Better late than never, right?
On the first Saturday in December we went to our some-what local Christmas Tree Farm to pick out and cut down our tree. It didn't take us long to find one that we all agreed on. I hope that as the kids get older it still stays easy to pick out the tree. We got the tree cut down and put it in the truck and headed home. We decided to leave the decorating to do as a nice Sunday family activity.
After church we got all the ornaments and lights out. Than is the lights guy. I tried to do it one year and got so frustrated. I had to redo it 3 times before I liked it. So now he does the lights and I sit back and relax. Thanks Babe!! Then we put on our ornaments. Every year we each get our own ornaments. Sara gets a snowman, Aaron gets a snowflake, I get a bird, and Than gets a golf thing or Santa. The kids love putting their own ornaments on the tree. It's so funny because we always end up with a bunch of snowmen and all the snowflakes down at the bottom of the tree.
Well, as soon as we had the tree looking all beautiful and perfect. Boom! The stand broke and the tree came crashing down. Aaron was sitting on the floor and he had to crawl on his hands and knees as fast as he could to get away. He was pretty shaken up! Than found a temporary solution to keep the tree up in water while we ran to the store to get a new stand. When we got home, it was pretty late so I got the kids to bed while Than had a snack downstairs. I was in the middle of reading to Sara when I heard a huge crash. Yes, the tree fell down AGAIN! Luckily, it survived two crashes and we only lost 8 ornaments. When we finally got it up again we had to take off all the ornaments and lights because everything was so tangled. So Than put the lights back on and on Monday, when the kids were at school, I put the ornaments back on. But in the end it was beautiful. And I think we'll still get a real tree next year.
We found a good one.
Than putting on the lights. The tree was so pokey that he had to wear gloves.
Our temporary propping solution after the first crash. Lots of wet towels on the floor.
Beautiful.
This year I took Sara to see the Nutcracker Ballet. It was so fun doing something so grown-up with her. We got to the theater a bit early so we watched the orchestra set up and tune their instruments. I think Sara might have liked watching them as much as she liked the ballerinas. She has been taking piano lessons for the past year and has found a real love for making music. Her piano teacher had given her a simplified "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" to play so Sara was way excited to see that part of the ballet. After the intermission she got a bit sleepy and wanted to sit on my lap. A few minutes later she was out. I had to wake her up to see her dance and then she fell right back to sleep. Next year we'll do the matinee.
Dressed up for the ballet.
More December activities included visiting Santa. My sister is taking Tae Kwon Do and invited us to their Christmas party so the kids could see Santa. This Santa was special because he is my brother-in-law. I thought that Sara would figure it out but I thought Aaron would have no clue. Boy, was I wrong. As soon as Santa walked out, Sara knew who it was. It wasn't until Aaron got on his lap that he began to figure it out. He was so freaked out that he couldn't say anything to Santa. It was hillarious. When we got in the car, Aaron said, "That Santa was a lot like uncle Steve!"
Aaron is not very sure about this.
Sara felt a little sheepish too.
We can't forget the Christmas programs at the schools. Even though Aaron goes to preschool and Sara's in 2nd grade, they both had their programs the same day. So we had to rush from one to another. First up was Aaron. He was dressed up like a little elf and sang his heart out. He even had a speaking part: "We are making ALL the toys." At Sara's school, she was right on the front row, right on the edge. So we were able to walk right up to her and watch her sing.
Aaron waiting to sing.
Sara's turn.
Finally it was Christmas Eve!! Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my mom and my sister and her family. We each bring yummy appitzers and desserts to eat. We eat, chat, put on skits and read the Christmas story from the Bible. Then the kids get to open 1 present--their pj's.
Sara playing "Jingle Bells".
My 3 favorite people. I don't know why the kids look so grumpy. Cheer up! It's Christmas Eve!!!
Half of Kim, my mom, Katherine, me, and Aaron.
Christmas morning!! I love to see the kids faces as they come downstairs and see what Santa brought them. They each get one present from Santa, their stockings, and 3 presents from mom and dad. This year Santa brought Sara a wardrobe and a new outfit for her American Girl Doll. Aaron got Cars 2 cars and a cool racing shooter to put his cars in. They also got clothes, books, and legos. It was a great Christmas!
A tradition from when Than was a kid--getting buried in all the wrapping paper!
