Flashback Friday Fave Photos

Fave photos from five years ago!

Can hardly believe how little Maddy looked -- she was 2-1/2 years old!

Maddy and Mr. Tennis

Riding the train at the zoo with me!

Loves chocolate -- just like me! :)

Driving the firetruck at the zoo is serious business!

Summer Accomplishments!

So hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end and it's nearly time for fall. Labor Day will be here soon!

But, where IS the cool weather?? The heat and humidity are back. If you didn't already feel it, you could tell by looking at my hair -it's big and getting bigger! Why, oh why am I cursed with curly/frizzy hair???

But before the cool weather gets here, and I know it's coming because the acorns are dropping like tiny bombshells in the front yard (and before I forget - yes, memories do decline with age!), I wanted to list some of Maddy's accomplishments for the summer:

• Bike- riding -- Woot! This was such a huge accomplishment. Finally -- this was the year!


• Swimming -- Swimming better and jumping off the diving board like she's done it all her life. No worries, no fears (except for mine, of course).


• Cartwheels -- A summer gymnastics class paid off -- she loves doing cartwheels!


• Independent -- Maddy is becoming more independent and willing to try things and go places without moi there to urge her on.


• Empathetic -- Maddy's been so incredibly sweet and loving as my Mom goes through this battle with cancer and chemo. I know that she is a bright spot for her when we visit. She doesn't mind that we often sit around and chat and don't anything special, go shopping or to Build-a-Bear*.


• Helpful -- More helpful around the house with picking up the stuffed animals. Of course, I did tell her that there is a "Toy Fairy" that comes around at night and takes toys that have not been put away.


• Determined -- She is one determined girl and still lobbying for a dog. Definitely showing us what a good job she would do taking care of one. Last Sunday, she made sure we followed up on our promise to give Grandma's dog a bath. Latest negotiations have resulted in a tentative agreement for a dog in two years -- when she's 9-1/2!


• All in all, a very successful summer! And because I can't do a post without a photo, here's another one from Hilton Head where I captured her doing one of her many dance moves.

Back to School!

School started last Thursday -- only 3 hours worth on Thursday and Friday, but very exciting for a certain 2nd grader! Oh my, the crowd of parents around the entrance on Thursday morning was something to see and so very sweet -- such happy faces . . . and most of the students looked happy too!

A glowing report that evening from Maddy about her teacher! Mrs. T is SO NICE she said over and over again! And no homework -- just yet anyway! She is off to a very good start to a busy year. She is already a teensy bit nervous about math. She has it in her head that she's not very good at math, so we are going to practice a bit more and build up that confidence! Math is easy, math is fun, right!

Now, the big question this evening is . . . what color polo shirt to wear under her uniform jumper?? :) Yellow? White? Navy?

A New Do for School

Along with all you other moms (come on, raise your hand if you took your kid in too!), I took Maddy in for a "back-to-school" haircut.

I wasn't sure exactly what to do with her hair. She has perfectly beautiful thick and straight black hair that I love -- the straightness that I have envied and wished for my entire life!

It was getting long and often tangled. She doesn't like to have it pulled back in a pony or piggies. And so much pool time in the last few weeks made it feel rough and clumpy and resulted in tears and screeches of "OW OW OW" at my attempts to brush it in the mornings.

I gave my hairdresser an indication of how much to cut off -- like an inch and a half or

two inches sounded good. Turned out that she took off about 3 inches,

a bit shorter than I really thought it would be, but it's so cute!

Maddy loves it and says it is so easy to comb -- which is so nice, esp. with the busy mornings of getting out the door for school coming up Thursday, Aug. 20.

Watch for first day of school pictures and the school report soon!

Eeking out the last bit of Summer Fun

School starts in only three more days! Please explain -- how did summer slip by so quickly?? We've been trying to squeeze in as much fun as possible -- in between thunderstorms and humidity at 110% So, what have we been doing lately?

Going swimming!

Bicycling!

Mowing the lawn! Not to worry, she's too little to mow -- I mowed the lawn.

And yes, we are the dorky family who always wear ear protector headphones when we mow!

Taking Grandma's dog for a walk! We would have given him a bath, but we didn't bring any extra clothes and I know that he would have gotten us soaked in the process!

We usually visit my Mom every weekend and take along my famous (in my mind anyway) chocolate chip cookies! Her spirits are good and for that I am so thankful. She is just a whisper of her former self. The weight loss and the effects of chemo (no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes) give her a bit of ghostly appearance and makes me feel so sad that she's having to fight this battle again. Her chemo is almost done though, as her doc is only doing it through the end of this month. Hoping and praying that she will start feeling a bit better once that is finished.

Flashback Friday!

Maddy at 2-1/2 years old! Such a little sweetie-pie!

The Deep End Doesn't Scare Me!

Well, actually the deep end of the pool does kind of scare me, but . . . it doesn't scare Maddy anymore! She's just completed swimming lessons and has worked so hard! Seeing as the summer zipped by without me getting her into swim lessons at the Y, I opted for some private one-on-one lessons for Maddy. Best investment ever! The instructor, Kayla, worked her so hard for 30 minutes and taught her to tread water, the crawl stroke, butterfly, back float and back stroke and worked a bit on diving too in only 5 lessons! Since summer and pool time is nearly over, Maddy will continue lessons either at the Y or next summer as Kayla will be returning to our pool.

I admit it, I'm not a great swimmer. I had a big fear of deep water and by deep water, I mean any place where I can't keep my feet firmly on the bottom and my head out of water. Now, that wouldn't be a huge thing if I was really tall, but I'm not, so it is a little limiting. Oh, I can swim alright, but I've never really felt comfortable in deep water.

At the end of the second lesson, her instructor (a lifeguard, thank God) asked her if she wanted to jump off the diving board? I thought she'd say no way [I would have]. But, she said Yes! She walked right to the end of that board and jumped right in -- like she'd been doing it every day of her life! Wow! I am awestruck!

Checking swimming lessons off the the list of things to get done this summer!

Yay Maddy girl! :)

The Sweetest Thing

After we returned from our vacation to Hilton Head, Mr. Tennis, Maddy and I all thought about what we liked best about our trip.

Was it the beach? Oh yes, we loved the sand, the calming sound of the waves, body surfing!

Maybe pool time with new friends? Yes, that was loads of fun!

Was it bike-riding together in the mornings?

Even though it was very humid, we loved some bike time.

How about spending time with cousins and new friends? Yes, that was a special treat indeed.

But, while all those were so much fun, Maddy said it best. When asked what was her most favorite part of vacation, she said, "spending so much time with Mom and Dad!"

Right back at you sweetie!