December 20

Simon's favorite Christmas tree decoration is - what else? - balloons with loops on their strings. I think we've had up to 5 hanging off the lower half of the tree at one time - here are 4. This is a very "hands on" tree for Simon!

Early/mid December

[Bethany] We had a few fun days outside with the new bike, and colored with chalk all over the driveway. He also helped me clean up the branches we'd trimmed off the bottom of the tree before setting it up inside. He called them "tiny Christmas tree" or "tiny tree branches."

Simon's Christmas Tree

After Simon was finished, with a little help from mom & dad on the "high up" ones.

The next day mom & her little Santa Claus had hours of endless fun rearranging the ornaments on the lower half of the tree.

Simon Decorates the Tree

Christmas Tree Hunting - early December

[Bethany] The first few years we lived in Silver City, we "collected" a Christmas tree by using dead stalks of yucca plants and/or century plants - both make a lovely southwestern tree. The next year(s) we paid $5 for a permit from the Forest Service & went to cut one from the Gila National Forest. This, too, provided a nice tree - but the hike & hunt after a short drive makes for a day-long affair. Unfortunately, this year we had such busy weekends in late November & Early December that we realized we had two options.

1. Wait till the week before Christmas to go cut a tree from the National Forest, or
   
2. Get one earlier in the month so we can enjoy it longer by buying it at Wal-Mart.

I'm a little embarrassed to say we went with option #2. But I have to say that so far this is the nicest tree - soft needles, yummy tree smell, and perfect size/shape for our living room. We still made sure Simon got to help pick it out, and he tested out the tree stand to make sure it would work too. He's a very good helper. Next year we'll do a real Christmas tree hunt...more on that later.

Visit from Voglers

[Bethany] A few days later we got to hang out with some friends we don't get to see anymore. Our good friends Tara & Scott Vogler used to live here in Silver City, and for a while even lived just a block down the street from us. They decided to relocate to Pennsylvania about a year ago, and Tara was pregnant when they moved. On this recent visit, we got to meet Izabelle Emma Louise - and Simon just loved her. We all did. :)

Stuck on Balloons

Birthday Play Date

The Birthday Fun Continues

On Simon's actual birthday, December 1st, we had a play date with some friends at Penny Park. One of the other moms brought a bunch of great snacks to share, and another brought balloons & string - a huge hit! Simon insisted on "wearing" almost every balloon...he began to look somewhat like a very colorful bird. Especially on the swings, as you will soon see.

After the Party...Still the Fun

The Rest of the Week...late Nov/early Dec.

It was sad the next morning when Grandma & Grandpa had to leave, but we stayed busy & got some mileage out of the birthday gifts for a long time...well, still. Again, another few batches of the following week(s), mostly without captions.

Birthday Fun - Just Before Bed