Yosemite? No, MYsemite

*The 3 Amigos - Wendy, Harper, & Hazel pulled around by Mikey (bless his heart). See half dome in the backround?

It's hard for me to express the nostalgia I feel and the love I have for Yosemite. It was my favorite family tradition/vacation/reunion growing up. I know I am hopelessly a "girly-girl," but this girly-girl LOVES to CAMP! I prefer to "rough it" (as Ryan, my hotel loving husband, says) in a tent and soak up all that nature has to offer. (As long as there are bathrooms - I'm not gonna act like I don't get up a little early and go get ready for the day by washing my face, putting on a little make -up and doing my hair). I love the woodsy/camp fiery smells, the sounds of the wind & river, and the sights.

I felt like we were a real family when we packed up the kids and took the 6 hour road trip up to mysemite for the week. For some reason I felt so grown up, I'm used to being the kid along for the ride, but this time I got to be the parent making it all happen. I was so giddy as we left, giddy that I get the opportunity to provide these kind of experiences for my children, giddy that I have the freedom and the gusto to just load up my little family and drive somewhere far away for the fun of it.

Then & Now

Bike riding through the forest

Wendy was OBSESSED with Hazel. She followed her around like a little puppy, playing with her long golden (rapunzel-esque) hair any chance she got. If Hazel did or wore something, Wendy wanted to do it or wear it. I felt a little sorry for Wendy when she would ask me, "Mommy, can you braid my hair like Hazel?" Sorry sweetheart, mommy likes your hair short. Actually, mommy loves your hair short. She keeps asking me to grow it out. I don't know what to do because growing it out means having to DO it all the time :/ and it's so cute short. Now Wendy keeps asking me when we can go to Arizona.

The Pose

* Me, Melanie, & Rachel doing "our pose"

* Wendy & Hazel doing "the pose"

Kids on a log

Indian Village

*some things never change

*Harvey spent most of his time on a lap or in the bouncy chair. He did great!

*people came and went, but this was the day MOST of us were there

This year was special because it was the first time I got to share the Yosemite experience with Ryan. He doesn't quite appreciate it as much as I do, but he had fun (I think). We spent our days hiking through the woods and up to the base of Yosemite Falls, bike riding, exploring the indian village, and by the river's edge. The only bummer (and it's a pretty big bummer) was that it was so hot that sooo much snow had melted and it made the river too high & too fast to go in. One of the most fun things to do is lazily float down the river, just taking in the grandeur of the wilderness that surrounds you. It was kind of ironic that the HEAT made it impossible for us to cool down in the river (not that we didn't sneak behind the rangers' back and take a little dip). Other than that, it was a great trip.

3 Months of Harvey

*Newport Beach, CA - Near lifeguard tower #17

*I love this little outfit! And I squeezed him into it as long as I could.

It reminds me of 1920's mens swimwear.

At 3 months, Harvey is:

27 inches - 95th percentile for length
18 lbs - OFF THE CHARTS (like 120th percentile) for weight
Has laughed twice and it's probably one of the top 5 cutest things I've ever seen (sounds just like his lawnmower/little lamby cry)
In his 3rd month, got to experience his 1st trip to: the zoo & the beach
No longer sleeping in a basinet next to mommy, but in a crib in his nursery
Like his grandpa, he is not a fan of loud noises (especially screaming 3 year old big sisters)
Eyes are getting lighter and bluer by the day. People are always taken back when they see his eyes. They do a serious double take and look deep into my dark brown eyes, to make sure they remember them right, "He's going to have blue eyes!" They tell me. "Maybe. My mom has blue eyes that look just like his." I tell them. In all honesty, I'll be surprised if they end up blue and surprised if they don't.

Some of my besties on etsy

Normally I just blog about my family. My blog is basically an online baby book for my kids and their grandparents that don't get to see them every day. I don't normally tell people what they should buy, but lately I've been so impressed by some of my good friends and how incredibly talented they are, that I just can't keep it to myself.

Let me tell you about my friend Emily. She is SO crafty. She is not only crafty but really funny. And despite being almost intimidatingly pretty, she's incredibly down to earth and genuine. For Wendy's 3rd birthday she blew me away, I mean I was speechless, with the adorable little doll she made to look just like Wendy. I love it a little too much, more than anyone should love a material object. I was going around the party showing it off like it was one of my own children. Wendy named her "Wendy Dolly Doll." It's soft and cuddly and my most favorite item in Wendy's "big girl princess room." She sits proudly next to the pillows on Wendy's bed. I've had a lot of people ask me where they could get one and I had to regretfully inform them that it was a gift. A one of a kind. But not any more! YOU can have your very own "Dolly Doll" made to look like your own little one! Her etsy shop is YellowString. (p.s. Emily made some of these doll to help raise money for my cousin Davy's benefit. It was a labor of love. That's just the kind of person she is.)

Moving on, let's talk about Yvette. She is a sweetheart I know from church. We both work with the youth at our church and she is SO much fun! She also blew me away with her gift, but this time it was for my Harvey. She missed his baby shower, and came to my house out of her way to drop off her hand made gift: these ADORABLE beanies!! As you can see, I love it SO much, I made it the theme of Harvey's 2 month bearcub-in-the-woods photoshoot. They're not only cute, but made out of cotton (not normal yarn) so they're super soft. Wendy was jealous so she went home and made a girly one for Wendy. I told her I saw some wanna be woodland beanies at baby gap that didn't come close to hers and that she needed to sell some on etsy. With some encouragement from her hubby she opened up shop! Now YOU can get these wonderful beanies at Vetty Artsy!

I've already told you about my friend Melany before. Her hair clippys for little girls are some of the cutest I've seen. ESPECIALLY the new bows she's put out. I bought about 5 of them and think I need some more (you can see Wendy wearing one on Harvey's blessing day). I told her she needed to make bowties for little boys as well. There are a lot of different bows out there and hers are the best. Melany also donated a lot of her goodies to Davy Jean's benefit. YOU can get these goodies on etsy at Jellabee Jr.

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And finally, Merrilee. We are not actually "friends" but I feel like I know her. She is an uber talented artist with two little boys. I LOVE her blog and her ideas for parties and fun boy activities. Now that I have a boy, I've realized how hard it is to find cute boy stuff. I mean the kind of stuff that makes me giddy because I love it so much (like Emily's doll). But her blog makes me feel that way. Among LOTS of other cool things (like the "Lovely Love My Family" prints), she does custom portraits. I bid for this one at Davy's benefit and won. This portrait of Wendy hangs on the wall in her room and makes me smile, not only because it's so darn cute but because it was for a really great cause. I love her work and YOU can get some of it on etsy at Tuesday Mourning.

You're welcome.