Deck the halls!

We got our Christmas tree today! It was quite a different scene from last year, when it snowed and sleeted on us the entire time we were out there! I tend to take my sweet time picking out a tree, so we were thankfully well bundled! Naturally, this year in the mostly sunny almost 60 degree weather, I found the perfect tree within about ten minutes. It was such a rare occurrence that I still insisted we walk around a little while longer "just in case."

The winner this year was a lovely blue spruce, a new type of tree for us. They were not available for sale last year, but I'm so thankful they were ready this year. They are a little more full than a Noble, but just perfect for hanging every ornament you own! Their branches can take the load, but they are PRICKLY! We're hoping it deters the kitty from climbing (so far, so good), but we sacrificed our fingertips while we decorated!

I just love tree-cutting day at our house. We go as early as possible (usually the day after Thanksgiving) and the tree farm we go to is a sight to behold. Hubert's is a family-owned operation in the shadow of the Olympics, (that's it in the picture!) and it is breathtaking to walk the acres of 10 different kinds of trees while gazing at the snow-covered mountains around you. In the evening, we set the tree up and string the lights while listening to Christmas music and sipping eggnog. Haleigh is now old enough that she participates fully in hanging the ornaments, starting with her special ones. We set up the nutcrackers - one is a police officer, one is Uncle Drosselmeyer, and one is Uncle Sam! Then, I light some candles and we just relax together as a family. This year, Haleigh hung a picture of her grandma front and center on the tree and announced that she would be having Christmas at her house next year. We asked if it was ok if grandma just came and spent the night here and she was ok with that. So, grandma, we need to work that out, ok? LOL

I hope you are all getting in the Christmas spirit!

Love is . . .

all about the little things. Thursday night, I realized I had missed an episode or two of The Office, and didn't know about one of the story lines. My hubby noticed last night that one of the ones I missed was on, so he recorded it for me to watch when I got home. I know it's silly, but that consideration felt really great. Those little moments are the backbone of great love, I believe. It's about kindness, and knowing what the other person would like, then doing it. I think I'll keep him.

There was an old lady who swallowed a frog

Well, I'm not exactly an old lady, but it sure sounds like I swallowed a frog! Our house has been under a plague since last weekend involving a cold times all three of us and a stomach virus times just one of us. My child bounced right back after 2 days of feeling yucky with just some residual stuffiness. I've been fighting it all week and have now managed to lose my voice from coughing, so I'm just croaking along. My poor husband had the stomach virus from H-E-double hockey sticks most of the week, on TOP of the cold we've all been passing around. YUCK! Add to that the flood watch we're under since we're getting our first good winter dumping of rain, and you can imagine what the mood has been like!

So much has been happening in the world this week, and I normally would have been blogging about it all! But, it just wasn't in my cards to do much at all. I think tonight we might finally be crawling out of the fog, though!

Interesting side note: Did you know the state amphibian of Oklahoma is the bullfrog???

I Voted!

Did YOU? I dropped my ballot off today at our local drop-off spot, and it was so exciting to see HUGE amounts of people doing the same thing! It doesn't matter a hill of beans to me who you voted for, I'm just proud if you did your civic duty! Isn't it a blessing to live in a country where we have some say-so in our government?

Happy Election Day to you all!

Just For Fun

As I was browsing through some of my pictures last night, I realized that I have a digital photo of almost every Halloween since Haleigh was born. Almost, because somehow I missed her second Halloween in 2002. It was her first one in Washington, and I can assure you she was a very sparkly, beautiful pink fairy, complete with magic wand. That was also the last year I picked out her costume.

In exhibit #1 (above) I think it is completely obvious that I was a giddy first-time mom. She looked adorable and we have some fabulous pictures of that first Halloween, but we were also still in Georgia - and she was a little warm in that get-up! She was also much more interested in eating leaves than taking pictures, but I will never forget how precious she looked traipsing around her great-grandmother's yard. She had just started walking (just under 10 months old!) and I personally can't get enough of wobbly little babies taking bow-legged strides of excitement. Add a butterfly costume and it's pure bliss.

2003 was the year of Disney princesses. Matt bought Snow White the movie for her when she was about 6 months old, rationalizing that she was going to love it one day, and we needed to get it before it went back in the vault! He was so right.

2004 started a cat trend. We found a black fuzzy leotard with long sleeves and pants (very important for northwest trick-or-treating), and made a tail out of a boa. This was the result: Haleigh in all her black cat glory, a.k.a. The Cutest Picture in the Universe.

2005 arrived and she wanted to be a tiger. I couldn't find a tiger costume anywere, so this one had to be ordered online. I think it turned out fabulous. I also think my kid might be the cutest kid to grace this earth . . . at least this year.

See, things started to get dark after that. She decided that "Halloween is supposed to be SCARY, mom!!!" So, for 2006 she wanted to be a witch. I tried to keep it as cute as possible (notice the silver sequins on the dress). Here she is with her friend Darth Vader.

Last year she outdid herself. 2007 was the year of the scary ghost. We had a lot of fun with that one, and I think she looks like the Ghost of Christmas Past. She was very into this costume.

And, of course this year she was Catwoman (see below). That was serendipitous find. Amazingly she wasn't at all interested in all the little tartlet outfits at Party City that attempt to make our little girls look like Playboy Bunnies. I'll be glad when that trend is over. Exhausted and hungry, with no costume solution in sight, we stopped at a small local costume shop and voila! There was Catwoman on the bottom shelf. Problem solved!

I hope you all had wonderful Halloweens! Thanks for indulging me in my trip down memory lane.