What park permit?

This year our Thanksgiving week was one of the funnest I can remember, probably because we have snow! It started snowing the Sunday before Thanksgiving and is still on the ground, although the past couple days it has started disappearing. Clint even took a day off, can you believe that? Wednesday, I cooked all day and he and the kids went sledding. They sledded down the bluff just east of our house. It was only in the teens that day and they spent ALL DAY out there sledding. Of course I kept checking out the windows and doors to see if everyone was still okay. When they came in they were famished and so cute with their bright red noses and cheeks. I can't believe that this year was only the 2nd time I have hosted Thanksgiving, but I am so glad I did. I must say my food turned out great and it was so nice and relaxing to have my parents come. We ate, played games, watched football, and laid around... all the things Thanksgiving is supposed to consist of! I think I might even offer to cook again next year :) Saturday we took our annual trip to Tollgate to get our Christmas tree. It was super snowy! When we got there, there was at least 6 new inches of fresh powder and it just kept snowing. Needless to say when your trekking through the forest with snow up to your knees and even up to your waist (off the trail) you don't get too picky about what that tree is going to look like. So we picked one fairly quick and drug it back to the parking lot. As we sat there enjoying the snow, our tree and our lunch, we were met by a Park Ranger on a Power Trip! After much deliberation over how old our vehicle was, if we had a permit for our tree, etc. he asked us if we had our snow park permit. Our what? Okay we've been going to this park for 5 years and never had a park permit. Long story short and $75.00 later we now know that you must have a 5 dollar parking permit before you park to cut your Christmas tree. Maybe next year I'll just keep driving circles while Clint cuts our tree down! Ha Ha. The funniest part was after Power Trip Park Ranger gave us the ticket we were pulling the kids on the sled in the parking lot and he came back to ask us how long we planned to stay and if we were staying any longer we would need to get that 5 dollar pass. Ha Ha Can you believe this guy? Needless to say we packed up our things and headed home. We just laugh and now we have a funny memory, isn't that what it's all about anyway? It was a great week, the kids had no school the entire week due to the snow and it was fun to have Clint home for 5 consecutive days. That almost NEVER happens! We have much to be thankful for this year and are looking forward to Christmas and spending more time together as a family.

Yeah, look at that turkey... YUM!

Welcome to our table

Vy loves the rolls, aunt Jaime's recipe

Love having my parents come

isn't she cute?

so much snow!

That's the tree, it's a little Charlie Brownish, but that's the way I like them.

Brogan loves to saw too!

Of course, I had to get the Kodiak Northwest Snowplow!  They are so huge and powerful! (In case you don't know they are built in our hometown!)

The kids annual dog pile on sweet Roxy.  She always has so much fun coming too, she was so tired the whole way home she rested her chin on the kid's sled and closed her eyes.

Sledding just before getting kicked out of the parking lot (LOL)!

Seriously... at one point he had his lights on... Seriously???