O Christmas Tree

December is here and we are all so, so excited!  Courtney ran around the living room the other morning singing "I love Christmas, I love Christmas!"  The two advent calendars are eagerly anticipated every morning.  One was started oldest kid to youngest and the other youngest to oldest.  Lucky for Grace, being the middle child, she gets to do both calendars the same day!  Our 9' tress is perfect in our house (now if I can get the two "broken" strands of lights working on the pre-lit tree, I'll be thrilled. I've changed the fuses, checked for broken bulbs and some of the lights work on one of the strands.  Suggestions are welcome before I take the lights off and put on new strands).  The ornaments are all migrating up the tree!  The kids love the ornaments with their pictures on them.  Christmas is certainly so much fun with kids...

Showing off the Christmas tree ornaments.

After decorating the tree we had ice cream and powdered doughnuts!  Big sale on ice cream!  Each kid got to pick their favorite kind.

My love of taking pictures is wearing off on the girls. I got them all ready for church Sunday and Courtney said, "Now it's time to take the pictures."  Caroline wanted no part of the pictures.  These two look adorable!

Courtney showing off her ornament from last Christmas.  They love these and move them about 20 times a day.

We have a busy week with Joseph's first basketball game (we are the coaches), riding the school float in the Light parade and the town Christmas tree lighting.  This is in addition to homework, Cub Scouts, basketball practices, volunteering at the school, the boys' and daddy's one-night-a-week paper route, church and regular life.  What a blessing it is to be busy, to have opportunities for our children and to enjoy the holiday season.  Maybe I'll even find time to blog about it.  My computer time of late has been spent searching for free shipping and great online deals to complete my Christmas shopping.  The trick is to get the box off the doorstep when no one is looking!