whobody went tree hunting?

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we took our annual trip to Asbury to find our Christmas tree.

We all loaded up in the pickup (this is the last time our whole family will be able to ride together in a pickup to get our Christmas tree! Crazy) and headed towards Dubuque.

The tree farm that we go to has a tractor/wagon ride out to the trees… 

Cruz thought this was AWESOME 

but he was pretty sure that he should probably ride in the cab with the driver….

Nash INSTANTLY found the *perfect* tree. 

He was in love. 

He would not look at ANY other trees.

It was love at first sight.

(I say that because it was the tree that was RIGHT where we got off of the wagon).

 However…it was not the perfect tree for our 8 foot ceiling…

(and I prefer the short needle trees…)

He was ABSOLUTELY POSTIVELY SET on getting this 15 foot tree…

and then refused to participate in any more tree hunting…

or even picture taking.  

He was pretty mad at me that I didn't go along 

with his great idea.

 (As his parent, I am hoping to raise him to be stubbornly good…instead of stubbornly bad…because either way…we know he is going to be stubborn. :))  

The thing I love about the place that we go…is that it is never hard to find a GREAT tree.  I've been told that I am "particular"(and I am) but at this place,

 I have never had a problem! Here are the kids in front of our 2013 tree!

This tree is also over 8 feet tall…

BUT we only had to have them cut a few feet off of the bottom!

Notice Nash's grumpy face. 

He did NOT want this particular tree.

Ha. Caught him when he wasn't paying attention…

Jason, our fearless leader, cut down the tree…

and the kids helped him drag it to the 'road' so we could get picked up by the tractor again…and head back home!

Isn't he sweet? He loved the fresh air and our trip to the Christmas tree farm.

I had to share this picture of Keat….it seems I just don't take as many pictures of him…mostly because I get my camera out when someone is doing something funny or silly…

and he is so responsible and helpful and old :) 

that he is usually on the "parent side" of my camera. 

He is SUCH a great kid…and is really getting tall and handsome like his dad!

So…funny? story. There is this goat at this farm…

his name is Chocolate Mousse…

he escaped from his pen…but the owners said the kids could go over by him if they wanted to….SO of course, Nash chased him around. 

He wanted to pet the goat.

The goat did NOT want to be petted…but Nash was pretty persistent. 

I did NOT get a picture of it, 

but the goat REARED back and was on its hind legs facing Nash. It looked like they were dancing. 

Nash (and Jason) thought it was hilarious…

but of course, I knew that wasn't the safest idea…. :) 

so we got everyone into the pickup….it was time to go!

(And Jason decided that the next addition to our farm would be goats…even though our friends Nicholas and Elsie have tried their best to talk him OUT of it…it seems everything they tell him makes him want a goat more….he and I have an understanding that there will be no goats this summer, at least.)

We ate lunch at Pizza Hut on the way home, and then 

Cruzie INSTANTLY fell asleep. 

That kid was tired.  

I thought it was so cute how he had his feet (dirty feet) 

up on the seat…

so…so…tired. Tree hunting is a lot of work for a 2 year old!

When we got home we actually set the tree up…and then went outside and did our outside decorations (with a little help). It was so NICE out that afternoon we just had to get it done, or it probably wouldn't have ever gotten decorated!  (And, it makes me SO happy to have the outside of the house and yard covered it lights!)

After decorating outside, we came downstairs and started on decorating the tree. 

(Jason spent this time making supper…because we still had someplace to go later that night!) The kids ALL helped decorate the tree

 (and were actually helpful…for the most part.)

Keaton 'managed' Cruz (whom he has really taken under his wing lately). 

Keat and Cruz are best buddies…

Keaton follows Cruz when he is coming up the stairs and plays with him in his room and is really working hard at being an excellent big brother to him.

 (He and Nash have surprisingly also seemed to get along better now that they have started sharing rooms, too!)  

When they were decorating the tree, 

Keaton and Cruz would each pick out an ornament, then Keaton would lift Cruz up onto the chair and help him hang it…and then lift him back down.

It was extremely heartwarming. Nash decided the left side of the tree was "his", the middle of the tree was Lola's, and the right hand side was for Keat & Cruz. It worked!

We had an excellent day that ended up being

 too full…but still fun. 

I always have wonderful visions of the day we get our Christmas tree

...having everything set up and set out when we get home…casually decorating the tree with Christmas music and hot chocolate (and wine)….and having wonderful CALM family time.

BUT, that, my friends, is not how we roll! At least not at this point in my life.

 It always ends up a little more C.R.A.Z.Y. than that. 

I am always scrambling through my Christmas stuff looking for the stand after we get home…and trying to find lights that work…and finding the most important decorations at the bottom of the box…running the vacuum occasionally for damage control…and trying to keep things from being broken. 

Such is life! And, I really do love it. We are so very blessed with our kids!