The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we loaded up in the van and drove...for two hours...to Wyoming...and cut down our Christmas tree. Why in the world would we do that to ourselves? I have no good answer, except that our family likes to have adventures like that. And when is traveling for two hours with 6 kids not an adventure?
We drove to Wyoming because a friend at work had mentioned there were some nice trees there. And Wyoming is a nice state, so we decided to go.
It was a beautiful day: no clouds, no wind, no people. It wasn't too cold, considering the time of year and location. Thankfully, the snow wasn't too deep because we are two out-of-shape parents with a lot of little kids! There was about a foot or so of snow.
We had some sleds which came in handy sometimes and were a burden at other times. Pulling a kid on a sled at an increased elevation nearly made my lungs explode! But my legs were turning to rubber at the same time, so I didn't know which problem to focus on.
Rebekah and Nathan are taking a break while we investigate the trees in the area.
Daniel was enjoying himself A LOT!
We finally found a tree that seemed better than the rest. It's funny how your standards can change based on your circumstances. If I had seen this tree in a tree lot in town, I would have never given it a second look. But after nearly passing out in search of this beauty, I was in love (and continued to be throughout the holiday)!
Chad let the kids who wanted to help saw down the tree. Nathan was first.
Leah wanted to try it out, too.
Both kids soon discovered they weren't quite lumberjacks, yet.
Sarah, looking happy here, did NOT have a good time. She cried nearly the entire time and cried louder when she was put down. Her little feet couldn't keep her boots on and she spent most of the time being carried around by Chad.
So now I know that she doesn't like the beach and she doesn't like snow. Should we just keep her home until she becomes a little more adventurous?
When we finally had the tree cut down, we were faced with getting everyone and everything out of the forest. We had to go in shifts. Chad took some of the kids out to a spot to wait, then came back to help me and the boys heft the tree. It wasn't too heavy, but it was a tree. And we are wimps. I was also lugging Joseph on a sled behind me. Darned rubber legs!
But we did get out alive and got back to the van where we had hot chocolate, tied the tree to the top of the car and then played in the snow for a (long) while.
Sarah finally stopped crying when she reached the safety of her car seat. She gets that red mask on her face when she cries really hard (so does Rebekah). Thankfully, she probably won't remember the trauma and will be willing to try this again next year.
AFTER we spent 5 hours getting a Christmas tree (and way more in gas and food than it would have cost to drive to Home Depot for a cut one), we spent the rest of the day/evening moving furniture and setting up the tree.
Chad had light duty this year. :)
The kids decorated...they always decorate. I always record the event.
Nathan decided not to compete for space on that tree and turned his attention to a tree of a different kind. It ended up looking really pretty with the lights on it.
Sarah was thrilled with the crawl space behind the tree. And since the piano has been in that corner since the day we moved in, it was even a bigger novelty.
Nathan decided not to compete for space on that tree and turned his attention to a tree of a different kind. It ended up looking really pretty with the lights on it.
Sarah was thrilled with the crawl space behind the tree. And since the piano has been in that corner since the day we moved in, it was even a bigger novelty.
A parting shot of Joseph adding an ornament. He's got his hand on the back of his pants to keep them from falling down. Skinny kids means that sometimes you have to make adjustments...or end up with your pants in a pile on the floor!
What a beautiful tree!
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