I am so behind in life, and have been for a few months, so I am going to do this post in 3 little sections !! Part One . . . . The Tree, Part Two . . . The Kids, Part Three. . . The Fun !!!! You know, how your mom always told you to break it up in little sections and it would be easier . . . welp, that is what I am going to try and do here !!! I have some new readers (hi Sharon and Karren, my sister-in-laws) . . . and I know they enjoy hearing about the kids !! And I promise to go back and recap the State Meet !! Those feelings are still very fresh in my mind, so I can't wait to share !!!
Background on "our" tree. . . our tree is fake !! Oh, the shame !! When we first moved to Vegas in 1994, I told Tom we would always have a live tree . . . I never had a "fake" tree growing up and I would never have my kids have a fake tree !! Well, anyone and everyone who has lived or been to Vegas, knows how stinkin' dry it is . . . . so about 4 years ago, I bit the bullet and got this incredible tree !! The last two years have been kinda rough on the tree. . . more tips are falling off, more strands are dark and don't glo . . . but I do love my tree !!! So, here she is this year. . .
I must say, lookin' at her here, she is leanin' a little to the right. . . but then again, don't we all !! My tree isn't themed, or traditional, or organized (well a little), but the thing I truly LOVE about my tree is looking at each ornament and smiling !! Smiling because I think of the memory about the ornament, I think of who gave it to us, or where we bought it !! I think of the significance in that time in our life that this ornament was special !! I found myself this year, not putting ornaments on the tree that didn't give me that feeling. . . so our tree was a little "lite" this year . . . hence Abby's idea of putting the door hanger on the tree !!!
Each year I buy the kids one ornament that reminds me of what the did or are doing during the year. 2004 was a Cub Scout ornament for Sam and a gymnastics ornament for Abigail. 2006 were swimmers logo'd with BCH. 1998 (pre-Abby) is a teddy bear in a Radio Flyer red wagon, because Sam use to LOVE going for rides at pre-school in the red wagon. . . it was give him peace !!! And each year we, as a family, try to pick an ornament during our vacation. We have a bucket of sand from San Diego, a palm tree from Hawaii and a trout from Yellowstone to name a few. Even as I type this, I look over at the tree and smile. . . . . so here are some of my favorites, so favorite stories. . . .
A red, bell with green ribbon. . . what could be so simple for the holidays. I bought this a few years ago and have loved it every since.
This was my favorite for this year. . . don't know why, maybe my insides are just content . . . but JOY is what I felt this season. We got this one during an ornament exchange and it was perfect !! (And notice the man in the canoe to the lower left. . . that is Sam's ornament from 1999 which is half eaten from our previous dogs Dynamite and Boomer. Yes, I put half eaten ornaments on the tree. . . they still have meaning, in more ways than one !!)
This was a gift from my friend Shannon this year. . . I love family ornaments, I love that she gave this to my family this year !! Very special !!!
This one is just beautiful !! My friend Gail gave it to my family 3 years ago when I was coaching swimming for BCH. She is Jewish, which makes this very unique in my mind. I need to remember where she got it because they come in all styles and make great gifts !!!
Again, bought this one myself, but nothing says Christmas like Santa and jingle bells !!!
This is one of our families favorite places to ski each year . . . Alta, Utah. It is for the purest at heart as they don't allow snowboarders !!! The other side of this handpainted ornament shows the lifts and the face of the mountain. We love this place !!
K, sorry. . . first sad one. . . this is our first "child" Dynamite. Dynamite was our yellow lab (before Marley and Me made yellow labs cool) and Tom and I got him when we first moved in together after college in 1991. He was Tom's dog, Tom always wanted a yellow lab. He was a great dog, and he went EVERYWHERE with us. He showed Tom and I what kind of "parents" we were going to be as having a yellow lab, is about as adventurous as having a new baby !!! He was with us for 13 years, and each year when I hang this ornament, I show it to Tom, and the look in his eyes . . . we don't say a word, but we both know . . .
Ok - - sorry Tom for this one. . . Feliz Navidad !!! Have you met our neighbor Felix ?!?!?! He is the vain one with his name on the roof of his house. . . ok, so here is the story. . . and it is alot better in person when you see the tears in my eyes because I laugh so hard !! Tom and I were heading to his mom's around Christmas. Tom was finishing this last semester at Fresno State taking SPANISH. So we drive out of our neighborhood and Tom tooks at me, deadpan, and said "that guy is really vain." And I asked who. . . he said our neighbor. . . I looked at him and said, WTF are you taking about. He said, Felix. I asked, who the hell is Felix. Felix Navadotto. . .you know, they guy at the end of our street, he has his name in lights on his roof. I still am confused, so Tom turns around to go back down our street. . . . where I see our mexican neighbor, who has Feliz Navidad in lights on his roof !!! I about peed in my pants . . . Tom lost it at his point. . . we go to his mom's and I can't keep my mouth shut and tell everyone . . . we are all crying because we are laughing our arsts off !! Remember, he was taking SPANISH that semester !! Needless to say, no one in his family or mine have let him live it down and we now have about 10 Feliz Navidad ornaments on our tree !!!
Life is good. . . .
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