Operation Decoration

I forgot how much drama and work it is to put up a real Christmas tree - quite a balancing act!

But the decorating is finally DONE. We had two ornament casualties during the process, and the cat has tried to climb the tree once already. The dog, on the other hand, keeps mistaking the Christmas tree stand for a toilet bowl and drinking the water.

Can I take a nap until Christmas now?

A-Hunting We Will Go

We spent yesterday tromping around in the snow, looking for the perfect Christmas tree. A friend of Michael's from work lives with pigs and chickens and goats and cows... the whole farm deal. They also have a bunch of evergreens that the prior owners planted to start a Christmas tree farm. Many of them are getting too tall to even sell.

They offered to have us come out and cut our own tree. So we bundled up and went out to find the perfect tree. The three kiddos ran around in between the rows (Michael's friend from work has a four year old daughter) until we found just what we were looking for.

Daddy cut down the tree - but Dmitri insisted on "helping."

Timber!

Then we dragged it off to strap it to the top of the car.

Dmitri insisted on "helping" again.

They have a new puppy - the kids loved the puppy!

And their new calves were fun to visit, too... although as Zoe said, "Cows are stinky!"

Who me? Stinky?

Moo!

I guess I can't put it off any longer... gonna have to drag out all the Christmas decorations this weekend and put up the tree... Wish me luck!