...the hive has moved...

There has been so much going on in our hive that I have just down right ignored our blog. Since we have moved 434 miles from our former hive to our new hive I figured an update was in order {and probably should be a regular activity so our family & friends can see what we are up to}.

Keep our little bees in prayer as they continue to transition...they are troopers for sure!

O' Christmas Tree

So... we finally decided we would get a Christmas tree after some friends told us they went to the South Hills, cut one down and had a great time.  Well, we could do that, right??

So we threw our outing into the schedule because $10 bucks fit into the budget and headed to the South Hills.

I must include most details, so bear with me, they might make you giggle by the end...I think I'll just write it as the actual coversation between Wes and I, oh and Samuel too.

{Our Preparation}

In my mind the things that needed to go along were: Hot Cocoa, Snow Pants, Coat, Gloves, Hat & Boots, Snacks, Camera, Book.

In Wes' mind the things that needed to go were: Hatchet, Coat, Gloves & Hat

"How tall of a tree are we going to get Wes?"..."under 10 so we only have to get a $5 tag"..."oh, well how tall to the top of the window?"..."probably 9 feet or so"..."how are you going to know how tall the tree is? are you taking a take measure?"..."no, I'll just 'eye-ball" it, it will be close"

"Do you want to take your snow pants Wes?"..."No, I have my boots on."..."Are you sure?"..."yep"..."well do I need to take mine then?"..."If you want to"..."ok, I am, I don't want to freeze."

"Why are you taking all that stuff?"..."Well what if the kids get hungry or we get stranded or something?"..."Okay, whatever, we could just go into the lodge and Magic and get something."..."Oh, they're open, okay, maybe we"ll do that"

Driving down the road..."oops, I forgot my gloves, can we go get them?"..."I have an extra pair"..."they will be too big for me"..."did you forget anything else?"

{Our Arrival}

"Wake up Katie, tell me what you think"..."Wow, it's really snowing. Are you still going to hike up the hill?"..."Yeah, what do you think about that group up there?"...."Umm, it looks far away, can we drive and check out the other spots to see if something is closer? I don't really want to get Lydia out of the truck in this snow storm"..."Okay [drive, drive, drive] Well I like our first spot the best because I can atleast see the truck from the hill."...."Okay, that's fine."

{Off they Go}

"I want to go get the tree Mommy!!"...Samuel woke up just as Wes headed across the parking and insisted  on going, so I called Wes back and we bundled Samuel up, of course Lydia woke up in the meantime and wanted in on the action.  The Girls stayed in the nice warm truck.

The guys hiked up the hill, here is the shot from the truck...zoomed in.
They are up there somewhere...

Lydia drove, squeeled out the window & made pretty designs once she discovered her breath fogged up the window.



{Here Comes The Tree...and The Boys}

The little dot next to the arrow is them.

These two photos are them in the same spot: top is zoomed in & bottom is their distance from the truck.

Here comes The Boys...not the tree.

 Our happy sled rider.

After a cocoa break & a minute to defrost...Wes is back up the hill to fetch the tree.
He literally pulled the tree a few feet, sighed in exhaust and pulled again, all the way down the hill.

The final stretch!!

{Please note: wet pants. snow pants might have been handy to bring along :)}

Who wouldn't want these adorable kids?!?

 This is the tree as Wes is loading it onto the truck...does it look as long as our truck? It is.

{Our Return Trip Home}
"That was the hardest I've ever worked, I'm exhausted"
{if you have seen Wes work, you know this must have been really difficult because he physically works very hard...concrete isn't easy work, even if you are the boss.}
"Doesn't look like Magic is open today...good thing we brought snacks"..."funny Katie"...."so how tall do you think our treee is?"..."probably about 13-14 feet or so"..."really? did you 'eye-ball' it? because I think it is as long as our truck"..."we'll measure it when we get home"

Hooray...Grandpa, Grandma & Christy arrived at our house just before we did and Wes was so thankful to have someone with some strength to help bring the tree in....after all they measured it at 17.5 feet!

Christy says to Samuel: "You better come and look at this big tree in your living room."
Samuel's response: "I saw it in the forest."

So if you are wondering how to decorate a 17.5 foot tall tree:
First you try your 12 foot ladder and when that looks minature next to the tree you get creative.
So then you take a folding table, put your ladder on top of it, and use your son's toy extention arm to toss the lights on the top of the tree. {sorry I didn't get a picture of it, but I was a little nervous at the time}
Next, after realizing that it really isn't safe to place ornaments on this way you call a friend with an extention ladder and ask to borrow it.
Finally, you haul it home, set it up and decorate.

Here is Wes putting the star on top.

Here it is decorated...

There is little Lydia standing next to it...how sweet, she thinks the ornaments are pretty and unlike Samuel was at her age is very gentle with them.

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches.


Have a BLESSED Christmas!!!

made with luv

Wes came home with a cravin' for cinnamon rolls and well since I was "busy" he just decided to make them himself....lucky me!

Here is how they turned out:

delicious!!!

my fork was waiting patiently as I was taking these shots :)

The best part...I got to eat mine snuggled in my warm bed, next to my amazing hubby, watching the news with both babes asleep....ahhhh, what a way to end a day.