Christmas!! We planned to spend Christmas at Fairmont Hot Springs in Canada this year. It was so much fun! Ben and his family came as well. It made for the perfect getaway. We left on the Sunday before Christmas and came home Thursday the 26th. We all wished we could stay forever. We are still dreaming about running to the warm pools whenever we step outside.
I let the girls open a present early. Bathrobes to run to and from the pools! They were so excited. Fairmont leaves a couple bathrobes in the rooms for adults, so they were already jealous that we had some. So it made for the perfect gift when we arrived.
Fairmont was even more magical at Christmas. The kids of course had fun playing with their cousins, diving for toys, and doing all kinds of tricks and games. One of their games was to pretend like they were fish in a bowl or river when it snowed. The game changed...either the snow was food someone was feeding the fish or it was lures trying to catch the fish. They would jump out of the water and try to catch the snow in their mouths.
Having cousins to play with in the pools was the best. For both parents and kids. Less need for entertainment from the parents.
I thought we had the perfect balance of time with our family vs. time with cousins. We all kind of set our own schedules and met up at the pools when it worked.
All the cousins!
Running to the pools after taking their bathrobes off. Always so cold to get to the pools and to walk back to the hotel.
The resort offered a great deal, stay 3 nights and get the 4th night free plus $300 to spend in the restaurants. So it was fun to eat a few meals at the hotel.
All Paige ate for breakfast was the whipping cream from her hot chocolate.
We walked down to see this little waterfall below the pools.
Gorgeous day!
Christmas lights around the pools. So pretty.
The piano that played songs by itself. Even though we asked them not to touch, they couldn't help it.
On Christmas Eve there was a torchlight parade and fireworks at the ski resort 3 miles up from the pools. We drove up and it was so worth the trip. Santa skied down the mountain with a bunch of other people carrying torches, and when they put their torches out the fireworks began. And it was quite the firework show!
We were able to see Santa before we headed back down to take a nighttime soak in the pools.
Getting ready for Santa to visit the hotel!
He came!!
Opening stockings
He brought everyone a stuffed animal
And juice!
The older three girls got kindles to read on. Before we left for Fairmont I let them all get their own library card and I could have made that their Christmas present. They have been asking for a library card for years and they were so excited I let them get one. Now they can search for books and check them out on their new devices.
I also made them rice bags to put in the microwave to warm them up in their beds. Also a hit. We brought a few things and left a few things at home.
Cousin gift exchange.
And Christmas dinner at the restaurant. They were pretty busy. The kids were so good and patient. When their food was finally coming out the waiter tripped and spilled it all. We felt so bad for the waiter. We sent the kids up to the hotel room to watch TV til their food was ready again.
It was a pretty fancy three course meal.
We brought Lewis a truck he was excited about.
And then back home. What a wonderful trip with so many great memories.
When we got home we dived right in to Christmas #2. Mostly the underwear and sock gifts. But a few fun things to do as well.
And we finally ate our cookies and cream that we had made before our trip.
Paige and Penny got kinetic sand.
Fun games from Grandma and Grandpa Harvey
And more presents! A mermaid tail, roller blades, and an Alexa for Ada's room to listen to music and set alarms.
The Rubik's cube was big part of our holidays. Now we have 4 people in our family who have solved it on their own.
Ada got clay that you bake and it hardens. It entertained the girls for hours.
Another fun Grandma game
And we can never get enough cousin time!
