Getting into the spirit of it all....

Well I'm sure you all understand just how busy this time of year can be.  From Christmas and Holiday Concerts with the little ones, to shopping and parties the list just continues until everyone is so exhausted they practically fall asleep standing up!

I was hoping to wait to put up the tree until the first snow fall in December came upon us, however, watching the forecast, we soon realized that the first real snow fall wasn't expected until Christmas Eve and having three little ones, a wait that long just isn't a possibility.  So, after some discussion we decided this weekend was the one, and despite the rain and the grey outside we were going to have a great time!

It's the first real Christmas where James, our youngest, really has an understanding of what we are doing and why, and was into all the decorations, and putting up the tree, and and and. We played Christmas music, dogs got into things they weren't supposed to, and at the end of it all, Brad picked up our littlest, and carefully, gingerly even, he put the old tattered angel that I've had for over a decade, upon the highest bough.

That's when I got a little teary eyed.  You know, I don't think I've ever really admitted it out loud, but part of the reason I do photography, is so that I don't have to deal with what is actually going on at that exact moment in time.  It's kind of hard to explain, but it's similar to using that lens as a television, where I can see what is transpiring, I capture the moment, and hopefully all the emotion therein, and then, after the kids have gone to bed, and the house is quiet, I do my photo editing..... it is at that moment that I begin to really process and digest what all was going on at that moment..... it allows me to kind of keep my emotional distance, until I have a moment to give it the respect it deserves. Sometimes, those moments are beautiful and wonderful, and I can't wait to get home, punch my card into my computer, and start my photo processing journey, other times, I know I really don't want to deal with those emotions, so those pictures stay there a bit, until I can sit down, prepare myself, and go through them...... Today I got teary eyed for many reasons, obviously one being that Brad is here, with us, and strong enough to pick up his fourty pound three year old to place that tattered angel atop the tree, and everyone is smiling and laughing and whistling out of tune..... The other side is a firm and strong realization at just how close we came to losing him, and knowing what that little three year old, ten year old, and eleven year old's Christmas wish would have been..... and how close I came to trying to explain why some Christmas wishes don't come true. 

Today it was a very real fear, a genuine appreciation for those who worked so hard to save my husband's life, and those that stood by, listened to me vent, and saved my sanity, my family, and I am eternally grateful to them all.....

But today is a great day...... Christmas really does begin for us today, and a new year is just around the corner..... time to move onwards and upwards!

Happy Holiday's from our home and hearts to yours!