the tree - and traditions.

As a kid I distinctly remember trudging through knee-deep snow in the woods, following my dad with his saw, searching for our Christmas tree. 

There was no official "tree farm" but we were allowed to go through and pick out anyone we could find on the land of one of the church elders, free of charge.  We always found one, a big one -- tall, yet buxom with boughs of Balsam needles, the easiest for little hands to put decorations on.

The tree was put in the basement family room of our split-level home, which also housed a huge stone fireplace whose wide hearth was the stage for many a performance by one of the four kids in our family.

Lights on our Christmas tree were always blue, decorations hand-made by us or folks from our church.  Nothing super fancy; yet Christmas always felt magical at our house.  My mom always made sure Christmas was really beautiful for us.  In actuality, we were spoiled.  We always got the "big gift" we dreamed of each year, whether or not we could afford it.  And the smorgasbord of food on Christmas Eve, from which we filled up plate after plate to nibble on while opening gifts, was nothing short of amazing.  Mom was intent on making Christmas a holiday we would dream about all year.  She always made it happen.  Her efforts made the entire month so special.

I think it rubbed off on my sister and I, as we both have confessed to trying to do the same for our young families - create that magic.  Mom set the bar pretty high.  For example, I can't imagine not having a real tree, despite the lovely artificial ones that are out there.  It is tradition.  Others? We always open our gifts on Christmas Eve, after coming home from church and putting on our Christmas pjs.  I have special foods I make for that night.  Christmas Day is about relaxing and eating and maybe not leaving the house at all. Any family is welcome to come and visit us, and eat and be merry with us...but we will be in our pjs, most likely.

And there are a few new traditions...a birthday cake and singing for Jesus, Polar Express movie night, and cookie exchange parties with friends.   New and old, together.  Our Christmas.

This year, as we have every year since we got married, we went to a tree farm out in the country to chop down our tree.   A new place this year, but every bit as fun.

snuggling on a hay bale in the barn.

baby trees!

the wagon trail.

um, the kids were a bit cold.  forgot the mittens.

following dada, wearing his official, bright red, tree-chopping sweater he wears every year.

"wait for me!" 

even the trees look cold.

frozen spider webs.

collecting rocks for her pockets, per usual.

they look peaceful, though probably arguing.

winner?

this was the one.  WAY too big but we decided we could cut it down to size if necessary.

Yep, Hubby lugged that behemoth of a tree with his bare hands a quarter mile back to the barn.  By the time he got there he was in his t-shirt and no hat, sweating profusely.  Ah, memories.  :)

Meanwhile, I was with the kiddos getting warm with hot chocolate, homemade cookies and hot dogs.

It was a really nice morning; although, being from Minnesota a bit of snow would have been nice! You know, just in December...January 1st it can all melt... :)

+ + + + + + + + 

This season of Advent, roughly the month of December, is about preparing for the coming of a Savior for mankind.  Christmas Eve we celebrate that miracle birth of long ago.  A baby, yet a King.   However you celebrate, whatever traditions you and your family have,  keep that truth in your hearts!

santa visit : third time's a charm

We trekked off to the mall on Wednesday to visit Santa.

Despite all three of us having colds, we headed out that morning (uh, well, 11am...as early as I can manage with two kids) and met Hubby so he can share in this always very joyous experience.

Ha.

The past two years we've done our due diligence and taken Cormac to visit the man in red,

only to see him make disgusted faces or flat out throw a tantrum

I know there are many parents who can relate.

Here is Cormac his first Santa visit, four months old...

Santa looks amazing.  Cormac looks like Santa smells bad.  This is literally the best picture I have from the experience.

The next year was, in fact, worse.  

We saw Santa at Paul's work's "kid party."

Amid the pizza and bouncy house fun, 

Santa arrived.

He may as well have been an ax murderer.

My 1 1/2 year old was not happy, 

clearly...

Then they hit the age of two, 

and suddenly Christmas is less "fun you force upon them" and

becomes something magical they actually want to be involved in.

This year, we started hyping Christmas early (both Santa Clause lore and Jesus' birthday) and he has been watching Christmas movies on Netflix since way before Thanksgiving.

He can sing Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop and Oh, Christmas Tree.

This year, I knew our Santa experience would be much, much different.

And it was...

He was too scared to ride the train, any coin-operated animal, or the merry-go-round at the mall

("Maybe when I am older," he told me.)

However, this year, he was able to sit on Santa's lap and declare emphatically that for Christmas he wanted "A d-ire engine!" 

Oh, and smiled dutifully for mama (who incidentally had to be told by Santa to stay off the rug if I wanted to take my own photos.)

I couldn't have been prouder.

Oh, and Finola was there, too.  She made weird faces.

But at least I expected that, this time around.

:)

{christmas bucket list}

Okay, so this is more of a 'to-do' than a 'bucket list.'  But since I love lists and lots of other bloggers are doing this, I thought I would join in the fun...

1. Cut down tree and decorate.

the tree!

2. Attend my very first 'ugly Christmas sweater' party.  Yes, my very first, and I am thirty-two. I couldn't find a sweater but only a tacky, ill-fitting holiday turtleneck for two dollars at Goodwill.   Here is a shot of some lovely ladies at our "crafty" Christmas party.  If you could see the detail on my turtleneck it has black Scottish terriers on it with crazy eyes and holly on their collars...

4. Take photos for Christmas card.  I am not sure why I always wait until December to do this.   Anyway, this year we were all sick with yucky colds and there was major snow falling outside so we had to take them inside by our tree. Here is an outtake.  This one will not be the card, don't worry.

family pic fail.

5. Send out said Christmas card.
6. Bake cookies and deliver to friends.  I've never been a big baker but now that Cormac is old enough to help me we have been on quite a cookie baking spree.  He loves helping and it gives me an excuse to use my pretty stand mixer.  Because I don't want to eat the whole batch myself we have been delivering some to various lady friends - mostly preggos!

7. Celebrate Christmas Eve/Day at our home -- for the first time EVER.  Usually we are in MN or at my in-laws for these two days...but this year we will have 'our' family celebration on the actual night/morning of Christmas.  I don't know why this means so much to me...but it does.  It is what my family did growing up, and it is what I desire for our little growing fam.  However, the entire weekend prior to Christmas will be spent with the Hubby's fam, and the day after Christmas we will drive to Minnesota for a giant reunion/celebration/crazy gathering at my parent's farm.  It will be nothing short of chaotic.  So excited for all the festivities!
8. Make cookies for Santa.  Set out, with milk.  Cormac already knows exactly where we will set these.
9. Purchase and hang mistletoe.  I actually got what is called a "kissing ball" at Michael's...and I adore it.  There was already a hook set into the huge doorframe between our kitchen and living room, so I decided it was fate that some mistletoe (or, fine, a kissing ball) be hung there.   SO worth it.  Cormac is constantly "catching me" under the kissing ball and running into me at full speed and kissing my legs.  Or I bring him or Finola under there and give them a million kisses, which he thinks is hilarious.  Or if he refuses, Hubby and I take a turn under there.  Also kind of nice.  :)  Best 6.99 I ever spent.

10.  Have all presents purchased and wrapped by December 15th.  Ha.

Okay, I'd better stop at ten.  It is a nice round number, and I prefer not to overwhelm myself.  Couple things I had to leave off the list to maintain my sanity -- the Elf on the Shelf thing (it looks fun but think I will wait til the kiddos are a bit older) and creating and carrying out an advent calendar.  There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest, but again, with all our travel and craziness and an infant I don't want to make myself crazy crazier than I already am.

What's on your Christmas bucket list this year???

tree cuttin'

Saturday morning it was time once again to drive out to the tree farm we always go to and bring home our Christmas tree.

It's our tradition, and I love it.

Last year during this excursion we took some family photos and I had a itty bitty baby bump:

Hard to believe how tiny and different Cormac was just one year ago.  

Barely saying two words and so still a baby!  Now he is all arms and legs and won't stop talking to save his life (and I love it!) 

Besides Cormac getting huge...Finola made her entrance into the world and suddenly I have TWO children!  This definitely added to the fun of the tree cutting experience

Despite both kiddos teething (his two year molars started coming this month and her first two teeth are now officially here!) we had a lovely morning, sun shining bright, cold but not freezing, and just a little bit of snow crunching beneath our feet.

So, is your tree up yet?

I am currently in the midst of 'trimming' ours...

and have only had a few minor meltdowns about it.
{Hormones, people.  Hormones.}

g

{christmas cousins}

I had written a whole post about Christmas traditions.  It was beautiful and enthralling.  Then I got hellaciously ill, then Christmas happened, then post-Christmas happened...and the moment for that post past.   Sigh.  Next year.  :)

So instead, I'll just share one of our new traditions - the 'cousin pic'!  Now that there are two sweet babies around during family gatherings, with more surely on the way, I really want to be able to look back and see how they grow throughout the years.

And remember their sweet Christmas pajamas.  Jammies.  Cozies.  However you say it in your house.

So here are the two babes we have so far - Cormac and Emmie.  

Aren't her cheeks amazing?

And just because I feel this photograph encapsulates the aftermath of Christmas celebrations for toddlers...here you go:

Merry Christmas!
g

one year ago : christmas

I love looking back on how much changes in only one year.

I can hardly believe this tiny thing was my baby boy 

just last Christmas!

He couldn't help me decorate the tree, but he seemed intrigued by the lights...

One of these were supposed to be our Christmas photo last year...but I  was a major slacker and never actually sent one out.

Doesn't my bald baby look thrilled to be wrapped in lights?  Pretty sure this is one photo idea he will make fun of his mama for years down the road...

And this year.  

He was able to clomp around in the mud while we cut down our tree. 

Oh, and he ate some mud, too!  

Despite the mud and the lack of pretty Christmas snow, our traditional tree-cutting outing was still really fun!

Hubby did most of the work.

Not our official Christmas photo...but I swear we got a couple good ones and I actually did order cards this year.  Maybe they will get mailed by New Years???

Cormac also "helped" me decorate the tree this week.  It was cute to watch him try.  Now to train him to not pull the ornaments off the tree...

Hope everyone is having a fun and {mostly} 

stress-free holiday season so far!

g

some firsts...

'Tis the season for lots of baby "firsts." 

We decided to start getting Cormac used to eating solid mushy foods, so a couple weeks ago we started him on cereal.  I thought he would be quite gung-ho about it, 

considering his bottle makes him quiver with delight, 

but the very first time eating from a spoon was, well,

  awkward.

{sorry for the poor picture quality -- bad light and no matter how I tried to edit these they look as bad as that rice cereal tasted.  Because yes, I tasted it.  Blech.}

Okay, so maybe solid foods didn't start off so well...but I assure you that now every morning he eats his oatmeal with gusto!  Plus, I don't try to give him so much at once.  Hey, it is a learning process for both of us, right?

Another first:  first time going to the mall to meet Santa!  I swear, my baby boy does enjoy some things.  He does smile.  He just needs to, um, get used to things first.  Unfortunately, Santa had many other babies to make cry, so there was no time for him to warm up to Old St. Nick.  Plus, we weren't paying customers.  I stood behind the "paparazzi guardrail" and snagged a few shots of Santa looking jolly and Cormac looking cranky, like this one:

One final first: Baby Mac endured his first time going for a brisk run in the jogging stroller...well, at least without screaming and crying.  Hurrah!

Here's what has *this girl* making her cranky face -- wrapping presents.

Buying presents is much more fun than wrapping them.

Anyone have any tips to get me motivated?

g