As you all know, we have four kids.
When Kami and I both take them all on a vacation, they have us outmanned 2:1 at
all times. We've found that splitting them up, while it doesn't change the
ratio, does change the dynamics. With all four in the car, or at a touristy
location, there are a lot of relationships that can become explosive. But if
each of us just takes two of them somewhere, it's a far easier job, even
though, as parents, we're going it alone. So, for the last few years I've taken
two of the kids down to see Grandma and Grandpa Hymas in Colorado over spring
break. The other two stay home with Kami. We've rotated through the kids so
they each get both opportunities, and it makes for a fun spring break for
everyone.
This year, as I prepared for our
annual spring break trip, I looked at what everybody needed and wanted and
decided all four kids should go, and Kami would stay home and focus on some
personal things. So now I was going to be outmanned 4:1 and with all of the
relationships to be managed throughout.
Ok, after all that leadup, it
really wasn't all that difficult.
I loaded the kids up early one
morning, got in the car, and drove. We did the full trip from Boise to Grand
Junction in about ten hours, with one stop for lunch and a few quick
bathroom/gas breaks. The kids all played on their devices (which is a rare
treat for them), managed their own snacks, and didn't fight at all.
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| Reagan doesn't like the bright sun |
It was a beautiful trip.
We arrived just in time to clean up
a bit before going to hear Grandma perform an amazing version of the Flower
Duet from Lakme. Afterwards we had stew for dinner, got the kids settled, and
made plans for the next two days.
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| Beautiful Music |
On Monday we started the day off
slowly, on purpose. We did get to go visit Great Grandma, which was awesome.
She was in good spirits and had fun identifying everyone's eye color.
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| Great Grandma and her cat |
Then we
had some lunch and went for a hike up Devil's Canyon.
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| Devil's Canyon |
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| Scramblers |
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| Not Scramblers |
Our scramblers, Reagan
and Levi, did their best to find new and interesting trails, while Cade and
Liberty were content to walk the marked trail and hang out with Grandma and
Grandpa.
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| Steak is Happiness |
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| Ribs are too |
That evening, we started a game of
Settlers of America with Grandpa, and planned out our trip to Arches the next day.
That trip began with us all getting up at 6am. We made it out the door by 6:40
and this time the kids were split up between my car and the grandparents, so
the drive to the park was even easier. Once we got there, we all loaded into
the van and had a great time.
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| Driving with devices |
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| Delicate Arch |
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| The Whole Crew |
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| Closer in |
The kids all joined us on hikes to
Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch.
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| Squinting Hymas Boys at Landscape Arch |
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| Happiness |
Liberty especially was a trooper
and had a great time hiking with Grandma and Reagan.
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| Like Brother, Like Sister |
After the two hikes we had lunch
and then drove to see other arches, and stopped at Balancing Rock to enjoy the
view.
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| Squinty Lunch |
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| How high can you get? |
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| Balancing rocks at Balancing Rock |
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| Find the Hymas' |
We got done in the park with enough
time to hit Dead Horse State Park on the way home.
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| Top of the World |
Levi chased the lizards, Liberty
danced on the rocks, and we all enjoyed the breathtaking views of the cliffs,
the canyon, and the river below.
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| Enjoying the View |
When we got back that evening, we
had some pizza, finished our game of Settlers, and crashed for the night.
The next morning, we packed up, and
took off for ten more hours of driving. Another enjoyable, relatively quiet and
conflict free drive. We have definitely arrived. The kids took care of
themselves, I enjoyed some good music, and we even got home and started
unpacking before mom did.
All in all, it was a wonderful
trip.
