my christmas groove is back

one can burn themselves out if one starts too early, i've decided.

i started too early.

don't get me wrong...i still procrastinated the christmas shopping till the last minute, however i started listening to my christmas playlist in october.

i was always of the opinion that "the longer, the better"...but i've changed my mind.

i think that the "magic" can only last so long.  and...if you have listened to "labor of love" enough that your kids roll their eyes when it rolls around on the ole' playlist again...then it's lost it's luster.

i decided to take a little break over the last week and just let things be what they will...and then re-visit the whole "christmas wondermint" after school was officially let out.  i happen to have a family that can't handle too much excitement.  they all get a little...

shall we say...

scrooge-ish.

this weekend...i got my christmas groove back.

first of all...(technically this was last sunday)...i looked at this darling image of my daughter singing about Jesus on the stage at church.

but then...i looked a little to the right and saw this.

but then i looked further to the right and saw this...

i think we have established that my eldest son is completely "over" all things remotely related to being a child.

****

friday night, our advent activity told us to go look at christmas lights and go to the chocolate bar.

ok...i'm going to hop right on a bit of a tangent right now.  i've decided that there is a evolution of exterior illumination christmas decor.  i have put a little list together in my head of this evolution.

first...it was the big, colored bulbs trimming the house.

second...the white lights in the bushes.

third...the draping of the white lights down the side walk path.  (i distinctly remember convincing my dad to do this for our house when i was little.)

fourth...add in the wooden decorations in the yard.

fifth...the wooden decorations became all white with glitter.

sixth...the colored lights on the house needed to be replaced with all white.

seventh...the icicle lights are introduced.

eighth...the swag

ninth...the blow up lawn ornaments.

and introducing the next big "have to" trend...

the "wrap the tree trunk AND  limbs with white lights" miracle.

you just wait.  you'll see.

****

this is what annslee saw.

yep.  she fell asleep (for the first time that day) right as we entered the neighborhood.

and yes...i woke her up.

aiden and chase acted like they had never seen fallen leaves before.

we were the worst parents in the entire universe and forced colt to be in this picture.

(are we noticing a trend here????)

aiden and annslee became familiar with rudolf...and even fed him a candy cane.

annslee got to wear my fur coat that i wore when i was her age.  i'm aware that this is becoming a bit of a trend.  but i just can't help myself.  these articles of clothing are...like...national treasures.

this is what big brothers are good for.  they taught her to put her finger in her nose every time i put the camera in her face.

uk tagged along...and even met a lady.  :)  she has already "friended" him on facebook.  who knew that light perusing could be a way to get a date?

dad and i laughed.  hard.  i just love that my brother, my dad and i all get each other's quirky sense of humor and inside jokes.  i was dying laughing when i took this picture.  i'm surprised it's in focus. 
(i'm pretty sure i was making some comment about our damage being done here after chase had fallen in a hole and twisted his ankle, colton was cussing us about the santa picture, aiden was crying because she got a leaf in her eye, and annslee was throwing a full-blown tantrum about getting in her car seat.)

it was nothin that a little visit to the chocolate bar couldn't fix!

annslee had a "baby cake."  how cute is that?

i know that i am totally her mom and everything...

but i think that this girl is beautiful.  everything about her is...

just...

simply...

beautiful.

and this guy...

well...

he was finally happy.

(for a second, anyway.)

and she was too.

i think she liked her baby cake.

and...cue the "nose" pic.

remind me to have a talk with her brothers.

****

iiiiiii'llllll take this...

and this...

and this...

aaaaaaannnnnnnnd this.

the next morning...we had our annual visit from our fireman santa.

they probably totally recognized us from our "i smell natural gas in our house that really isn't there" debacle.

and what i have to say about that...

is...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE FIREMEN WHO THINK I'M CRAZY!!!