Christmas Tree Hunting

Going out to find a Christmas tree was a favorite tradition for me each year growing up. So it was fun getting to join in on the fun now that we have young kids of our own. My dad mentioned that tree permits were going on sale and if we wanted to get one we should go get a $10 permit down at the National Forest office in SF. So I loaded up all 3 kids and took them down there and got us a permit :) 

Towards the end of November is when we all loaded up and followed my dad out to the dessert. Our family, Dawson, Stacie and their family, Brooke, Nolan and Hadley, Zach, Olivia and her friend, Liberty, Enoch and of course my parents were all there. It was fun to all be together and let the cousins hang out together. 

We found a great tree! My dad held it while Rick sawed it down. Brenna had fun playing with rocks. Garrett found "a cool rock" and we all burst into laughter when it really was just dried poop. And they loved riding in the back of my dad's truck. It was a really fun little outing. The weather was good and we all had an enjoyable time together!

Eating chili beans

Tired from a fun day searching for the perfect Christmas tree.

The next week we decorated the tree and the kids loved getting out al the Christmas stuff.

Family Walk

Even thought Rick has had to go to Arizona for 6 weeks and Idaho for 2 weeks so far this school year, the times that he is in Utah have been wonderful. All the rotations he does in Utah are the elective ones... so we get to pick where they are! And we pick really nearby ones :) During 2nd and 3rd years, he was just assigned and he had to go where they told him, which sometimes was a very, very long commute. Sometimes he had a 1-1.5 hour drive each way! So he was driving nearly 3 hours per day, not to mention the long days he had in the office or hospital. So even though this year will require a lot of traveling, the times he is in Utah, the rotations are a lot better and we get to see him more. One evening we decided to go on a little family walk, and I love when we get to do that! Here are some pictures:

The wispy clouds and sun setting on the mountains
was the perfect end to our walk.

Hogle Zoo

When we were living in Arizona we had a pass to the Phoenix Zoo. A lot of zoos throughout the U.S. make it so if you have a pass at one, you can get in free or for a good discount at other zoos. So before our AZ pass expired, we decided we should take a trip up to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. We got our whole family in for really cheap and it wasn't very crowded at all, probably because it was on the colder side that day. But we all bundled up and it ended up being a great day out as a family! 

Since we were already up in Salt Lake, we decided to spend the second part of the day at the children's museum. So I also have added pictures from that trip too. I love all the time we have been able to spend together before next month gets really crazy and busy with all of the residency interviews Rick will be traveling to!