Christmas

I love Christmas. It is my FAVORITE day of the year. Even though it's in the middle of my LEaST favorite season, winter, I think that if it was in June it just wouldn't feel the same. It's the one time of year I really love living in MN during the winter. Our new house lends to my adoration of this special time of year because it was meant to be decorated for Christmas. Here's what I mean:





Here's the kids decorating the tree for the first time:







The kids really enjoyed themselves. The "babies" have "re-decorated" the tree for us several times, but that is slowing down...mostly because most ornaments are out of reach. However, they've left the stocking pretty much alone. You can see by their outrageous expressions the joy they had exploring our new "toy."


For the second year in a row, we will be sitting tight for Christmas. Shawn and I, BK (before kids), decided that despite how much we enjoy Christmas with our families, we wanted the kids to be able to awake Christmas morning in their own beds, and unwrap presents under their own tree, just as we did as children. I've never liked how anxious and stressed everyone gets about a day meant for celebration of a baby born to be our Savior. Therefore we do NOT make a big deal of cooking all day and cleaning. No rushing from house to house. No hours of travel. Instead, we will be making two different soups (one of which is chili) in the crock pots, bake some garlic bread, open gifts, blow out candles on a cake, watch Christmas movies in front of our "roaring" fire (aka corn stove), read the Christmas story and stay in our new Christmas pajamas all day. Our goal: to keep Christ the center of our celebration and celebrate our love for Him and each other.