Trim up the tree...

It was a most exciting day today, we picked out our Christmas tree! We got it at a local Lutheran church, where they use the proceeds to fund mission trips. Turned out some friends were working at the tree lot, so it made things even more fun :) Our pick this year was a 7 foot Noble Fir that is nice and tall without being very wide. LOTS of room for hanging ornaments.

The day began with Dad taking everyone out to breakfast. Then it was off to the hardware store to find some sort of blocking to get the tree up off the floor a bit (pumice blocks, cheap and effective). After that we loaded up and headed out to get the tree. Back home to decorate it :)


Wesley really enjoys decorating the tree, he hangs ornaments faster than any of us.


Mom and Cameron hooked up the motorized ornaments with care.


Cameron really gets a kick out of seeing old ornaments every year. He knows many of their stories, and is always eager to talk about where they came from.


Don't the elves look great? It took a couple of hours to finish decorating, and it was so much fun. Christmas music playing in the background, only minor squabbling, who could ask for more?


These are the weird elves, they're no relation to the rest of us...


What better to do after tree decorating than BAKE CANDY CANE COOKIES! Mom's mixer is going to get a work out this year!

This evening we went out for dinner (woo hoo, eating out is always nice!), then off to the lighted boat parade on the river. We brought along hot cocoa, good thing since the temperature is around 26 degrees. When we came home it was hot showers and then we watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It doesn't get much better than this...