week one and other news

Week one of first grade is in the books.  Rachel had a good week, overall, and is looking forward to going back tomorrow. 

I still only get bits and pieces of what she does each day.  They've written in their journals a couple of times, made some graphs, and had gym.  She loves eating lunch in the cafeteria and having a full recess (in kindergarten they hardly ever had recess, since the day was so short and there was so much to fit into the morning).  One day they even had two recesses.  Friday she came home all excited because she found out that her teacher got to scuba dive in the aquarium at our zoo over the summer.

Friday night we went to a party with a few first grade families.  Rachel had the time of her life and really, really didn't want to leave.  I wish I had taken some pictures.  The kids had a great time.

Yesterday Rachel told me, "I'm the happiest girl ever!"  She had a great day.  We had an impromptu garage sale, as part of our community garage sale weekend.  I hadn't been planning on selling because I was supposed to be selling at the community center Baby Boutique Sale, which they hold twice a year.  But they moved that sale to September, so I just stuck out everything I was planning on selling at that sale, and everything that didn't sell yesterday, I'll take to the Baby Boutique Sale.  So anyway, we had a garage sale.  And as soon as Rachel heard "Garage Sale," she started asking if she could have a lemonade stand, like last year.  We told her she could, but also warned her that she'd have to pay us for all of the supplies I bought out of whatever she earned.  Well, everyone must've thought she was cute, because they sure bought her lemonade and cookies!  Even after paying for the supplies, she made around $30!  She knew just what she wanted to use the money for.  She's been wanting the new Brave game for her Leap Pad (based on the Disney movie, Brave, which came out in June--she went to see it with Grandma while she was visiting Grandma's house).  I told her she could ask for it for Christmas, but she really, really wanted it, so as soon as she realized that she had enough money for it, she begged to go to Target to get it.  So while Daddy and I manned the garage sale and Rebecca was taking her nap yesterday afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa, who were visiting for the day, took her to buy it.  And it was even on sale!  So she got the game she wanted, has money left to spare, and is "the happiest girl ever."  Not only did she have a great time with the lemonade stand, she had a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa, and got to spend time learning to play her new game she earned herself. 

In other news, earlier this week I won 4 tickets to the water park in town.  We've never been, and Rachel's always wanted to go, so I'm excited.  The only thing is that they have to be used before labor day!  So hopefully we have a hot weekend between now and then--only a couple left!!! 

Rebecca's not really enjoying having her sister gone at school all day.  She asks me multiple times a day, "Where's Rachel?"  She gets so excited when it's time to walk to the bus stop at the end of the day.  She continues to talk up a storm, and says some of the funniest things.  She likes to combine nursery rhymes.  Something we've heard a lot lately:
"Eenie Meenie Mo, Tiger Toe, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"

or

"Raining, Pouring, Ashes, ashes, fall fall down!"

(she likes Ring Around the Rosie, can you tell?)


One of her favorite things lately is swinging on the "big girl swing" instead of her regular baby swing.  It started one afternoon when we were waiting for it to be time to go to the bus stop, and she was antsy and fussy, so I was looking for something different to do with her for a little while.  I put her in Rachel's swing and she LOVED it.  But now she wants to swing that way all the time.  Guess this is probably the last season for the baby swing. 

And in other swinging news, Rachel's been practicing really hard and has finally learned to get herself going and pump her legs on the swing, so she needs absolutely no pushes anymore!  She's very proud of herself.  Every day after school this week, after she told me about school, finished her lunch (because she hasn't once finished it at school!), and changed her clothes, she's gone out to swing. 

As a result of being at school all day, Rachel's a lot more tired.  She's been sleeping at least 30 minutes longer in the mornings (one day it was an hour longer!), she's woken us up twice with what we think are night terrors, which usually only happen when she's sick or over tired, and she's had lots of moments of severe crabbiness.  This morning she was crying about everything.

And despite having to wake up for night terrors and Rebecca's unexplainable mid-night crying as well this week, I can't seem to sleep past 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning lately.  This morning I woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep.  I'm so, so tired, but don't know why I can't seem to sleep.  Yuck.

Rebecca's become obsessed with snuggling in the last few months.  If I'm sitting, she climbs up onto me constantly, digs her head into my shoulder, and says, "I wuv you."  Or if I'm standing, she'll run over and throw herself into my legs and say, "I give you a hug!  I wuv you!"  In the grocery cart, in the middle of the grocery store, she'll start fussing and say, "Mommy, I want you," and what she wants is to hold my arm or have me lean over and give her a hug and a kiss.  We've determined that her love language must be physical touch, because she just can't seem to get enough of it.  I love her to death, and love hearing her tell me she "wuvs" me, but it can feel smothering to have her wanting to be on me all day long.  Now that Rachel's gone all day, she seems to be even fussier and more clingy.