(I'm saying "cheese!" that is why my mouth is open)
Oh, the memories gained while precious momentos lost during our Christmas tree preparations this year.
(Grace is telling Claire to tell the man "Hi")
We loaded the girls up on a beautiful, warm South Texas day and headed to the nursery to pick out our tree. We were excited both girls could walk and help us pick one out.
Steve and I found the perfect one - a noble fir which is heavier than the fraser fir we have gotten the past 2 years. Steve usually does most of the lifting himself, but this year I had to help him.
We worked and worked while the girls napped trying to get the thing in the house and straight. After the girls woke up, we started putting lights, beads and ornaments on it. The Christmas cookies, eggnog, and Christmas music set the stage. Grace loved the process. She wanted to know if every ornament she picked up was hers. Unfortunately, she hasn't been around long enough to have too many.
We started to let Grace put the angel up and all of a sudden, crash! The 9 foot tree fell, breaking ornaments and spilling 3 pitchers of water on our wood floor.
(Just before it fell. See it leaning??)
Poor Grace was traumatized by the whole thing. We had her sit on the couch while we cleaned up broken glass, water and pine needles. Every once in a while, we'd hear her whimper. We reassured her things were not supposed to go this way.
The next day, Steve went back to the nursery and bought a big enough stand to hold the monstrosity. He even paid a nursery worker $20 to come and install it properly.
Luckily, not too much damage was done. Grace's 1st Christmas ornament was broken but I can easily find an identical one. My UT ornament that I got from my parents the year I graduated from college was also broken and I am on the hunt to find an identical one. I earned that one! Everything else broken was just random stuff with no real meaning.
This will be a year we won't forget!
