Memory Lane....

I have a lot to write about today...explaining the r-word to my sons, Hailey turning 9 months and my trip down memory lane.  I'll worry about the first two tomorrow.  Today, I want focus on memories.  I grumble sometimes about decorating for Christmas.  It can take sooo long and when the holiday is over and we return from our families, I'm done with them and I want them all to put themselves away with a wrinkle of my nose like on "Bewitched"!  I have to say though, decorating our Christmas trees is such a trip down memory lane.  We buy the kids an ornament every year (okay sometimes more than one!).  We buy them each one on vacation and then another one of their choice, generally what they are "into" that particular year.  I love it when they decorate their trees because it reminds me of vacations and all the things they have loved.  Some days it makes me sad to think of things they have outgrown and how much they are growing up.  I look forward to one day when they have moved out and they can decorate their tree at their own home with these wonderful memories.

The boys LOVE decorating their own trees!

Ian said these two ornaments are his favorites (this year!)

Ian didn't realize this was a tree skirt.  He said, "Oh wow!  A bib big enough for me!"

This is Brayden's favorite ornament this year.

Hailey even has a tree in her room.  The boys said it wouldn't be fair if they had trees and she didn't.

I hate that this one was blurry!

My favorite on Hailey's tree.

Aside from the kids' trees, we have two downstairs also...yes, we have 5 trees.  The other two are bigger.  One is full of Disney ornaments and the other one is our "memory" tree.  It is the tree filled with homemade ornaments from the kids, ornaments from vacations, and ornaments we get as gifts.  They are all special to us.

My favorite wedding gift...

Some ornaments remind me of special days....

Some remind us the reason for celebrating Christmas

Some remind us of special people 

(my husband's grandma's name was Dorothy so this one is in memory of her)

Several of them remind me of special trips....Our trip to Disney when Ian was only 3 months old.

We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this December!

An ornament from our honeymoon in Hawaii and a reminder of a new adventure when we moved here 5 years ago.

Our vacation last year.

Some remind us to be thankful for all of life's blessings.  My in-laws both had open heart surgeries the year my oldest was born.  They made these ornaments that year.

Some remind us of little things...I bought these when we first moved to Ohio 11 years ago...I had gone to a Longaberger party and could only afford the cheapest thing in the catalog, which happened to be these snowflakes!

The year I became a mom....

Some are just funny...my husband had this in his stocking one year from his mom.

Hailey seemed to have fun in the boys' rooms and with the Christmas decorations.

Playing with oven mitts in her big brother's room

Mom, I said, "No more pictures!!"

Hey, I like it up here..Can I come up here more often to play?

Wow...there are all kinds of neat things up here.

I'm not doing anything....yet!

Yay...I got to the ornaments!

I  hope everyone enjoys decorating as much as I do (after the grumbling!).  I love our tradition of the kids' decorating the trees and them choosing ornaments for their own trees.  I hope one day, they will love and cherish them as much as I do. 

What are your Christmas season traditions?