This last Saturday morning we did one of our family's favorite Christmas traditions. (Confession: I was even up in the night the night before...too excited to sleep!) We cut down our Christmas tree!
Growing up our neighbors and dear friends, the Isaacsons, would cut down their tree. Their trees were not always the most beautiful (sorry, Anne!) but were definitely the most coveted by me. Not so much for the tree itself, but for all the fun and stories and memories that came along with the adventure of finding it and making it their own. I vowed then that if I could, my own little family would some day be that kind of family!
We got to the tree farm (after me calling ahead and finding out that trees started at $19 a tree) and soon discovered that there were no $19 trees to be found! All we could see were ones marked $69.99 and up! We were then told that some trees...ones with red ribbons tied to them...were the ones the owner was most desperate to get rid of...and that they'd be less than $40. Needless to say, we told our boys the only trees we were interested in had a "special" red ribbon on them, and the scavenger hunt began.
One lost scarf, one run to the nearest "porta-potty", two boys and one dad sawing, one "timber" into the cart, one mix-up where someone tried to take our tree as theirs and we had to say some strong words to stand our ground, one car door bump and an "exchange" with the people that parked next to us, one magical talk with Santa, and we were sure we'd experienced enough ups and downs to consider this a legitimate adventure!
We even got to watch them shake the tree--with an actual "shaking" device--to get all the dead stuff out of it. And watch it be baled (wrapped twine around it for traveling) with a "baler". (The boys thought maybe we better go cut down one more tree so we could watch that part again!)
When I looked at the tree farm as we arrived I thought it wasn't quite what I'd pictured. Not quite as rural as we'd been to before, etc. But, as we went along and I saw it through the eyes of a three-year-old and five-year-old boy, I realized it was a completely magical place. That for them forest was huge, that the adventure was real, and that the memories would be larger than life in the years to come. It really became magic for us all.
Joshua has been very resistant to sleep these past few weeks. When Greg and I head up for bed at night we find him sleeping at the top of the stairs with his pillow, blanket, and bear...or in his doorway. But one night recently we didn't find him in either of those places or in his bed. There was brief moment of panic for me until I looked down and saw two little legs poking out from the drawer under his bed. Yes...he was asleep! And even said many grumpy words about being disturbed as we (again) tucked him under the covers. This boy definitely has a mind of his own! 
These pictures capture a typical after school moment these days. After we walk home from the bus stop in the afternoon with Nathan we often stay outside for a little bit. I sit on the porch steps and go through Nathan's backpack--while I hear his "report" of the day, and we all "decompress" a little bit before going in to fix dinner!
