It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

For the first time in our 9 Staley Family Christmases we have purchased a noble fir Christmas tree, placed it in the stand, and actually took it into the house and decorated it--all in one day! It really is a miracle. You see, for the nearly 9 years we've been married one or both of us have been in school 7 of those 9 Christmases. That means that until finals were over--it didn't look or feel like Christmas in our home. My b-day happens to fall on the 9th and ALWAYS during finals week so it never really felt like my b-day either. There was always a post-b-day celebration...but you do what you gotta do and at least we had our priorities straight, right?

David is in his final year of his Master's degree and yet somehow we pulled this off without adding to the stress of time to get other things done like write 20-page papers and 10-page documentaries and 8-page reflection papers and so on and so forth. I'm so happy that we did. It feels great to get a jump start on the Christmas season and I love the smell of the fresh tree in our home! And she (yes the tree is a girl) turned out so pretty!

And these perfect puppies are compliments of my friend Jennifer Vanderlinden. The same person who we've been praying for and her husband, Pete. Yes, she's mighty talented and seriously I swear she is going to have some multi-million dollar business one day filled with all things hand-stitched, sewn, and perfectly hand-crafted. She made the first three stockings 5 years ago and then a new one for Sydnei when she joined our family last year. I remember that night at her house like it was yesterday. We had so much fun--while she did most of the work. I cut squares but really didn't get the sewing part. I am sewing inept. BAD. In spite of my own sewing disabilities, they came out perfect.

Jennifer has always worked so hard to do everything perfect. For a long time I always thought it was to her detriment (and even to her friends detriment who felt they may not be as perfect and far from it) because I worried she wouldn't be satisfied with herself and the things she created or did because of this concern to be perfect. But now, I get it. I know that "being perfect" isn't actually attained in this life--and I think she knows that. But her drive, hard work, and efforts to be and do things perfectly really push her to improve and progress and anything she attempts to do comes out beautiful (and as it turns out we have this trait in common). So over the years, I learned that lesson from her and it certainly helps me to understand her better as a friend...something I wish would have understood sooner. And, so to not digress too much more than I already have, I'll move on. :D

It was so fun to do these stockings together and I wish I could live closer to her so that we could do things like this and maybe I would even learn a thing or two (even with my craft/sewing disability)! The stockings are so cute and perfect and will be in our family forever thanks to Jennifer!!

Sofia stops to smile for the camera while we're decorating the Christmas Tree

Little Stink, Sydnei. She was running around everywhere with stuff all over her while we decorated the tree. She would stop for little moments to find the Dora ornament and rip it off the tree. The ornament in her hand here is one that never made it up because it because it became her favorite ball to play with!

And every year as I place this ornament on the tree I tell Ryan (David for those of you who only know him as David) that I dedicate this ornament to him. It's my FAVORITE!


MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE STALEYS!