It's beginning to 'feel' a lot like Christmas!

Yesterday we headed over to the local farm to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a long afternoon....but we had lots of fun!! We hiked all the way up to the top of the farm (which is VERY big) to find our tree. It's not that there weren't any good trees on the way up, but for some reason, we just love walking around and looking at them all.

This time we went further than we normally do. It was pretty, but it did pose one problem. Since it was a weekday and not a busy weekend, it was hard for the workers to know how far people were walking, so the truck (that usually goes all over picking up trees people cut down to bring down the hill) never came up to the very top. We ended up calling the place on our cell phone asking them to send a truck to come pick up our tree. It took an hour! We were so cold by the time they showed up, but waiting wasn't so bad...we posed for some silly photos and listened to pretty Christmas music.

The trees had just enough snow on them which was perfect for taking photos!


The kids loved hiking to the top of the hill! Did they take the designated paths? Of course not...but it sure was fun!


Sweet-Pea found a great walking stick to help her get up the hill.


Looking down at the farm shows how big this place really is. You can't even see the entrance where we parked...it's way down past the pond to the left. There are many directions you can walk to in order to find that 'oh-so-perfect' tree.




Finally...Lionel found this beauty! Here Edward trying to figure out if it's too tall, or if it will fit in our living room. He cut it just 1' above the ground, so it must be the right size. I believe he said it weighs approx. 200 lbs. and is about 11 1/2' high!!! We will probably have to cut another foot off the bottom in order to get our angel up on the top though...we'll see.


Sweet-Pea found this 'Charlie Brown' tree on the ground and thought it was simply the best tree around!! We brought it home, so she can decorate it herself. Too cute!


Lionel, Sweet-Pea and myself standing beside our tree (which is on the right).




Cutting it down was a job, but the boys did it. Daddy started the job and Lionel finished it. Unfortunately Daddy forgot the rope with the tarp, so they had to pull the tarp itself...not an easy task with hardly any snow on the ground for maneuvering. They only had to drag it a few hundred feet to the pick-up spot, so it wasn't too bad.


When the tree is up and decorated, I'll take more photos. We waited until today to put it in the stand, but found that half of our lights weren't working, so we will have to finish it tomorrow. More to come another day...in the mean time, check out this surprise....

When we woke up around 6:00 this morning to take Cody out, this is what we found. Almost 6" of snow on the ground!! The forecast called for rain...lots of rain. They didn't even mention snow! It was a nice surprise though, but boy was it a surprise. Edward was so glad it was his day off!


The snow looks so pretty on our little 'fake' outdoor Christmas trees. I love taking photos of them when they're covered like this!


After the snow surprise, the rain finally started to fall. It rained pretty much all day. Most towns around us had enough rain to melt the snow, but we are on a hill top, so it's colder and the snow tends to hang around. Lionel was outside shoveling today but it wasn't fun since there was a lot of water mixed with the snow....slushy anyone??

Fortunately the rain stopped. Now we can enjoy the beautiful snow that was left behind...til it turns to ice!!! Ha!

We are having such a great time this December....decorating, Christmas parties, shopping and more. We will start baking soon, and then we'll really feel like the holidays are in full swing! This month seems to be flying by, so I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it....all while taking a million photos with my new camera to share with you here. =)

"...at the Camel Lot"

Sweet-Pea had her Christmas musical at church last night. As always the kids did a fantastic job!! This year the musical was entitled "Camel Lot"...it was very cute. The sets were adorable and as always, we were among a crowd of very proud parents!



Sweet-Pea is in the 2nd row towards the right...you can see her legs between the 2nd and 3rd boys from the right in the front row.


Sweet-Pea singing her heart out...(She's right in the middle - only girl with bangs.)


Closing prayer...glad to see she closes her eyes. =) I always love taking photos like this...it shows the true innocence of our children. I was so proud of her for showing her love for the Lord in this simple way.


Great job Sweet-Pea...I am so very proud of you. You worked hard and sung your heart out!!!


Grandma and Grandpa (Edwards parents) were able to come see her sing, so she was very happy.


It's sad to think that these years are almost over. She's only got 2 more years of being a part of the kid's choir, and Lionel has only 2 more years of high school left. Hmmm....maybe I better prepare myself for some major changes in 2 years. Whoever said that kids grow up so fast was absolutely correct. Don't blink...they'll be gone before you know it!!! I try to savor each and every moment with them these days....they are a big part of why I get up every morning!! I am truly blessed!!!!!

Scenic Sunday - #8

(Click on the photo to enlarge for a much better view!)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This morning it was raining, but by mid afternoon the snow started to fall. It's so pretty outside and it's still coming down! We're definitely getting more than the inch they predicted.

The snow plow already went by our house twice which totally surprised us!! In our old home, we'd have had to wait several hours before the plow came by. Usually it would pass by just after we shoveled the driveway, blocking us back in. It was always so frustrating...just one more reason we're so glad we moved!!



The back deck...it looks so pretty out there with the lights.


We don't have that much right now, but hopefully there will still be some snow on the ground for Tuesday...when we head to the farm to cut down our Christmas tree!

Lights...Camera...Decorate!

Today we spent most of the afternoon putting up our outside decorations for Christmas. We purchased 10 Christmas wreaths at the local nursery (ooh, they smell so wonderful) and I added pretty bows to them to give some color.



Edward, hanging up the wreaths...while trying not to fall!! He was a bit nervous way up on the ladder, but he did a great job!


View of the house at night. It's hard to see the wreaths, but they're there. Since we live in a Saltbox style home, I thought about how perfect it would be with candles in the windows, but honestly...walking around to every room each night to turn them on and off was not something we wanted to do. Maybe next year.


Front view with flash photography...so you can see the wreaths.


Hopefully we'll be getting our tree next week...I'm hoping it snows, but I highly doubt we'll get any. It's always more fun to cut down a tree when traipsing through the snow!! Here are a few photos from previous years:

As you can see, we have a great farm nearby with beautiful scenery and tons of trees to choose from! We're at the top of the hill...the farm extends beyond the water and pretty far in each direction as well.


2005:




2006:




2007:




2008:




Can't wait to see what tree we get this year!! When I look back at previous years, our trees have all been so different except for one thing...they're all TALL! This year will probably be no different. As long as we can get that angel on the top it's all good. =)

Concentration

Every week I look forward to watching Sweet-Pea out on the ice during her skating lesson. I either sit in the bleachers with Lionel (while he reads or does school work), or I stand by the side of the rink...usually always with camera in hand.

Today I didn't get very many good shots...but I managed to get a couple decent ones. It's not easy taking clear photos of a moving object! Anyhow...I love the concentration on her face in this photo:



She's been working on a couple new moves which have been very challenging for her. Remember, she's only been taking lessons for 1 year, so she's not an advanced skater, but she's overcome many obstacles already. Just today, her coach told me that she's progressing far better than others who started lessons before age 7 like she did. We are very proud of her and all her hard work. Lord willing, one day she'll be able to get out there and do some really cool jumps and spins. For now...these simple photos of her working hard at what she can do, are proof as to how far she's come already.

Can't wait 'til next Tuesday when we go back to the rink!

An early start!

Christmas hasn't been exciting or even fun for our family for a few years now. We have been through quite a bit together and have endured some pretty difficult times.

2005 -
This is "The year of the Renovation". We put a large in-law addition on our home so my Dad (who was not able to live alone anymore) could move in with us. The construction lasted over 5 months. They began in late fall of 2005 and the worst part was right around the Christmas holidays. Besides the bedrooms, we had only 1 room to live in...and 1 half bathroom!! No kitchen, and no private shower (had to use one that you see in the background in this photo....it was awful. So, needless to say, Christmas wasn't all it should've been that year!!!

This was our kitchen....


The dust and debris all over caused me to get pneumonia that year too. Such a joy! NOT!


This was the extent of our Christmas decorations...a lit up wreath on the construction workers port-o-potty! I have to say though, it was a BIG HIT! So many people thought it was a riot and the workers loved that we thought of them. =)


2006 -
This year was better than the last, but there were issues with Dad that made it an adjustment. He was all moved in and we were adjusting, but he was already having some medical problems that took up a lot of our time and energy. We managed to enjoy the holidays a bit, but not like we used to.


2007 -
Dad's health got much worse. He was having seizures due to his Alzheimer's and his diabetes wasn't under control as a result. A major seizure just before Thanksgiving was the turning point....he ended up in a nursing home unable to walk or care for himself at all. He needed nursing care 24/7 and unfortunately we weren't able to give that to him.


Christmas with Dad at the nursing home was difficult! We missed him dearly and felt a huge loss when he wasn't around.


2008 -
Life took a major turn this year! The Lord called Dad home just before the holidays in 2008. This was the most difficult year for us as we not only said 'good bye' to my Dad, but we listed our home and put it on the market. Lots of changes...lots of stress...lots of sadness.


2009 -
We look forward to a new beginning this year in our new home. Dad is with the Lord...reunited with Christ and with my Mom. That's a good thing. I have peace. I am content knowing I will see them again. I do not miss our old home and some of the memories we had there. Of course there are great memories too, but leaving the bad ones behind was a good thing.

So...with all that said...this year will be different. We are moving on to a new chapter in our lives. We don't know what the future holds for our family, but we do know that God is good and that He has blessed us and has been with us all along our journey the past several years. He allows us to go through difficulties so we can grow and mature in Him...but He also blesses and that's where we feel we are now. We are enjoying our new home, our new found 'freedom' (for lack of a better word) and the holidays are just around the corner...so we're getting a head start on them!!

Yesterday the kids put up their own Christmas tree. They have the entire upstairs to themselves so they put a tree up on the landing just outside their bedrooms. It looks beautiful and you can see it lit up from downstairs, so we're all enjoying it. We hope to get our real tree for the living room soon...and we're secretly hoping to get snow before that happens. It's always more fun traipsing through snow to cut down a tree than mud!

Sweet-Pea 'wearing' the garland...


Lionel and Cody waiting to put up the tree. (He's sitting on the steps to the bonus room upstairs....a play room for the kids. It was empty space that the builder decided last minute to turn into a room. It's one of our favorite rooms too...very cozy!)


Decorating the tree...






Almost done...just needs a tree skirt and a star on top!


I think they did a great job decorating their tree, don't you?!?


I hope you all had a wonderful Thankgiving, and that you will find a way to enjoy Christmas this year despite what challenges you may be going through. Keep Christ in the center of all you do and remember why we celebrate!!