Decking the Halls...

One of our favorite family traditions this time of year is putting the tree up! We always look forward to an evening of hanging out together, carols playing in the background, decorating the tree with our traditional drink in hand:
{My first photo I've kept that I shot "from the hip."}
Eggnog shakes! I started the tradition a few years ago - since we live where it's quite warm this time of year, hot drinks are out of the question. So the tradition evolved. Mommy & Daddy's always includes a little extra something to make the evening excitement smoother, too. ;)
They are such posers. Apparently used to having a camera stuck in their face?
We totally went in a different direction with the tree this year, too! We traditionally had white lights, ivy, poinsettias, and a mix of ornaments collected over the years...
This one's a work in progress. I'd still love to add a few elements. Have to pick a few things up to create a tree skirt... thinking about some feathers or other fun things. :D
This is my favorite shot of the night. Totally imperfect, but the epitome of what the evening was about! lol Notice daddy and D, faithfully working away putting the tree together - mommy in the corner snapping pics, and E jumping up and down. :D
Don't forget to keep an eye out for my traditional advent cards! They'll start popping up tomorrow. :) I've also determined that I will do my own December daily. I'm doing a photo a day for the month. Yay!! It's the one thing I didn't follow through on that I started this year. I think I made it to about May, and fizzled out. {Not to m ention the fact that my commitments suddenly jumped to higher levels... Still deciding whether I'm gonna go for it again this coming year , or not.}

OK. I'll stop. It's been so long since I've blogged - and really it has more to do with a general state of everyone being sick. I landed in the Dr.'s office, with the assurance that I really wouldn't feel better until all the meds were gone. Then, while working on getting better myself, the little guy came down with a nasty case of croup. So - that's the story! An entire month of my life, gone. Poof! Now I'm here trying to catch up! lol I'm just plain happy that we're all feeling better!

Peace out! Hope you're enjoying the season!