tree fetching and a surprise

last saturday we went with grandma and grandpa h. to get our christmas tree. sam was already excited because we were going to ride in daddy's "big car" (the pick-up truck). usually all he gets to do is sit in it when it's parked, so this was a special treat.

when we got to the tree farm, we were happy to discover that santa had made a surprise visit. what luck!

sam was feeling a bit shy, but santa definitely made an impact. he talked about santa quite a bit (though he wasn't keen on another in-person chat). perhaps next year he'll have more to discuss.

then off we went, over the hills and through the woods to find our tree.

i think we picked a winner. in fact, i think it's the best one ever. sam is quite curious about all the ornaments on the tree, and we constantly are reminding him not to remove anything. in general though, he's been very good and very careful. he's certainly enjoying having all the decorations up (we had to have a little discussion about the tree "sleeping" during the day when the timer turns the lights off). i'm a little bit worried about what will happen when we have to say goodbye to the tree.