New nighttime routine?

Now that the weather looks as if it will be warm and sunny for at least the rest of the week, we started a nice tradition: A walk outside in Rachey car. That is, Rachel gets to ride in the plastic car that Molly gave her for her 1st birthday last year, and Drew and I walk beside her, pushing the car from the back. Of course, Rachel now tends to want to get OUT of the car every half-block or so and push the car herself, and since she's not that big, the car ends up veering off course and we have to rescue it before she pushes it into the street.

Before we walked tonight, though, I insisted she help clear the table while Drew and I cleaned up to convey the lesson that first we work and THEN we play. She took it pretty well and cleared everything -- baby food jars, cups of milk and water (which she held delicately, like flowers), her plate with some pieces of tortellini and her placemat, as well as Mommy's and Daddy's. Then we all got our shoes on and took a 45-minute walk. It was a gorgeous evening and we're looking forward to more nights like this!