I have been wanting to start cutting our own Christmas tree as a family tradition for a few years now and it's nice to finally get started. Saturday, we let T pick out the tree, A will be next year. Thanks to the bit of snow we had all week it turned out to be a nice but very muddy day; next year we will take a change of clothes. I had this picture in my mind of a nice farm with a restored barn turned into a store (like on the web site) where we come take the horse drawn wagon to the trees, pick one out and get picked up, get the tree loaded, have a warm cup of hot chocolate while browsing the shop and leave to go get lunch. Nope. We turned at the Fulton Farms Christmas tree sign and parked in the mud in a long row of cars, walked to a covered trailer to get instruction, picked up a saw from a wagon, walked through the mud into the trees until we found a nice modest tree, cut it down, waited about 10 minutes or so for the wagon to come around and I opted to walk with Jacob so I could get pictures of the kids on the wagon. The tree was netted and paid for (more than expected but reasonable), loaded, and I picked up a couple cokes from the covered trailer, stripped the kids to their thermals, and picked up fast food on the way home. Even though it didn't turn out like I expected it was still a fun experience and I would do it again.
At home we set up a large polar bear inflatable in the front yard. I got this from a relative and this is the first year we used it, kids seem to enjoy it. Setting up took a while since the instructions were vague but hubby figured it out. After the outside was complete with polar bear we move to set up the tree. Our small tree had to loose another foot in order to stand and once standing hubby put on the lights and then the kids got to put on the ornaments they made and the balls we got from the dollar store (a wonderful place when you are trying to find disposable products). It was a fun and exhausting day.
Snowed all day Sunday, we didn't make it to church... the day was uneventful. We reopened boxes to find some of the stashed Christmas presents and start filling out the B4 forms. Played on Facebook (too much).
Today was pretty outside, at least from the inside :). I love being the first to make foot prints in the fresh snow but I guess living in suburbia you just don't get that chance, even in your own yard. I looked out my window to see what appeared to be snow shovel marks through our yard, perhaps to do with the snow fort across the way? And foot prints all around our house. I still may go leave footprints but where's the fun. I'm so tired and wish I could sleep now.
