progress

The current state of our Christmas tree.
Nowhere near being done, but you see?

There's a Christmas tree there. Right there, in my living room.

Which is progress in itself, if you know what our lives look like right now.

It all started Tuesday, when I paid someone to help me put up the tree.
In between Romp n' Roll and hundreds of pages of work. While Ron was at work.

Caleb helped pick it out. Sort of. (I let him think he helped. Really, he just ran around.)

If I had had any forethought, I would have taken my camera to capture him running through an endless maze of pine trees in his orange vest. THAT would have been a

good picture.

Did I have the forethought? Are you kidding me?

We're lucky we have a tree.

I almost paid someone to help decorate it. It might have been done by now.

But Caleb showed a lot of interest in the ornaments and insisted on doing it himself.

A few got broken as he played "mókus" (squirrel) inside the ornament box.

He said he was: "soggy Mommy, soggy"

He found some stuff he remembered from last year.

I put lights on the tree. Caleb decorated the lower branches.

The next night: Ariana takes a good look. She likes what she sees.

The family lays around after dinner for a few precious minutes

and manages to add a few more ornaments to the tree.

Then, it's a mad rush to meet deadlines, make children happy with

play, drawing, stories, and nursings. Put cranky tired children to bed.

Try not to fall asleep ourselves.

(Blog about it all after the work is done at 1:51 a.m. Instead of sleeping.)

I'm sure we'll come back to the tree again tomorrow...

This incremental decorating thing may have to become a new family tradition.

Or else, this may be in our future:

"What do you mean, Mommy, that we did it and it's all done?

We have to decorate the tree a little bit EVERY NIGHT until Christmas!"