Update on the Kiddos

Every time I talk to my parents, all they really want to know is how Grace and Jeremy are doing. It has been a while since I've done an update on just the kids.

Grace has had an eventful few weeks. She has definitely been testing out boundaries and it has made parenting a lot more... what's a good word? Interesting? Difficult? Exhausting?Embarrassing? Anyway, let's focus on something positive! Last week, we decided that she was old enough to start being held responsible for her chores. Lots of people have differing views about allowances- some children are expected to help out around the house and don't get paid for it, and some do chores to earn their allowance. We have decided to do a mix of both. There are specific chores that we want Grace to do without us having to continually ask. She will earn an allowance for those. We also want her to understand that as a member of our household, she needs to help out regardless of whether she gets paid or not. Well, for these past 2 weeks, she has earned her allowance! Tonight, Grandma came over for dinner so Grace was able to show off her chore chart and show Grandma where her money goes.

Not much is new with Jeremy... We think he's fighting yet another ear infection! Our doctor said last time that if he gets another one this season, we'll need to discuss our options (possibly tubes). Jeremy has turned into "daddy's boy!" Everything lately has revolved around Jason. Jeremy will get jealous if Grace or I go anywhere near Jason (eg. hug him). He throws huge tantrums, especially when he gets hungry... We still haven't figured out what to do with that. He's learning how to use a fork and is so proud when he gets a piece of food with the fork and it makes its way to his mouth. We actually placed him in time-out for the first time this past week because he threw a remote control at Grace's head and laughed. Jason had to keep putting him back on the "time-out stool" but he finally got the message. He stayed on the stool and cried after the 7th time. Despite his roughness, he is still the cutest kid- really active but so sweet and adorable.

Our kids... boy do they keep us busy! :)