i have always wanted to cut down our own christmas tree as opposed to going to one of the parking lots in town that are filled with pre-cut trees. not only did the idea of cutting down our own seem more memorable and fun, but also the lot trees that we have purchased over the years seem to be a little dry and expire quickly. cutting our own tree was something that i had wanted to do since i was a child and i had this beautifully painted picture in my head of how the event would unfold. with aubrey and the kids on board, we found a tree farm and planned to go sunday morning. i was stoked!
to be honest my picture couldn't have been more inaccurate. by the time we made it into the car to head out of town it was already thirty minutes past birdie's nap-time and we were entering into dangerous waters. there are times when postponing nap-time is no big deal but of course there are other times when scheduled naps are crucial. this was one of those times. within minutes of arriving to the farm birdie had her first meltdown. it involved forgetting one of her beloved stuffed kitty cats in the car, which we quickly fetched for her in hopes of brighter times ahead. but the one soon turned to many and we we quickly became "those parents" that had the screaming toddler making a scene in the middle of the christmas tree fields. as the day went on we were all frustrated, hot, hungry and exhausted. the good news is that we got what we came for, a freshly cut christmas tree. we also managed to get quite a few photos and we look surprisingly happy in them. on the way out we stopped by the tents for hot dogs and snow cones and frowns turned to smiles while jumping in the bouncy castle and braving the giant slide. it wasn't a complete bust, but next year we will be more prepared and will make sure that no naps are missed.