It's beginning to look like Christmas

Over the last few days we have put all of "Fall" decorations away and brought out the fun Christmas decorations. I love the smells of Christmas - especially the fresh tree. We get a real Christmas tree every other year...and this is the year. We have spent our evenings watching Christmas cartoons on tv, making gingerbread houses and picking and decorating our tree! Its been so fun watching Alex, because I feel like this is the first year that he really gets it all.

I am go excited for this season...the shopping, baking, love for friends and neighbors, lights, snow covered everythings, it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Here are dad and Alex by the tree. I let Alex pick decorations this year and they are blue and silver with blue and red and white candy canes...and of course all of the kids yearly decorations. Starting with their birth, my mom has sent a decoration every year to each of the kids. It's so fun for them to look at all of them.
All of the kids and Rox, of course, by the tree. We tried to place the candy canes up high enough so she would not eat them, and rearrange our family room a little bit to make room for everything.
The finished tree. Alex actually woke up this morning after decorating the tree last night, wandered into the office where I was reading news and said..."mom, Santa did not leave the presents under the tree." I had to explain that he would be bringing the gifts another day...late at night! He will definately be one of those kids who keeps track of the presents under the tree!

Our Gingerbread town. Every year Grandma Deb gives us a gift for Dec 1st and this was it. I really like the 5 house town much better than the one big one. Everyone got to decorate their own house and there was no contention over candies, turns, etc... it was so great!
Tired kids after the festivities!