Christmas Goings-Ons

I'm struggling to find a more creative title name for this post. Maybe it'll come to me by the end. Update: Nope. Nothing. Deal with it.

Christmas was wonderful! Lots of family time, lots of good food, and lots of presents (for little J).

As we do every year, we had a live Christmas tree. The lot we bought it from advertised that the trees had come from Oregon, so we just HAD to buy one. It smelled like home, and snow, and cold, and I loved it. We decorated it from about two feet up as to avoid Little J breaking or eating any ornaments. Big J LOVES colored Christmas lights, and I abhor them, but alas, it was the colored lights year, so up they went. If there were ever ground for divorce for us, it would be over the Christmas lights issue.

Little J enjoying a candy cane. Poor kid's sugar consumption rocketed
during the holidays. He just hated every minute of it. ;)

Big J and I both have a really hard time waiting to open presents, so it's kind of a Christmas miracle we made it all the way to December 25th. We opened our stockings in the morning, and then, not having enough self control to wait until the afternoon, our regular presents shortly thereafter.

His new favorite book from his Uncle Jake.

Opening his new toy from his now favorite Uncle Jake.

Looking happy about some new books.

We're thinking next year, Little J will love Christmas even more. He was just beginning to comprehend the whole ripping-the-wrapping-paper-off thing this year, so it'll be insane the next time it happens. Since his level of comprehension is going up, it also means that we really have to make sure he understands that it's not about the presents, but it's about Christ, and celebrating His birth, and what that means to all of us. I look forward to teaching him about that.

Anyway, here are some fun before and after pictures:

Little J and I try to get in as much fun as possible while we're at home all day. And if that means playing in the middle of laundry-folding, so be it.

Before Little J and I start our fun, homely duties.

And in the midst of our homely duties.