Decorating Tree #2

Last Monday (I am a little behind on posting), Anna and I decorated our real tree with my glass ornaments.  Before we started we talked about how the ornaments could break easily and that we needed to be really careful with them.  Annalise was very gentle while decorating (I am glad that we practiced with our other tree) and kept telling me that we had to be very careful. =)  We also had a talk about how once the ornaments are on the tree they must stay on the tree and she has done an awesome job with that too (she does like to remind me and the cat that we have to leave them on the tree)!  Love that girl!

 She was very serious about her tree decorating!

Decorating Tree #1

Since we bought our house 4 years ago, we have been decorating two trees each Christmas.  We put one in our living room and one in the family room.  It started because I wanted to do a themed tree with only glass ornaments but yet we had so many other ornaments from over the years.  Many of the ornaments that we have I had since I was a child, Stan had since he was a child, some hung on my grandmother's tree each year and some are from a Great Aunt of mine who traveled around the world.  Needless to say we didn't want to get rid of those ornaments even though I really just wanted to switch to glass.  So, we decided to have a real tree in the living room with the glass ornaments and a fake tree in the family room with all of the "other " ornaments.  This way we also have a place to put any ornaments that Anna makes some day and any that we get as gifts. Today after we got our real tree (see below), Stan went to work and Anna and I decorated the fake tree.  It was so fun decorating with her!  She got so excited with each little ornament!

 She really concentrated on putting the ornaments on the tree!

 The bottom of the tree looks cute because Anna has clumps of ornaments together, some even on the same branch.  Notice the wreath she just stuck the branch through the hole and didn't even use the string hanger!

 This also made me laugh when I noticed it.  The snowman ornament is hanging off of the arm of the Cabbage Patch Kid ornament!

 Any ornament that made noise was a favorite of hers.  Here she found a little bell.

 Putting the bell on the tree.

The finished product.  On to tree number 2 either tonight or tomorrow night!

Christmas Tree 2010

This morning we headed to Megargell's Tree Farm to get our Christmas tree.  I really hope that I didn't pick one that is too wide this year!  We will have to see tonight!

 Our favorite Tree Farm!  We highly recommend!

 Getting ready to head out.  Annalise just figured out that she would be in the backpack.  At times she doesn't like sitting in it anymore, as you can see!  She doesn't pitch a fit about it but she does let you know that it is not her preferred mode of transportation at the moment.  Most of the time anymore she says "I walk with myself".

 As you can see she got over in about 1 second

 "Let's go!"

 Heading out

 Anna and I

 Stan leading the way

 How good are your eyes?  There is a hunter in an orange vest in this picture.  Actually, when we started out there were a few deer up at the top of this ridge.  Then there was about 6 or more gunshots and there were no more deer on the ridge that we could see.  I was kinda taken aback and Stan was like "Oh, don't worry, they just probably ran away".  Judging by this hunter walking to the top who followed by at least 2 other hunters after him, I don't think they ran away.  It made me sad =(.

 This is the one!

 Anna and I, saw in hand........

 Just kidding!  Stan cut it down!

 For some reason Anna cried a little when we cut it down.  After if fell she said "Oh no!  It fell over!  Daddy fick (fix) it!  Stand it back up Daddy!" I had to explain to her that we were taking it home and Daddy would "fick" it there.

 Dragging it all the way back to the barn.  He still refuses a tree cart!

 He ended up carrying it about 1/4 of the way back because of the mud.

Getting the tree shaken and wrapped up.  Annalise was not a fan of these loud machines.  She was interested in them and wanted to see them but she wanted to be held while they were running and said they were too loud.

Christmas Tree '09

As always we got our tree this year from Megargell Tree Farm in Orangeville. We got our tree on December 5th and put it up on the 6th (I am just a little behind on posting the pictures). It was a much different experience from last year when Anna was only a few weeks old, it was FREEZING and Annalise slept the whole time! This year I carried her in the backpack because I didn't think she was steady enough on her feet yet to be tromping through the fields without falling a million times. It was cold but it was not ruthless, Anna did not sleep but was shrieking (her happy shrieks), and it was even flurrying for the perfect ambiance!

All ready to go!

Stan searching for the perfect tree

Anna and I bringing up the rear

This one was it!

Annalise and I with our tree

Stan cutting it down

Disappearing under the tree

Ready to drag it all the way back to the barn.
Actually he could only drag it for a little while because the path turned to mud so he had to carry it the rest of the way. He always REFUSES to get a cart though!