Oh Christmas Tree...

Christmas is such a busy time. Somehow...every year I forget that. Or maybe, just this year I forgot that.

There is always a party, a concert, a person to visit, a service to do, a fun activity we have to/should check off our list...

Part of me loves it and part of me, as a mom, wishes I could press pause to it all and just sit down and do - nothing.

 This year I insisted on a real Christmas tree. We actually got a tree from our ward Christmas party that was kind of Charlie Brown-ish. I...hated it. The lot that sold the trees offered to let us trade it up for this beautiful noble fir.  I must say. It is pretty darn close to perfect. We love it.

We call him Mr. Thirsty because he drinks a TON of water and has to be watered twice a day. He sat unadorned all week until we were all able to be home to decorate him.

Reid wanted to nest all the mittens together. It's so cute to see him go through the "hang everything on one branch" phase like Owen did.

I tried to get the traditional picture of the kids in front of the tree. Easier said than done.

 Reid insisted on taking his shirt off...

I obliged and then asked for one...just one with everybody's clothes on.
And then they didn't want to take one. It was such a struggle!

This is Jared looking at me asking if we should just give up. :)

About 95% of the pictures I take of the kids are candid. I do not often ask them to pose or smile. Maybe just to look up for a split second here and there, but I feel like I am pretty lenient in that department. Around Christmas though there are a lot of "forced" picture opportunities. A picture with Santa, Christmas card pictures, one in front of the tree... My kids hate this. I wonder if it's partially because I don't have them "pose" hardly ever, that they balk at it so much.

We FINALLY got one that's okay. They are flexing for the camera and nobody's smiling...but I'll take it!

Ha ha..

 
Reid put the star on the top of the tree. The last year that he'll get to do it, since it's tradition that the youngest always gets the honors. 

Earlier this week was Owen's school Christmas concert. Don't you love that leg pop? He he...I promise I didn't ask him to do that.

 He was SO cute and sang all the words. I was so proud. Can you guess what they sang?

 This goofy smile is hands down my favorite. He saw me taking pictures in the crowd and waved to me. What a cute boy!

Owen got to be in the front row...so I took WAY too many pictures. Of course.

 

The little cute red head, Ann, next to him was so funny. As they were preparing to go on stage she was mothering him, smoothing his hair down and fixing his antlers. And Owen just let her. :) They have a history though. He talked a lot about her in Kindergarten about how he liked her hair and her skirts and her cool hair bows, but then was too afraid to ask her to his birthday party. Now they are in the same 1st grade class and go to enrichment together. He has developed anti-girl sentiments in the last year so he doesn't talk about how he likes her hair anymore but deep down...I wonder. :)

They were told to sing at the top of their lungs.

Owen took this task on with gusto.

And last...

 I never get tired of this sight.

Not the toys strewn everywhere and two boys refusing to get dressed, but the boys reading books together.

They do this spontaneously all on their own. Owen is such a fun person to have read to you too. He stops to point out the funny pictures and will take five minutes to really absorb everything the page is portraying. I am a little more impatient and like to keep the pace up. So Reid really enjoys it when Owen reads to him.

And here is some more stuff about the kids...mostly for me so I don't forget what they were like at this stage.

Reid: Is really, really fun to be around...and really, really tiring to be around. He wants to do everything himself. If I put a shirt on him, he will completely take it off and put it back on himself...because he wants to do it himself.

He likes a good fight. He will change his mind back and forth about something just to pick a fight with us.

He also loves to wrestle. You can think you're being too rough when you're wrestling with him and he just laughs and comes back for more. If he falls, most of the time he'll say "Sorry!" or "I'm o-tay!"

He is also tender and sweet. Very often he will come into my bedroom in the morning, wrap his arms around me for a big hug, and then cradle my cheeks in his hands while he looks into my eyes and asks, "Did you sleep good Mom?" or "I love you so much!" {just replace the l's for w's for how he really says it}.

He had a best friend that lived next door that moved away a few months ago. Since then he hasn't been too interested in making friends outside of Owen. But then this week, we went to the library and then to the mall play place. He made friends wherever he went. He didn't bother asking their name...just called them "friend." "Come over here 'friend.' " "Whatcha doing 'friend?' " It was really cute.

Speaking of friends. Owen has been fluctuating between friends too. His best friend from kindergarten is in a different class this year. They have tried to stay close but their recesses don't always coincide I guess. So he's made new ones. He mentioned playing on the playground by himself for a few days but then making new friends. I asked him how he did that. He said he noticed they had some cool moves {on the monkey bars/playground} and told them so. From there he hit it off with a few boys. I am so proud of him for being a good friend and for stepping outside of his comfort zone. One of the boys is his "best friend" now. I have no doubt that his love of laughter and his easy going nature is the reason why he doesn't struggle for friends.

Owen lost his second tooth yesterday. But...the tooth fairy was too busy {forgot} to visit him last night. :( She feels really bad about that. Good thing Owen is so easy going. We're going to try again tonight.

He talks with a little whistle now. It's really cute.

Now, I just need to get our Christmas gift list together for the boys, us, and pretty much everybody. A little behind? yeah... I used to get ready for Christmas much earlier in the year and now I remember why.