Tis the season

Today was a great day! We started off the day with a post-op doctor's visit. Dr. Nyong'0 was very impressed with Shelley's eye and how it is healing. He said her right eye looks better at this stage than her left eye did after surgery. So that is great news! Shelley was so tired yesterday and whimpering the short times when she was awake, but today she was almost back to her happy, sweet, little self. Justin and Jorgen went and bought some donuts and bagels for Dr. Nyong'o and surprised Dr. Nyong'o with them when we were finished with the appointment. I wish we had the funds to do something really really nice for him! He has been so wonderful to our dear little Shelley Eliah and it has been so comforting knowing she is in great hands. We appreciate him so much. I won't be surprised if one of Shelley's first words is Dr. Nyong'0, or some version of his name, because we see him every week, sometimes twice a week!

After the appointment, we came home and Justin started studying while Shelley took a nap and Jorgen played. Some EV (Escondido Villiage, Stanford student housing) carpet guys came over and fixed our annoyingly squeaky floor upstairs! When the kids would be sleeping, I would have to jump over a four foot long area that leads into the bathroom because if I didn't the squeak was so loud and obnoxious it would occasionally wake them up. It's now so nice walking over that area without a sound coming from the floor.

I then started to pull everything out of our storage closet to do some reorganizing. I had to fit our filing cabinet, that was in the family room, in the already full storage closet. Why would I go through all of this trouble if the filing cabinet fit fine where it was???? ...To put up our Christmas tree!! Yes, that is right! It was Christmas decorating day in the Hansen household! You may think it strange that I decorate earlier than the norm, but you haven't met my parents yet! They had their Christmas tree up two weeks before Halloween! Yes, that is a little early!! Justin would prefer I decorate a little closer to Thanksgiving, he says I am not honoring the Pilgrims by totally bypassing their holiday. I think the Christmas season goes by so fast so I plan on celebrating it as long as I possibly can, with also paying tribute to the dear pilgrims during Thanksgiving!

I was able to take a short nap while both kids napped:D Then we got to go to a fun play date with BizKids. After we got back, Jorgen and I resumed our decorating festivities. I thought Jorgen would love decorating the tree, but he enjoyed getting out all of the bells and letting me do the decorating. He was, however, totally consumed when I brought out his favorite Christmas-time toy...The Little People Manger Set. I think he remembered it from last year because he knew right where the on/off switch was and turned on the star that plays "Away in a Manger." We put up seven of my eight nativity sets (Mom, someday I'll catch up to you...do you even know how many nativities you own?:D). And then we played with the Little People and sang Christmas songs. I got both kids ready for bed and then we read books and sang songs in Jorgen's bed before I laid Shelley down. Then I laid with Jorgen for a bit and told him the story of the first Christmas. They are both now soundly sleeping.

On a typical day, Justin would be busy studying until late into the night on a weekday like today, but this evening was a little different, and also an equally wonderful day for him. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't because he had some time to play with us and help us decorate the tree...BUT he did get to do something he hardly ever gets to do these day. He got to go watch a very important University of Utah game! They are 10-0 now. I won't go into details because frankly, I would sounds like a dork trying to explain something I don't know much about (and also because I still prefer BYU...Justin and Jorgen have me outnumbered though). All I know is that they WON and that Justin is on this funny little high right now. I love it when his teams win because he has this adrenaline rush and is so so so happy! GO UTES!

Now, I am neglecting the dishes because I wanted to finish this wonderful day by recording it. I don't often give a play-by-play of my day but I hope to more often because I want to remember the little things Shelley, Jorgen, Justin, and I do everyday that make life so wonderful!

Now, back to Christmas decorating. Here's a peak at my Nativities.

On one of our walls sits my martrushka doll nativity from Ukraine and also one of my mom's old nativities.

My favorite nativity that a member from my mission in Ukraine made sits on our armoir.

Two small nativities on top of the fridge.
A tiny little one that my mom sent me while on my mission and also one I bought while visiting Justin when he was in Guatemala, where we got engaged.

On the hutch sits a Willow Tree nativity that my Nana (dad's mom) gave us for a wedding present and then a nativity in a globe that my dad gave us a couple years ago. It winds up and plays Christmas songs.

As you can see, the tree barely fits! I am so glad we bought the smallest tree Costco sold last year because any bigger one wouldn't have fit in the apartment, unless we got rid of the train table...not going to go there, Jorgen would be devastated!
Jorgen has his own collection of nativities...well, nativity. Only one so far...

I had to rearrange the couches so now Jorgen's train table and is the focal point and not the TV. We never really watch TV and Jorgen usually IS our source of entertainment so the set up is quite fitting.

Sweet Shelley played happily in her exersaucer while we decorated our place. She loves to bounce and jump and play in this saucer.