tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28974360482452616872024-03-05T03:13:08.161-05:00She Lights Up My LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger695125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-79102478591554756482015-02-27T14:02:00.002-05:002015-02-27T14:02:47.918-05:00Snow dayWe've been dreaming of snow for weeks. Two weeks ago we headed to my mom's house hoping to get snowed in. Unfortunately, the snow missed us and landed north of this part of Tennessee. We were bummed and headed back home to check on our cats, Tiger and Adventurous. They were happy to see us and not as disappointed as we were with the lack of snow. <br />
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Two days later on a Friday night, we got a dusting during the evening hours. We were excited to see the flakes falling from the sky turning the ground and trees white. It was not enough for sledding or snowmen, but Summer and I tried to throw a few snowballs at each other. The snow was not the packing type, but we did manage to throw snow dust at each other. Tiger loved playing out in the snow. The next morning we headed out again to see what we could do before it all melted off. We were able to make a few snow angels in the driveway, but 10 minutes later they were gone. Summer also made a nice message for me in the snow. Since sledding on the grass was not an option, she played on her slide and called it sledding. We made a few memories before it all melted away, but were again disappointed.<br />
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Two days ago, we got our biggest snow in years. On Tuesday after school, we headed to my mom's house in anticipation of inches of snow accumulation. As soon as we got to the mountain top, the snow started falling. An hour after we arrived at my mom's there was already an inch of snow on the ground. By the time bed time rolled around, there were 6 inches. We were in heaven!!! We did not get out in it that evening, but rather chose to play Tri-ominos at the kitchen table before watching a little TV before bedtime. We did run out with the ruler every hour or so to check the accumulation. We put a big bowl out on the back porch which was soon overflowing with snow which we transformed into snow cream. Summer, my mom and I all had a bowl of the tasty concoction before tucking ourselves into bed for the night. We were up bright and early excited to see how much more snow had fallen. We ended up with about 7.5 inches of glorious snow. After Nanny got all of her pics taken of the untouched snow, we suited up and went out for round 1 of playing. The snow was awesome for packing. Now that I think about it, I did not even throw one single snow ball though. We built a snow woman which kept us all warm and toasty and Summer and I ended up shedding our hats and coats. However, once we started sledding, we geared back up. It was difficult to sled at first with their being so many inches of snow so my mom cranked up the 4-wheeler and packed it down a little for us. We took turns going down the hill until we were all a little weary. Then Summer and my mom headed off on the 4-wheeler to check the main roads. The snow plow had already been by so there was no need to venture further than the yard for sledding. We watched a movie and had lunch before heading back out for more sledding. Summer did a little painting and rainbow looming too. Our 2nd round of sledding was followed by another movie and a game of sequence. We had spaghetti for dinner and after we were all full, we headed out for round 3 of sledding in the dark. This was by far the best sledding all day. The snow was packed and frozen. It was an amazing snow day and we were so thankful to finally get a big snow. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-32923275558747854662015-02-27T12:11:00.001-05:002015-02-27T12:11:08.892-05:00Where does the time go?It's hard to believe it has been almost 6 years since my baby girl was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She is now a healthy 3rd grader at St. Peter's Episcopal School. She stopped sucking her thumb a few weeks after the end of 2nd grade at the age of 8. I was sad to see it stop although for years I really wanted it to. But when she did, it was like the last link she had to being a baby was gone. Now she is approaching 9 years old and is growing taller everyday it seems. She is 4'4" now and around 61 pounds. Picking her up is quite a task and her long legs are a bit awkward in my arms. But, there are times when she still allows this. She is definitely outgrowing some of her snuggliness, but she does still want me to walk to her class every morning so I am very thankful for that. I really dread the day that ends. She also still wants me to come to chapel and spirit day every week so she is not distancing herself from me yet. However, I have a feeling I am going to be one of those embarrassing moms so it will probably happen sooner than later.<br />
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She still loves crafting and creating and during our recent snow days she perused many magazines looking for ideas. She is into gymnastics and is going to start a new sport type activity next week--Girls on the Run. She got a trampoline from Santa for Christmas and that, along with a slack line and air pogo, helps to keep her active and entertained in the basement at home. She loves to listen to music and choreograph different routines which she then performs for me or whoever else may be at the house. Tennis lessons may also be in her future if we can get them set up and she seems to be excited about that. Team sports are not something she is interested in at all at this point. <br />
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She is excelling in school and all of her teachers find her to be a joy in class. Her favorite subject is math which is something her dad and I both enjoyed. She also enjoys after school art classes when they offer them. <br />
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She still hasn't lost any teeth since the end of 1st grade. She has no real best friend, but seems to play with several different girls in her class. Her and Abby Teruya are becoming close again after about a year long break of being BFFs. The only friend she has stayed the night with is Elizabeth Bruce and that was a birthday slumber party. I believe she is starting to be more comfortable with the idea of staying with friends, but her preference for overnight stays out of my house is definitely Memaw and Nanny's house followed closely by her cousins, Leah and Jonathan. The cousins sleepovers are rare though since we live an hour away from each other. Grandbaby sleepovers at Memaw's house are heaven for them all. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-15881121844258242802014-02-06T16:05:00.004-05:002014-02-06T16:05:59.680-05:007.75 years and growingLately, everyone has been commenting on how tall Summer is getting. She has grown about an inch since school started and has finally reached 4' 1", at least that is how tall she was when we went in for her EKG & echocardiogram a few weeks ago. She's a whopping 54 pounds and as much as I hated to see the rock-a-bye baby end before I would leave her classroom every morning in kindergarten and half way through first grade go, it's probably a good thing she out grew it. I do still pick her up and carry her at times, but it is very infrequent now that she is approaching 8 years old. She has not last any teeth since the end of 1st grade when she lost both two front teeth bringing her grand total of lost teeth to 6.<br />
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My sweet girl started playing basketball for her school, St. Peter's Episcopal School, through the YMCA recreational league in early January. She absolutely loves it which is a dream come true for her daddy. He's always wanted a child in sports, and he's so glad she did not opt to be a cheerleader. He has been working with her at home and she seems to not be able to get enough of it. It is awesome to see the excitement she has for basketball. Her games are on Saturday mornings and this week we have a double header. Her team is 2-2 right now which is pretty good considering they only had one practice before there first game when looked like they had no idea how the game was supposed to operate. They just learned there first play yesterday at their once a week practice. I can't wait to see if they can actually run it on Saturday. Go Storm!<br />
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She also started back to aerials in January which she also loves and hopes to never take a month off ...at least that's what she is saying at this point. It, along with basketball, seem to be her passion right now. She has that class once a week and also a jazz/hip hop class once a week. Dance will culminate with a big recital at the end of May. She's got her dance down and can do it without music which she showed me the other day when we were visiting Lexie. I was so proud of her as I did not know she already knew it since they don't show off their dance at the end of class like they used to. <br />
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School is going amazing for her although her and her best friend Abby "broke up" yesterday on the playground. She was pretty upset about it at bedtime last night and had a hard time getting to sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about it. We will see if they are able to get past this and rekindle their friendship. I think it will be just a matter of time, but sometimes kids surprise me. Her parent teacher conference went amazing, and I am feeling so blessed that she has not had any learning disabilities after having gone through such hard chemotherapy treatments. SOOO BLESSED!!! Her teacher had only great things to say about her and actually thanked me for letting her be Summer's teacher. Now that makes a momma feel good! Oh the joy she brings my soul! I love being her mom! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-27267128092746786202014-01-01T13:22:00.001-05:002014-01-01T13:22:22.828-05:00A new yearIt's hard to believe 2013 has come and gone. Summer became a pretty good roller skater over the year. We love to go skating together, sometimes with friends. We are actually going to meet up with some later this week for a skate date. I love the fact that she holds my hand as we skate around the rink. We rarely fall, but we did have a tumble last week that involved her falling and me landing on top of her. She was the more injured one, but after a few minutes of sitting and holding her ice water up to her red cheek, we were back out on our skates. Good times!!!<br />
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We have been enjoying relaxing at the house over the Christmas break. I only wish it could last a few more weeks! She will be starting basketball next week. She has one practice before her first game so it should be interesting. Her daddy has been teaching her some skills, and she's getting to be pretty good at dribbling. I can't wait to see her out on the court. She may also be starting up aerials again soon. That is her true passion as she currently uses her air pogo for practice, making up dances to Justin Bieber songs. So adorable she is!!!<br />
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Christmas was good to her again this year. Santa brought her a remote control helicopter, but it lasted less than 48 hours out of the box before the propeller broke. Bummer! She got more things than I can remember, but one of her favorites was Blokus. Being the nature girl she is, I got her a bird call, a lighting bug lantern, shell collecting bags, and a bird house. She also got the electric scooter she asked her daddy for. Oh and, let's not forget Sparkles her new bunny build-a-bear that she just had to have when she saw the sales ad. <br />
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One of the current crazes going around are Rainbow Looms which she received a few months ago from her friend Abby. She got several new colors of bands for Christmas and has been trying to come up with new bracelet designs on her on in the mornings when she gets up. I think I will be getting her the how-to guide at some point in the future as her designs often do not end up making a bracelet. She doesn't get as frustrated as I would, but just gives it more thought. I love her determination!<br />
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I love her soooo much! Her sweet face just melts my heart. I can't give her enough hugs and kisses. Snuggling with her on the couch is amazing. I feel so blessed to be raising her and watching her grow. I can't wait to see what this new year has in store for us! Hopefully more blogging so I can capture all the wonderful memories.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-739568242153904942013-11-03T17:59:00.002-05:002013-11-03T17:59:30.407-05:00Terrible BloggerOnce 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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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!<br />
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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. <br />
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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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-39403593984873688492013-06-24T12:58:00.001-04:002013-06-24T12:58:20.113-04:00Summer 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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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! <br />
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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. <br />
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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!!<br />
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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. <br />
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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!!! <br />
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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!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-525974168010186932013-05-20T06:40:00.001-04:002013-05-20T06:40:41.762-04:00All 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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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!<br />
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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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-17176201396271701302013-02-27T16:00:00.003-05:002013-02-27T16:00:44.193-05:006.75 years and countingLast 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!!! <br />
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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!<br />
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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. <br />
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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. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-70065770475486012482012-12-27T14:05:00.002-05:002012-12-27T14:05:59.843-05:00Christmas has come and goneTime has once again gotten away from me and my blogging has slipped. Thanksgiving was spent with family. Our first stop was at my Aunt Sandra's house. Then, we headed on to my mom's house. It was a wonderful day filled with lots of food and time with cousins. A grand baby sleepover was in order, and I even stayed the night too. The next day, we were off to an exciting vacation with Summer's friend Abby. Everyone maintained great health throughout the trip and Summer was not ready to come home when it was over. One of the highlights was swimming with dolphins which we all loved. We got to kiss, dance, pet, and ride a dolphin. We held onto it's fins while it swam on it's back, and it also pushed us by our feet when we were holding onto a boogie board. Another of Summer's favorite parts was swimming in the pool. She loves the water as long as she's got her goggles! We also got to see a few movies while we were gone. I think we all thought Brave was better than The Odd Life of Timothy Green, but they were both good. Summer was not ready for the trip to end, but back to school she went.<br />
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The weeks until Christmas break flew by. The book fair came and went. She attended her music and dance classes. She learned to spell 12 more words. She participated in the school's Christmas concert one Tuesday morning. She had been practicing her songs around the house and in the car and was all ready, but the morning of the concert something that some may consider insignificant, broke her little heart and caused her to cry most of the way through the play. She was told that I was not allowed to walk her to class after the concert. (The nerve of some people! LOL) We had already planned it out that I would when I dropped her off, but that was before we knew that there was a going to be a short announcement afterwards. Well, halfway into the first song, she looks at me and starts crying. She kept on singing, but she would noticeably choke up and tears were streaming down her face. It continued for the next two or three songs before one of the teachers waved her off the stage. No one knew why she was crying, but we found out quickly once she was off the stage. I don't know why it was such a tragedy to her, but it was. I talked her into going back on stage for the last song and but only after I guaranteed her I would indeed be walking her back to class. Crazy how something that seems so minute can set off another person in such a major way. But, she feels how she feels and there is no reason for me to undermine that by not understanding and making a bigger deal out of it. It is sweet that she still wants me around so much, so I'm not going to discourage it. I'm sure it will wear off soon enough!<br />
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On the morning of the 13th, our elf Gumdrop came with his first mission for Summer. She wanted him to bring her missions from Santa like last year, and he did everyday as we counted down the days until Christmas. She enjoyed doing them all, except for the last two which we were too sick to finish. She came down with bronchitis last Saturday and it has had us both down since Sunday. I think her favorite mission was to make goodies, taste test them, and deliver them to her neighbors. Her least favorite was probably cleaning her room and getting rid of stuff to make room for the new things she was going to get for Christmas. It definitely turned into her having a bad attitude and even shedding a few tears over a stuffed animal she has never played with, but did NOT want to give away. Next year, I'll take on that task without her help! On Christmas Eve, she went to bed with Gumdrop and when she awoke Christmas morning, he was gone! She never even said a word about it, I guess because that is what she expected would happen. <br />
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Most of our Christmas Eve was spent on the couch. The day before that too. We felt well enough to go to my Grandad's house that evening. I really did not want to miss it since we never know how long we have with our relatives and this is the one time of year we <u>all</u> manage to get together. My cousin Lindsay was the exception this year. Summer was excited to see her cousins as usual. We had finger foods and Summer's favorites were the chicken on a stick and green olives. She loves black olives too, but they were not served. She did eat a whole can out our Christmas get together with the other side of my family. The evening did not last too long since everyone was anxious to get back home and get ready for Santa Claus. Summer got some nice things from my aunts and uncles. Her favorite was a Nerf disc thrower. She also got a really soft Tinker Belle blanket and pillow that I'm hoping she let me use sometime. <br />
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Christmas morning she woke up around 7:20 and came into my room as she usually does. I don't think she was even really thinking about opening presents, but as soon as I reminded her she was ready. She patiently waited for her daddy and I to get dressed, and we when we came out of my room PawPaw was on the couch waiting to watch it all. She found her gifts from Santa unwrapped. She got the remote control helicopter she asked for along with a surprise - a veterinarian Lego set. She was also happy to see Santa answered her request for him to bring her pets something. She then handed out all the gifts under the tree before unwrapping any. Then, she tore into them one after another until they were all open. She was excited to get the guitar she had asked for. She received an abundance of things throughout the day with two more groups of people coming over to open presents with us. Some of the things she got are as follows: Easy Bake Oven, basketball, kickball, walkie talkies, clothes, Qwirkle, butterfly connectagons Nerf gun, books, gloves, Justin Bieber singing toothbrush, and a unicorn Dream Lite Pillow Pet. Too much for me to remember and way more than enough for one girl!!! <br />
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Well, the couch is calling my name. I hope that soon Summer and I will not feel like getting on it for a long while! She's already there waiting for me to come snuggle with her again. So, off I go......Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-86574237799250189712012-11-08T10:40:00.000-05:002012-11-08T10:40:06.653-05:00No ordinary girl (at least not to me)It is interesting to watch your child grow and see their personalities unravel before you. My fixation on my child may seem a little much at times, but she is truly the most precious gift I have ever received. A sweet little girl for me to love and cherish and help mold into something great, at least I hope. You never know as a parent which steps are right or wrong along the way, but you learn a little more everyday as life unfolds. I love my role as a mom although this is not how I pictured my life when I was growing up. I always thought I'd be an accountant or some kind of working girl. When she was born, something inside me clicked and I found a new perspective on life. I had my own family now and being a stay at home mom and housewife was enough for me. <br />
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Although my child is as cute as can be, she does not always act precious. She tests her limits, especially with me, and has had a night or two without cookies in the past few weeks. Bad habit, I know. But, life is short. So, why not make everyday special in ways you can? While I do try to make each day special, I still make her responsible for her actions with what I hope are appropriate consequences. Believe me, she does not like losing her cookies! Luckily, it does it happen very often. At times she does pretend to be excited to go to her room when she is sent there, but I know it is a front and she is hoping to get off the hook. I think a little alone time in her room is good for her, but it does not happen often. It gives her the chance to play with some of the gifts she has received over the past few years. It is crazy the amount of stuff she has accumulated!! For the most part, she loves to either play outdoors or in the basement. I don't even dare go to the basement anymore because every time I do it is a horrible mess which if cleaned will magically reappear upon her return. :) I've learned to pick my battles and this is one I'm willing to lose. Out of sight, out of mind. <br />
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For the most part, she is kind and helpful. Her teacher gives her lots of good reports at school. I think she is probably more helpful at school than at home, but she does have times where she wants to help at home. She likes to help me cook at times. She loves to lick the muffin bowls. At times, she retrieves a couple gallons of distilled water from the garage. She vacuumed the other day and got 5 stickers for her chart (50 cents). We don't have a chore system set up, but maybe one day I will get around to organizing that. Maybe not. One of my favorite things that she does to help is to put her clothes in the hamper where they go. It's the little things...<br />
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She has a silly streak and definitely likes to make people smile and laugh. She makes some crazy annoying noises that I try not to let drive me crazy as I know it is all part of being a child and discovering new things. Sometimes I wonder why she acts the way she does, but I try to just accept her as she is. My Sunday school class has been studying a book called Grace Based Parenting and the concepts are quite interesting to me. While I would prefer she used her manners all the time, she does not. That is a work in progress. She is polite for the most part, but a bit demanding at times. This is probably one place I could work on as a parent - modeling the behavior I want to see in my child. Like I said, every day is part of the learning process. As a child, I was asked to use the terms ma'am and sir and Mr. and Mrs. when talking adults. I believe that taught me respect for others. I hope I instill this quality in Summer too, but sometimes this world is so out of control it is hard to teach your child in the right ways because it is not always reinforced in the real world. So, I accept that I do what I can do and move on. No need to worry about things beyond my control.<br />
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Summer has a very sensitive side too. She is very much a mommy's girl and does not like to think about times when she will not be able to be with me. She would prefer for me to always be at her side, unless she is at her Memaws or cousins. Then, I'm pretty much low man on the totem pole. The reason for her attachment is understandable and right now I am just clinging to it in hopes that it will last a few years longer. It won't be much longer before I'm off the A list...unless I do everything right and there is not much hope of that. Nonetheless, I love my sweet baby girl! I am thankful I am still able to carry her when she wants. My lap is never too full when she is in it. It feels just right. We are very much snugglers and very affectionate. Sweet kisses from my little girl make my heart skip a beat! I know one day they will not be so easy to get. Bedtime nuzzles, rocking her in my arms when she needs some extra security....why do they have to grow up??? <br />
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She tends to be very aggressive with her dad, and they play a lot more rough than we do. He definitely brings out the fighter in her. She loves to roughhouse with him and gives him a hard time. Her affection does not flow so freely to him, but the love is definitely there. I love to watch them together, and see the smiles on their faces when they are playing around. Sometimes she gets out of hand, at least in my opinion and gets a little too rough. I'm not sure how to handle it when it comes to her dad, as he is an adult and can set his own boundaries with her. But, she knows I do not tolerate hitting or intentionally inflicting pain on others. Luckily, we haven't faced that yet. She seems to get along fine with all kids at school which always makes a momma happy. <br />
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She's six and a half going on seven. She really doesn't seem to be much older than that yet. She's a fun loving and down to earth little girl with a little bit of drama thrown in at times. Above all, she's mine and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She definitely makes life worth living!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-59111306152514012792012-10-25T22:26:00.001-04:002012-10-25T22:26:33.821-04:00Lots of catching up<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> Summer lost her first tooth the 2nd week of school. She pulled it herself right before bedtime one night. She put it in her tooth fairy pillow that she had sewed the week before and put it on the bedside table. She lost her 2nd tooth two weeks ago. Again, right before bed time. She had tried to pull it in the bathroom after we brushed our teeth, but she gave up. When we got in the bed to read her bedtime story, it fell out. Both times the tooth fairy came and brought her $5 which she immediately put in her piggy bank, not her wallet. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">She started taking tennis lessons a few weeks ago against her will. She loves to play with her daddy on the courts by the playground, but has protested lessons for as long as we've been suggesting them. One of her friends from school joined her on her second week which has made the transition to lessons easier I think. She still complains that she doesn't want to go, but she's going to finish this clinic out at least. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Her reading is getting better and better. Usually, we both read at night. She picks a level 1 book, and I read whatever she has brought home from the library at school. This week we are reading about African critters and also some scary stories. I just love our reading/ tuck-in time every night. We have beEen</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> going over her list of 100 sight words a few times a week, and I definitely think it has helped. She does well in everything at school. She's pretty much mastered her doubles and loves her math homework. Spelling seems to come pretty easy for her too. Although homework is not her favorite part of the day, she usually does it quickly and without complaining. Two thumbs up from this mom!! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">She was very excited about my birthday last week and counted down the days all week. I told her all I wanted for my birthday was hugs and kisses, but she had to make me something. She used her </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">creativity and made me a life size cut out of her body-- fully colored to match the clothes she was </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">wearing. She also made me card and decorated the box she put it all in with a picture of me and her </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">and a house. Her surprise made my birthday day special even more special than I expected. We went on a hike that day with some people from church which was very nice and enjoyable for us both. She is such an outdoors girl and was in heaven when we got to the waterfalls. She asked to take off her </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">shoes, rolled up her pants, and took off with the other kids. Before hearing home, we stopped by </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party (no not for me). To our delight, there were lots of new games, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">as well as our old favorites! We made it out without cashing in her tickets. I'm not sure how, but she </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">never said anything as we headed out the door. It had been a long day for us both and I think we </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">were both ready to be home.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">Tonight is the first night this week Summer has had oven fresh cookies...almost a nightly staple if she has her way. She likes them cooked very soft and licks all the melted chocolate from her finger tips in lieu of using a napkin. Sometimes I doubt the nutritional value of this habit, but seeing how she has already beat cancer, it almost seems silly to fret over. Whatever will be, will be. The choice is definitely not mine you see. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">October has been a very busy month; maybe the busiest of the year. With our new activities, we have</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> not had as much free time as we did earlier this school year, but we still make the most of every day. Lots of fun plans for the weekend ahead! I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">am so thankful for the people in my life. My daughter is just one of the many people I love and cherish. I am grateful for each and every day I have to spend with her. I'll never be able to stop counting my blessings.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">cherish. I am truly blessed beyond measure! Life's twists and turns are never predictable. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-71197247217225881552012-09-11T15:41:00.001-04:002012-09-11T15:41:36.248-04:00School days (post delayed a week)Summer is loving the 1st grade. She was so happy the first day she said she didn't even want to leave. I am a happy mom to have her loving it so much when she initially was not thrilled at the thought of returning to school. Last week, she had her first spelling test and got them all correct (see, is, have, the, can,and today). She is learning about the human body and finds it pretty interesting I believe. She was amazed that it takes a whole day for your food to go through your body. Math homework is easy for her so far, and they have some every day Monday to Thursday. They also have reading most days in the form of a decodable book. Although homework is not her favorite part of the day, she has been good about doing it without a fight. <br />
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We had a great long weekend. Friday after school we went bowling with the Lynch family and then to eat at Mellow Mushroom. We topped our pretzels, calzones and pizza off with some ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery....well Summer did. I was a good girl and did not have any myself. We let them burn a little more of their energy off at the playground afterwards. It was a great time which I believe we will repeat again in a few weeks. <br />
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Saturday we were invited to a cookout a a friend's house. We took Willow with us and the girls all played great together. They had so much fun that Sidda ended up coming home with us for a sleepover. They played dress up and the Wii for a while before I was finally able to wrangle them into bed around midnight. They were up by seven o'clock the next morning when I heard them jumping off the bed. I questioned Summer about the bed jumping after she came down and she was honest about it. I'm so thankful for her honesty at this time and hope it continues as the years continue to pass. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-44293978865077316302012-08-20T17:23:00.001-04:002012-08-20T17:23:53.596-04:00Our last week of freedomThe week before school starts has come and gone. We started back to our school routine of an 8:00 bedtime which was not always sucessful, but we did manage to do it a few times. A lot of those days were spent watching Barbie A Fairy Secret and playing games at home. Some days we watched it twice! She has a few favorite parts that she rewinds or mimics. It's cute! We went swimming. We had a play date at the malls with some friends. Summer had a great time playing on the playground there although technically she is too big to play on it. We also did a little shopping. She was excited to get some light up flip flops with butterflies on them. We both got some new sunglasses since the guy was closing up shop and had them all marked down to $5. She looks totally adorable in the pair she got. I hope I do too. LOL <br />
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Saturday, Summer decided she wanted to stay home all day so we had a pajama day. We watched Barney Best Manners and also her new favorite Barbie movie yet again. I had picked a movie that was too sad the previous evening -My Dog Skip- so I didn't get any say in the movie selection. She did not like some parts because there was bullying and therefore it was a "scary" movie. The dog also dies so that was not good in her book either. So much for the movie I thought would be great because it had a dog in it. I guess I need to read the full storyline next time. After we were movied out, we had a bubble bath and wardrobe change. Lots of bubbles! Clean pajamas! Not too long after that, she decided a bike ride sounded good so I had another wardrobe change before we headed out on our bikes. (I really don't think my neighbors would've appreciated me parading my pjs up and down the street.) She is doing really good at getting out of the driveway which used to be scary for her because of the height difference between the street and the driveway. Poor Trixie was leashed to her bike and therefore ran along beside her as she rode down the street and back. It actually worked better than I thought it would when I realized what her intentions were. Trixie did not seem to mind. Score! Afterwards, we spent some time on the playground in the yard. It's been too hot to do much I it this summer, but now that the weather is cooling off a bit she might use it a little more. It sure would be nice to have Lexie over to play with her on it sometimes, but I doubt that will happen any time soon. <br />
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Sunday we cashed one of her library program coupons/rewards at Lake Winnie. The weather was perfect and Summer and I were both in good spirits so it was a lot of fun for us both. One of her favorite rides was the Sea Warrior which is a spinning, spinning, up and down type ride. I was worried I would get sick, but the motion sickness medicine did it's job. She also loved the Tilt-a-whirl and the Scrambler. She was not big enough for the big roller coaster, but the Wacky Worm was good enough for her. We probably rode it five times and every time she made us keep our hands up the entire time. I was happily surprised when she wanted to ride the carousel since the year before she definitely thought it was too slow for her to even get on. We rode and rode and rode until we were both worn out and back at the front entrance. We gave the Sea Warrior one lost whirl and headed home. She was asleep before we got there. After showers, I tried to get her back I her bed and out of mine. I lay with her for a while and even left the room with her in her bed, but it did not last very long. She came out and I ended up just letting her sleep with me again. I guess this is one battle I'm not up for fighting right now. She is going through so much with this divorce that I just can't justify doing it now with school also starting and that not being too exciting for her either. Maybe I'll give her a few weeks to get settled into that before I try again. We shall see. <br />
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Today was our last official day off, but we were at the school most of the morning anyway getting registered and stuff. We found out who her teacher was and were happy to see who her fellow classmates will be this year. We even went to lunch with one of them after we left. Now we are resting on the couch and nursing her carpet burned knee. I really hope she wakes up tomorrow and it is not still hurting. That would not be the best start to the 1st day of school. I'm pretty sure we will <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">both be out by 8:00 tonight. I hope so anyway because school starts tomorrow! First grade here she comes!!!</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-67800210007815668232012-08-14T18:13:00.003-04:002012-08-14T18:14:31.525-04:00Summer's almost over<br />
Last week, I surprised Summer with a trip to Splash in Panama City, Florida. She was super excited when she found out her friend Willow and her family were going too. The last time we went there was 3 years ago when she was going through her chemotherapy treatments. Needless to say, this trip was much different. Her favorite places to be this trip were the lazy river and the pool with a deep end. She's become such a great swimmer. One day, we found a red die on one of our treasure hunt walks. We kept it, and she ended up spending lots of time diving after it in the pool. She liked to go look for shells with me, but she was not one to pick a lot up. She's more of a pointer outer. We had a few mom and daughter trips down the beach. We usually didn't go too far, but we found lots of treasures and enjoyed the feeling of our feet sinking in the sand. Summer was not a big fan of the ocean the first two days when the water was as calm as a swimming pool and shallow for a long way out. The last day when the waves were a little more active, she had fun jumping them. I think she told me that was her favorite part of the whole trip. Playing with Willow and Harper was also lots of fun, and they put on several shows for us. We had quite a bit of rain so we were lucky to have a room big enough to where we could all spread out when we had to be indoors. There were even bunk beds which the girls took turns sleeping on top and bottom. Summer had the top bunk the first night and woke up the next morning saying it was the most comfortable bed ever. I was happy to see she slept so well in it when I thought she might try to sneak into my bed at some point in the night. <br />
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Everyday, there was an activity the kids could do at the resort. One day they tie dyed shirts, and another day they colored a backpack. They made shark tooth necklaces. I've yet to see Summer's since we've been home, but I haven't fully unpacked yet either. They really enjoyed them all, along with souvenir hunting. On our last trip to the store, Summer ended up with a pink butterfly on a green rod. They gave her an extra rod just in case that one broke which ended up working perfectly for one of the treasures she found on the beach earlier - a flower windwheel. Oh yeah! They played with those for quite a while during one of the rainy spells we had. The first time we went shopping, she got a magnetic pen that says I Love You and has a pink cat on it. She had lots of fun testing out all the things that it would and would not stick to around the condo unit.<br />
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Summer discovered a new Barbie movie - Fairy Secret - while we were on the trip. It was her favorite of the one's her friend Willow brought. So much that yesterday when we were spending her birthday gift certificate at Target, she picked it out and three cans of silly string too. Of course, when we got to the car, she was having buyers remorse and wishing she would've gotten the princess game I had showed her. She knew I had bought two that I was going to give to her friends. Well, one was really for her for Christmas, but I didn't want to tell her that. We had a little talk and agreed to trade them out so she could go ahead and get the game. In order to get the Barbie movie, she would do some chores to earn it. She suggested making the bed and folding clothes. I added cleaning her room and the playroom. We had a deal! When we got home, we immediately had to play it a few times. :) The first time we tied. The next, she won. It turned out to be a rather fun game, and I think we completely scored by getting it! She even got her Paw-Paw to play with her this morning.<br />
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A bulk of our day has been spent cashing in on the chores she promised to do in exchange for the movie. We spent hours going through the playroom and her bedroom to see what she wants to keep when we move. We got it pretty organized and she was a real trooper during the process. She did take a break to paint a picture with one of her many craft kids. She also helped me fold the laundry. She did her clothes while I folded mine. When I started to wash some dishes, she offered to help. She took over after I finished the glasses. I offered to rinse them for her, but she wanted to do it all herself. <br />
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The evening has been spent watching the Barbie movie although she still owes me one more day worth of chores. After two runs through the movie, some leftover Chinese food, and chocolate chip cookies, we are about to be on our bedtime countdown. Next up, bedtime craft. We're making a magnetic fishing pole and fish. Good times!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-11121795051338515602012-08-01T16:07:00.000-04:002012-08-01T16:07:32.847-04:00Wiggle wiggleWe have had another great week. Sunday we headed to Partyville after church with the other elementary kids. We were lucky to have gone that day because the next day it closed its doors for good. She had a great time playing with the other kids and was surprisingly not a cling on. It was great to see her having so much fun with the kids her age and not needing me to follow her around the place. After she had played herself out, we headed home and jumped in the pool to cool off. She had a blast chasing me around the pool. We have actually been in it every day this week so I am happy I decided to put it up. I almost just left it in the garage for the summer, but one day it was hot and we needed a nice place to cool off so we worked together and got it up and running. Yay for a nice clean alternative to the lake!! We neither one have been in it this year (at least in our slough). There is just too much stuff growing from the bottom for our taste and the water does not look sparkling clean so it's not very inviting to us. We did finally get our boat fixed that day, but she does not have any desire to go out on it. Darn nose diver! <br />
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On Monday we stayed home all day which was great plan in her book. She started playing the Disney <br />
Enchanted Princess game on the Wii that morning and decided that we were going to play it until we conquered it. So, we teamed up and got it done. I operated the nunchuck and she operated the other Wii remote. Together, after hours and hours of work, we beat all the chapters and unlocked Belle's Bonus chapter which she thought was never going to happen. She was very excited about this but scared to cut the Wii off. When we finally did she was worried all her work would not be saved. We cut it back on and to her surprise it still was there. Another reason to shout hooray! <br />
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Yesterday, we had a playdate with our friends Alicia, Laila and Liliana. We met up with them at the pool at Southern College and the girls swam around like fish. My friend got called into work while we were there so our play date got cut short much to the girls dismay. They were definitely not ready to be done playing with each other when we went our separate ways. But, that's the way life happens sometimes. We were going to have a picnic lunch, but since our friends couldn't join us anymore Summer decided she wanted to eat at Olive Garden. It's been a few months since we have went there so I was happy to oblige. She gobbled up all the extra black olives the lady brought her and as many tomatoes drenched in their yummy dressing as she could. She even ate some of the salad which she doesn't usally do there, but their dressing was extra tasty to her I guess. The only place she usually eats salad is Sekesui or Ichiban with their oriental dressings. <br />
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When we got home, we saw that her tooth fairy pillow had been delivered. It was a sewing kit that had precut holes for young sewers like herself. She went right to work getting it put together. She sewed all of it but the last few stitches that had to be done after she stuffed it. Then she had me place the face on the outside after she applied the glue to the pieces. I guess she wanted to make sure it looked right and did not trust herself to do it right. I didn't question her ways, but instead I just went with what she wanted to do. She has a tooth on the bottom that is getting very loose. This will be her first tooth to lose, and she cannot wait! Now we just have to wait for the tooth to come out so we can put the pillow to use. She's been wiggling and wiggling it, but it's still holding on. I think it will surely come out in the next week or so. Of course, only time will tell. She did ask me yesterday if I thought the tooth fairy was a real person or a just a parent, and I said I was leaning towards it being real. She said she thought so too. No need to burst that bubble now I don't think. Sometimes it is cool to believe in fairytales although as you get older you realize it was all just a myth. The divorce is already doing a number on her without adding any more stress or disbelief to her life right now. So, I'm just going to go with the flow as much as I can right now.<br />
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Today we met up with her cousins at the zoo. We thought we were going to get to see the new exhibits, but they were not finished. Looks like they are running way behind schedule. We did have a good time seeing all the animals again though. Summer hijacked my camera and took lots of pictures. I can't wait to see what all she got pictures of. Afterwards, we stopped by the carousel and they rode it over and over and over again. I'm glad I went for the family plus membership because it has already paid for itself in the rides they took today alone. We had a nice picnic outside the zoo before heading to the Warner Park pool. It was very refreshing and we got some good exercise playing there. Summer chose not to do the obstacle course today, but she did try to touch the bottom in the deep end on her own numerous times. I don't think she was successful, but she was very independent which is a change for her. When she is around her cousin Jonathan, she is defnitely not all about mommy. They turn into two silly willies and giggle and have lots of fun. So, I'm guessing she will be preoccupied with him for the next day. Guess that means I've got plenty of time to get some housework done. Now to get off here and get to it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-11687953288643723802012-07-26T22:56:00.000-04:002012-07-26T22:56:05.963-04:00Passing the week awayAfter a little playtime with Paw-Paw on Tuesday morning and a yummy home cooked lunch, Summer and I ventured downtown to the Warner Park pool. We started off in one of the kiddie pools, but quickly moved up to the big pool. The inflatable obstacle course was calling our names, so we took the swimming test and both passed. We ha<span style="background-color: white;">d to swim across the pool and back with our heads above water. We did it together and she had no problem doing it with me cheering her on and encouraging her. We got our green bracelets and headed to the deep end. It was our first time doing the course, and I have to admit I was a little nervous for her. But, I didn't say anything. When it was our turn, we jumped in and swam to the first obstacle - climbing on the inflatable. It was no race for us as I did not want to abandon her and leave her alone and scared. We both made it all the way across the first time we tried! We did it once more before we left, but first we went to try out the slide. It was a hit with her, but not so great for me as the landing did just not feel good. Oh to have a 6 year old body again! After a few times down the slide, she decided she would like to touch the bottom in the 9 ft. deep pool. She tried blowing out her air like my cousin had taught her a few weeks ago, but she just couldn't do it. So, I tried pushing her down with my feet after she would go under and it worked. She was smiling so big after she came up the first time she touched. She had to do it over and over. It was cool to see her accomplish this feat which probably had seemed impossible to her at first after her watching me doing it and seeing how far I was from the top of the water. After a bit, we decided to walk over the the spray and play part where she had her end of the year school party. She showed me all the cool tricks of going under the fountains and letting the big trough dump on our heads. Then we headed back to the deep end for a little more underwater fun. When she had had enough of the pools, we got out and changed clothes for our trip to the library.</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">She was excited to get there early and play on the computers before story time started. On the way up, we found out how many more books we could check out that day since we already had a pile at home. But, who wants to go to the library and not check out books? When it was time for story time, she paused the Cat in the Hat book she was reading on the computer. She never did go back to it. Since it was the end of the summer reading program, they only showed a few videos in lieu of reading books to us. They still did a craft at the end. Thank goodness! I think that is her favorite part. On our way out, we picked out more books and then checked them out. I'm happy to say that we have exceeded our goal of reading 100 books this summer. I just hope she will be rewarded by getting to go the party this weekend while she is at her dads. As we were driving home, she said, "I'm thinking Krystals." So, we stopped at the one in Soddy and dined in on cheese Krystals. She likes hers with mustard, but no pickles or onions. I like mine with just cheese. </span>When we got home, we decided to go get in the pool. We played for a while and then came back in and got ready for bed. We topped the day off with Barney's Campfire sing-a-long. My favorite Barney movie! Yes, I have a favorite. I really like most of them. The songs are just so catchy and it really is an upbeat fun time even when you are nearing 35. I guess maybe I'm still a kid at heart. :) </div>
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When we got up Wednesday, she asked if we were going to get to stay home all day. She was happy to find out that yes we were and not only that, but Memaw and Nanny were coming over after work to play and spend the night with us. We watched a few cartoons and had some yogurt and granola for breakfast. This is the most normal breakfast food she has eaten in a long time, but she was not really fond of it. I did manage to get it all down her, but she made me feed her. She's still my baby! A little later she took Paw-Paw down to her hideout (the bamboo woods behind our house), but that ended with her getting stung by a yellow jacket. I heard her cry out and the first thing that came to my head was a snake. I was wrong, but it was still not pleasant for her. We quickly taped a penny on it after consulting Memaw on the phone, and it seemed to take most of the pain away. We also applied an ice pack a few times, but she found that the best thing to do was just to leave it alone and not touch it. <span style="background-color: white;">The day could not go by fast enough for her, but we managed to stay busy until they arrived. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Oh what a joyous time that was for her!!!! She showed them all the things around the house that she had been wanting to. She and Memaw swam in the pool. She took them to her kingdom (the basement) where she rules as queen. They all three played the Cat in the Hat game and then a few rounds of hot potato while I watched. I really enjoyed just watching her smile all evening long. Not that it is uncommon, but she is just a beautiful little girl. And, I'm not one bit prejudice! Ha!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This morning we got up early to have cappuccino with Memaw and Nanny before they left for work. After they left, we started playing game. We played Disney Princess's Spinning Wishes twice. We both won once. Then we played the Disney Princess's Monopoly Junior twice and she beat me both times. After that, we headed up to her room where we played another Disney Princess game. It is funny how she loves the games, but getting her to watch a princess movie is almost impossible. After playing it three times, with her winning twice, we moved onto a craft project. While we were doing it, Paw-Paw showed up. We finished up as much of the craft as we could, but had to put it on hold while it dried for an hour. I let Paw-Paw take over for a while, and I went to tend to my chores. After the craft was dry, we worked on it a little more. She had requested cheeseburgers for lunch, so that is what we had. She gobbled hers up as she had the night before at dinner. Either I'm a good burger maker, or she just isn't picky as long as there is cheese and mustard. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This evening we took a trip downtown to cool off at Coolidge park before watching an aerial dance show in the trees. She did not jump right in the fountains and play like she would've a few years ago. I actually had a hard time convincing her to get in them even though she had been excited when I mentioned going down there. She wanted me to play in the fountains with her, but I did not wear my bathing suit and did not want to get totally soaked. I did walk around them with her and get my feet in them, but that was not enough to get her to go all the way in them. She just said she did not know what to do in them. I told her to watch the other kids and do what they were doing, but she finally said it just wasn't her kind of thing. I guess she's outgrown it or maybe it was just an off day for her. It was a little frustrating for us both, so we ended just giving up and heading over to where the tree show was going to be. We spread out our picnic blanket and relaxed in the shade while enjoying a nice breeze. Not too long after we got there, they announced there were snacks up the hill so we went and got some green grapes. She ate them all up, but did let me have a few. A little while into the show, she wanted more so we got some more. A healthy snack is okay to indulge in, right? It did not ruin her steak dinner that we had afterwards at Logans. Of course, she did not eat all of her steak, but I imagine she will have it for breakfast tomorrow with some rice. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We finished the day off with a few episodes of Dragon Tales followed by a few books. I really thought I was exhausted, but she fell asleep first and all I could do was lay there. That's when I decided to blog. I hope now that I have shared most of our memories from the past few days, I will too fall fast asleep. We'll see...</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-25051947252027668632012-07-24T07:41:00.000-04:002012-07-24T07:41:54.070-04:00A week offThis week is going to be a pretty laid back week for us. No camps, no big plans. It's finally time to relax and take it easy! Summer is happy about that as she enjoys days that we stay home all day and she does not have to leave the house. Sometimes I wonder if it is because when she was younger we did so much running around doing this, that and everything we could. But, maybe it's just because home is such a fun place to be. <br />
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Yesterday, she spent a lot of time playing with her Paw-Paw. She loves to do that! Some mornings she will watch the clock and is so happy when it is finally 9:00 a.m. so she can go to his house and see if he is up. I had to set a time because otherwise she would be over there at 7:00 waking him up. It is so cool to hear them playing in the house as she is usually laughing and just having a great time with him. He really gets on her level and does whatever she wants. I feel so blessed to be able to have him as a next door neighbor which is something I never really thought would've happened when I was growing up. So yesterday, after spending the first part of the morning on the couch with me watching a Shrek movie on her iPod, she went to see if he was ready to play. They hula hooped and played and laughed and had a great time. She was very happy to not have to go to the grocery store with me because that would've meant she would have had to leave the house. Oh no!!! lol I think she wore him out because while she and I were eating fish sticks and home grown tomatoes (she dipped both of hers in vinegar, of course!) for lunch, he fell asleep on the couch. <br />
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After he went home, it was my turn to play. We made a butterfly kite into a dress up accessory. We played Chuck E Cheese on the Wii. We were trying to figure out how to change the level on the game since it always says we are at level 1. We got the manual out and could not figure out how to change the level. It seems we just need to play the game more. While we were looking through the manual we discovered that we are missing a few of the games that are supposed to be on there - namely the ticket blaster. We never could figure out how to get it to show up. She was totally bummed about this. But, maybe one day it will magically appear. I hope so for her sake. Maybe we'll just take a trip to Chuck E Cheese and somehow bribe them to let her get in the ticket blaster. She has always wanted to do that, but I just don't like having birthday parties there and I think that's the only time they let people in there. I'd rather it be just me and her so we can play to our heart's content, cash our tickets in and leave. <br />
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We were expecting some friends over yesterday evening and while we were waiting on them to arrive, Summer wanted to play her Cat in the Hat I Can Do That game. We had a good time playing it although I had to crawl around the house on several of my turns and my knees did not really like that. She laughed and laughed during the game which made it all worth while though. When her friend Abby showed up, they were off to play together and the game was forgotten about. I can't say I'm sad about that because we had already been through the cards more than once. They played and played until Abby's parents were ready to go. I think the girls could've played longer, but it was getting late and they had to go. On their way out, Summer showed them her new turtle that a friend found for her yesterday. I am really hoping we will let it go soon as it does not seem to like it's cage and tried and tried to escape as we were getting ready for bed last night. Maybe we'll do what we did with our last turtle and let him out for some fresh air and then forget about him until it is too late and he has wondered off. Oh darn! <br />
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Well, I am looking forward to seeing what she wants to do when she gets up. Until then, I think I will lay on the couch and rest. I got up early due to being unable to fall back asleep with some unfinished business on my mind. Now that it is all taken care of, I can relax. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-23587827774553630502012-07-19T19:36:00.001-04:002012-07-19T19:36:16.372-04:00The funness of my little girlYesterday after art camp, Summer and I went to our favorite sushi place for lunch - Sekesui. She loves their soup, salad and teriyaki chicken. My favorite are the Red Dragon rolls. After getting our bellies mostly full, we headed to Cold Stone Creamery where Summer got cake batter ice cream in a sugar cone. I really didn't want to get the cone because she never eats it, but I thought maybe there was a chance she would this time. Nope. She actually asked me pretty please to go get her a spoon so she could spoon the ice cream out of the cone. lol We walked to the playground afterwards, but after about fifteen minutes we left. It was just too hot outside. So we went ahead to the dentist even though we were an hour and a half early. At least it was air conditioned!!! They took her early and she got a great report. No cavities! We also learned that her insurance was going to pay for the dentist so that was a blessing. <br />
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We headed a birthday party at Pump It Up after that. After watching the rules of the place, Summer was too nervous to play. She was so scared that she was going to break a rule that she did not even want to play even though she has been there many times before. Darn video!!! :( I was pretty disappointed in the effect the rule video had on her, and I could not convince her that she would be fine and not break any rules. Her friends came over the the bench where she was sitting and tried talking to her to see what was wrong, but they could not tempt her from the bench. After they all left her, I went over to try to talk her into playing, but it was not easy. I did get her to go down the slide once, but that was the extent of her playing on the inflatibles. She did cheer on her friends Giada and Annie as they played air hockey. They were having so much fun that she never got a turn. It was good to see her finally smiling and having fun after being too intimidated to play. What a bummer! When the party moved to the birthday room, she was all smiles and acting silly with her friends. She ate her piece of cheese pizza up and then licked the icing off of her cupcake. The end of the party was definitely better than the beginning!<br />
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When we got home, we continued our Barney movie marathon which started the night before. After going through and organizing our movies, she decided we would watch all the Barney movies. I know we've got at least twenty of them so it might take a while. The first night we watched two Barney Christmas movies. Last night, we watched Can You Sing that Song? Today we have watched two more. The marathon goes on......<br />
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We are at the end of the summer reading program at the library. When I turned in her sheet at the library Monday, she had read 75 books so far (at least that's how many we have written down). Some of those we read twice, but each book is only counted once. Our goal is 100 books, but I don't think we will make it before Saturday which is the final deadline. I was really just wanting to read 100 by the time school started so I'm pretty sure we will make that. I have read most of the books to her, but she reads the level 1 books to me. I will probably go and update the total at the library tomorrow while she is at camp. Not that it really makes a difference, but I want to return some of the books so I don't have to make a special trip downtown on Monday so I might as well add on the books we read this week. Well, I must get off for our bedtime craft. We are making a model lung in a plastic bottle. Good times!!!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/54/8B17B4031D8B6735FDA14C236775FE6F.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-54470481703915244372012-07-17T16:01:00.002-04:002012-07-17T16:01:41.291-04:00Camp centralAerials camp has come and gone. Summer and her friend Willow had a lot of fun at the week long four hour a day camp learning different things on the trapeze and silks. They got to choreograph a routine for the performance at the end of camp. They decided to be scared zebras running from a car. It was cute to see the act they had put together on the trapeze to the song of Jungle Boogie. You can see it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lwdbyjhmm4&feature=youtube_gdata_player">here</a>. Willow spent the night with Summer one night and that was fun too. They had a tea party in the library loft and shared lots of laughs over a half gallon of water. Summer did not go spend the night with her although she was invited, but she says she only likes to spend the night with her Memaw or her cousins. She spent her first weekend with her dad (for those who don't already know, we are getting divorced) and although she did not think she would be able to sleep without me there, I believe she did. Lexie was there to help keep her company so I know she enjoyed that too since I have not been able to get her for the past few weeks. I hope that won't last forever, but only time will tell. I sure do miss that sweet girl! <br />
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This week she is attending a week long art camp at the Hunter Art Museum for the 2nd summer in a row. On the way there, she asked me how long the camp was and I told her 3 hours. She was not too excited about being away from me that long and asked me if I thought she was going to be able to do it. LOL I reassured her that she would, as she had done it the year before with no problems. However, when I walked her to her classroom she was a little teary eyed and not in the best of spirits. When I picked her up, she seemed to have had a good time and was anxious to get home and make some hamburger helper. But, when we got home, the meat was still not thawed so we had a tea party complete with strawberries, smoked gouda and crackers to pass the time until it was. After eating our hamburger helper and broccoli and cheese, the rest of the day was spent being silly on the couch, cuddling with the cats and dog, playing in the hot tub and watching Barney and Calliou videos. Of course, we could not watch movies without cookies and kettle corn, her two favorite snacks. <span style="background-color: white;"> At bedtime, we read quite a few books. Her favorite were the Dr. Seuss books and mine were the ones she read to me. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Today as we headed to camp, she told me she missed me already. She's such a mommy's girl!!! She claimed her belly was hurting her when we got there, but I'm not sure if it really hurt or if maybe she thought she would be able to get out of going. She did much better at drop off and went right into the class and started talking to one of the instructors. They told her to write her name on the back of the paper and she asked, "How do you know which is the front and which is the back?" It was a plain white piece of paper. Too cute! :) </span><br />
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I took her to the doctor yesterday because she ran a low grade fever off and on last week and over the weekend. She had also been complaining of belly and head aches all week. After a strep test, blood test, and thorough examination by her doctor, it was determined that she was just getting over another virus as her white blood counts were low. The doctor also found her to be constipated which seems to have been a pretty consistent problem for her since her chemo treatments which ended almost 3 years ago. Hopefully, we will be able to get that straightened out with a little help from some miralax. I don't want to fail to mention that it was possibly one of most fun doctor visits we have had. While we were waiting to see the doctor, I sang her silly songs and she laughed and laughed begging for more. I couldn't talk her into singing one to me though.<br />
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Looks like we will possibly be spending the rest of the day watching Barney videos. She has requested that we watch all the ones that we have and then write their names down on a piece of paper. We'll see if that happens or not. Right now we are waiting on some banana bread to come out of the oven. She was my big helper making it and added all the ingredients into the mixing bowl. I think her favorite part was smashing the bananas, but she would not help me peel them. She had a little taste of the batter, but she will not try the bread. She said banana bread is not good, and she will not eat any. That's okay though because it is not for us. Guess I'm going to get off here and check the bread. Then time to spend the rest of the day with her. Love it!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-58125988981629210012012-07-02T08:59:00.002-04:002012-07-02T08:59:30.573-04:00Our trip to the beachLast week Summer, my dad and I traveled to Fort Walton Beach for a much needed vacation. About an hour into the drive, she started with the "how much longer?" question. "How many more minutes?" was a another of her favorite questions. She played her Leapster some, but did not really play the iPad like I thought she would. I figured she would be glued to Fetch with Ruff Ruffman like she had been the week before, but I guess that did not interest her. After about seven and a half hours, we made it to our destination: Island Echos on Okaloosa Island. <span style="background-color: white;">She only slept for about thirty to forty minutes the whole way down. </span><span style="background-color: white;">We were not at the condo long before she was ready to head to the pool. After a little time there, we headed to the beach to build a sand castle. We were almost finished with it when a rain shower blew over and cleared the beach. We headed to our unit to get our things settled in and relax. We were tired from the long day on the road so we decided to eat in instead of going out like we did for supper the rest of the week. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">On Sunday when we woke up, a tropical storm had blown in. The waves were huge, but the rain had not arrived yet so we headed to the pool. Summer and Paw Paw swam together while I watched. It was a little cool out for me with no sun in sight. While they were swimming, it started sprinkling, but that did not bother them. When Summer was chilled to the bone, we headed back up to the room. That was when her vacation took a turn for the worse. She started running a high temperature so I ran to the store to get some medicine. On Monday morning, she also had developed a sore throat so we took her to an urgent care clinic. They gave her a strep test which was negative, but since she also had a painful sensation at the end of her peeing, they put her on<span style="font-family: inherit;"> amoxycillin to be on the safe side. Her fever continued to spike over 102 for the next few days and added to the sore throat were body aches and a sore mouth. On Thursday, we returned to the doctor for more tests since she did not seem to be improving. After another strep test, urine culture and a trip to the hospital for a blood test, it was decided she had a virus. They called her in a prescription of nystatin for the thrush that had developed in her mouth. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her week pretty much consisted of watching DVDs on the couch. Blues Clues and Barney kept her quite entertained. We met some nice people on the beach who loaned us some of their movies. Her favorite was "A Bug's Life." We also watched "Ant Bully." On Wednesday night, she asked me when she was going to get to have some fun on vacation, but the poor thing just did not feel like doing anything. It broke my heart that I could do nothing to make her feel better. Her mouth was so sore we could not brush her teeth and pretty much the only thing she consumed all week was yogurt drinks. The pool was not even appetizing to her. I did manage to get her to take a trip to the beach twice where she sat under the umbrella and buried her feet in the the sand. She did seem to enjoy that some, but it did not last long before she was ready to head back up to the couch or bed. She went through lots of ibuprofen trying to manage her fevers and slept quite a bit too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Friday morning, she still did not feel great, but she did want to do something fun. She begged me to take her to the water park. So, after getting her to take her medicine (that was a struggle the entire trip), drink a glass of Gatorade and gulp down a yogurt smoothie, we headed to Big Kahunas. We had lots of fun going down water slides. It was great to see her finally having fun. Her favorite was the one where she and I got to ride double down an enclosed yellow slide. We rode most of the slides two or three times. We enjoyed the wave pool for a little while until hunger hit us, and we headed to the snack area. We ordered a philly cheese steak to share, but her mouth was still her enemy and she could not eat. Her fever also started rising again, so we left the park and headed back to our condo. We had about two and half or three hours of fun though so it was worth the trip.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday morning we packed up and our vacation was over. On the way home, she slept more than the first down so her "how much longer" questions were not quite as bad. We were all ready to get out of the car when we got back to Chattanooga. The not so great vacation was over, but the sickness was not. The main thing bothering her is her mouth. She is so hungry, but she it just hurts too bad to eat. She's hoping we will get to go back to the beach later this summer or maybe for fall break. We'll see though. Our life has gotten pretty complicated in the past week, but I'm sure in the end we will be fine. The next few months will probably be rough for us both, but at least at the end of the day we still have each other. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-63122190096190596342012-06-16T08:46:00.002-04:002012-07-02T08:17:42.933-04:00The weekend is upon us and it was another full, but fun week. Summer loved her vbs that she attended with Giada and Brody. They were excited to see each other every morning. She got to learn to cook something diffent everyday. At the end of the week, she got to bring her cookbook ( a white folder with recipes inside) and apron home with her. She was so excited to get to keep the apron! She actually cooked some 1-2-3 cake yesterday after she got home from bible school. I got to try a bite. She may try to surprise her dad with breakfast in bed tomorrow. We'll see if it turns out that way or not. She learned how to make eggs this week so maybe he'll enjoy her microwaved eggs. I'm sure he'll eat them. :) She also learned to make smoothies and pizza and how to cut fruit "with a sharp knife." I am glad she went, but I am thankful we don't have to go anywhere five days in a row next week. Just aerials and Adventure Club which are in the afternoon so no need to have to get in or out of bed early. She also has a dentist appointment. I am anxious to here what he says about the dead tooth. She has one loose tooth on bottom, at least that's all I know of. So far she still has all of her baby teeth. I am getting a little more used to the idea that a tooth will be coming out soon. Maybe by the time it happens, it won't be too traumatic for me.<br />
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We've been getting to spend the past few days with Lexie which has been nice. We have missed her since she returned to living with her mom. The girls play pretty good together for the most part, but of course they are not always perfect angels. I believe they have Trixie wrangled up in whatever they are playing in the basement this morning. Poor dog! Last night we were reading a book Summer picked from the library and it was about how to make friend with dogs. It's amazing how many of the don'ts she does. I reread one part a few times about how they don't like to be chased, hugged, teased and more. I still don't think she gets it. She really wants a hands on dog who wants to be carried around like a baby. It's kind of funny because she won't really have anything to do with babies - real or toys. She does claim that she likes to play with Vayda Mae, but that is only with a balloon on a string. I don't think she has ever held a baby. She has no interest in holding her newest niece Roxianne. Maybe she feels threatened by them? I don't know.
Well I'm off to enjoy the weekend with two of the most adorable girls on this earth. They are such a blessing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-22693497336672143972012-06-13T17:05:00.002-04:002012-07-02T08:18:50.839-04:002nd week of summer breakThis week is going by fast, just like the first week of summer vacation did. Last week, Summer and I attended VBS at our home church. This week she is attending one with two school friends. I believe this will be the last VBS of the summer as it has not been a very relaxing Summer with all these activities we have been involved which require attendance on a daily basis. We have been having fun though.<br />
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For the past two weeks, we have attended Adventure Club at the library. Summer has over forty books on her summer reading log so far. She loves picking out books and playing on the computer at the library. This week we left with 20 books! She also enjoys the craft time they have at the end of the story time. Yesterday, she let me help her on her watercolor owl. The week before they made light switch covers, and she did not ask for my help with that one. I never know when she's going to need me, but I always try to be there just in case. She didn't need my help finishing her cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone before our trip to the library. I remember the days when she did....<br />
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Right now she is in her aerials class which she still loves. This is her 2nd month of lessons and next month she has a week long camp. Her friend Willow will be joining her for that which will be a great time for them both I'm sure. They may even get to have a few sleepovers with each other that week. I'm not sure Summer will stay with them. She still does not like the idea of spending the night with anyone other than my mom or sister. But, that's cool with me. I know before too long I'll have a hard time keeping her home.<br />
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Last night, I took her down to Riverbend which is a music festival that they have once a year in Chattanooga. It was hot outside, but she enjoyed it. She got to do a bungee jump activity so she was happy about that. She was an inch too short for the Tilt-a-Whirl and the hang gliding simulation ride. She didn't have any interest in the ferris wheel so we didn't even check to see if she could ride it. After jumping and flipping, we went to get her a snack. She picked nachos and water. We walked down to a friend's boat and hung out for a bit then cut out before any of the good bands even got started. It was enough time spent there for us both though. We tried to get home and get in the bed early, but after getting showered up, she was not sleepy. So, we watched a few episodes of Dragon Tales and snacked on kettle corn and cheese to top off our day.
I am hoping next week will be a little more relaxing and we can spend more time at home. Of course, if we find something fun to do, we probably will not pass it up.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-38995564943521656852012-06-05T09:42:00.001-04:002012-06-05T09:42:20.307-04:00Sleeping in rocks!I was a little afraid of what time Summer would be waking up now that school's out. She usually gets up sometime during the 6 a.m. hour. Now that school is out, she does not have her 8:00 bedtime anymore. I usually put her to bed whenever she is tired or I can't wait to get in the bed myself. I am hoping that will allow her to sleep until 7:30 or 8:00 at least. Today she made it to 8:30; I think yesterday it was 7:30. I actually beat her out of bed this morning which is hard to do unless it's a school day or we have an early appointment. Next week is VBS in the morning so we will probably stick to an early bedtime that week.
Summer and I can't wait until vacation time. We are so ready to be at the beach. Summer wants to build a sand castle, and I can't wait to hear the roar of the ocean. I'm sure the pool will be her favorite activity at our destination, but maybe her daddy and I will be able to coax her into a few games of tennis. Deep sea fishing is also a must do for me, but Summer will probably stay with her daddy while my dad and I go out to sea. Of course if we just fish off a pier Summer might be game, but boats are not her thing. We are trying a new destination so I hope we will not be disappointed. But, with a beach and pool I'm not sure we could be. I think there may be a water park nearby which we will have to visit I'm sure if Summer hears about it. I can't wait!
We've made it through our first books from the library and will probably return them today on our way to VBS at our church. Summer has really enjoyed it, as have I teaching the Imagination Station. Every night we do a different experiment with the kids. Last night we made fizzy fliers explode which really wowed the kids. Summer has done great branching out from being my cling-on, but she did get a little flustered yesterday at church when she couldn't find me. I got there early to work on my lesson and went off to get some supplies leaving her in my room. When she finally found me in the kitchen, she was close to tears. It made me sad to see that I had upset her, wathcing as she tried to fight back tears. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was just upset for no reason. I told her that I do that too sometimes. I knew it was because she couldn't find me though. :( So, I took a minute to stop what I was doing and took her up to where the sanctuary where the kids meet up everyday. She was still trying to fight back the tears as I left her, but she said she was fine. I love that sweet girl! When she made it to my station that night she was all smiles and having a great time. I'm sure it didn't take long for her perk up after I left her and some of her friends got there. Next week she was invited to join some of her friends at VBS, but she has never been to the churn before so I'm not sure how the drop off will go. I hope she will see them and be excited and not hold tight to my arm, but I'm not going to count on it.
This morning has been a cartoon filled couch morning. Love all this good snugly time with my baby! I love summertime!!!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-29200082981824923632012-06-02T10:49:00.002-04:002012-06-02T10:49:32.090-04:00School's out for summerWe are on our second day of summer break, and Summer is on her way to Camp Lookout with her daddy. She is wearing the tie dye shirt she made last year when she went to the camp. I'm sad that I cannot be there with her this year, but I am glad her dad took off so he could go with her. They need some extra time together. Last night, Summer and I made rice crispy treats to take and share with the other kids from church. It was the first time she has made them, and I think she enjoyed it. She kept wanting to taste the melted butter and marshmallows. Of course, once it was melted it was a little too hot for that, but she happily took my stirring spoon when I gave it to her after it was all mixed up. <br />
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Our first day of break was mostly spent at home which makes Summer and I both happy because we like to be at home. She played for hours with her Paw-Paw dragging him from one side of the house to the other. She showed him some things on the iPad for quite a while until I had to literally make her get off of it. I felt kind of bad him sitting there watching her play with it for well over an hour. I was also hoping she would get up and do something active, but it was a little too cool for her outdoors and she kept saying she was cold. They played Candyland, and he got to watch her do some math from one of the workbooks she rescued from the recycle bin on the last day of school. I got to get all prepped for VBS and Sunday school, take a hot bath and also had a short nap while they played. After he left, it was my turn and we played Twister and Candyland. I won both times at Twister, but she beat me at the other. Another favorite game of hers right now is Sorry, but we did not play it. <br />
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After deciding to head downtown for the evening, we ran to the mall to pick up a few things. One thing we got that I did not intend to was a pair of high heels for Summer. We ran in the shoe store to make sure there weren't any better shoes for her to wear in the wedding next weekend and what did we find??? Silver high heels!!! They've got sparkles on the heels and a sparkly flower on her toe straps. I was amazed at how well she walked in them. And, despite my better judgement, I bought them. She wore them out of the store and all the way through Walmart. However, when we got to the condo, she was happy to trade them in for a pair of flip-flops before we walked to Cheeburger Cheeburger for supper. We shared a chocolate peanut butter milkshake as we ate our food. It was so yummy that Summer declared she was going to drink the rest of it and didn't want to share. Of course, in the end she didn't drink it all and I got to have a few more sips.<br />
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I don't want to fail to mention her Kindergarten graduation which was Wednesday at 2:00. It was very sweet and the kids sang: Apples and Bananas, You're a Grand Old Flag, and some other song that is totally slipping my mind right now. :( Oh well, I've got it video taped which also means I wasn't taking pictures with my camera, but thankfully a friend got a pic of Summer with her camera. The kids were called up one by one and handed a picture they had drawn of their favorite thing about Kindergarten. Summer's was art. I'm not surprised. The kids then stepped up to the microphone and said what they had drawn/written. Then they were handed their diploma and given a hug by their teacher. After all the kids had been called, Ms. Tracy (Summer's lead teacher) read something she had written called 15 reasons she loves Kindergarten with each reason being a child and a special quality about that child. Again, I am drawing a blank as to what she said about Summer. :( Guess I'll revisit those videos and possibly update this post when I have time. The other class had a similar presentation by their teachers, but it was a song they had written about the kids. Both were very touching, but no tears were shed by me. I guess I have just come to accept the fact that she is growing up whether I like it or not. Or, maybe they will come next week. Who knows?? But, I've officially got a first grader on my hands now. After graduation, Clint, Summer, myself, Mom, Tre, Dad, Amanda and Lexie headed to Longhorns for an early dinner (Summer's choice). Summer had steak which is one of her favorite foods. She also loves their bread and does not eat the crust like her daddy. Instead, they just eat the soft bread off, leaving a big pile of crust on their plates. Let's hope she doesn't acquire his hefty appetite!! LOL <br />
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The day after graduation, she still had to go to school for a half day. To her dismay, it was not an out of uniform day like we had originally thought. Although when we got there, quite a few students were not wearing their uniforms. I almost let her just skip the day altogether since they were just going to spend their time playing, but then I thought it would be good to go see her friends once more before summer break started. I ended up staying there too and watching her until about 10:00 when we decided to call it a day. After saying goodbye to her teachers, we got in the car and headed to the library to sign up for summer reading. At first, I told her to pick 5 books and I would pick 5 books for her too. We both ended up with 6, but I'm not complaining because reading is good for her. I've got a goal of 100 books this summer, but I may be pushing it a little. Oh well, 50 for sure!!! I'm also going to try to work in a few books that she will actually be reading to me. She is so close to reading. She can read some beginner books, but she gets frustrated easily when she comes to a word she doesn't know and just wants me to read it to her. I'm hoping she will start using the sounding out method her teachers taught her in Kindergarten, but I'm not pushing her too hard. I don't want her to dislike reading altogether. I do love that time with her anyway and am not anxious for her to be a totally independent reader.<br />
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After checking out our bounty of books, we headed to the condo to see about going to lunch with Clint. Summer really wanted to try the new sushi restaurant that replaced our old favorite which moved about 12 blocks away. Although Clint had already tried it and was not a big fan, he let her pick it and we walked the meager 1 block to get there. Convenience!!!! It was pretty good, but the sushi is definitely not the same. Summer loved their sesame chicken which was actually what I ordered. She also like the beef on a stick that Clint had. In her books, it was great and she may even like it better than the old restaurant. To celebrate the end of school, we headed to the movies to see Mirror Mirror which is a rendition of Snow White. We all liked it, even though I think Clint almost fell asleep at one point. Afterwards, Summer had her 5th aerials class which she still loves. It is such a blessing to get to enjoy life and to see her enjoying it too. I just hope one day Summer realizes how blessed she truly is!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897436048245261687.post-78730958997959909882012-05-24T17:42:00.001-04:002012-05-24T17:45:18.938-04:003.5 days and countingIt's hard to believe that Kindergarden is almost over. The year has flown by as the years do when you get older. I really don't remember them going by this fast when I was still in school. Summer and I are looking forward to the summer. Vacations, camps, trips to the pool....what more could you want? Me possibly a boat ride or two, but I think Summer could do without that. The nose dives the boat took last year along with our bad luck getting it started at times has pretty much scarred her for life and given her a negative view of boating. :(
Another perk of summertime is NOT having to get up and go to school every day. That will be awesome! Summer may still get up early, but we won't have to leave the house everyday by seven forty five a.m. Today was her end of the year party. The kids got to celebrate at the Warner Park Spray and Play. It was a blast for them and such a beautiful day too. Summer led her friends in a few made up routines while playing in the fountains that had them all mesmerized. It was fun just to watch them smiling and giggling and enjoying the time with each other. The ice cream bar was also a treat for the kids. What kid doesn't like ice cream?
Tomorrow we have some early scans (one month) due to some insurance issues. I'm happy to go ahead and get them over with so we won't have that cloud over our summer. She will probably end up missing all day tomorrow so technically she only has 2.5 days left of school. :D She will have a chest x-ray, ultrasound and bloodwork to make sure she still looks to be cancer free. I'm soooo ready to have the results already. I remember she we first found out she had cancer it was via ultrasound in the same place we are going tomorrow, and it was one of the worst days of my life. I don't know what I would do if I got that news again, but I'm sure we would cope. I am thankful beyond what words could describe for my baby and the way she has recovered from her bout with cancer. I pray she never has to go through it again! Now if only we could get the rest of our clan cancer free.....
The holiday weekend is going to be spent with friends and family swimming and and having fun. Then we will finish up the school year with graduation on Wednesday afternoon followed by a half day on Thursday. Let the good times roll!
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/54/8B17B4031D8B6735FDA14C236775FE6F.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1