The inevitable has begun, we have returned to another year of school. A week before school started we went to turn our paperwork in, and see who Madeline and Ella would have for teacher's this year.  Madeline made a hierarchal list of whom she wanted in terms of teachers (and hence, whom she didn't want) Ella was just excited to see friends.  Turns out Ella got Madeline's favorite teacher ever:  Mr. McClure, and to add insult to injury, Madeline got a brand new teacher, Ms. Knoll, who according to her ranked below all the known teachers simply because she was unknown. Madeline was certain this would mean terrible things for the coming year.  Tonight though, when we went to the back to school cookout, Madeline wanted to find two people, Ms. Knoll, and her friend Sarah.  Ryan asked her if that meant that she liked Mrs. Knoll, and Madeline looked at him like he was a dunce, "Well, yes dad, she does lots of really neat things you know".  Ella has been disappointed to discover that Mr. McKay is the strictest teacher she has had.  

It's pretty fun to see what these girls are thinking about.

Ella and Madeline 2nd and 4th graders

Max has been excited to start preschool.  A week into it, he nonchalantly told me that his teachers were so nice, he didn't think they would ever get mad at him.  Every day he walks into preschool with a huge smile on his face, and every day he leaves with a huge smile on his face.  Sam was asking so man¥ questions about who his teacher was, and where his school was that I decided to try and set up a play-date for him.  Luckily, he has recently become friends with Eric, they have been in each other's company since they were born, but have always just bristled around each other, until recently.   So, Sam has a place to call his own now as well.  When Max talks about going to play at Eric's house, Sam quickly let's him know that Eric's house is his domain alone.  

Max and Sam preschool and playmates

With the return to school, I have been focused on discipline again.  I talked Ryan into taking a love and logic class with me.  I like the idea of love and logic discipline because I think our ability to make choices, regardless of what happens around us is one of our greatest blessings.  Like money, I think kids need experience learning how agency works.  I think often of God when I am focusing on setting limits for the rules that we have, and then allowing the kids to make choices and following though with the consequences of breaking the limit.  I imagine this is something we'll be working a lot on as we start this school year.  

Sanofsky/Hannah visit to Minnesota

A few days after we returned from Utah, Erin and her family and Hannah came to visit us.  The kids were just thrilled to over excitement at going from one fun trip to another to another.  They were really happy to have their cousins come to visit our home.

Hannah was climbing on the tire swing when all the kids saw her and asked her to push them.  We were in beautiful little Lanesboro to bike along the Root River.

Hannah pushed Katie, Sam, Madeline and Ella.  Then she pushed Max, Marcus and Sam.

All seven kids heading on our bike ride.  

Sam and Addy 

Marcus 

After the ride, Sam was climbing up some rocks

Madeline and Katie ran through the sprinklers.

All the kids love Hannah.  She was so entertaining and so nice.

Waiting for ice cream

6 of the seven kids choose superman ice cream.  Ella got Caramel delight.

A man who looked similar to Santa, and gave the kids pictures of Santa and his reindeer.  Marcus was enthralled the entire time.  

Ella and Katie loved the special breakfasts we had:  German Pancakes, Biscuits with homemade jam, sugar cereal.  No one complained.  Later that day, we went to our third cave in a month.  Max was still apprehensive, but wanted to keep up with Marcus.  The girls were pointing out the cave formations of soda straws and cave bacon.  

The girls enjoy one of our favorite activities in Rochester. Every Tuesday in the summer, the track club hosts races for the kids.  The races are divided by age and gender, and the kids can run 50m, 100 m, 200 m, 400m, 800m and 1 mile.  After that, we went to the YMCA and went swimming, which made everyone happy.  then we stopped for pizza on the way home.  Late bedtime for everyone.

Addy loves Hannah.

Sam loves to run, and loves his ribbon for running. Many of the kids his age have a parent run with them, but Sam wants to run by himself.

Max is lined up with the 4 year old boys on the left hand side.

cousin Katie running with the 5 year old girls.

All the kids loved our quiet time activity of building something with marshmallows and toothpicks.  

Ella build a 3 dimensional house.  The children didn't let any of the marshmallows go to waste afterwards.

We had a few sleepovers, which kept the girls up late and up early in the morning.  We had fun showing everyone what we like to do here in Minnesota.  We loved visiting with Hannah and talking about her mission to the Dominican Republic.  The kids loved riding their bikes in the culdesac, and playing in our back yard.  

Their last night here, Ryan watched the kids, and Erin, Hannah and I went out for Vietnamese food followed by a Dalia specialty, shopping at Goodwill.    

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.