Summer Marie_21 Months

Summer is now 21 Months old and this has got to be the most fun we have had with her!

As of this weekend she has fully developed independent play (sound the trumphets)!  She can communicate with us and tell us what she wants...even if it is in her own language.

One of her favorite thing to do is bring all of her toys outside on the deck...chairs, legos, diapers and all!

She always has been slow to wake up after her naps.  She is perfecting her still face...a close second to her Mama. 

 She loves going to church and doesn't look back when I drop her off.  I am so proud of my little girl!

The Little Gym

This week Gramma went to the Little Gym with us for Summer's class.  She captured on camera some of our fun times.

Walking on the Big Red Mat

 Galloping on the Big Red Mat

 Laying with our scarf on our belly

 Free time - walking on the balance beam

 Practicing last week's skill - backwards flip over the bar (she can hang by herself)

 Uneven bars? All the kids loved having a party in the hot tub (the big circle)

 Ms. Sue showing Summer this week's new skill - stepping over the butterflies on the balance beam

We love the Little Gym! Summer has a fun time and has developed muscle strength in the process.

Step 1: Eat Right

For all of you who might be on the edge...who want to make a healthy change in your food choices but don't know what to eat...this is for you!  Here are the sample meals that my Bootcamp manual recommends:

For The Next 4 Weeks

NO Alcohol

NO Regular Soda

NO Fried Food

NO White Rice, Pasta, Bread, Cakes, Pies, Cookies or Candy

NO Food 4 hours prior to bedtime

Drink 1 Gallon of H2O Each Day

Breakfast (select one)

2 Hardboiled Eggs and 1 pc Light Wheat Bread

1 cup cottage cheese and 1 (6 oz) light yogurt

4 scrambled egg whites, 1 slice low fat american cheese on 1 slice light wheat bread

1/2 cup plain oatmeal, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

Midmorning Snack (select one)

12 almonds

1 (6 oz) light yogurt

apple with 2 tsp peanut butter

1 oz low fat cheese or string cheese

Lunch (select one)

1 pc light wheat bread with 3-4 oz chicken or turkey, salad with balsamic vinigarette

large salad with grilled chicken breast, balsamic vinigarette, 1 pc fruit

...you get the idea

Midafternoon Snack

same as midmorning snack options

Dinner (select one)

4 oz grilled chicken breast with large salad, 2 tbsp light dressing

4 oz lean meat (shrimp, fish, pork, lean beef) with veggies only-NO Carbs

I have lost 2 pounds in 2 days so far.  The hardest part for me is the no carbs for dinner.  I just eat extra veggies and don't necessarily limit my meat to just 4 oz.  Drinking alot of water helps too!

Don't.Fall.Off

When I turned 31 last year I made the commitment to myself that I would get in shape for good.  I was going to be healthy; eat right and exercise.  So far so good until January 15, 2011.  After I completed my major achievement of running a 1/2 marathon, I kind of...fell off the wagon. 

Well actually I haven't hit the ground yet...I am still hanging on by my fingernails but I can feel the rocks below me as I gradually "soften" up in the middle area!  Today is the Day.  I am back on the bootcamp meal plan (hungry as I write).  This means no more cleaning Summer's plate when she boycotts meal #1.  And no more carbs at dinner (ouch). 

Reality check Jana!  You can't eat whatever you want and expect to be slim and trim. 

Wait one second...excuse me Jana, aren't you making this decision on your own will?  And didn't you have enough will-power to train for 6 months to reach your goal?  And how did it feel when you hit that goal?

You can do this!  Case closed...

Anyone want to hop back on the wagon with me?

First Pedicure

I always thought that the first time I painted Summer's toenails it would be this sweet pale pink color.  Well, the opportunity arose as I was painting my toes in the beautiful weather yesterday and my little sweet shadow removed her shoes and socks and gave me her feet.  Walla, Rasberry toes it is!

Since we were having such a good time eating snacks and throwing the ball for Lucy (the World's Best and Fastest Retriever), Summer thought it would be a good idea to bring all of her dolls outside as well.   

The above photo was taken by me, the stalker photographer who has to take photos through the window in order to not halt ALL play.  Because THIS is the reaction I get when I ask Summer to look at Mama and smile!

AMR Art

I was THRILLED when I realized that I won a FREE Sketch by Amanda Roberson, based in Montgomery, AL.  She had a contest on Facebook and I entered and won.  Winning was easy.  The hard part came when I had to pick a picture for her to base the sketch off of.  It was right around the time when we first put pigtails in Summer's hair and I thought it was only fitting to capture the moment and use that photo.  And here is the final product!

And it fit perfectly in a pink frame I had just waiting for the right thing to do with it!  You can check out more of Amanda's artwork at her website, http://www.amrart.com/.  Her artwork can also be purchased at the Blue Willow in Birmingham.  She does some beautiful paintings of children on the beach that I would love to have in the future.

Thank you Amanda!

The Fall

Whoops, I guess I let a week slide by without a blog post.  In the past week, Summer has played dress up in Mommy's blazer and scarf!   

She received some Valentine's gifts in the mail (and they went straight to her head)! 

Summer has her first friend! Awww, there is a girl at church whose mom came up to me on Sunday to tell me that her daughter talks about Summer all during the week.  They are in the same class at church on Sundays but not on Wednesdays.  The best part about this is that Summer's friend, Addie, talks very well and is potty training already!  At least I can tell that Summer is running with the right crowd!!

Summer shed blood on my watch!  We were leaving church today after our MOPS class and Summer was walking independently with her hands in her pockets carrying her backpack on her shoulders.  She made it definetely clear that I was not to assist her.  When I directed her to turn right to cross the road to our car she went on a standoff and dropped to her knees.  The weather was beautiful and I was in a Godly state of mind so I just smiled and was willing to stand there for as long as need be.  Summer decided to stand up and walk but maybe it was her hands being in her pockets that threw her balance off because she did a faceplant into the pavement with no hands to catch her fall.  I felt like I saw it in slow motion and my hands were full with a casserole dish and 2 bags that made me feel like I as well was moving in slow motion not picking her up fast enough!  When I picked her up off the ground we hugged first.  I could tell there was scrapped skin but my first priority was to calm the emotions before checking the physical wounds.  Then I doctored her bleeding mouth with baby wipes and luckily I had neosporin in her backpack.  Wow, I am really going to be in for it when she starts skinning up her knees because I just felt terrible.  After her afternoon nap we went outside to gently wake up with some fresh air.

The bright lighting makes it look better than it actually is in real life. 

Summer's Post

Hi, my name is Summer and I am very conservative.

 I am often shy and not at all full of myself.

 In fact, when I do talk I keep it to a whisper.

 I love when my mama spends time fixing my hair.  I leave it alone all day long.

 My parents make me work from home...thinking of telling some authorities about this.

Word of the Day

I realize it has been a while since my last post.  I have been overwhelmed with my to-do list and therefore not really accomplishing much of anything.  In perfect timing, our church lesson yesterday really made me realize that I needed to ask God for the energy and focus to complete my everyday tasks.  And of course, God delivers.  I was able to get more checked off my list yesterday than 3 days combined.  Therefore, now I have time to blog!
Here is a video from this morning when I was playing with our new camera, Canon Powershot SD1400. (Turns out I might have to read some instructions in order to get the video to upload-sorry for the teaser)Instead of the video, here Summer was today playing dress up with my ear warmer.

Chad came up with a brilliant idea to have a "word of the day" for Summer to practice.  The first word is "Chair."  When she successfully said it we added a second word, "Bible."   Each morning during breakfast/coffee we will introduce a new word to focus on.  I wrote the words and taped them on the door in her playroom but that quickly got ripped down...oh well, its a start.