It's been an busy couple of days! Yesterday, the boys and I rode out to the park with a couple of friends. However, the entire ride was filled with whiney complaints from the second we left the door. We also ended up having to circle back home after we stopped for some food about 2.5 miles into the ride and noticed that Little Brother had lost his shoe in one of his fussy fits. Turns out, the shoe was a block away from our house so we stopped back in to get Big Brother's snow pants to keep him warm (his complaints). It was one of the most (emotionally) exhausting rides I've ever done! We weren't alone in that, however, one of our friends also ended up turning back midway because her little guy wasn't having much fun either. Of course, once we were at the park, the boys forgot all their problems and had a blast. 

Today was even more tiring fun! Ever since Big Brother was born, we've gone out to cut down our own Christmas tree. We like to have pretty quiet holidays and we're not really big on presents, however, the tree-cutting is something that we look forward to doing each year. Jose makes us all wear our lumberjack outfits (flannel). Although this year, we needed to find a new place to go since we have been driving up hwy 50, usually about an hour away. 

It was important to me that we stick to our carfree commitment. After seeing all the awesome photos of trees-by-bike by our cargo friends on Twitter and Facebook, I was inspired and determined! The closest place to us was about 15 miles away but up hwy 30, a road that leads to a casino and offers no shoulder. Drunk, depressed gamblers and no way to get away from them didn't sound very appealing. The next place was one just passed Davis called Jacob's Mini Farm. We're pretty familiar with riding to Davis and my dad's an expert with getting through Davis so that was the clear choice. Fifty plus miles sounded a little daunting, especially once we got the tree, but I'm a very stubborn person. 

Today, the weather was beautiful and perfect for our ride. Jose and I were a bit slower with our start than we had planned. There was a lot of running around and reorganizing. Did we need thermals, snow pants, extra anything? Did we have snacks, water? Everyone have a potty break? Our friends, the Oldens, were somehow crazy enough to agree to come with us so double the amount of chaos that we usually have with just our two kiddos. 

Having the two big kids on the Mundo was great! They were so much fun to have chattering away behind me. It was comforting to me to test out riding like this and knowing that the Mundo would continue to work out as the kids got older. Heck, we could even add one more to the mix! 

We had a good amount of kid-swapping during the day and more potty/snack/rest stops than we could have planned. 

The ride was good and we rolled along smoothly. By Davis, however, we realized that there was no way we'd get back before dark. We ran through all the options and settled on going to get our trees (we had come this far already!) and then use Amtrak to get those without lights home quicker. Since we all felt happy with that option, we continued our way through Davis to the tree farm. The entire way, except for the last mile, was on Davis's fantastic separated bike path. 

Jacob's Mini Farm was the perfect respite. We all got a chance to walk around and get our yayas out. They had a barn with donkeys, sheep, goats, and chickens. The kids (and Jose) even got to feed them! We found a lovely little tree and so did the Oldens. My dad decided to wait on getting a tree because he was worried about me having to carry them all (or maybe because he didn't think he could find a tree good enough for my mom). 

We were all pretty exhausted but the time we got back into Davis. A headwind had picked up and the 40 previous miles were settling in. Darkness was looming and the dreaded Causeway is never something to look forward to. The Oldens decided to hop on Amtrak since they didn't really have adequate lights for the long ride in the dark. I should also mention that Jose had to ride in a single gear (a low one at that) because his chain was still skipping from the big crash he had earlier. He hadn't ridden this bike since and probably shouldn't have today but it was the only one that could carry the trailer without running out of battery. 

Jose, my dad, and I decided to keep going. I would never have been allowed on Amtrak anyway with my Mundo and especially with the trees. 

The sun went down and by the time we were back on the Causeway, it was dark. The boys were losing it. It began to get cold quickly. 

Finally, we made our way into West Sacramento and almost into Sacramento but my dad decided to get a flat. Jerk. Luckily, Jose relinquished his phone to the boys which kept them cheerily satiated until we got home. One broken tire lever, a few swear words, and enough time to begin to freeze (by the way, the boys were happily in their own little greenhouse of a trailer. Even pants-less Little Brother was toasty) but eventually, we were back on the road. 

All in all, this trip was amazing! Exhausting, but exhilarating, too. Now, every time we look at our Christmas tree, we'll have great memories and a great story that goes along with it. I really want our holidays to be about experiences, not about stuff. Spending time with our friends and family is just we need. Thank you all for sharing in our newest holiday tradition.