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.