It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Since Thanksgiving was so late this year, we felt like we were losing out on Christmas time and were frantic to get decorated as fast as possible.  So on black Friday we dragged out all our decorations and got to work!  We were lucky because the weather was GORGEOUS, so we did all our outdoor stuff: wreaths on the outsides of the windows and lights in the bushes.  Then on Saturday, while I was busy trying to make a magnolia wreath for Relief Society, Craig took the kids out to buy a Christmas tree.

They visited a tree lot and found this adorable little one:

And then they went to Costco, where for the same price you could buy this:

I guess since this is in our house, you can guess which one we bought!

It was a little scary not knowing what it would actually look like unwrapped, but Costco didn't let us down!

So merry and bright!

As if we weren't already feeling a bit of a time crunch, Craig decided the young men should come make cookies at our house on Sunday after church, so we (HE) had to rush around getting all the boxes put away almost immediately.  It made for a very busy Saturday but now our house looks festive AND clean, so I'm very happy.  And the cookie making was a huge success:

Camille is in heaven working with Addison here...

Poor Owen has wheat and egg allergies, but that didn't stop him!

Watching Christmas movies once the kitchen is all cleaned up!

Also, Craig took Kendra Christmas shopping. And while they were out and about, he surprised her by letting her get her ears pierced!  She was so cute, she told him they'd better not because she was worried I'd be mad.  She didn't know that we'd been plotting this for weeks!  She was very brave about it all and I think she looks so pretty!

It's hard to see, but she chose tiny star earrings-- very fun!

I feel like the entire month is already booked solid with concerts and parties-- it's going to be so fun!!!