Sorry I didn't get the "Evolved" Christmas tree pics posted sooner. . . After spending $25.00 on a new (high-tech) stand we were able to get the tree to stay upright and finish decorating it. Nothing went smoothly though. Remember the lights that weren't working? Well, I bought a few replacements but I plan to wait until the after Christmas sales to get what I really need. This meant I had to neglect the back of the tree because I didn't have enough lights to maintain the "standard" all the way around. No big deal. Nobody really sees the back anyway and the reflection off the window would give the illusion of more lights. Unfortunately, the tree really didn't want to show it's better side. After fighting with it for a good hour I gave up and turned it around. It took me awhile to realize how silly I was being and even though I'm sure it would be prettier facing forward (the way I designed it) it is a beautiful tree. As frustrating as it was,(I actually considered throwing the stupid thing off the back porch!) it gave me an excellent opportunity to talk to the kids about planning. While God expects us to make plans for ourselves, He also reminds us frequently that our plan is irrelevant to Him and He will adjust it any time He finds it's necessary. We can be stubborn and fight it and try to do things our way, but that will just waste time and energy. Sometimes we just have to adjust our expectations and rearrange our priorities. Sometimes it's necessary to look at things from a different perspective and focus on what's really important. . . and sometimes the tree just wants to face the wall! 
I also put out MY train (Yes. I am a little possessive!) which hasn't been out of the box in at least 4 years. I love my little train and it brings back some great childhood memories, so I'm not really sure why it hasn't been out in so long. I guess it started with not wanting the kids to break it (this is not a "toy" train) and I was being selfish and not wanting to share! It was hard to do, but I let Garrett and Lindsay help set up the track and they have even worked the controls a couple of times! 
Last night we had the annual Bates Family Christmas party. Having so many people in the house is both fun and challenging. It's nice to catch up with people we don't see often and I got to show off the decorations that I worked so hard on (HA HA)! With all the adults moving around it was hard for Lindsay and
Brayden to find a place to play where they weren't getting stepped on, but they are resourceful little people. They found the perfect little hiding place. . .
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