Here we go again...

3 days after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas decorations.  It is a chore to me.  I don't love doing it, but I love the outcome.  I will say, these kids are becoming bigger helpers each year.  We got the trees up in record time this year.  We each have jobs and we fall into those pretty naturally now.  I am the branch sorter/fluffer and ornament unpackager.  The kids help fluff and hand the branches to be put on the tree and put their own ornaments on their tree.

 Cody and Rick get all the branches placed properly.

Rick also had to go out in the middle of the process for the annual "buying of new lights because last year's don't seem to work anymore" trip to Walmart.

 Abby did a lot.  She is our resident decorator.

After the trees were finished, I gave her the rest of the decorations and told her she could decorate the rest of the house.  She did really great!  She and Lauren also decorated their room.

 There was some dancing to Christmas music, too!

 Our resident comedian kept us laughing

 Meet "Sugar Baby"

 Rick's and my tree.  This thing is 18 years old.  We bought it our first Christmas and it is still going strong.  With all the needles it sheds each year, we cannot figure out how there is anything left on it. We are a simple folk when it comes to tree ornaments.  I prefer ornaments with memories and meaning over a perfectly decorated, matching tree.  That's my style, and I am sticking to it!

 The kids' tree with the all of their ornaments. 

I do love getting the ornaments out and talking about why they got each one!

I thought I would give you a close up of the top of their tree that I discovered.  

Is there really anything more to say?

 Abby's decorating.

I know there are only 4 stockings.  We do have 8, we just can't fit them the way our fireplace area is.

Can you see the Swazi Nativity on the tile.  That is one of my favorite Christmas decorations!

 The kids are frantically trying to earn money for Christmas shopping.  

I caught these two in the back yard dressed like this doing a job for their dad.  Their outfits cracked me up!

 We have another sickness going around our house.  Back in October, it was a stomach bug that wore out its welcome and attacked 6 times.  Then, I had strep while Rick was in Africa.  Now, a month later, strep has struck again.  Sam, Cody, and Isaiah have it.  Cody is suffering the most.  He has literally had fevers of 103 degrees and higher for 4 straight days, even with the antibiotic.  We are praying it will stop.  We are praying no one else gets it.  I hate to see my babies sick, no matter how old they are.

I have some other big news to share.  This boy read his first book!  He is doing so well in school.  I had to document this moment with a pic:

It symbolizes so much.  It symbolizes that he is going to school, something that might not have been possible if he was still in Africa.  It represents opportunities for his future.  I love seeing God unfold the story of my little guy's life.  There are some big plans for him.  You would never know that he is English as a Second Language.  He speaks better than some kids who have only known English.  He is doing so well in school.  His handwriting is beautiful.  He aces every one of his phonogram tests.  He is a math whiz.  He would teach the class if his teacher would allow it.  Watch out, world, this one is going to do something BIG!