A Live One

At the end of last year Mike decided he was NOT storing our Christmas tree any longer.  I was sick and tired of talking him out of getting rid of it year after year, so I gave up.  This year, with Thanksgiving being so late, and our last minute trip to the North Pole on December 1st, and then a few days after that was our annual Sisters' Disney Holiday Trip/Raelynn's birthday trip…put the first available moment for purchasing a tree at nearly the middle of the month.  I *almost* decorated the house BEFORE leaving for Disney, but reality hit hard when I hadn't packed yet and my plane was leaving in 3 hours.

We bought our tree a day or two after I got home from Disney.  After leaving it outside so the branches could fall (and to rid it of spiders! Yikes!), Mike's dad came over to help get it up.  There was an issue with the size of the stand, so Mike made an exchange (or something…I dunno…I was at work).  Whatever happened…the tree was up on Thursday when I got home from work.  I called and asked my dad to come over and help me put the lights on the tree Friday after work.  I had never done it before, so I knew I would need help to make sure it didn't look ridiculous. At least the first time.

My parents (and Raelynn) brought pizza dinner, and then they helped Blip and me decorate our beautiful Christmas tree.  It really is a pretty tree.  My favorite part of having a Christmas tree is getting out each of the special ornaments we've purchased on trips or for certain memories…I love to look at the bottom (or the box) to see what I wrote and remember what happened surrounding that purchase or gift.  I think someday we will have a tree upstairs too.  A smaller tree…maybe just for all of our LE ornaments.  Or maybe all of our Disney Ornaments.  Or maybe all the regular ones will just become less and less.  Guess we'll see  when it happens.

Blip seems intrigued with our Christmas tree.  Every time we come down the stairs he says, "Wow!"  It makes my heart happy.  I thought last year with Blip was awesome, but this year, so far, is even better.  He wants to be so involved in everything.  Some days that's good…some days that's bad.  Some days that's very bad. haha 

All of our "regular" decorative ornaments are not glass, so Blip can't hurt them.  I placed the special ornament above his reach. So far we've had no real issues with Blip vs. tree, but the living room/dining room is gated off, so he's only in there when we are.  We have been spending a lot more time in there than normal…so he's been able to play/practice on the stairs quite a bit more than normal.  He's pretty good on them, but I'm still not comfortable giving him free rein of the stairs…or the living room.  The gates will be up until we are done with babies, I'm sure.  

It's fun to have bedtime stories by the Christmas tree at night. I have left the majority of our Christmas books near the tree, so that's where we sit to read them.  I also keep the Blip safe Nativity on the coffee table near the tree, too.  It depends on the minute if he's interested in Baby Jesus…or touching the tree.

I absolutely love having a little one during the holidays.  It seems to make everything seem that much more special.  I have left a few things to introduce next year (like the advent calendar)…when he understands a bit more.  I honestly didn't decorate a lot.  I felt strangled by the time this year, so hopefully next year won't be as suffocating. 

We've all been sick for the last few weeks off and on.  I am hoping we are all well before Christmas…that still gives us a few days to get over whatever's ailing each of us.  If not, at least we'll be confined to the house together.