It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Our Christmas tree adventure this afternoon made it feel like Christmas too.
Having Ethan and Ehlana to share the fun with this year has been amazing; but Mom and Dad had also invited the Emersons, Nick, and Aunt Deborah, and having all of them along made this trip even better than our first one. We left after lunch, and needed to take Dad’s truck and Mom’s and the Emerson’s vans to have room for everyone. Rowen and I went out to the Christmas tree farm with her parents and brother; and Patrick had Scott Faulkner come with him so that he wouldn’t be stuck hanging out with us by himself. Mom and Dad had the twins with them in our van; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had Aunt Deborah and Nick with them in Dad’s truck.
All of the rain we had yesterday had turned parts of the farm into a muddy mess, but there were still sections that had trees ready to harvest that were mostly high and dry; so other than taking the hayride through a few big puddles on the way out and back, we were able to stay dry and mostly clean. We had a bit of a wait this year before going to pick out our trees, so we wandered around the store while waiting for the next hayride. The place was really busy, and that worked out pretty well because we put in our orders for first Christmas ornaments – one for Ethan and Ehlana, and one for Aunt Deborah and Nick – and they were ready for us by the time we got back after getting the trees.
Aunt Deborah picked up quite a few decorations; though Uncle Adam had put together a box of lights and decorations to give her from the huge family collection that their grandparents had gathered over the years. Nick didn’t want to haul a real tree up to his apartment, but I’m sure he spends enough time at Aunt Deborah’s that he won’t mind just having a little artificial tree there like I have for the lounge. That was probably a good thing for today too, because Dad’s truck was full by the time we had four trees stacked up in the bed and tied down.
I loved getting to spend the afternoon with Rowen, and while the adults picked up lots of treats, we bought some apple cider and a couple of boxes of cookies too. We hit the road for home at a bit after four, with the only difference on the trip back being that Dad, Uncle Adam, Owen, and Nick went in the truck together so they could go around delivering the trees while the rest of us went back to our place or the Emerson’s. I stayed with Rowen at her house until their tree was dropped off, and then I supervised while Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s tree was set up in their living room. Dad and Nick helped Uncle Adam with doing that, and then we moved on to get the last tree into our house.
Nick and Aunt Deborah had tree-trimming plans at her house that didn’t include company, but Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were going to stay to decorate our tree and have dinner with us before having Uncle Adam’s family over to decorate their tree after his parents closed the Emporium for the night and had dinner too. By then, Ethan and Ehlana were way past ready for a telepathic question and answer time; and they entertained us while we all decorated the tree and living room. I’m including Ethan and Ehlana in that ‘all’, because they wanted to help out, and Mom and Dad were happy to let them. We all got to use a little Magi power, and while telekinetic Christmas tree decorating isn’t something that will change the world; it is awesomely fun!
Dad, Uncle Adam, and I were in charge of making dinner while Mom and Aunt Leanne took care of the twins when it was time for Mom to nurse them; and then I was drafted for cleanup too so that Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne could get home to get started on tree trimming job number two. Once that was done, Mom and I played with Ethan and Ehlana while Dad went to hide in the office and get ready for work in the morning. Mom wanted to work with the twins on their motor skills tonight; so our games were all about things like hand-eye coordination. That certainly wasn’t as exciting as telekinetic decorating, but we still had fun; and while their physical development wasn’t as extraordinary as their Magi abilities, Ethan and Ehlana were still months ahead of normal babies. I loved getting to watch them go through these stages just like I did; and I really appreciate more than ever everything that Mom had to do for me back when I was their age.
When Ethan and Ehlana went to bed, I went for another visit with my Jacuzzi; took care of the little bit of homework I had; and spent two hours reading in the archives while cuddled in bed with Mandy. I’ve got my entertainment and email checks done now, and it’s nearly midnight. The Moms’ Christmas shopping trip is in the morning, and since I’ll be helping Dad with Ethan and Ehlana tomorrow, I probably should have gone to sleep a couple of hours ago. I wasn’t even thinking about that earlier, but Ethan and Ehlana should be in for a fun day. Dad’s taking them to work, and though Aunt Leanne and Claire are both going to be away for the shopping trip; I’m sure he’ll still have lots of company stopping by to help out while I’m at school. Mom booked Alicia to work Monday after school instead of Tuesday, so with Rowen and I to help out too; I’m sure my brother and sister will survive the day while Mom is away playing with her friends.
Starting and ending the week with Christmas shopping adventures – even for those of us who are only going on one of the trips – is a sure sign that this third week before Christmas is going to be great!