Christmas 2010

My tree this year . . . Doesn't it look lovely. Looks can be deceiving:)

This tree tested my patience. It started out really well and looked really good. It's always a bit of a gamble b/c the trees I often get are wrapped tightly with twine . . so who knows if they are beautiful or not. (It's sure makes it easier to take home anyway). Anyway, I got it up and strung the lights. Looking good . . .

But then the trouble began. It tipped. When I wasn't looking. Grrrr!! Needles everywhere. My theory is that it was because the treee had a crooked trunk, (though you can't tell) and was therefore unbalanced. The trunk was also very soft and so when I screwed the screws in the base towards the trunk, they just sunk right into the wood and didn't hold it up at all. I got very annoyed. Tried and tried. Got more and more annoyed. Finally, I yanked the tree outside my front door and with an axe (no tools around here . . . ahem), chopped about a foot off the bottom. I dragged the very jaggedly cut tree back in and tried again. It still wasn't working. I gave up numerous times before my stubborn streak kicked in (also numerous times) and made me try again. And again.

I finally got it up by bracing the wood with something hard, so there was no more digging in. (These descriptions of my trials probably makes no sense to most people, but I will smile at this someday, so I continue with my recording . . .)

So the tree was up by the time the boys came home from school. They loved it and started thinking presents.

A few days later, I asked Kade to water the tree. He did. It tipped. BIG MESS!!!

We got it up . . . but again I threatened to be done with it and chuck it out the door.

Then I was sitting calmly writing my Christmas letter a few days later . . . no one near the tree . . . and . . .

TIMBER . . .

Down she went again and balls went flying everywhere and of course a billion more needles. I calmly walked over, tipped it up, leaned it into the corner (on a major angle so it wouldn't attack again). This time it was Jonathan's turn to get it up.

He did. The tree never looked too pretty after that and no one really cared. It's down already. I was looking forward to my first empty post-Christmas day to be rid of the beast. I loved how it made the house so cozy, but living in as small of a space as we do, I was happy to have my living room back too.

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Stockings . . .

Kade put this hat on at my mom and dad's and asked if he could take it home. My mom said he could. He loves it and slept in it the first few nights. It was really cute when I came in his room the first morning to wake him up and saw him sound asleep in the hat.

We like to test our kids patience by taking a family picture before opening gifts:)

Kylie enjoying one of her gifts.
And this picture is for Anna. Kate - I'm sure you are pleased with the progress thus far. (For those who may not be able to identify this . . .it's a jawbreaker. It's big and makes even bigger messes of Kylie . . . but then that's just Kylie, so hey.) Anna liked it too.