It's in the air!

Today is the day. Today is the day I have been waiting all year for. Today is the day that Luke climbed up into the attic to pull down all the boxes. Today is the day that the Christmas decorations came out! A little premature I suppose, but I LOVE Christmas. When I was a little girl, my sister and I made fun of my mom constantly for (among other things) putting her Christmas tree up so early and taking it down so late (April one year...seriously...we were that family). Ever since Luke and I celebrated our first Christmas together in the parsonage in Martin's Mill and we picked out our first tree together and decorated for the (you guessed it) first time, I got it. I have always loved Christmas...but for the first time in my life I realized how magical it felt to decorate your own home and the love and excitement and anticipation that fills the air when you pull out the decorations. The tree. The Christmas dishes. The lights. The manger scene. It's special. So why not start early?? Plus this year there are a few new reasons to get the house decorated early:

1. My Grandma is coming to visit for Thanksgiving and will be here until the Monday after. Not only do I want to have the house festive for her to see, if I waited until after she left I would only get to enjoy it for 25 days. 25 days just won't cut it this year! Plus, for the last several years Luke and I have been in OKC for Thanksgiving at my Grandma's house. It's a great time...lots of food, fun and relatives! The day after I usually stick around and help her get started on her decorating (which I have really grown to love). Considering I won't be there to do that this year I wanted it set up for her to see!
2. My sister comes home from her 6 month adventure to Egypt and South Africa the same day my Grandma flies in. There will be lots of catching up and no time to decorate and I cannot wait!
3. I assumed decorating would take a lot longer with the munchkin around. We shall see...
   

I am sure it will take a few days to get everything just the way that I like it, but that's ok. Right now our house is a crazy swirl of boxes and garland...ornaments and wreaths...Christmas platters and lights...and I love it. As I was putting the ornaments on the tree I came across this one...from our first Christmas as "The Bilberrys" in 2007. And this one...from last Christmas. It got me excited (as if I wasn't excited enough already) about finding the perfect ornament to represent our first Christmas together as a family of 3. Let me know if you run across any cute ones...the hunt is on!

As Luke and I were digging around searching for the allusive tree skirt, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of next year's decorating. By then we will have a walker. Oh my! We will cross that big huge bridge when we get there. For now this little munchkin just kicks back and snoozes through the excitement...

I will say, after years of watching my oldest niece baking holiday goodies, decorating cookies (sometimes with enough sprinkles to make you feel like you are chomping on bb's), and icing cupcakes with my mom-her Grandma (might as well call her Grandfun around here), I am excited for the day when Madelyn will put on a cute little Christmas apron at Grandma and Grandpa's house and let her creative juices flow as Grandma lets her decorate her batch of goodies to her little heart's delight. ((Wow! That was the biggest run-on-sentence ever. Sorry.))
Might I add this picture was taken November 1. Like I said before, it's hereditary. We like to get started early around here. Never mind the 80 degree weather. Christmas is in the air!

More than the lights, shopping, baking and all the fun that comes with this time of year...it is magical to me because of the special birth that took place. The birth of our Savior. What's not to be excited about??

Tonight as Luke was busy whipping up some delicious pancakes and eggs in the kitchen, the little one and I were hanging out by the Christmas tree in the living room. She is so stinking cute. I cannot get enough of her chubby little cheeks and soft skin. She was smiling up a storm until I brought out the video camera. Naturally. But...I thought this was still cute enough to share...

Apparently she did not want to be covered up. Ha! At least she knows what she wants and makes it happen :) {Oh and excuse my commentating. There is something about having a baby around that makes us say stupid things in silly voices.}