Christmas Tree

A couple weeks before Christmas we went to get a Christmas tree.  The last couple years we got our tree from a farm near my parents, but this year we decided to stay closer to home.  We found a Christmas tree farm about 15 minutes away.  The day we went it was freezing cold and windy and we decided to go after church and we were not really prepared at all.  Well, I had packed hats and gloves for the boys but not for Brad or me.

Attempting to get the kids and dogs to sit for a picture

The dogs are better trained.

We took a wagon ride out to the back corner of the farm and picked out a tree (quickly because we were freezing) and Brad and Vince cut it down while Joel and I watched.  The pictures are on my camcorder and I can't seem to find the cord to connect it to my computer.  When we got the tree back home Brad started putting lights up and Vince helped.  While Brad was putting up the lights his back started to hurt.  I thought he was being a baby, but it has now been nearly a month and he is still having issues with his back.  Actually it has become worse over this last month.  After all the ornaments went up a baby gate went around the tree.  We have a small fake tree (decorated with ornaments that aren't breakable) and Joel had already pulled it over once and I didn't want the big tree (with all my breakable ornaments) falling over.  We didn't have enough gates to go around both trees so the little tree was tied to the window with fishing line.

Joel didn't want his picture taken

Or Joel just didn't want to sit by Vince for his picture...hard telling

We tried to have Vince hold Joel on his lap...there is only a 5 lbs difference.
 Notice the dogs still sitting nicely.

And it turned into a wrestling match...the dogs know they better stay still

I thought that if I sat with them it would help...not so much

On New Year's Day we finally packed up all the Christmas decorations and took down the tree.  Well, Brad took the tree down after I took all the ornaments off the tree.  Neither one of us like the mess the tree makes when we have to drag it back outside, so last year Brad used a chainsaw to take down the tree in pieces.  Then he throws the pieces out the window and cleans them all up later.  I like it because I don't have to help at all.  This year Brad decided that perhaps the chainsaw was a bit much and it would be better to use a saw-zall.  I fell asleep putting Vince to bed and when I came downstairs this is what I found.

Vince was mad because I couldn't hold him and Joel was checking out my hair.
The dogs were disgusted with their brothers at this point.

So we kicked the grumps out of the picture and got a photo of the girls in the family

Brad claims it was revenge for hurting his back!

The only picture of Brad and the tree and he is ok with that!