I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. The holidays are upon us and it is a mad rush from one place to another. We did manage to spend a whole day at home over the weekend though which was nice. Summer played outside in the trees and bamboo. She rode her bicycle, swung on her rope swing and had some one on one time with her Daddy. We were supposed to have a family game day, but the only games we played were on the Wii. Clint also played me one game of backgammon, doubled me, and won. Oh well....next time.

This morning I stayed in Summer's class and made snowman ornaments with the kids. It was lots of fun and very messy with all the sticker paper, but worth the time it took to clean it up. They all seemed to enjoy making their own version of the snowman. A few of them thought he should have legs, but I assured him that he just slid around on the snow. Haven't they seen Frosty the Snowman? Maybe not, but a few of them did sneak on some legs made out of scarves. Summer, being the craft girl she is, was in heaven which is always a nice way to start the week. Over the weekend we made some garland which we will send to someone special through the mail. Her attention span was not so long on that craft, but she did start a pattern that I tried to follow. It was quite a task for a five year old to do on her own so I wasn't surprised when she gave up. :)

She is anxiously awaiting the return of her elf which means I need to go ahead and write Santa and tell him what kind of elf we would like this year. I'll be asking for one that spreads Christmas cheer to others and will help us learn that it is better to give than receive. Of course, she will be receiving too on the big day because you should reap what you sow, right? I'm going to try to not go crazy this year and so far I think I'm doing pretty good. One or two more things should tide her over. The hard part is deciding what they should be. Really the only thing she has asked for that she desperately wants is a remote control angel which she asked Santa for. Let's hope he pulls through on this one! Basically, she says it is an angel flies so it shouldn't be that hard, right? Too bad she didn't ask for a helicopter because they are everywhere right now. I've also thought about a plasma car, but not too sure it would get used. Plus, I'd need to get two so her and Lexie don't have to fight over it should it be a big hit with them. She did enjoy riding it around the store the other day, but probably only got on it because I asked her to. So????

School has been going good for her. The book fair started last Friday. Summer and Lexie were excited to go by and pick out a few books before heading to their classrooms. Summer gobbled up sausage balls and grapefruit juice while Lexie munched on a mini blueberry muffin, a doughnut hole and some OJ. After school on Friday, Summer told me she had a wish list in her book bag. It turned out to be two wish lists. Her books of choice are: Bieber Fever, Leo the snow leopard, Willow Smith, and ???? I can't remember the last one. Oh well, it was pretty good to get all those considering I don't have the lists with me. The girls both love their nightly stories and love picking out the books for me to read. Sometimes we read their library books which they get every week. Other times they pick from our bookshelves. Summer also reads the books she gets from her teacher a few times a week. I can't wait until she can actually read on her own, but I know I will miss the time we spend reading together when she out grows it. Let's hope we have got a few years at least before that happens.

Teddy got new shorts!

It's been a long time coming, but Teddy's original shorts have officially been retired. They were pinned to him some time during Summer's chemotherapy treatments I think. Summer was the first to wear the pink and white striped shorts, size 24 months. They were put on Teddy sometime after Summer turned 2, but I haven't been able to pinpoint when by looking through old pics yet. I do know that she has been carrying the bear around since she was 1 year old. Anyways, the shorts are now shreds and don't resemble shorts in the least. They were replaced with a 3T size pair that both Summer and Lexie have worn. The transition was surprisingly easy. I found some shorts that had what I thought would be a cool and soft material like the other pair was because that is what Summer loved so much about them. They didn't get hot when she snuggled Teddy. Summer never complained and easily got over the loss of Teddy's original shorts while on a sleepover at Memaw's house last weekend. I had already pinned the new pair onto Teddy so when the old pair fell off Memaw put them in Summer's over night bag and that was the end of them. They are now being stored in our oak cabinet which also sports items related to our wedding and various trips to the beach. I also still have some of my original dolphin collection from high school. Some have already been passed along to Amanda and now Summer who inherited her big sister's old room. Cool thing is, they both like dolphins like me.

Summer seems to be testing me lately. Either that or she has just gotten more hyper / silly over the past few weeks. Her noise level is often irritating, and I am working on accepting it as part of who she is right now. The amount of energy a 5 year old has at times is quite amazing. Jumping up and down at the end of the day! I mean, seriously, where does it come from? She's over the nap stage so it's not an after nap second wind. She is a bundle of energy for sure and keeps me on my toes.

One annoying habit that she has right now is to tease me about how she and her dad are Alabama fans. She told me this morning after a walk with her dad that he switched teams and doesn't like Tennessee anymore. She boos me when I root for Tennessee, but I refuse to stoop to her level of poor sportsmanship. I am trying to figure out how to curb it without actually forbidding her to do it. I have tried to gently sway her to be nice and let me cheer for who I want to, but she is not going for it. Today on the way home she kept repeating and motioning "Alabama (thumbs up), Tennessee (thumbs down), Georgia University (thumbs toward each other)." She tried to get me to join her, but every time she said it, my thumbs went down first and up second. She tried and tried to get me to do it her way. But, I refuse to convert give Alabama a thumbs up. I guess you just had to grow up where I did to understand why, although my brother is an Alabama fan too. Let's just say he is a little more redneck than me. No offense Brad. :) Summer is a hardcore Alabama fan even though she never even really watches the games. She knows their color is crimson. She "roll tides" with the rest of them. She taunts me to no end. And although she looks really cute with her two new pairs of earrings and hair bow her daddy got her while we were in Tuscaloosa last weekend, I really wish that she would stop. It is not nice. She even got me to sing Rocky Top today just so she could boo me while I did it. Oh my! What is a mom to do? How do you instill a sense of respect for others in kids these days?

Who is Summer? A cat, a cheerleader or a witch?

Today was an unusually early morning for us. The girls both came into my room at 6:00 a.m. Lexie to snuggle and Summer to wake everyone up. So, Summer was redirected to the living room where she entertained herself for a few minutes by making something out of construction paper, tape, crayons and fuzzy sticks. Since they were up so early, they got to watch Barbie Rapunzel before school at Lexie's request. It is Summer's favorite Barbie movie too right now. We rarely ever cut the TV on in the morning because it considerably slows down the eating process so this was a treat. Summer had a frozen PB&J sandwich for breakfast and then decided that my potato soup looked yummy and dug into that too. She is such a non-breakfast food eater. The past few days it has been nachos with meat, beans, cheese and sour cream for breakfast. Unlike Lexie, she has to be forced to eat cereal.

The week started off great with Halloween parties at school. Summer wore an Alabama cheerleader uniform to school and saved her witch costume for Halloween night. We trick or treated on Carter Road and then went to a trunk or treat at Stuart Heights Baptist Church. They both were awesome. Clint was the only one not dressed up. Summer and I were witches and Trixie was a bat. We met up with some friends at the trunk or treat and the girls enjoyed playing games for candy. The inflatables were also a big hit and brought lots of smiles to the kids faces. Trixie was a little nervous although I carried her in a front carrier as we walked around. Of course everyone wanted to pet her. However, I advised against it seeing as how she sometimes gets snappy when she feels threatened. Kids are not always the gentlest dog handlers and she knows that. Summer is getting better though, and she loves being Trixie's mommy. She is thinking Santa might bring her a cat for Christmas this year, but I told her I didn't think so. She got one two years ago and it ended up getting killed. Evidently she thinks she needs another one, but I'm pretty sure Santa is going to say no to this idea.

Last week, we attended Disney on Ice for the 3rd year in a row. A lot of our friends came too, and we had twenty seats filled with friends when the show began. Summer dressed up as Tinkerbell and Lexie wore a fairy princess dress. It was a great time for the kids and adults. Time for mommies and daddies to catch up and little children to dream of magical characters. Summer left with a beautiful horse that she just would not let me walk away from. I tried to bet the guy selling it to me $16 that she would never play with it again. He didn't take me up on it, but I think I won that bet. Maybe she will surprise me though.

Summer's good friend Willow had a costume party for her birthday over the weekend. Summer wore a cat costume. Again, she did not want to wear the witch costume which she had chosen for Halloween. Luckily, it, along with the others, came out of our stash so we didn't have to buy any costumes this year. She enjoyed celebrating with her friends and is looking forward to the next birthday party which is at an indoor mini-golf place. Looks like along with school comes a slew of new party invitations!

She is really growing up so fast and learning so much in school. Her first report card was all plus signs. The teacher said only good things about her which of course made me super proud. She does need to work on some of her lowercase letters and numbers. Sometimes she gets them inverted. She also likes to start writing her letters at the wrong place and does not like to conform to correct penmanship as it is generally taught. I'm hoping she will get over her stubbornness and conform. There are times when conforming to other's ideas is good although I do understand that is not always the case. I am really impressed with things she is learning though and absolutely love both of her teachers. She is enjoying school too, but is looking forward to the next half day. She really wishes school weren't so long. Yesterday, she had a major meltdown when she left with her daddy so he could take her and Lexie to school instead of me. It was only the 2nd time he has done it so maybe she just wanted her routine drop-off with mommy snuggles and rock-a-bye baby in the hallway. But, she was not a happy camper when she left the house or when she was dropped off. I called her daddy to check on how it went and he said she whined all morning. Her teacher emailed me around ten to let me know she had been kind of weepy all morning, but that she was okay. I hated to hear it, but I am glad the teacher took the time to let me know how she was doing. I love, love, love this school!

I am a little concerned about Summer's health now. Scans are approaching and she has some urination issues which have me worried. She is urinating more frequently than normal (sometimes 3 times in thirty minutes) so I took her to get checked out. Her pediatrician says to just drink more water and cranberry juice and keep an eye on it. I hope this is all it will take, but I've got a weird feeling so I've got a call into her oncologist. I pray it will be nothing, and they will find nothing wrong with her. That way we can continue to live at peace and not in fear. Lord knows I love that little girl more than anything in the world and I don't know what I'd do if something else happened to her. With that said, I'm going to try to focus on happier things.

This weekend has a lot of fun in store for my little girl as she goes to a sleepover at her Memaw and Nanny's. I think it may even turn out to be a grandbaby sleepover which is great because she absolutely loves to spend time with her cousins too. I'll get a little down time, but it won't be as relaxing as I'd like. I'd say its a win-win though!! Bring on the good times.

Early to bed, early to rise

The girls have adjusted nicely to their bedtime routine. Most nights they are sound asleep by eight o'clock. Tonight, they were both tucked in by 7:30. The first few weeks of school, they were up before the alarm clock went off except for one or two times. I did have to wake them both up this morning despite their on-time bed time, but for the most part they get up on their own and are well rested. As long as they don't get up before 6:30, I am happy. But, they have beat that once or twice. The getting ready routine seems to be working good too, and we have not yet been late for school. I hope I didn't just jinx myself. :)

Summer had another run in with the sick bug last week. She didn't have much of an appetite, complained of a headache, ran a fever and threw up twice (once at school and once in the elevator). On our visit to the doctor last week, I learned that her previous strep test had been negative. The one they did on this 2nd visit to her new pediatrician office was positive. She has been on antibiotics for a week now and has almost finished them up. She missed a day and a half of school due this illness. That makes 2 1/2 days of school missed so far this year due to sickness. Oh well, perfect attendance is overrated. After her first dose of antibiotic, she woke up the next morning feeling good but still was not allowed to return to school. Instead she sang some song with the Wii Sing It game. She also made some craft projects which she does on a daily basis it seems. The girl is so creative and crafty!! She was good to go back to school the next day and seems to be back to full health at this point. Of course now that she is in school, she is exposed to lots of germs so I'm not holding my breath that she will not be sick again soon.

The week ended early with a half day on Thursday. Then fall break was upon us. Friday morning we cleaned out pumpkins and worked on carving them. Summer was not a fan of the ooey gooey pumpkin guts, and Lexie wasn't either. Summer picked out a cat pattern for me to put on one of the pumpkins. It was pretty difficult so any help from the girls was out of the question. They did enjoy putting silly faces on some of the smaller pumpkins we got at festivals the previous weekend.

Summer got to spend two nights with her Memaw, the 2nd one being a grand baby sleepover. She told my mom that she wished they could have a grand baby sleepover every fall break. She really does love spending time with her cousins and Memaw. PawPaw too for that matter. I am glad they all bring happiness and joy to her life.

Sunday night after Summer got home from her Memaw's house, she spent some time with her PawPaw before returning home to help me decorate the other pumpkin with light bright type pegs. Again, she picked a cat pattern, but this one was much easier. To her dismay, we were out of 9 volt batteries so she did not get to see it lit up until the next day. When she did get to see them all lit up, she lit up too with excitement. Oh the good times that come with each season and holiday!

Her fall break was finished up with a quick tennis lesson and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch, a playground on Signal Mountain. She and Lexie both loved it, and I was very happy that Clint decided to join us on this adventure. The kids each needed their own adult to play with them since they are at different levels as to what they can do on the playground. Summer thoroughly enjoyed playing with her daddy, and Lexie had a blast too. After almost two hours of playing and a picnic, we headed back down the mountain. The girls played outside for a long while that evening, riding bikes, playing with horse shoes and coloring with chalk. Summer climbed the crepe myrtle tree in the front yard several times. It seems she is really into tree climbing right now. She wanted to do it again today, but I think the rain stopped her. I'm sure she'll be back up it later this week. Unfortunately, this is probably not just a passing phase. I just hope she's careful. I would hate to have a little girl with a broken bone, but kids need to be kids, right?

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.

Rock-a-Bye Baby

It continues! She still wants me to rock and sing to her everyday when I drop her off at school! I think it may be taking a toll on my back as it seems to start hurting at some point every day for the past few weeks . It seems like I will be walking her to her classroom indefinitely. The drop off line just isn't for us right now. Most days we drop off Lexie at her classroom first, but some days Summer goes to her class first. Yesterday, was one of those days because I had to take Lexie to the doctor for a check-up due to her frequent accidents at school. It seems she's just full of poop, thankfully.

Summer went to the doctor two days last week, missing one day of school due to strep throat. She ran a fever above 102 twice and complained of her limbs, shoulders, and belly hurting. She said, "It hurts when I swallow my spit." She played normally throughout it except for when her fever spiked the 2nd time which was after I picked her up from school on Monday. She sat patiently as I dropped my car off at the dealership, and we waited for our loaner car. I don't think she would've been as patient if she felt good. We left there and headed to a drug store for a thermometer and some ibuprofen. She was redfaced at 102.3, but she still insisted on going to celebrate Nanny's birthday at Ichiban. For some reason, Summer got to pick the restaurant. I guess she's good at that though. She loves to decide whether or not we will eat at our favorite sushi restaurant or Longhorn or ........

The next day I took her to her new pediatrician, and the verdict was strep. So, she stayed home that day and went in late the following day after her appointment with the surgeon who took her port out. There was a stitch that did not dissolve that was sticking out of the scar and did not seem to be going away. It seemed to be tender to her and she would not let me near it so I made an appointment to have it looked at. Dr. Smith said that she would just leave it alone and wash it with soap and water. She also said we could rub a washrag over it gently which Summer did herself. I was a little disappointed it was still in when we left the doctor's office, but it did come out earlier this week and the scar looks to be healing nicely now.

I asked Summer yesterday if she likes school better than she thought she would and she said she did. I am soooooo happy with this school. Summer has gotten almost all yellow smiley faces on her chart this month. As a reward, she picked a Show and Tell sticker from her options. The other sticker choices Summer can remember are: Bring your stuffed animal to school, Teacher's Desk (do your work at the teacher's desk), and Teacher's Pen (get to use one of the teacher's pens). On Monday, Summer will get to take something special to school with her to show her classmates. I wonder what it will be. Teddy already goes in her bookbag everyday so she can have him at rest time so I doubt it will be her. I'm so excited for her 1st show and tell. :)

She will go on her first field trip next week. The kindergarten and first grade are going to an apple orchard. The kids are riding the bus and the parents will be following in cars. Of course, Summer has already asked me to go with them. This will actually be her 2nd trip to an apple orchard. She went with her preschool last year before she dropped out. She is excited to have apple cider and eat an apple.

Her midterm progress report brought a big smile to my face when I saw it. She is doing exemplory in her social growth and behavior with peers. She enthusiatically participates in the class. She got all good remarks in her work habits and her teacher says, "Summer is doing so well! She works hard and always helps others." I guess this school thing is okay after all. She is thriving and making me proud to be her Mom!

Why does school have to last so long?

Summer really wishes school days were shorter and fewer in number, but she seems to like it nonetheless. When I drop her off to school, I still walk her and Lexie to their classes. The past two days, she has had me do Rock-a-Bye Baby in the hallway after we hung up her book bag. Yes, she allows me to pick her up and rock her like a little baby in front of her peers. Oh, if only this could last!! I think I actually told her today that I hope she never outgrows it. I think she may in size before she is actually over it, but maybe not. Despite her weighing 43 pounds and standing 42 3/4 inches tall, I still manage to carry her around on occasion. And, she loves it! She's definitely my baby and always will be more than likely. Lexie pretends to be a baby at times and will put one of Summer's old pacifiers in her mouth and let me coo at her while I cuddle her in my arms. So sweet! I really hit the jackpot with these two being a part of my life.

Yesterday, Summer asked me if there was chapel and I told her no that it was today. She was disappointed stating that she liked it. So, today I attended with her and Lexie to see what it was all about. When they saw me, they ran over to sit with me. Summer's friend Brody, who just so happens to be a boy, sat down right beside her. Apparently, he follows her around most days, but I'm going to try not to read too much into it. The word boyfriend is not even going to be in our vocabulary for quite some time!!!! His mom was there too and told me she had heard a lot about Summer and had even come to eat lunch with them one day. Uh-oh! A little girl named Alex tried to wave her over to sit by her, but Summer was not leaving me. She sat quietly in front of me while Lexie climbed all over me proclaiming her love for me during the chapel service. It was quite precious, but I hope next time she will sit and listen. We sang a few songs and the rector went over a Bible lesson which was on the fruits of the Spirit. At the end, Summer got long faced and tried to fight back tears when she knew it was time to say goodbye. It was at that point that she asked me why school had to last so long. It was a sad moment, but her teacher told me she would get her busy when she got back to the room. I hugged and kissed her many times and then she was off with her class. I'm sure she was fine in no time, but goodbyes between her and me are usually not the easiest thing unless she is going with her Memaw or cousins. Then I'm chopped liver.

Instead of crying over homework this week, Summer decided she would do the whole week in one night and get it over with. She wrote B's, b's, C's, c's, D's and d's. She drew a green apple because that is the kind she likes. She counted 13 pennies and then tried to write "I counted 13 pennies" but could not get the 3 correct so we stopped at that point in the phrase. I don't think she was really trying, but I didn't push too hard and just let her move on since writing wasn't even part of the assignment anyway. Then we did a graph on the number of girls/women and boys/men in our house. She was done in no time and even wrote the letters 6 times each instead of 5 so she could get a little extra practice. So, today when she got home, she was free to do whatever she wanted which just so happened to be watching Barney goes to School and eating kettle corn. The movie was so entertaining that she and Lexie watched it twice before I got dinner ready. They were contemplating a 3rd viewing, but instead we played Carnival Games on the Wii.

Last night we had a family game / movie night. The girls had an early shower so Summer could spend as much time as possible with her dad after he got home and before bedtime. After they were all clean and dressed in their pj's, Summer won a game of Candyland while we waited on her Dad to get home for dinner. After we ate, she, Lexie and her dad headed to her room to play. I later walked in on them jumping off their beds, Summer holding an umbrella as she did. Thankfully, I only had to witness it happen once before Summer decided instead to show me and her dad a disappearing act. Lexie got a turn too, and it was funny how Summer had us close our eyes so they could sneak in and out of the room and thus disappear from under the umbrella. They both loved it and were all smiles at their trick. After they were all played out, Summer snuggled up with her dad on the couch to watch Ernest goes to Jail for the 3rd time. She has seen it several times at her cousins and always tells me how funny it is when I pick her up. So, when I saw it was going to be on TV last night, I made sure the channel was set so we could watch it with her. During the movie, Lexie and I worked a few puzzles and tried to play Chute and Ladders, but she's not quite at that level yet. When the movie was over, it was bedtime. Instead of books, we did songs because it was a little later than normal. Lexie wanted me to sing Go to Sleepy Little Baby to her. I sang that song and You Are My Sunshine to Summer. Tonight, after story time, Lexie requested Lullaby and Goodnight. I also sang You Are So Beautiful to Me to her. After one verse of I Love You, Summer, Summer wanted me to sing You Are So Pootyful to Me to her. I obliged her silly request, and she went to bed smiling. On my way out the door, she let one rip. How did she do it? I'm not even going to ask. I just love days like these. What would I do without my sweet little girl?