O' Christmas Tree

We had a sweet artificial spinning tree for almost a decade, but it was dying a slow death so we left it in Omaha when we moved.  This year, we drove up the Snowies, purchased a $10 tree tag and cut down the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.  The girls had a blast playing in the snow with the Redd girls, Dave got to bust out his sawing skills (just look at that happy face), we all got to enjoy some beautiful nature, and there was even hot chocolate (thanks to the Redds, who are apparently way more prepared than us.)  I hope this becomes a new tradition and we have 30 more years of family tree hunting pictures. 

Nope, we did not get a new puppy, but the we let the girls pretend with this cute little guy.

 It is against the rules to cut a tree without an extra permit, but these girls loved their cute little trees so much we just let them roll with it.  Plus, what can you really do once it's already been cut???

Cancun, Mexico

Since we're such amazing planners, we threw together a last minute getaway to Mexico two weeks before our 12th wedding anniversary.  Luckily for me, I was able to remedy my expired passport with a not-so-quick trip to the Denver Agency and we were ready for a relaxing weekend together.  Dave and I didn't do a whole lot, but it was an amazing 5 days together in Paradise.  One of my best decisions, after marrying this fella.  

We also managed to find the perfect babysitter for the girls.  Dave's dental assistant was phenomenal and some of the highlights were fake nails, Black Friday shopping, preparing Thanksgiving with Megan's mom, eating dinner with Megan's extended family, playing with their dogs, watching the Grinch at the theater, visiting the Children's Village on a beautiful day, scavenger hunt at the Wyoming Museum, trip to the library, non-cereal breakfasts, and making an awesome 'Welcome Home' sign.  I was hoping that the girls would have fun and feel loved and they did so much more than that.  So, basically the perfect weekend for everyone.  

Family Pictures

This year 's family pictures were pretty easy with low expectations and outfits from our existing clothes.  It wasn't too surprising when Indie fell asleep on the way and woke up like a grouchy little bear, but the older girls had so much fun joking around and Indie warmed up a bit to the photographer's watch.  All in all, it was a fun hour in a beautiful setting.  Even though this season feels a bit crazy, I sure love these people and I'm glad we were able to capture this time together.  

Vedauwoo

This adventurous crew had a blast climbing mountains. Miss Indie, however, was quite ticked that she was stuck on the ground😭. I mean, really ticked. I haven't figured out the secret to everyone being happy at the same time, but we keep showing up and trying and loving giggly picky-back rides along the way.

Pumpkin Patch

We had such a beautiful magical day at the Pumpkin Patch.  I randomly chose one on google and invited our friends the Luddingtons and the Weavers to join us.  Initially, I felt bad about our choice because it looked "underwhelming" in Aubrey's words haha.  It definitely wasn't Valas, but it was perfect because it wasn't too crowded and our kids got to run around and check everything out without me being too worried about them.  It was wonderful to spend time with our girls and our good friends!  We ended the day with a trip to Cafe Rio and drove home feeling content.  

 Eden found the biggest most perfect pumpkin that she could still carry. 

 Eden challenged me to a race on the pedal cars then quickly kicked my trash.  Milan beat me the next round too so it wasn't exactly my specialty.  

 This girly sure loves her gourds. 

 Dave wanted to love on Indie and Indie really wanted to be thrown on the slide again and again.  

Halloween Photo Shoot

We kicked off the Halloween festivities this weekend with some parties so I snapped a few pictures of the girls in their costumes.  Everyone picked out their own costumes at Once Upon a Child, except for Indie who was given the perfect hand-me-down cow costume.  She is not the biggest fan of wearing the thing, but has learned to say an approximation of Trick or Treat and loves candy.  

When trick or treating rolled around, Indie didn't want anything to do with her costume, but it wasn't an issue and definitely didn't stop her from getting any candy.  Milan, Eden, and Cora rocked their Halloween attire and it was a beautiful evening!

We started off the night at the Durham's party and had so much fun visiting and sharing dinner!  We began trick or treating around Dakota Crossing in a huge group, but it was tough to keep track of our costumed kids in the dark so we quickly broke off into a smaller group with the Redd kids. 

 Indie followed the pack a few feet behind, but proudly walked to each door with her bucket and said trick-treat very quietly for each person.  I was so proud of her and she was pretty happy with the reward each time.

Eden and Cora ran around with their friends and got super excited about the big pixie sticks and full-size candy bars. The original plan was to trick-or-treat for 3 hours so I was surprised when they decided to hop in the Redd's warm van after only half the neighborhood.  They did have an impressive haul of candy and ended the night on a high note.

Milan went trick or treating with her friends for the first year ever.  We felt a little uncomfortable about giving her that freedom, but we were able to keep tabs on her in the smallish neighborhood and she had a great time with her friends!  I also had a fun time chatting with the moms while they finished up so that was definitely a win.

Dave got to walk around with Rocky and then landed a spot in the heated van so he seemed to do alright for himself too.  What a magical night with great friends (I just love our Cheyenne people!)