Winter Fun Christmas 2011

Our Christmas Season began with the annual trek to the mountains in search of the perfect Patterson Family Christmas Tree. Each year the tree has been different and fit a particular category. 2011 our perfect tree looked so small in the vast expanse of the forest that we thought it would fit quite nicely in our snug living room. However we had to cut the top off of it leaving a blunt end on which our angel tried so valiantly to perch and it was so wide and bushy that I couldn't see Brad in his recliner if I was sitting on the couch. So with memories of Christmas tree past, we headed up the hill to find one less bushy and a little on the shorter side. As you can see from the pictures below it fit the short criteria and it wasn't bushy in the extreme so Brad and the boys cut it down, loaded it up and away we went home to trim our tree. Upon arrival we soon discovered the trunk too thin to fit the tree stand (Brad fixed that with some cut up 2x4s - yep redneck all the way!) and the top too tiny and flimsy to once again hold our angel. Sadly we watched each passing day as she dipped lower and lower to the floor - poor girl! No matter the tree - big, small, short, extra full, not so full - we enjoy getting out in the snow to hunt for a tree to call ours.

Christmas Eve Eve we had a surprise visitor at our home. Santa Clause came to check on the boys and make sure they were being good and ready for his big arrival the following night. Wy was ecstatic to see the jolly man and promised that he'd been super good all year and did indeed deserve a visit on Christmas Eve. Conner climbed into his dad's arms and wouldn't even look at Santa until right before he left. Lane scurried over to investigate and quickly changed course to hide behind me. It was so fun to have Santa visit and I know it really made those boys think!

 Christmas day, after the stockings were unstuffed and presents opened we decided to take the boys sledding. It was a perfectly cold, sunny afternoon and they had so much fun. They weren't so brave as to go all the way up the hill but after each pass down Wy would eventually climb a bit higher and yell just a bit louder. We finally convinced Conner that sledding would be fun and he should give it a try so he and his dad jumped on the inner tube and tumbled all the way down. I was worried that there would be tears and exclamations of never doing that again but as you can tell from his grin (3rd pic down) it wasn't so bad. Go brave Conner!  Lane had no fear and was dying to get up that mountain. He waited and waited and when dad finally came to get him there was no stopping that little nut! He went down with Wy in the big sled, with Dad in the big sled and with Conner in the inner tube. He held on as dad gave him and Conner a spin around the truck on the sled. He cried when we took his gloves off and put him in the truck to head home. I think we've began a new tradition in our family and I'm excited for next year when we can do Christmas day sledding again!

Wy and Conner decided they needed to get outside after another storm dropped more snow. They plowed through the back yard and I found them in the front having a snowball fight. It was the most polite snowball fight I've ever witnessed and I'm sure it will be one of the few as these Patterson boys grow up!