Sunday, December 23, 2012

O Christmas Tree!

Finding the perfect Christmas tree is an annual holiday tradition that we hold dear - dating back to the days well before kids for the two of us. The last couple of years we've been getting super lazy and just getting our tree from Whole Foods. This year we asked around for favorite lots and ended up getting our tree from A.J. Rahn Greenhouse & Garden Center.  We had SO much fun picking out our tree, weaving in and out of all the hanging pines, collecting broken branches, skipping through the greenhouse oohing and ahhing at everything thriving, and checking out the year's first holiday train display.  (Bea looooooves trains.)  Here are some photos from our hunt for the perfect tree.















The next day, once the tree's branches had some time to get acclimated indoors, it was FINALLY time to decorate.  It was definitely a two-steps forward, two-steps back perfect process. Josie was unbelievably helpful, like legitimately helpful, in wrapping the lights and and garland.  Beatrice was unbelievably sweet, even if the opposite of helpful, in wearing and tangling the lights and garland.




 




The ornaments part was a blast. We collect different ornaments each year to represent our lives that year and it's really fun to go back through the memories - more than a decade's worth of ornaments from various trips & events, funny reminders of favorite TV shows, ornaments that represent the homes we've lived in (a starbucks mug from fourth street and owl to remember east walnut hills), and of course special ornaments that carry loads of sentimental value - like three little eggs in a nest and all the 'first christmas' ornaments for Josie & Bea.

Both girls have a Rudolph OBSESSION! This is a little Rudolph from Josie's first Christmas, but Beatrice would not let it go!

Even as she resumed her normal toddler activities!

And now for the star on our rainbow Christmas tree!

 

 And a little adjustment courtesy of the wee one:


I absolutely love the perfection of all the ornaments around the bottom!


Baby Rudolph finally finds his spot up high.

 Josie makes some final adjustments once we turn off all the lights and light up the tree!




 And then we had a light stick party and I taught the budding photographer all about shutter speed. There are about 50 of these, but here are her favorite shots!