Day 3: Crying and clinging

Yep, that's how drop off went on her 3rd day of preschool. She was happy when I picked her up, so maybe she was just a little jealous that Lexie was getting to stay with me. Hopefully, we won't have a repeat. Her daddy is getting to take her on Tuesday so it probably won't happen again. I hope she gets used to it soon. Otherwise, we might have to look into home-preschooling. It is just not worth it to me knowing she will have 13 years ahead of her going to school already. We've got plenty of workbooks here already too, but I'm hoping we will both be able to stay with it for the whole year.

Gymnastics went good today. She's really enjoying it. Her hair was all sweaty at the end of the class and she was ready for a drink. She was excited to wear her Hannah Montana leotard and even posed for me a few times....with Lexie too. She is really warming up to Lexie, and it is sweet to see her caring for her more. Maybe some of the jealousy is fading and she is realizing that she's still got me anytime she wants me. We have been lucky to get to spend a lot of time with Lexie this week so maybe she is also just getting used to her being here. Anyway you look at it, they are forming a bond which makes us all happy.

Tonight, she is spending the night with one of her friends for the first time. I really hope it goes well. She seems pretty excited about it....too excited to nap. She laid down for about an hour and couldn't sleep so I finally let her get up and finish the rest of "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium." She requested I put it on our Netflix it the other day, and we got in the mail yesterday. This is the 2nd time she has watched it. She is going to take it to Willow's just in case they want to watch it. I'm doubting they will have time for it, but I never say never. Tomorrow she is staying with her cousins giving me an extra long weekend and her a whole lot of fun times. She is always excited to go visit them. I'm sure when I see her on Sunday though, she will be running back to my arms. And, they will be ready to pick her up and give her lots of hugs and kisses!!!

Turkey & cheese please

It seems no matter how many times I suggest cereal or toast or pancakes, I get the same answer. "No." Summer just does not like breakfast food except for the occasional poptart or muffins. She does like, as she says, "my favorite turkey" or colby jack cheese. She will sometimes eat fruit, but never a banana. She ate them all the time when she was younger. I don't know what happened with them, but one day she just stopped eating them. Today, I offered her some granola with her grapefruit, but she said she didn't like it. She did eat the half of a grilled cheese I put in front of her although I've been suggesting them for weeks. Today, I didn't ask; I just made it. We could play the asking game all morning, and I'm just not fond of it anymore.

Yesterday was the 2nd day of preschool and the first words out of Summer's mouth when I woke her up were "I don't feel like going to school." She followed that with, "I think I'm going to be sleepy all day." Oh boy, it's going to be a long year if she keeps that up. Fortunately, when I picked her up, she said she had a good time at school. She got to cut out a lot of shapes and color. She also had a great Bible verse they made out of some of the shapes they cut. The words on the shapes read "Children obey your parents." I am really liking what they are teaching so far! I am trying to teach her word recognition too by using her newly created art. Double yay!

During our Bible story yesterday, she came up with a new twist on how Jesus could've healed the lady who touched the hem of his garment. His clothes were "magic." Yep, that's what she said. When I tried to explain that is was her faith in Jesus that healed her, she dismissed it and said she thought it was what she said. I'm trying to get the word "can't" out of her vocabulary. It drives me crazy because what it really means is I don't want to try. Why do they start off not believing in themselves? Or wanting to put for the effort it takes to learn to do things? We will definitely be working on self-confidence for years to come.

She's great!!

Summer has been enjoying life in the fast lane. With me driving, you know it won't be the slow lane. We did have a little vegging time on the couch today which doesn't happen often. For some reason my butt doesn't like to sit on it for too long, unless I'm watching one of my shows. She wanted to watch "Alvin and the Chipmunks" for the umpteenth time - with me. I managed to stay on the couch most of the time, but I did get up to make some stove top popcorn. After we had eaten most of it, she requested for me to pour vinegar on the rest of it. Yep, she's odd like that. I'm not sure who initially came up with the idea for vinegar on popcorn, but she's been eating it like that for a few months. Her daddy likes vinegar too, so maybe that's where she gets it. However, I don't think he likes it on popcorn.

This morning we all went to the park in St. Elmo. They have a really cool zip line and a humongous slide that will give you a headache if you are over the age of 12. Maybe that's why the equipment is intended for 5-12 year olds. :) It was Summer's idea to have a picnic lunch and go to the park. She loves picnics although her favorite part is the playing, not the eating. We loaded up the picnic basket with water, chips, fruit and sandwiches and set out for a fun time. She informed her daddy that she and her Memaw won the basket although I'm not sure where they won it from. She really likes using it though (because she isn't the one carrying it and doesn't know how heavy it is). She just loves the fact that it has it's own silverware, plates and cups. She was a little disappointed when I pulled out paper plates instead of the plastic ones that it came with. She did use one of the cups for her water though. I guess maybe it tastes better from the cup than straight out of the bottle when you are 4 years old.

On Saturday, we also went to the same park for our church groundbreaking party. That was when we discovered the awesome playground which I am sure we will frequent this fall. I wonder how long it would take to ride our bikes to it. Maybe one day we will be brave enough to find out. I think the furthest we have ridden our bikes is around 30th street. We live at 1st. The park is probably around 50th street. We really haven't biked much this summer with it being so hot, but we need to get back to it before Summer outgrows the seat on my bike. I'm not sure what we will do when her shoe size gets bigger. She wears about a 9 right now and that is about as big as it will handle. She hasn't mastered the art of riding her own bike. It isn't really safe for her to be riding it downtown anyways. The cross streets really put a damper in the ride with the sidewalk ramps not always being there to assure smooth sailing. Plus, there are cars on the streets everywhere.

Gymnastics started last week and Summer really liked it. She kept saying she was scared up until she walked out into the gym with the other kids. At that point, I think she fell love. Well, maybe it was more like a strong liking. Watching her and the other girls go around the different circuits and do all kinds of moves was fun. Seeing her smiling face was priceless. It was hard to watch her and Lexie at the same time, but it was also neat to see them doing similar things. It such great exercise for them with all the different muscles that are engaged. I almost wish I could do it, but I know I am too old to start doing that kind of stuff. I don't think my equilibrium could handle it at all. A cartwheel is pretty intense at this age, much less flipping and rolling around for forty minutes. Summer was proud to have learned "the candle" and "the waterfall." I saw her doing them both so I knew what she was talking about when she told me. I thought it was funny how she kept telling the teacher to watch her. I'm sure it would've been me if I was in the room with her. She likes for all eyes to be on her at times, especially when she is doing something she is proud of. This week she will be sporting a leotard like the rest of the girls. Last week, she just wore a tshirt and shorts because she was "scared" and I didn't really feel like pushing the envelope. Plus the one she had to wear, she said is too big. So, since then I went and got her a few more at a consignment sale. Now she has several to choose from. I just wonder if it will be the hot pink one or the Hannah Montana one. I want to bet on the latter, but who knows. Knowing her, she will surprise me and want to wear the long sleeve one because it is cold in the house. But, it is not cold in the gym. It's hard to keep that big of a space cooled when it is hot, hot, hot outside. I can't wait to see her confidence grow as she learns to do all kinds of things. Of course, she may not turn out to be an excellent gymnast. You never know what your kids are good at until they try different things and find out for themselves.

I wonder what she is going to be great at one day.....

Preschool Day 1

Tuesday was Summer's first day of preschool. I wouldn't say she was excited about going, but rather nervous or in her own words "scared." As you can see above, she had her posse all ready to take with her to class when she got the news from me that she couldn't take the cat. Lucky for us both, it was no big deal. I told her the cat would keep her car seat warm for her and that confused her and got her mind off of the let down. After taking a picture in front of the school, we walked in together until we got to Ms. Glenda's classroom. She stuck right by my side at the door and was reluctant to go to the table and look for her name. But, her teacher welcomed her and helped her find her box to put Teddy in. I wasn't even going to push it with trying to keep Teddy in the car. I doubt she will take him every day, but it's okay with me if she does. What I'm more concerned about is the thumb sucking, but I'm trying to take a step back approach with it too. When she's done with it, she will be. Until then, she can cuddle the bear and suck away. It is actually Teddy's shorts that do most of the comforting, but I'm sure they wouldn't be the same without him in them. She just loves the way the material feels and stays cool. Anyway, after Teddy was put away, the teacher led her to wash her hands and I said good-bye and left. No hugs or tears for either of us, but I'm sure we each had a little hole in our hearts. I know if I would've given her the hug I wanted too, she wouldn't of have wanted to let me go.

When her daddy and I picked her up, she got in the car and I asked her about her day. She had no complaints, but she did have several pieces of artwork to show us. She was most proud of an M she cut with the cool scissors they have in the class. They are the kind that make different edges when they cut. She really likes them and even tried them out at open house last week. She didn't have a whole lot to say about the day, but it seemed like she enjoyed it. She was a little tired when we picked her up so maybe that's why she was not overly enthused.

I'm not super excited about sending her away myself, but I'm sure it will be good for us both to have a little time away from each other. She's such a doll and as you can see, as cute as can be. Below is a picture of her and "Royal Minnie." She was talking in a fancy accent when she told me their names and said, "Welcome to my service." It was too cute and I was glad I had the camera. I just wish I could figure out how to get the videos I take with my new camera to play. Then you could see for yourself. She named herself "Princess Sung." That was the spur of the moment name she gave herself when I asked who she was. Not sure where it came from, but maybe the fact that she likes to sing. Which leads me to another funny story.

She thinks she sounds like Justin Beiber when she sings his songs. She'll ask me, "Don't I sound like Justin Bieber?" She is just now learning the words to the songs and it makes me smile every time I hear her singing. Last night she informed me, after earlier saying she wanted to be a cat for Halloween, that she wanted to be Justin Bieber. I told her if she dyed her hair brown, she would almost have his same hair too. I doubt that will be the plan though. I'm going to pull out the cat costume and hope she snaps back to wanting to wear it.

Gymnastics start tomorrow. She's not as excited as she was last week when we went to look at the gym, but I have a feeling once she gets in the class she will love it. I hope so any, at least for 8 weeks. Music was yesterday. She and Lexie both had a blast in it. I wish they would smile and laugh like that all the time. She did good sharing me with Lexie, but I could tell she was happy when Lexie got up during the snuggle song so she could have my lap all to herself. We did several rounds of "Rock-a-bye baby" yesterday afternoon at home, which is Lexie's favorite song for me to sing to her. They were both having a hard time sharing me then. Lexie is the one that asked me to do it. She got a few turns while Summer talked on the phone to Paw-Paw. When she was finished talking, it was her turn and she cuddled up in my lap and pretended to fall asleep so she wouldn't have to get back up. When I carried her to her bed, Lexie was right there to take over her place in my arms. Such precious little girls they are, and I do not look forward to the day they are too big to fit in my arms/lap. If I'm lucky, they'll still snuggle up on the couch next to me though!

Who is God?

Summer never ceases to amaze me in the ways she perceives / sees God. We were at a friend's house this weekend and out of the blue she said, "Is God that lady that gives us juice at church?" I knew that she thought Betsy, our music minister, was Jesus. I told her that Betsy, is not Jesus, but that she works for Jesus. I think it is interesting that she thought the music minister was Jesus and not the preacher. She wanted to take her bank to church on Sunday and give it to Jesus, but didn't tell me until we got to the car so it didn't happen. I wonder if she will still give it to Betsy when she does take it to church or if she will put it in the offering.

Yesterday, we were making Summer's banner which will be hung from her pre-school classroom ceiling. She put playground stickers on it and drew a rainbow over it. Then she put on a few princess stickers. She put a few crosses on it and specifically put them by one of the princess stickers. She said, "She can use her magic powers so they can go in the cross and see God." It made me smile and also grab a piece of paper to capture those exact words. A little later she put a heart that had an American Flag design on it. I told her it was a flag and she disagreed and said, "It is the heart of God."

Bieber Fever

Last night we had an awesome time at the Justin Bieber concert. It was lots of fun. Screaming girls, rock stars, and lots of dancing. Did I mention screaming girls?


We left for the concert around 2:30 p.m. and headed towards Nashville. We jammed to Justin Bieber for a while and then I took requests from my Ipod. We stopped to eat at Longhorns on the way. The girls were so excited all the way there. Leah said it was a dream come true for her. She thinks Justin Bieber is cute. Luckily, Summer still just thinks it is about the music, at least I hope that is what she is thinking about.

When we got there, we gave the security guy our VIP parking pass which saved us $25 and from having to hunt for a parking place. When we got in front of the arena, there was a preconcert starting. The girls enjoyed it, but Summer was more interested in walking around to the various booths and seeing what games they had to play. One had two huge fuzzy dice that you got to roll for a chance to win silly bandz or a Justin Bieber folder. Leah and I both rolled a seven (the winning number), so she got a folder and Summer chose the silly bandz. There was one stand where you signed up to win 2nd row seats. They also got to sign a huge poster of Justin Bieber. Summer wrote her name backwards, right to left. I wish I would've gotten a picture of it when she was finished, but I didn't.

They got their pictures made with a cardboard Justin Bieber.
It was super hot outside so we took a few breaks inside to cool down and minimize sweating. Summer and I enjoyed a rock star energy drink to keep us both going through the concert. She had no nap and the concert did not start until 8:00 our time. There were several opening acts, but the best, in my opinion, were Sean Kingston and Iyza. Justin Bieber actually didn't start until 10:00 our time. She was sooooo ready when he came on the stage and snapped right out of cuddling up in my lap and sucking her thumb. She made the mistake of not taking Teddy into the concert. I have a feeling her cousin Leah might have influenced this decision. I told her when we left the car she should take it, but no. Then while we were waiting for it to start, she needed it. But, it was too late because there was no-reentry to the concert. Once you were in, you were in. She did make it through without a major breakdown though so that is good.

Our seats were in a sky box. We were the first ones there, so we got to pick our seats first. Justin Bieber: What a heart throb!!! LOL

This was Summer's favorite song that he performed. I think the floating heart might have had a lot to do with it though. He came out over the crowd a few times in different metal contraptions. And, oh did he woo the girls. It was a little cheesy at times, but it was a great concert all in all. I must admit I even have the Bieber fever myself right now. I'm sure it will wear off, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Tonight Summer and I are actually looking at some of his videos on iTunes to possibly buy and put on our Ipods. Right now our favorite song is "U smile, I smile." Wish he had a video for it, but there is none on iTunes so I guess not.

After the concert, the girls picked out souvenirs and we hit the road before the crowds left.

The girls stayed up for longer than I anticipated on the ride home, but were both sleeping shortly after midnight. When we were about 15 minutes from Leah's house, my back tire went flat so there I was on the side of the road at 1 a.m. trying to loosen the lug nuts. That did not happen, but my brother in law was nice enough to come help me. It was not the ending I had planned for the night, but we got home safe and sound and happy as larks. Justin Bieber rocks! And, so do we! :D

Creative Discovery

She loves to be creative and is very detailed in her work.

She loves climbing walls.

It is almost 10 a.m. and I still haven't heard anything about the MRI. We didn't leave the clinic until about 1:30 p.m. yesterday which was a lot longer than I had hoped for. I wanted to make it out by 11:30 so I could take Summer to Playgym, but it did not happen. I'm not going to get to take her on Friday either due to her CT scan. They are having a rocketship there this week so I am bummed she is going to miss that. We haven't been attending on a regular basis, but we did make it last week on a whim. Summer had a great time again playing with the zoo themed toys. They even made zoos out of frosting, cream cheese, animal crackers and graham crackers. It was fun to make and yummy to eat. I got to eat about half of it which I probably didn't need, but I did enjoy. So, needless to say we will miss the rocket ship.

She loves music time too.

I am trying to decide what all classes to take her to this fall besides her two day a week preschool. I am considering gymnastics, music, and story time at the library. Playgym will probably not make the list, but never say never. I've got to decide by this weekend because classes start next week. It will probably be gymnastics and music, but I'm trying to figure out what I can take Lexie too as well. Fun, busy times!

Speaking of fun, Summer's new favorite place to go is the ice cream shop. Cold Stone is her favorite. She likes their cake batter ice cream. When we went to Build a Bear a few weeks ago there was a coupon for a buy one, get one free cone in the box. She has been bugging me to go use it. So, I found the shop which is way across town and we went. She got Snickers ice cream on a cone and I got it's all in the icing or something. It was similar to the cake batter at Coldstone. I liked it so much I think I want to get a cake made with it. Now to find the perfect opportunity to get the cake. :) Here's a few funny faces from Summer at Coldstone.

Scan day

Today is a scan day so we are hanging out in the clinic waiting to be deaccessed. Summer was very upset when she came out of anesthesia. She didn't sleep long after the MRI which was a bad thing because she was super ill and crying. Her throat and head were bothering her. Plus her mouth was "sticky" and the apple juice they gave her did not help any. They ended up giving her a small amount of morphine for her head because they couldn't get the ibuprofen quick enough. It seems to have done the trick. She was unable to eat this morning which was not fun either, but she is munching on chips and peanut butter crackers as she watches Barney Round and Round We Go now. She knows what Barney movies they have in the clinic and specifically requested that one. Hopefully, we will get some preliminary MRI results before we leave, but I have a good feeling so I am not going to worry at all.

I've scored some last minute tickets to the Justin Bieber concert in Nashville tomorrow night. I hope it will be as fun and exciting for Summer as I anticipate it will be. When I told her we were going, she said she'd like to go but that Hannah Montana sings better than anyone. I really hope I can find another kid to go with us, but it may just be me her and her daddy. It was amazing the tickets even popped up because a few weeks ago I was thinking I would love to take her to one of his concerts, but I never really looked for tickets. Lucky, as usual, they appeared on Facebook today. It may end up interfering with preschool open house on Thursday, but only if we spend the night in Nashville. Either way, I am super excited for us.

As for her counts, they are good. Her kidney function is good. She weighed 40 pounds and was 40 1/2 inches tall. Blood pressure was also good. I'm so thankful for my healthy little girl. Just to think at one point in time I had doubts that she would make it, and she is beating those 50/50 odds. Praise God for watching over my little girl and letting her recover from cancer. I know not all parents are so lucky so I don't take any days for granted. Together Summer and I make the most of them all. Now bring on the concert!!!

Routine time

It is almost time for preschool to start, and I must say I am getting a little nervous. I know she is ready, but for some reason it is still hard for me to let her go. I am starting to implement a routine for us which we have not had in a while. I'm going to try to do breakfast at the table, together. Summer and I each said a blessing this morning before breakfast and Lexie mumbled along with us. I'm also going to give her milk to drink with breakfast which caused some distress this morning. Even though it was chocolate milk, she didn't want to drink it at first. She saw the chocolate and asked if I put milk in it. LOL I didn't cave to her whining protests though and she finished the milk without a fight. I really wish she hadn't gotten out of the habit of drinking it, but I'll just chalk that up to the cancer because before then she drank it every day.

She has still been asking to be excused after a reminder when we got back that we are going to do that here too. She wanted a bowl of noodles while we were attempting to watch Toy Story 2 so she said she was going to have to asked to be excused from the couch when we was done. She did not make it through the whole movie and had actually informed me before we started it that she did not like the Toy Story movies. She's still a Barney girl although her current favorite shows are Brain Surge and Bear in the Big Blue House.

I'm also trying to aim for a 9:00 p.m. bedtime. I just don't think she will go down any earlier unless it starts getting darker sooner...all in due time I guess. She has been sleeping until after 8:00 a.m. for a few weeks which has been nice. I, too, have actually been able to sleep in and not wake up at the crack of dawn. I'm glad preschool is only two days a week for her because having to set an alarm everyday would definitely be a bummer right now. We have 13 years of that to look forward to already. I am already considering making her school day longer, but I guess I will wait and see if I really need the extra few hours of free time.

This morning she had a major breakdown when I picked out her clothes. Instead of caving to the whining, I sent her to her room for a 4 minute time out. It was not a quiet time out and she ended up getting another one when it was over because she was still whining and "couldn't stop." But, by the end of that one, I think she knew she lost the battle and moved onto playing. I know it would not have been a big deal to let her change, but by the time she actually finished her poptart and milk I already had the clothes ready for her. Then the whining began and I decided that it was not working for me and if I let it work for her, she would keep using it. So, I shut it down.

Today at the pool, she impressed me. She wanted to try swimming without her float suit or floaties for the first time. She did pretty good and didn't get upset or seem scared at all. She did need some assistance though at times which I was happy to give her. It was so exciting to see her confident and ready. I know if I put her in swim lessons she would be swimming in no time, but pool season is almost over so I will just wait until early next spring to do them. I'm afraid she would forget all she learned over the winter. She also jumped off the side of the pool for the first time without holding anybody's hands or having anybody catch her. She's pretty good to go under the water whenever which is an improvement too. It's all probably more exciting to me than anyone else, but I must say I am a proud mama.

She can count up to 40 or so right now. I haven't really worked on it with her, but her Nona did a little in Vegas so now she knows how to get from 21 to 30 and on. I just need to work on the numbers that end in 0 so she will be able to make it all the way to 100. My grandad also thinks it is time to start with addition and subtraction, but I still have failed to pull out the flashcards. Maybe we will be able to work a regular time into our new routine. I am trying to figure out what other classes I am going to take her too this fall in addition to preschool. I mentioned to gymnastics to her this evening and she said she wants to do it. Then she told me she can't do a flip anymore like she used to be able to. I hope it will be something she will enjoy, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. She still seems to be more of the cheerleader type than the player type, much to her Daddy's chagrin. The other day she told him we all need to play a sport together. She said she was going to be the cheerleader and me and her daddy were going to be the players. He couldn't talk her out of it either. Makes me smile, but I do hope she will actually play a sport too.

My sister gave us a chore chart which Summer has seen and already asked about. I didn't go into it much with her because I need to go through it and see what things I want to put up there first. I think she will be pretty excited about it, at least at first, and it will also be a pretty good way for her to earn her treats from the store. She doesn't get one every time, but she does almost always ask. We are working on that. I am determined to teach her to be a responsible person, and hopefully this chart will be a step in that direction.

She is a really good girl though. I couldn't ask for a better child. She's loving and fun. She's silly at times. She makes me smile. She's smart. She loves to play games. She loves to create. She is learning to give. And although she shares my lap at times, she prefers to have it all to herself. I guess she's lucky she's going to be an only child because sharing my attention does not interest her much at all. I'm glad I have it to give to her though. I love being her full time mommy. I'm so glad we have another year together before kindergarten. Preschool--ready or not, here we come!

Back in town

The vacation is over, but our lives are still going non-stop. Before we left Las Vegas, Summer decided that we need to move there...as long as her cousins Leah and Jonathan do too. It's not going to happen, but I was so happy to see her enjoy her other cousins so much she was ready to move so she can play with them everyday. She enjoyed their dogs and cats, especially Midnight. Below she and Wyatt are giving the cat some love.

A vacation wouldn't be a vacation without potion making. They tried to get Clint and Monica to taste it. One did, one didn't.

I got roped into taking the kids to Build A Bear. Luckily, they had a deal for one animal, one outfit and shoes for $29.99. Of course, the girls just had to have an extra accessory each. It was fun for them all though so worth the money I spent. They tried on clothes to find just the right outfit and then washed and brushed their new animals. Then they made the birth certificates. Summer named her leopard "Leopard Leopard." Catherine named her coyote "Steven," and Mia named her bear "Mandy." Later that evening, they were all curled up watching a movie with them which made me smile. Summer learned some new things from her Nona. One was to say, "Can I please be excused?" before she gets up from the table. The other was to go straight to wash her hands and face after eating. Hopefully, she will continue to practice these behaviors, but I know a lot of that has to do with me following up with the rules. I have been working with her to get her to use her manners like she was before cancer, especially the "yes ma'am," "no ma'am," "yes sir," and "no sir." Also, please and thank you too. I don't think we thanked Nona enough for all the treats she gave us, but we really did appreciate and enjoy all the things she did for us. Especially, the food treats - ice cream included.
When we got back, we just had to get Lexie so we could get our fix. I think I was having withdrawal more than Summer, but she was happy to see her too. The girls had a great time together on the playground, especially swinging.

We followed that with a refreshing trip to one of the water areas we have downtown. Lexie followed Summer around and did everything she did. I also want to add that Lexie has a shoe fetish. She has always loved putting on Summer's shoes, or any shoes for that matter. Her new favorites are Summer's high heels. Several times, she clanged through the house in them. And, I must say, she can walk in them very well. If she didn't have steps at home, I'd send a pair home with her.

Yesterday, we had our library reading program party. The girls both had fun doing some of the fun activities they had for them to do. They both chose grape Popsicles. Well, I chose Lexie's, but she loved it and was very sad when I took the last dripping bit from her. She was easily distracted though once I threw it away and gave her her sippy. They both wanted to play in the inflatable slide and jump thing before we left so we waited in the long, slow moving line. Some of us more patiently than others. We left with new books and lots of coupons for restaurants and tourist activities. The summer reading program paid off in more ways than one. The girls both love to be read to so it was a win, win, win.