Christmas Tree Hunt {U-Cut}

Noon Road U-Cut Tree farm owner shows us the tree variety map.

We veered off the tried and true Christmas tree route this year, exploring a new U-cut tree farm at the suggestion of a friend.  On the coldest day of the year ~ perhaps the coldest day in human history ~ we braved the great outdoors amidst the bitter winds of North Whatcom County.  Leaving our little foster daughter with Grandma Billie due to the severity of the weather, we made a threesome: Tim, Joseph and me. 

Follow the rules and no one gets hurt.

Being the smallest tree contingent in recent family history, we didn't have to negotiate as many opinions on which tree took top honors and earned a ride home to be lit and decorated in anticipation of the big celebration of our Savior's birth.  Regardless, the selection process did drag on for what seemed like hours.  The tremendous freeze began to paralyze our faces and our fingers, making the discussions of our tree selection brief and to the point.

Taking a moment to refer to the tree varieties map, Joseph and Tim plot out our route through the tree farm.

The old amidst the new

Tim stomps through the lane, looking for the ideal tree to take home.

When the time came to chop, or rather saw down our tree, we were consoled by the fact that we would soon be in a warm car heading toward our warm home.  However, as we loaded the tree into our van, we discovered that its length would necessitate driving with the back door tied down, rather than shut properly.  A relatively small price to pay, both for the tree itself (compared to years past), and for the short open-air ride home, our Noble Fir soon graced the living room ready for illumination.

Joseph begins the sawing chore, through a frozen trunk.

Our tree-cycle

 

Loaded up and ready to roll

Lit and ready for ornamentation

Extraordinary Jaunts {Sundays in Seattle}

Ryan, Joseph, Peter and Peter enjoy baked goodies.

In this Year of Faith, our family set a goal of participating in and growing more familiar with the 'Extraordinary Form' (Latin) Mass.  This form of the Mass is not offered in our city, or county, or neighboring counties, but it is offered at North American Martyrs in Seattle, about a 90 mile drive from home.  FSSP priests pastor this technically 'homeless' parish, which worships at St. Alphonsus Church and at Holyrood Cemetery Chapel in Shoreline.  This ancient ~extraordinary~ form of our Holy Mass almost disappeared in my lifetime after rapid changes implemented following the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's.  I don't remember the 'old' Mass, nor was I taught about it in my Catholic upbringing; but I always fostered a special attraction to the enlarged, framed black and white photograph of my parents' Nuptial Mass, said in the 'old' form at Holy Rosary in West Seattle.

The 'Ordinary Form' (Novus Ordo) Mass which we know, love and attend daily at Sacred Heart follows basically the same 'order of events' but with significant differences, not the least of which is the language in which the Mass is said and the manner in which we receive our Lord in Holy Communion. Following along in the little red booklets offered at the entrance, or fumbling along with the 1962 (heirloom) Missals we have inherited, we can mostly keep up with the Mass and prayerfully worship. The solemnity with which the Latin Mass is celebrated, the profound reverence and the decorum of the congregation are awe inspiring to say the least.  The preaching is certainly not for the faint of heart!

Our special Sunday journeys to Seattle punctuate our ordinary calendar and offer us extraordinary ways to keep holy the Lord's Day. 

Peter holds his God-brother Samuel

Meeting in the middle, each family driving about an hour, we celebrated a recent Sunday in Seattle with our dear friends from Tacoma.  Aileen's family honored her wish to attend Latin Mass and we combined the main event with a tasty side-trip to a bakery a few blocks from the hospital in Ballard where Joseph was born almost 15 years ago.  'Ballard Blue,' the first house Tim and I owned happens to be just a few blocks from the Church, so we are familiar with the surrounds, though the area has certainly been further developed and more densely populated since we moved to Bellingham in 1998.

Bridget, Samuel and Aileen, together on Sunday morn

King Tut's exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, another Sunday side-trip during Zachary's Christmas break, offered a glimpse of history for about the price of a sarcophagus.  Being linguistically inclined, Zachary especially enjoyed the inscriptions on the various artifacts.  King Tut's name (or one of his names) included a sign meaning 'manifestation', which when being viewed by those of us celebrating the Epiphany (which means Manifestation) held special significance.  King Tut, you may have been a king, but you were not God. 

Brothers in Seattle

Spending time at Great Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon included being catered to and well loved.  Grandma and I feigned interest in the Seahawks game, while the guys intently cheered for the home team, which on that day reigned victorious.  The views from her windows overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains beyond are phenomenal, but sitting in the company of my 95 year old Grandma would be a pleasure in any environment.

Guests of Great Grandma for the Seahawks playoff game; watching her double-decker TV

Peter cheering for the Seahawks in his Sunday best

Capturing Christmas {2012}

The Mass of Christ.  Christmas.  

O Holy Night!

Spending time with our extended families and friends before Christmas ~ the appetizer.

Spending time with our extended families and friends after Christmas ~ the dessert.

The main course ~ assisting and worshiping at midnight Mass and Christmas morning Mass (with a few hours of sleep in between) offers pure satisfaction to our hungry hearts.

Weston, Peter, Violet, Joseph, Sawyer and Zachary: a complete set of cousins on Tim's side

Nearly the complete set of cousins; plus a few spouses and our little (and grown) ones on Bridget's side

The heart-breaker: digesting the reality that so many baptized Christians will not choose to worship God in His Church on this holy day, nor faithfully on Sundays, nor on any day.  With lives so full and so blessed, they lack the desire ~ or the will ~ to physically and habitually return to God's house to give Him praise, thanks and glory.  The call God Himself placed upon their hearts has been somehow muted or crowded out in the noisiness and business of life.  Yet He waits patiently for each one of us to return to Him.  Our Returning King offers His endless mercy as a perpetual Christmas gift, free of charge to anyone who simply, humbly asks.

Rocky at Christmas

Perilous Preparations {Advent Lights}

Joseph makes a mad dash to get to geometry class, with Peter on high.

Sparing no efforts and wasting no time, Joseph and Peter cooperatively executed a well schemed decorating project which effectively illuminated our exterior surroundings.  Following in the footsteps of their Grandpa Cliff, famous for fantastic lighting displays, the boys spared no expense, spending their own money to acquire new strands of lights for the festive design they envisioned.

A written plan, complete with diagrams and check lists kept Peter and Joseph focused and coordinated their efforts to meet a common goal: become the brightest house on the block. 

Alpine Christmas (a planning list)
1. Get more lights soon (extra bulbs)
2. Acquire evergreen branches
3. Place lights with branches
4. Eat dessert
5. Pray to Baby Jesus

Decorating into the night, Peter perches near his handiwork.

  
Not without great danger was this enterprise accomplished.  The farthest reaches of our roof top stand about thirty feet above the ground and come to a small point on diagonal angles.  Although Joseph knew this section of the job was beyond his comfort level, Peter volunteered willingly.  Disappointed that Dad wouldn't let them attempt reaching this corner in the dark, they begrudgingly agreed to postpone completion.  This most perilous corner had to be accessed twice, as the first attempt to secure the lights failed at first wind.   Admittedly quivering, yet bravely determined to complete the project, Peter scaled the heights a second time to attach the wayward strand. 

Joseph and Peter strike a post-decorating celebratory pose.

The great reward for their decorating efforts came in the form of Grandpa Cliff's compliments, complete with an honest expression of his amazement, "I can't believe you put lights up to that corner!"
Mission accomplished.

Tree Hunting {Chop Chop Chop}

1.

What do the following have in common?

• cancelled naps
• three generations
• three vehicles
• three cameras
  
• double stroller off-roading
• young children + sharp tools
• hide and seek
  
• candy canes for everyone 

 Tim takes the twins on a bumpy ride at the tree farm

 Joseph carefully inspects the saw blades before choosing his weapon tool of choice; 

Peter heads for the trees.

2.

Our annual tree hunting expedition in the foothills of Mount Baker at a family owned tree farm about 30 minutes from home involved a diaper bag for the first time in who-knows-how-many years.  The twins didn't complain until their little fingers and toes started to freeze get cold.  Theirs was the least exciting role to play: being held hostage in the stroller for a four-wheeling adventure in very monotonous territory.  "Seen one evergreen tree, you've seen them all..."

Zachary and Peter circle their prey.

3.

Unless you're a member of our family, in which case you will likely spend days deliberating over the perfect evergreen tree for the year's haul.   Joseph planned ahead and wore a second hat so he could use one for marking his favorite tree before the family vote.  Since Grandma Billie and Grandpa Cliff also hoped for the perfect tree (of smaller stature) we doubled our searching pleasure.

Joseph takes the prize.

4.

Like any shopping isles, tree farm isles inspire the boys to run, dodge, disappear and hurdle.  Tree hunting is an athletic event, and the competition to find the perfect Christmas Advent Tree {which becomes a Christmas Tree ON Christmas} is fierce.

5.

Peter and Joseph raced with saws to be first to attack the trunk again this year; Zachary still doesn't favor the whole seasonal killing of the trees.  Now say we were going to burn the tree...he would be the first in line.  The boys took turns on saw duty, and Tony experienced the thrill of sawing for the very first time (with close supervision).

Tim, Bridget, Zac, Peter, Joseph, Ezra... and our 2011 tree

6.

A new athletic event was added this year: tree running.   Rather than leaving the chopped tree at the side of the lane for the tractor to haul back to the check-out area, Joseph and Peter decided to race the tractor back to home base.  Other than losing a hat in their mad dash, it all ended well.

Tree runners attempt to beat the tractor back to the base.

7.

Home, lit, and partially decorated, our tree now has to compete with the dogs for water.  Charlie and Rocky seem to think that having a new source of hydration in the home is our early Christmas gift to them.  The lower branches are toddler-proof, the non-breakable items ready to be pulled off and played with.  Only one gift wrapped and placed under the tree so far, and it's already been mauled by an unnamed pet or small person.  The mystery continues...

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Who Let the Elves Out? {Advent Decorating}

Joseph sets the outdoor timer to display the lighted house from dusk 'til dawn.

A passion for festive decorating hit our house this week with a fury.  Ladders scaled, boxes unearthed, extension cords creatively linked, and strings and strings of lights of every variety and color scheme were attached to the front of our house.  Joseph set a timer set for optimal display hours, and WHAMMO, our house stood transformed for the season of anticipation of Christ's Birthday.  Joseph led the charge as our always-ever-so-excited-puppy-like-holiday-spirit guy.  With Peter right by his side, they crafted and conspired to create the desired display.  At this very moment, a 15 foot ladder-on-stairs operation is underway (in the dark) in an attempt to put up $20 of new icicle lights (which Joseph purchased with his own funds on a trip to the hardware store with Grandpa Cliff today).

Peter trades out ordinary white for a colorful bulb at the entry-way.

The boys' desire for a festive environment is a distant second to "beating the neighbors" in the sheer volume of display lights on the property.  It turns out they were born with a few extra 'competitor' genes, and into a family with a master holiday decorator (Grandpa Cliff) to emulate.  With these factors in play, the ongoing efforts at out-doing themselves may well extend into the New Year!

Peter and Joseph work on the roof-top to illuminate the house.

Guests Duncan, Cam and Connor admire the fruits of their friends' decorating labors.

Our Rudolph needs a new nose!  He was a gift crafted many years ago by Zac in Grandpa's shop.

Master decorator and craftsman Grandpa Cliff, with apprentice elves Peter and Joseph, assembled the hand-crafted nativity scene in our front yard.