Decorating the Tree

As has been a tradition in my family for years, we decided to continue with our own family the picture taking of us decorating the tree. It was getting late and I had been working on the lights of our tree all evening-even running out to the store for more lights (it's a pre-lit tree and had a strand go out, and then discover than another had gone out), and wanted to get the kids to help a little putting the ornaments on. So they got to put their special ornaments on the tree plus some more. My parents have gotten us all special ornaments marking special occasions-such as their births, our wedding, Micah's graduation from Medical school...so those are what we chose to take pictures of.

Oh yes, digging in the box for all the breakable ones!

Devin enjoyed taking them off more than putting them on...probably because that's the part he can do all by himself!

And then of course it would not be Christmas without the ornament casualty of the year. I remember how upset my own mother got when we would accidentally break one of her ornaments. Now I know how that feels...
Devin grabbed an ornament off the tree that Aiden had put on-too low-and I was planning on moving up after they went to bed. I was standing by the couch with the camera still in hand as we had just finished taking pictures. There were boxes in between us and I had no direct route to get to him. But I specifically remember the look on Devin's face when he saw this ornament and grabbed it. It was a look of "aaaaahhhh!" the ball of all balls, and I'm going to bounce it like every ball should be bounced! I saw it happening before it happened and it was all in slow motion. Me reaching out-screaming NOOOOOOO!!!!-and Devin just all wrapped up in how perfect this ball was and that he was going to throw it down even if it killed him...and sure enough:

Ugh. My beautiful, hand painted from the inside, gift from my mother-in-law, ornament in a million pieces that is in no way salvageable :( Oh well...no one was hurt, and there are worse things than a broken ornament. I still love my Goobotz :)