Home Sweet Home

Rachel here. We've been home now for 3 whole days, and it's been amazeballs! I am in no way trying to complain of all the great trips and visits we've had in the last month, but there is something about the charm of being home that we were missing. I don't feel like we've done a whole lot around here, but we've done enough to keep us sane. :)

Sunday (after naps!!!) after returning from Brett's Bday Bash, we headed outside for a family walk to a park that is close to our house. We traveled in style.

Emma Grace is paci free... which is AWESOME and liberating. COLD TURKEY... as much as it sucks to hear your baby cry that first night, I wouldn't take it back for the world because it works, and it's quick.

We've been doing a lot of playing.

A lot of art making.

Some dressing up... Reese is taking my picture here. ;)

A lot of mess making.

And some attempts at cleaning up.

Speaking of cleaning up... I bought this "responsibility chart" like 2 years ago for Reese. We've finally busted it out and are using it in full force. Bryan thought it was about time for Reese to start making a living... earning her keep if you wish. That's right folks... Reese will be earning an allowance. :) Can you tell her daddy is an accountant? Basically she'll be getting $3/week (for her age) for completing her "chores". As of right now they are pretty simple things, but she's totally excited about her chart and has managed to get everything done each day, and as of right now she has no idea money is involved. Each day she has to make her bed (i make one side, and she makes the other... which I'm not gonna lie is pretty funny), brush her teeth, get dressed, put toys away, take a bath, and get ready for bed. Simple enough. We do these things anyway, but now she's learning that these are her responsibilities each day and not just something we make her do. And she's all about putting her magnets on there once she's done. AWESOME!

We're also giving her more responsibility and teaching her routine because... drum roll please... in the fall I'll be doing preschool with her homeschool style! After much discussion Bryan and I have decided that I'll work with her this fall with a preschool curriculum I found online (it's nothing serious, but with some tweaking I think it'll be awesome), and then we'll aim for private preschool starting next fall. Because her birthday is in October, she doesn't meet the state's requirement for starting preschool "on-time"... meaning her birthday comes after the cutoff for her same aged friends. We're hoping to put her in a private kindergarten and then start her in public first grade with her friends... but that's still a couple of years down the road. We're VERY EXCITED, and I can NOT wait to get back into the teaching niche. I even found a cute little curriculum to do with Emma Grace!!!! NERDO. :)