Christmas Wreath

"Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."http://llerrah.com/truemeaningofchristmas.htm

This wreath that I finished yesterday only took me 3 years to make! I started it Adelle's first Christmas and I traced her and Braxton's cute little hands and cut.... And cut, and cut, and cut.
I never got it all done. That was a lot of cutting.
Then last year I dug it out and starting cutting some more. Then, after remembering I was 8 months pregnant, I stopped and decided to wait until my newest little hand print could be included.
So, after tracing little Emmett's sweet hand and cutting some more it is complete.
My little circle of love.

and so this is Christmas

 In the beginning of the month we made salt dough ornaments galore. Actually we did salt dough and then we also did this one that was cornstarch and baking soda and we liked it better than the salt dough. 

 My kids just love to paint and glitter pretty much anything.

 They are all so good at it too!

 I went to my Grandma Mary's to visit and unexpectedly came home with Christmas decorations galore. We already have way more than we have room for but there was something really special about my Grandma's ornaments. I found some that her and my Grandpa had gotten on different trips they had taken together and it was sentimental to me. So I made a wreath for our front door, all with bulbs and ribbon from my Grandma's old tree. 

 Going to get the good old tree was an option this year. I know, what?? It's a long time tradition and we "always" go together, all of us, to the tree farm and we all pick out the very best tree and yada yada yada. Well, this year that wasn't the case. It was like 18 degrees. Jeff wanted to go, I didn't. He asked who wanted to go and I asked who wanted to stay home and be warm. There you have it. Jeff, Brax, and Adelle ventured out and came home with the greatest tree and Emmett, Gage and I stayed home and were warm. Everyone was happy! So non-traditional though, I know. 

 The lights are lovely, I love the kids on the porch. They are freezing.

 Here is Brax holding the tree center. 

 The traditional cookie plate from Auntie Angela. Here are the kids deciding on their 1st pick. 

 Braxton reading a Christmas book to Adelle and Emmett. Probably my favorite picture yet this season. Totally candid.

 All bundled up and ready to go. Gage loves to be outside, even when it's freezing.

 Here are the boys one day when we ventured out to the store during the cold spell. 

 I got to spend a Saturday morning with some friends hanging out and making Christmas goodies. Love these ladies!! This is a tradition that Meghan hosts every year and it's always such a jolly old time. 

 Lots of projects being worked on around here. It's a very homemade Christmas this year and we are totally getting into it. Jeff is awesome at projects. The perfect Santa. Emmett's a pretty good little elf too ;)

 My favorite wreath I made a few years ago is officially outdated. My little Gager's hand isn't on it!! I still love it though and I am yet to get motivated to do another one. 

 I got pretty sick. Like down and out for a while. Really hard on everyone. This is what the afternoons would look like. All the kids on my messy bed, making more of a mess with pictures and homework and... 

 Gage mastered nose blowing.

 It is pretty much hilarious and adorable.

 I have so many pictures of him doing this. The funniest part is he never even had a runny nose he just watched me do it so many times he caught on. 

 Emmett colored me so many pictures. Best little color-er ever!

 My mom came and got the kids one night and took them to the mall to dinner, ride the train and buy these "cute" hats. Laugh out loud! Thank goodness my mom came and rescued my kids. They were getting a bit stir crazy. They are so, so, good. 

 I totally thought Braxton had more fashion sense than this. How disappointing. 

 Jeff took the kids to the Christmas Party at church. Santa was there. Adelle wants a pink guitar? Most random girl/gift ever. 

 Emmett is really thinking about Santa and really curious about how he knows what he wants, how he knows if he's bad or good... Smart boy!

 And Brax just looks way too big to be on Santa's lap. How did that happen?

I couldn't believe I was too sick to go to the Christmas Party. So sad. I was even in charge of the dinner for the darn thing. Thankfully I got everything I could get done early, and I had a great committee who tied up the edges and made it all happen that night. 

While my family was gone that night I sat in front of the Christmas tree and sulked. Not really. For real I sat in front of the Christmas tree, listened to Christmas carols  for the first time all season and cried. Seriously. I cried about the songs I heard. Cried at the thought of how awesome my family was and how well they were all keeping it together. Cried at how thankful I am for my life and my health. Cried as I looked at the tree and recognized all the familiar ornaments;

the red glitter balls ( I miss you Andrea!!)

the stars

the homemade ones by the kids

the annual Grandma and Grandpa Johnson ornaments

the teacups from when my sister and I got married

the ones from Jeff and mines first Christmas

the ones of all our babies firsts Christmases...

 We finally got around to making our count down links mid December. Less anticipation that way we've discovered accidently ;) Adelle and Emmett cut the strips and Braxton taped the links and connected them. 

6 more days!!

 Adelle, Em, and I made the infamous Nuts & Bolts. This is a yummy snack that my Great Grandma made. Now my Grandma makes it, my mom makes it, and I make it with my kids. My kids love it. Gage was pointed and screaming for it all night. When we gave him his dinner he threw it all on the floor and then pointed at the nuts and bolts and started grunting. So funny, but not!

 Jeff turned 32! It was special. It was the first day I was really feeling better. He had a good day. Got some nice cards, bacon waffles, some money, a cool SuperMan/Batman shirt, a cast iron skillet, a pencil (from Brax)... Best of all I cooked him a Prime Rib birthday dinner. It was the first prime rib I have ever even cooked and it was so delicious.

Braxton said it was what he wanted for his birthday dinner next year. Ha! I told him his daddy was really, really, special and that one day when he was a daddy maybe his wife would make him prime rib. ;)

I love my husband he is the BEST! 

 Every year I make a photo ornament and this is this years. I love it. It's that dough I mentioned earlier, with a mod-podged picture, and then while the mod podge was still wet I sprinkled white glitter on it too. It adds beautifully to the collection. 

 Here are the goods after we packaged them all up. Next step, caroling and dropping them off with some of our favorites. This is the hardest part. I always want to give gifts to everyone. And singing, we always want to go to everyones house caroling but hauling in and out of the car can only really be done so many times in an evening. Time is getting away!!

 This little elf joined our house for the season thanks to Jeff's mom. He's been an exciting part of the mornings around here. 

 Couldn't blame him for finding the stock pile and getting into the goodies  ;)

Couldn't blame this little one either ;0

It's the hap, happiest season of all

Christmas is in full swing around here which may be why my blogging has been a bit neglected. We are busily working on projects, baking cookies, singing carols and addressing cards. The tree is up. We got it early this season and that was such a relief. I feel really on the ball this year for Christmas. Usually I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off but this year the tasks are being checked off the list one by one and I am not a bit overwhelmed by any of it. That is a very merry feeling.

We went to one of the local tree farms that we found close to home and ran by one of Jeff's teachers from the high school. I love a Noble fir and that is exactly what we got for a mere $30. It is the perfect tree and Jeff and Braxton cut it down.

I got to decorate the tree with the kids this year solo. Jeff was busily finishing the bathroom tile while the kids and I trimmed the tree. That meant I had to do the lights, usually Jeff does the lights, and after using 4 strings I lit the whole tree.

I let the kids put the ornaments on the tree which is why all the sparkly red glitter balls that I made with my friend a few years back are all on one branch. It adds character. Adelle put them there and I think that is where they should stay. So they are.

I made our tree skirt this year (with the help of a friend and her awesome sewing machine!) and it is the perfect touch to our tree.

Jeff and I went to our first ever Ugly Sweater Party and it didn't disappoint. Check out Jeff's ugly sweater up above. That baby we picked up at Value Village. When we bought it had something crusted to the top, like whoever wore it last slopped their food, which made it all the uglier. Then when I washed it, it completely shrunk making it all the more funny looking when he put it on. It was a hit. My sweater on the other hand was mistaken by some to be "cute", which I continue to argue. Gold is NOT my color, as my honest mom pointed out to me, and the sweater had shoulder pads! I thought it was totally ugly!

Braxton is learning to sign a bunch of the Christmas songs at school and has a concert coming up this week which we are all looking forward too. Adelle came home from preschool today with homemade gifts that she created.
Emmett is still oblivious but he likes to sing jingle bells and dance around.

Last week after dinner we decided to have a family talent show. First Braxton sang Feliz Navidad and let me tell you that song says the same thing over, and over, and over. Next was Adelle singing Jingle Bells while shaking her hips. Jeff and I were last. We sang a duet you might recall, "Baby it's Cold Outside" after which Braxton flatly said, "well, that was weird." Still makes me laugh out loud the way he said that.

We did our Christmas countdown link again and this year Braxton and Adelle cut their own strips and taped them all together.
My homemade handprint wreath that took so much of my time last year is hanging with pride and I am so glad I stuck it out and kept cutting all those little fingers. I love this decoration.

Braxton came home with a book from school. It was titled Christmas Is...
Christmas is stockings.
Christmas is reindeer
Christmas is candy canes
Christmas is presents
Christmas is Santa
On the last page it said, "Christmas is __________________________________" and on the blank line my little boy wrote thinking about Jesus.

I am thankful that in a Happy Holiday world we are still a Merry Christmas family.

I am looking forward to Christmas break and spending lots of time with loved ones. Also excited about the girl my brother is bringing home at Christmas for all of us to meet :)