We're Ready!

We are FINALLY ready for Christmas! The last few presents (actually...all of them) were wrapped about 30 minutes ago!  Whew!  Can we meet a deadline or what?

See that GIANT present (big wall of blue on the left?)  Both kids were anxious to find out who it was for.  Jake won...we tried to tell them that size isn't always the greatest indicator!

Proud Mom Moment: As I was driving the kids around the other day Maddie said, "I'm SO excited to give my gifts this year!  I mean...I'm excited to get them, but I'm SOOO excited to give them!"  Jake chimed in that he could hardly wait for everyone to see his gifts too. Just maybe we are doing something right...

Anyway - the tree looks lovely...if you are a foot tall.  If you are taller than that it's a little more sad...

The strings started going out approximately one week after we put the tree up.  This is no end of frustration for Mike who sits in his office all day looking at it.

Every year Mike buys an ornament for our tree representing something from the previous year.  I asked him if maybe this year instead of him picking it out, if we all should go along.  So, on Thursday we braved The Mall of America (Mike's only destination for ornaments each year).  We each found a few we liked, but nothing we all loved.  There was a Willow 2011 ornament we liked, but the store had sold out of them.  Guess who did have one?  Shakopee's Halllmark store.

Yesterday Mike and I headed to the Shakopee Hallmark to buy it.  Then we saw it and it just didn't feel like the right ornament, but one of the other figures was perfect.  We decided we would purchase that instead,  and Mike would turn it into an ornament...

As you have probably guessed this represents Mike's parents reuniting after 18 years.  It's absolutely perfect.  We intended for everyone to take part in picking it out so I was a little nervous showing the kids.  But, when Mike pulled it out everyone was quiet and Maddie said, "I love it."

With that, we are officially ready for Christmas.  And to be honest, while we are all excited to give our gifts - we are DEFINITELY excited to get our gifts from each other too.  Present opening can't come soon enough!