Oh Christmas Tree!

This morning we set off on our annual mountain excursion in search of snow and the perfect Christmas tree. Both were in abundance. The snow so much so that we reached a point on the narrow snow-covered road that we could actually go no further, at least not without getting stuck and putting ourselves in an unsafe situation. As it was, there were some tense minutes when it was clear that there was no way that we'd be able to turn around and so against his better judgment and because we had no other options, J had to back down the road for a couple of miles until we came to a wide clearing. It was in this wide clearing that we parked and he set off to scout out the area

and see if there were any trees worthy of lights, ornaments, tinsel and Christmas bulbs. He returned shortly to report that we'd struck Christmas

tree gold. While he set off again with saw in hand, us Girls stayed in the Trailblazer where it was warm, cozy and dry and feasted on

mini scones and Raisinets. When J returned a while later with tree in tow, we tumbled out of the car for the pre- requisite family

photo-op. Lucky for us, there was a couple there also getting a tree and they were willing to take a few shots for us. Good thing as
our family is now officially too large for the self-portrait...

poor Baby Miss got lost amid the sea of big heads but she is representin' with that

sweet little hand. Then it was off to play in the snow. The Girl was super excited and thought it was great. Little Sister...not so much. You would've thought she was standing in a slurry of freshly poured concrete rather than powdery snow. She was not movin' for nothin, or no one!

It took a little bit of coaxing but we finally managed to get a smile out of her.
And this is one of my new favorite pictures. Ah, the sister love...it is good for my soul. I absolutely love how Little Sister has her hand partially in the Girl's pocket - too sweet, these two.

Even an unsolicited smile from the Girl, that is rare these days, at least when the camera is involved and I am behind the lens.
As for Baby Miss, she was none-too-thrilled about her carseat, or the hat for that matter.

Daddy's Girls.

By the time we got back to the main roadway all of the Girls were out. It was much-needed time together as the Big Girls have been spending their days with family and friends while we are at the hospital. The fresh, crisp, clean mountain air did us all good.