Decortating Our Tree

Faithful to our tradition, we pulled all the Christmas

stuff out the day after Thanksgiving and proceeded

to transform our home with all the sights and sounds

of Christmas.
Patrick's favorite part of the whole event was of course

putting the lights on the tree! Ok not really.

We had a great time though, and it is always so much

fun to see the Spirit of Christmas come alive in

the boys faces.

You can really see Brandon's

enthusiasm here! I love it!

Sometimes decorating each-

other is way more fun than...

decorating the tree!

The Finished Product...

We have had our artificial tree since the

2nd year that we were married. I do miss

the smell of a real tree and the fact that

real trees don't look the same every year,

but I have enjoyed not having to go out in

the cold to pick one as well. I love our tree

though. Not because it is fake, but because

of the stories it tells. It is so sweet to

remember every event or person that is

represented in every ornament that hangs on

it's branches. It is fun to hear the boys talk

about their ornaments and ask questions

about the ones that they were too small to remember receiving. I love

looking at the ornaments that bring back memories of both good years

and bad alike, because they really represent Gods active work in our

lives. Whether He is blessing us, restoring us, or carrying us through

a tough time, our tree speaks that He is always with us.

I don't know if it is because we are going on our 12th year of marriage,

have 3 boys and a whole pack of amazing friends that are represented

on our tree, but I just had a real moment of gratitude as I looked at

the tree when it was finished this year.

God is so good. He is just so Good!