My hands are full and I love it!

The girls went down to bed just before 8:00 p.m. this evening. That is usually a goal of mine if we are home and don't have anything special going on. Sometimes I am too tired to do anything but go to bed after I get them to sleep, but it's Friday so I'm going to stay up late and record some memories while I watch a grown-up movie on TV. I really wish there was some Kardashian show to watch because the Real Housewives of New York just isn't going to do it for me tonight. But, there is not. After flipping through the guide, I settled on a CIA movie which is not something I would normally choose. Variety is the spice of life though.

The girls have kept me on my toes this week. Potty training Lexie has been somewhat frustrating. I am sooooooooooo glad Summer is past this stage. I don't remember being as frustrated with Summer, but maybe with her being my first I was a little more patient. Or, maybe she just caught on quicker. At this point, I am tired of diapers and I know she knows when she is peeing and pooping in her pants. So for the past two weeks, she's been in panties. But, I can't get her to tell me when she is going to pee. Usually it is just me taking her when I see signs or feel like it has been long enough for her to have to go. Otherwise, for the most part, she pees and poops in her pants. There are only 3 more poop spots for stickers on her potty chart before she gets to go pick out a toy. The 8 pee spots were filled up in the first few days. At the rate she has been going, it could be end of next week before she gets the poop spots filled up. And, that's wishful thinking on my part probably. Again, I am soooo happy Summer is past this stage!!!! I just wish Lexie would catch on and get on board with going in the potty, not her panties. All things in due time I guess.

Summer and Lexie seem to enjoy antagonizing each other at times. Why, oh why, can't they just get along and not pick at each other like good little girls? I guess that is just part of sibling rivalry although they are not really siblings. They are both vying for my attention, the same toy, or, better yet, my lap! If one of them gets in my lap, the other is usually not far behind her. If only there were more of me to go around! LOL Sometimes they end up pushing each other a little, wanting more of my lap for themself. It's not bad hosting the lap, but it is a little annoying when they get whiny and take the pushing too far causing the other to get defensive and/or cry. Then I have to step in and mediate. When I do something with one, the other wants it too whether it be for me to sing them a song or give them a ride on my feet through the air. When Lexie gets a piece of candy for using the potty, Summer wants one too. I wonder if they will always be competitive like that or if one day they will realize that there is enough of me and everything else to go around. Of course, who knows what the future holds? We may not even have Lexie here at some point. She could possibly fall off the face of our Earth and then Summer will have me all to herself. Life is just not predictable enough for me sometimes. But, it is, what it is, and I have learned to accept that.

The girls and I have been to visit my grandad at the hospital for the past 3 days. They were very entertaining to say the least. They got a little bit rowdy and wound up at times, but they did bring some smiles to my grandad's face which is always good. They both gave him kisses and hugs. Lexie even held his hand one time and sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to him. Yesterday, Nanny took them outside for part of the visit to explore the hospital grounds and then to the cafeteria where she bought them a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. They loved it. Oh how Memaw and Nanny love to spoil their grandkids!

Summer is not one to let details go and listens even to conversations she is not directly involved in. Imagine that! LOL We have talked about the possibility of him dying because his kidneys are not working. She read between the lines and told me that if he does what he is supposed to do, meaning dialysis, he will be OK. Of course, dialysis is a choice and not a very appealing one to my grandad unfortunately. So, I have been trying to gear up for the worst, but hope for the best. I sure don't want to lose him, but then who does want their loved ones to die? We did get some good news today that his kidneys may be working again and dialysis may not be necessary so I'm a little less worried than I was, but now I realize, once again, how precious time with our loved ones is. You just never know what the future holds.

On the way to the hospital yesterday, Summer told me that when she grows up she wants to be one of the people who explores the forests. Nature is one of her things for sure. A few weeks ago, we found a freshly dead owl in our backyard. Alongside one of my friends, she checked its body and feathers out. This past week, we discovered a bird who had apparently flown into a window and injured it's wing on our back porch. Summer's first instinct was to take care of it and save it. We called one of our friends and talked about what to do. After deciding to get a cage to put it in, we left the bird and went back inside to retrieve it. When we returned, we were surprised to see that Trixie had killed it. Summer was very sad and put Trixie in her play pen. She didn't really believe it was dead at first, but I showed her how her head was limp and her eyes were not looking at us anymore. Following the lead of my friend last week who put the owl in the freezer and took it home with her, she wanted to keep the body. I explained why we couldn't do that. So in lieu of keeping it, we took note of some of its features we wouldn't normally be able to do up close. We checked out the wingspan and saw how the wings look like butterfly wings when spread. When her daddy got home, he cut the wings off of the dove for her to keep. We'll see if they end up in the back yard with the rest of the body at some point in the future. We talked a little about making something from them, but we haven't yet and that happened a few days ago. Maybe one day the time will present itself, but for now they are on a paper plate on the counter top.

Today, summer and my dad found some snails crawling around outside. She coaxed him into putting them in a jar for her. She had the best time playing with them this afternoon. It's amazing how long they entertained her. She even let me and Lexie hold one for a little while. She ended up breaking one of the shells herself, thankfully. If it had a been Lexie or myself who did it, I'm sure it wouldn't have went over as well. She sure does love all kinds of living creatures though and isn't scared to get on a touchy-feely basis with them if she can.

Our Wednesdays are a little less busy now with gymnastics being over until we return from our vacation. We actually went to class this past Wednesday unnecessarily. I didn't realize the session was up. Oops. Luckily, the girls were both dressed in something cute, so we took the opportunity to go see the Easter bunny at the mall. They had the best time sitting in his (or is it a her?) lap. The camera wasn't working and the photographer had to reboot the system so they got an extra long turn. The bunny tickled them and they giggled and smiled. Unfortunately, my camera died after a few snaps so I didn't capture it like I would've liked to. The pictures turned out cute though so all was not lost. They each left smiling with an Easter mask in one of their hands. Summer chose a bunny, and Lexie chose a lamb.

Next week Summer has her last two swimming lessons. She can already swim like a fish thanks to the first two sessions. Now she is working on learning the freestyle stroke. It's not perfect, but she is putting forth a good effort in trying do it. Goggles are a must for her to go under the water, but that's OK with me. Whatever it takes. She loves the water and that makes us both happy. I wonder if she will want to pick back up on the swimming lessons after vacation. Do I have a future competitive swimmer? Only time will tell. I try to live one day at a time and not get ahead of myself, but I do love to dream about what she will be like when she grows up. I will never know what the future holds, but I hope and plan for the best. That's all we can do, right?