Oh Christmas Tree

Last Saturday, we joined Marc, Cathleen, and Julianne on an adventure to find a Christmas tree.  We decided to go to Yeager Farms in Phoenixville.  It was cold and sunny and everything you could ask for-- a hay ride to the trees, saws to cut down your tree, help hauling your find, and free hot cocoa at the end.  We may never go back to a pre-cut lot again.

We scoured that farm for the perfect tree, and after careful scrutiny, we found the one.  A fat spruce that smells like Christmas.  The ever-helpful Liam believed it was his destiny to cut down our tree himSELF, so we compromised-- he could hold the saw for a picture...

 


... and Daddy would cut down the tree (with Liam's help, of course!).  Joergen was content to supervise.

 

Then all we had to do was haul it back to the wagon for our trip back down to the barn.  Definitely a one-and-a-half man job!

Oh what fun it is to ride...

With our tree strapped to the roof of our car, we stopped at the local grocery store to pick up some baby food for Joergen before going out for pancakes (or panbakes, as Liam calls them).  When we got inside, none other than Santa himself was there to greet us.  Liam sat on his lap, wished for a rocket, a race car, and clothes (??), and got himself a candy cane.  Heaven!  But wait... there's more.  As we were leaving the store, look who rolled in to make sure the boys were behaving!!

Not only was that fire truck carrying Santa and Mrs. Claus, but no kidding, there was also Mickey Mouse, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph inside!  And in the truck behind them?  Minnie Mouse, elves, and Elmo!  Best (and clearly most random) trip to the grocery store ever.

Back at home, we spent the evening decorating the tree, where we realized the one downside to wearing heavy gloves while tree-shopping... spruce needles are sharp!!  No seriously, that tree, while beautiful, is pretty much a weapon.  I guess we won't have to worry about the boys messing with it!  Yikes!  Joergen was really fascinated by all the lights and was content to just be held while we decorated:

Liam loved going through all the ornaments ("Look!  An angel!  Hey!  A bell!") and helped to put a few unbreakables towards the bottom. That was short-lived, however-- not that we could blame him!  He was brave for at least trying.

Ta-daa!