Let The Season Commence!

I finally bit the bullet and decorated. We bought a smaller tree this year to make room since there will be 14 people here for Christmas this year (8 of which are kids). The gifts around the tree with all of those people will, I'm sure, overtake the actual tree, but that's quite fine. There is nothing like a house full of your closest family to celebrate the most significant event in the history of the world. We all love being crammed in together and practically on top of one another - it's all just too fun! The grandkids range in age from 3 to almost 18 and all not only get along fabulously, but love being together. We are so blessed.

In this branch of the clan, it is fun still having a little one in our midst who is quite enamored with the whole idea of Santa and Christmas. With his autism delays, Seth (5) has really only understood Christmas and Santa for a couple of years; and this year he is just now getting a grasp on the true meaning of the holiday, Jesus' birth, and what we are celebrating. It's not a tight grasp, but peripherally he is beginning to understand. And my heart soars along with every question he asks about it. He's getting it.

So behold some evidence that I actually got some decorations up:

Seth excited to wake up and find the tree up and ready to decorate.

Joel and Seth decorating the tree (Alexx is too cool to participate).

The obligatory boys-in-front-of-the-tree photo.

Our "Texas tree" in honor of our years being Texans and how much we miss it!