Christmas 2018

My parents ended up renting a condo in Pagosa Springs, CO for the week of Christmas. It was the first time all of the Bundy siblings and our kids have been together in over 3 years!

We left on the 20th after Dale got off work and we finished packing the van. We made it to Amarillo just after midnight and spent the night there. The next morning, we got up and drove up to CO, with many, many, many potty breaks for a certain 4 year old. When we got to the condo, we unloaded, ate dinner, and put the kids to bed so the adults could play some games.

The next day, Uncle Nate took the kids out on the frozen pond behind the condo. Cameron exclaimed "this is the best Christmas ever!"

We also went to the local outdoor ice skating rink. The boys did well skating on their own when we made them give up the walkers, and Lily did surprisingly well for her first time.

Then it was time for baths and off to bed. The next day we went to the 1 hour meeting at the local ward. After church we took some family pictures and went for a walk along the river.

Once all of the kids were in bed, Nate, Kelsey, Hannah, Dale and Judy went to the hobo hot springs along the river and enjoyed the warm, stinky water for well over and hour.

The next day was Christmas Eve. We went to the paid hot springs. The kids loved playing in the pool...Becca did not want to leave! The kids decorated sugar cookies with Grandma...Santa had a lot of sugar that night!

We had a live nativity scene, courtesy of all the grandkids. Cameron was Joseph, Kimball was a sheep, Lily was an angel, and Becca was the star.

We ate a Christmas eve feast, the kids got to unwrap a present from Grandma and Grandpa, and their traditional Christmas PJ's. We loaded the tree with presents, and tucked the kids safely into bed so Santa could finally come...and come he did!

The next morning, we made the kids wait a bit before we could go downstairs. We opened stockings...

and then the chaos of opening dozens of present began. The kids loved playing with their new things. Nate and Kelsey had to leave with their kids that morning, so we bid them farewell. :( We celebrated John's birthday with cake, and Grandma made a Christmas feast, including turkey that cooked a little too long in the instant pot.

The next day, Dale and Judy went skiing. It was the first time in a very, very long time for both of us. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted.

While we were gone, Grandma, Grandpa and Hannah took care of our kids. They got to go swimming, and play lots.

On Thursday, we went sledding up by Wolf Creek. We were supposed to get loads of snow while we were there, but it just never came. Kimball even got to try Hannah's skis and had his heart's desire met, since we didn't take him with us the day before.

Grandma, Hannah, Judy and Cameron ran around Pagosa Springs on a scavenger hunt looking for bikes, but didn't get done until after the Visitor Center had closed.

We washed clothes, packed suitcases, and watched lots of Harry Potter. The next day was Friday, which meant it was time to leave. We cleaned up as best we could and hit the roads because snowstorms were expected across Colorado and New Mexico. We made it safely through hours of lightly falling snow, and made many potty breaks. All things considered, our kids did wonderfully travelling. We got home late that night and were grateful to get out of the car! Merry Christmas!