Snow Day!

I LOVE the snow! I love that Seattle doesn't get a lot of it because it is such a big deal when it comes!  I love that the city shuts down. I think it should be that way.  Everyone works so hard and I think people need an excuse now and then to stay home and enjoy their family.  Today was one of those days!  When I rolled over in bed, I saw 8:00am on the alarm clock and still felt the warmth of Chris next to me. I could look out my bedroom window and see the bright sun reflecting off the white winter-scape in the background.  Beautiful.  I could have stayed there all day snuggled under my warm down comforter.  Days like this just make me smile ear to ear.  They feel like a holiday. I even excused myself from my workout today and enjoyed a piece of a skillet cookie, very uncharacteristic of a normal week day! I also indulged with a little coffee and skipped my usual green tea.  A day like this calls for treats!  Chris and I bundled up ourselves and Reese and took the pups out on a walk.  It amazes me how they even know the sanctity of a snow day.  They looked like deer as they frolicked in the white powder.  I had Chris bring down my Christmas tub and we played Christmas music and hung up our decorations.  As I put items out I reflected on how quickly this year has gone. I remember packing Christmas decorations up last year. 6 months pregnant and thinking how different my life would be in one year.  Different is right!  But so wonderful and so sweet! I just can't believe how it has gone in a blink.  One year ago on the 16th we found out we would be having a little girl.  One year ago! How has it been that long. How is my little girl going to be 8 months old tomorrow?  As I put the decorations out I couldn't help but think how different next year will be.  I will have a crazy toddler running around! Life is so tumultuous!  It just doesn't stay the same!  It is fun to have days like this which allow you to sit back and reflect on what you have and what you are thankful for.  Very fitting since Thanksgiving is this week.  I have so much to be thankful for! I have the best family anyone could ask for, I have amazing friends, we have a roof over our head, and food in my belly and am happy. Life is good! 

Staying Home

Well I have completed week 2 at home. Week one did not really feel quite like being home yet. A few weeks ago I applied for a very flexible part time, telecommute job. It is a contract position for the major search engines doing evaluations. There is not really a demanding minimum that you have to work, and you can do the work whenever you want. Perfect for a mom at home! The catch is you have to pass a VERY time consuming test in order to get the job. The test literally took me all week to complete. I didn't even really feel like I was not working because every free second I had was spent on this test or studying the material. I was thrilled this Monday when I found out that all my hard work paid off and I got the job! My goal was to be able to work around 15 hours a week, however after this week I don't know if that will be possible! I forgot how busy you are at home with a baby! My every second seems to be consumed, but I am loving every minute of it. I don't know how much time I am going to be able to actually log in this job, but I will do my best and see what I can do.

It has been fun getting back in the swing of being home. I love spending all my days with Reese. The time seems to melt by and I wish I had about 10 more hours in the day to get stuff done. Reese is really starting to come into her own. She is stating to say words like mama, dada, and even gramma! She is ever so close to crawling, however I think she is so efficient getting around by rolling and army crawling that hitting this milestone is not very high on her priority list. At times I try and work with her on crawling and then I ask myself why I am doing this. Soon she will be all over the place anyway, and I feel like I should probably enjoy these last few weeks of her being somewhat immobile. I feel like she gets around so quickly as it is with rolling, that I can't imagine what it will be like when she is crawling and walking. Just today she rolled over to the coffee table, and somehow figured out how to roll her legs under it. Below are the pics. She thought it was pretty funny! We also started swim classes with Reese this week. We are doing them 2 nights a week. As I suspected Reese absolutely LOVES them! She has been a water baby from the start. She doesn't even flinch when she goes in the pool, even though I even think the water is cold! She kicks and splashes and has a great time. She has even gotten her head under the water a few times and it didn't seem to bother her in the least. It is so much fun watching her grow.

This weekend Chris and I decided to hit the road and visit our good friends Angela and Jake. Angela has been stuck in the hospital and I was so excited that it worked for me to go and keep her company on Saturday. We stayed with Chris' parents which was a lot of fun. Reese had a great time with her Nana on Saturday and the pups got to go hunt with Chris and his dad. As always the weekends out of town are a whirlwind. I look forward to getting more into the swing of things this week, and hope to continue to carve out my "schedule".