Christmas Tree and Baking

Well, we originally weren't going to get a Christmas tree this year since we will be at my parents' for Christmas and all of our ornaments are (still) packed away, but then I felt a little guilty about not getting one and the boys REALLY wanted one. So we loaded up for the Home Depot parking lot one evening to pick out a tree.  We ended up getting the one that several people held up and then put back... saying, "Nope, this one's too fat."  I felt like that was my kindred spirit tree, so we took him home.  Lol.

We bought a few strings of colored lights and then the boys and I made some of that construction paper ring garland to string on it.  It actually looked really cute like that, but then I decided to have the boys make some salt dough ornaments so I could keep their handprints from this year.  And also so I we could check off the "handmade Christmas ornament from school" box, since our house is the only "school" this year.  It was actually really easy to do and my "anti-craft-project" boys loved it.  

 

They were so happy with the finished tree.  

Then a few days later we made gingerbread cookies.  Also a favorite activity, especially because of the flour on the counter.

And then there's this video.  I laugh every time I see it.  Lately Emmett has had a habit of sticking out his tongue when he's really concentrating on something (often resulting in licking his lips and causing really chapped lips in cold weather... but I digress).  Here he was cutting some red strips of paper for our tree garland and was obviously concentrating VERY hard on his cutting.  (And yes, he is holding the scissors incorrectly... I helped him with his hand placement a few times and every time I walked away he would put them down and pick them up again the wrong way.  Lol!  We will keep working
on it.  :)

IMG 3759 from Heather G on Vimeo.