecessary, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.


The weekend was a nice family weekend. We went to the strawberry festival on Saturday. It was soooo hot outside, but it was fun. Summer and Lexie rode some carnival rides. They were all sold out of strawberries by the time Clint and my dad made it to where they had been selling them. So, when we had enough of the heat, we left and stopped at the fruit stand close by to get some locally grown strawberries which were delicious. I actually just made a strawberry pie to finish most of them off. I am so excited because I might actually get to eat most of it. Summer is now declaring that she doesn't like strawberry pie and it is disgusting. I know she said she liked it a few days ago, but that's how it goes sometimes. She just says things to be contrary. Well, she is in her room right now thinking about where that kind of attitude is going to get her. Or, maybe she has drifted off to sleep by now. I'll know as soon as the microwave beeps which one it was. :)


We had Sunday dinner yesterday with my mom's family. Summer got to bring home the rest of the angel food cake which I took for a surprise for her after her scan. She finished it all off without offering me a bite. Sniff. Sniff. We both love that stuff! We stopped by my Grandad's house to pet some of his horses since we got there a little early. He breeds those big Budweiser horses. And, boy are they big! I can't imagine riding on one of those cause. I can remember as a child riding horses, but they were quarter horses or appaloosas. We even had two horses of our own for a few years or so. We had some good times on my grandad's farm growing up too. I just love walking down memory lane sometimes and when I go to these family dinners, especially Grandad's farm, I get to do that. Plus, I am making new memories with my daughter. Oh, life is so good sometimes. When you just let everything else go, especially negative energy, and try to enjoy it. Looking on the bright side of things has gotten me through many a day in the past year.

Well, I haven't heard anything, so I'm assuming she fell victim to a nap. Oh well, it won't hurt her. Now what to do with a few hours of unexpected free time???? I would say pedicure, but she wants to join me for that special treat. Well, this post is written, so I'm on to bigger and better things. Or, maybe just a hour or so on the couch with a Wii remote in my hand? Hopefully, I won't sit there watching the clock waiting to see if they are going to call me with results. No news is good new though, right?

Whirling into the weekend

I have failed to give an update on Summer's MRI that she had earlier this week. So, as you can probably guess, things looked great. Now if we can just make it through next week's ct scan with the same news life will continue to be good. I mentioned her eyes being sensitive to light to the Dr., but I didn't get a definite answer or direction from him. I guess I will take her to an optometrist and see what they think.

I have decided that Summer and I will go to the funeral home together for visitation rather than the funeral. It is just going to be too sad and it is quite a ways away from where we live so it would be hard to do both days. She told me that she wishes we could see him one more time. I told her we might get to at the funeral home. But, she said she meant his whole body. I told her one day in heaven we will get to see him. They were never what I would call close, but a familiar face is a familiar face and when you know their name you have some sort of bond.

Playgym was a blast this morning as the kids explored emotions. Summer definitely knows how to show her emotions, although I am trying to curb some of her actions into ones that are acceptable. For instance, when she is mad, it is NOT OK to hit the person or be destructive. Also, it is OK to be sad, but whining is not the answer to anything. But, at the same time, I want to let her express her emotions. Man, this mommy stuff is fun. Just before our shower, we listened to Summer's Song of Love which she still loves. During the song, she directed me to dance with different faces - angry, sad, happy. It was cute to see her follow up the class with some of the things we talked about.

We also made a book run at the library since we had some books that were due back. I can't wait to read the ones we picked out to her. I really think she might start reading at some point this year. She is learning small words right now and how to sound out the letters that she sees. It is so exciting for me to experience all of this with her, although it may seem cheesy to some. Some people would rather just let someone else do all of this fun stuff for them or are too busy to even care. I know some people can't help it and have to work, but it is really sad to me that some people just don't want to put that much effort into their kids. I really feel so blessed to be able to nurture and cultivate her as she grows up. Of course, only time will tell if it was worth it. But, right now I think it is. The days go by fast as we run from here to there experiencing all we can, but it is fun and we do have some down time. Maybe not much, but I feel like life is so short. You never know when you will have your last day on this earth. So live your life to the fullest and make your dreams come true! That's my motto anyway.

Cowgirls and Angels

Why is it when I sit down I always want to write something about my life being a whirlwind?

This morning Summer and I had a nice time playing "cowgirl," as she called it. Her bed was my house and hers was under the table in the corner of her room. It was fun putting all the stuffed animals to bed while she watched. Then she went to her house and did the same. I remember playing house with my sister as a kid. We would take blankets out on the front porch and they were our boats. The deck around them was water, of course. I have lots of fond memories of playing dolls with my sister. I think I've said it before, but just in case I am mistaken, I'll say it again. Summer doesn't play with her dolls. Lexie, on the other hand, does. Summer likes to play with her stuffed animals. Leah, her cat (the FurReal one), was one of my pets today. She got new batteries and was purring up a storm while I put the other animals to sleep. Leah still has a donkey sticker on her belly from when Summer was in the hospital last year. She will not let me take it off because it is Leah's animal. LOL I noticed yesterday that another one of her cats has a sticker on it's belly. I think I need to go ahead and take it off before it is stuck like this one is. I am thankful that I don't find stickers on the wall or furniture though. After quite a few "pardners," we were through with our cowgirl play time. I was informed of this after Summer had decided she didn't want strawberries and bananas for breakfast. We're still working on that one. :)

There were a million things that came to mind to write about yesterday, but of course, today my head is blank. I can't believe I've forgotten all those things I thought I would write down. I'm sure they will come to me as soon as I get up. Oh well, gotta go get my girl out of the bed and eating so we can do something fun in a little bit. I am thinking maybe the aquarium. She has mentioned several times going to check on the octopus who is supposed to die since she laid her eggs.

Speaking of death, yesterday, one of Summer's fellow cancer warriors breathed his last breath. He was diagnosed with hepatablastoma, a type of liver cancer, just before Summer and I feel like I have been on their whole journey with them. It was so sad to see him go, but he is not suffering anymore. I don't understand that part - why he deserved to suffer like that. But, he is not alone. There are so many others out their suffering too. I went ahead and told Summer that Joshi went to heaven. She took it pretty well. She said something about people not feeling bad anymore once they do. That was it, and I left it at that. Last night, when we were going to bed, she asked God to not let us die. Not sure if that was related to Joshua, but in some way it probably was. The funeral will be in a couple of days, and I am still unsure of whether or not to take her. She has been to several funerals this past year, but I know this one will be especially sad. Oh well, I guess it will come down to whether or not her Daddy goes and if she wants to go. I hate decisions like this.

All is not doom and gloom though. She also prayed that she would lose a tooth, except she wants to keep it. And, she wants the tooth fairy to come. She has her first dentist appointment next week. I really need to get the paper work filled out, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It's sitting in the messy pile of papers on my desk that also need my attention. I guess I better get to that pile of papers before the keyboard gets buried underneath them. LOL

Rainy day update

I am so behind in the blog world. I haven't had time to read any blogs in days. I've been really slacking for a while now, but at least I am making time to write my own before I forget the things I want to remember forever. Maybe one day I'll be able to just relax at the computer and catch up, but with two kids around a lot of the time, I just can't do it.

Summer spent the weekend with her Memaw & Nanny while I had a nice break in Detroit. I got to go to a friend's bachelorette party and had a whole weekend of cartoon free TV. I told Clint I was watching adult TV once when I was on the phone with him and he was confused. LOL It was nice to actually be able to sit and focus on a show without being interrupted to wipe any body's butt or make a snack. I did miss my baby though. On Sunday morning, she called to sing me "Happy Mother's Day." It went a little something like this:

Happy Mother's Day to you! Happy present to you! Happy present to you! Happy present to Mommy! Happy present to you!

I guess since her Daddy had taken her to the store to let her pick me out something the day before, she was thinking about the present she picked while she was singing. I opened my gift when I got to my mom's yesterday. She had colored me a MOM card and gotten me peanut butter cups. She was anxious to open them and sat on my lap eating them. It was cute and special because I got to hold her in my arms and snuggle on her to make up for the weekend without her.

She had a great time at Memaw's camping, fishing and playing with her cousins with pine needles and a canoe. The clothes she was wearing are still covered in pine sap, even after washing them and scrubbing them a little in the sink. Anyone got any ideas on how I can get it out?

Today was her last music class until June. She got some kind of instrument to bring home with her which was cool. We've played all three of her Candy Land games today. I am hoping to watch Toy Story with the girls in a little bit.

Tomorrow she has an MRI. Not sure when we will have the results, but if there is anything major that shows up, I'm sure it will be sooner than later. No worries though cause He has got the whole world in His hands!!!

Birthday Recap

Summer started her birthday off with a grilled cheese and some turkey slices. Her dad, Paw-Paw, Lexie and myself sang to her with 4 candles in a piece of leftover brownie from the night before. The adults all ate their brownies, but Summer did not (at least not until just before we left the house later that afternoon). The flames on the candles really bothered her eyes and she immediately started rubbing them. Bummer. It took all of us to get the candles out. Summer almost did, but then they flamed back up like trick candles. And, they were not trick candles. After breakfast, she opened her wrapped gifts from us. Then she went out front to discover her brand new (used**) bicycle. She wanted to ride it right away of course. Her daddy had to adjust the training wheels for her because it was a pretty wobbly first ride. She sped around the driveway in her pjs with no shoes on. She had a few spills. For some reason, she tried to dismount the bike while in motion rather than waiting for it to stop - several times. Overall, she ended up with a skinned up knee, but no other major or minor injuries. Hopefully, she will remember to stop before she dismounts and to use the brakes if she gets scared rather than turning and spilling over. While the girls were out playing, I realized that her tricycle, scooter and bicycle are ALL Disney Princess. That's crazy because she isn't even really into the princesses. After several trips outside to ride the back and one trip down the street, we headed to eat at Longhorns, her pick. Her Paw-Paw joined us since he wasn't going to get to go to the main event. She loves their bread. She also ate chili which Lexie was happy to share with her. She always wants to do what Summer does. We headed to pick up the cake after our bellies were all full, topped off with a hot fudge birthday sundae. When we got back to the condo for a quick pre-party break, Summer had a birthday present waiting at the door from my buddy Christina. It is a write desk which holds markers, crayons, colored pencils, brushes and that kind of stuff. We got it finished just in time to leave for the party.

When we got to the party, it was a little chaotic, but I guess most birthday parties are. They had a horse which cost $.50 and everyone wanted to ride. Luckily, it sat two kids - one on the saddle and one on the tail. Summer definitely had her fair share of rides, but was still waning one more ride with her pillow pet before we left.

The kids played bingo by listening to sounds and matching them up to the pictures on their cards. They were each given a pack of Smarties for playing pieces. She really loved all her gifts. Her unicorn pillow pet that she got from Memaw and Nanny is her favorite I think. Maybe the glow in the dark jelly fish from Gavin is though. She played with most of them when we got home. She even colored a picture on her new desk from one of her new coloring books. She played with her pom-poms and told her daddy she would cheer while me and him played football. LOL Guess he just might have a cheer leader after all.
The bubble blower from Amanda was really awesome with super-sized bubbles and bubbles inside other bubbles.
Polly Pockets were fun and she found that her Snow White doll is the same size so she can hang out with the other chick on the boat whenever. LOL

It was a great and exhausting day, but she stayed up until I made her go to bed a little after eleven. She did pick one book she got about a snowflake to read before bedtime. I sure am grateful that she had so many friends and family members to share the day with. It was a great day full of great memories.

Today, I have realized that I am now shopping in the big girls section. No more toddler stuff here. I can't wait to see all the growing she will do in the next year. Stay tuned.

**used - he found one on craigslist just like the one he bought. So he bought it and took the new one back saving about $40. It had not been used more than a half hour the ad said. Anyways, $$ saved by Daddy. Go Clint! :)

Leaving the 3's tomorrow

Today is Summer's last day of being 3. Right now she is in my bed, where she ate her strawberry pop-tart with no icing on Dad's side of the bed. No more rolling around in crumbs for me. LOL She is watching Bear in the Big Blue House and coloring with the new markers and crayons she got from her Nona. She's coloring on pink construction paper, of course. Not sure what she is making yet, but I am sure it will be a work of art. LOL I guess now is a good a time as any to share some of her latest creations.

Chicken she made at story time at the library A bear she made for me and a bunny which was not for me
Cats ( this was before she could, or should I say would, draw their ears)

Can you see all 5? I love the instrument the most I think.

We've got story time in a bit preceded by a bath. I couldn't convince her to bath last night and really didn't put up much effort to make her since I saw the perfect opportunity to update the blog with pics (see post below). She actually stayed up past me and Clint. I think we went to bed around 11:00. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. Maybe it was the late nap yesterday before her t-ball game. She is enjoying it more than she did in the beginning, but sometimes she falls victim to the glorious dirt on the infield. She actually ran towards a few balls yesterday, but she is kind of slow so she didn't always make it there before someone else got it. Her friend Willow was gracious enough to take turns catching the balls when Summer played on the pitcher's mound with her in the second inning. Afterwards, we had some sinful snacks. My friend made homemade chocolate chip cookie sandwiches (with homemade butter cream frosting between the cookies). Yes, they were sinful. And, I have two more in my fridge. Who wants to take bets on who is going to end up eating them? If you guessed me, you won.

Yesterday, we went to the mall and had lunch together. She wanted to go to her "favorite" mall - Hamilton Place. The train they put in there really gets her vote on making that mall the best. She loves to play on the playgrounds at both of our malls. Unfortunately, she had to learn a life lesson in obedience yesterday. She did NOT get to ride the train. I gave her a five minute warning which she took in stride. Then when I told her to come and let me put her shoes on her, she just looked at me. Then I counted to three. No movement. So, I said, "No train." Needless to say, she wasn't happy about it. All the way to Kohl's, she wasn't happy about it. But, I bet you next time she is going to hop up and get those shoes on! Her legs still seem to get tired often. When we got to Kohl's, she started complaining. I'm not sure if she just wants me to hold her, which I would gladly do more often if she weren't so heavy, or what. She usually doesn't complain until after she has walked a pretty good bit, so I think they really do get tired. Darn chemo damaging her nerves. But, I haven't noticed many other side effects so I'm not going to complain too much.

I am just so grateful to have a happy, healthy little girl who is going to be 4 years old tomorrow. Sometimes I still feed her so she'll eat everything on her plate. Sometimes I still wipe her butt (well, more than sometimes, but it is getting better). Sometimes I carry her when her legs are tired. Sometimes I hold her in my arms and kiss her head. Sometimes I tickle her silly. Sometimes I snuggle up with her and take a nap. Sometimes I read to her before bed. Sometimes I sing. Always I kiss her goodnight and tuck her in. Always she wakes up looking for me. I am so thankful for this wonderful little girl that God has blessed me with.

A month in pics

Summer & Mom Her second t-ball game she was all about the dirt.

Headed to visit the neighbors down the street.

Hiding from the camera, but I liked it anyway. :P

My very own little Tinkerbell. Riding at Willow's house.

Ready to crawl like a turtle in Playgym.

Lexie and Summer have their own rides. LOL

She LOVES this swing!!!

Taking time to pick some flowers.

Carnivals are fun!

Sometimes life is a blur, but the memories are great.

I think we may have been to Chuck E Cheese a time or two in the past year or so.

The ride she waited and waited to ride. Not because there was a line but because we walked by it and went to the other side of the park first. Of course, she is hiding behind her duck she won.

Lexie loved the rides. She is such a big girl (or so she thinks).

Summer being silly with straws on the carousel.

Her momma would've been proud of the way she was driving. Of course, there was no radio to blare. (haha, j/k Amanda)

She was ready with her kitty in her pants.

Hot and sweaty kids enjoying their after game snack.

Summer got to open a birthday present early. Thanks Nona & Nono!

Here is a video of what followed.