It's Tradition

 We happily continued our family tradition of driving to Half Moon Bay to chop down our Christmas tree this year.  John and I love the quaintness of it, and it's something we both look forward to.

Finally, FINALLY, we have a kid old enough to at least somewhat appreciate the fun.  

 Mostly she enjoyed the hide and seek part with Daddy behind the trees.

 She loves being outside, so a family adventure to a Christmas tree farm was sure to be a hit.

We picked a nice 6 foot tree and John dutifully chopped it down while I distracted Orelia (what could be more exciting than a saw?).

 We can't wait for Orelia to help us choose a tree for many years to come.  If I know my daughter, she will have plenty of strong opinions on the matter (sounds just like Mama).

Our fresh and beautiful tree is now decorated and surrounded by a black metal baby gate.  It's not the most picturesque situation, but we've gotten used to this type of thing around here.  Without the gate I can almost guarantee Orelia would be attempting to scale the tree any day now to pluck off the Harper ornament.