Home for Christmas

One of these days I'll get back on the blog-wagon...I'm going to let you know, pregnancy is not one of those days.  (Did that even make sense?  No?  Go with it.)
It is such a blessing to not be on bed rest, please don't get me wrong, but MAN pregnancy is tiring when you don't lay around all day watching the Duggars and counting the days.  I'm 36 weeks 1 day, and I'm about to be more pregnant than EVER.  Crazy.  It makes me so thankful for a healthy pregnancy, it also makes me thankful that I'm not an elephant...
With baby and Christmas so close together, Mama wants her decorations simple this year.  I need them down the DAY after festivities are over.  Nesting beckons.  My compromise?  If I can't craft it, Ruthie can't craft it during an advent activity, or we don't already own it, it isn't happening.  Therefore, we look like the scrooges on the street.  If I weren't Midwestern enough to hang wreaths, you'd think we'd forgotten about the season.

She actually helped this year...and so far, she hasn't broken any ornaments!  Pumpkin...she's a different story.  She doesn't help and then eats them and throws them up.

Mantle for stockings and an advent calendar!  Notice Ruthie's wreath and "garland."

Now that we are settling in a city, the exciting part is starting traditions that can last longer than a few years!  This year, we went to the horse park for their "southern lights" tour.  Ruthie loved loved loved it.  We drove through lights first,

Once you drive through that, they have a ton of festivities such as face painting, seeing Santa's reindeer, and a petting zoo.  I'm not talking about a few goats here, people, they had some crazy animals to pet and feed.  Lemurs, zebras, animals I couldn't pronounce, and Ruthie's favorite (as was mine,) a camel.  You could even ride camels!  Don't tell Ruthie, though, we pretended like it was a show and you watched people ride them.

Fast friends

Christmas is pretty great when you can finally set some roots.  And though this time of year makes me homesick for people and places around the country, I'm very thankful to finally start some long term traditions here in Lexington with my family.