Town Tree Lighting and A Visit With Santa

The weather may not feel like it, but lighting the town tree definitely signifies the start of the Christmas season. This year, we took the opportunity to snap some pictures with Santa while he was in our town, so after he had fired up the tree, we followed him to our local Elk's lodge where he graciously sat for some photos with all the excited kids. Thansk Santa.

And for the record...Firsty looked pretty darn good on the tree after Santa turned on the lights!

Meredith Voted "Best Mustang" By Her Peers

We always enjoy Gunnison's big Christmas tree but this year has been extra special. Each year, classes from our local schools build ornaments and then a group of students is selected to help hang them on the town tree. Meredith's class built an elaborate snowman ornament that they named "Firsty" and then voted to decide who would go to represent their class. Meredith and all her classmates wrote someones name down on a piece of paper and then her teacher, Mrs. Betts crunched the numbers. They were supposed to vote for someone that exemplified the "Mustang Way" (their school mascot is a mustang). Lucky day for Merry, because her class picked her to help hang the ornament! So, on the day the tree was lit, all the kids came downtown where the city folks had everything set to hang the ornaments. Merry got to take a ride in a "cherry picker" and Firsty now has a special place in the middle of the tree. She might have been a little nervous at first, but after coming down, of course she was immediately ready to go back up again. Keep up the hard work Meredith, it always pays off.

Delaney's 1st Dentist Visit

What a fun-filled family trip we had recently to Montrose. Nothing better than a group trip to the dentist, especially when you're a little blond girl that doesn't know what all the fuss is about. This was really Delaney's first formal visit to the dentist and with some help from us, she reluctantly agreed to let them clean her teeth and have the dentist take a look. No cavities for little D. Fond memories of playing with the electric chair will hopefully keep her going back with high spirits.

The Day After Thanksgiving Horse Ride

                                         
We thought last year's winter was mild in our part of the world, but this year is turning out to be even more mild. The only benefit is that we are able to milk the fall for an extended period of time. Brandon is still attempting to collect mule deer radio collars to reuse this winter, and the day after Thanksgiving was the perfect opportunity to recover one of the more remote collars on our equine. Turned out being a rather long day, but one to be remembered. The canyon we were in was full of blow-down and frozen creek crossings and we just about headed back to the barn. When we hit an impassable creek crossing we had to have a family conference. The backcountry-blonds decided to stay with the horses and build a little fire, while Brandon went the last several miles on foot to retrieve the collar. After getting back to the ponies just before dark, we had a wonderful night ride back to the trailer under a beautiful near full moon. What brave little girls we have...

Delaney'sThanksgiving Dinner With Her Babies

You never know what you're going to find when you head up to Delaney's room. She's always had a good imagination, but it gets better all the time-

Annual Turkey Shoot

The turkey shoot is a family tradition around here. The fun part about this year was that Meredith took on the task of drawing and decorating the turkey (what a great job she did). She even drew the snood! Delaney is also now big enough to understand what's going on and can just about hold the Red Ryder on her own. We've had a few years where it was so cold that you couldn't stay outside the truck for very long, but not this year. This year our turkey shoot came complete with a picnic and some sunbathing.

Meredith's 7th Birthday!

The rumors are true, Meredith is another year older. All parents probably feel the same way, but Merry is truly a special child. She is kind, she is smart, she's a beauty, and she is our everything. Happy B-Day Meredith.

World Prematurity Day

Always an important, and humbling reminder. Too many babies coming too early. If you're looking for a charity to contribute to this year, the March of Dimes is an awfully good one. Little D is living proof.

Celebrating with Friends

Meredith had a great birthday party with some of her buddies. This year, she decided to have a pizza and movie party at our house. Everybody got along and had a great time. Such fun. Thanks everybody for coming and celebrating Meredith's special day.

Elk Hunting

One of the things that's so special about where we live is the amazing wildlife resources and wild country that surround us. Brandon was fortunate enough to find some elk this season and our freezer is flush with meat. Thanks for the help Russ, we'll make it up to you.