Getting the Christmas Tree

My daughters decided to come with me today to cut down our Christmas tree.  It was a beautiful crisp, sunny day.  So with Haley in the backpack, and Josiah in his carseat on the sled, we set off to find our perfect tree.

When my daughter's camera didn't work, I told her (rather smugly, I'm afraid) that I wasn't surprised.  Batteries don't last long in the cold.  Unfortunately, I did not have fresh batteries either, and so I don't have nearly as many pictures as I would have liked. 

We were thankful for the sleigh for Josiah... at least until he got dumped off into the snow.  Fortunately, he landed face first on his blanket, and wasn't at all concerned about the added adventure.  Car seats aren't meant to be on sleds!

I have never cut my own tree before.  Years ago, when we did this, my husband did the work.  Since then, we've either had artificial trees or bought them off of a lot in the city.  So I was a bit apprehensive about my skills in this area.  We had no idea how long it would take us to cut it, but we found a tree that we agreed on, and I started cutting.  Both of the girls had left their snow pants in the vehicle, so they went back to put them on (the better to kneel in the snow) and to put Josiah into his snuggly so we would have the sleigh for the tree.  They left Haley watching me sawing away at the tree trunk.

It went much faster than any of us anticipated.  I debated just waiting for them at the tree, then thought it would be fun to walk back and see their reaction.

Rachel had my camera, so she took this one.

The farm dog and kitten were both very friendly, and this may have been the closest encounters with animals thus far for the grandkids.  They loved it.  There was also a small petting zoo with miniature horses, cows, and goats.

After an afternoon outside in the winter, a cup of hot chocolate in the chalet is just perfect...

The folks at http://www.timbertrails.ca/ make this a memorable experience.  Next year I just have to make sure I charge my battery before we go so I don't miss the best shots!!