Christmas Trees and Such

My dad retired this past spring, and they are now reaping the rewards of their retirement plan... in the form of Christmas trees that they started planting in 2002. The Turner Family Tree Farm is officially open for business in Oyama, BC! We took a tree off the farm last winter, and here are some photos of our tree this year! I went out and picked a tree I liked in November, so that we could be sure to get one of the best. Mom and Dad have spent ours trimming and shaping the trees, and we couldn't be more pleased to have a tree farm in the family! They even have a "wrapper" for the trees so that they are easier to tie to the roof of your vehicle, it helps them travel well, and they're easier to take into the house!

Family shot!

This is the last picture I have with my parent's dog Belle. We got her in 1995, when I was in grade 9. She was such a fabulous dog, and just passed away this month. I'll miss you Bella!

I was taking photos of the kids yesterday, and Roscoe started to say cheese and made this goofy pose with his head tilted back! Every time I'd take a picture, he'd do this, so I couldn't get any natural shots at all! He must be picking up pointers from Aria because its super hard for her to give me a natural smile as well. What I've started to do with her is get her to tell me a joke (a three year old's version of Knock, knock or Why did the ____ cross the road), but as she's laughing at the end I can usually get some good pictures!
I stopped in at Walmart today to make an appointment FINALLY, to get Roscoe's one year old pictures done (only two months late!). Poor second-born child. Well, there's no reason to feel bad; at least its going to get done!
We took the kids to the mall yesterday so they could meet Santa, which we've never done before. Aria has been fairly Santa-obsessed this Christmas, and I figure, what's the harm? She'll probably only be this crazy for him for a couple years. I've tried explaining that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday, but she seems to think that means its Santa's birthday as well. So I said that Santa just likes to celebrate Jesus' birthday by handing out presents to everyone, because Jesus' birthday is SO important and exciting.
The other day when we came home from preschool she didn't want to close the front door. I asked why. She said so that Santa could come in. I explained that Santa doesn't come until Christmas Eve when she's asleep, and then he comes down the chimney. So she closed the front door, and promptly went into the living room and opened up the glass doors to the fireplace, so that Santa could get in! Funny girl! She's having a hard time distinguishing between the Christmas SEASON and Christmas DAY.

Cheese!