blowing.

the chore of the evening: blowing off the deck before another foot hits. can you tell he's enjoying it?

blue.

not sure why, but this picture captivates me... i think it's those beautiful blurry blues. any way they come, i adore them.

bear.

brown bear (bare), anyone?

trimming.

we made the requisite popcorn balls while trimming the tree this year. i forgot what a yield that recipe makes and we have popcorn balls coming out our ears. not at all a bad thing!

have i mentioned how much i love our tree this year? and kj is already an expert at putting ornaments on the branches. she practices by first removing them, then replacing them, oh so "carefully." this tree might just get this girl walking...

tree.

for the first time in our family's life, we tromped through the woods, shook snow off many oddly shaped evergreens, eyed them up, and finally cut down a 15' balsam fir which we claimed as our very own christmas tree. merry christmas to our house!

of course such a specimen could never fit in our living room, but apparently the best strategy for procuring a good-looking five foot tree is to glean it from one three times its size. bigger is better, right? well, lucky for us we were allowed to cut down any size balsam fir we pleased, since it was helping the forest for a nearby environmental center's property. to top it off, they offered hot chocolate, cookies, and a warm bonfire for our reward!

i am in love with this new family tradition. a day out in the brisk air, moseying through the snowy woods, together with my favorite people, sipping warm drinks, bringing some seasonal cheer & aroma into our home... what's not to love?

common.

common views during these days of play...

cookies.

wish i had a photo of the delicious christmas cookies i baked rather than the havoc sweet little kj wrecked in my kitchen meanwhile! welcome, christmas season, or at least december!