Christmas Tree Hunting

11-30

Once we got home and settled after our trip to Minnesota, I took a day or two the following week to decorate the house. I did everything but the Christmas trees. On Friday afternoon, we loaded up and drove up Oak Creek Grade road in search of a Christmas tree. We found a great spot to play in the snow! We all looked for a tree for a little bit but then the kids and I stopped to sled down the hill in our snow pants since we didn't bring actual sleds. Matt went rogue and hunted down an excellent tree for us. The snow conditions were great for sliding; the kids and I had fun going down over and over again!

 It looks pretty steep from this angle, but it was kinda steep.

 The kids went face first a few times but there was a giant boulder toward the end of the run. Fearing a trip to the dentist, we then opted for feet-first. :)

 While Mom and the kids played, Dad took down a tree for us!

 The big green blob in the middle of the picture is Matt hauling our tree. Ha!

We wanted to cut down two trees so we cut one on Friday and went back out on Saturday afternoon to get another tree. It's strange how quickly the snow conditions can change; the sledding was horrible on Saturday. We found a little snow hut that someone had built (when the snow was good) so we played in that for a little bit. It was a quick trip. Dad found another tree, we tromped in the snow for a bit, and we were home in about 2 1/2 hours (including drive time). It was a great place to sled so perhaps we'll try going there again after it snows! Cutting down our own Christmas trees is getting easier now that Hattie is 3. I'm no longer hauling a baby while Matt's hauling a tree! Plus it's fun to actually play in the snow with the kiddos. :) We do love our Colorado traditions!

Last Day in MN

11-23

We spent a bulk of Friday at Polejewski's house. Hannah read books and played Uno with her cousins, Grace had set up an elaborate game of school, Charlie and Joe played on the Wii and more laser tag, and the adults chatted and ate delicious food. We were there from mid-morning until about 2:30 when Polejewskis headed to Minneota for Polejewski Thanksgiving. From there, Matt and I got to have a little day date while Jean took Charlie, Alanna, Molly, and Hattie to the new Grinch movie. They liked the movie a lot! Grandma treated them to popcorn so it was the full movie experience. Matt and I ran to a few stores (since it was Black Friday) but spent most of our time at Caribou Coffee reflecting on the week. It was great! We ate dinner at Mark and Jean's before saying our goodbyes and heading back to my mom and dad's to sleep. We left for home at 7:30am on Saturday and everyone (Swensons, Edwards, Mom and Dad - like EVERYONE) got up to see us off. It was very sweet and special! I just love our families; we have the best in the whole world. Perfect? Nope. But so, so great. We are truly thankful!

 Grace and Hattie had fun hiding in the ottoman together. Grace and Hattie also had several dance parties; Grace would do a dance move and Hattie tried to mimic it. It was adorable! I got a bit on video, too. 

 Hattie and Lucy. She seriously LOVES Lucy!

 Thanks for a fun week, everybody! We love you and miss you already! 

Legge Thanksgiving

11-22

Mom made a huge feast for Thanksgiving; Dad grilled a turkey, Mom baked a ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, the whole works. We graduated to two kid tables so the boys ate at one, the biggest girls ate at another, and the youngest four girls ate at the big table (so they could be supervised a bit). 

 These girls looked so cute together with their colors! I didn't realize that Molly and Leah's sweaters were so similar with the sparkly circle gems. Such cute girlies!

 Oh my lanta. 

 Sister picture! Love these two so, so much. 

 (Why do I keep missing Maylen in these pictures?!) The little girls had their own section of the dinner table. Their conversation was peppered with cute giggles and silliness. 

 The biggest girls squeezing up to the kiddie table. 

 The boys loading up their plates with Thanksgiving deliciousness. 

 A quick smile for Mom! Thanks, Charlie!

 I tried to take a picture with Mom and Jill but apparently my camera was zoomed and I didn't know it. Oh well! I got the most important people in the picture - Mom and Jill!! :) 

Legge Cousin Time

11-21

Swensons and Edwards' came to Fergus on Wednesday and the kids wasted zero time. They got to work playing together immediately! There was a bit of snow on the ground and all the cousins spent a surprising amount of time sledding and playing outside. Actually, it was a great amount of snow; enough to sled but not too much so it was hard to walk for Hattie. There were enough sleds, tubes, snowboards, and various other winter toys for everyone to have something at all times. Up and down they went! It was a good temperature, too. 

Some of the sledding crew.  

 Hattie making her way back to the top of the hill. 

 Back inside, the kids played dart wars, hide and seek, dolls, kitchen, and lots and lots of games. Fun!

Thanksgiving Week

11-19

Games with Grandpa (and with Grandma, too, but I didn't get a picture of that!). 

 11-20

The girls wandered up into Grandma's bathroom while she was getting ready for the day and emerged with fancy curled hair! 

 Later that morning, we put on our winter gear and went for a walk down to the slough and through the corn fields. It was chilly but it was fun! 

 Mark and Jean had their grove cleared out which opened up their yard considerably. Matt hauled out the fire pit and set it up on the end of the cement path into the woods and we had a winter bonfire and s'mores! It was SO FUN! We stood by the fire to keep warm and the kids ran through the snow a bit. Hattie tried to climb into the deer stand, the kids climbed on trees, and then we ate s'mores. It was really cozy and so, so fun! We all smelled like campfire afterwards, but it was worth it!

 Grace had a basketball game at Cleveland school so we got to watch her 7th grade team play Alexandria. Go Grace! 

Rustand Thanksgiving

11-18

We made it to Fergus late Saturday night after making a stop at Kathy and Jason's for a pizza supper, a tour of their finished basement, and LOTS of playtime with cousins. It was just what my kids needed after an afternoon of rather controlled behavior! On Sunday, we celebrated Rustand Thanksgiving on Joe's Birthday - a two-for-one! Matt and Jean were busy the day before; Matt made a really pretty bread wreath and a sour cream raisin pie. I, as usual, contributed nothing. I can clean up like a boss, though, so I helped out with that. Hattie dug into her goodie bag from Laurie with the company of Lucy. She LOVES Lucy! It was fun to be together for Thanksgiving! We took a tour of JP and Angie's newly completed addition to and remodeling of their house as well as a tour of Justin's new house. Hannah and Grace stayed at the house with my kids, playing and watching a movie with Grandpa. It was a really fun tour!

 Bread baking level expert. :) 

 Jean garnished the turkey just like you see in magazines. 

 This guy turned 10! Whoa. 

 Hattie and Alanna even got to open belated birthday gifts from Polejewskis. Thanks, guys!

 Joe got a laser tag game so he and Charlie were tearing it up together.