A new tree

At first glance, you might think this is one of those pictures taken right before you cut down the Christmas tree you've selected. But no, it is not so! Our friends Dennis and Carolyn Wilkes get a live tree every year, decorate it for Christmas, then plant it... or give it away to be planted.

Each of the four older children wanted a part in the hole-digging process, so it took a while, but we finally got it planted! I wanted to document the size of the tree and the kids, because those kind of pictures are especially fun to look back on.

I like that you can see Spots (one of our 3 cats) climbing around on the treehouse. I used to think cats were all bored creatures. But I guess since these three have each other to play with, they always seem to be having a great time. A very adventuresome bunch.

We had a nice break from the cold today. Spent the afternoon playing in the yard. Here is a shot of the kids taken during their sliding marathon.