We are pet-free and in the minority, it seems.

I picked Little Miss up from school yesterday and her teacher asked us to bring in a picture of our pet(s).  I guess they are doing some type of activity with it today.  I mentioned that we don't have any pets, to which she responded in pure amazement at the fact that we didn't have any.  She then asked Reese, "it's all about you, isn't it".  To which she responded with a head nod and a very clear "YES".  All the while I'm pondering, "are we the only family out of her class who doesn't have any pets".  So, on the way home, I debated sending a pic of a friends dog (that we often dog-sit), but then I had a better idea.  I'll just send a picture of Pink Bear and Horsey (her lovies), because they are loved a lot and in a sense her pets (that sleep with her).

Of course, I then got busy cooking supper, playing chase, and reading books and completely forgot about the picture until JP called this morning after he dropped her off with the words, "we forgot the picture".

Well, it's just another reason I love my work situation and location, because I could still make it happen.  So I grabbed Pink Bear and Horsey, propped them up on the chair, took a few snaps, uploaded, printed and VIOLA!

Now, I can hardly wait to hear what her reaction was during their "activity" when all of her friends probably had pictures of dogs, cats, birds and such and she had Pink Bear and Horsey.  But, I couldn't let her feel left out just because we are currently pet-free, right!?

It's all a Balancing Act

So much to do and not enough time to blog...for myself anyway.  Which, btw, I really hate because this is my scrapbook, if you will.  I have so many topics and recaps spiralling through my head as subjects to write about, but lately I've found myself blogging more for clients than for myself.  Well, it does pay the bills, so I'll be keeping with that, but hopefully finding time here, too.  I'm doing social media work for two different juvenile brands at the moment (whom I will talk more about later) as well as my committment to get Graco ready for the upcoming ABC show and my other juvenile industry sales work.  Needless to say, things are super duper busy over here, but I thrive on it!

With all of the back-to-school posts I saw this morning along with the a few changes of our own when it comes to Reese's school, has got me thinking how wonderful a balance I feel like we have right now in our household.  Yes, I know we always scream from the rooftops how busy we are, but honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way.  Reese has been at her school full-time now for just shy of 4 months and part-time there for almost 6.  She is quick to say bye-bye and blow a kiss to me in the mornings because she just can't wait to get there.  And, in the afternoons, she is excited to see us and ready to come home (and EAT, of course)!  It's the perfect mix for both of us.  I've been quite overloaded with work the past month or so, but I have a very strong "this is how it's suppossed to be" feeling of challenge and accomplishment everyday--and I really like it that way. 

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the time I was able to spend at home with Reese before I got back into the full-time swing of things, but at the end of the day, I'm a working mom, it's just who I am, and I'm pretty sure our little family (and bank account) are all better off because of it.

So, back to the changes with Reese.  Well first off, I can't believe we are at the 19 month mark and I see a little more "kid" in my little lady everyday.  Today she starts a new class with (kinda, sorta) new teachers.  Well, most of the kids are the same, just swapping with the teachers from the other toddler class, since they changed the curriculum for the toddlers a bit and her class is now 19-24 months.  Her old teachers (who I absolutely adore) moved to the younger toddler class.  I don't think they were too happy about it, but at least they are just across the hall.

They celebrated on Friday with an "end of summer" pajama picnic complete with crust-less sandwiches, ChickFilA nuggets, cheesy puffs, fruit and cupcakes.  I only wish this heat partied with them and was ready for an end, too!

MORE!

Of course when I tried getting a pic, Reese was already geared up to leave with me and didn't want anything to do with having someone else hold her for a pic---but I'm sharing it anyway!

Ms. Gracie & Ms. Vida--they say Reese was the most well-behaved of the class--
I'm not sure what changes on the short 3 minute drive home.

So here's to a great first day in her new class.  She said she was ready and I know she'll take it like a champ because that's who she is.  And cheers to balance...we all need it and are better off because of it!

Have a great school year, everyone!

Egg Huntin'

We are just in from Reese's first egg hunt at school.  It was fun to be there with her and show her what to do, but all she really cared about was the contents of the eggs.  I can't say that I blame her, but isn't the point to get as many in your basket as you can? (at least that's how I grew up doing it)  Well, she would pick up an egg, and immediately open it and want to eat what was inside before even thinking of moving on to the next one.  Fine, whatever, but you know when it comes to games, I'm a little competitive, and I guess I just need to sit back and let her own personality and wants shine through.  So, that's what I did.  She didn't come home with a ton of eggs, but she sure enjoyed the ones she did get!

Can you tell how much she is lovin' that marshmellow bunny!?

We HEART School!

This post is about 4 weeks overdue, because as I type, Miss Reese is wrapping up her 4th week of "school".  She loves it and I love it, too!  The decision was primarily made to give me some time to focus on going back to work, because that is LONG OVERDUE.  I sure have enjoyed my time at home with her this past year, but I realized really quick that I wasn't cut out for it longterm.  Quite frankly, I never planned to be a SAHM at all, it just kind of worked out that way with me leaving Graco and doing some contract work for the first year of her life, and I wouldn't trade it for a thing!

It's clear though, that we both thrive in environments away from each other for part of the day.  Currently, she only goes to school 2 full days a week, and as soon as I've found the right fit for my next career step, we'll ramp up to full-time. 

We've yet to have crying when we leave, and she is just giddy when she gets out of the car in the mornings.  I hear from her teachers that she's quite humerous too.  I mean I already knew that, but it's nice to know she let's her personality shine through to others besides JP and me.  So, it's definitely a win-win for all of us!

I took some pics of her on her first day, but they are lost or somehow deleted, so in place, here is a pic of her from the day after her 2nd day, hanging out at Zilker Park--it's the best I can do for now.