'Tis the Season

Merry Christmas, friends! 

Somehow between traveling, morning sickness and a very busy, ever curious 16 month old, our tree is standing tall in the corner of our living room. Our very own Christmas miracle, truly. If it was up to Jared, the tree would've been up since Halloween. If it was up to Gus, the tree would be up all year round with ornaments within reach.

It looks beautiful, even if it is a little top heavy. You do what you gotta to keep little grubby hands and a drooly mouth away. All the ornaments are hung up high after one too many times of Gus walking up to me with glitter covered lips. Busted, mister! There was also that time that he pulled the entire thing down and laughed until he saw me and then started crying because he knows how to work the system. My child! 

While this tree has been a bit of a daily headache, I really do love having it up. It is so nice to see our tree decorated with the few ornaments we've collected: our wedding ornament, our honeymoon ornament, Gus' first ornament (a Gus Gus from Aunt Corie), and his footprint from a couple of weeks ago when my morning sickness subsided and I decided crafts would be how I would celebrate. Gus protested his handprint and after many failed attempts, he miserably obliged and let me have his foot. 

I look forward to the day our tree is so full of memories that there is no room for the store bought stuff. 

We hung our stockings with care. But, really, we just hung them with pushpins because I didn't buy those pretty brass reindeer stocking holders at Goodwill back in July when they were only $1 and my Mama kept insisting I stock up. Darn! Next year, I'll wise up, Mom. Next year.

Oh! So, the other day, Jared walked in the house and walked right up to my stocking and put in a little surprise and declared a 'no peeking' rule and how exciting, right?!

So here's a mirror that is in constant need of windex, but that is not why I shared it, so look past that (I do). Here's my grand idea for an Advent calendar. I gathered Gus' outgrown socks and some that have no match, numbered them, and hung them on twine using clothespins. I put three Hershey's kisses in each one for a treat during our nightly story.

And after I strung it up I felt rather remarkable! That is, until I decided to search pinterest for such an idea because, surely I'm the trailblazer of this fresh idea! wrong. so wrong. Whatever, pinterest. 

It doesn't matter, really. Because every night when I unwrap Gus' chocolate kiss, he looks at me in the most dreamy way. To him, I'm remarkable. 

This little baby pinecone elf was just a little something I made Jared before we were dating. I gave it to him and then immediately felt infinitely embarrassed. I mean, way to be discreet, Jenna. Nothing says "hey, I like you, wanna date and get married and have babies" like a pinecone baby. 

Well, heh! Thank you, little baby pinecone elf. Ladies, it works!

Jared brought home that tiny snow globe for Gus from NYC. He loves it and so do I because it reminds me of everyone's favorite Christmas movie Elf. It will forever be a part of our Christmas decor. Well, forever or until it shatters because 16 month olds don't understand 'fragile', 'gentle', or 'easy-easy'.

This picture really has no real reason to be posted other than I like it. So here you go! Greetings from a very tired woman and her darling babies. 

While I love my tree and my stockings and my merry little decorations, this little guy here is just about all the Christmas I need.
Here's a little video of the first time he saw our tree. It is 1:43 long, which is long and the lighting is just terrible and I would have totally edited to be much shorter if I had the time, but I didn't.
So I'll give you this: I cry every time I hear him say "WOW!" at :39. He is a boy of very little words (ahem, English words, that is), so hearing him say 'wow' about the Christmas tree that Jared and I put up just for him, well, it is truly the sweetest.

P.S. Thank you for all of the sweet wishes over our baby news! Jared and I are simply over the moon about our growing family. Gus is a little too young to understand, but he kisses my belly. Except he also kisses the refrigerator and the Christmas tree and just about anything else, but I'll take what I can get.