tree picking and traditions

We had plans to go up in the mountains to pick out a tree this year, but then Landon threw up all over Elise's floor. and then his bed. and then the walkway outside. So plans changed.

 We took them to a lot in town and Santa was there. The kids have never actually sat on Santa's lap, so they really didn't know what to think. We tried last year, but the line was insanely long and they made you pay just to talk to him. idon'tthinkso.

Every year since Landon was born we've given the kids each an ornament that means something special just to them. It's fun finding them and they love putting their special ornaments on the tree.
This year they got....

 a sand castle for Landon because he loved California so much and the beach especially.

a dancing elephant with a tutu for Elise because her favorite thing to dress up in is her elephant costume with her tutu over it. Most perfect ornament we could have found. She loved it.

 For Cohen a cute jingly cow. His first animal sound was a cow and he still likes to moo and do the cow sign (that's what he's doing in the picture) whenever he sees one...which is a lot more often than when we were in California! He still goes over and jingles it on the tree every day and for some reason it's the one ornament he hasn't taken off the bottom two feet of the tree.

~C