Dec. recap--part 1

 Emmalee's Gingerbread house (made of graham crackers) that she made at a Friday activity at school.   Ben thought it was awesome too.

 After we took some pictures, we asked her if she wanted to put it on the shelf for a Christmas decoration.  She said that maybe she would after she shared some of the goodies with Benjamin.  Needless to say, there wasn't anything left after they ate "some" goodies.

 Our Christmas stockings--hung "by" (in the same room as) the fireplace.  My mother knitted the stocking.  Mine is the "diet" one (shortest/smallest) & is one of the original.  Ben had just been pulling on his & Emmalee's (the last 2 on the right)

 Early in December, I brought in most of the Christmas totes so we could start decorating.  When I was gone, Zane stacked them as high as he could & took pictures of the kids by them.  (when I came home, they weren't stacked so I only saw this when downloading my pictures).

 Rusty and the youngest ones set up the tree one evening when the rest of us were gone (I don't remember if we were in town or at a game).  So when we were all there, we put the ornaments on the tree.

 Rusty had to include his feet so he'd be in some of the pictures.

 It was Callum's turn to put the angel on the tree this year (more documented proof that he had a turn!)

 Ben's last year to wear his light-up Santa hat.

 Emmalee putting decorations on the tree.

Ben liked hanging all of the family/picture ornaments.

 Each year the kids tell me that our tree keeps shrinking.  I love how their perspective changes with each year of growth.

As Ben would put it, "Awwww..... Pretty!!"