Terribly Poetic

Do I have to spell it out for you? nudge. nudge. wink. wink.

Cute Baby!!! Some things that we've done with Kianna and now with Spencer are reading stories, cleaning around the house (if you have time) or just playing together. Spencer just loves peek-a-boo and getting tickled. If Libby's down for a nap then you take one too. All the best with Libby. Can you believe how fast they grow? It's incredible.

No decorating for Christmas...I'm appalled! And it's Libby's first one!! Shame on you! I think you should spend your free time getting off your butt and putting up a tree and some Christmas decorations. What a scrooge!

One more thing...that pic of Libby in her snowsuit in the carseat is too funny!

Maybe you could join your local (or soon to be local) community association! Ha ha!

And, I just want to defend myself to those who haven't been to our house: we're not total scrooges. We use our fig tree as our Christmas tree, we set up a Nativity set, and we put Christmas lights on our house.

So it's multiple choice:
a) we're just trying to do our part for the environment by not using a real or fake Christmas tree
b) we're lazy
c) we're trying to get away from the commercialization of Christmas

My co-workers think I "barely" celebrate Christmas because I only do "1 out of the 3" things: no Christmas tree or telling my kids about Santa, but we do give presents. Ha!

would she fit in the carseat if you took that extra liner thing out?

gotta do what you gotta do to make it through the season. It can still be Christmas without all the usual trappings.

I'm proud of you fighting the corporate Christmas machine, Daryl. How many one-year-olds remember their first Christmas??? I'm sure Jesus was deprived...

Anyhow, look forward to NOT telling Libby the following:
"Don't touch the tree"
"The lights are hot!"
"Don't touch the tree"
"Those are fake cookies, not real ones!"
"Auntie Jolene thinks Daddy is a Scrooge!"
Oh wait, I may have got that last one wrong...LOL

I hate the commercialization of Christmas as much as the next guy, but we don't have a tree cause we don't have room. Libby's stuff, swing, chair, toys, take up the room where the tree was last year. And I will do some decorating eventually, ie. Nativity, etc.

And Jess, I think you must be soooo terrible for not telling your kids about santa. Actually, I can't wait for my kids to tell other kids in kindergarten that santa isn't real. Although I might get an angry call from another parent with a now crying child.

Greg, look forward to answering the following when Leif is older...
1. How come we don't have a tree?
2. When are we going to get a tree?
3. How come we don't have a tree?
4. Are we not getting a tree so we have money to buy that new insert cool new technology here?
Okay so maybe that is what you are asking yourself right now...

Hey Daryl,

When the kids are older and they complain about not having a tree, I will say "but we DO have a decorated tree -- a fig tree". Then they will whine.

Or, to quote Woody Harrelson's book "How to go Further: A Guide to Simple Organic Living", I will say "I don't believe in raping our mother earth". Wait. Maybe that's not appropriate for children.

Does Libby fight her carseat? Because I can just imagine how much Jared would fight being put into that reclined of a position everytime we were in the car. He was in a 3-in-1 seat at 3 or 4 months (of course, at that time, he was a huge child for his age, and I was already have trouble hauling him around in an equally heavy bucket!)
And I might as well throw my two cents in here about Christmas: absolutely love the decorations - I love coming into the house at Christmas time and in the evening having just the tree and various other Christmas lights on in the house. But I cannot stand Santa Claus. I'm pretty sure my mother poisoned me to him early on in my life, as she doesn't particularly care for him either. And I'm pretty sure Jared will also be the kid in his class who smashes the other kids' dreams of Santa...
Allison
(I keep forgetting to sign in with my google account and I don't want to retype this...)

Well, Son, you certainly did get a lot of responses - and I agree with Jolene - get off your butt and put up some decorations - you can't tell anyone that I or even Dad taught you to not have a tree. Well - Dad tried! And I'll tell everyone that reads this - Dad & I came to the City with the truck and offered to buy D a tree and bring it to his house! He declined. And don't you have outside lights - put them up!

WOW! Did Daryl ever get a response! I promise I will do my best to put up Christmas decorations and make our house more festive. We still probably won't have a tree though... for three reasons..
1) we are gone for a whole week during Christmas
2) there isn't any room in our house with of all Libby's 'stuff'
3) when mom and dad were here to get a tree we were in the process of buying a house and thinking about selling ours (go figure a huge tree in the middle of the living room isn't a positive selling feature... who woulda thunk??)

So that is just my little speel, and we'll see what we can do about the decorations!
Maybe I'll even take pictures of them and post them so you can all see!

oops, I guess I forgot to add the part where I say that we didn't get the house....stupid bidding wars!!

Way to go Dawn! I knew you'd put up some decorations. And yes, a tree in the middle of the room wouldn't be a great selling feature. Just get Daryl to help you. I got Dad to get the tree in the stand and we put up the lights outside. They look great.

I wish my daddy would bring me a tree for Xmas. *sob-sob*

Joan, you always know how to make me smile!

Getting stuff is what drives me nuts. I mean, I like getting things as much as the next guy, but its getting abit out of hand when that is what Christmas is. Christmas isn't about PRESENTS, its about RECEIVING. We have been given the best gift of a Savior and that's what we are to remember at Christmastime, and what we are to receive. Someone pointed out well to yesterday (greg) that a free gift still requires one to receive it. When I am given a gift I still have to accept it and open it. That is what I want to celebrate. That is what Christmas is about. So I guess I can get into the spirit with that in mind.

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