A beautiful day to find a tree

Saturday was beautiful here!

We started out bundled up in coats, gloves & hats, but then as it got warmer, we were able to take off a few layers. I took tons of pictures of the kids, hoping to get some (or even one) good enough for a Christmas card. In the end, I got a lot of good pictures. Of course, they're my kids and I think they're the cutest kids on earth...just like every parent does.

Looking for a tree was fun! We wandered around the farm, looking for just the right tree, pretty tall (about 9 ft or a little more) and skinny at the bottom (or skinnier than most), but also nice & full. Boy, I'm hard to please! We needed a skinny tree this year, because we decided to put it in the dining room and people will still have to sit at the table to eat, at Christmas dinner anyway. This is my way of babyproofing, putting the tree as far from the living room as possible and hoping we can catch Jake crawling toward it before pulls it over on himself. So far so good, but we've got three more weeks to go. I keep my trees up until New Year's. I just love Christmas and its decorations, and I try to stretch it out as long as possible.

Thank goodness we picked Saturday to get our tree. It poured down rain on Sunday! And we were the lucky ones, inside putting on the lights & decorations. Laney loves decorating the tree, so she unpacked all the decorations from their boxes & wrapping, while Dave & I put on the lights. One of her favorite traditions is putting the angel on the top of the tree before we start putting up the decorations. Dave always holds her up while I take her picture. This year, the tree was so tall, Dave had to put her on his shoulders and climb up on the step ladder so she could get the angel to her rightful place. I got the shot! A cute picture of Laney gently placing the angel atop the tree.

Now I've got to print my pictures so I can start on some fun Christmas layouts. I'm not quite sure which paper collection I'll choose. I need to look at the pictures first. Maybe next week, I can look through the store & see what inspires me. I'll share it here when I'm finished.

Oh, I just had to share this one! Laney is such a great big sister, always so patient with Jake. She never yells at him or complains when he hits, pinches or pulls her hair. She certainly tries hard to avoid all those things though. With all the pictures I took, it's hard to believe this is the only one like this!

Jake says, "Thanks for putting up with me sis! I love you!"