Christmas Tree decorating.

On a usual year, I skip black Friday shopping and stay home with the fam to decorate for Christmas. This year was a bit different because we enjoyed our second Thanksgiving dinner with family on Friday...so instead, used Saturday to get started on Christmas decor.

I spent a few hours putting up the tree (yes..its fake...lay off!). I HATE this part. I really do not enjoy one second of arranging the limbs to make it look a tree. One thing that seems to happen every single year, while I am doing the limb arranging, is that I tend to sit there thinking about how much has changed since the last time I was sitting there for hours torturing myself trying to make a fake tree look real. I also find myself wondering what kinds of things are going to change in the next year. I actually DO enjoy this part.

Its not even that I plan on doing this. I don't get out the tree and think "ok, now I am going to sit and think about the past year and the year to come". I don't plan on doing it, but it just seems to happen..every year.

So this year, as I was in the middle of limb arranging, I was thinking about the fact that our immediate family didn't really go through any major changes over the last year. No new jobs, no new babies, no new living situations...which is all good. I did think about how each of the kids have changed since last Christmas.

While decorating my Christmas tree last year, I am sure that I wasn't thinking about being in two weddings the following summer! Now both of my sister in laws are celebrating their first Christmas's with their husbands!

Then my mind switches from what happened last year..and then starts to wonder what might happen this year! At this point, we don't have any plans for big changes...but yet, its fun to think of what the Lord has in store for us! I would be absolutely overjoyed at the thought of having a year like last year! I LOVE where I am right now and would feel blessed to have another year like we've had in 2009. But..at the same time, I know very well how quickly "my" plans can become disrupted!

I admit, I am hopeful for at least one neice/nephew for next year. I mean really...its about time somebody else starts contributing here!!!

One thing is for sure, I know and trust with 100% of my being that what happens between this Christmas and next Christmas will happen just as it is supposed to happen. I am excited to see it all play out!

After my time of torturous limb arranging...we moved on to decorating the tree. This part is, for sure, LOTS of fun! This year in particular because all four kids participated. I didn't hang a single ornament. I sat back, took pictures and watched as they had fun going through the box of mangled, tangled tree decorations. They each took the job very seriously trying to find the perfect spots for each ornament.

Of course, the tree is only decorated 3/4 of the way up since they are not quite tall enough to reach!!