Our "Last Hurrah" Vacation

We've been planning this vacation for some time, and it was nice that it fit in nicely before we'll be leaving to Japan.  It started as just Ben's family celebrating Grandfather Lewis's 90th birthday!  And then my brown side planned a reunion for the same weekend as well, which was luckily nearby.  Then we decided to tack on a few days and drive to Vegas to see my family as well.  Here are some highlights in pictures!

Random school playground in Wyoming. Yes, Ben is eating her face!

Ellie with cousins and Grandpa Brown at the Brown Reunion (sidenote: Every Brown reunion is camping.  Always.)

With Grandma and Miriam. Her face is wet with oranges, which she LOVES.

My favorite picture of us on the trip.  We're waiting for the birthday surprise for my Grandpa Brown (he's 80).

Sleeping in Ben's arms.  She was beyond exhausted by the time we left the Brown reunion.

With Grandfather Lewis, who celebrated his 90th birthday at this reunion.

Grandpa keeping the kids entertained with coloring.  Check out his children's books here (he's an illustrator).

All the Lewis grandkids minus Ellie and baby McKneely

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So Ellie's looking down, but this is really about my niece.  She's a very very smart girl and pretty awesome, but is easily scared of trying new things.  This picture is at Bridal Veil Falls, but before this we all went to Park City to check out the Alpine slide. I took her to the bottom to show her other people coming down and explained how it all worked and that she could go as slow as she wanted.  We were all pretty surprised when she was excited to try it out, with me as her driver.  So a ticket was purchased and we waited in line to ride the ski lift up, which I also explained to her and promised she would be safe.  She was a champ, not scared a bit while on the lift.  Her plan was "We'll go slow first, and then slow and fast, and then if I want we'll go fast."  I was game.  We weren't on it more that two seconds when she was wanting to go faster.  We never did go slow.  She was terrific!  We were all terribly proud!  

In Pahrump with Grandpa Brown, who can't resist the opportunity to balance babies.

With Uncle Andrew.  Such a goof!

Funny story.  Ben had run into a Subway to get us lunch and I was leaning over the front seat, feeding Ellie bits of avocado (which she thinks is candy).  I decided to let her pick the pieces out of the bowl herself and when I stopped paying attention for a bit, this is the result.  She was picking the pieces, smearing them from her forehead down her face and then putting them in her mouth.  Maybe it's a method for cooling down.  Maybe she was tired of her skin being dried out by the desert air.  Maybe she just likes messes.