Christmas Time is Here! 2016

Thanksgiving weekend - time to put the Christmas tree up, deck it out with lights and decorate.  While the tree and lights are quite the chore, I thoroughly enjoy putting up the ornaments!  It is so nostalgic to look through the box and remember the kids as they were babies and then toddlers...now young adults.  I love looking at the ornaments that help us remember our fun (and not so fun!) trips.  We even have a few funny ornaments that only the 6 of us would understand.  I love my little family and the memories that we have shared over the past 17 years.

This year's ornaments were given out after the tree was decorated (usually we give them out before other ornaments have been placed on the tree).  Due to work and commitments, this is what worked for us this year.

Kaitee received this Amelia Earhart Brooch to remember her trip with Matt to Amelia's birth home in Atchison, Kansas.  She continues to love the history of Amelia!

Will played "Ed" in the school musical "The Lion King" and did a wonderful job. 

Alex continues to run Cross Country and has improved her overall time.  She looks forward to running track this spring as well.

There is always one elusive ornament (or kid) to figure out.  This year it was Maddie.  We finally decided on this Snoopy Detective for her (thanks to a light bulb moment by Matt).  You see, she is very intuitive and doesn't miss any conversation (whether she's a part of it or not!).  Not much gets past her.  I miss the days of spelling things out and having the kids be clueless to what we speak of!  She often sits in the back seat and tells Matt if he is speeding.  Thanks kid!

After Matt's Nook (Raccoon) Fiasco, I couldn't let the year go by without commemorating it with an ornament. 

This was an ornament we purchased a year or two ago...but it sums up our year really well.  We visited all of the Lincoln sites in Springfield, IL this year as well as finished up our "Looking For Lincoln" hunt.



And for some cheap entertainment...here's Will singing along to one of the National Lampoon's Vacation Ornaments.  Whenever I watch this, I can't get over how much he looks like Anthony Michael Hall from the original Vacation movie. Enjoy!