Oh What Fun...

The older I get the years seem to get shorter and shorter. I can not believe it is Christmas time again.

This was the first year we brought out the Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. We have always decorated the day after Thanksgiving but this year Jeff took the week off and with our crazy busy schedule Wed-Sunday we decided that the Tuesday before would be the perfect day to do it;)

With the kids getting older, we let them do 95% of the decorating. Jeff and I helped them when needed but we just enjoyed watching them figure things out on their own and decorate the tree how ever they wanted.

Grace was a huge help this year. She helped us check all of the Christmas lights that go on the house.

She went out to her Daddy's shop to bring back the extension cord. I could tell that she felt like a big kid... like she was really helping, like she has always seen her brothers do and had always wished she could do.

Yep, she even managed to talk us in to letting her on the roof for the first time. She was excited to watch her brothers hang the lights from a different view this year.  She did great! She sat with me as Jeff supervised the boys hanging the lights.

 Just another great reason I love my boys.... They come in handy and did a great job hanging the Christmas lights! So thankful for their help!!

Jeff took a pic of us girls waiting on the parade to start. As I was looking at this picture I noticed it looks like Grace is wearing makeup. I guess it was the street lights or something. Oh well, I guess we just got a glimpse of what she will look like in 10 years!

 Lights and sirens to get this parade started!..it was a bit loud.;)

I forgot to put my memory card back in the camera. I was a bit bummed, but glad I was able the catch Bryan, Jared and Caleb marching by with my iPhone.

Grace had fun running for candy. Here she was waiving at Santa and asking him if he had any candy. This was interesting because over the last few years we haven't discussed Santa Clause trying to per sway her to or not to believe. All the presents have been from Jeff and I or her brothers. I do remember last year someone asking her if Santa came to see her and she didn't really know what to say. I said, "she got lots of toys and presents from us this year!"

This year will be a little different with her in school. She will be around lots of talk about Santa and if I know my child at all, she will tell her friends "Santa isn't real" and we do not want that to happen. So we will just keep doing what we've been doing the last two years and we will see how it goes.

If you are curious about why we are taking a different approach with her then we did with the boys you can read my post from 3 years ago What Do You Believe  or Growing Pains


The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. Proverbs 20:7