Festival of the Trees 2009!!!

Every year we host a party to go along with the Festival of the Trees. The Festival of the Trees is a really cool concept. People create gorgeous trees and sell them. All the money goes towards a children's hospital. It's amazing there are thousands of things to look at. Trees, centerpieces, wreaths, gingerbread houses. And there is music and dancing and singing. Many school choirs, children and adult will perform on either of two stages. It's an amazing time.

Afterward we all go to our apartment, where Frank has been cooking up yummy food, and have a little party. Frank prefers to stay home, he's not into spending 2 hours looking at trees and lights. (His loss!) So he stays and cooks things like stuffed mushrooms, fried polenta with sausage and sweet peppers, caprese spears. MMMMMM!!!! It's probably my favorite day of the entire year. My friend Micki joins us with her kids and everyone piles into our tiny apartment and eats finger foods and chats. It's a perfectly lovely Christmas tradition.

Inside a bubble!

Emma is very thrilled. As you can see she got a face tattoo at the kids craft area.

Kira Lynn and Uncle Boone holding hands. This is another thing I like, we all get to spend time with each other, kids go off with other adults, cousins get to hang out. I just like the inter-family bonding that goes on at things like this.

Tyler! Love him! He's about to get glasses! At the end of the party this little darling boy came up to me, with no one telling him to, and said "Penny, thank you for the party. I love you." I hugged him and then had to sniff away tears. He's not biologically my nephew but he IS my nephew all the same.

Becky and I almost fell down and started drooling over this tree. Look at all the scrapbook supplies! The tree was only $4000, we should have just got it!

This was my favorite, not sure why, but I loved the colors.

Wizard of Oz tree. Emma loved this of course!

Labyrinth Tree!

Rock tree. My mom loved this. She really likes the trees made from things other than just tree. LOL

I liked this tree, it was really cool. My Uncle Neal love Lucy so I took a pic for him.

An outhouse, a gingerbread outhouse!

This was a gingerbread house based on Nightmare Before Christmas. It was really awesome.

Micki's daugther, and Emma's best friend Patience. Gotta love the goofy side of being 5!

My mom and dad enjoying hot chocolate.

Sean-Paul just chillin' at the "after" party.

Micki and her new baby Ender.