Don't Wanna Miss a Thing...: decorating for Christmas

I have learned over the years that it is best to leave some decisions up to your husband.

In this house, picking out the Christmas tree is one of those decisions.

If anyone has EVER gone shopping with my husband (for shoes, clothes, or whatever), they TOTALLY know what I am talking about. Deciding that I have more patience this year, the kids and I went along, and we made it a family event!

Now, I never have understood WHY Nathan always tries to include me in a certain decision when ultimately, he has a strong opinion about it and doesn't want to hear any other answer but his and then we do what he thinks anyways. This is Nate asking what I think (like it matters)...

This is Nate comtemplating about the tree...

This is Ivy adding her opinion in the matter..."What about this tree, Daddy?"

This is Owen adding his "two cents" in the matter...."uh...uh...uh, Dada?"

This is Nate STILL contemplating...

This is Ivy adding yet more complication to the matter..."What about this one?"

This is Nate...DECISION IS MADE!!!!

NOW, for the interesting part...getting it home and decorating it!

To bring this tree home, we had it tied to the roof of our van. On our way home, the tree decided to go for a ride off the side of the van! After finally getting it home and rearranging the living room for our tree, we got it inside and set in place for decorating.

Here is Nate doing a great job stringing the lights around the tree - the job he thoroughly enjoys...in fact, he declared this year as he was putting the lights on the tree that he is going to let someone else enjoy next year! :-) He does do a wonderful job with it though.

Ivy and me putting the ornaments on the tree. (The timing just so happened that Owen was napping while we were decorating the tree.)

Ivy's way of hanging the ornaments...find one branch and put ALL of the ornaments on that branch! :-)

After discovering Ivy's way of putting ornaments on the tree, we showed her the step stool so that she could spread out the ornaments and put some a little higher. She loved the step stool!