Colorado-Utah Swapp Reunion

The day after school let out, we headed to Colorado for our much anticipated family reunion.  The kids were excited to see their aunts and uncles and to meet their new cousins.  Madeline and Ella brought along their violins, and played Beautiful Savior at church for their grandparents farewell, while Ryan accompanied them on Piano.  Before she went up to play, Madeline told me she was really nervous that Ryan was going to mess up and she wouldn't know what to do.  The nervousness was for naught, as it was beautiful.

Saturday night, we had a bbq, and celebrated Madeline's birthday. We had cake and ice cream, and sang to her.  Madeline was surprised that her aunts and uncles and Gwen and Mike remembered her birthday, and it warmed her heart because she wasn't expecting it.

After church on Sunday, we drove to Utah.  Ryan and I loved being in Midway again.  We enjoyed fun activities every day.  Mostly our kids loved seeing the babies (Max every time he would see a baby, would smile and say, "Ooh, what a cutie-pie"), and playing with their aunts, uncles and grandparents.  

Jenn, Max and Sam in the wave pool at Seven Peaks 

"Let me Down" was Sam's constant move the entire trip

Max loved being in the water

Ella found Uncle Lance and he went in the wave pool with her

Madeline and Ella chatting and warming up on the cement.  It was borderline cold at Seven Peaks that day.

Ella and Madeline really enjoyed all the rides, she went with uncles and aunts and her dad on all the high and curvy rides. 

Gearing up for a hike up to Timpanogas Caves.  Probably sneaking candy or ibuprofen.

An arch on the way up to the cave.  Ryan and Sam, and Greg and Will.

A break on the way up.  

Max, Ella, Madeline and Grandma.  The kids were great hikers.

Grandpa with Edmond, Max, Madeline and Ella

Ella and Madeline loved hiking ahead with Tom and Ashley, or Greg and Darlene, or Lance and Mai.  Ella rode with Tom and Ashley and Afton in the car ride over.  Tom said 30 minutes into the 8 hour drive she was asking how much longer they had.  Tom, in a stroke of brilliance stopped at a redbox at a gas station and got some movies for Ella to watch.  After that, she sat with his headphones on, laughing out-loud, and giving Afton a perturbed look when she cried.  At one point she asked Ashley, "Is Tom ever annoying to you"?  She loved teasing Tom, and everyone else.  

Madeline and Grandma resting in the shade.

Sitting on a bench after the cave walk.  Max was uncomfortable going through the cave, he didn't like the dark and small spaces.  The sheer amount of company and attention in the cave took his mind off of his discomfort.  The promise of a milkshake was how we cooperation to get down the mountain.  We loved the Purple Turtle, the kids followed uncle Greg's lead and ordered corn dogs, and they were enthralled with bubble gum milkshakes, a combination of two great things. 

Madeline with American Fork canyon behind her.

The Dearden family Reunion at Aunt Gwen's house in Fillmore.  Max and Sam loved playing with Misty's boys.

Sam acquired numerous fruit juices while we were there.  He would just take new bottles up to different adults to open for him.

The older kids loved the inflatable water slide.

Ella heading down.

Someone brought out the water balloons, and Ella surprised her dad while we was peaceably sitting by throwing a water balloon at his back.

Ryan grabbed Ella for his revenge.

Gwen's cherry tree was ripe and overflowing with Cherries, so Madeline, Ella, Greg and I picked several buckets to take home with us.

The awesomeness of the family reunion was cap-stoned with a pinata.  My children adore pinatas, and have happy memories of any event we've gone to where there was a pinata.

After they collected their bags of candy, Ella and Max amiably sat side by side to eat as much as they could get away with.

Sam ate several pieces of candy at the same time.

He tried one and then the other.

And then, he let Will taste both of his suckers:) 

Grandpa and Baby Afton at The Brick Oven in Provo.

Edmond was well-loved by my kids.  

Waiting for pizza at the Brick Oven.  Kids were still contained at this point.  

By the end of the trip, and still 6 weeks afterwards, Madeline tells everyone she wants to move to Utah (or Virginia to be near my family).  It was fun to see her so engaged and happy with so many people.  I'm glad she will have as happy of memories of Midway as Ryan and I do.  

Mt. Rushmore and the SD Black Hills

Looking back two months, I am still tired thinking about this trip.  We picked the kids up early from school on Friday, Ryan luckily was able to leave a little early, because it took us 10 hours to drive to the house we were staying in with my college roommate Jennie and Family and their friends the Taylors.  It was the 3rd Swa-Preece vacation, and the first Swa-Preecelor trip.  Madeline was the oldest at 8.  The car trip there was adventurous, the definition for not as fun as we hoped- lots of tempers spiked.  We listened to books on CD, played Mad Libs, listened to music and watched a couple of movies.

Sam in the Visitors Center at Jewel Cave.  His motto was "If I can't see you, then, I can't hear you, and I can't be responsible for what you say". 

Several of the happy and unhappy participants in the cave.  Ella had a standoff that was noteworthy.  We found out that Max becomes claustrophobic in caves, as he cried begged to leave "right now" for the last 30 minutes.  Sam ran away from us when we put him down and screamed when we picked him up.   

Jennie with Kate and Sammy and Max and Sam near the end of the beautiful yet torturous cave walk.

Ryan enjoying a little peace in the cave.

Madeline enjoyed feeding the horses at our Cowboy dinner and show.  

She has dreamed and researched all summer about buying a horse.  Her and Ella decided they could board it at our neighbors since our rental agreement bars any animals.

Ella practices roping.  

Max and Sam loved the horses as well.  

Sam tried to feed the horses everything, an experiment to see what they would eat.  They ate the grass he offered but refused the rocks and boards.

All the kids minus Max and Sam outside of Crazy Horse.  

Ryan and Mike enjoyed each others company.  

At Custer State park, the kids all rushed to the toilet, several of them hit buffalo pies on the way.

Everyone made it in the picture, a scenic view along the scenic drive through Custer State Park.

Ryan proudly gazing at Madeline as she tries to catch a fish.   One of the more memorable quotes was Madeline explaining as she drove with the Taylor family that she couldn't help getting mad, and she finally understood that she got mad often because she was born in the year of the goat.  

Max had multiple falls on the trip, he acquired several facial wounds by the end of the trip.

Mt.  Rushmore.  The girls have been wanting to come since we moved to Minnesota, and here we all are.  Max's biggest fall was down the stairs that are directly behind us.  

Madeline rode home with Carter, and they stopped for a buffalo viewing and for pie at the Purple Pie Palace.

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The grand finale the night before we left was roasting marshmallows around the fire.  The kids all happily wandered the near woods to gather brush and sticks for the fire.  After putting the kids to bed, we adults chatted around the fire for several hours until we became too cold.

Max with his battle wounds and the remnants of his Smore.  

One more picture of most of us. 

Here are the four oldest.  Madeline and Ella had so much fun with Carter and Kelly.

Carter took a picture of the adults, proof of our existence and the great company we enjoyed in the midst of the fun kid chaos.  We were excited to be heading home, Ryan and I like to get back home, especially when we have a garden that needs to be watered.  The kids were tired, and we listened to a theatrical version of The Horse and His Boy, which everyone loved except for Sam.  

There are only a few times that I try to discourage conversations between myself and the kids or between the kids themselves.  One of those times is our weekly 15 minute drive to violin lessons at 7:10 on Friday mornings.  This can be a dangerous time to have anyone say anything.  

Such as last Friday, we made it in the car with 14 minutes before violin started and a 15 minute drive.  Immediately Ella found that the drawing she left in the car had been destroyed by someone's careless actions (normally I point out the occurrence as a natural consequence of the infraction of leaving your prized items in the car).  But seeing as how Ella is in fragile spirits on Friday mornings (like the time she refused to apologize to her brother for yelling at and hitting him, and called my bluff when I told her she could get in the car when she was ready to apologize(what are you going to do mom, leave me?).  I was forced to hold my head high and drive a few blocks away around the corner, as I tried to figure out how I could still keep my word.  We made it out of that one, but I try not to do anything that would slightly provoke her).  

"Madeline, you destroyed my nice portrait that I worked so hard on", Ella barked.

"I did not", Madeline indignantly denied, "I am INNOCENT".  

"You are GUILTY"  Ella yelled.

"No, I am innocent until proven guilty" the accused retorted.  

"You are to Guilty, if you aren't guilty, then spell guilty"  Ella set about proving her claim.

"G-U-I-L-Y"  

"Wrong" glee could not be contained.  "I knew you were guilty"  Ella exclaimed.

"Mom, Ella says I can't spell guilty.  Tell her you spell it G-U-I-L-Y."  (If there is anything that puts Madeline in a fragile mood, it's being out-spelled or out-mathed by her younger sister.)

I quickly considered whose wrath was more lethal that morning, and decided that I would honestly reply, despite the consequences, especially since we instilled the delightful consequence of running laps around our large yard when someone looses their temper.  

"Guilty is spelled G-U-I-L-T-Y", I replied matter-of-factly.

And as if the forgotten T proved the theory that Madeline had destroyed Ella's drawing, Madeline hung her head in shame, as Ella crowed, "I told you you were guilty".  

"OK Guys, let's talk about our plans for tonight", I tacitly changed the subject, and we survived another Friday morning, none the worse for wear.