"Oh Christmas Tree"

We found the perfect Christmas tree this year - in UNDER 10 MINUTES!  Thank goodness because this years' trip will be one to remember.  I LOVE our tradition of picking out our tree - we always go on a "nice" day in December, I take tons of pictures of the kids (bribe them of course), we search and search for the perfect tree, we get cookies and hot chocolate on the way out and then we listen to Christmas songs on the way home and while we decorate the tree.  It always gets our entire family into the Christmas season.  But - this year was a little different....The boys fought on the way to the tree farm - bad!  Brenna lost her ninnie (or we forgot it) and she screamed for her ninnie the entire way there (30 minutes).  The Christmas music station wasn't coming in so we listened (loudly) to old rap music. So the usual bribes for good pictures turned into threats to turn around.  

We finally get to the tree farm and Brenna doesn't want to walk, will not look at the camera, and keeps crying for her ninnie.  Conner and Drew meanwhile are fighting over the tree cart and run into everything and everyone in their path.  Jason and I look at each other and quickly decide on a tree - we both can tell that Brenna is heading for a huge meltdown and Conner and Drew are about to start boxing - they fight over who gets to hand Jason the saw, Brenna is sobbing in the background for her ninnie - Jason gets the tree cut down and all three boys drag it to the checkout (fighting the entire time).  Once we get in to checkout, Brenna quiets down because the owner gives her a cookie which she immediately crumbles up and drops on the floor - meanwhile out on the deck, Conner has spilled the entire pot of hot chocolate and Drew fell in the mud- and cried.  We decided to stop for dinner - which, thankfully, ended up being a great idea.  With food in our bellies (and a ninnie) and a separate, important job for each boy we listened to music and decorated the tree.  It ended up being our sort of perfect- I know that one day Jason and I will pick out and put up a tree all alone.  I know I will wish that I had my babies back home - fighting, crying, making messes or not.  I wanted to put this in here so that one day, when my children have children, that they will know even if all the pictures looked perfect - that the background often told a different story!