First field trips and fall fun

Summer got to ride a bus to her first kindergarten field trip. The first graders also went to the Apple Valley Orchard, same one we went to last year with Summer's preschool. Her daddy and I followed the bus up there. Well, we might have led the way. :) The first part of our tour was the hayride which was fun for all. Then we watched apples being sorted and boxed. The kids got a glimpse of the inside of the cooler, if they could see through me and the other parent who were allowed to take a quick picture of the inside. It was really odd, but maybe they had opened the door too many times that day to give the kids a look at the inside. When we got to the cider making room, the kids and adults were all lined up and placed about the room by the "Nazi" tour guide. I'm not sure the kids realized it as much as the adults, but there was definitely some whispering going on between the parents about her lining up skills. Clint even had to leave the room it got too structured for him to bear. LOL We left as we had come, through the gift shop and headed to hear the story of Johnny Appleseed. After quite a long tale, the kids were told about the different kinds of apples and how they are pollinated, among other interesting tidbits of information. We finished the trip up with a picnic lunch and fresh apple cider. Then the kids loaded back onto the bus and it was a done deal.

Lexie visited Fire Station #7 with other PK3 & PK4 students on her first field trip. Unlike Summer, she did not get to ride a bus. Several parents helped chauffeur the kids over to check out the newest fire station in Chattanooga. It just so happened that there was not one, but rather two, fire stations at Enterprise South which is where we were told to go. We found that out the hard way when we came across the TDOT station, which at first we thought was the fire station. We quickly realized our mistake, but stopped any way to ask for directions. We were asked which fire station we were going to. I didn't know, and I was the lead car. Neither did the teacher that rode with me. No one behind me had a clue either which one we were going to. I finally reasoned that it would be a public fire station, rather than a private one. So, we headed to the white building we could see sticking up in the horizon that the nice lady at TDOT pointed us towards. Thankfully, it turned out to be the right one. It seems no one really knew exactly where we were going, but we did all end up in the right place. The kids got to tour the station and see where the firemen cook, eat, sleep, shower and relax. They really seemed to enjoy checking out the big trucks. Their faces lit up with delight when they were inside the trucks. Lexie was no different. She wore the hat and sticker they gave her with pride. Although it was a little windy and cool, the field trip was fun for all and hopefully they will all remember to stop, drop and roll if their clothes should ever catch on fire.

This weekend has brought lots of fall fun. It seems like we always have lots to do in the fall. We ended the school week with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls played and cashed in their tickets for candy, a ruler, and a purple fish (not live of course). Before bedtime, we enjoyed a nice, warm bonfire complete with marshmallows to roast. Lexie is not a fan of them, but Summer and I love some nicely toasted marshmallows!

Yesterday morning we got up and went out to eat breakfast for a change. Then we headed to the Punkin Festival in Soddy where the girls mostly played on the playground. They also enjoyed a ring toss game where we won a green finger, plastic frog, and a bracelet. Summer tried to get me to buy her a necklace with interchangeable bottle cap pendants. We also saw them at the Hamilton County Fair last weekend. But, I did not cave and buy them. We did buy 3 pumpkins for the girls to paint with Paw-Paw (which they did last night). The girls loved the inflatable slide which was free, always a bonus! The cotton candy was not a huge hit, but it, too, was free. Summer exited the slide before Lexie and colored a picture of a pumpkin. She even got an extra one to take home and color. We checked out some old cars which Summer said were too "bumpy" before we left.

Our afternoon was filled with more inflatable fun at Brody's birthday party. Pump It Up was the perfect place to celebrate with him. Several of Summer's classmates were there, so she had plenty of kids to play with. Her good friend Giada was there, and they had fun sliding and jumping together. Giada's mom and I talked and have tentatively set up a play date for sometime during their fall break. Summer is very excited about that! She ended up hurting her foot after a bad jump and has been limping on it ever since. I examined it pretty well and think she will be okay. She does not seem to be in any major pain and can move it in all directions without complaining. She is not sure that she should go to school with it hurting, but I assured her she will be fine. I may end up writing a note for PE, but only if she complains again in the morning. The day ended with another bonfire for the girls and even more marshmallows for Summer. She declared that PawPaw cooks them perfectly which will put a smile on his face should he ever read this or even better should she tell him herself.

After church today, we ate lunch and headed to the Children's Autumn Festival put on by the Ronald McDonald House. We bought a lot of tickets and did all the activities we wanted before we ran out. We even had enough tickets left to snag a few craft kits to take home for us to do later. After getting our value pack of tickets, we enjoyed free Mayfield's ice cream sandwiches. Summer wanted to head to the craft area first. The kids made sand art and decorated pumpkins with markers and stickers. They made ghost suckers, sticker art, and iced and decorated chocolate chip cookies after getting their Ronald McDonald tattoos. They went down the inflatable slide a few times and even rode a horse after patiently (well mostly) waiting in line for a good while. Summer wanted to decorate a tiara on the way out, but they ran out just before we got to the table. It was no big deal though, and we happily headed to the car. Summer was a big help, helping me carry her pumpkin and the craft kits to the car. Oh the joy it brought us both!

The weekend was busy, to say the least. But, we had fun and made some good memories during it all. I know the rest of the fall will probably be like this. Go, go go! But, I don't think I'd have it any other way. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

Family reunion leads to more fun times

I was greeted from behind by Summer and my mom when we arrived at the airport. I knew she was going to try to scare me because my mom told me and she still got me. She jumped into my arms and gave me lots of hugs. She was very bubbly and it made a long day of flying much better. I carried her in my arms as we went to pick up the bags. She was not ready for me to put her down when we got there, but I gave her the task of helping her daddy with the bags so she happily ran off with him. I talked to my mom and it sounded like she was a very busy girl while I was gone although she was anxious for my arrival home.

She opted out of the church water balloon activity they had for the kids Wednesday night. My mom said she didn't want any part of it once she saw what they were doing. Most of the kids are much bigger than her so I can understand why she would be intimidated. She's in preschool, and I think the kids range up to 5th or 6th grade. Somehow she always manages to stay right by Memaw's side whenever she takes her to church. But, I can't blame her. My mom does rock. She took off work yesterday to take Summer hiking on Raccoon Mountain and spend the day with her so Nanny could go back to work. Summer enjoyed the hike and was proud that she could walk for so long.

Her picture was still hanging at the Taste of Hamilton Place, and she was still part of the 3 words video. She saw Dr. Gratias and Miss Ashley as well as a few of the nurses from the clinic. My mom said she wore her "This girl rocks" shirt and Dr. G was quick to agree. She also ran into some of her cancer buddies and other people she knew. I'm sure it did not take much for her to sway Memaw and Nanny to take her to the playground after they enjoyed some of the food. She has a way with them. I guess she really has a way with everyone though.

Lately, I think she has been trying to manipulate me into not taking her to school. Either that or she just really doesn't know how much it upsets me when she weeps and clings to me when we part at her classroom door. Last night as we were getting ready for bed, she went on and on about how she doesn't like it and that it is not fun. She definitley expressed to me that she doesn't think her life will be lacking if she doesn't go back, but said nothing about being away from me being the reason this time. Whenever we pick her up, she seems like she had a perfectly fine time. I guess there is a little of an attachment issue that was formed when she was diagnosed with cancer. Maybe it was there before then though. Anyhow, it is not fun to hear these things come out of her mouth, but I know it is good for her to go and learn as well as socialize with other kids. Really, I think I am still trying to convince myself though. Is home-preschooling really so bad? We have the workbooks. We have several classes/activites a week and also regular playdates with a variety of friends. Just wait, I'll have myself talked into homeschooling when kindergarten comes around. LOL Well, hopefully not. I would really prefer for her to get the best education in the most stimulating environment there available. But, these drama filled drop-offs are going to have to come to an end.

I almost dropped her off at the door today. When I pulled in the car port, after waiting for several other cars to drop their kids off, she begged me please not to drop her off there. I told her she had to agree not to cry or she will be dropped off there next time. She agreed. Well, today was her lucky day. Or mine, I'm not sure. When we got to the classroom, the lights were off and there was no one in sight. That's when I found out there was a field trip today. I had originally thought it was not until Thursday, but with her missing last Thursday I didn't get the reminder memo. Oops! Lucky for us both, who were neither one ready to be apart from each other, we got to remain together and headed back to the car. We followed the teacher to the apple orchard which was almost an hour away. I know Summer has never seen so many apples in her life. When we were on the hay ride, I asked her how many she thought there were. She said, "80." Not quite. I told her maybe 80 million, and she just agreed. The kids got to see how they sort the apples (by hand) and get them clean and shiny. They also learned that they use automatic hand pickers to harvest the fruit - hands. There was a huge refrigerator where they stored the apples and cider ready to be shipped to local grocers that the kids got to explore. The story of Johnny Appleseed was told as the kids sat around on a big rug. It was the perfect first field trip even though it was unexpected. The sun was a little warm at times, but there were blessed moments where the shade made everything okay again. I didn't have my camera which was disappointing, but one of the kids moms captured her after she and Emma begged a little boy to sit between them. The only thing that put a damper on the morning was the fact that I thought my car was leaking gas because the fuel gauge decided to stop working. After stopping for gas twice and hearing me make numerous phone calls to her daddy, Summer was very concerned with what was going on. But, I'm pretty sure it was just the gauge after finding out from someone else at the gas station that it was just my A/C dripping and not gas. So, her fears and mine were put to rest as we headed to trade out cars.

Summer rode her bike today. She braved the hill in front of our building while I rode beside her on my bike. She was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to make it up. She still uses the training wills a lot and you could here them scuffing against the ground as she teetered back and forth. She got really excited when she would start going "fast" (in her eyes anyway). After one trip down the bridge and back, she became the leader and had to turn to make sure I was keeping up with her. LOL One time she turned a little too hard and crashed, but thankfully, her knee pads kept her from getting scuffed when she landed on them. She actually did a great job managing the fall and got back on and pedaled away. She was still not confident in her ability to come back down the hill in front of our building, but she managed to do it with a little help from me.

Bedtime came early tonight unlike last night when she couldn't get enough of me or me playing with her. I even agreed to play Hannah Montana last night which was big for me and she knew it. I have never hid my dislike for that game. We skipped games tonight and opted for books. Tonight, she picked out "Go, Dog, Go," "Piggy goes to the doctor," and "The Berenstein Bears Go to the doctor." You would think she still went to the doctor a lot the way she still likes books about going there. I guess they are very real to her though. I doubt she is ever excited when we actually do go to the doctor, but these books are something she can directly relate to. I'm so glad to be celebrating another Childhood Cancer Awareness month, but this time with a much more healthy little girl. I just love tucking her in at night and hope for thousands more of these nights to come. You never know when it could be your child who is taken away in the night to sing with the angels. My life experience has led me to believe that it is important to give them all the love you can today and everyday. I thank god for my little angel on Earth and every day that I get to spend with her.