How lovely are your branches

After we got the tree back and in place on Saturday night, I strung the lights and Emily and the kids decorated it before Grandma and Gramps left. I think they enjoyed watching the little ones get excited for Christmas. Here is the kindergartener in front of the fully lit tree this morning before school.

It's always nice to ready for Christmas.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Christmas Tree

We took my parents to go pick out a Christmas tree at the same farm we went to last year. It was fun! The little guy is old enough to read all the cheesy Christmas jokes himself.

The baby had clothing on her lower half this year.

My mom had a nice time AND offered good advice on swag selection.

And my dad and the little dude only almost clotheslined one person with the measuring pole.

All in all, I'd say it was a huge success!

Mom of the Year

That's me! The kids had their picture taken at a Christmas tree farm today, so we brought changes of clothes so they could help pick out a tree without ruining their nice Christmas outfits.

Somehow, though, I managed to forget the baby's pants and socks. Thankfully it was in the mid-60s, so she didn't freeze to death.

It was pretty embarrassing.

Merry Christmas!

I tried to get a picture of the kids in their cute red plaid outfits, and we started out ok…

… but quickly descended into ridiculousness.

And yes, that is a brown paper bag hanging from the tree in the first picture.

Trimming the Tree!

The baby helped Eric take the net off the tree when we got it home last Friday night.

Then the little guy helped me hang ornaments Saturday morning.

See this branch? It has FOUR ornaments on it. So, our tree is, um, oddly decorated this year.

It doesn't really matter-- he was thrilled with the final product.

Christmas Finery!

Our church had a big Christmas-y service tonight, and the little guy sang in the youngest choir. It was adorable. Both kids were dressed in their fanciest clothes, so Eric tried to get a nice photo of them by the tree. Although the little guy makes the strangest faces, all the pictures Eric took have a beautiful softness (from a haze of peanut buttery fingerprints on the camera lens).

O Christmas Tree!

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather today and picked out a Christmas tree.

The little guy had a blast! There was SO MUCH ROOM TO RUN!!!

There were so many trees! We ended up finding a nice one that fits perfectly in our house. Running around at the tree farm has it benefits, too… here's what the kids looked like when we got home.

Asleep.

And sleeping.