Christmas tree and eggnog

 decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays.  it's a great family activity and we also get to eat sugar cookies and listen to Christmas music.  it's a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas!  every year, brian and i pick out an ornament to commemorate the past year.  this year, we picked out a car with a surfboard on it and other "beachy" items to remember the year we spent the summer in florida.  on the bottom of the ornament, i wrote, "2011 trusting God."  God is good.  always.  oakley also picks out an ornament.  his first one was a sailboat (because i thought it was so cute and kind of baby-ish)  last year, he picked out a basketball one (he was obsessed with balls, so i thought it was appropriate).  this year, he really wanted the bell.  it says "peace" on it.  he was so proud of it!

this year was really fun because oakley was so into putting the ornaments on the tree

o's ornament.  i forgot to take a picture of ours.

yes, oakley is in big boy undies.  trying out potty training...day 3, no accidents yet!  nice work, monkey!

he wore this hat the past two years, but i think we will have to get a new one...it's a little small now

the final touch!

o put all the ornaments he hung in a little cluster at the bottom.  we left it just like this.  he worked so hard!

finished product

brian grew up eating cookies and drinking eggnog during tree decorating time, so he insisted we continue the tradition.  i, however, cannot get myself to like eggnog.  i try it every year and just can't do it.  brian used his mom's recipe to make it from scratch.  oakley LOVED it.  we only let him have a little bit, though, since it's packed with sugar and has raw eggs in it. (ick!)  it was fun carrying on a tradition from brian's childhood, though. 

sneaking cool whip from the lid while daddy makes eggnog

 cool whip beard

 cookies and eggnog.  yes, oakley had eggnog out of a shot glass. don't worry, it wasn't spiked. :)
what a great night of family time!  i am looking forward to years and years of creating new traditions and continuing old traditions with my little family.