It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This weekend we dug out the Christmas decorations and "decked the halls" of our house. Julia had a great time going through all the bins of decorations on her own little treasure hunt. Since we only put up the Christmas tree last year and no other decorations due to being new parents and the lack of holiday spirit and exhaustion after Julia's medical issues and my own, Mike and I (OK, maybe just me) had a great time discovering all the cute decor we did have stored in our basement. There were things I totally forgot about and many little gifts, silk flowers and other Christmas items that I always purchase after the holidays when they are on super clearance (like 70-80% off) to get great deals and decor for the next Christmas. I guess I had my own little treasure hunt! We put up the tree, decorated the mantle, hung stockings and put some other decorations in the kitchen, bathrooms and outside. We got a beautiful Christmas wreath from a nurse I work with whose son was selling wreaths and spruce garland for his boy scout troop fundraiser. The wreath is on our front door, but we haven't put up the garland around our front porch just yet.

Julia is now walking and it is her primary mode of motoring around. Very little crawling now. She has done well with the Christmas tree and hasn't had too much interest in it. She does pull of ornaments every now and then, but I put safe, non-breakable, plastic or fabric ones on the bottom. She loves to ring one of the bell ornaments by batting at it while is sways on the tree branch.

Julia scoping out the Christmas goods.

Where have you been hiding all this cool stuff? (note the items on the floor to the right)

Julia assisting mommy with putting the lights on the tree

Julia "shaking out" any kinks in the strand of lights

Getting to her feet to walk around with the lights...she loved to parade around the room with them tangled in her arms and hands.

Putting an ornament on the tree with mommy

Now with daddy...