Four Weeks and a Christmas Tree

Y'all, I'm just embracing it.  The inability to get pictures taken and uploaded (and edited) on the same day.  But I promise I'm still trying my best to document it all.  For myself of course, but also because I want Smith to know that we are just as thrilled about all his milestones as we were for Millie Janalee.  Things just got a little busier with his arrival. Ha!  Things will settle down soon.  I can already feel us getting into our groove and feeling normal again.

For those of you wondering...it's VERY DIFFERENT parenting two so far away from family and friends.  We are incredibly thankful for the kindness of our friends here who brought us a couple of meals this past week.  We enjoyed our vegetable soup and cornbread after the game tonight.  [We won't even go there.]  And the chicken spaghetti and salad was delicious earlier in the week!

I may not have found time to edit and upload pictures (that's what takes so much time for me), but we DID find enough time to celebrate FOUR WEEKS with our sweet little man!  To celebrate, we broke out the Christmas tree!  Millie Janalee and I went Christmas shopping on Sunday, and Russ was willing to put up the tree while we were out.  Millie Janalee was so excited and in awe.  She stood in front of the naked tree with her mouth open and gasped, "Wow!"  It made every fluffed branch worth it!  Russ agreed.  I have a feeling this Christmas will be the best one yet.  Twice blessed, and Millie Janalee is much more aware of the festivities.

We promised her that she could help us decorate after her nap, and she eagerly went upstairs to bed.  As soon as she woke up, I couldn't wait to help her decorate.  She handed me the ornaments one by one as I placed them on the tree.  Breakable ones closer to the top, of course.  This is the year she would surely pull them all off.  But, she's actually done so well!  She walks up to the tree every day multiple times and talks to the tree.  She finds ornaments that we talked about and will say, "Hey ___!"  There's a silly looking clay doctor ornament that I told her was Daddy.  So she always likes to go up to that ornament and say, "Hey Daddy!"  It's so funny.

While Millie Janalee and I decorated the tree, Smith enjoyed some playtime on his little mat while those old claymation Christmas movies played in the background.  Millie Janalee has mastered all the Christmas characters from the movies: snowman, Santa Claus, little drummer boy, etc.  Now to work on the nativity.

We finished the tree, and it looks beautiful of course.  We like it anyway, and I think Millie Janalee and I make a great team!  We put all our stockings up, and they fill our fireplace. Such a joy!  Smith and Farley were so impressed...

Our days now look a lot like this.  There's just nothing sweeter than two precious angel babies sitting under the Christmas tree!  My heart is full.

For those of you wondering if we skip Thanksgiving...the answer is no.  However, I do like to decorate before Thanksgiving.  I have reasons.  For one, we aren't home for Christmas.  We travel to visit family, so we like to enjoy our decorations as long as we can.  Secondly, we all know that once Thanksgiving is over things go wild.  Everyone is busy.  Shopping, partying, visiting, eating, celebrating.  All of those things are my favorites of the season.  Having my decorations up and ready allows me more time to enjoy this time and make special memories with the ones I love.  Without all the stress.  Plus, Thanksgiving and Christmas go hand in hand for me.  "The holidays" includes Thanksgiving.  It just reminds me more than ever how blessed and thankful I am.

May your Christmas be TWICE AS SWEET!