how i spent my maternity leave

Now that I am back at work, I thought I would share how I spent the last 8 weeks ...

1) Watched a lot of stuff on Netflix. I mean a lot. I finished watching the 90210 series. The new one not the Jason Priestly/Luke Perry one. Finished watching Damages. Watched nearly three seasons of 24 including Season 3, which I have been trying to finish for the last five years. And finally, watched Hart of Dixie, which since it is still airing means that I just added another show to viewing schedule. Probably not what I needed to do.

2) Took walks. Lots and lots of walks.

3) Knit a bunch of dishcloths for preschool teacher Christmas gifts.

4) Organized photos from the last three years and burned them onto DVDs.

5) Put up my Christmas tree.

6) Cleaned and organized Gus's closet.

7) Shamelessly exploited J2

8) Celebrated Little Miss J's birthday not once, not twice, but three times.

9) Went to Napa to have lunch with Sarah

10) Took Little Miss J to swimming lessons

11) Spent an hour with glitter, glue, and toddlers - my own personal hell (aka the Phoenix School Harvest Festival)

12) And of course ... snuggled and chillaxed with my sweet little boy. Happy 2 months J2! Love you to the moon and back!

being thankful

I have had a hard time finding the words to adequately describe how blessed I feel each and every day. It's either a result of overwhelming gratitude or the sleep deprivation, most likely the latter. Although, I would probably joke and say that all I want for Christmas is 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep - the last 3+ years of not sleeping through an entire night are one of the things I am most thankful for because it means my home is filled with one Little Miss J belting out "I Miss You a Merry Christmas and my Happy New Year," and correcting Gus when he tries to explain it is "wish" rather than "miss,"and one very chill J2. The feeling of having my own little family brings me unspeakable joy. I am thankful for these two little turkeys and think the fun is really just beginning. I can't wait to see them grow up and play together.

confessions of a christmas addict

I have a confession to make, since my neighbor outed me on Facebook anyhow. I put my Christmas tree up on Tuesday. Yes, before Thanksgiving. It just seemed like the reasonable thing to do since this was my last week of maternity leave and I had the time. It was that or watch more 24, and sometimes you just need a break from Jack Bauer. He's a bit intense.

I waited until Little Miss J came home so she could help decorate. She was so excited when she walked in and saw the tree all lit up. She ran into her room yelling, "I have to get my decorations." Grandma Amy had given her a ballerina ornament that Little Miss J says, "looks just like her on her tippy toes." The concept of only one ornament per branch was clearly lost on this three year old.

I discreetly rebalanced the ornaments the next day and she was none the wiser.

The finished product. Complete with Little Miss J's pink Hello Kitty tree, which I keep trying to convince her belongs in her room ... sigh. But as Little Miss J says, "My tree. It's so beautiful. Let's stand back and look."

throwback thursday

wordless wednesday