What Parents Go Through For There Children

This year Olivia did a report on an endangered species.  She chose the Blue Macaw.  It is a beautiful bird and I have to say our family knows a lot about it now.  So, she had to do a model or a costume.  Olivia opted for the costume.  I thought it would be a cinch to find a royal blue sweat suit with a hood.  

The hoodie was key because we had to put the eyes on it.  What I discovered is that royal blue is not in style at this time unless you are BYU or Boise State, and I wasn't interested in the logo.  So after checking every store in town, I finally I resorted to ordering online. We were set. Or so we thought. 

So the night before the presentation, we were scrambling to come up with something because the sweat suit had not come.  It was too late to find something.  She would have to wear her navy blue charter clothes instead.  Jeff helped her with a cardboard beak , cardboard wings with crepe paper on them, and a crepe paper tail.  We colored a parrot stuffed animal blue with markers and put some fake feathers on it.

I can't remember what time the unveiling was for the parents and the school, but at 10:00am the blue sweat suit showed up.  I ran it over to Olivia and she got it on just in time.  When I saw her with her costume flapping those wings as happy as a lark,or blue macaw, it was such a relief. It is crazy what parents go through for there children.
 

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Because we snuck in a trip to Disneyland, I was so afraid that I'd get behind on Christmas.  So before we left I put up many of the decorations.  The tree on the other hand was something else entirely. 
We are those people who love a fresh, real tree.  I know we will go the other way someday, but not today. We arrived home Saturday night.  Monday at lunch Jeff called me and said I can help you with the tree at lunch if you want.  So I ran down to Fred Meyer.  We usually get a 9 foot tree, so there aren't many choices.  I looked at three trees and picked one.  They loaded it up and I drove home and Jeff put it up.  I spent the rest of the day putting on as many white lights as I could find and we were ready for family night to decorate the tree.  This is a record for us. 

Even before the ornaments, I think the tree is magical.  I can't exactly remember what they were singing, but the magic had begun. "Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree How Lovely Are Thy Branches."

 This little gem, we still don't really know what it is, maybe a star.  Either way, Olivia made it with care.

 There is a Salt City Candle that is called Christmas Trimmings that Kristen and I really love.  They must have put old pine needles, tissue paper and cardboard boxes in the formula, but it reminds me of the smell of getting out your ornaments from the past. 

 What I hear a lot of is, "Mom look at this one."  Or, "Do you remember when we got this one?" " This one is so beautiful!"  Can you picture Kyle saying that?  Haha

I do love the one's with a picture when they were little.   I'm thinking this is from nursery.l

 Homemade one's from Grammy and Grandma.

 The Ornaments that we got them last year. 

 Our Disney Princess Ornaments.

Now the tree is perfect.  All of the ornaments on the front and a few on the back.  We have to save a place for Annalisa's ornaments.  Then kids kept asking if we were going to get Kate's out.  No, we don't want them to get broken while she's gone.