Christmas Cheer

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, our little family of three headed out to the Berry Farm to find the perfect Christmas tree to bring home. Tommy spent a long morning at church and hadn't slept well the night before, so he was a bit on the crabby side. Despite that, he did feel good enough to hug most of the trees on the lot. Right away, he got attached to what I would call a "Tommy-sized tree" and wanted to bring it home. We opted for one just a little taller to accomodate all of our beautiful ornaments, and I'm happy to say that once we got it home (and after he woke up from his nap), he did decide that he liked it :) Once the plastic was carefully cut off, we strung the lights with minimal difficulty, hung all the ornaments, and then turned the lights off so we could admire our work and say, "ooooooooooo." Tommy said, "Mama, why are you bein' a ghost?" :) The next day, we made hot chocolate and hung our stockings while tuning into "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Although Christmas tends to be a pretty commercial holiday, now that he's old enough to understand the story, we're really trying to teach him the more quiet and meaningful side of Christmas amidst all the noise and advertisements. Here's what we've got so far:

Me: Hey Tommy, what special baby was born on Christmas Day?
T: Baby Jesus!
Me: Right! And who was baby Jesus' mama?
T: Mary!
Me: Right! And who was his daddy?
T: Justin!
Me: Close - his name was Joseph.
T: Joseph!
Me: You got it. So where was baby Jesus born? Was he born in a house?
T: No, he was born at a birthday party!

We're getting there :)

Also, here's one of Tommy's newest jokes (he definitely takes after Will):

T: Knock knock!
Us: Who's there?
T: I love chicken!

I just love having a three-year-old! :) Hope you are enjoying this wonderful holiday season!

A Fall Hike

Earlier this month, on a chilly fall morning, we headed to the woods. Tommy wanted to bring his bike and insisted on wearing his helmet in the car. We walked quickly but stopped often to collect acorns, look at leaves, admire mushrooms, and find the perfect stick. After our hike, Tommy felt like playing some music, so he serenaded Piper (formerly "Puppy") with a song on the mandolin.

Mimi and Pa's Visit

Back in September, Mimi and Pa came for a weekend visit. We had a ton of fun playing in the river, hanging the beautiful curtains that GG made for us, catching frogs, building a sandcastle in the sandbox, and taking pictures of Tommy sleeping in his tent. So glad we finally have room for people to stay with us!

Apple Picking

This past Saturday was Gramma's birthday! To celebrate, we got up early, packed up the car, and headed to Carter Mountain for some apple picking. Tommy had a great time picking some perfect Fuji apples, running through the pumpkins, riding on the wagon, drinking some apple cider, eating apple cider donuts, and most of all, spending time with Gramma! So begins a new tradition for our family. Looking forward to many more to come!