A great start to the new year!

School is back in full swing and Summer actually said she was looking forward to school on Monday over the weekend. Not because she likes school so much she can't wait to get back, but rather because she got to take a cuddly friend with her to school on Monday. It is one way they are rewarded for good behavior. This is the 2nd time she has chosen this sticker in particular. One of her friends had chosen smelly feet which meant she got to go shoeless in the classroom. Oh the perks of being good! She took her new bear Cupcake with her. It is almost as big as she is. She was very proud of it and showed it off as she went into the classroom, as did a few of her classmates who also chose a cuddly friend sticker last Friday.

Today when I picked her up, I was informed that her and a friend had made plans for Friday evening when I will be leaving for a youth retreat and she will be staying home with her dad. She said they are going to have a play date at the house to celebrate her friends half birthday. It was really cute, but I had to burst her bubble and let her know they could not make plans like that without talking to their parents first. She still insisted they had made some sort of deal. :) She will be getting to have a sleepover at Memaw's house with her cousins one night if things go as planned. So, it will not be a total let down when / if that play date does not happen.

Homework has not been much of a chore this week. She does not like it when I say, "Let's go do your homework." But, if a pull out a math lesson and let her see it, she will usually change her tune really quick and want to do it. This week she had to think of two words that start with snow. She had two math lessons and had to count as high as she could in a minute. The teacher asked them to draw 3 things that are cold. Summer drew a snowman, a basket full of snowballs, and a snow castle. She had to write three words that rhyme with cat and she chose bat, sat, and rat. She also had to tell me about two animals that live in Antartica (penguin and seal) and the animals in "The Mitten" story. If only homework could be this easy forever! Of course, she still write some of her numbers and letters backwards. So I usually make her erase the incorrect ones and rewrite them. She's not always enthused about this, but the purpose of homework is to learn, right?

As for the rock-a-bye baby routine, it was picked up the 2nd day back to school. :) I soooooo absolutely love that!!! Although if she grows anymore, my back might not be so agreeable to it. Until then, let the good times roll.......