'Tis the Season...

December 15. I am not even close to having Christmas presents finished, Christmas cards are slowly making their way to the top of my list, and I am completely unmotivated. Why am I so far behind? I am usually gung-ho and ready for action. This year, I can't be convinced to do anything. There's something to be said for maternity leave during the Christmas holiday...online shopping during three hour baby naps. Shopping, decorating, making cookies, addressing cards during those daytime hours between bouts of nursing and diaper changing. Easy! This year I can't decide what to get anyone. I'm busy at work, and after hours online browsing is the last thing I want to do. These next few days are crucial...I definitely need to get my game face on.

Our house is constantly bustling with energy. Jack is becoming a little man...and a little turd at times. I think Christmas excitement is boiling over inside of him. He's also getting bored and needs more activity in his life. His gymnastics class will start again in a few weeks and with dad's new job at the YMCA (Youth Sport Director!), he's got more opportunities to be active when it's cold outside. He's still got his obsessions (Legos, hunting, sports), but lately he's taken a keen interest in some of my things...twice he's been caught looking at Victoria's Secret catalogs and has also taken a liking to my Brazilian Butt Lift video info packet. He gets a kick out of commercials where women are wearing underwear or very short shorts he thinks are underwear. When I'm looking at magazines, he gets very interested. I had the discussion with him...he did volunteer that he liked looking at the pretty girls and he left it at that, but I told him that although it was great, he needed to understand that they were grown-up things. But still, he's interested. I hope he doesn't try looking up any one's skirt or grabbing any one's hind quarters. His new word is also, "Sure." That's his answer for everything and it cracks me up.

Charlotte has come a long way in the last three months. She's using words like "please" (when she wants food), "Jack", "shoes", "cookie", "Dada", "puppy", and "kitty kitty". "Mama" has just recently made an appearance in her growing vocabulary. I've never seen anyone with so much joy in her spirit. Seeing me or hubs sends her into a frenzy of excitement. Climbing onto the TV speakers, pulling things off the counter, unloading drawers, dancing on top of the magazine rack - always brings a smirk or a giggle. My trash can has a permanent home on top of the counter (apparently I need to invest in bungee cords for the lid?). Between Charlotte and the dog, I can't keep either one out of it. I've caught her biting an egg shell, eating a cookie, and scattering old papers across the floor...right out of the trash. This happens in seconds while I'm no more than three feet away. She wants to jump on the couch, pull on Christmas ornaments (hence the reason the tree is decorated only 2/3 of the way), and stand on anything she can use as a stool. She recently figured out that she can use the couch as leverage to grab ornaments that were previously out of reach. I've had to move chairs and benches to the basement, put things on top of other things...just to keep her climbing to a minimum. My biggest fret is that she will catch one of the 1000 necklaces she is wearing and 1. choke herself 2. tangle her leg in it and twist something in a really wonky direction or 3. fall from said pinnacle. My little gal, the daredevil.

I've been thinking of revamping the blog. I heart talking about the kids, but also want to make it a little more exciting...stay tuned to whether or not I actually pull it off or come up with anything brilliant!