Bye, Bye Thanksgiving Tree

I didn't think I would be this sad to turn our Thanksgiving Tree into our Christmas Tree... Noah pretty much summed up my feelings... oh to be two and have no editor and NOT care to have one!

As I started to take the leaves off the tree, Noah just stood there and stared at me. After I had quite a handful I walked them into the kitchen and put them on the counter. I went back for the rest and when I turned around Noah had a handful of them off the counter and was trying to place them back on the tree. The cutest part was as he "hung" them he said, "Thank you." Made my heart smile - I know he doesn't "get" this project yet - but some part of it sunk in...

I reached down and took the ones he placed on the tree off again and said - "we have to take these down now. It is time to put up the Christmas decorations."

And a flood gate opened. You would have thought we had misplaced a prized race car. He sobbed and sobbed and told me he didn't want the leaves to go bye bye. I told him we would make a book out of them and that we could read them every night. It didn't work.

And then I remembered - Noah had a new coloring book from his Christmas with his cousins last week - I ran and got it and God was smiling down on me because the first page I flipped to was a Christmas train. The tears instantly stopped and he colored while I took down the rest of the leaves.

So the leaves of 2008 rest in a neat little scrapbook. I have to say, this project makes me smile. There will be something about going through the book year after year, reading the things our family and friends are thankful for. Some are practical and funny and some are just plain sweet. BUT, all of them are definitely things that we can all be thankful for! I can't wait until the kids can look back at what their great aunts and uncles, Great Nana and Great Papa, Nana, papa X2, Gram and the rest of their family and friends had to say!