On Monday, we took advantage of a school holiday (still not sure what for--does one day qualify as fall break? At any rate, it corresponded with a break for the school district) to take a short family trip. I had visions of hiking somewhere with our kids; instead, we ended up on a very short trail by the visitor's center at Cedar Breaks. The view was breath-taking; the hike, decidedly less so. In any case, it was probably a good thing we just took a short hike--the wind was so strong and piercing that it literally took Evelyn's breath away and we were woefully unprepared for the cold, as we had been enjoying some unseasonably warm days back home. And the hike that we had originally planned on--a longer hike that takes you along the rim--we both deemed unsuitable after seeing the warning planted at the trail-head that the trail was open to the edge and to watch your children. Who wants to chance that with an almost-four-year-old named Andrew? Not me, that's for sure.
After our brief stint (during which Andrew pouted most of the time because Evelyn got carried in the hiking backpack and not him--we ended up switching her out for the short walk back, just so Andrew could see that there was nothing glamorous about being carried), we got back in the car, drove back through some glorious fall scenery, had a brief lunch, and got the kids home in time for naps. I don't remember what we did the rest of the day.
Tuesday evening, my youngest brother (Justin) stopped by with his brood, enroute to Provo. It was fun to see them and show off our house (not that it was looking particularly tidy--less so after Justin's girls enthusiastically helped Andrew scatter even more toys throughout the house). They couldn't stay long, but the pains of parting were assuaged by the knowledge that we'd see them again later in the week. It always brings me a peculiar kind of pleasure to watch my kids play with their cousins (Andrew with Julia and Eli, Evelyn with Katherine)--I'm glad that my and my siblings' kids get along so well. But I wish that I had that same closeness with my own cousins, whom we generally only got to see once a year or so. (Dan is particularly close to several of his cousins, which always makes me a little envious).
Friday, we headed up north with the kids for a grand reunion of grandkids. (Justin's visit was supposed to be a surprise for my mom--I *think* she enjoyed it, although I'm sure there were moments that were stressful, like having to plan food for the umpteen people who descended on her). I took the kids up earlier in the day, so that Dan could leave unimpeded after (during?) his lab. We travel much faster sans kids.
We planned on having family pictures that evening--Jeni knew a photographer in her ward, who agreed to meet us at a local park for pictures. The pictures themselves were a bit grueling, executed more in the intent of pleasing my mom (who has hitherto pined in vain for a family picture of all of her grandkids) than in any real expectation of pleasure from the exercise. There were funny moments--we tried to get a picture of some of the grandkids while we waited for Jared and his family to arrive, but it was rather like trying to herd cats. As soon as we got a few kids in place, the others (especially Evelyn and Katherine) had crawled or walked off, laid down on the grass, or otherwise disrupted their careful posing. Even when we introduced my parents into the picture (in the hopes of keeping the two littlest ones in place, at least), they still didn't entirely cooperate. But at least they were cute.
Eventually everyone arrived and we shot a handful of pictures, including some individual family shots, before releasing the kids to the playground, where the kids milled around happily for a while before heading home for dinner. It was a beautiful evening--we couldn't have asked for better weather for late October. And it was fun to see all of my siblings--and all 10 grandkids!
On Saturday, we headed up to Salt Lake, first to visit Jared (who had promised doughnuts if we came--actually, we went up because Justin was going with his family, before heading to the airport), and then to visit Sarah, who will very shortly "enter her confinement" (a delightfully old-fashioned euphemism for having her baby). We met on neutral turf (i.e., outside of the house) since we didn't want to leave Sarah with a mess, since in her current condition she wouldn't be able to clean it up to her satisfaction. Instead, we had lunch at Red Robin (Andrew's favorite) and then went to a local park, dubbed the "Cinderella Park" by Sarah and her girls. It's an older park, with a replica of Cinderella's pumpkin coach and a little castle with a slide to climb on. Evelyn's favorite part was the horses--particularly when she got her daddy to ride with her (even if they are a trifle unevenly matched).
And finally, some outtakes from the week.
Dan took this one--I had to ask him what was all over my daughter's face. Chocolate, apparently. But she still looks cute.
Evelyn in the ballerina outfit that matches ones I gave her cousins last year for Christmas. I think she liked wearing the outfit (although she was more interested in the shoes, truth be told).
Not to be outdone, Andrew rummaged in the dress-up clothes and came up with this number.
And . . . "That's all folks!"
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