come to OUR window: our halls are decked

we are enjoying our Christmas decorations...still....sometimes with small tots around they can be..well, a whole lotta trouble and a BIG huge mess more than they are enjoyed.... I can honestly say, so far, we are enjoying them...sure, we are down to almost NO dickens village men or cars and the village's town square that used to "really move and make people walk around" is just a town square, i found a couple of the mobile people in the bath tub last night and my little hornet in my life took one to school (yes, it was worth no fighting over that to me!)...... And baby Jesus is known to move from room to room, knowing this from last year, we BOUGHT two when we replaced our broken characters from last year. Anyway, the boys are really enjoying "playing" with the ornaments, having their own little trees in their rooms, admiring their list they are leaving out for Santa, MOST OF ALL the ADVent calendar, turning on the Christmas tree lights and village lights as soon as their feet hit the floor in the morning and not turning them off until we go to sleep..... they love to look at their pictures with Santa too! I hope you are around children this time a year, it really pulls the spirit of the season together..... Nothing brings tears to my eyes like watching those sweet innocent children sing in church, bless them, ONE is always really loud, ONe or three usually waving at a proud mama or daddy, some don't sing at all, some are serious, and some are scared to death.... I am ALwAYS always ALWAYS proud of the little singing children whether i know them personally or not. Anyway, here is our festive decor. And i don't think i am doing one more single thing, i think this is IT!

ALL 7 stockings hung by the chimney with care... Daddyc built us a fire this morning so our fire was slowly dying out as we did our morning rat race to be on time....

i realize our bow is not fitting down "INTO" the tree or sitting straight either but the ladder is a pain so Merry Christmas, this is how it will be!

our custom built by daddyc table with our Dicken Village.... the boys FAVORITE part, they play with it NON-stop all month long....

here is hoping our centerpiece lasts all month or else NO arrangement for our Christmas parties, sorry friends, fingers crossed.... it does appear to get plENTY of sun light.... maybe watering it would help??? oh and yes, i moved our living room chairs to the dining table to make room for Christmas tree.

last year a dear friend gave me the "breast cancer" elf by Mark Roberts so i decided to start a SMALL collection of them, i have 6. One of them is the St. Jude elf for the kids! I cherish my little elves. And NO, we do not have the magic Elf for the boys. They don't ask about it so we don't play that little game.......yet!!!

i don't love the gold be-dazzeled look in the dangling ornaments but they'll do.

its not plugged in, but my beloved Allie made me that wine bottle decoration, its full of pretty lights, i LOVE IT!!!! thank Allie.

yes, i have lots of salt and pepper shakers and we don't use either one.....ever! they are empty. we are not salt people believe it or not. And that is a fraser fir candle... YUM!!!

our dearly beloved Advent calender with our 2 days open..... counting down

festive back door?

you are welcome neighbors, i moved our YARD ART to the back yard this year. wink wink. Now i can enjoy random candy canes on the patio!!! (they are on the other side too)

we have our reindeer food READY, our list are kinda done... My monkey wrote all by himself, Cleaning set (check), tool set (check), he tore out a grill but isn't getting one (sniff sniff)...but he is getting a kitchen so we can pretend grill, right? he'll understand.

we have three children's nativity scenes that were given to us...we LOVE all of them! this is what they normally look like.... and below is what i wished they would stay like...

yes, that golf cart ornament JUMPED off the Christmas tree to give baby Jesus a ride and those are extra bullets for our cap guns to the right 'cause you never know.....

And we have had this one for years and yes, that is an old pop tart to the right....

As wild as we are..... this is our FIRST black eye....ever.... My angel fell getting into the car last night... Not knowing why he was crying, since he was in his seat by the time i had herded the rest of the boys out of the house... It was dark and i said "NO whining whitmore" in what i feel like was NOT my sweetest voice.... by the time we arrived he was all bloody.... the guilt is THICK!!!! Him, he could care less and had clearly forgotten it even happened and wanted NO consoling whatsoever.

bless him and them.

Dear SELF,

thank you for getting the Christmas card picture

EARLY...

You saved ME a whole lotta stress as this picture above and below is our NORM.

a thankful mama,

our ornaments most ALL represent our interest along the way.... These two are dinosaurs, my middle baby LOVES dinosaurs....

the year my monkey got a firetruck...

and the year we ask for a "REAL" drill that really worked.....

the year aunt Susu gave us a tricycle.... which we use still DAILY for the third child and second too when he is in the mood.

the year we got our radio flyer wagon, which is sitting in the front yard as we speak FULL of the boys toys they tote around the street??? i have no idea....

the year someone got a little push around duck... and so on and so on..you get the idea.

our stocking holders.

our foyer could use some TLC... lil' old tired plant.....

its hard to see from photo, i wrapped our study doors and spray painted close pins and will have Christmas cards up and down both doors..... So far i only have 4 cards, sniff sniff. but by Christmas they will be full of beautiful children and kind words!!!

here is MY Nativity scene, i replaced the menz as my sam would say, this year and lucky for ME the boys were WITH me, so we agreed on TWO angels and TWO baby Jesus', i see the angels, where in the world is the Other baby Jesus? while uploaded these photos, i found him...i will point him out later.

i normally hang another mixed wreath in the study and while thinking "out loud" in the great debate of what size to buy..... my monkey waltzed up
"i LIKE the CROSS mama"
me: "you do"
"yes, i do, 'cause you know God, it reminds us of him.... (brief pause)

Mama, do you remember Lolly?"

Me: caught WAY off guard "yes, of course sweet love, i could never forget Lolly"
"well, mama i want the cross, it makes me think of Lolly's new home in Heaven and maybe God too"

I wasn't about to NOT get the cross then..... So all season, i will LOVE my cross and will leave it up as long as it looks green-ish..... We all miss my mom dearly and are working on gathering our new Christmas spirit without her here on Earth with us..... I debated in my little head today...

what is worse?

in and out and in and back in the hospital with a terminal illness with NO cure and watching a loved one suffer at the end of their life with no answers rhyme or reason OR the loved one being safe in sound in Heaven above BUT not with YOU??? I'm on the fence, but today i had an annual dr.s visit and really hurt for those, like us last year, who were there with loved ones in the other building..... i thought to myself i honestly don't know how we made it through last December, i sure don't think i could do it again and hope i never have too....Say a prayer for all those sick ones who are trying to find happiness this Christmas KNOWING deep down it may be their last.... And to all the naive loved ones who are holding on to HOPE as hard as they can..... Miracles DO happen...everyday!!!! I hurt for all of you.