Thursday, December 3, 2009

Festive

The majority won. It was four against one, and I didn't have a shot.
There you see my poor little white lights in the background just waiting to be put on a tree...

But those big ol' lights in the front took the prize!
We pulled out all of our Christmas decorations (about a month late according to the schedule we're usually on) Tuesday night after Bethany and Towns got home from cheer practice and gymnastics. We turned on really fun Christmas music, B made us all hot chocolate, and we got down to business!
Isn't it funny how things change over the years? I used to be so meticulous in how our tree was decorated. I wanted all the ornaments in just the right place. But it's become less about my idea of how our house should be decorated and more about making the children happy by letting them be involved.
So the fact that most every ornament on the tree is practically touching the ground because they can't reach very high doesn't bother me a bit. Want to know why? Because I'll always remember how sweet it was for them to be so excited about this...


By the time I took the picture above, the initial ornament hanging had been done. Towns and Cate took everything off and put it back on several times. And they've done it every day since!
I have to share a funny picture. J was behind the camera and took this one...

Towns was preparing herself to jump from the stools to the couch (about a 4 foot jump...my nerves are permanently shot), I'd just hit my head pretty hard on the corner of the mantle, and B is smiling like there's nothing in the world going on around her. That picture pretty much sums up how it is at our house day in and day out...a zoo!!

The night wouldn't be complete without hopping in the Rubbermaid ornament tub and getting spun around in circles on the hard wood floors in the dining room. Surprisingly enough, that was my idea. J didn't have a chance to think that one up on his own! HA!

(No need to point out that my children look like they've been through the ringer...they start the day looking really good and by nightfall they're a disaster!)

As Towns was getting out our decorations she came across these...

One of my favorite dance students made them out of clay for me last Christmas. There's baby Jesus, an angel, and Joseph and Mary. She's had the best time with them, and you can tell that because Joseph is missing a leg. She doesn't let them out of her sight. She sits her dolls down for school and teaches them everything she knows about them. She's so curious and asks a lot of questions, and she never forgets how we answer them. So it's neat to hear her taking what she's been taught and passing it on to her pretend students.

Yesterday and today she's said some really sweet things that I always want to remember...
Last night I was laying down with her before bed and she was saying her prayers. Last Friday one of her teachers had her wisdom teeth cut out, and she obviously had that on her mind. Her prayer went like this...
"Dear God, thank you for our house. And thank you for letting Mrs. Michelle's mouth feel better. I hope you have a merry Christmas. Amen. Bye God!"

And today I was helping her put a preemie outfit on one of her dolls. I have all of Cate's tiny little outfits from when she was a baby and they love to dress their dolls in them. She was telling me how much she loves the particular outfit we were playing with and said that she couldn't wait until she was a baby again so that she could wear it. I was trying to explain to her that she'd only get bigger and older and wouldn't be a baby ever again. That made her a little mad and she insisted that she could really be little again. Once again, I told her that she would always be a big girl. She must have heard us say that anything is possible with God, so she looked at me with the most serious face and said "well maybe you just need to pray about it."
Love, love, love her! And little does she know that I'd do just about anything to keep her my baby forever!

5 comments:

Jody, Andrea, Banks, Mary Reese & Owen said...

I love the clay Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Angel. They are fabulous! Now can you come do my tree?

Darby said...

Absolutely HILARIOUS! ALl of it. The picture and especially Towns... that girl cracks me up!! Your tree looks awesome... I think we need one! We're colored lights people too... but not the big ones--- those are FUN and DaddyBoys favorites!

Jennifer Simpson said...

Now I'm all for colored lights if they're the giant ones like that, they're great! They remind me of my grandmother. I've actually always wanted a tree with nothing but giant colored bulbs like that! Can I borrow Towns and Cate to force me to do it!! What angels!! Love and miss you!!

April said...

Mac too says, "When I'm 'wittle' again..." It makes Grant so mad because he doesn't understand why make just doesn't get it. Too funny! That picture made me laugh out loud. I mean really laugh. I kept looking at it and kept laughing. :) Heelarious as G would say.

erika said...

hilarious! i love it all. daddyoy loves those big fat lights too! i got a package in the mail from you yesterday - I have never felt anything so soft in all my life. Cute as a button! Can't wait to put my girl in your precious designs. THANK YOU TT!!
XO
EZ