Every two years, Heber, AZ is graced by the likes of The Kears.
2006 marked the first time...JC and I left the two little ones back and enjoyed some relaxation with family.
2008 marked the second time...I left the three little ones back with JC and soaked up some fantastic down time with the group.
2010 marked the third time....and it was time.
Family travel.
I will tell you right now, I am a drama queen when it comes to family travel. But we knew the kids would love the time with their cousins, aunts, and uncles. We knew they would enjoy the cabin and the gorgeous surroundings. And we knew that, in theory, they would love getting to sleep in their sleeping bags. In theory.
So, we decided to take them up and stay a night, giving all of us two whole days to enjoy a little getaway and lots of time with family.
A few days before, I finally told the kids about it. I was standing at my white board, making a map of the week, listing the things I would need to do each day to kind of spread out the preparation load. See, I know myself quite well. And even the preparation it takes to do an overnighter three hours away is plenty enough to send me loony so...to the planning boards I go to keep it a pleasant time for all. :)
When I was writing everything out, Bethany came and stood by me, looking up. She asked what I was writing so much about. At this point, we had said nothing to the kids about our mini-vacay and I decided to take the opportunity for a little pictionary. I gave my to-do list a little illustration...
Picture of our family...picture of our van...picture of a cabin...Grandma Polly and cousins...mountains...and, lastly a stick figure enjoying a sleeping bag with some very convincing zzz's overhead.
It was a rather advanced artistic endeavor if you ask me. (I know you were about to)
She got really excited once she guessed. The other two did too but I'm not sure they knew what they were excited about.
I stuck pretty well to my preparation timetable and when Friday morning dawned, the stress level was low, the excitement was high, and the tire pressure was just right.
So, off we went.
The drive up went pretty well, with a movie to watch and snacks to eat (the easily-dissolving kind for peace of mind for parental units), but no naps. We had hoped that at least someone would nap at least somewhat. But we figured rules don't especially apply on road trips. (Except, of course, the rules of the road)
Then, ten minutes from our destination, I looked back and discovered this:
Awesome.
Once we arrived, we found that our assigned room was 'The Indian Room.'
All the rooms have themes and are decorated in such fun ways.
Such as...a dreamcatcher on the door.
And this on the ceiling.
This is my favorite bit of decor in the whole place. It is on the basement's family room wall and I think it is adorable.
The kids set right to exploring. The swingset was, of course, first up.
Here's a shot of the cabin from the outside. It is grand.
Ben was feeling like the king of the world!
Before long, the zip line was being put to use...
Here's a cute shot of Kody with his little brother. So sweet.
You can see Kristi getting a workout in pulling them to the top of the hill. She did this with so many people, i am surprised she could still move at the end of the day!
You can also see James starting to gain an interest...
And soon he had coerced Kristi into pulling
him up the hill for a ride down. He kept asking her to go higher and higher and she would reluctantly do so...finally he had had enough and told her to take him a little
lower before letting him coast down.
He loved it!
Then Ben asked Daddy to help him take a turn and, surprisingly, he loved it too!
My brave boys.
After all that adventure, a little down time was needed. The kids all got cozy around JC and he read them a story. The view out those windows behind them is fantastic. I love the location of this cabin.
One of the things Polly had planned for us was making a big family puzzle. She had enough puzzle pieces for everyone to color one to represent themselves in the puzzle. While a few family members were working on their puzzle pieces, Bethany worked on a project...drawing 100 flowers. She totally did it. With Aunt Kristi as her counter the whole way through!
As she did her duties as a counter, Kristi also encouraged Ben to say 'cheese' for Mommy!
I set my camera down on the counter for a while and James put it to good use in my absence...his new favorite thing to do. He caught some of our family members on film...
Aunt Kristi.
Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike
Grandma Polly
Aunt Alice...also camera happy!
One of the nice things about being up there was having the opportunity to just...sit. The kids stayed pretty happy playing with cousins, running around, etc. So, we could visit with family and/or just...sit. This could probably happen at home except there it is accompanied by a sense of guilt, consider all there is to be done around the house all the time.
Nothing to do here!
So JC takes advantage of that with Ben by his side.
A rousing game of Duck Duck Goose was established a bit later in the evening. Ben took his turn first. (He also continued to try taking his turn every time it was anyone's turn. He loves Duck Duck Goose.)
Let's see if I can name everyone in the circle just for the sake of documenting, starting from Ben standing up and moving clockwise...After Ben comes Corbin and Judson (belonging to Mark and Tara), Kaitlynn (Mike and Kristi), Chloe (Matt and Alice), Bethany (remember her?), Josie and Carter (Matt and Alice), Michael (Mike and Kristi), and Mr. James (belonging to yours truly)
(Notice how James and Judson are like, the same size, have the same hair cut and are wearing the exact same colors. All day we were all doing double takes trying to figure out which was which as kids went whizzing by this way and that. So funny.)
Here, everyone is laughing and cheering as Bethany chases Ben around, trying to catch him before he gets to her seat!
And, here, darling Josie tags her beauty of a big sister, Chloe!
Once everyone was worn out from racing in circles, Uncle Matt took it upon himself to treat to rides. Here, Judson and James (the twinners), lead the riding party, while Bethany and Corbin (someone tell me if I am spelling that wrong please!) bring up the back. Such fun!
I guess everyone (including Matt) decided they weren't quite so worn out, and moved into a few rounds of Steamroller. This is a new game to me but I have a feeling the kids are going to be asking me to recreate this!
Having lost interest in the festivities, Ben found a seat at the bar to watch the adults prepare the chocolate fountain and all that entailed.
He noticed that, seated to his right, was one foxy lady.
It wasn't long before Foxy Lady Josie noticed him as well.
And boy did she.
(favorite picture ever)
Ben then proceeds to tell his captive audience about the attention he was just getting!
Around this same time, Matt and Alice got the kids going on a Cat and Mouse game. The kids loved this one. Especially since it involved tootsie rolls. I don't think they had ever had those before! This is one they have asked to play since we have been home. I think it will grace many Family Home Evening's yet to come!
Such excited faces!
After a while, the chocolate fountain was a-runnin and I got the kids some bowls of treats drizzled with chocolate (favorite - pound cake).
They picked at it but, much to my delight, they didn't have much interest for whatever reason!
I think perhaps this picture says it all...tired.
I had to tear JC away from some exciting tournament or something involving an empty bic pen to help get the kids ready for bed.
This game actually looked pretty fancy. I guess he and Mark will have to have a rematch of whatever it was. :)
So, about then we got the little ones settled in with a movie during which to fall asleep and all of us adults played a very fun couple of rounds of The Newlywed Game that Krystal had put together. It was quite fun and quite revealing. :) I loved it. We all laughed a lot and JC and I felt like we did pretty well for ourselves, though Matt and Alice scored the win! I think they've been married the longest? (Someone tell me if I'm wrong...again haha) Maybe that has something to do with their win! Time truly does tell. :) It was a lot of fun. Krystal did a great job of organizing it all!
Once we finished our game, the kids took the opportunity to wake up crying all in a row...this was the part of the trip I had dreaded...the nighttime! We got them all settled after a while and with JC on the back porch (snoring), me, James, and Bethany in the Indian Room and Ben on the couch in the family room, we all attempted to head into slumber. Easier said than done in a strange place, with uncomfortable kids and a nightmare-having James. That kid cried, whimpered, and shrieked until about 3:3o. About then is when I remember falling asleep. At 4:30, Bethany appeared in my face telling me it was time to get up because it was light outside.
Awesome.
I told her to lay next to me in bed and try to close her eyes and fall back asleep. Every couple of minutes she would remind me it was light outside. Then Ben started crying from the couch and I brought Bethany out with me, got them both settled and stated a movie for them. I went and lay back in bed as much as possible as they kept calling me back out to arrange pillows, tuck in blankets and settle disputes. I remember falling back asleep about 6:15 and then James poking me awake telling me he needed to go potty. I do not remember the last time I had that hard of a time opening my eyes. So, I just said, "You remember where it is, right?" and nodded off again.
Next thing I know, I'm waking up at almost 8. James was upstairs playing with cousins and Bethany and Ben were back asleep on the couch.
And that was the night.
Now you know.
Aside from feeling a bit sleepy, the rest of the day was pretty darn fun...
It was our turn to cook breakfast and since JC makes a mean skillet of hash browns and eggs, I turned it all over to him!
During breakfast prep, Ben and his cousin Corbin played some lovely music for all of us to enjoy!
When it was time to eat, Grandma Polly let it be known to one and all!
I love that there is this old fashioned triangle ringer thing for such purposes.
(And, by the way, it was all YUMMY.)
One of the best parts of the trip was watching Bethany really come out of her shell with her aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Here, she is visiting with Uncle Matt who was always ready to make her laugh. (And who, she said, looks lots like Daddy Mason)
She closely supervised Uncle Mark as he worked on the Happy Birthday Banner with Uncle Matt. Mark even let her dictate what color the balloons were...and I'm pretty sure the big boys gave her and some of her cousins input on the rest of the banner as well. What nice uncles. :)
Whose birthday, you ask? Everybody's! Polly had this great idea to celebrate the birthdays of all family members on one day with one huge birthday party that started in the morning and went on into the night! How exciting, yes? Bethany had been told this the day before and when she got up in the morning she said, "It's my birthday today!!!" At first I was confused until she added , "Remember? It's EVERYBODY'S birthday today!!!" It was fun to see her so excited.
Speaking of an excited Bethany, I caught her interacting with little Josie later in the morning.
Something's got them giggling!
In order for the boys to finish their banner, they gave all the little 'helping hands' around them something else to do! The kids got their own table complete with a long sheet of paper, markers, and everything to do with as they pleased. Good thinking, guys!
Peek-a-boo!
Bethany and cousins kept busy with this 'banner' for quite some time!
Ben lost interest and decided to rock-a-bye a baby instead of coloring.
Complete with kisses. Awww.
What birthday would be complete without balloons? Uncle Mike blew up balloons with helium, sucked the helium out of them like a big goof and talked to the kids in a crazy voice...
...which made Ben a little nervous. So he retreated to Daddy's lap for a while.
About this time, James was upset because I took away the balloon he had swiped. None of the other kids had a balloon and it was a riot waiting to happen. So...in the name of fairness, no more balloon for James. To distract him, I let him take pictures with my camera...you know, his new favorite thing!
His first attempt:
Before too many more attempts, he dropped the camera on the tile floor and Daddy felt he had had a sufficient turn. And, considering there is now a permanent black spot on each and every picture we take with this camera, I'd say some damage was done and we will probably hold off on pursuing James' art until we can get him a suitable child-safe camera!
He felt like this...
But, considering his recent love for facial expressions, he was willing to turn it into this:
I discovered Ben chilling with Judson on the back porch waiting for the party games to begin.
Cute cousins.
Here are our lovely decorations. Everyone did such a great job creating and decorating!
Krystal planned so many fun games for all of the kids (and adults too!)...We started off with pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey!
Here are the kids all lined up on the porch, ready to go!
And I just thought this guy was looking especially handsome.
Ben took his turn first of all. He was a bit confused but seemed to like the game!
Bethany seemed quite eager to be involved in all this game business!
After having at first thrown a fit about something or other concerning the game, James goes along with it all and takes a good turn.
Then, in what was perhaps my favorite moment of the weekend, Josie takes a good turn as well and Ben congratulates her by rushing across the porch and planting a big wet one right on her face. Oh. my. gosh. Adorable.
A crew of cousins after the game.
And one grumpy James. Poor little guy. He has to be in just the right mood for...well, for...anything. He wasn't feeling it this day. Tired boy.
(Oh, and notice the black dot next to his ear...a little reminder of what happens to your camera when a four year old claims it as their own!)
Next game up - - Three-legged race!
I teamed up with Ben, Grandma Polly and Kody were a pair, Bethany and Chloe got all set, Mark with Judson, and I do believe the last set there is Mike and Mason!
Ready...set...GO!
Everyone did great! Ben and I came trotting in quite a bit after everyone else but we had a lot of fun, darn it! Ben was so cute and excited and, from what I could tell, Bethany and Chloe stayed on their feet and made it to the end with flying colors!
Next, we suited up for the traditional egg-on-a-spoon game.
Bethany was all about the games, I tell ya! I was really surprised and excited for her as she was so eager and having such a great time! She was so cute, concentrating on keepng the egg on the spoon.
Ben and I even had a turn. He was super eager to participate too!
James was...not.
He kept wanting to play but had all these stipulations and specifics about how it was supposed to go down. He really likes power struggles when he is upset. :)
Ben looks a little tired of it. But we put up with each other.
Family does that, right?
While JC went inside to help James cry himself to sleep, we moved on to a game that appeared to be called 'Popcorn Shoes.' This one was really great. Rubber bands, paper cups, popped popcorn, the feet of individuals...the makings of a classic game right there.
Carter and Michael started us out and showed us how it was done.
Race to the end, dump your popcorn, race back, hand off your 'shoes!'
Bethany had her game face on and was prepared for the challenge!
Look at her go!
Aunt Kristi was a fierce competitor.
As was Ben! I loved how determined he was to make it to the end of the race with all the popcorn still in his cups. He went so slow and careful! I was laughing so hard at him shuffling along!
After a while, Uncle Mike moved the target box up several feet and helped Ben accomplish what he had set out to do! He was quite proud.
Alas, once the games were said and done, Ben was feeling a bit irritable and grouchy (even the best of competitors get a little tired from all the play!). Alice rescued all of us from Ben's high-pitched squeal and took him exploring around the cabin. From the outside, they noticed Santa in the windows of one of the rooms. Remember how I said that all the rooms had themes? Well, the Christmas Room became Ben's new interest. Aunt Krystal was bunking in there but was kind enough to allow us to visit the grounds. Ben just had to see that Santa up close. It was very sweet (and very relieving for me!) to see Ben reacting so calmly to Alice. She was so kind to help out when nothing I was doing was making him happy. They had some fun moments together that afternoon.
A lot of the boys were enjoying a little arts-and-crafts session with some pipecleaners that Polly had brought up for creative purposes. Uncle Matt made Bethany some special spectacles.
She models them, as well as her new anklet, for me. Cute!
And can't forget the toe ring that daddy made for her!
She wanted a toe ring so she could be like Mama and Grandma Teri she said. :)
James did indeed spend a bit of the afternoon sleeping after a crying fit sent him into slumber!
And his slumber became deep enough that he...um...had an accident. On the couch. Yikes. Luckily, we were able to start a load of laundry with mattress covers in it before we left later. Thanks to whoever switched that load!!!
Here, James is a little grumpy after waking up wet.
But, of course, once he realizes it is a photo op, after the sad face he pushes out a happy face!
Polly planned a special balloon send-off as part of our birthday celebration in honor of Mason.
We all got our balloons ready...
Bethany is thinking...''didn't we just do this..?"
Haha, but that is what I loved...the kids totally understood the concept considering we have been doing this every year for a while! James was off on the porch crying and throwing a fit but...ah well. You take what you can get.
We counted down and let them all fly up heavenward!
And true to good old fashioned birthday party, there was a pinata!
Uncle Mike controlled it from on high.
We always go youngest to oldest...Josie started us out. Such an excited girl!
No congratulatory kisses this time...Ben was all business rushing in for his turn next! He got some good hits!
As did James!
Bethany was like a pro!
Once it broke open with the biggest hits from the biggest kids, everyone got a few pieces and set out to enjoy them. We managed to limit what the kids got to just a few pieces and considering candy is only a special occasion thing, they weren't complaining! They were so excited. They sat down together and started going through the goods.
And enjoying the goods.
Luckily, they enjoyed their vegetables at dinner just as much!
And we were all enjoyed the cute cupcakes that Krystal made just as much!
The kids were entertained by Uncle Mike extensively as he demonstrated sound effects, clips, and music he had on his phone. They LOVED this.
A recording of 'The Pink Panther' inspired some stealth sneaking around. They still ask for this song all the time so they can crawl around acting sneaky. Luckily, JC found it for his phone!
Ben stayed with Mike and pointed out to me where the music was coming from.
He liked it.
One of the last matters of business before we called our cabin trip over was the earlier-mentioned cupcakes!
Everyone got their own cupcake and their own candle!
I loved the kids' faces, so excited for cupcakes and mesmerized by the glow of the candles!
So darling.
Then came the fun part!
When it was time to pack up and head out, the kids all put up a fight and we spent the last few minutes of our time there wrestling them into their pajamas and carrying them kicking and screaming to the car. :) Though, actually, I should mention that the older two were the culprits. Ben was pretty chill, as usual! And the fit throwers settled down long enough to say goodbye to everyone who made the weekend so fun and special. In fact, I believe that is what inspired the upset...it was all too fun and too special, nobody wanted to leave! But, considering a rough night's sleep was also somewhat to blame, JC and I were quite glad to be heading home for everyone to sleep in their own beds!
So...we said goodbye and strapped ourselves in for a long drive home! (I know there are longer road trips but considering the kids, Bethany in particular, make a habit out of adamantly protesting any drive longer than 20 minutes, it can feel very very long!!)
Watching a movie can sometimes help so, of course, we took advantage of the DVD player! But facing the sun on the way out posed a problem for Ben. So, I put my sunglasses out on loan!
It was cute.
Within a few minutes, though, it didn't matter anymore!
Though he woke up a couple times during the drive, he definitely was our best traveler!
We pulled in around ten and by ten fifteen we were ALL in bed. And we all had a fantastic night's sleep!
It was so wonderful to spend so much time with the Kears! The kids really opened up to everyone and it was fun to see that. We were able to visit and laugh with the whole bunch and I am very glad we went. We will definitely be back for more in 2012!
(...and until then we will probably be right here...at home...)
