Tree Decorating

Tree decorating got delayed a bit this year, due to a change in our lighting apparatus. We had several strands go out on us last year, and in an attempt to find a solution to both that and the regular hassle of stringing lights, I ordered some new ones from Amazon. They're tiny LED's attached to copper wire; super flexible, and bright, and the cord is almost invisible. I ordered something like 265 feet, thinking that would be more than enough. Turns out it only does about half your tree. I think part of that is due to the fact that you are able to wrap even the tiniest of branches with these lights, so you end up using much more than you might with the green-wired ones. I went to order some more, only to discover that they were back-ordered to Decemeber 10th. Needless to say, we had some disappointed kids. We finally got our lights though, and in all honesty, they are really cool. They're so tiny, they look like they're part of the tree itself.

 It is a big bummer though, to not be able to go out to any store and buy more if you run short. We got all the lights put on finally this past Thursday, and the kids were bursting at the seams to finally get the chance to hang the ornaments.

It doesn't feel quite like Christmas until you have your tree up, lit and decorated. I love that mellow glow from the lights, and the memories encased in each and every ornament. Merry Christmas to all!

Random Holiday Stuff

A lot of little things going on this time of year that I wanted to mark. First off, we had the Spencer party up at the Tracy Lodge, and Nate and Elle were able to join us, which meant that we were able to get a pic with my parents and all 18 of their grand kids.

Quite the impressive brood. I wanted to get one with our little family as well.

I even got a picture of me with tiny Will, who is a super snuggly kid. All the females of the family were fighting for a cuddle with Will.

Maisie had a piano recital where she played a very impressive "Oh Holy Night". Teag and I were laughing because we had no idea she could play like that. She practices on a keyboard in her room, and we often can't hear it. Honestly though, it was a nice surprise to be able to see how far she's come.

We worked really hard to try and get some family pictures this fall, but life seemed to take over and make that impossible. So we went with this for our Christmas card pic.

I love Christmas cards. It's so fun to get them in the mail, and hopefully these little monkeys can bring people a little holiday cheer as well. This next one isn't holiday related, but I just thought it was funny. Teag and I were able to play tennis the other day, December 8th! It was a gorgeous fifty-something degrees outside, and fun to be able to get a game in.

Stay tuned for more fun holiday stuff. Tis the season, after all!

Tree Hunting!

This year I finally snapped a picture of us poor souls who got up at an unholy hour to go get the tree permits at Soldier Hollow, prior to the actual tree hunting.

Notice how puffy we all are, as multiple layers are required to withstand the ridiculous cold. A brisk 17 degrees this year! After we get our wristbands (the step before getting the actual permit), we go get breakfast. Check out this cool shot I snapped of the fog coming off Deer Creek Reservoir.

Tree permits can only be purchased one weekend of the year, usually in early November. Then we go get the actual tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Before I get to that, though, take a look at this pick of Dany going to town on a turkey leg.

The Baylys experienced a Thanksgiving miracle when Teag's trip to Woodward was abruptly cancelled on the taxiway. That meant no last minute rush, and a whole lot of hassle for our family, so we got to spend a great holiday together, and then a few days later, we were up in the mountains looking for THE TREE.

The snow wasn't as deep as last year, which was lovely, and we only hiked about a mile round trip this time. I know because I tracked us. We had no desire to have a repeat of last year. Natey came along with us, and we both managed to find a tree fairly close to each other. Teag had the forethought to bring some rope and a tarp, which made transporting it back much easier. While we were away, the kids spent their time testing out the new sled we bought with their cousins.

Meg had the idea to get a picture of all the Rogers siblings. I don't have many pics with just me and my brothers now that we're older, so I'm glad to have this one.

We then got one with the folks too.

And of course, we got one with my little family.

And even though we planned to head to lunch later, Finn couldn't wait for food and went to town on a bagel.

Once everyone had their trees and everything was secured, we went to a little diner in Oakley, made from a trolley car.

The food was a bit spendy, but I liked the kids liked having their own private juke boxes to make selections from.

Another fun year of tree hunting for the books!