Beth does NOT like Santa!

http://katchinyakandid.smugmug.com/gallery/6549210_PT45X#426216675_ApFuC-A-LB

We met Santa a few weeks ago. Poor Beth had other things on her mind besides sitting on the lap of a strange man with a beard! You might enjoy taking a peek by clicking on the link above. Copyright prevents me from taking an illegal screen shot or scanning the photo so that I can post it here. Besides, I'd like to credit Katchinyakandid Photography for capturing such a hysterical moment!

Here is a happier moment captured last weekend as we stood in front of our Christmas tree. I had intended on capturing a nice family moment at the tree farm but Beth had other things in mind (or OUT of her mind).

Here is the story...she had a major meltdown at the Christmas Tree farm. Beth wanted to carry back the saw we had used to cut down said tree and despite her ministrations, I refused. She resorted to kicking and rolling about in the bright red dirt while I held the coveted saw and limb loppers from her grasping hands. Daddy and Elliott were lugging the 8-foot tree (more like a 10-footer if you asked Mike) up and down two small valleys to the car. I couldn't pick up Beth with the pruning implements in my hand and yet I had no help in sight.


Three families wandered by with knowing smiles on their faces. When I finally did manage to get her back to the car, she tried running "back to the forest" when only 10 minutes before she was yelling "back to the car."


While Daddy tried to tie on the tree, I tried to tie Beth into the car seat...another thing she did not want to do that afternoon. We struggled long enough for the family next to us in the parking lot (one of the same who saw Beth's tantrum on the forest floor) to skip back to the car, drop their tree into the truck bed, load up the kid and drive off. Ten minutes later while we were still trying to get Beth in the car seat and the flippin' tree onto the roof, this same family drove back into the parking lot. I don't know why... I don't know how long they were away...


Some time later (actually it was at some point in the middle of the forest), I ditched the idea of taking a pleasant family photo of us at the glorious tree farm at Apple Hill. Our Christmas card proudly shows the four of us smiling in front of the tree in our living room.


...Only those who read our blog will know the true story.