Christmas Tree 2011

Whew is it really now 14!!!! days left till Christmas.  14,  Fourteen , 4 + 10, wow.  Are you ready I am not.  I am close but not quite ready.  I hope that by the conclusion of this weekend I will be done with all the fluff stuff.  As far as the family stuff well check we have been doing that everyday.  So much so it keeps me a little to busy to blog right now.  As I am writing this my son is standing next to me with a list of activities he wants to do this weekend.  Saying "mom lets get to it!"

One of my favorite traditions that we do everyday, but Wednesday nights because of AWANAS, is winding down our day.  The kids and I all cuddle together on the coach and watch what ever Christmas show is on that night.  They never complain and never ask to change the channel.  The other night the movies were from the 1970's and they watched the whole time.  They can be rowdy and all I have to say is time to watch a Christmas  show and they will switch it to it and settle down.  

After the movie is over they do their chocolate advent calender.  They love countdowns.  So not only do we have 1 advent calender we 2.  They have a Santa that we have been turning the blocks counting down since September.  How exciting that it is getting so close.  They do the Santa one every morning and the chocolate one at night.  Next year I might have to get a more involved advent one.  I have seen some great ideas of ones with activities not chocolate and I know my children would like those ones the best.  However I do love my creative boys.  The chocolate is in a different shape everyday.  After they open it and break the chocolate in half sharing it between the 2 oldest, (their own idea not mine!) they make up a story about what the chocolate was.  It is often influenced by what movie we just watched and it is darling.  For instance they had a squirrel the other day and they were making up a story about the squirrel helping Santa.  I give the wonderful credit to my kids school for this.  What a great school and the thinking they encourage and nurture.

December has been cold.  Like it should be if you regretfully live in Pennsylvania.  It is in the upper 70's in the Florida Keys right now, just saying.  I would be more than happy to trade in my evergreen for a palm tree.  But before the weather turned, before it got cold, before no one would want to go,  we went out a got our tree.  We went out the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We went back to our favorite place to get Christmas trees.  We got our tree there last year and had they best time.  Despite the fact it was flurrying, dark and just so cold.  But this year we went out in the morning on a warm day to the cheers of my children.

The farm is large we walked up and down the isle of trees.  Everyone was picking out a different tree.  Last year we got the all time best and most beautiful tree how could we top it.  We did not need to.  We just needed to find the best and most beautiful one for this year.  We looked and poised next to so many.  All different shapes and sizes.

We were looking for more of a small one this year.  No more than 6 feet and not as wide.  I did not care what they picked any would be fine.

We stopped and took a few pictures trying to get that one for a Christmas card.  A few is an understatement, more like a hundred.  Any of you with kids know how that went but we managed to get one...

One where no one is crying, picking there nose, looking anywhere else, hitting their brother, anything.

Eventually we found the tree.  We tagged it and so the guy came.  He chain sawed it down.  Which scared poor baby Faith.

He threw it on the wagon and took it back to the barn.  There they shook off the excess needles.

And wrapped it for us.  Smiley thinks watching the whole process is just the greatest.  He was so excited.  Such a joy at Christmas or anytime.

They even through it in the truck for us.

I found our latest addition there for just $3!  I love him such a cute snowman.  And $3 all hand made you can't beat that.  We were more than happy to take him home.

We quickly got it up and it looked great.  And our new snowman is enjoying his new home.

I strung many many many light on it.  We went colored this year.  Then the boys covered it in  so many balls you can no longer see the green tree but that is what they want.

Now it is up and we have our 2011 Christmas tree.  They balls have begun to be pulled off the bottom.  They are slowly making there way up top.  We sorta new this would happen.  After all we have had 3 babies at Christmas before her.  

She gets into everything as she is fully crawling around causing chaos.  She loved the lights too.  We don't mind we just love her so much.

Now we have our 3/4 decorated tree of 2011!  And another great memory of the Christmas tree.