Summer: In Review!

What a summer it has been! We've been busy, busy, busy!!

In general, Little Miss E has lost not one, but two teeth already! She is also doing really well with potty training and stays dry all day. Those hourly trips to the potty help keep her on track and she already has an obsession with the restrooms at stores, restaurants, etc. She asks to go potty no matter where we go...which, again, helps keep her dry!

Her signing and speech is increasing by leaps and bounds, which means her goofy personality is coming out more and more. We've been discussing the difference between girls and boys (mommy is a girl, Bubba is a boy, etc.) The only one she is hung up on is herself. Nine times out of ten she will say she is a boy. When I correct her, she argues with me! Silly girl!

She is doing great on her puzzles and it's SO much easier to toss a zip lock bag of pieces in her backpack, as opposed to her board puzzles! They keep her entertained for quite a chunk of time. She still tries to "read", but memorizes pages more than anything. She is getting better and better at writing her names, but when I try to get her to spell it, she only says the letter "M" over and over and then giggles. Once in a great while I will get her to repeat ALL the letters!

She is coloring in the lines in her coloring books (mostly) and enjoys having someone color with her, I just have to make sure I ask her WHAT part she wants me to color and let her pick which crayon I use!

Her bike riding skills are stellar and she looks adorable in her helmet!

She gets a kick out of walking her cat, Boo, on a leash outside. And yes, they are still majorly infatuated with one another. I swear that cat is a glutton for punishment!

We made a few trips to a nearby state park and had a blast walking the trails, playing on the playground and having picnic lunches.

Even on the days we stayed at home (or, more appropriately, mom's work) Miss E had a blast with the five year old girl I nanny for. They played together so well and I got a kick out of some of their conversations! One of their favorite things to do is play dress up/beauty shop! Guess who was the "customer" on this morning!

It wasn't all play. I put the girl to work! She loves to help fold laundry and does REALLY well with washclothes, rags, etc. She is always so proud of her "piles" when she's done! Now if I could only get her to run the vaccuum cleaner, I'd be all set!

I like to give my kids choices. Who says you can't play football AND do ballet? Apparently, Em is dressed for BOTH! The purple you see is a tu-tu, but you'll see more of THAT later!

Our mornings usually consisted of Em waking up Ash and I by jumping on us in bed. This typically lead to a pillow fight or a wrestling match...Em won more often than not!

And we can't forget the water! This kid LOVES the water. We took a couple of trips to the local water park and also went swimming at the local pool a few times. Em is a regular little fish and will begin swim lessons soon! She's a little TOO comfortable with the water. She will just walk up to the edge of the pool and jump right in.

One of our favorite places to visit is the zoo. Any zoo will do, we just love the zoo! As you can see, Em really does make friends wherever she goes!!

And of course, she travels to the zoon in style, purple tutu, baseball hat and all!

As for traveling, we did a lot of that this summer! Mostly local trips, but some longer distances. Thankfully, Em loves to be in the car...just keep the music on and dance with her!

At least until she passes out!

One of our new favorite activities is bowling. As you can see, Em takes her game pretty seriously! This past weekend she even got a strike WITHOUT using the bumpers! She bowls better than her mom does! And I wish I could say I was kidding!

Or course, before we head off to bowl, we have to pose for some pictures in this adorable outfit that I love!!

We also spent more than our fair share of time at the local parks in our area. The following pictures were taking at an LGBT family picnic this past weekend. Em had a blast with the games, water fight and playing on the equipment!

Needless to say, we had a great summer. I continue to make every activity with Em a learning experience centered on fun. No matter where we are or what we're doing, she's learning...and having fun doing it.

I am so proud of the little girl she has become. She is hard headed and determined, yet loving and caring. I am loving watching her become the person she is growing into and while I don't want her to grow up any quicker than she is, I can't wait to see the person she will become!

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown