grrr...

Every once in a while a person needs to vent about some silly things. For example, why , oh WHY can I not find any nice, normal clothes for Brady?? Are all little boys just supposed to wear sweat pants? I went to 3 stores today and all I could find in his size were sweats. For Natalie I could find a million different AND cute things, for Brady, you ask? only shirts with HUMONGOUS pictures on them and sweat pants! So, this means I have to break down and spend more to get him some actual jeans, and maybe a polo, or a long sleeve shirt that doesn't say MONSTER TRUCKS 2000!!! on it. I hate how I HAVE to buy brand name for him, when I can find such cute clothes for Natalie that fit our budget more, as a result the poor kid wears the same things over and over! But I refuse to have him looking like a hillbilly in sweats and a tweety shirt! He is a little boy and I want him to look like one! I mean a little picture here and there of a football or a truck is fine, but have you seen the stuff they are selling at Target right now Geesh! anywho, just a little frustration over here and I had to get it out!

Going Private

OK, so I have decided that I do want to make my blog private. That means I need your email addresses. I turned on comment moderation (thanks Julie!) so if everyone that reads will leave their email address in a comment (which will NOT show up on my blog) I can invite you. I will leave my blog open for a few days so I make sure I have everyone, you know all 9 of you. And if there are any friends or family lurking please, please comment me your address! I would love for as many people to be able to read as possible.

Oh, and for those of you not registered users, all you have to do is send me your email address, and when you "join" my blog you make up a password, and just have to log in every time you read. Should be fine!

Ah, gender roles!

Today we had the pleasure of a short, but very sweet (and pretty stinkin' funny) visit from Ewan while his Mommy made a quick trip to the grocery store (hmm...a boy who didn't want to go shopping? imagine that! example #1!). Natalie was pretty excited over a surprise friend visit (this may have actually been the start of one of the best days she has had in a loooong time, no crying OR whining all day today! hooray!).

Immediately upon friend arrival they disappeared into the bedroom to check out some new Christmas toys. While Kelli and I chatted at the door, Keith witnessed a funny little scene. Picture this: Ewan-head down, tinkering with the cars/parts of the Giggle-and-Go garage. Natalie-wearing her new and untainted (by this I mean not yet worn outside...GERMS!) church shoes trying to get Ewan to respond to this, "Do you like my new shoes? Do you like my new SHOES? Do you LIKE my NEW SHOES??" and to this Ewan responds (without looking up from his stuff), "yeah". Typical.

Then they were trying to figure out what to play with next and Natalie wanted to share her tea set with Ewan, I mean Brady will play with her, why not Ewan? He was having none of it. When asked his firm, but thoughtful reply was "no".

And for a change of pace...Keith was playing "monster" with the kids. You know the one where he "hides" and jumps out to scare them and they run away screaming in "fear"? Anywho, we could hear Natalie in the bedroom reassuring Ewan with things like, "It's OK, we can be brave" or "Let's be brave" or "We can do it!". And then she would lead the way into the lair of the monster, taking upon herself the brunt of the attack.

Oh, to be a kid again! At least they found something to play together! I was thinking back on past play dates, and I think this may be the first one in a while where they actually played together, so that was GOOD!

Private blog?

OK, I am thinking of making my blog private...so only people I know and have approved can read it. I have no specific reason for doing this, just something I have been considering. What do you guys think, good idea for privacy reasons? or too annoying because then you have to log on to read?

P.S.I have already ruled out the possibility of getting cool visitors like Kelli!

Picture Update: Christmas Edition

*Warning* Many, many, many pictures of my kids ahead!

Here they are the narrowed down version of our Christmas morning in pictures. Keith was the photographer, so of course he took a million. The kids had a lot of fun opening their gifts and everything was a hit. The only thing I realized is that poor Brady got all cars! That is all we got him! So needless to say I gave in and returned some and as soon as Target restocks their shelves with all the NEW! and IMPROVED! toys for after Christmas I will go and find him some other boyish type of toys to try and expand his horizons. I am realizing boys are sooo hard to shop for! Young and old!

And so it begins: with playdoh and puzzles.

Brady loves his build-a-bear! Dora Dominoes!Yay for sewing books! I actually surprised him with a Garth Brooks Ultimate Hits CD.The aftermath.Pretty new twirly skirt and matching purse from Grandma Lorraine. Tea for two!

Whew!

Well, a Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope you all made it through the day unharmed by the knives used to cut the tape on boxes (ahem...Dad), free of paper cuts, and stuffed to the gills with yummy Christmas treats! The day is finally drawing to a close and I am finally able to sit here on my bum and try to relax between phone calls (they sure make us work for our holiday pay with less staff, so we are busy!). The kids are happily playing with the plethora of new toys (thanks to all our family members and the wonderful packages they sent!). The favorite right this minute is the little jar of pickles and a basket of fruit I got in the dollar section at Target, 5 minutes ago it was the Cinderella tea set with place mats and super cute apron (made by Danielle-Thank you SO much we LOVE it!) and ten minutes before that it was Brady's Giggle-and-Go garage with his whole set of sesame street themed cars (ELMO!). Keith and I have had fun lounging about playing video games on his new toy (THANKS Scotty!!) and keeping the peace between the children (the concept of sharing has surely been taught well today!). I have to say I am glad that it is over, and my only regret is that Santa Claus gets the credit for Natalie's favorite toy (a Barbie play makeup set complete with hair dryer, plastic lipstick, 2 shades of pretend nail polish, and a few other bathroom neccesities!). That Santa brought her exactly what she wanted, can you believe that guy?

P.S. I will post pictures as soon as I work up the energy to upload them onto my other computer.

A peaceful Chritmas Eve

This is the first year in a long time that we have not had a least one visitor or been with family on Christmas. I woke up this morning feeling lonely and a bit sad, but I realized, Hey! this is the first of many Christmases that will be just me and Keith and our children. Today was actually a nice, slow day. Sometimes it is nice to sit back, relax and try not to think about the pile of towels that need to be washed! We played video games, made chocolate zucchini bread, got Erin off to the airport, napped a little, ate our "finger food" dinner, and now I am working for a few hours until we put the kids to bed and set out the cookies an milk! I can't believe Christmas is already here! How fast did this year go? It zoomed over here in our house! I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas, and those of you that are lucky enough to be with extended family, enjoy it extra just for us!

On the 12th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"O little town of Bethlehem,

how still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

the silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

the everlasting light;

The hope and fears of all the years

are met in the tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,

and gathered all above,

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars together,

proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King,

and peace to men on Earth!

How silently , how silently,

the wondrous gift is giv'n;

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of His Heav'n.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still,

the dear Christ enters in."

Merry Christmas Eve to Everyone!

On the 11th day of Christmas...

... the Bowers gave to me:

"To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was

Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's

name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail,

thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with

thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his

saying, and cast in her mind what manner of

salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:

for thou hast found favor with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,

and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name

JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son

of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give

unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever;

and of his Kingdom there shall be no end."

Luke 1:27-33

On the 10th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:

When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,

before they came together, she was found

with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not

willing to make her a public example, was minded

to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the

angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,

saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take

unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is

conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt

call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people

from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring

forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the

angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto

him his wife:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her

firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS."

Matthew 1:18-25

. . .

Happy 6th babe!

Since blogs seem to bring out the list in everyone, here goes.

The top 6 reasons I love you:

6. You always think about me first.

5. You would do anything for your kids.

4. You are a woman of strong convictions and standards.

3. You make me laugh until my knees hurt.

2. You are my bestest friend.

1. You mean the world to me.

P.S. This was my first time ever posting anything as you can tell.

On the 9th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"And Jesus, when he had found a young

ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King

cometh, sitting on and ass's colt." St John 12: 14-15

On sick kids

It is that time of year when the colds are flying around from one kid to another. I knew eventually mine would get it, and boy did they ever. The past week has been interesting to say the least. Brady had it first, and his main thing was the snottiest nose you ever did see...YUCK! When the sickness first began Keith and I were relatively well rested and had all the energy in the world to chase after Brady making sure he was OK and drugged as needed. By the time poor Natalie got sick (she of the hacking cough and perpetual nose drip) Keith and I were exhausted ourselves and found it a bit harder to keep up with their antics. So as it goes the kids pretty much got to play as they wanted, within reason. As long as they weren't crying or whining (2 more side effects of the sickness) then we were golden. The other night when left to their own devices in their bedroom (this was the only completely child proofed room I could let them play in unattended until Brady learned how to get INTO his crib if we leave the side down) they found the stash of Natalie's old (unused) pull-ups. When we first peeked in there Brady was laying down and Natalie was trying to "diaper" him. Later they both eventually came out clad in their new garb. You could tell they were pretty pleased with themselves for actually getting the things on.One of the best parts about your kids being sick (maybe the only good part) is that they become sweeter than sweet (when they aren't crying or whining-see above). Natalie would say sweet things to me like, "Mommy lets ask Jesus to make me better" (Um, OK lets get on our knees right NOW, seriously whatever you want! I can't believe some of my parenting has actually worked!) or "I am trying to get away from it Mommy" "Away from what, Natalie?" "My sickness". Both of these said in the most tiny, pathetic, voice you can imagine. Brady can't talk much but he still says sweet things. Mostly whispers of "Mama! I wuv you." I am pretty sure you don't get much better than that! They also lay around a lot. If I spread a blanket on the ground my children will come lay on it, %100 of the time, guaranteed. That is a fact. Or they do something like this:And your heart melts a little bit. Actually this is a pretty normal thing. I am so glad my kids love each other! Brady sometimes first thing in the morning will ask for "shi-she" so he can give her a "huck". That is exactly what his first words will be in the morning, "shi-she. huck." These kids they kill me! All I wanted was to have children that love each other, hopefully this will last!

Anywho, this morning Natalie is much better, after a whole night of coughing up her lungs she is ready for action. And Brady, he never slowed down!

P.S. And I know Natalie has on a "tank top", but they are her little camisoles/under shirts and she just LOVES to wear them around the house and under everything she wears.

Christmas Tag!

Another tag, this one is for 12 things that get me in the "Christmas Spirit". Lets see how easy/hard this will be!

1. Decorations in every room of the house.
2. Singing Christmas songs at church.
3. Snow on the ground.
4. Picking out presents for everyone I can afford to buy for-read: shopping!!! (I was sad because this year we really only did our kids)
5.Seeing the Luke Christmas story everywhere, and hearing passages from it all month long.
6. Super fun, extravagant treats and sweets at gatherings
7. Christmas lights! Best thing ever!
8. Home Alone-"Rockin' around the Christmas tree..."
9. The smell of wood burning fireplaces.
10. A perpetual soundtrack of Christmas songs in the background of every day life at home.
11. Peppermint (Candy canes make good hot cocoa stirrers!)
12. Getting to spend time with family , no matter how many of us are together it is always nice!

I tag: Danielle, Missy, Mindi and Julie G

On the 8th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude

of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on

earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away

from them into heaven, the shepherds said one

to another, let us go now even unto Bethlehem,

and see this thing which is come to pass,

which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary,

and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known

abroad the saying which was told them

concerning this child.

And all the that heard it wondered at those

things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and

pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising

God for all the things that they had heard

and seen, as it was told unto them." Luke 2: 13-20

9 Words Women Use

I got this as a mass e-mail, so I don't want to take any credit, but I thought it was pretty funny, and so true!

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever : Is a women's way of saying F YOU!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

On the 7th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox,

and oats for the horse, and rye for all the fowls and

for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley

for all useful animals , and for mild drinks, and also

other grain." Doctrine and Covenants 89:17

Crisis Averted

Some of you may remember this (italics are links) emergency. Well, all is now well thanks to the wonderful store that is Target. During a visit to the happiest place on Earth (no, not Disneyland!) Keith spotted a copy of Bill and Ted's for only $4.75, well needless to say we now own a copy. If any of you want to borrow it for your blast from the past viewing pleasure just let us know! Party on Dudes!

On the 6th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"And there were in the same county shepherds

abiding in the field, keeping watch

over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon

them, and the glory of the Lord shone

round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

fear not: for behold, I bring

you good tidings of great joy, which

shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city

of David a Saviour, which is

Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye

shall find the babe wrapped in

swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12

On the 5th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"...and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,

went before them, till it came and stood

over where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced

with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they

saw the young child with Mary his mother,

and fell down, and worshipped him: and

when they had opened their treasures, they

presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense,

and myrrh." Matthew 2:9-11

On the 4th day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me:

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24

This little guy is my favorite!

Christmas Party

So, our good friends the Taylors threw a little gathering so that our kids could exchange gifts and us adults could exchange gossip and food. Of course it was a very good time, the kids all ran around and played. Poor Brady sneezed and dripped all over the place with his red watery eyes looking so sad. Fynn and Aube were just being two fricken cute babies. All in all much merriment was had by all.

We decided to make it easier on all our pocketbooks and have the kids draw names. It was fun to see what everyone got. Natalie was THRILLED! She has now been enabled to complete her transition to "Princess Natalie". She got a tiara and pretty dress up shoes. Brady was so sad! He really broke my heart with one little gesture he did. He was crying and snotting and he put his little hand up to his mouth to cover it and for some reason it just struck me. I haven't been able to get that image out of my head! He was just so absolutely miserable and it was such a grown up gesture, I don't know if that makes sense at all, but I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget it.I think one of my favorite moments was when Ewan came running into the kitchen crying a little and I think it was just because he didn't have a sword and the two girls did, but in my mind he was running away from the swashbuckling wenches!P.S. Thank you Bryce for taking these sweet pictures, and I will post more after he sends us the whole batch on CD!

A perfect surprise!

So, Natalie's new thing is giving us "surprises". She will tell us to close our eyes and will lead us to our surprise, sometimes a toy or a kiss. One of my favorites is when she leads the lucky recipient into her rooms she says "open your eyes" and when we do her room is all clean! I think this is pretty funny, I have taught her well!

On the 3rd day of Christmas...

...the Bowers gave to me: (don't forget to sing aloud!)

"We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar

Field and fountain, moor and mountain

Following yonder star.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to rein.

Glorious now behold Him arise

King and God and Sacrifice

Alleluia, Alleluia

Earth to heav'n replies.

O star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy Perfect Light."

EEEEP!

A part of my Christmas decorating soul has been completed! I went to WalMart today and made a quick run through of the Christmas decorations, just in case they had an ornament I was on the hunt for after seeing it at the Relief Society ornament exchange. Anywho, I spotted a really cute teal, magenta, and gold jingle bell wreath with little snowmen on it. I thought it was very adorable, but unfortunately for the price, didn't go well enough with my decor or even my vision of Christmases to come. Then I spotted a flash of silver hiding behind some other wreaths. I began to dig and my heart stopped. I had found it! My perfect Christmas wreath, it leaped into my basket, full price tag and all, and wouldn't budge. So it made its way home with me, and there it shall stay forever more!

Of course, once again I am limited by my camera. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is all soft teal and silver and glitter and shine with sweet little goofy snowmen and jingle bells all the way!

A beautiful scene

I am learning that because of the fact that I moved around a lot as a child I have a tendency to get restless in the apartments that we rent. This apartment that we live in now has definitely had it's share of downers (roaches, lingering cat pee smell, fluctuating shower temperature, etc.), but when I walk outside to run to WalMart and I see this:
all those things seem to fade into the background. I dream of one day having a house on the water and for right now I will take my misty pond. The pictures don't do it justice, but when I saw the pond this morning it was just beautiful!

On the 2nd day of Chirstmas...

...the Bowers gave to me.

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2

On the first day of Christmas...

Last year someone did the 12 days of Christmas to us with a Nativity set, and it was one of the most special things we have ever had done to us around the holidays. For some reason last year, we just really needed it! Anywho, each piece came with a little scripture or message and I thought this year I would share it with you! So here we go, day one:

...The Bowers gave to me...
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because if the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." Helaman 5:12


P.S. We still don't know who even gave us this, so if it was you, then THANK YOU!

A new development

Lately for some unknown reason Brady has been waking up at 2:30 or so every morning. This is not fun. He wakes up crying with a soggy diaper and screaming bloody murder almost every night. So he will only be consoled by Keith bringing him into our bedroom to sleep. Last night he was actually being pretty cute because he immediately rolled over and snuggled right next to Keith taking up half of his pillow. Obviously we don't want to make it a habit, but oh my goodness it was so cute! He would NOT stay on his own pillow. We would scoot him to the middle and he would cry and then shimmy over right next to Keith, I am talking a millimeter away from him. I got some sleepy pictures of him, of course they are super bright because of the flash, but I love baby sleepy eyes!

P.S. I forget to mention that this was the night before Keith's last final and the close of a very long and trying day. So needless to say we were all very anxious for a good nights rest. Keith actually ended up in Natalie's bed with Brady and Nat in with me, until Brady started playing trampoline at 4:30 at which point I carried him to his bed where he thankfully snuggled in and didn't make another peep until 9:00 a.m.

A blaring difference...

...between boys and girls. Now, I am not saying Natalie was a perfect angel, but I will say she never made me fear for her safety. Early today Keith and I were in the kitchen and we hear "Dada, guck!" We wander into the bedroom and what do we see, but our little Brady perched precariously in the sink unsure of how to get himself down! We took him down of course, and then watched him climb right back up! I don't know what was worse, finding him up there or watching him get up there. I was sure he was going to topple the whole thing over! Oh well, we left him the second time and he must have figured out how to get down somehow. He really is a monkey! One of these days I know I am going to find him in his crib on his own accord. He already gets half way up the side!

Busy bees

So, here I sit at the end of a busy 2 days! Yesterday was the usual get up early to get ready for church and still be rushing at the end so that we are a little late. Then we came home grabbed the quickest thing we could to eat and we sat down to watch the nail biting Cowboys game! That is how you judge a good team, they win even when they aren't playing with their A game. I agree "Anonymous" Tony Romo is awesome. After a long dry spell it is time for some winning up in here!

Today Natalie and I got an early start heading out to Wal Mart for a few things, including some snacks for a movie later in the afternoon. After Wal Mart we came home picked up Erin and we headed to the mall for a little window shopping and an afternoon movie. We saw Enchanted, and it was very cute. Erin and I had some good chuckles at Gisele's stereotypical princess behavior at the beginning of the movie, and overall it was fun. 30 minutes into it Natalie declared that she wanted to go home, but after finding a comfortable position on my lap she settled in to watch, always keeping my coat close at hand to cover her eyes at the scary parts. We then headed to Olive Garden for a little birthday dinner for Erin, including the embarrassing singing and obligatory birthday dessert. After eating we rolled ourselves home and are now trying to unwind and convince Natalie that even though she had a cat nap in the car and the chocolate cake is hitting her blood stream, it is still time for bed!

nada

I have nothing to talk about! I am enjoying a nice week off from work (except 4 hours tonight). We are relaxing, cleaning, playing, shopping, and just generally enjoying the fact that I am not a tired grouch every day! So, I guess that is good! All is well at the Bowers'.

Swapping...

Well, it is hard for me to come up with stuff to post when I am not working! I dread sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time when I don't have to. But, in the spirit of my challenge I will post something, it may not be interesting, but I can't be fascinating all the time...hehehe. So here is my most recent swap that I have received. It is the best one to date! I loved every single thing. The point was to spend at least $10 on your partner in the dollar store or dollar section on Christmasy type things. The lady that sent to me did a wonderful job! She included something for everyone; a little fire truck for Brady, some cute Hello Kitty stuff for Natalie (that I had been wanting to buy for her myself), and some candy for Keith. It was super fun to open and it is swap like these that make Swap-bot fun.
She had everything in there from Christmas socks to snowman tape to wrapping supplies. Such a cute package!

Oh Christmas tree! Oh Christmas tree!

How scrawny are your branches? We finally got a tree, we couldn't really afford a real one this year so I caved and let Keith convince me to get a fake one (he didn't really have to convince me that much, I just have to keep up appearances!). He found a great deal on a pre-lit tree and when he first brought it in and I saw the picture on the box I was pleasantly surprised at what $30 will get you in the fake tree market! It was a picture of a very beautiful, full Christmas tree all a-twinkle with clear lights. Well, our tree is beautiful and a-twinkle with clear lights, but it is anything but full! It actually came together pretty nicely, and I think that is in large part due to the fact that we didn't have to struggle with the lights. I took some pictures, but they were either too bright because of the flash or dark and a little fuzzy without the flash (I prefer those). Anywho, we had fun hanging up our 17 ornaments, and the result is actually quite lovely.