Terrible Blogger

Once again I sit here in dismay at my lack of blogging this year.  So many intentions to do it more often, but life has been allowed to get in the way and distract me.  I did not blog about our summer vacations as I had hoped.  And now, school has started back and the first day of school was also unaccounted for. 

Summer is loving the 2nd grade despite being initially disappointed when she found out her teacher and who was NOT in her class.  She got none of the people she really wanted in her class, but like 1st grade, the two 2nd grade classes spend a lot of time together.

She is taking dance again this year, but has moved from ballet and tap to hip-hop and jazz.  Her friend Abby is taking the class with her, and sometimes they get to have play dates on Thursday before class.  Abby is the only friend from school that she really sees outside of school.  However, Friday she found out that her friend Callahan was going to the same movie that her dad was taking her to that night.  So, I set up a date for them to meet him and his family at the movies to see Free Birds.  She wore her Lana's Love shirt which was much too big when she got it almost 4 years ago and who did she run into at the movies other than one of the main volunteers for Lana's Love--Holly Shull.  What a coincidence!!  She has grown into the shirt now; I wish she would stop growing so fast!!!  Before I know it she will be wearing my clothes!  LOL We are so lucky to have been associated with that charity since shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer 4.5 years ago.  Just last weekend, we went to Disney on Ice compliments of that charity and in September we were lucky to get to go to Lake Winnie with them too.  I can't say enough of the great things this charity does for families who children have been affected by cancer.  And, I can never say how thankful I am to have a healthy little girl to raise.  What a blessing!

Summer got a great report card from her teacher and one comment the teacher made was that Summer "is a teacher's dream."  She does not seem to struggle much in school and especially loves music, computer and art.  She is a pretty good reader and impressed my aunt and cousin a few weeks ago when she read to them as we drove to Florida for a cruise.  We celebrated my cousin Alex's and my birthday while we escaped the everyday worries in reality.  There were 4 different water slides on our cruise ship which she loved.  They were the highlight on the boat, along with dance parties by the pool.  Summer really wanted to go cave tubing and zip lining so we decided to do that at our stop in Belize.  She was amazed as we floated through the cave with lights on our heads and looked up at all of the beautiful rock formations.  She has been collecting rocks for a few years and this was right up her ally.  Zip lining was like icing on the cake.  Other highlights for Summer were the day we spent at Cozumel at Ocean Beach Club.  We kayaked and took a ride on a catamaran in the ocean.  We swam out to inflatables and jumped, climbed and slid on them.  There were swings at the beach bar, and she really enjoyed those.  She also got to hold a big iguana and a few Macaws there.  My aunt splurged and got her a henna tattoo of a dragon fly.  In Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya, we built sand castles and collected shells. 

I am being beckoned to play a game before bedtime.  I hope to continue to catch up on all the important things I never want to forget later this week.

Summer vacation: Camps are done!!!

Our summer break has been very busy until yesterday. Summer ended up skipping the last day of school. The night before that was her dress rehearsal for her dance recital at which, of course, she was super adorable. In her first dance, she wore a flower girl dress from a wedding she was in last summer and ballet slippers. She and her daddy were stars in my eyes as they danced their Daddy/Daughter dance. It was a much different look than her Gitchie Gitchie Goo costume which was like a purple flapper costume...at least in my mind. I'm not really sure what you would call it. But, it had lots of purple fringe hanging down, purple gloves, purple ribbons in her tap shoes, a choker and a sparkly headband. She was still totally sweet in this "wilder" costume, but a lot more flashy. She did not seem nervous at all during either dance and made me a proud momma for sure.

The following day we stayed at home and hung out in lieu of going to the last 1/2 day of school. One of her friends from school had a birthday party at Pump It Up that afternoon at 4:00, and she was very excited to go to it. She ended up playing mostly with the boys from her class, namely Brody. They were playing dodge ball or something like that with balls. She had a great time and it was fun to see her smiling as she played and played. We went and hung out at a friend's house after where she got to play with her friend Abby. They had fun until the fireflies came out and then it was time to call it a day.

The next morning we got up and headed to the library to check out some books for summer reading. She is doing very well at reading, but she does not like it. She seems to always tell me that when I make her alternate pages or paragraphs with me when we are reading at night. I don't understand it since she does a good job and does not struggle a lot, but maybe it is just the wrong time of day for her to be reading since she is tired it being the end of the day and all. It's different for me too not being the only one reading. I do miss the days when I did all of the reading and she just listened, but learning to read is part of growing up so she has to have her turns too. She doesn't seem to mind reading to her animals when it is her choice. She is working on a Magic Treehouse book, but has not finished it yet. She has quite a collection of them. They seem to be her favorite series. I think mine (of books for her age level) is Junie B. Jones. She has a book report due the first day of school on the book of her choice, so I hope that goes over well and she does not decide she doesn't like writing either! 

After checking out our books, we headed to Mellow Mushroom for lunch with our friends Selena, Willow and Harper. The kid's favorite thing to eat there seems to be their parmesan pretzels. Summer also likes the steak and cheese calzone. She is never one to turn down steak! When our bellies were full, we headed to the zoo to check out the new exhibit that opened a month or so ago. It was fun to see the new animals as well as the ones that have been there for years. We never have gotten tired of going there and love our family membership!! To the kid's delight, we stopped by the carousel for 3 rides before leaving. I love that you can get unlimited rides with a family membership.  Makes it easy to let them have their fill and be the "good guy" at the same time.  That was not the end of our day with the Lynch's. Next on our path was Cold Stone Creamery where Summer chose their Oreo filling flavor with a KitKat mixed in. She gobbled it down without even giving me a bite! Not that I usually ask for one.  I try to behave myself and not eat anything there when I can. 

Our adventure for the day was not over yet as we made our way to our firepit by the creek. Lexie joined us for our campout. We tried to catch fish, but we only fed them. It was still fun, but not as much fun as it would've been to be reeling in fish. When we finally got the campfire going, we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. I put a can of chili in the hot coals to cook since my baby girl is spoiled and doesn't eat hotdogs. Not that I blame her. I totally don't like them either, but chili does make them edible. Between 10 and 11p.m., I tried to get the girls to sleep in their tent, but it was a little warm outside and they were not anxious to go to sleep. They did finally drift off and slept through the whole night in their Winnie the Pooh tent. The next morning Summer woke up with bites all over her legs despite her leggings. It was a mommy failure moment for me even though we did apply bug spray several times throughout the evening. Apparently, it is wise to spray your clothes too. Either that, or wear jeans. My legs seemed fine. Overall, it was a camping success since we stayed out all night. We left around 7:30 the next morning which was not a moment too soon. I was ready for a shower and they needed a bath themselves. We ended up cutting their "shower/bath," as they call it, short and heading over to swim at my aunt's pool until time to go to her dance recital. It went off without a hitch and Summer got a dozen red roses from her daddy.  I am imagining that he was influenced by his friend Paul's decision to get his baby girl some flowers, but it was sweet nonetheless.  Needless to say, it was a fun busy day. Summer ended up getting to spend the night with Memaw and Nanny after her dances which was icing on the cake for her. That's definitely her favorite place to go!!

There was little rest before her next adventure: Tennis Camp. She was finally persuaded, after many "NO'S!," to go when she found out her friend Lily from school was going. Apparently a friend was all she needed. It turned out that her friend Callahan also ended up going.  It was a good thing because Lily turned out to be in the younger group and Summer was in 7 & 8 year olds. She gave me some hard times about leaving her a few of the mornings, but there were not too many tears shed. One morning, she had a belly ache, but I think she just needed to potty or didn't want to stay. After the first day of camp, I asked her what her favorite part was. She replied, "We got popsicles and candy." So much for the tennis part! One day, she and her friend Callahan were having a hard time getting along and she told me that he was causing her "so much stress." It was funny to me to be hearing her having "stress." I guess it comes in all forms though. She ended up getting Most Improved Serve at the final ceremony where she also received her camp t-shirt which she says she will probably never wear. We'll see. Sometimes I think she is all tomboy, but others she seems girly. She has especially gotten into painting her nails (and mine) the past two weeks. I am not sure if that is just because she wanted to use the birthday presents she got, a manicure set and a pedicure set, or if she is indeed going to become a girly girl. We'll see how much use they get this summer.

After we left Tennis camp that Friday, she headed to do one of her favorite things in life--have a grandbaby sleepover at Memaw's. I dropped her off at my mom's work and they went to meet her cousins for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. They spent the afternoon swimming and playing. The next morning they had a nice walk and swam and played some more. I called and checked in several times and she was always happy as a lark. She was especially happy that she was going to get to spend 3 nights instead of 2 like she sometimes does. I guess Memaw and Nanny are pretty special if they can keep her from missing me for 3 days!!!

On Monday morning, I met them at my mom's work and we headed to the condo to waste a little time before Aerials camp. There was not one moment of dread in her when we headed there. This was what she had been waiting for!!! She absolutely loves aerials. Last year, her friend Willow went with her, but this year she was going alone. That did not bother her until it came time to choreograph her routine for the final performance at the end of camp. She got herself all worked up that 2nd afternoon when I came to pick her up. I had gotten their early so I could watch some of it, and I noticed she was frowning while sitting on the trapeze. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then I started to wonder why she looked so unhappy. I went in and talked to her and she told me she could not think of any more than 2 tricks to do in a row. She was very frustrated and not easily talked out of it. Her favorite instructor, Ms. Yuti, came over and tried to help her figure out which tricks she knew and how to do them under the bar, then sitting on the bar, then standing. She was still too stuck in "I can't" to listen so we called it a day and headed to the house. She told me she would not be going to another camp unless she had a friend or was going to aerials on a regular basis.  I guess the pressure of having to make the decisions alone this year for her routine was a little overwhelming at first.  That was the only day she had a bad day, and I'm glad. It's not fun seeing your kids all bummed out, but it is part of life. Everything cannot go perfectly unfortunately. She picked "Everything Is Not What It Seems" as her song for her performance. Again, I was a very proud momma! She's definitely my shining star!!!

All she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth!!!

Summer lost her two front teeth the week before she turned 7.  Her teacher, Ms. Hughes, pulled one on Monday and Summer pulled the other on Friday at school.  So that puts her up to 6 teeth she has lost.  I am lucky enough not to of had pull any of them!!!  There's just something about teeth coming out that makes me squirm.  A few years ago I did have dreams of my teeth falling out, but it has been a while.  I'm not sure if the flashbacks to those nightmares is what makes me uneasy, but it doesn't matter because so far she is perfectly happy pulling them herself.

She turned 7 two weeks ago, and we had her birthday party the day before at our house.  The weather had threatened to be ugly, so we put the inflatable in the basement along with some balloons and a few other games and the kids had an absolute blast.  The little capsules that dissolve in water leaving a sponge creature were a big hit with her friends.  Her cake was from the Great American Cookie company and, like last year, had a dolphin on it per her request.  Her friends Abby, Willow, Liliana, Laila, Katelyn, Jacob, Giada, and Maxwell all celebrated with her. Her cousins Leah, Faith, and Jonathan were also hear to celebrate along with other relatives including my aunts Melody and Sandra, my Granny, my cousin Alex and her husband Jonathan.  Memaw, Nanny, PawPaw, Lexie and Amanda were also here to with her a Happy Birthday.  It was a fun day and she received many games and a few nail polish sets.  One of her favorite games, which we played that night, was Uno Attack.

The next morning I gave her some clothes and a 3 pack of Barbie movies.  She is really into Barbie movies, but not really the dolls.  Go figure!  The hot pink tennis shoes I got her were a perfect fit.  I believe they are the first pair of tennis shoes that I have bought her with shoes strings instead of velcro.  She was excited to tie them and picked it up really quick as I have only tied them a handful of times over the past two weeks.  On the way to school that morning, she looked at the book of rock and minerals that Memaw and Nanny gave her.  She was amazed by some of the rocks she saw.  Like every other day this year, I walked her into school to her classroom.  She is still not willing to let me drop her off at the flagpole via the carpool line, but I don't mind.  She's my one and only!!!!  For her birthday dinner she chose to eat at Ryans.  Memaw, Nanny, Amanda, and Lexie met the three of us there to celebrate.  Her favorite thing to eat at Ryans is yeast rolls stuffed with steak, chili, rice and possibly olives. It's definitely an odd combination that I would never try, but to each their own.

We've been frequenting Chuck E. Cheese quite a bit lately.  She really loves to go there and when it is just me and her, it is pretty relaxing and fun.  Whereas once upon a time she hated pizza, now cheese pizza is her menu item of choice here.  We play while our pizza cook, and then take a break when it's ready.  She usually eats 4 of the 6 pieces of their small pizza.  After she gets her big pile of tickets, she cashes them in for some awesome (LOL) prize and we are on our way.  Amazingly, the thing she just had to have somehow seems to never leave the backseat of the car until I am cleaning it out and throw whatever it is away.  In fact, the floorboard of my car is scattered with tokens so it might be time for another trip to clear them out.  If she saves up several trips worth of tickets, she can usually get a decent prize. She spent the night with my aunts and cousin a few weeks ago, and they took her to Chuck E. Cheese.  She ended up leaving with a mini lego set which she really enjoyed and it did make it into the house!

Another thing she has really been into lately is playing the Wii.  Her favorite games are Chuck E. Cheese, Sing It, and the Just Dance games. She is getting to where she will continue to play with me even though I usually win on Just Dance.  The other night we were playing Sing It, and she convinced me that we were good enough to do the hard version rather than easy or medium.  Although deep down I wanted to do easy, I complied to her request.  We neither one have a great singing voice, but we put our hearts into it and that's what counts.  Having fun with my little girl is priceless!  I hope the years ahead will bring us many more fun times.

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.