too soon?

there are a few non-negotiables in the staple house. for example: the kitty litter bins have to get scooped every day. no throwing food.
more to the point: there will be a christmas tree every year.
we are expecting the arrival of a fourth family member (or a 9th family member, if you count the cats and chickens as family members, which....well, is negotiable) any day now. and by "any day now" we mean "some time in the next 4 weeks." the other thing we would do in the next 4 weeks is cut down and decorate a christmas tree. a newborn may prevent such a family outing, so we decided to head out to the only tree farm open in the area--hann's tree farm in oregon--and buy a tree a tad on the early side.

a snippet of conversation between david and the hann's tree farm guy last saturday:
david: how many trees have you sold today?
tree farm guy: just the one. actually, that's the first tree we've sold this season. actually, that's the first tree we've sold this year.

it's good to be number one. let's just hope the tree survives until christmas.

all those frasier firs, just waiting for their first shopper.
our brave tree hunter and cutter, carrying a rusty old saw and a tender little toddler. this guy does it all!
mid-tree-hunt diaper change. good timing, ramona.
me, ramona, and the baby discuss the fairness of the tree price. consensus: over priced, but whatever.
let the cutting begin! with the cutting comes the supervising. ramona squats, points, and shouts "daddy. cut. tree. cut." which is helpful.
all loaded up. (just for comparison's sake, the last time we visited hann's tree farm a few years ago, this field/parking lot was packed, there were people directing traffic and wearing orange pinnies, mr and mrs claus were merrily strolling about the property, and the line to pay for your tree was a looooong and trying wait. this time? easy street.)
later that evening, aretha got all tangled up in the lights,
and the new tree got all festive.
the next morning, ramona hung her own new ornament, marveled at the glowing tree, and heard "don't touch that!" and "those balls are for looking only!" and "no!!" from her parents all morning long. it's going to be a good holiday season.