tree trimming

The tree we picked out turned out to be much larger in our living room than it looked against the backdrop of a zillion other trees out at Hensler's. We even had to go out and get a new tree stand, as the one we had wasn't big enough to support a tree of this size. Luckily, the height was just fine, so we didn't have to do any trimming at the top.

We decided to decorate the tree Sunday night after the boys had their dinner. Unfortunately, by then they were plum worn out from a long weekend of fighting, throwing fits, and occasionally charming us senseless with rare glimpses of sweetness. They seemed interested in the process, but before the first string of lights was hung, they each suffered massive breakdowns that earned them a one-way trip upstairs to bed. They settled down right away, and Mike and I ended up finishing up the tree ourselves, which was peaceful, if not exactly the family time we had envisioned.