Christmas Decorating!

We broke our usual tradition this year and decided to put up our Christmas lights before Thanksgiving. *gasp!* The first 2 weekends after Thanksgiving were packed full with family fun things so we decided to get a head of the game and take advantage of a nice warm day and put some pretties up outside!

It was a challenge trying to figure out how to put lights on our new house. You guys, we love the two peak's that bookend our home, but man are they high when you're trying to reach them! We struggled for literally hours just to get the lights up over the garage before Mark decided it wasn't going to happen unless he had 1.) a better ladder and 2.) someone to help him who wasn't 7 months pregnant, a toddler, or a brother-in-law who confined to a wheelchair. haha We were trying our best to give him a hand, but I'll be honest, we weren't doing much more than holding the lights. We set everything else up and then the next day Mark went and got his late grandpa's industrial ladder with his dad and came back and finished all of the lights in like 20 minutes. haha oh the poor hours we spent in frustrations that we'll never get back... At least our first experience with the house was memorable!

I can't wait to add to our front yard winter wonderland ~ going to hit up the after Christmas sales!

We set our tree up inside that weekend too but didn't get a chance to decorate it until after Thanksgiving. Our weekends really have been packed full, so we did this on a Monday night after I got home from work. I picked up some Chinese take-out on the way home and by the time I got home Mark had given Reaghan a bath and dressed in some warm, wintery PJ's, had the fire going and Christmas music playing. Normally we don't do this so late at night so I was sort of feeling rushed getting home with the food, thinking about not being too late or taking too long so Reaghan wouldn't be up too late. My husband knew just what I needed to make the night fun and not stressful and I was able to take chill pill and let the night be what it would be.

We ate and showered and then got to decorating!

Hanging our mommy daughter ornament!

I love her concentration in hanging the ornaments.

Reaghan made sure the bottom of the tree felt the love.

I may have "reorganized" after she went to bed. ; )

Helping Daddy put the star on. The star that they went and picked out together while I was at work. :)

The girls are officially ready for Christmas!

We ended the night with milk, cookies and Christmas stories.

I loved setting up the Nativity with Reaghan and explaining who all of the people are and why we celebrate Christmas. She's very excited about "baby" Jesus - mostly because she loves all things babies - but it's fun to teach her the real reason for the season and see her little mind trying to digest the information. 

Our finished room!

We are super excited about our first Christmas in our new home and looking forward to hanging another stocking on the fireplace next Christmas. : )