This photo pretty much sums up my holiday

Having my family here for a few days was splendid. My mother works so hard almost all week so her free time is the Sunday dinners we get together for a few times a month, and that’s basically it.  We picked her up Christmas eve and she helped clean my entire house [it already looks lived in again] and we watched silly movies on television and I stayed up past 8pm.

Having momma and brother there on Christmas morning ruled too. We all sat around in a sleep deprived haze while Paige tore through her gifts: endless craft supplies, a play tent, a beautiful wooden dollhouse from Daddy Santa, and so much more. I think we were all overwhelmed by the gifts she got, but already so many have been loved.  My mother presented me with a beautiful Tiffany car key chain she bought when I was 17!!! And I had my driving permit!! She was going to give it to me as a present but I never drove again…until now, and she had it for 10 years. It was so silly and something my mom would so do. She’s the master of holding on to things, and making moments really special. She also got us some yummy Indian spices for curries and since this little baby loves spicy food, we are going to be pigging out on curry chicken salad this week!

Sometimes I feel like I’m playing house. Like this beautiful home we live in isn’t really mine [I guess technically it isn't because we are destined to be renters for life] and that my instant baby and husband are going to POOF! This weekend my mom, brother and I had a sleepover and I spent a good 24 hours pigging out at diners, cracking up, and watching B horror movies on the couch. No kids, no husband asking me what’s for dinner, no dogs to be walked and no..well, no nothing. Just my cozy family and myself being lazy after a lovely holiday.

It wasn’t really until I grew up [still working on this] and moved out that my mom and I became best friends. She’s the person I call 200 x a day to tell her things like “F, stands for too fucking big, which is my bra size now!” and she has morphed into someone I can tell anything to, as well as a superb Grandma.  Now that I’m a woman with my own family, going back to my moms feels so…safe? It’s a place I can rest and get spoiled for a few days before going back to dishes, and play-doh that ends up in the couch. My couch, the one in my house that I still can’t believe is mine.

4 years ago I was living in a crappy apartment dating Phil…re-dating I should say, since I have known and he’s been my great, great friend for 9 years. Two weeks after we were officially in love and not just friends we moved in together and a few months after that we got pregnant. And we moved 3 times before Paige was born, and twice after that. It’s all so fast, and so perfect and so..so surreal.

I’m in awe of my life, and yesterday we saw a sonogram of our new baby and I’m even more in awe. Two kids! A husband! Two dogs! Two cats!

Here’s to playing house, because it is awesome.