It's The Most Wonderful Time

Did I mention that I LOVE Christmas?!?! This year we were a little slow getting our tree up -- last year it was November 2nd! :) But at least it is up now and we are enjoying it. My love for Christmas appears to have rubbed off on Kevin as he was even more ready that I was to get started! We put on our FBC Rogers Christmas CD, turned up the music and got busy. Here are some highlights...

Kevin hanging up some ornaments

Studying an ornament before hanging it up

He got out the tape measure to help!

Not sure what he actually decided from all the measuring, but the tree turned out great, so I guess it helped!

A "normal" picture for mom

Now this is more like it - the real Kevin!

One last shot with both boys... just wish Sam had some pants on! :)

Kevin and I enjoyed our time together and it was bittersweet for me as he brought up the subject of "uncle Kevin" - he gets grandpa Kevin and uncle Troy confused as he never met either of them and knows that they both live in heaven with Jesus. Surprisingly, he did remember on his own which ornaments on our tree belonged to grandpa Kevin and also talked about him being a sheriff. As difficult as it is for me to recognize that he will never know the man that meant SO much to me in this life, I am thankful for Kevin's desire to talk about him and ask questions about him. I pray that someday he truly understands the deep meaning behind his name.

In addition to all this, I am one of those people that love Christmas ornaments & the stories behind them. You will not ever find two ornaments the same on our tree! :) Many of them are homemade or passed down to us & I love to look at them and remember where they came from or when a little proud boy handed them to me! :) It is like walking down memory lane as I go through them all and decided which ones to hang on the tree... and yes, we have too many for the tree! :) A few of this year's favorites are...

• My crotchet angel at the top of the tree that was passed to me by my mom
• The Herbie Husker ornament that was my dad's
• Baby Jesus in the manger - made with construction paper, "hay" and Popsicle sticks - a Kevin original from Christmas 2008
• A cross-stitched Santa that was given to Brian when he was younger
• A "parents-to-be" ornament from my mother in law given to us Christmas 2004 right before we had Kevin
• Many, many ornaments that I have given Brian & the kids over the years -- I must admit, the boys will have a wide variety of ornaments when they have their own trees someday! :)