Setting up the Tree

The other day Alina woke up from her nap to find her very own shiny Christmas tree in the corner of our living room. David and Daddy set it up, so it would be ready for the ornaments on Sunday night.
(And please take note of the beautiful blinds Daddy and David hung last weekend! Yay!)

She was very happy about all those shiny lights to watch.

We kicked off December tonight with decorating the tree and making gingerbread people. Here's the best recipe I've ever found if you're looking to try one out. Soft and chewy and super easy to make!

David was the driving force behind the tree getting decorated tonight. What a difference it makes when he wanted to do this tradition instead of my coaxing and prodding and coralling to get it done.

Let the festivities begin!

While David was decking the halls, Alina found her favorite shoulder to curl up to.

As we pulled out the pictures of Santa we've taken each year with David, I smiled to think that this year we will have 2 kids in the Santa picture. It was a hope last year as I tucked everything away--but a very cautious one. How grateful we are for the miracle of our baby girl! Oh, how we all love her.