She's babysitting

First thing this morning, Summer brings her baby doll crib and a little rocking chair into the living room. When I ask her what she is doing, she says "babysitting." It was cute as are a lot of the things she does. Kids are always full of surprises that usually put smiles on our faces, aren't they?

Last night, she did not go to her class at church, so she had to go straight to bed when we got home (we did brush her teeth first). I guess she enjoyed my middle school class last week a little too much. Or, maybe she just can't stand to be away from me, even if it's just in the next room. Maybe one day we will cut that cord, but I do love that she loves to be with me. One day I'm sure that will change. She is enjoying her dad more than she has. Ever since his last scan, he has been playing with her more which is great. It gives me a break and also gives them a closer relationship. I was scared she was going to want to stay home with him instead of going to church last night since she didn't have any interest in seeing her church friends or attending her class. Thankfully, she did not mention it. We are not going to start that anyway. I remember as a teenager trying to get out of church. Those were the days of sleeping late which just don't happen for me anymore. Not that I would sleep late, but occasionally it would be nice to be in the bed until after 8:00 a.m. I guess I am spoiled not having to work. In another year and a half, I'll be getting her up to go to school and I hope she won't put up a big fuss. I'm not looking forward to those days....not too much anyway. What will I do with all that time to myself?

I guess I'm off to get our day started. We are going to visit Paw-Paw and Thomas. It should be fun. I just hope the cat doesn't run away from Summer. He is learning that she wants him in her arms at all times, and I'm not sure he is a fan of it. Maybe if she was just sitting, but nope she's got to carry him around and dance and stuff.

She just brought some friends in here to see me. I guess they are all ready for breakfast. :)

Play dates, a clinic visit and a "night mare"

Summer had two play dates today. This morning we went up to visit my Buddy and her daughters. Summer and Willow played very well together. We walked in on them playing house in the bedroom. Summer was the mommy, Willow the daddy and they had a few puppies for their babies. :) We played games with the girls and Selena ended up being the prettiest princess of us all. LOL Then we did a snowman craft together. It was fun. Tonight, we had a play date with some other friends at the mall playground. Summer was so excited that she didn't eat dinner with us before. She was just ready to play. So, we had to stop at Taco Bell to get her a beefy 5 layer burrito on the way home (which she is now enjoying with an episode of Dragon Tales). Yesterday, we had Lexie and ended the day at Chuck E Cheese. So, there has been no lack of fun around here.

Summer's clinic visit went great although she cried when they accessed her port. She ended up making Lexie cry because of all of her tears. Before I knew it, my arms were full of two crying little girls. What a difference another kid makes!! Can you say jealous? Summer was all over my lap, especially knowing she had competition for it. All of Summer's numbers were great. We rescheduled her scans (CT and EKG/Echo) so she won't be getting scanned while her daddy is getting treatment 2 hours away. We will also get her monthly antibiotic that same day. We left the clinic with several crafts for Summer to do at home. She enjoyed making a "Enter with a happy heart" door hanger and Popsicle stick puppets very much. She's very crafty.

Tomorrow we may stay close to the house or make a trip to see Paw-Paw and Thomas. I guess we'll see how we feel in the morning. We have church tomorrow night and hopefully Summer will attend her entire class. Last week, she ended up in my middle school class after about 10 minutes. Sunday she made it through the whole Sunday school for the first time. Yay! Hopefully, it will be a routine thing for her now. Speaking of Sunday, on the way to church, she told me she had a night mare. When I asked her what it was about, she told me her daddy stuck her head in the toilet and flushed it. I guess that's what happens when you explain swirlies to a 3 year old. LOL I was really wanting to start her other classes this month, but I think I will wait until after Clint's treatment so I can take her to all of them. I hate to put it off on someone else, and I really don't want to miss out on the fun either. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.....

A mountain retreat

Summer finally got the sleepover she was wanting at Memaw's house - with me! Even better, two nights!!! We went up there on Thursday morning and waited for the snow. When we saw it starting, we got bundled up and went outside to try to catch some flakes with our mouths. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but still fun.
It was so beautiful to see the flakes falling and slowly covering the ground. The pictures just don't do it justice.

When Memaw and Nanny got home from work, we got bundled up and went for our first sledding excursion. Summer absolutely loved it. She did not complain once about walking up the hill and wanted to go every time. I did go a time or two alone, but usually she was riding with one of us.

Scratch got in on the fun too. She rode in the lap of whoever was on back. When we put her on the back by herself, she usually jumped off before the ride was over. It seemed like she could not get enough of the sledding either. Of course, it could've just been our body heat she was enjoying.

The ride started with a big push from someone to get us going.....

Everyone was all smiles while on the sled. It was really a blast!

Summer is ready for another round, even though it was dark outside (about 8:00 p.m.). Uncle Bradley had been asleep all day, so we went out again while we were waiting on the Bama game to start. Summer told everyone that she was going upstairs the whole time the game was on. Then she asked me if I was going to go to bed. :) LOL She is so perceptive. I don't usually watch the games with her daddy, so she just figured I'd go to bed as usual.

We waited until Uncle Bradley pulled the 4 wheeler out for more light.

After the sledding was done, Summer wanted to play "Dark Tag." Basically, tag (or hide 'n go seek) in the dark. When it was our turn to hide, we hid on the ground behind a car in the field. Summer wanted to lay down so we did. Then we made snow angels while were laying there waiting on Memaw to find us. Can you see her little angel on the left of mine?

Here is our little snow man. The snow was not good packing snow, but I did attempt to make a snow man nonetheless. It only lasted a day because someone (probably Mr. Nobody) knocked it over. Summer and I tried to put it together last night, but it was more trouble than it was worth.

On Friday, we walked to the end of my mom's street to try out the sledding there. It was fun, but Summer preferred the yard where we started.

She was really bundled up for our outdoor excursions. Three layers on top and bottom, one being her footed pj's. Under it she would wear either tights or pj pants and a shirt. Then we would put the off white pants on top and a big jacket. She also wore little gloves and never once complained about having cold hands. It must have been because her jacket hung down over her hands. We did have a few problems with her boots being uncomfortable with the footed pj's, but once outside they were forgotten. Amazingly, her feet never got cold either. You can really see how long her hair and eyelashes are getting in this pic.

My sister and her family came over for some more sledding and fun. The men rigged up a slide on the back of the 4 wheeler and we all took turns getting pulled behind. Clint is on in this picture. At the end of the post, there is a video of Summer's turn.

Last night, Summer made one last angel on Mom's porch. She wanted to go outside and play "Dark Tag" again, so us two went out for a bit. We did play very long because it was cold, dark and slippery, but it was fun anyway.

Guitar Hero was a fun game for the whole family, although I must say I like Rock Band better. The drums and microphone really do add to the game, especially for those who aren't good with their fingers. Summer got a little help from Memaw this morning before we headed home.

Here are a few videos from our winter fun:

Summer sledding

Cousins sledding

Summer gets pulled behind 4 wheeler

I hope everyone enjoyed the snow as much as we did!

Modeling

No, not that kind. I am referring to modeling behavior that you want to see in your child. It is important to act and speak the way you want your kids to act because they will follow your lead. If you are a happy, smiling person, your kid will probably be the same. If you frown a lot, your kid probably will too. Something I have always tried to do with Summer is to keep a smile on my face and give her a fun atmosphere in which to grow up. So far I think she is a very happy child. A few nights ago, I went to our support group meeting and we had a speaker talking about disciplining the sick child. Basically, the discipline should be no different than before. She said it is important to keep the same level of expectations so that after they are well, they will be able to function in society as they should. I didn't learn much new, but did have some things reinforced. Consistency is key. Also, swift punishments that get their attention. There were two "R" words, but for the life of me I can't remember either. While there, I was reminded of something that my mom told me Summer did while playing dolls at her house a few weeks ago. She had a little "talk" with her baby and told them that if they needed to have another one they will. :) I guess she's heard that before. Lately when she is misbehaving, I have been sending her to her room until she calms down. Seems to be working pretty good so far. A lot of times, she will say she is angry, and I'm not sure where she has heard that before. She is pretty good at expressing her emotions, but not always in a way that I would like. Overall, she knows I mean what I say. Although she may not always like it, she is learning that obeying your parents is important.

On a lighter note, things are going great. Summer is really loving her Littlest Pet Shop toys. She got a doctor office for them and they have been getting really good treatment from Dr. Summer (although she's been calling herself Thomas for the past day or so-LOL). Yesterday, we did a flower garden craft that she got and she loved it. She did not want to stop before it was all done, but we had to make a quick trip to the hospital to visit a friend. She was very disappointed that I wouldn't let her take it with her, but as soon as we got home, we finished it up. This morning she had me find her a watering can so she can pretend to water her flowers. :) She always seems to make me smile with her imaginative ways.

We got a new game for our Wii called "Just Dance." The first time we played it together, Summer won. I know it will be lots of fun (and exercise) for us as she loves to dance as much as I do. We are really music people. Maybe she'll grow up to be an entertainer.

She goes back to the clinic on Monday for her monthly antibiotic and port flush. Scans will be next months. Not going to worry about them though because we've got enough on our plate with Daddy's treatment starting up in a week and a half.

A great start

This year is off to a great start. We ended 2009 with friends and started it with them. Yesterday, we went to do our last Christmas exchange of the year with the Lynch's. We also had some awesome BBQ pork butt. When I told Clint was were here having, he said it didn't sound too good. But it was! Summer and I loved it. She loves just about any kind of BBQ - pork, chicken or beef. Baked beans are also on her "loves to eat" list. Today, at Chuck E Cheese, she wanted a salad instead of pizza. Sure enough, all she ate was cucumbers, tomatoes, a cracker and a few bites of black olives. For breakfast she had a mini ice cream sandwich followed by an orange. She begged me for a grapefruit, but I didn't have time to cut it up and wait for her to eat it too.

I was trying to get her out the door. Then, we had a major shoe meltdown. "I can't decide," she would say. "I wanna wear boots, but...." Oh my. It really tried my patience. I was equally frustrated because no shoes I picked felt good to her. Drama queen. I am thinking of shrinking the shoe supply therefore eliminating the need to choose. You have one pair, you wear them, right? Not sure I can bring myself to do that seeing as how it will be a complete waste of about 6 or 7 pairs of shoes that will be too little in a few months. But, we won't have that deciding problem. We are getting better about the clothes choosing. She still has the option to dress herself most of the time, but I still won't let her wear something out of the house that completely clashes like what she wanted to wear yesterday. Just because the pants and the shirt both have butterflies on them, does not mean they match or go together. Try telling that to a 3 year old. :) I wouldn't trade all these moments for anything though. They are just growing pains. The struggles and meltdowns are just part of life. They are normal.

Speaking of normal, it really does seem like everything is back to normal with Summer. No more worrying about going places for fear of her getting sick. While, I still do not want her to get sick, her immune system is working and should be able to defend her against the normal everyday illnesses that may be going around. I am so thankful to have a snotty nose kid. Although buggers are gross, I am not worried that we will land back in the hospital at any moment. I am so glad those days are over. She rarely complains of leg or foot pain anymore so her muscles must be taking up slack for any nerve damage she sustained from the chemo. PTL! Everyone always asks how she is doing and I say, "She back to being a normal kid." Feels good to be able to say that.

Her hair is looking like it will be darker, at least on the sides of her head. For some reason the top still looks blonde, but it could just be wishful thinking on my part. She's got a super fuzzy head now, but you can still clearly see the scalp and it has been two and a half months since her last treatment. Her eyelashes have definitely already surpassed mine in length. I guess it is a good thing I don't have to bat mine at the men anymore. LOL

This year I want to continue to live for the day, making the most of every one I have with her. That will mean lots of playing doctor or LPS or house or whatever, but aren't we always wishing we could be a kid again? I guess I still can as long as I have her to bring me back into the world of play. Let the games begin!!!

Holiday pics

I am pretty bummed I did not take the time to get a new camera before the holidays, but a few pics were NOT blurry. Blurry or not, I'm keeping them to look back on one day. Here are a few of my favorites.

Christmas EveMemaw and Summer The tree on Christmas morning

She LOVES Thomas!!! First (and only) ride on the scooter.

Summer and Thomas playing with the Zhu Zhu pets. She is holding the hamsters so he can't play with them. LOL

She's ready to play the game she got (Guess Who), but patiently waits on me to open my gifts. Watching cartoons together.

Yep, she loves to dance and jump with him.

Next year, I'll definitely have a new camera because I took at least 250 pics and there are only a few that turned out good. Live and learn. :)

A blessed Christmas

Christmas was awesome this year. We spent Christmas Eve at my aunt's house playing Rock Band. Then we went to my Grandad's where I have been every Christmas Eve for the past 32 years. Summer racked up on gifts: Play dough Fun Factory, moon sand (yikes!), pinball video game, a stuffed monkey, two books, a puzzle and an outfit. She wanted to play with the moon sand when we got home, but it was bedtime seeing that Santa was on his way. We quickly made some chocolate chocolate chip cookies for Santa and left him (or should I say her) a glass of milk....which was later consumed in a much more interesting beverage. :)

When she awoke around 6:00 a.m., she came into my room. I hopped out of bed seeing that I hadn't really slept all night waiting for her to get up. LOL I gave Daddy a few "gentle" reminders to get up NOW. I remember last year she had to wait on him to get up and wasn't going to let that happen this year. Especially since Santa left a CAT under the tree. I ran and cut on the video camera. When she walked into the dining room and towards the tree, the cat went "Meow." She looked at me. "Meow." She said, "Was that your camera?" Then it did it again. "Maybe it was my Zhu Zhu pet." After another meow, she decided to look and see what was under the blanket. Boy was she surprised. She didn't ask for it, but she got it anyway. She LOVES the cat and (thanks to Paw-Paw) now has what she never thought she'd get. She calls the cat Thomas and is anxious to go visit him again. We've already been once since Christmas. She loves to dance & jump with him. And, to drag and/or carry him around the house. It is cute, but you kind of start feeling sorry for the cat after a while. I must say that the cat really is dealing well with all of the attention he gets from Summer. It's not all torture and it is really all done out of pure love so he must somehow sense that.

Back to Christmas morning....so, after the cat was out of the box (hahaha), she went to the next blanket which was an electronic scooter. Then she went to the big bag of presents from Santa. She took all nine boxes out of the bag before opening any. Then she went to town. In the end, she had pretty much the whole hamster city and two new hamsters, of which she gave me one. :) We put it together and played with it for a while before heading out to my mom's for breakfast, gifts and games. There was no electricity, but it was still a fun time for all and a Christmas we will never forget. Summer left there with a few games, a Princess tent, a dress-up trunk, and a Snow White doll she can dress up. Once home, the playing continued.

That night, Amanda and Lexie came over for our Christmas with them. Summer didn't want Lexie playing with her new Zhu Zhu pets. Why is it that kids don't want to share their new stuff? Of course, she didn't really want Thomas playing with it Christmas morning either. She got some really cool letters that spell her name from her sister. We painted them yesterday and today and will have to figure out where we are going to put them. She really enjoyed the painting process, although she was a little upset that we only had pink paint. She was really wanting some variety for some reason. Speaking of letters, I have told her that we are going to start working on writing letters when her Daddy's treatment is done so she can learn how to write them. She told me she already knows how to write them. I told her that we will just practice then. Then, she told me she already knows how to practice. LOL Should be fun to tackle that, but I think we really need to since I am not planning on putting her in school until kindergarten. I just don't want to miss anytime with her. Of course, I do see a few classes in her future. I know she'll be just as excited as I am about them. Sunday she went to her first official Sunday school class without me. I think she stayed almost the whole class (they were playing games). I was in the nursery next door and when she came in, I asked her why she wasn't still playing games and she said the game was too long. LOL

Here's hoping the new year ahead is a good as this year. I know I've said it before, but despite all the cancer crap, we are blessed. I have so many great memories with Summer from the past year. She truly lights up my life, and I pray I am the mother she deserves.