December so far

So in my previous post I commented that there was going to be minimal Christmas decorating and celebrating, but my little Brogan is REALLY excited for Christmas and begged and begged to have lights put on the house. Well, I just happened to run onto the box of lights in the garage so I told him I would see what I could do. I had enough red lights to put up around the house, found the big wreath and put some green lights on it, found a multi-colored stand and did the little umbrella tree out front and even put the white tinsel tree in the living room window. For really having NO plans of decorating, it actually turned out okay- and the kids were sooo happy. Oh and I can't forget to mention I did it all while on the phone with Aunt Joni! Thank goodness for the headset!

Our tree inside is a multi-colored crazy twinkling lit tree. Is this what I would prefer? NO WAY, but for some reason it seems all rules and worries have gone by the wayside since living at "The Rental." The kids talked me into this crazy tree but I have to admit once you get past the twinkling making you dizzy, it's pretty cute. Oh and we still have the mattress in the middle of the living room floor... going on about 3 months now- but it sure makes movie and cartoon watching fun- not to mention Sunday naps!

Brogan had his last basketball game the first part of December, for only being 4 he did pretty good. They played on 6 foot baskets and he got to where he could shoot the ball and score quite often. I am proud of him. He is a little reserved and mostly lets the other kids go ahead of him. I keep telling him he doesn't have to be so nice, he can get in there and get the ball, but he's just a nice guy.

We also had cousins this month and they all had so much fun playing and loved sleeping out on "the mattress" under the Christmas tree. That night I told Clint I wanted to sleep out under the tree with them too!

As for the house, it is really coming along. We finally got the columns I have to say: I LOVE THE COLUMNS! They are probably my favorite part of the house. We also are all ready and prepped for stucco and the tile floors are done and the hardwood floors are almost done. We are still working out the kitchen cabinet details but getting very close and I think I finally picked a paint color for the inside- after buying 10 different samples to try on the wall!

Can't wait to see what the rest of December has in store, I am sure Christmas will be a blast! The kids are at awesome "believing" ages. Brogan has 1 present from Clint and I under the tree and it is almost killing him. He packs it around with him like a pet and begs daily to be able to open it. I thought an advent calendar would help his anxiousness but I think it only added to the excitement. It is really enjoyable to see them so happy and eager to celebrate. I hope they remember the true reason for celebrating this special time of year, we did put together nativity sets, so hopefully they are gaining appreciation for our Savior, Jesus Christ. They also had a fun time throwing stuffed toys out onto the ice at our hockey team's "Teddy Bear Toss" night. After the Americans score their first goal the fans throw their stuffed animals onto the ice. It is pretty awesome to see the support of the community. I think they gathered up nearly 3000 stuffed animals!

Merry Christmas