Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas from the J Train! Whoever you are, we love you for reading our blog! If we usually exchange Christmas cards, I've got a hard copy of this photo for you...I just haven't mailed or run into you yet! The baby in the photo is not our new one...she's still in utero and seems to be content to miss this Christmas. Hope your day is merry! Love, the Alley's

The Nursery

I got to fix up my nursery for our coming baby girl. It is also the guest room. It is pink and girly and I'm not afraid to add some birds. Will I ever tire of birds and trees? I don't think so. They are just too soothing. So here she will sleep. Complete with my dad's first pair of shoes and one of my favorite pictures of my mom and me. I was her third girl, and this will be my third girl. I feel extremely blessed. For the baby and a space to call hers.

Collections

Well, I've been without my husband and kids for a few days...free to nest and organize and enjoy complete quiet. And groan out loud when I'm in pain, for there's no one to ask what's the matter. They are on their way home now, so I'm wrapping up and planning on raising my feet high in the air for the last hour of solitude...my ankles have risen to a new level of huge.

While cleaning up and doing projects around here I found some interesting collections. The most impressive was my collection of plastic grocery bags. I really wish I had photographed them or at least gotten an estimate. I'm sure it was a few hundred. But I found some other things I had multiples of...
Who knew we had seven hammers in the house?


And Jimmy's accumulation of big drink cups was quite impressive.


And though I can never find a pencil when we need one, we have plenty of scissors. I love scissors. You can't have enough. Getting them all in one place makes me quite happy.

And then there were these cuties. I'm getting ready to add one. Long live the snot suckers.

I also came across huge virtual collections, like the 4 GB memory card I emptied and backed up on CD's. Quite a feat if I do say so myself.

And then there's the collection of movies I "watched" (which means played in the background for noise to keep myself company)...I always pick movies with good music since I don't really watch them, just listen to them...quite a good selection if I do say so myself...
School of Rock
You've Got Mail
13 going on 30
Music and Lyrics
While You were Sleeping

I guess that's it. I'm ready for my collection of children to return.

The Excuse

Here it is. My excuse. The excuse. This is the last month I'm going to have it, so I just wanted everyone to know that it's really the best excuse. There is no excuse better than, "I'm pregnant." And though in general I do love being pregnant, it brings about some challenges. And everything from dropping something clumsily to forgetting your social security number is covered under "I'm pregnant." So I'm planning on using it every chance I get for the next four weeks. Here are just a few of the things I'm planning on getting "excused" due to my condition.

forgetting I'm supposed to be somewhere
being late
not showing up at all
having b.o.
eating whatever I want (or don't want)
not cooking
taking a nap
going to bed early
sleeping late
groaning out loud
fat ankles
fat thighs
fat fat
my dirty toilet
my dirty floors
all the dirty clothes
moving slowly
looking and feeling like a blob
making poor decisions
getting emotional
"losing it"
generally slacking off

Come quickly, sweet baby. Because as much as I enjoy having an excuse for spilling things, forgetting things, and yelling at things, I'd rather not do these things. And not do them wearing normal clothes.