More Christmas Decorating

I realized when we put up our five trees the other night that I didn't take any of the kids actually decorating.  Oops!  We'd saved the living room tree to put ornaments on for another day.  That was because we were so exhausted from getting everything else down.

 So here they are decorating the one in the formal living room.

And yesterday, Clark put the lights on the outside of the house.  Jaggar went from enjoying it to pouting because "Daddy wouldn't let him help."  We have some more we have to purchase because some weren't working, but I will post a pic eventually of the outside lights with all the trees on.  It's very pretty.


Jaggar decorates everywhere.  This is my lamp on my nightstand.

Kitchen Makeover

This post is way overdue, but for a year now, I had it in my mind that I wanted our cabinets painted black.  Travis was supposed to do it for my birthday last year, but he ran out of time.  So when the kids and I went to Louisville for fall break this year, he had one shot.  I know it was way harder than he ever thought, but the final product is awesome.  I really love it.  I've found some fun orange patterned fabric for curtains that I think will be great too.

Here is the before.  Also horrendous about this is the flat paint we had on the walls from when we first moved here as newly weds and were pretty poor.  It showed EVERYTHING.

 

 90s cherry red

 And after.  I've not taken nearly enough to show the final product, but you get the gist.  Travis took EVERYTHING out of the cabinets and had it all over the dining room.  Not only did he take it all out, but he got rid of things we never used (that heart shaped waffle maker I registered for as a bride and used...once in 9  1/2 years) and organized the rest.  It was so nice to come home to.  He painted the microwave stand black and the cafe sign orange.  Now if we could only get rid of those horrendous counter tops.  One day!

Sights of the Season

There is nothing greater than seeing Christmastime through the eyes of a child, particularly mine.  I don't think there has ever been a kid that has loved Christmas more than Jaggar.  Rudolph is on year round here, don't forget.  He LOVES the ornaments at Hallmark and will ask regularly if we can go look at them.  Look at this precious face.  He would have stood here forever turning them on and looking at them.  You can watch him

here. 

 These pictures are not in any particular order or with one theme, but I just don't have time to do that right now.  Here they are decorating Jaggar's tree.

 Jaggar admiring toys he'd forgotten about from last Christmas.  Surprisingly, he has let them remain in Sage's room.

 My tree

 Jaggar's most favorite thing that was brought down from the attic was this huge monster.  We got it for him a year or two ago, and he loves it more each year.  Yes, he slept with it.  No, there wasn't much room for him, but he didn't mind.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

As we have every year since Sage was about Jaggar's age, we go into full Christmas mode the day Halloween is over.  I hated Halloween so much this year that I couldn't wait for it myself.  I love Christmas.  I know the, "BUT THANKSGIVING comes FIRST!!  We have to wait."  How about you wait?  I'm still going to celebrate Thanksgiving.  How about I'm THANKFUL for Christmas.  I actually saw someone complaining on facebook that they were already playing Christmas music in Walmart.  Really?  You're going to take time to whip out your phone to complain about that.  What a blessing to complain about.  I keep XM radio for Holly!  I love it.  Jaggar was SO thrilled when Travis pulled down all the Christmas stuff last week.  I was thinking that we would just put the kids' trees up.  Oh no.  He put them all up.  All FIVE that we have this year.  Jaggar was ecstatic over every Rudolph animal and ornament that was stored away.  And yes, he has watched that all year round.  NEVER gets old to him.  And now his moment has finally arrived.  Why wouldn't I make that as long as I possibly could?  When we plugged his tree in with its blue and white lights, he whispered, "Wooow."  It was adorable.  Someone said, "Did you think about the fact that when you take all of them down that you'll have THREE kids, one of which will be a newborn?"  OMG!  I forgot!!  It totally slipped my mind I was having a baby.  Nevermind the constant kicks, bathroom trips, feet in my ribs, doctor visits and the fact I have a hard time taking off my own shoes!  :)  I will take all the trees down the same way they were put up:  Travis will do it. 

 I got a set of Rudolph ornaments years ago from Khols, and they came in this little case.  Now, it is Jaggar's "Rudolph bag."

 He is very proud of it.

 Notice he dressed himself.  PJ pants inside out and backwards, too.

He turns all the trees on every day, too.  He just can't understand why we don't run everything that we have 24/7. 

 This is what happened when Travis tried to take a picture of Sage.  He wouldn't move.

 Pretty girl.  She's not sure where she wants to sleep on Christmas Eve because the fireplace is in her room.  Part of her is scared to sleep there, and the other part thinks that she'll catch a glimpse of Santa.

 Hmmm....

 There's still not a baby in there.

 Sage is ready for this baby to be born.  I swing back and forth from being ready to not being ready.

3

It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, these two will be joined by a third.  I don't worry like I did with Jaggar about not loving this baby.  I do worry about not having time for him.  Life is pretty crazy as of late, but he is supposed to be here.  Next month, he WILL be here.  I have a million thoughts:  fear, excitement, exhaustion, being overwhelmed.  I wish that I could change the way things are NOW, but I can't.  I feel like I could enjoy things, LIFE, more, but we should be content no matter what the circumstances.  And I will be.

Crowd Shots

I wasn't successful in getting pictures with everyone, but I did get a lot.  Samantha and Emily, our neighbors, had to leave a bit early, and so did Elizabeth.  But here are the lucky ones that got a shot with me.  Jk.

Jen and Me

 Chrissie preferred us to not stand directly in front of the balloons.

 Paisley, Parker and Rhenda

 Meagan and I.  For some reason, she and my mother-in-law didn't get their invitation in time, but Meagan found out that morning and came anyway.

 Nichole, Gracin and I.  In my hand is the cup full of rocks and dirt that Jaggar worked so hard to fill.  There were multiple ones that he filled.

 And the following 10,000 pictures are my hostesses.  I asked Rhenda to take this first one.  She didn't even know if it was on because it was our Nikon and not a point and shoot.  So I took a look and then called Sean in.

 Sean is like Travis in that when he takes pictures, he will take about 20.  Because "the odds are that you'll have at least one or two in there that you like."  Not with this group though.  Just for the record, I was not the complainer.  I kind of have this gift of taking great pictures.  JK.  I really just didn't care.  I felt that I was pretty consistent.

 Suzanne was clearly not accustomed to the flip book of pictures that would ensue.

 Clearly.  Hahaha.

And after all of those, Angelle was not liking any because her feet were showing.  Sean was shocked.  So we redid and added Rhenda.

I think these were acceptable to them.

Sage and Lydia

When we were taking things down, the kids jumped at the chance to play with the balloons. 

Look at Iris.  She's a doll.

Jaggar let a few go.  I'm sure it was accidental.  When we left, he said, "Holland, thank you for the party!"  Holland is Chrissie's 3rd child, who is 4.

Sean, child and balloon wrangler

They climbed this tree all afternoon.  Jaggar had a scrape below his eye to prove it.  I had to laugh.  Sage chose such a beautiful fancy outfit to wear, and she climbed a tree in it all day.