Little Drummer Boy

Last night we decorated for Christmas.  Everything except for the tree, which we realized we threw away last year.  Unfortunately, we realized that after we pulled everything down from the attic and made a giant mess.  Then, I made a 9:15pm run to Bed Bath & Beyond for a 4 foot pre-lit tree. The tree was TERRIBLE.  I bought it, even though it looked a little skimpy and was in an urn.  But for $25, I thought at least our decorating would be over.  When I set it up, it fell over because it leaned so badly.  Eric thought he could rig it, and it didn't lean as much on a hard surface like it did on the carpet.  When we got it assembled and put up (on a tv tray with a Christmas tablecloth as tree skirt) we realized only 1/3 of it had lights.  I'm taking it back today!  But I digress.

Before she went to bed, we put Mary Lu in a Christmas outfit and put the tree up in her room.  She oohed and aahed over it!  After she went to bed (in footed, fleece Christmas jammies - picture below!), we put out a few more things in her room and hung an advent calendar on her bedroom door to surprise her in the morning.

Fast forward to the morning and the Little Drummer Boy.  I heard her talking just like her usual wake-up routine.  Then, I thought I heard something hitting the sides of her crib.  She had 2 lovies in bed with her, so it couldn't be that.  And she beats on the crib and wall with her hands all the time, and it didn't sound like that.  It sounded like she had a drumstick.  But surely not.

Next thing I hear is CLEARLY a drumstick as she whacked it across every single spindle in her crib.  (This child will be a dream come true in the perucssion section of a band someday.)  I sat straight up in bed (yes, I slept in this morning) to see what in the world was going on in there.  She had a coathanger!!!! that I left hanging on the side of her crib from the Christmas outfit we put on her for decorating last night.  I'm sure she woke up, saw it and thought, "jackpot."  So, it appears we are ALL in the Christmas spirit this December 1st morning.

The Little Drummer Boy



The advent calendar in her room - She thought the cow was a horse,

picked it up and said "neigh" this morning as she stuck it on the calendar.

The little Santa under the tree is from her Great-Grandmother Arnold

who brought her this treat when we met her for an early Thanksgiving lunch
last Wednesday!  It is a treasure from her collection of Christmas decorations.

Is this MY tree!?!  - We were singing Jingle Bells as we went to bed last night. 

Mary Lu uses the rattle Meme and Big Dad gave her as her jingle bell.

The Little Drummer Boy in action