O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Four hats...check, 4 pairs of  mittens.... check, 4 winter coats...check, packs to carry the kids....check, blankets....check, tie-downs....check, boys in car seats...check. And 20 minutes later...we're actually ready to go!  We chose a cold, cloudy Saturday afternoon to drive to the farm. The sky was gray and the occasional flurry landed on the windshield.  Our neighbors followed behind us. We were off to hunt down a Christmas tree.

With everyone bundled up, we stood by the fire pit waiting for the tractor to come pick us up. The heat of the fire helped to take the bite out of the air. And the pretty setting kept my mind off the chill. Besides, it was neat to the see the farm at a different time of year.

You could hear the tractor chugging along and it was only a few more moments before the infamous green and yellow machine was coming towards us pulling a trailer full of hay bales...our soon to be seats. We hopped on, posed for pictures, and rode along through the tall pines, and down a big hill to the hundreds of acres of grand fir and blue spruce trees.

You could probably spend hours searching for the just the right one, but our noses were already red and dripping.  And you almost can't go wrong with pre-pruned trees. They were all nearly perfect. I took on an extra 40 pounds so that Ben could saw away, doing his best to make the perfect cut on our decided tree.  



We've got it! A really nice grand fir. The smell, oh the smell! I remember cutting a fresh tree a few years back and Ben saying that he wished he could bottle that aroma so he could enjoy it more often. In that moment, I couldn't agree more. To us that's one of the joys of a fresh cut tree.

Back on the tractor, up the hill, and into the shed we went for hot cocoa and apple cider. A nice way to finish up our tree hunting adventure. Tanner agreed.

Gratitude:

A doctor who truly cares about my well being and gives me a pep talk about not giving up when it feels hard - just the words I needed to hear that day.

Skype - and being able to involve six grandparents in the boys' life even though distance separates us all.

Learning to be thankful that my husband has a job, instead of focusing on how often he is away from home. I say "learning" because there is still a lot of grumbling coming out of my mouth.

How my boys are starting to show affection -random hugs, a plop on my lap, open mouth kisses.

A sweet husband who unloads and reloads the dishwasher after getting home from work at 1:30 in the morning because his wife just couldn't bring herself to do one more thing that night.

Discovering play areas at our local malls, and how they are a great way to entertain the kiddos on yucky days.

How I think I'm finally starting to understsand the grace of God, and the glimpses are sweet.

Talking on the phone with my grandparents.