"THE" Tree

We decided this year for the first time that we were going to get a real Christmas tree. No matter what it looked like, Anthony was going to get to pick out the perfect tree. So today we went to a local Christmas tree farm to find that perfect tree. When we arrived my first thought was "there is no way we are going to have to go to the top of the mountain. They must have somewhere else for us to walk and find a tree." After talking to the owner, sure enough we were going to have to hike up that mountain. So off we went. I had Caroline in a hipster sling and Anthony was walking with Chad. This mountain was so steep that you needed to be a mountain goat to walk up it! (Danskos are wonderful shoes but not so good when hiking) Anthony slipped and fell a few times but finally we made it to the top. After taking a couple of minutes to catch our breath we started looking. Anthony kept choosing the biggest trees and when we told him that those wouldn't fit in our house he started choosing 2-3 ft trees. So Chad showed him the size we needed and he started looking again. After walking and walking we decided that we needed to go back to the begining of the mountain to find the right size. So finally Anthony found the tree. We took our ribbon and tied it around the tree and decided that we couldn't make it back down the mountain the way we came because we aren't mountain goats and it was too steep! So we walked around the rest of the trail and finally made it back down to the bottom. We told the owner that we would be back after Thanksgiving dinner to pick up the tree. Chad and the owner started talking and Anthony and I were looking at all the trees that were already cut. He looked and looked and then looked at me said "Oh Mommy this is the tree, I want this one not the other one. It's perfect!" My first thought was "you have got to be kidding me. We just walked on top of a mountain and searched and searched for the perfect tree and all along the perfect tree was at the bottom already cut and ready to go." But since we told Anthony that he could pick any tree he wanted we told the owner that we wanted that tree instead. So we did find the perfect tree even though we did take the long way! It's just another priceless memory with my kids and was totally worth every step. Anthony had the best time and that is all that matters. Caroline couldn't have cared less. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Finally at the top!

The 1st perfect tree!

The 2nd perfect tree!

Rewards and Jobs

We have started a points system with Anthony. He has a list of chores he has to do everyday and if he does them and listens well then he earns a point. When he gets 10 points we go do something special. He decided that he wanted to go to the movies. Here is a picture of him at the movies today.
After dinner tonight Caroline had part of my Skinny Cow Fudge Popsicle. (They are the best ever!) She loved it as you can see!

Here are a few pictures I took of Caroline over the weekend.

Caroline loves to throw balls and play "football" with Anthony and her daddy. She will run for the ball and then run through the house or yard as fast as she can then throw the ball. Hopefully this means she's not going to be a cheerleader! LOL.

Anthony loves to do "jobs" as he calls them. Whether it be with his daddy, Papa, Papaw Dennis, or Grandad he thinks that it is the greatest thing ever. He talks about doing "jobs" all the time and what a big helper he is. Here are some pictures of him "helping" his daddy grease the lawn mowers over the weekend. He had the best time ever.

He was so dirty when he came in the house for lunch. But he told me "Mommy, we had a lot of jobs to do, and sometimes you just have to get dirty. It means we are working hard. Daddy needed help with the mowers so I just had to help and get a whole lot dirty." He was even more dirty after he came in the house that afternoon but he had a great time and I guess that's all that matters.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

While the kids were at Nanny Cathy's on Sunday she decided to let them play in the leaves. So they raked up a ton of leaves and let the kids go. Anthony is still talking about getting to jump them. Thanks mom for the great pictures! Aren't they so cute?!

Cooking!

Anthony stayed with his Nanny Cathy today while I slept after working nights last night. Every time he goes to stay with her he has to make muffins for breakfast (he tells his Nanny everyday he is with her that his daddy never feeds him breakfast. Most of the time he has grits or something else on him that shows he did indeed have breakfast.) Well, today he also decided to make pizzas at her house and then wanted to come home and make more pizza for him and his daddy tonight. So we let him make his own pizzas for supper even though we had pizza for supper last night and he also had it for lunch today. Oh well, he likes pizza just like his daddy.

Caroline's new obsession.

Charlie got Anthony "funny face" glasses for Halloween and took this picture. I think it's so cute!

For some reason Caroline loves to play with and eat tampons. Everytime I am in the bathroom getting dressed she is under the cabinet as fast as possible trying to find them. She is cutting all 4 of her 1 year molar teeth at the same time. So to say the least, she has not been very happy for the last week.

Here we go!

Many of my friends have been trying to get me to start a blog for quite a long time. I never got around to it but now since I am working a night shift (I have no idea why I agreed to work a night shift ever again) and trying to keep myself awake I am giving it a try!