It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas

We are getting ready for Christmas around our house! Andrew is really enjoying the season. He loves the Christmas lights and the Christmas trees. Anywhere we go that there is a tree he says "hi tree, pretty tree." Jason put lights on our house this year- I have yet to take a picture of them- and Andrew tells him everytime we come home and they are on "awesome lights daddy." Jason is very proud of his exterior illuminations! Madelyn is enjoying the season too, she lights to look at the lights on the tree. Andrew also likes Santa in books, pictures, or on tv, but not in person! Here is a peek at what's going on at our house this Christmas season.

This year I decided to make some "homemade" gifts for people. I probably won't do it again!

These are jars with Chocolate Chip Cookie mix in them. They are for the teachers at Andrew's school. I thought they turned out pretty cute!

They were very easy to make. I just put in all the dry ingredients in layers and then tied a ribbon around the jar with the recipie connected to it.

I made these initial ornaments for the girls in my Sunday school class. I teach 1st and 2nd grade girls. These were easy and fun to make too.

Andrew and Madelyn getting ready for one of the many Christmas events at our church. You can't see Madelyn's outfit, but it has a cute tree on it and matching pants.

Andrew had a Christmas program at school. He was a little bit shy about going on stage. His teacher had to carry him out there.

You can tell he was thrilled to be out there! As long as he was in Haley's lap he was alright. That little girl next to him kept trying to get in her lap and he kept pushing her out.


Jason and I did all of our Christmas shopping last Saturday and so I spent Saturday evening wrapping everything. Thankfully, I had a great helper!

Now for the Christmas decorations.....

This year I got a small tree for my dining room to hang our Christmas cards on. I never have a good place to display them, so I decided to do it on a tree. I really like it.

One tradition that I have started is having the kids paint a piece of Christmas pottery every year. This is Andrew's from this year.

And this is Madelyn's.

Here is my centerpiece on the dining room table. Just a bunch of Christmas balls placed into my glass vase.

The table

These are my Christmas plates I got from Pottery Barn a couple of years ago. They match my china, so I just put them on top.

This is our tree. It doesn't really have a theme, just a bunch of ornaments that we have collected over the years. Some of them are missing from the bottom, because I have a little boy who likes to "rearrange"!

I collect Old World Christmas ornaments. They are all at the top of the tree so that Andrew can't get ahold of them. I started this collection last year and have gotten quite a few. Eventually, I would like to have a tree with only Old World on it.

A few of my ornaments. The dog is a Golden Retriever like Gracey!

I love Andrew and Madelyn's stockings. I got them from Pottery Barn Kids.

Here is our mantle. I didn't really know what to do with it this year, so I just kind of used what I had in my decoration box and I think it turned out alright.

I hope that everyone has a happy holiday season! We are looking forward to spending time with family and seeing Andrew's face Christmas morning! Right now Andrew is battling a virus, pink eye, and an ear infection- yuck! So we are trying to keep him away from Madelyn as best we can. Otherwise all is well around here!