Tree Day!

the Saturday after Thanksgiving holds yet another cherished family tradition. we all go together to get our trees, and hang out at the parents' house and eat oyster stew. it's a good way to round out the first holiday weekend. the girls fuss over every tree before finally picking the perfect one, while the men follow with the saw, eyes rolling. of course, once we get home and have to put the tree UP without killing each other, the fun really begins. ;)
Getting all three kids to smile or even NOT freak out is a feat, but today was a nice surprise.

we get to Brown's Tree Farm and Charlie immediately grabs my hand and pulls me, screaming, over to see who was there. Mallory was perplexed, at best.

the kids loved the pony ride!
















this year, the decorating was much smoother than the past couple of years. looking back over the old blogs (this is my third bloggy holiday!) i can see a big difference. we must be getting better at this. ;)as we were breaking out all the goods, i thought it's so nice to see all these familiar snowmen and singing penguins every year. our holiday decor is NOT fancy. it's mostly dollar store chic. but i like it.
unfortunately, mal conked out and missed most of the action. she had enough excitement for one day, and i'm sure tomorrow the battle of mal vs. tree will commence. sigh. any tips for keeping toddlers out of the tree??
as of now, the kids are snug in thier beds...i'm sipping coffee and trying to keep adam calm as he watches GA, GA Tech. So far, he is no happy elf. ;)
happy decorating!