Tree huggers

Gavin and I bought a real Christmas tree this year. It smelled so good...and actually still smells good as it's still sitting in our garage. Even though this was Gavin and I's 4th Christmas together and Emery's second Christmas, it kind of felt like our first Christmas. I think it was because it was our first Christmas in our first house, first real tree, first Christmas in Texas, and it was the first year of some fun traditions that we want to keep going. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that we are attached to this tree. We wanted to have a piece of it to remember all the happy times this year, so Gavin decided to cut off a chunk of the trunk and carve a design in it. His sister gave Gavin and his brothers a wood carving set for Christmas and it inspired the idea. It's far from being finished, but we'll post a picture when it's all done (probably months and months away so don't hold your breath!). 

Here's Emery, thinking Gavin needs her help.

Emery loved banging on the trunk with that wooden handle. She would just bang it and laugh and laugh!