deck the halls!

oh, how i love december.  it is WITHOUT A DOUBT my favorite month of the year.  i have so much to be thankful for, but i always feel like my heart is just happy in december.  i think it's a combination of cooler weather, christmas lights, glittered goodies, and important celebrations that make me so happy.  in december, we will celebrate the birth of my savior, the birth of my marriage, the birth of my husband, and my birthday too!  actually, we celebrate all of those things within the final 10 days of the month.  throw new years eve in the mix too, and december = no sleep!

being a mother to my two rugrats, almost 2 and almost 3, means that this christmas is going to be super fun!  i'm hoping to get to post something fun every day this month, since it is the best month of the year.  it's exciting to explore the holidays with my kids, to teach them about opening presents, and to help them understand the importance of christmas, as much as an almost 2 and almost 3 year old can understand anyway.

i complain sometimes about the life God has chosen for me, but i am so grateful for it.  the best part of december is, i am so thankful every day.  i wake up happy, walk in to my living room and smile at the tree, appreciate the christmas smells (shout out to scentsy and gold canyon candles), and reflect on how great my life really is.  maybe my resolution for 2011 should be to live every month like december, minus the decorations because i don't think the hubs would let me keep them up year round...believe me, i try to extend the holidaze as much as possible...he snaps me into reality by the 1st.  :)

so today, here is my tree.  i threw all my decorations on it so gabby would quit tearing them up.  i didn't put the glass balls on this year though, well i did, but the count is now gabby 23, christmas balls 0.  she thinks it's hilarious to throw them and hear them shatter.  i think it's a mini heart attack every time she does it, because i do not want to play surgeon and dig glass out of baby feet!!  my friend nicole is going to be coming over soon to wave her magic wand over my tree and make it beautiful.  i'm hoping leslie (my other friend) will join her, because i think they are both fairy godmothers of christmas cheer...and my house is itchin' for some cheer!

here's the grinch side of my tree.  he lives there during december.  and look at alex, he is so concerned with the show he is watching!  i love his seriousness!

the "pretty side" of my tree...notice how the bottom is kind of bare.  that's gabby's decorating skills.

so these are the "before" of the tree, i'll be so excited to post the "after"...and maybe convince nicole to start a blog of her own!  she is craftastic!