old weekend recap

So a few weekends ago we did the old chop down the Christmas tree thing.  It was awesome.  A lot of times, it isn't so awesome.  I have to say I always have these great expectations that it's going to be really fun and then my kids will knock each other into pine trees, whine that it's cold and get pissed that you didn't pick the tree that they wanted.

We didn't have that problem this time!  Well, except the knocking into pine trees thing, but my son can occasionally act like a three year old.  I'm aware of this.  It happens a lot less frequently now that he is a big teenager with a dirt-stache, but you know.  Everyone reverts once in a while.

So we ended up going out kind of late.  I wasn't sure it was such a great idea.  I thought maybe we should just scrap the idea and then go Sunday morning instead, but everyone was excited and wanted to do it.  So we mosied through this huge Christmas Tree Farm and eventually settled on a fantastic long needled tree that really was the perfect triangle.  I love the perfect triangle trees.  We found it when I had almost given up, as it was literally almost dark.  We were the last ones to leave the farm actually.

Alex did the axing and he and little Alex dragged it back.  So then we ran it home quick to get it off the roof of my car, because we were headed out to dinner.  We decided to take the kids to Hibachi, which they had never been to before.  They were so great.  Everyone tried everything - sushi, miso soup, edamame.  It was actually good because we found that they all really liked the soup and edamame.  I'll have to make that.


They just thought the guy cooking in front of us was so cool, throwing his knives around and being silly.  The cook guy threw food in our mouths.  I missed!  Two times!  I used to really be a professional food catcher.  I think I need to practice.  Anyway, it really was very cool.  I love hibachi.


So then we went to the drive through at McDonald's and got hot chocolates because we were going to drive through this huge light display in the park, and it seemed like hot chocolate was appropriate.

The light display was great, and the kids just really liked it.  Lots of oohs and ahs.  Last year was the first time we ever checked out the light displays - I never realized that it would be so cool.  I mean, we always drive around our town at night, looking at all of the lights, but it is nothing like the light display thing.


So we made our way home when that was done and everyone was wiped out.  The girls went to bed, and Alex, little Alex and I did the lights on the tree, just to get it ready for decorating on Sunday.

Sunday, the guys dragged up the buckets and we decorated the tree, which I love doing.  I tuned Pandora on to the Christmas tunes channel and we just spent the longest time looking at all of the ornaments and hanging them.  I get the kids their own ornament every year, kind of like based on what they are into that year, so it's always fun to look at them and reminisce.  And my very favorite ornaments, the ones that the kids made, or that have their old pictures in them.  There is this one funny one that had a pretty bad school year picture of Kara in it, and the kids fight over who gets to hang it every year, to tease Kara of course.  Then she always moves it to the back of the tree when she gets home.  They think that is so funny.  I took a picture of it front and center on the tree and texted it to Kar.  It stinks that she isn't around to help us decorate anymore.  

Later on, we went to Ali and Ty's for chili.  So good.  A bunch of Ty's family showed up, and so did Mom and Steve, so it turned into a little party.  Ty's youngest sister had her tiny little newborn baby there and she was so sweet.  I love holding a tiny new baby.  I definitely miss having a baby.  Also, big news - we discovered that my son Alex is officially taller than my husband.  And dangerously close to being almost equal to me.  Man.  Can't I slow down time for a second?