Christmas Lights are up!

Last weekend David and Nora put out our "rainbow" lights in the shrubs in front of the house. While I cheated and put up the small 3' tree inside. Just about the time I was finished with the lights (((only 2 strands - can you believe it?))) Nora rang the door bell to come in b/c her hands were freezing cold. Perfect timing to help me with ornaments!

and although she remembered all of "her" ornaments - the ones she earned with each of her potty sticker carts - she did not remember that we had once had this same tree in her bedroom 2 years ago. We skipped putting it up in her room last year b/c of the twins - they love playing in there between bath time and bed time and we just knew they'd knock it over.

and this year b/c we are going home to KY for Christmas... leaving on the 18th - it just didn't make sense to me to put up the big tree (that usually has over 2000 lights) and then have to deal with it after we get back from our vacation... you know just one more thing... so we "cheated" and put up the small one in the front room (living room /computer room.)

We keep this room gated off majority of the time - can't have two 2 year olds banging on the keyboard or climbing around on the desk or worse... did you notice the TV sitting on the floor??? it use to sit on a small table right there to the left of the huge computer desk/bookshelf... (cable is on that wall) but b/c of the twins.. we had to remove the table b/c we didn't want them to turn it over on themselves.

Here are some wooden ornaments that Nora painted this year. The two dragon flies and lady bug.

When she was three she picked out the doctor ornament at Hallmark and the soldier is one that she found at a yard sale last summer.

and Nora's favorite ornament is the Linus on Stage telling about the Christmas story. It has a button you push and he begins with..."Lights Please...." and the stage lights come on and he tells the story of what Christmas is all about. Betty Sue in KY gave this to her when she was 2.5 years old. And do you see that Barbie ornament? Until now, it's the only "Barbie" she owns!

and while we decorated, and David was outside putting up lights... what did the twins do you ask?

completely wrecked the den!

We leave for Kentucky on the 18th for a 2 week vacation! :) Nora gets out of school early Friday and we should be packed and loaded and ready to hit the roads around supper time that night. We plan to drive it straight thru.