Free cupcakes!!

Tonight after our dinner (which was 10 bucks for both us thanks to a
super coupon) we went trophy cupcakes hoping to have their delicious
snickerdoodle cupcakes. As it turns out, snickerdoodle cupcake days
are only Monday and Friday so we a bit sad. But the girl told us since
we had driven all the way out there just for their amazing
snickerdoodle cupcakes, she would let us have our cupcakes for
free!!!!!! It made our night!!! Scott picked vanilla vanilla and I
had chocolate hazelnut. Soooooooo good!!!! These are the best
cupcakes I've ever had. And they tasted even better because they were
for freeeeee!!

Fun times in SoCal!

A Christmas Carol

I was so happy to see everyone at A Christmas Carol in December! What a wonderful night!! The performance was held in a "theater in the round" which means the stage is in the middle of the theater and all the seats are around it. All the actors moved up and down the stairs and popped up from the floor, making for a very exciting show. Here are some pictures from before the show in the lobby.

Me with Grandma Byer

Grandma Byer getting some hugs from Gabriel. He is the all time champion at giving hugs!

Hammin it up for the camera

Me with Grandma Anderson. Tonight was so much fun!! It reminded me of the times Grandma Anderson used to take us to the Nutcracker at Christmastime when we were little. Grandma A is pretty much the best person to go to the theater with cause she knows just about everything about going to the theater. :)

The whole group in front of their giant Christmas tree. Thanks to everyone who came for making it a giant success!!! I think we smell a family tradition in the making. :)

Jason and Gabriel on the stage. Some parts of the play were really scary, like Marley coming to haunt Scrooge. Gabriel did his best to be brave, but he had to cover his ears for that part. (When Gabriel gets scared he covers his ears, not his eyes. It's super cute, trust me!)

In our seats. Kinda like Where's Waldo, or for some of us, I Spy A Nephite. :)

Uncle Keith is all about real life, in your face photography. :)

Gabriel and GGMa (Great-Grandma or Grandma Anderson) in the middle of the picture, Nick and Eric are in the row below them (my cousins-Nick is the one trying to look like a thug, or Eric just broke wind)

The sets popped up out of the floor and some came down from the ceiling, like this sign and lamp post.

Cathy and Brian in front of the tree after the play.

The Anderson Clan

O Tannenbaum!!!

It's Christmastime!!! Yesterday we did one of my very favorite Christmas traditions, we got our Christmas Tree!!!! Our very first Christmas tree together!!! In the Anderson Family, we all go out to the wilderness (otherwise known as Arlington, WA) together and find the most perfect, beautiful tree out of all the contenders and cut it down to make it the Anderson Family Christmas Tree. It is quite an honor to be chosen and everyone always has a fun time being together and adding their input on which tree deserves that honor.

Jason, Dad, and Gabriel at the Christmas tree farm.

Do I spy a candy cane??

Word to the wise...keep a sharp eye on your candy cane when Gabriel is around!!

Mom finds her tree but, GASP, we forgot the words to the Anderson Family Christmas Tree Song. Dad was quick on his feet, literally, and made up a little dance we could do to appease the Christmas Tree Gods and ensure a green and fragrant tree all season long.

For Scott and I, the search c0ntinued a little deeper into the realms of Christmas Tree Land. We found the object of our desire and Scott quickly got to work cutting it down. Scott had a fun time cutting down his own Christmas tree for the very first time!!

Jason was full of the Christmas spirit as he helped us cut down our tree.

Victory is mine!!! Now that we have our tree, will get it home and decorate it beautifully!!!

The decorated tree. It's much more impressive in person, but I think it's just amazing!!! I love all my ornaments and I took pictures of some of my favorites...although there are too many to take pictures of all of my favorites...I guess that is what the full tree shot is for. :)

I love this glass angel, even though angels don't have wings...I still think it's beautiful. The lights make the angels' skirt glow and sparkle through the wings...oh how I love having a wonderfully decorated, amazingly fragrant Christmas tree in my house!!! It's the best part of the season!!!! Now it really feels like Christmas!!