so it's been 2 weeks

vacation is exhausting. seriously. anyone who says otherwise is crazy...or has a nanny to watch their children while they themselves relax on the beach whilst sipping something loaded with alcohol.

am i right?

& the week after vacation is even more exhausting because apparently ALL THINGS IN THE WORLD STOP WHEN YOU'RE AWAY! that's right- nothing is resolved or completed & it's all waiting for you when you return. yes indeed.

& then sometimes the cat pees on your bed while you're gone. THE BEST!

regardless- that is no excuse for me to neglect this here blog. that's my excuse for neglecting this here blog.

to convey my deepest apologies, i'm leaving you with a gift:

1. 50 Shades of Grey review
2. 50 Shades Darker review
3. 50 Shades Freed review

you're welcome. & i promise to return next week with even more goodies. ie: pictures of my children frolicking on the beach & snogging ice cream cones.
happy friday.

catching up

i'm behind. on updates, pictures, general everything, etc etc. this is what happens when you're on vacation.

so i'll just dive right in with some Steppin' Out pictures:

11/24


alex
hat: Target
sweater: Cherokee (Target)
shirt: Cherokee (Target)
skirt: Target
tights: gift (H&M)
shoes: Target

me
jacket: Vintage (thrifted)
sweatshirt: Target
shirt: dElIA*s
sweats: Derek Heart
boots: Rocket Dog

11/23


sweater: Cherokee (Target)
pants: gift
shoes: Target

11/25 (Thanksgiving Outfit)


dress: babyGap (size 3-6 months!!!)
tights: Target
shoes: Amimoc

she ended up with a sweater & her shoes to actually leave the house:



sweater: Cherokee (Target)
shoes: Target

11/27


skirt: babyGap (3-6 months!!!)
sweater: Cherokee (Target)
shirt: Cherokee (Target)
leggings: BabyLegs
shoes: Amimoc

and i think that sums up the outfits i actually captured- she obviously got dressed on a daily basis- but i'm only human & i can only document so much.

here's the rest of her:






(those tights- they slay me)




and at one point this week, my child randomly "noticed" the swing:




she insisted on getting in & happily swung for almost an hour- and then did this:



yeah- conked out for an hour & a half. then she woke up, i asked her if she wanted to get out & she said "No!" swing swing swing.

then about 20 min later she decided that she was "All done!"
however, she hasn't asked to get back in since. so fingers crossed that it was a 1 time deal & she won't try to remove her sister from the swing in the near future.

thursday = Thanksgiving & the need for a sweet dress:




imagine my shock when i pulled this from the depths of her closet & tried it on her...and it FIT! people, this dress = 3-6 months!
i think babyGap runs a bit large, but damn- she's 14 months old!
i was pleased though- saved me some money & she finally got to wear it.



hooray!

then on saturday i decided to try another 3-6 month article of clothing:






another babyGap find- and the skirt fit. incredible.

and there you have it- picture overload.
let's see if i can sum up the rest of the week:

- vacation = hooray
- the Christmas Tree = UP & DECORATED!
- the home = DECORATED (this is big since i didn't deco for fall at all. shame on me)
- Buy Buy Baby = purchased bouncer (which i looove)
- husband = put together alex's new dresser (which i also love) and now we wait for the crib (in today?)
- husband & father in law = 97% done with alex's new room. walls are painted & the floor is in. just need the trim & some touch-ups (they promised to be done this coming weekend)
- Target = purchased rug for alex's floor. it's white & fluffy & i love it.
- Amazon = addtl AngelCare Monitor & alex's crib sheets purchased
- Nordstrom = alex's snowsuit & winter boots purchased
- the mall & various stores = almost done Christmas shopping (thank God for gift cards)
- Amazon = delivered the husband's b-day present which i allowed him to open early: Bradley 4 Rack Digital Smoker (i may have created a monster. he is now consumed with finding things he can smoke. dear God.)

aaand- there's more but Lord knows i can't recall everything.

this is my last week of work so i'll be wrapping things up & assigning clients out.
i'm stoked, nervous, exited, tired, slow, large, feeling good, ready to go, not quite ready- you know. a little bit of everything.

i'm praying this kid stays in until at least Dec 10th (my due date). that'll give me this week to work, next week to use up vacation time & then my short term & FMLA kicks in. almost perfection.

so i'm going to ignore the increased pelvic pressure & such i've been feeling & pray pray pray that she stays comfy (inside) for another 2 weeks. that way i'll have everything done (i think) room, house, car, work, family, stuff, etc etc wise.

i hope everyone had a wonderfull Thanskgiving & i promise to try & catch up on blogs & such. & such & such & such!

vacation

it's vacation week in our house. which means minimal message boards, minimal blogging, minimal checking mail, minimal internet- you get the idea.

instead we'll be out & about, running errands, picking up needed things, spending money, Christmas shopping, eating, finishing up a little girl's big girl room- etc etc.

however i don't want to neglect- so let's see- saturday:

hat: Target

shirt: Cherokee (Target)

sweater: Cherokee (Target)

leggings: gift

socks: Baby Legs

shoes: Target

headed in to brave the mall...

where alex rode the carousel...with a bit of fear & trepidation, so i think we'll hold off on doing that again for awhile.

then we recovered our sanity via Starbucks:

where alex begged for "more more" lemon pound cake & charmed the locals.

we were out late- so alex crashed when we got home- but still managed to get up around 12:30am. i dragged her to bed & thankfully she went back down.

sunday morning came at a fairly reasonable hour- 7am. so we decided breakfast out was in order:

the husband has a slight iHop obsession, so that's where we found ourselves.

afterwards we made some time for Target & a few other errands. and then we headed home. for the rest of the day. glorious!

sweater: Cherokee (Target)

dress: babyGap

tights: Old Navy

shoes: Target

it was cooooold outside- so getting in & staying in = perfect.

alex was an almost angel (ie: minimal whining) & we had an awesome just us 3 day.

the husband finished painting alex's room (hooray) and i did a crapload of newborn laundry. folding the tiniest clothing ever definitely takes me back...and slightly terrifies me.

i loaded the drawers with baby clothes & gave my, not a baby anymore, toddler a bath.

warm jams (jammies) & a tummy full of milk = an exhausted alex.

to bed- only to awaken around 1:30 am. i brought her to bed where she proceeded to keep me up until 3:30 or so. ::side eye::

thankfully she slept until 8 am.

a lazy morning, a few more errands & lunch, followed by the rest of the day at home.

and now i sit here watching my kid lose her mind over Kai-Lan & Yo Gabba Gabba.

...she's also whining. which means "i'm tired"- perhaps she'll sleep till a Godly hour tonight, eh?