It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Usually, I am halfway done with my Christmas shopping by now. This year... no so much. I did go out the day after Halloween and rack up on a whole bunch of dress-up costumes for 75% percent off. That was awesome... but other than that, nothing. George has managed to pick up a few things for a few people... I just can't find anything that just jumps out at me and screams... HEY, Buy this for so and so. If things continue this way, we may not have any presents under it... but at least we have up the tree!

This is our first Christmas tree! (wait, how can that be?)--- This is the first Christmas tree that George and I picked out and decorated together. Our last tree (even though I loved it) was a hand-me-down and I pretty much took over the decorating of it. This year was way more fun. I learned my lesson, it is way better this way. And trees are way cooler when they are pre-lit:

I have been going through this whole "I can't believe our child is so big" thing. So this year, I really enjoyed going through all of our ornaments and hanging them up. Sarah Jane wanted to know all about them. George and I told her the story of all of them and we hung them up on by one. Here are a few of our favorites:

This is a star that she made at Oakcrest Academy. I love it! I remember when she got to bring it home. She was so proud of it:

This ornament was a gift from Summer and Lee the year that I was pregnant with Sarah Jane. She thought it was so funny that the bear was pregnant:

Every year George's mom gets everyone ornaments. They usually have something to do with the events of the year.. This is our chicken (because George is Mr. Zaxby's). I love this one. It looks so pretty with the lights.

This is the ornament that George's mom got us the year that we got out first house. It has 2004 on the bottom of it. I smile at this one every time I look at it: Sarah Jane made this one when she was 2. Ornaments like this one are what I love about our tree:
This is Sarah Jane's baby rattle. It has her little tiny baby teeth-marks in it:
This is the infamous baby's first Christmas ornament. I wouldn't trade this for anything. It was a gift from George's mom's friend, Nancy:
This is George's ornament he got this year from his mom. He ran his first marathon this year, so it will always be special:
and HERE is the pickle:
These ornaments might be my favorite on the whole tree. We got these for George's Grandmother (grandbubba) to hang on their tree. If you can't tell, it is 3 children (cole, sam, and sarah jane --- all of her great-grandchildren) When we gave them to her, she gave them back to us. She told us to hang them on our tree and then every year no matter what, she would always be with us on Christmas.
This is a bell from one of Santa's reindeer. We found it in our driveway one Christmas Morning... we can all hear it ringing. (read The Polar Express if you don't get that)
This is my Radko (it was from June in 2005):

I am going to my Mom's for Thanksgiving. My sister, my Mom, and I plan on doing some serious shopping on Black Friday, so maybe I can turn around the slump. I'm pretty pumped about it!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving week!