My life...as a wife and a mom of 4: The Elves Helped with Christmas Decorations!

This year I have made a promise to myself to not let the anxiety and stress of "getting it all done" bother me. To do this I had to lean heavily on my mother in law this past weekend, who was amazing in helping out and watching the four kids for me. She had some help from Big Papaw but she wasn't afraid to jump in and help out so I could keep my sanity and get some items checked off my to do list.

My Maggie had been asking for about a week when could we put up the tree? I promised no later than Sunday and I was bound and determined to keep that promise plus, I was excited to get our house decorated for Christmas.

So my two toddler helpers and I headed downstairs, to our newly carpeted basement, to fetch the tree, one limb at a time! After about 19 trips up and down the stairs the troops were ready to assemble and decorate our tree.

We sorted our limbs by colors, they know them all. They handed me the colors as I asked for them and we were ready for Daddy, Cale and Mallory to join us for our decorating. It was amazing watching their joys as they discovered each ornament, I shared the stories on where it is from or who it was from or when they made it for us. All of ornaments on our tree have a story or memory behind each of them. I have long given up on just a pretty tree with coordinating ornaments, truth be told, I like this much better and it gives me an excuse to shop for a Christmas ornament on each vacation. I really cannot wait for them to be able to understand the stories we were telling them about each ornament. There are good memories of our angels in those ornaments and very happy times. It captures what this season is about.

As they hung a Purdue ornament that was Grandma and Grandpa Horstman's, I thought two things, Maggie would of made Grandma laugh and I can't believe there is a Purdue ornament on this tree but I remember it always hanging on their tree so even if Matt didn't graduate from there it would make my tree.
There were NASCAR ornaments that Caden was thrilled to put on the tree, these came from Grandma Lois Potter, and I know she is proud of them and smiling that he placed these ornaments on our tree.
The "baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments for Caden and Maggie, from Great Grandma Ramey and Aunt Marie will one day hang on their own trees. There is "our first Christmas" ornament that Matthew and I received from Granny Cool and the kissing Santa and Mrs. Claus bobble heads that made me really miss the lady who loved Christmas more than anyone. Cale and Mallory had four beautiful ornaments to add to our tree and start our new traditions as a family of 6!

So you get the picture, so many memories hanging on our little tree. So much joy as each one went into place. So much help from the toddlers who can do so much and are becoming independent little people. So many smiles from the babies we prayed hard for the chance to be parents once again.

So much excitement that we have our family traditions being put in place.

So many laughs and good times that make my heart swell with pride.