it's beginning to look at lot like Christmas...

oh my goodness - this was too much fun!

i know i can't even put into words how much i loved this day, but i'll try.

i had convinced J that we really needed a REAL tree this year.

i always had a real tree as a kid, but he hadn't.

so, when we got married, we got an artificial tree and i never really minded it much.

but this year, i decided it was THE YEAR to get our lumberjack groove on and chop us down the real deal

there they are - my lumberjack and two eskimo pies

peach sang and shouted the whole way out to the grove

things like....

we're getting a tree and no one can stop us!

i'm so excited for christmas!

get ready everybody because my daddy is gonna' tie a tree on top of our car!

i trailed along behind, checking out trees and giggling to myself.

we traveled up over the hill to the far end of the grove and looked over dozens of trees before settling on just the right one:

a meyer spruce

J got to work while peach screamed, "TIMBER!"

and i wiped poor tulip's nose....she had no idea what was going on, but she was a good sport.

a proud moment for J - his first tree-choppping experience

i'm so glad that i have the ability to whine long enough to get my way :)  it's good for him.

memories...that cost only $34.95...what a deal!

 the very kind guys back at the house stuck our tree in this shaker-do-hickey to get all the dry needles and grass out.

then they bundled it up for us and sent us on our way. 

we tied it to the top of the vehicle and laughed all the way home about how "griswold" we felt :)

i was actually thinking we'd decorate it another day...maybe when tulip was napping.

but Peach was far too excited for that.

so, after supper and a bath, we hauled up the decorations and lights and got busy.  my fears that tulip would destroy any progress we made were put to rest as she eagerly helped us and then went to the kitchen for a snack when she got bored.

there are A LOT of ornaments on the bottom third of the tree this year...i thought about evening it out after they went to bed, but decided that i kind of like it that way.

i love how peach put this ornament front and center.

good call, little lady. :)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in our house.

the tree is seriously close to perfect...with only one wayward branch toward the bottom.  J said we could cut it off, but the girls hung like 15 ornaments on it.  it looks funny, bending under the weight of it all. but i think we'll keep it.  i'm happy that they chose that funny-lookin' branch to love up extra special.  i hope it's a foreshadowing of a whole lot of kindness in their lives.

at any rate, the inside is looking christmas-y...and thanks to my persistence, it smells like christmas, too!

wish we'd get some snow to make the outside all gorgeous...but i guess a girl can only hope for so much :)