The Christmas Tree

We had a fun Christmas Tree adventure this year. We bought a permit from the forest service for $10 and were able to head up to the mountains and chop down a tree. It was a really fun day. We took a scenic tour by the lake and ended up looking for our tree along an old wagon trail carved out by the Mormon Battalion near Hope Valley (thanks great-great-great(+?) grandpa).

Keith got out his trusty hand saw (and found a pair of Leah's glasses in the trunk while he was at it) and headed out--with a cute baby on his back no less!!


Can you even stand the cuteness? I'm telling you, this was family fun for everyone.


Once we hiked up on the old wagon road a bit, it became obvious that we needed to go off the beaten path to find a good tree. So Keith and Bryce hiked up the mountain to scout out the area. In the meantime, Bennett and Leah and I kept busy on a little sledding hill.



A little while later, Keith emerged from the woods dragging the perfect tree.


Although, once we got the tree to the car, we realized that it was a little bigger than we thought. It looked a lot smaller next to all the towering pines in the forest!


Today that very tree is among empty boxes, piles of paper, and all kinds of toys and Christmas fun. We are totally loving today. Up next: the evidence of said mess.