Michael and I did something a little crazy this year. We decided to pack up all five kids and both dogs and drive 25 hours to Utah for Christmas! We just saw our families over the summer, but we felt like we needed to go. No one had met Conrad, and both our living grandparents aren't getting any younger. We were determined to make it a Christmas and a road trip full of memories!
We loaded everyone in to the car early, early Saturday morning and started driving. Our first day we drove 1,000 miles through 5 states! The kids were awesome the whole trip. I am in awe of these little people and how well they have learned to travel.
The second day we drove only a few short hours to Denver and spent the whole day there. We were able to go the ward where I grew up, visit my friend Kyle and his new baby, spend time with my grandpa, visit my aunt Jennifer, and have dinner with some friends and their kids! That day in Denver was one of my favorites of the whole trip! It was wonderful to see so many friends and meet their kids. My grandpa, as usual, was full of stories, wisdom, and encouragement for our little family. I sure love him!
Hazel and I spent a few hours with my dear aunt Jennifer. She is recovering from a massive skin cancer surgery, during which she had a stoke. Her optimism and endurance are awe inspiring!
The final day of our drive was just 8 short hours from Denver to Utah through the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Every time I drive through Colorado I love those mountains even more. Haley loved them too and drove the kids crazy for a few hours trying to get a better look!
Not only was the long drive not too bad, we actually had lots of fun. We listened to audio books, read Christmas stories, played I-spy games, learned how to complete Mad-libs, watched movies, and made good old-fashioned road trip memories.
