Yosemite

Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Hike

2009-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

My parent are here this week and yesterday we went on a hike up to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. It was a really fun day (even with a little bit of fussing from Jack). Here are some picture from the day!

Molly's first day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

Today, August 24th is Molly's first day of Kindergarten! She was sooo very excited to go, she has been waiting since last year when she had her first kindergarten visit. She was up early this morning (quite a miracle for the girl who usually sleeps til 9), downstairs drinking her shake breakfast, and then back upstairs and in the shower. She had picked her outfit out two weeks ago at the store, so she was already to get dressed. Then we took some pictures and then headed off to school. Wouldn't it be nice if every morning ran this smoothly :-)

Jack was so proud of her. He wanted to look nice for Molly's first day so he put on some nice pants and a polo shirt and then a tie...nice idea, but I guess we need to work on his matching skills. When we dropped Molly off at school, Jack brought bubbles and blew them while she went in to school...it was so sweet.

Meadow parade

2009-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

One day this summer the kids on the meadow decided to have a parade down the path. They worked all morning on signs and decorations and then they had all of us come out to watch. It was pretty darn cute!

Seyl Visit

2009-08-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of July our friends from Texas came to visit...Veronica, Mason and Natalie. We had such a good time! The kids got along so very well, it was amazing! Mason is 14 and Natalie is 10. We went all over, exploring and showing off our awesome park!!!

Jack's family birthday party - 8 years old!!!

2009-07-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Jackson McLean Wright turned 8 on June 23! Wow, I can't believe my baby is 8, well, he is and he is loving being 8! While Josh and Jamie were here we had a little family party and it was lots of fun! Jack is very into Star Wars right now (which makes his daddy one happy guy!!) He got Star Wars sheets and a pillow from Nana and Papa and lots of cool star wars cards. And Aunt Sissy gave him a giant Darth Vader lego ship!!! Quite cool! Josh and Jamie gave him a very very cool science game that has goop you can move around the board!! Aunt Janet and Uncle Joe the Great sent him a cap with lights on the brim (Uncle Joe had one when we were in FL and Jack thought it was very very cool) We had a really nice time at his party...I made his cake and stuck some of his Star Wars toys on top (I know, lazy lazy)

Josh, Jamie and JD visit!!!

2009-07-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

My dear brother, sister in law and nephew came to visit after our vacation! We had such a wonderful time with them. In fact the time seemed to fly by, wish they could have stayed longer...next time guys!!! We took them to some of our favorite spot while they were here.

One day we went rafting down the Merced, JD love it..he fell sound asleep in the raft! It was a beautiful day! We also went to the river just to hang out and a quick walk up to the lower falls. We went to the taqueria and to the pizza deck. And we even had a day to go see the Sequoia trees! It was awesome!!

It was so nice to be able to spend so much time together. Jack and Molly LOVED their baby cousin and had a great time trying to get him to laugh - isn't too hard. He is the happiest baby and he loved watching the kids!

I miss them so and hope they are coming back soon! Love you guys!!!

Newport Beach vacation

2009-07-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Toward the end of June we went on vacation down to Newport Beach. We had a really nice time. The kids spent tons of time in the pool and we saw a couple of movies, which we are too far away from town to do during the year. We tried out our new underwater camera, which the kids thought was a hoot to play with. And all in all had a great time.

We took quite a long time coming home. We drove up to Long Beach to where the Queen Mary is docked and we took a tour that was really cool. Then we took our time driving up the Pacific Coast Highway (which I have always wanted to do). It was so darn pretty! Drove thru Big Sur (absolutely incredible) and also something I have wanted to do. And on our drive up we stopped at a pull out along the side of the road and saw Elephant Seals in the water and on the beach! That was one of the coolest things I have seen in nature!

We spent a night in a little town called Solvang. It is a dutch community and the cutest little town ever (it is on our list to go back and spend some time there). After that we continued up the coast to San Francisco where we spent another night. We went to China town and had some not so great Chinese food, but we had fun! The next day we puttered around San Fran until the evening when we headed to Oakland to pick up my brother, Josh and my sister in law, Jamie and my baby nephew JD! Then we piled into the car and drove the 4.5 hours home to Yosemite!!!

Molly's Pre-school Graduation

2009-07-22T14:34:00.001-07:00

Molly had a little graduation ceremony at the end of school this year. She and all her friends are all ready to go to kindergarten in the fall! She can't wait. Graduation was adorable! They all had on little red grad caps and they each got a diploma. Molly got to stand next to her BFF Elise (in the pink dress), so all was good! After all diplomas were handed out her teacher asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up..all sorts of good answers, ranger, firefighter, beekeeper, a daddy, etc. and then there was Molly that said when she grew up she would like to be a beautiful horse! I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes! It was hyseterical. But my mom told me that when my sister was little she wanted to be a duck and now she has her doctoate in pharmacology, so maybe there is hope for Molly!

Yosemite is my Backyard Camp

2009-07-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

This summer Jack went to camp here in the valley. It was called Yosemite is my Backyard and it was run by Yosemite Institute. They went everyday for a week. Each day they hiked to a new place and learned new things about the cool place they get to call home.

On Wednesday I volunteered and went hiking with the group and that was the day we did the spider cave! It was so cool! We had to crawl in and get really small to fit inside and then there was no light at all...we did have a candle and a headlamp, but wow, it was really fun!

On Thursday Brian went with them and they drove up to Crane Flat and hiked out from there. They got to see a gigantic Giant Sequoia that had fallen awhile ago and not it is hollow and you can walk inside the trunk (there is a picture of the group sitting on top of the tree and one of them walking down the inside of it). That day was longer than the others b/c they stayed up at Crane Flat for a campfire after their hike!

A snowy trip to the high country

2009-07-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of June we drove to the high country for the day! It started out as a lovely day....and so we took a short hike down to the bridges over the river and it started to snow and hail on us. It was pretty darn cool! The kids thought is was hilarious that is was snowing in June! It ended up being absolutely gorgeous, so we took some cool pictures. Jack discovered this cool colored tree that he really liked (we have more than a couple of pictures of it). It was a fun day!

Helicopter Landing

2009-06-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday (Memorial Day Weekend), we had three helicopter landings in the meadow. The first one was not in a rush and so Jack and Molly got to walk down with our neighbor (a fireman) and see the copter up close!! They had such a good time, thought it was so cool!

Molly's Kindergarten Visits

2009-05-20T11:32:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday and today Molly had visits to Kindergarten. Each perspective kinder was paired with one of the kids from the class and both visits Jack picked to be Molly's buddy (proud parent moment). Jack's teacher had all sorts of cool things planned for the kids to do and see, so they would get an idea of what kindergarten was all about! At the end of each visit they even got to have a bit of recess time, playing with their future classmates! What is so nice here is that Molly already knows the 8 other kids heading into kindergarten with her (they have all been at preschool together for the last two years) and they all know their new teacher b/c preschool is right behind the school building. Such a great environment!!!

Last week Molly made me paint her nails purple - her favorite color (she informed me this morning that she really likes pink for the summer, but purple is still her favorite all the time) :-) After I got her all ready this morning I told her to go get her helmet on so we could ride to school and she told me that she could not ride to school b/c it would "mess up my beautiful hair". She cracks me up!!

Water Fun!!

2009-05-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had another beautiful day and the kids played outside in the front yard. Our neighbors have a bounce house and a little blow up pool which makes for a great combination of fun! The bounce house always gets filled with water and loud laughter can be heard up and down the meadow...I love getting to live here!!

T-ball and poetry festival

2009-05-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

This spring the kids have been playing t-ball at the school yard on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and it has been quite a hit (he he). Jack and Molly have learned all about the rules of the game and have had lots of fun with their friends! They both got new gloves...Molly's was pink and purple with sparkles (big surprise).

Jack's school had a poetry festival one evening when all the students in the school (30) got up and recited a poem! It was awesome!! All the kids did a great job and it was a lot of fun!

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

For Cinco de Mayo, Jack's school puts on a show/fundraiser (with yummy Mexican food from the Ahwahnee, of course). It was a really hot day, but the show was adorable and the food fantastic! Jack's class (of ten - that includes grades K, 1 and 2) did two dances and they were great! Molly really wanted to be in the show too...next year Molls! In one of the pictures you can see Molly trying to get on the show, by sneaking up and playing an instrument while no one was looking :-)

Clovis Rideo

2009-05-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

On April 24 and 25 we spent the weekend in Fresno to go to the Clovis Rodeo. What a hoot! We had such a good time. We drove down Friday night and went to dinner at a yummy BBQ place (Famous Dave's) and then went go-cart racing! I have never seen Jack's face be so excited and terrified at the same moment!

Saturday morning we got up early to get good seats for the parade. We all wore our Yosemite Stables hats and shirts so we would be ready to cheer when the Yosemite Stables horses and our friends riding them, came by. A really great parade!

After that we went to lunch and then to the rodeo. That was a great time! We went with our friends Colin and Syd (who were in the parade) and Renae and the Evans family (who were also at the parade with us).

Earth Day '09

2009-05-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine, Earth Day in Yosemite is quite a big deal, and we go all out! Lots of "green" vendors giving out lots of samples of products and yummy food, face painting, and all sorts of other things going on at the mall in front of the Visitor's Center and the Village Store.

Easter

2009-05-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Easter we had an egg hunt put on every year by the local Rotary Club. It was really fun! It is set up in the school yard and there are a ton of kids!

For Easter we went to Church and then went to brunch at the Mountain Room (superb and fantastic!!!) with our friends - Renae, the Rabons and the Fulces.

The kids opened their Easter baskets when we got home from brunch...lots of goodies in the baskets. With the best prize of colored Wii remote covers from Aunt Sissy (my sister, Sara), they were quite a hit!

San Francisco Trip

2009-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of April we decided we needed a new couch in the downstairs playroom/office. So after lots of internet looking we picked one from Ikea. But to have the thing sent to us (in the woods) was gonna cost a ridiculous amount of money...so we turned to our closest Ikea which is in Palo Alto (4.5 hours away)and so we thought we could make a weekend of the couch buying and enjoy San Fran for some time!

We left on Friday night and headed in to the city. We stayed at a really nice hotel called The Cova Hotel! Out room was awesome! The bathroom was gigantic and Jack and Molly had a great time playing in there. Sat morning we got up and headed to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. What an amazing place! I think the kids favorite part was the planetarium. It was really very cool. We also liked the roof which was covered entirely in grass and plants. They wanted to make it look like they just lifted a section of the park up and built the building underneath - it worked! They also had an aquarium and lots of cool exhibits. And the best food court/restaurant I have ever seen in a museum!!!

We left the Academy and took a taxi to the Wharf. Then we took a boat ride around the Bay on the Red and White Fleet! The kids really liked this. Jack loved getting to wear the headphones that told him all about the Bay. He could quite understand how the machine knew where we were and what we were looking at...cute!

After that we walked up to Ghirardelli's and had ice cream! Brian and I split a really yummy sundae..mmmmm.

Sunday we had lunch with our friends - The Robinson's (fun, thanks guys) - and then went to Ikea to buy the couch! Great trip...lots of fun and very productive!

Florida Trip '09

2009-04-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Florida Trip '09

In March we headed down to Florida for Uncle Dan and Cindy's wedding!! The kids and I flew down two weeks before the wedding so we could hang out with all our pals for a week before crazy wedding week! Brian flew down a week after us and he actually came from a buisness trip to Germany - rough stuff :-)

The kids and I stayed with my grandparents the first week we were there! We had a great time! My parents flew down to visit friends and so we got to see them as well (thanks for everything Aunt Janet and Uncle Joe, the Great!!). That first week we did lots of hanging out at the pool! It was wonderful! The kids wore themselves out and had fun and my grandma and I had lots of time to sit and chat and just be together!

The following week Brian flew in and Beedi arrived and we then stayed at her house with her mom and dad (aka Grandpa Ralph and Grandma Polly). Then we were in full wedding prep mode. Though we did find a day to go over to Orlando to see Brian's mom and dad and Steph, Steve and the kiddos. It was a fun day! We hung out by the lake and the kids had a great time playing together. That night we met friends for supper in Winter Garden (Thanks Reagans and Kunkels...we had a great time).

The wedding was Sat the 21st of March and it was a beautiful day! Lot of sunshine...for an outdoor wedding the weather could not have been more perfect! Molly was excited b/c she got to help at he end of the wedding by letting a box of butterflies (ick) go free. Jack thought it was hysterical that there were tons of butterflies flying all randomly as his mother ducked crazily out of the way.

So, go click the picture at the top of the page (for those of you a bit computer challenged) and enjoy some of the picture from our trip!

Read Across America week

2009-03-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

This week was Read Across America week at school. On Monday Brian dressed up as The Cat in the Hat and read the kids a book at school during their green eggs and ham breakfast. It was pretty funny! He did all sorts of funny voices that the kids thought were hysterical!!

Then today the kids had to go to school dressed as a character from a book. Jack decided to go dressed as the planet mars from one of his (many) space books. We cut out two large pieces of cardboard and he colored them to look like Mars. The we used packing tape to make straps to hold it on. He came up with the idea all on his own! Then they had to bring the book in to school and read it to the class while dressed in the costume! Very cute!!

Hockey award and fun!

2009-03-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Monday night (March 2) Jack's hockey team had some fun time on the ice. About an hour long scrimmage and then some brownies and hot cocoa as a treat and they got their badges and a puck. It was very fun. Jack is going to miss hockey...he really loved it and we saw TONS of improvement in his skating and his aggressiveness!!! It was awesome!! Can't wait til next year!!! Thanks so much Coaches!!

Lu'au

2009-03-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

Well, last night, the 28th of February we had the Lu'au...it is a fundraiser for school and it is a hoot. Molly's Hula class performed a dance as did some professional Hula dancers...lots and lots of fun!! The food prepared by Curry Village was fantastic!!! Brian was taking pictures for school, so our friend made him a press badge to wear, which Jack found quite funny! They even had me take a picture of Brian trying to do an interview as Jack hides his face...crazy kids. And there is another picture of Molly and BFF Elyse, who is also in Molly's Hula class...they like to do everything together.

Jackson's last day of Hockey

2009-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday night was Jack's last day of hockey practice for the season. He really enjoyed playing this year and can't wait to play again next year. And most exciting....he scored a goal on his very last practice. He was so excited!!!

Molly's 5th Birthday!!

2009-03-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

In honor of Molly's birthday I am writing this post in her favorite color. We had her party on the 22nd of Feb as a joint party with her best friend Elyse, whose birthday is 5 days before Molly's. We had planned to have the party at the ice skating rink at Curry Village, but it rained here that day and so we moved the party to the Loft Pizza restaurant. Brian led the kids in a bunch of fun games and we had cake and ice cream and a GREAT time!! Here are some pictures from the day...

Then on her actual birthday, we opened presents from family...she was all excited...many horse gifts this year...she is very into horses right now. She even got an American Girl Doll horse from Papa and Nana, which she has named Brownie. And we gave her a wooden barn to go with her doll house and a My Little Pony house came from Uncle Josh and Aunt Jamie and JD. And a very cool Wii cooking game from Sissy along with her very own Wii remote with pink protector...very cool!

SnowShoeing

2009-02-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

The kids and I spent the afternoon snowshoeing through the meadow. It was a beautiful day after our two day snow storm, so there was lots and lots of snow to walk on!! So very pretty too, not a cloud in the sky and about 45 degrees!! All four of us got snowshoes from my parents for Christmas - what fun!! We really had a great time! It was amazing to be able to go into the middle and far side of the meadow (you are not allowed to walk in the meadow in the spring, summer, or fall - when there is no snow). So I got some great pictures of our house from the meadow side, and you can see Yosemite Falls behind our house! We are supposed to get another storm this weekend! Can't wait!!!

So in this last picture...you can see Jack about a quarter of the way back to the house. And our house is almost in the middle of the picture...there are three houses that look similar, and ours is the one on the left. This is the picture with Yosemite Falls behind the house! (If you click on the picture it will make it big enough to be able to see the house)

Christmas Trip to NY

2009-02-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

I know, I know, once again I am bit behind on the blog...we have been very busy the last couple of months. We left for my parents on the day after Christmas, Brian's birthday! And sadly had to spend the night on cots in the Chicago airport (an airport I plan never to return to - ever) flying on a United (an airline I will never fly again, no matter how cheap they are).

Ok, so now that I have that out (feeling much better), we can continue...so we finally go to my parents and had a wonderful time. We got to see my dear little nephew, JD (such a cutie) and Jamie and Josh. And Sara was even around for a couple of days so that was fun! We also finally got to meet my parent's new dog, Buddy. He is cute, with one ear that sticks straight up and one that lays down - silly. We attempted to take a picture of the three grand kids for my parents - it was kind of difficult to get all 3 looking at the camera and kind of smiling. The one at the top of this post was the best. We had a nice Christmas time all together. My parents gave all four of us snowshoes for Christmas - yippee - so much fun!!! Molly got an American girl doll from Aunt Sissy, that she named Star, "because she is so beautiful". We went sledding and had hot cocoa and basically had a wonderful time! Basically I wanted to go and hold my new nephew, and wow, he delivered...such a good sweet baby!! And let me just tell you how very proud I am of my dear brother and sister in law...they are amazing with JD...they take him everywhere, their lives have not stopped b/c they had a baby. They have just fit him right into what they do...he has even spent the night with Grandpa and Grandma Siglow already!! Seriously - you guys ROCK as first time paretns!! (Sorry I had to gush for a bit - love you guys)

Okay, so now back to the vacation, and it truley was...we just chilled and hung out together, it was awesome!! We also got hooked on Wii...wow such a fun and addicting thing. From Molly to my dad, we played it all the time and we laughed so darn hard. Brian and mom got really into a rabbit game, and we all really loved the golf, I think Molly could have a future in bowling, give the girl a toothpick and call her Pal (anyone? come on). anyway, it was fun! And of course my dad and I, and Sara while she was there did a giant puzzle (Brian says his hell would be an endless expanse of puzzles for him to do for eternity - funny). All in all a wonderful trip!

Christmas morning

2008-12-25T12:27:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas one and all!!! Well early morning Jack was up at the crack of dawn and ready to open some presents, but sadly had to wait over 3 hours for Molly to arise from her beauty sleep at 9:30. Once she did we had delicious home made cinnamon buns from our wonderful Armon friends. They were quite yummy!!! Since Santa's main delivery will be at my parents, it did not take too long to open the couple of presents that he dropped off here. Jack's big gift was a new ipod loaded with his fav songs and some cool audiobooks. Molly got a Mariposa Barbie which she has wanted for quite some time. It is pretty funny - her wings pop open so she can be a beautiful butterfly fairy. It is also pretty cool since we live in Mariposa county. After opening all the gifties, we sat down to watch The Muppet Chrismas Movie - cute! We also watched the major blizzard going on outside. We called both sets of grandparents to wish them a Merry Christmas and now we are headed outside to play in the snow.

I am very thankful that my dear brother is recovering safely in the hospital after being rushed there last night when he ate 4 rum balls with ground up walnuts (allergic). I love you Josh!!

The last picture is out our front window this morning...can't see anything - white out! But it is so pretty!!

Christmas Eve, eve :-)

2008-12-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to the Ahwahnee to see Santa, sing some carols with the Bracebridge players and watch the lighting of the Yule log. It was so much fun! The Yule log smelled wonderful and the kids loved seeing Santa, again. Jack has decided the reason he gets so many presents is b/c he has seen Santa so many times. Much to his surprise we will be seeing Santa yet again tonight and this is another Santa that knows their names (so nice to know so many people in the park...I mean the North Pole). So after all that we went to the Loft for Pizza with our friends Mike and Jodi and then headed back to the Ahwahnee for a concert put on by the Bracebridge singers. They did a collection of numbers from many different broadway shows! It was incredible...I thought we were going to have to drag Jack from the room. Such a wonderful day!

1st Day at Badger

2008-12-24T09:57:00.001-08:00

Saturday Badger Pass opened for the season and we were there, of course!! It was awesome! The snow was perfect and the weather was amazing!!

Jack's school Christmas program

2008-12-24T08:24:00.001-08:00

Jack had his school Christmas play last Thursday and it was a hoot! His class acted out a couple of Aesop's fables. In the first one, Jack was a lion...which he loved! And there was lots of singing which Jack also loved. Molly liked watching for a bit then got a bit bored. She really wanted to be in the play, so they painted whiskers on her face to make her feel like she was included! Cute!

Holiday events!

2008-12-22T15:44:00.001-08:00

So now we are up to all the millions of events that happen around here for the holidays. The first picture id of Brian and I at the Christmas party at the Ahwahnee...it was lovely and lots of fun!

Next we had our church Christmas program and Brian and I were the Innkeeper and his wife. We had lots of lines and it was fun!

Jack has now started hockey practices which he really really loves, so that is tons of fun to watch! It is also cold b/c we have an outdoor rink that looks out to Half Dome (very pretty). So Molly and I hang out by the giant fire pit with all the other hockey mom's and dad's.

2008-12-22T15:39:00.001-08:00

Next we had Jack's Thanksgiving Feast at school. Instead of having more turkey we had a giant pancake meal!!! It was awesome! It was a lot of fun! We spent Thanksgiving here in the park this year and it was really fun. On Thanksgiving day Jack and Brian went to serve over at Curry Village and then we had our delicious and HUGE meal at our friend's house on Friday - so much food - yum yum!! We took a nice walk after the meal and then played lots of fun games in the evening! All in all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Halloween

2008-12-22T15:26:00.001-08:00

I know I am a bit behind, but I am about to catch up...for Halloween my parents came and we had a grand time. We were characters from Narnia this year and it was fun! Jack was Peter and Molly was the White Witch, I was Reepicheep the mouse and Brian played the dad who went off to war (real creative, but he was out of town a lot before Halloween and that was the best we could come up with). We trick or treated twice - once during the day on our parade to all the offices with Jack's school and then again at night with the gang! Quite a hoot as usual - here are some pictures...The group picture is of all our friends on the meadow right before we headed out to trick or treat for the evening!

Pumpkin Carving!

2008-11-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Before Halloween we get together and carve pumpkins for the Happy Isles Nature Center Halloween night. We had fun this year making cool pumpkins. Molly and I made one elaborate one with a flower theme and Jack and Brian made numerous cool jack-o-lanterns.

A few field trips

2008-11-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

So after we got home from our lovely Germany trip it was back to business as usual. Jack had fun trip to a local (2 house bus ride that I wasn't sure I would make) farm where they learned about animals and planting and whatnot. It was very fun. He even got to hold a chicken! They also got to see pumpkins in different stages of growth. And "talk" to turkeys that talked back.

Next Jack had a walking field trip to see the colors changing on the Sugar Maple tree across from Church. It was very very pretty! The kids were able to take turns taking pictures of the tree in all it's splendor. Jack wanted me to take this picture with a leaf on his head. Turned out cute!

Molly had a walking field trip as well and we headed to the village store to see in the behind the scenes workings of a store. The kids really enjoyed getting to seeing behind the cold section where they could look out at the rest of the store. They all got little baby pumpkins to take back to school to paint and then bring back to the store to put in a pretty display.

Germany

2008-10-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Germany Trip

Brian and I had a wonderful trip to Germany for our tenth anniversary! We had a blast. We arrived there on a Tuesday morning and headed for a shower at our friend's house. We had a lovely lunch at a small local restaurant - it was the beginning of a week of more than delicious meals! That night our kind host, Robert made us homemade spaghetti - incredible.

Wednesday morning we headed to Neuschwanstein Castle. I remember loving going there as a kid and I loved it all over again as an adult. It is so pretty and the surrounding area is so beautiful (even in the cloudy weather that day). We took tons of pictures and had a "sad to be an American" moment when a couple taking pictures next to us had to be so white trash - the boyfriend/husband turned to his girlfriend/wife and asked her to pick the dip out of his teeth before the took the picture...which she proceeded to do with out any sort of thought to it. It was memorable, really. After we left that castle we headed to another one of Ludwig's castles - Linderhof. We got there too late for the tour but had a great time wandering around the beautiful grounds of the estate. It was so pretty and I was able to have two pretzels this day which was fabulous!!!

On Thursday morning we got up and headed out to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. It was very sad and hard to see, but we both felt it was very important for us to go there. After that we left and headed into Munich for a tour of the BMW factory. It was absolutely incredible. We really went b/c Brian so wanted to go there, but I actually really enjoyed it. It puts American car companies to shame, or it should. I have never seen a more spotlessly clean factory. Makes me even more sad that we are driving our American made car that is so poorly thought through on the inside. But the day was topped off with a yummy pretzel at the factory's cafe.

Friday was probably my favorite day. We got up early and headed up to the Stuttgart area and went to the little town of Böblingen where I lived for three and a half years of my life as a child. It was so fun - we went and found my old neighborhood and we took a picture of my little school. After we left there we headed an hour north to visit my kindergarten teacher and her family. We had a wonderful time. Also I got to have the one thing I had wanted more than anything else to eat while we were in Germany - Laugenbrotchen with German bologna and butter (nothing better in all the known world). It tasted so good and exactly how I remember it tasting!! Yum yum. We took a walk with them though their neighborhood and we got to see Elke's new kindergarten school. It was really fun. I had told Brian one of my big memories of school was all the shoes out in the hallway (b/c when you go to school you take off your shoes and put slippers on for the day). And when we walked into Elke's school - there were the slippers all lined up! It was great! We left these dearest of people around 4 and headed back Böblingen way to the town of Sindelfingen where my dear friend Sandra lives. We went to Kindergarten together and our families did many fun things together as well. We got to her house and got to meet her very nice boyfriend Andy. We had some very yummy snacks and then her parents came over to say hello! I thought I might cry - it was so much fun to be with them all again! That evening after her parents went home, Brian and I went out to dinner with Andy and Sandra to a Chinese restaurant. It was fabulous! We laughed a lot and decided we must not wait another 17 years to see each other. It was hard to say goodbye.

Saturday we went to Salzburg! I also remember going here as a kid and it was great again! We definitely hit it on the right day b/c there was a really cool little sidewalk festival going on when we arrived. We parked the car inside a mountain (yea, I said INSIDE) which was really cool looking. We wandered around all afternoon and bought some fun little trinkets at the festival and listened to some fun folksy music a girl was singing outside one of the stores. We then had lunch in the oldest restaurant in Austria dating back to 803!!! It was so very very good. For dessert we had this thing called Salzsburger Nockerl. It was so amazing we even had the waiter take a picture of us with it!!!

Sunday morning we helped Robert get his sail boat out of the lake. We had a good time doing that and when we were done we got showered and dressed so we could head to Oktoberfest!!!! I can't even begin to describe how much fun it was! We arrived and walked around for a bit before it was time to go into our tent. I was able to get yummy candy coated almonds that I love and a pretzel, of course (I lost track of how many I actually had on our trip). We rode a few rides and then it was time to go into our tent. We actually had a table in one of the tents (which is really hard to get) b/c Robert's family has had a table for years and so in we went to our table and it was a hoot and a half. We sang and sang til our throats hurt. I think the funniest thing was the first song they played was "I'll have the time of my life" from Dirty Dancing - seriously funny. Most of the songs were German but you could almost sing along if you got into it. We had, once again, delicious food. I had spätzle for the third time this trip and it was yummy again!! We also ate tons of gigantic pretzels.

Our last day there we went to one of Germany's national parks. It is called Berchtesgaden and it was so beautiful. We were going to go up to the Eagle's Nest which is near to Berchtesgaden but we missed the last bus to the top. So we walked around the little town and had a great time. We stopped in a deli and ordered a yummy sandwich, we ate more pretzels and we bought more stuff for the kids and a preset from my parent for our anniversary. There was a manger scene that I wanted (my parents have the same one from when we lived in Germany, so it was special) and I found it on our last day!!!

We had a wonderful trip and we can't wait to go back. Next time we want to take the kids and show them around. I would love someday to be able to live there again. Time will tell.

May Lake Campout

2008-09-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

So once a year we go up into the high country for a company camp out at May Lake High Sierra Camp. Last year it was very very cold and I was not thrilled with the coldness. This year rocked! It was so much fun! We began our day on Saturday by driving an hour (it's amazing how big the park actually is) to the trail head where we parked and put on our small packs (most of our stuff gets packed in by mule - much better than having to carry it) and started the mile and a half hike into camp. It was a beautiful day and we had a great hike. The kids were excited when we got there to play with their friends for a bit while we grabbed our sack lunches, then we were off again on a small hike to Raisin Lake. Well, we got about half way there and the kids were really hungry and we ran into some friends who had just come from the Raisin Lake direction and we decided (after finding out there were some pretty steep switchbacks) to hang out and eat our lunch and save Raisin Lake for another day.

The high country is hands down my favorite place in the park. Miles and miles of beauty - it is endless. And you always feel like you are the only one in the world when you are up there. Simply amazing.

So after we returned from our pretty hike we all hung out by May Lake and played games and fished and watched the sun sneak behind Mount Hoffman. It was breathtaking. We enjoyed a most delicious supper of Steak and potatoes and asparagus and yummy chocolate cake for dessert. You know I figure if I have to go camping, I definitely prefer having delicious meals that are prepared for me.

After supper we all hung out by the campfire and our dear friend Emily led us in campfire songs and told a fun story about the area.

The next morning we were up early listening to the camp manager blow the conch shell that signals breakfast! Another super yummy meal, this time we had hot cereal and fruit and pancakes and bacon and warm bread and an omelet to die for...need I go on??

We then packed up our stuff to send down the mountain on the mules and we all gathered for a photo. After that we headed down the mountain to another wonderful day in Yosemite National Park!

Jack's class campout

2008-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

So, Jack's class of 10 (consisting of k, 1st and 2nd graders) went on a camp out last Thursday night! They had a really fun time. Jack's teacher's husband came and gave a fun campfire talk about animals and told a story. Parents went as well, and I volunteered Brian (big surprise, as I dislike camping). They read silly books and had a grand time goofing around in their little tent!

The next day they did some work for the park service and got a special park badge. Jack loves stuff like that. After they were finished, they hiked back to school. It was great!

Molly rides her bike - no training wheels!!!!!

2008-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well we hit a big milestone this past weekend...Molly learned to ride her bike with no training wheels. She did great. Then this week she started pre-school and rode her bike to school and back everyday. She loved being able to ride with Jack.

Today we went on a big bike ride with our friend Syd to visit her horses at the stables. Molly even saved a yummy apple core to feed Bart, her favorite horse. We have a had a great day.

Jack's 1st day of 2nd grade

2008-08-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally caught up...TODAY we dropped Jack off at school to begin second grade. He was very excited to see his room again and get back into the groove of things. So now Molly and I are at home (she starts after Labor Day). Not getting much done (well, updating the blog was pretty big). Molly misses Jack and all her friends that have gone back to school. Her best friends Carter will go back to school with Molly but he is not home today (sad for Molls).

By the way, Jack is holding up two fingers in every picture because he wanted to be sure everyone knew he is going into second grade. We had to talk him out of holding up a paper with a giant two on it (he was so afraid you people would not get it). Funny kid

Movie on the Meadow

2008-08-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night we had our first movie on the meadow. We all brought lawn chairs and blankets and a friend set up a screen and we all watched a movie. We decided to watch Enchanted for our first movie night...it was a big hit! Next week we are going to watch Star Wars (gee, I wonder who picked that). We have all decided that this was one of the coolest things we have come up with. As we watched the movie we also got to watch the full moon rise and then fall behind the mountains. It was magnificent!!!

Horseback riding

2008-08-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours, Sydney, has a horse that she keeps here in the park and she came by the house the other day to let the kids have a ride. Then she took Molly back to the stables on the horse. Molly was thrilled. Jack is all ready to take lessons! He is quite excited!

Jack and Molly go Rock Climbing

2008-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yipppeee!!! Jack and Molly got to go rock climbing about two weeks ago (you like how I am catching up to the present). They had such a good time! They both loved it and want to go again very very soon! We have a good friend who is a really good climber and he took all the kids out one Sunday afternoon. Down at the end of our meadow is a great place to give it a go and they did a great job.

Jack, of course, narrated the entire way up and the entire way back down. We think he would make a great TV climber's guide. He talked about where he was goin got put his hands and feet. He talked about what he could see once he got about the tree line. He talked about having a snack when he got back down and he was very excited to be able to see our house through the trees!

Molly at the opposite end of the spectrum, said not a single word the entire way up and down. What a pair the two of them make. Though once she got back to the bottom she talked all about wanting to do it again!

So the kids love it and as soon as everyone is back in school, Brian and I are goning to go have a day of climbing! So much fun!!

Brian's Half Dome hike

2008-08-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Brian and some friends hiked to the top of Half Dome. (I was wisely on the the Valley floor). He had a great time. It is a 17 mile round trip hike and actually Mary and I did the first part of the Half Dome hike when we hiked to the top of Nevada. That was plenty for me. Here are some pictures of Brian's day!

So when you get almost to the top there are these cables that you have to climb up in order to get to the top (this is where they would have lost me). There is usually a long line you have to wait in to even get to the cables as you can see in the picture.

The picture of Brian sitting is at the top and that little patch of green just next to his shoulder is the meadow we live on...pretty cool!

The picture with no people is of our little valley. That is it, small and wonderful!

Mary comes to visit

2008-08-20T08:57:00.001-07:00

My dear sweet cousin came to visit us next and we had a ball! She was so very organized and knew exactly what she wanted to do! It was great! I learned of so many things there is to do in the park that I had never heard of while Mary was here. She did so much stuff! We even had the meadow Luau the first day she was here! We had fun.

One day we took the kids up to the high country and went for a little hike up there - so beautiful (my favorite place in the park).

And we left the kids with a friend of mine another day and did a big hike up to the top of Nevada Fall. It was an awesome hike and we were quite tired that night!

The day I took Mary back to the airport (sad) we stopped to see an old friend from camp days that lives near the San Fran airport! (Thanks for everything Emily). We all can't wait to have Mary come back again very very soon!!!!

The Reagans visit

2008-08-20T08:26:00.001-07:00

So our friends came to visit over 4th of July ( I am aware that I am very very behind - sorry). We had such a good time. During fourth of July weekend we have an annual small car race called the Nob Hill 500. It was one of the most hysterical things I have ever seen! First there was a race for all the little car's the kids decorated and then the adults had a go. All the cars had names and Brian was the announcer which he really got in to. There were prizes and even trophies for different categories of decorations. Molly won for most enchanted car (hers was draped over the whole thing by a bright pink feather boa). She was very happy to have a trophy.

The rest of the week we did all sorts of fun stuff. Lots of hikes and a day rafting down the Merced. We also enjoyed some of the most delicious food ever cooked by Suzanne!!! (Thanks Suzanne, you rock!!)

We were very sad to see them go and so was everyone else. The Reagans were a hit in Yosemite! Miss you guys! Come back soon!

Fire and Power update

2008-08-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Just thought I would give you all an update as to how we are doing out here with the big fire. We have had no power since Sat and today is Friday. We got some yesterday due to a generator installed on our street but they now need it to power guest hotel rooms...so we are out of luck again. The kids and I had the wonderful experience of heading to a friends cabin about two hours from here where we spent the the last two days fishing and hiking and doing all the gazillion loads of laundry that had piled up not having power. We also got to take lovely hot showers which I will never take for granted again :-) Most of our food is alright so that is good, we have been doing lots of big grill outs and fire pit nights with the whole meadow - that has been a hoot!!! The other day Brian made yummy scrambled eggs and sausage and bagels on the grill and this weekend we are having a fondue party, so things are fun! I will update the blog again when we are back with power. Until then I hope you are all well and please keep the valley and all the dear people who lost their homes in your prayers! Love to you all!!!

Jackson's 7th Birthday Party

2008-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jack!!!

Jack turned 7 on June 23. We had a bunch of his friends over and had a water party, which was a hoot! They played water balloon games and played in a bounce house and the sprinkler. All in all I think a large time was had by all. Though I was definitely missing our dearest Beedi and her party skills. Instead of a cake this year, I made Rice Krispie Treats and piled them on a plater like a cake and everyone ate those...there were no leftovers and no messy cake business in the yard that the bears could find!!!

Nana and Papa visit

2008-07-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

So two weeks ago ( I know, I know, I am a bit behind) my parents came to visit and we had a great time. We went for many bike rides and hikes and played in the river! We hiked the Mist Trail which takes you to the top of Vernal Falls and it is absolutely beautiful - one of my favorite hikes. My dad did a great hike by himself up the 4 mile trail to Glacier Point then down the Panoramic trail. He loved it. My mom has decided to stay off the hiking trails and stick with biking and horseback riding.

While at the river one day, Jack thought it would be great fun to throw cups of water at Molly while I took a picture, and much to his surprise, she gave back a good dose of water from her cup. Ended up being a great picture!

We also had a great time one morning when Molly insisted that we play her Cinderella game from Aunt Sissy. So we played and to the amusement of us all, my dad won (oh the things you will do for a granddaughter)!! It was quite funny.

Palm Desert Vacation

2008-07-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well about two weeks ago we had a lovely family vacation to Palm Desert. It was very pretty, but so so hot (112 during the day). We spent our days at the pool until we could take the heat no longer and then we did fun inside stuff. One day we went to see the new Narnia movie that the kids were very excited to see, yeah, ok, we were just as excited :-) We decided we were very happy having moved to the nice cool mountains and left behind the sweltering heat of Florida. We hadn't realized before that we really did not miss the heat.

The last day we were there, we got to see Elmo and Telly and the Count. Kids were most definitely thrilled (well Molly was at the end anyway).

All in all we had a lovely and relaxing albeit very sweaty time in the desert, but what do you expect.

This last picture is Jack and Brian trying to get Molly over to talk to Elmo. It took her some time - she preferred the cardboard cutout of Zoe. A girl after her Aunt Sissy's heart I am sure!

Hike to Mirror Lake

2008-05-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we hiked up to Mirror Lake with the kids. It was an absolutely beautiful day. Mirror Lake is a cool lake because it is only a lake in the spring. It is a snow melt lake and so once the snow has all meted and drained off the mountains, it drys up. In fact last summer when my parents came to visit we hiked up there and walked back through the lake bed. It was cool.

We ate our lunch at the lake and watched all the beautiful things up there. The river is flowing like crazy now (also dried up the rest of the year). We took Izzy on our hike and she had a great time. She loved fetching sticks that we threw into the river.

On the walk back we went past the stables to say hi to friends that work there and Jack got a ride. He quite enjoyed himself.

Earth Day

2008-05-07T13:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Belated Earth Day

As you can imagine Earth Day is quite a big deal here in our beautiful valley. The weekend before we had a bunch of earth friendly vendors come and set up in front of the visitor's center. They gave out samples and we got to try all sorts of fun organic and earthy things. There was a children's tent and Jack and Molly made masks and got their faces painted. It was a really fun day. There were also many nature hikes and other such things to introduce people to the beauty of the park.

That night we walked up the base of the lower falls around 9pm hoping to see the moon bow coming off the falls. We saw a bit of it, but it was cold and so we left after about a half hour. Next year we have to be ready to stay later so we can really see the bow - supposed to be amazing!! On the walk up someone had made a whole bunch of rock ducks and it looked so cool. I tried to take a picture, but it was dark (you can kind of see some of them).

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

I know, I know long time, no blog. It has been nuts here. First of all we are gearing up for summer and the hordes of family and friends that are coming to visit (we are really excited)!!! Next we are coming up on our moving weekend and so I have been diligently packing - throwing things into boxes Prissy style. Then Jack had Cinco de Mayo to get ready for and the fact that they only have a month left in school is all very exciting!

So this Monday past was Cinco de Mayo and we had a cool celebration/fundraiser for school. The kids of the school performed for park guests in front of the visitor's center and we had yummy lunch while we watched. Jack's class sang a song called De Colores. It went over very well and he, of course, loved getting to sing to an audience.

Later that night we had the taco truck come to the valley and everyone was there. In fact the line was so long that a bunch of us decided to go have a cook-out on the meadow. It was fun!

Hike to the Top

2008-04-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Pictures of our Hike
Yesterday Brian took the day off, we put the kids in school and we headed on a hike to the top of Yosemite Falls (the longest waterfall in North America). It was a perfect day, the sun was shinning, not a cloud to be seen anywhere in the sky and the temperature was lovely. We had our trusty hiking shoes on, layers in our backpacks (just in case) and plenty of water. It is 3.5 miles from the trailhead to the top. The first hour we trekked along nicely with a few snack stops. The next 2 and half hours were a little more slow going because we kept stopping to take pictures. It was just so beautiful on the walk up we couldn't help it. Once we reached the top the sight was breathtaking. I mean it is like you are on top of the world, just gorgeous. We took pictures of the meadow that our house is on and one of Jack's playground at school. The kids thought that was pretty cool. I stayed safely away from the edge, but Brian ventured out a bit closer and saw the edge of the falls, which he said was really cool (I will take his word on that). We ate the lunch that we dragged all the way up there and had a lovely time. We also called Beedi from the top and took a picture, so it was like she as there with us without actually having to climb it (sounds good to me). So then we had to head back down. It took us three and half hours to get to the top and two hours to get back. Crazy. All in all a really really fun adventure. I feel very blessed that we get to live here and from the new house (a few houses down the meadow) we will be able to see Yosemite Falls from our bedroom window. How wonderful!!!

Hockey Night

2008-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we headed into Fresno for a Falcons game! We went with one of Jack's friends from school and his family. We had a great time! Along with enjoying the game, we also had some yummy cotton candy and some silly faces!!!

Early in the game we thought Molly might fall asleep, but there is nothing like a bit of cotton candy to pep a girl up!

Sadly we only stayed to the end of the second period b/c we had to drive all the way home (2.5 hours) and it was late and we were all quite tired. And of course poor Izzy was at home and needed to go out. So back we headed to our little valley.

Monterey Vacation

2008-03-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend we went to Monterey for a little family R&R. We stayed at Asilomar, which was lovely. It was so much fun. We did all sorts of things, but I think my favorite parts were watching the sunset over the pacific and seeing sea lions in the wild! It was amazing!!! They were just hanging around on the rocks in the bay. Quite a cool sight.

We also went to the Monterey aquarium. It was neat - there were lots of things for he kids to interact with, which they both loved. We all decided that our favorite part of the aquarium was the Jelly Fish exhibit. It was beautiful.

On Sunday we went to the MY (Monterey Youth) museum and let the kids play. It was so much fun. There were costumes to dress up in and a grocery store and a pizzeria, and all sorts of things that the kids could make believe with.

We had super one night at Bubba Gump's and it was so very very yummy! We all ate lots of yummy sea food on our trip!!!

Monday we went to Carmel by the Sea and walked around and looked at all the shops. This was my choice of activity - the kids were good about letting me have my thing since everything else we did was for them. We ate that day at a little pizzeria called Allegro's where the kids got to make their own pizza. They thought that was the best. And Jack commented on the fact that the family next to us was not making their own pizza, by saying "that is sad for them." I think he was right, b/c it was really fun!

We also went to this really cool playground/park called Dennis the Menace Park. We did that on Tuesday, the last day, before we drove home.

On the way home we stopped at this place called Casa de Frut. If any of you have ever driven south on I95 on the North Carolina/South Carolina border, then you know of South of the Border. This place was similar to that, but smaller and much cleaner and nicer! It was hysterical. Everything was Casa de "something". We laughed. It was a wonderful vacation and we are headed back there again sometime!

Happy Birthday to Molly

2008-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

While we were in Florida Molly had her 4th birthday! She is very happy to be 4 and has told us many times that she is a very big girl. So along with being home we also got to celebrate her birthday numerous times which makes her very happy as she loves to be the center of attention (sadly she gets that trait from both her parents - poor kids don't have a chance) :-) We first celebrated her birthday at Gigi and Boppa's (my grandparents). She got to have a sleepover with them and got to eat ice cream for breakfast (not a bad way to start the day as a 4 year old).

Next we celebrated at Uncle Joe and Aunt Janet's condo on the beach. It was so much fun. The kids spent the day playing in the pool and at the beach and then we had pizza (Molly's fav) and Cinderella cake (that is now 3 years in a row we have had Cinderella cake). But she enjoyed it as always, eating nothing but the frosting (again, apple does not fall far from the mother tree).

We then had a little birthday time at Grandpa Jim and Grandma Judy's. They had a card to give her and it had money in it for her birthday and I said that she loves cards. So Judy handed it to her and Molly said "Oh thanks Grandma, I hope its money". We all laughed so hard.

The next time we celebrated was at Beedi's house with Uncle Dan and Aunt Cindy - the kids are now calling Cindy "Aunt" now that she and Dan are engaged - yipppeeeee (we love you guys!!!) Deb made her delicious doll cakes and a crown cake. It was all so much fun!

We celebrated one more time with Daddy when we got home. Molly got this hysterical talking Barbie head from Aunt Jamie and Uncle Josh. She loves it so much and it makes us laugh really hard - you can sing karaoke with it and she does sing really loud and a bit off key, which makes us giggle.

Thank you all for making Molly's birthday so special. She had such a wonderful time at each party! Molly is always up for a party (unless it's in the morning) :-)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig...

2008-03-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, it has been a ridiculously long time since I have posted anything new. But the weekend after the Snow Ball the kids and I took a trip home to Florida! I found these super low fair flights out of Las Vegas (an 8 hour drive from here) and off we went. Brian was already in Florida at the time for a conference. So our paths crossed for a couple of days - it was fun! So we began our trip with the drive to Vegas which was really cool b/c the scenery changes so drastically from where we live down to the desert. The kids were totally fascinated with looking out the window! We arrived in Vegas around 8:30 at night and Jack immediately declared that "this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen!" I told him it was a god thing we were there at night b/c it is not all that great during the day. We were a bit early for our flight so we drove down the strip to see all the lights and hotels and whatnot. The kids were so funny. Molly said "are we in Paris?" (she saw the Eiffel tower) and then Jack saw the Sphinx and wanted to know if we were in Egypt. It was pretty funny. So then off we went on our red eye flight. We had some good sleeps on the plane and then woke up and headed off to see our dear Beedi waiting for us! The first night we were there we had a delicious and a most favorite thing - low country boil!!! It was a fabulous meal and so much fun to see all out pals! The rest of the trip seemed like a blur. My grandparents and Brian's parents did not know we were coming and so it was fun to surprise them. We spent lots of time hanging out at the pool and seeing our friends. We went to Disney and the Zoo and all in all had a most excellent trip!

The flight home was crazy bumpy. I mean so bad that the captain had to get on the speaker and say "if you are traveling with small children, please hold on to them." I was a mess - thank goodness the kids slept through all of this. We did finally land back in Las Vegas at 11pm and then we got in our car and headed home. Tired and exhausted but thrilled to be back in our little nest in the world. I do love it here and if it weren't for our friends, I would want to stay here forever!

Yosemite Winter Club Snow Ball

2008-02-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the Yosemite Winter Club had it's annual Snow Ball at the Wawona Hotel (which Brian and I think looks like a quainter version of the main hotel from Dirty Dancing). Anyway, we had such a good time. Almost all of our friends belong to Winter Club so we had quite the evening. We ate a wonderful meal and then danced the night away. I even learned to swing dance a bit from a friend of ours. It was a hoot!

It snowed while we were eating dinner and then while we were dancing and then later around midnightish it was still snowing - very beautiful we all thought. The next morning when we woke up, we found out that the road mountain road that takes us home was closed. In fact all the roads into the valley at that point were closed. So we called our very sweet 16 year old babysitter and told her we would be home later than expected. They finally opened one of the other roads and we had to drive all the way around (3 hours) to get back. It was fun and we knew the kids were having fun as well. Jordin (our sitter) had taken the kids outside to play in the ridiculously deep snow.

All in all we had an absolutely wonderful time. I got to wear my beautiful red dress from my bestest friend's wedding, again - Thank you Manda for your wonderful taste!!! What a great time!!!

This is one of buildings from the Wawona where we stayed.

A Visit from Aunt Sissy

2008-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Well my sister came to visit us here in the cold land of Northern California and we had a wonderful time. It was quite an eventful week. She arrived (3 hours late) into San Francisco Airport at 12:15am. I had driven the 4.5 hours to get her and then we turned around and drove home. We arrived back at our house at 6 in the morning. I don't think I have ever been so tired. We said a quick good morning to Jack and Brian (Molly had been with us) and then headed to nap land. A few hours later we awoke and set off thru the snow to get Jack from school. He was so very excited to see her!!! The next day was Jack's Ski day at school, so Sara and I became instructors for the day and worked with Jack and his good friend BJ. We had a great time, and it snowed the whole day!

While she was here we also got a babysitter and took Sara to Chef's Holidays at the Ahwahnee. It was a fabulous 5 course meal and lots of fun!! We really had a great time!

We took many little hikes and saw all the shops there are to see here in the valley and all in all had a wonderful time. We went back up to Badger on Saturday and the Sunday had a delicious Sunday brunch back at the Ahwahnee. After that we chilled out until Sunday night when I had to take Sissy back to the airport. It was sad. Both kids had to come with me as Brian was in Fresno over night for a meeting. Jack cried his eyes out when we dropped Sissy off (as he always does when she leaves). We all miss her and can't wait till she returns this summer!!!

Okay, I have to explain this picture to the left, where Jack looks like he has had some terrible fashion explosion. They had "Funky Friday" at school the week Sissy was here and he wanted her to take his picture dressed all wacky.

Our drive home from the airport turned fun as well - we almost had to stay in a hotel. It was snowing like crazy. But we pressed on and got home safe and sound.

God's Beautiful Creation

2008-01-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

It has been so beautiful here lately, hard to imagine it could get more so every day, but it seems to. I had to put in some of the pictures we have taken around the valley. Miss everyone so much, but do you see what you are missing by not coming to visit!!! My sister is coming on Monday - we can't wait.

Fresno Falcons come to the Park

2008-01-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our "local" (two hours away) hockey team came to the park the other night and the kids got to skate with them. They are the Fresno Falcons and their Mascot is Freddie Falcon. It was really cool. Jack had such a good time. He really wants to play, I think next year he will. (In the group picture Jack is all the way to the right, behind the kid in an orange jacket) They also had lots of fun giveaways and then they signed autographs. At first Jack asked me what an autograph was and why should he have one. So after I explained, I sent him through the line with his friends. When he was done, he came running back to me and said mom, quick, give me my puck, they can sign those too (I guess he got the whole autograph thing).

At that point Molly decided she would like to have whatever it was that seemed so cool, and off she went armed with her puck and a smile. She would not get to close to them and she would definitely not talk to the players, but good old Jack did enough talking for everyone in the park. In the end it was a good time had by all! Brian will be sad he missed the event. But I think Jack would like to go to a game, and I would love it, so we will have to do that before the season is up.

Molly is wearing "The Golden Jacket". That is what she calls it and I think it's funny - had to share.

Snowman

2008-01-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Yea!! We finally had perfect snow for a snow man on January 5th. The four of us went out into the meadow with Izzy (who loves the snow) and made snow angels and played for quite some time. Then we made a great snowman and since we can't use any food or all the crazy animals that live in the park will eat it, we had to use things like leafs and sticks for eyes and whatnot. It was really fun.

Jack also made a little snow sculpture (he called it) in our yard. Molly just had fun playing in the snow! It looks like it is almost dark in the pictures, and it is certainly getting close. We are getting used to it getting dark early and settling in and playing games inside. We have all become quite the game players.

And here is a picture of our house with its little lights and snow on it. Thought I would show you b/c we are moving to a bigger house in a few weeks, so this will no longer be our home - sad. It will be nice to have more room though! In the new house we will have a nice guest room, so come and visit!!

The Chair Lift

2008-01-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

Both kids made it up the chair lift this week on their fourth day skiing, ever!!! They graduated from the baby hill and headed on over to the lift! It was very exciting to watch!! They loved it and both did really really well. Molly told she thought it was like flying and she said she thought maybe she was a bird - too cute! Jack has become a speed demon coming down the hill. I have a few pictures from Jack's school ski day on Wednesday.

Brian and I took the day as well and went up to join the school. Brian convinced me to try snowboarding - not a good idea. It was awful. Brian was very good at it, and I have decided once and for all that I do not like my feet stuck together on the same board like that. Also, I am thinking that it is a sport more suited toward men as the boots are not all that attractive and they make you look like you have kankles. But I did give it a go with the help of my nice instructor from Argentina. I think I would be dead if it were not for him. I got the hang of it, but I just really like the gracefulness of skiing. The next thing we are doing is cross country and snowshoeing. We figure, we are here, so we might as well try it all and enjoy it, otherwise, what's the point.

Okay, that is all for today. I am all chatty today - Brian is in New Hampshire for the week on a business trip, though he did call me this morning to tell me they were going snowboarding (nice business trip - maybe someone could send me :-) We miss him quite a bit, but are very busy this week and he will be back late Thursday night.

Here is a little video of Jack going down the big hill for the first time.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

2008, Wow, where in the world did 2007 go? I have no idea. It was big year for us though. A new job and a giant week long trek across the country to move to California!!! We feel truly blessed! I mean, How can you not when you live in a place as beautiful as Yosemite. It is breathtaking!!!

We spent New Year's Eve at the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. It was a hoot and half. They had a kids New Year's party and I called Sara in the middle of it and told her that is was like being at a really fun club, with the music and all, but it was full of kids. It was the most hysterical thing I have ever seen. Brian and I just kept laughing. It really was a lot of fun. There were prizes and hats and crowns, balloon animals and swords and at the end (9pm-our NY time) a balloon drop to top it all off.

I told Brian that I think I have found the perfect place for me...A place where I can stay up to see the Times Square ball drop and still be in bed by 10!! Now that is perfection!!!! :-)

Yosemite Anthem

2008-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

So this was a possible ad for Yosemite. Yep, that is our family in one of the shots (Jack up close and Brian, Molly and I in the background) and then one of just me up at Taft Point. It was so pretty when we were up there for the shoot.

Christmas

2007-12-30T10:04:00.000-08:00

The night before Christmas, we went to a friends "little" Christmas party were Santa showed up with a giant sack filled with toys for everyone there, with their names on each toy. It was quite impressive. I commented to Jack that it seemed pretty cool that Santa had a gift with his name on it and he looked at me (like I was crazy) and said, " Momma, it's Santa, of course he knows my name." Silly me. After we went home we read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and the kids put out cookies and soy milk for Santa (Brian told the kids that Santa has really taken a liking to soy milk lately). So off they went to bed as fast as I have ever seen - we told them Santa only comes when kids are sleeping. They were asleep within minutes. Too bad Santa can't come every night.

We had a wonderful Christmas together! We were by ourselves this year as we are in the middle of a beautiful nowhere. Friends and family were missed, but we had a lovely day in our cozy home. The kids did not get up until 8, which was nice and then we spent most of the day opening a gazillion presents and playing with each in between the opening. It was quite a day. We had some delicious cinnamon buns made by a good friend of ours. And then ate a delicious meal prepared by yours truly. It was pretty yummy, if I do say so myself!!!

I must say that my biggest sadness of this Christmas was not having our annual Christmas Story Party with our dearest friends. Brian and I watched it together and had in on in the background most of the day, but it was not the same with out Grandpa Ralph and his little figurines and Uncle Dan and Cindy and Beedi and Grandma Polly, the Spinales and the Henn clan. Jack got this cool Joke telling thing for Christmas and is quite enthralled with it, above is one of his new Jokes. Molly doesn't quite have the hang of the joke telling, but she is not afraid to give it a whirl.

At the end of the day we started to wind down and chill out after the days big events. The kids began singing for the camera and it made me laugh, so I thought I would share with all.

Jack learned at school this year about all different ways people celebrate around this season, including Kwanzaa, Jewish, and Christian traditions. It was pretty cool. And being like his grandpa Jim, he LOVES languages!

Okay, this last little song is Molly singing Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. Molly is very into reindeer right now. She either pretends to be one or pretends that the deer in our meadow are reindeer. It is cute!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have an excellent New Year.

The Kids 1st Ski Day

2007-12-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

We took the kids skiing for the first time on Saturday! It was a perfect day, the sun was out and it was in the mid 40's. Perfect day to learn to ski. The kids bundled up in their new ski suits and hats, sunglasses and skis and made their way to their lesson. They both loved it! By the second day, they had both moved up to the second kiddie hill and Jack was learning how to stop (comes in handy at times) and Molly was busy learning how to turn. What a thrill to see them up there learning one of my all time favorite activities. Their lessons were two hours which gave Brian and I a nice chunk of time to do some skiing of our own on the big hills! It was fabulous!!!

I had to stick in this picture (left) of Half Dome with snow that Brian took. Isn't it beautiful!!! Also the picture to the right is of our drive through the crazy snow to get up to Badger Pass (ski area). It was so pretty up there.

Winter Program at Yosemite Valley School

2007-12-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

Jack had his winter program last Thursday night! It was so cute. His class of K, 1st and 2nd graders were all penguins. They sang a cute penguin song and we all had a great time. Molly liked watching Jack on stage.

Bracebridge

2007-12-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

Brian and I got to go to the Bracebridge dinner last night and it was absolutely amazing!! It consists of a seven course delicious meal and professional opera singers singing incredible songs and some Christmas carols. And all the performers are dressed in period clothing and your backdrop for all of this is the main dining room at the Ahwahnee hotel. It was beautiful. I was brought to tears and a few occasions during the evening. In the two pictures, Brian and I are standing in front of the official Bracebridge Christmas tree.

That was my take on the festivities, but here is what the Yosemite website has to say about the event...

"Celebrated annually since 1927, the Bracebridge Dinner transforms The Ahwahnee into a 17th century English manor for a feast of food, song and mirth. The inspiration for this yuletide ceremony was Washington Irving's Sketch Book that described Squire Bracebridge and English Christmas traditions of that period.
The Bracebridge Dinner is an elegant and artistic four-hour pageant of classic carols, Renaissance rituals and entertainment of the Middle Ages. Over 100 players create the roles of the Squire and his family, their servants, the Lord of Misrule, minstrels and other performers. The Ahwahnee Dining Room serves as the Great Hall and stage for the festivities and is decked with magnificent wreaths, an elaborate Squire's table, large banners and traditional Yuletide decorations. The centerpiece of this revered event is a seven-course banquet of rich and wondrous dishes prepared by The Ahwahnee’s world-class culinary staff."

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful...

2007-12-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well, it is not really frightful, it is actually gorgeous here. Still amazes me what an absolutely beautiful place we get to live in. It snowed for the first time this morning. The kids were so excited I practically had to hold them down and help the get dressed before they ran out in their pj's. They kept saying that it was Christmas (b/c the only time they have seen snow is when we are at my parents for Christmas). So this is all new and they are loving it. I must say that I too am thrown back into a childhood wonder of the first snow. It is all so new and perfect and beautiful. God never ceases to amaze.

Well the three of us (Brian is out of town) were so excited by the snow that we decided to walk to school in it. It was fabulous!!! Jack yelled the entire way there about all the things he saw that he just couldn't believe were covered in snow ("LOOK THE CROSSWALK HAS SNOW ON IT", "AND LOOK, THE TREES HAVE SNOW" etc). About half way to school (school is about a mile away) Jack says, "I am sorry I am being so loud, but I am so excited about the snow and it is more beautiful than I ever imagined". Okay, so he will never stop making me laugh by the big thoughts that come to his little head.

These are some pictures from this morning in our backyard before we left for school. Jack wanted to get a picture of Half Dome, but it had disappeared into the clouds.

Molly's 1st Haircut!!

2007-11-29T10:49:00.001-08:00

After the wedding was over, Molly had her first haircut.

It is so cute!

Molly at Chuck E Cheese with her new haircut!

A Beautiful Wedding!!

2007-11-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

We got beck from New York on Friday after an exhausting yet absolutely wonderful week. My dear brother got married on Sat November 17 to my new (and only) (Okay, I have to put in here a little note about the "only"sister in law line. I actually have another sister in law that I have had for almost ten years. Yet, I don't think of her as my sister in law, I think of her more as a sister. So, my dear Steph, I love you to pieces and I did not forget about you. And a thank you to Lori for pointing out to me that Jamie is not my only sister in law - I am a bit of a nut. Love you all!!!) wonderful sister in law Jamie!!! So very happy for them! It was a beautiful wedding. She was glowing and they both looked so happy!!!! And our two little munchkins walked themselves down the aisle with a grace and poise I did not know they possessed. As our friend Amanda said, it was definitely a proud parent moment!!! They did great! Molly was soo excited about wearing her beautiful dress and having her hair all done up like a princess. And Jack was beside himself with pride that he got to walk my mom down the aisle with Brian and then walk Molly down while carrying the rings! It was great!

Their wedding colors were beautiful fall colors and our dresses were a dark brown, very very pretty! I must say we made quite a pretty wedding party!! :-)

Mr and Mrs Josh Rosales!!!! This is the happy couple in the limo heading to the reception.

Okay, so this is actually pretty funny. When my brother was little he used to sing this song to my mom all the time and so he picked it for his Mother/Son Dance. It was very sweet, yet much to both their surprise, it was much much longer than they remembered and this video is shot toward the end of a very long dance when Josh has begun to improvise a bit on the floor. Look close and you will see Jamie laughing hysterically in the background at one of the tables. Love you guys!!

The Earthquake

2007-11-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Well, in all the craziness surrounding Halloween I forgot to tell you that we had our first baby earthquake last week. It was weird. Brian was at dinner with a client and I was home with the kiddos (who were sleeping) and the house shook, just for a second. I mean it was so quick, that I thought maybe I had just imagined it. I looked up and the blinds were still moving back and forth like the wind was blowing inside. So so weird. So, being from Florida, I know exactly what to do in a hurricane, but not a clue what I should do in an earthquake, so I went online to learn. Turns out there is not all that much to do, you stay inside and away from doors and windows (much the same as in a hurricane). But that was all we felt and the night moved on. Brian and his clients felt it at dinner as well. We checked it out and it was located near San Jose. After we talked to some of our friends that have been here for a while, they said that is as big a movement as we ever get here (very consoling for the me). So we are quite glad that is all we get!

Check out the link for info...
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/5.6_earthquake_strikes_California

Halloween!!!

2007-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello to all. Halloween here is a blast. Better than any place I have ever been! We had such a fun day yesterday!!!!! Molly and I trick-o-treated 3 times. At 10 am Molly (Cinderella) and I (Cinderella's mouse friend) went with her preschool to all the offices in the park (National Park Service, Delaware North, etc) and everyone had decorated their offices like one would decorate a house. It was a hoot. Then Jack's whole school (30 kids) went to all the offices at 1pm and Molly and I went with them. Then last night all four of us went with a bunch of our friends and their kiddos to all the houses. It really was a great time!! I love Halloween! Here are some pictures of our day and of the cutie Halloween cookies I made to give out.

You can click on the pictures to see them bigger!!

GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

WORLD CHAMPS!!!
Pretty darn cool! What a great series! What a team!!

I will be writing in red today in honor of the Sox!

Now that the Series is over, we have moved into high gear for Halloween. Molly and I are busy today making Halloween cookies to give out Wednesday night and Jack is quite busy flip flopping what he wants to be. One minute it is a pirate (big draw this year) the next it is a super hero and then out of the blue this morning he said he would like to be a leaf. So who knows. Molly is going to be Tinkerbell again for trick or treating but she wants to wear her Cinderella costume for her school parade. Brian and I haven't decided yet what we will be, so you will have to wait and see the pictures Thursday morning.

The picture above is a plate of baseball cookies I made for one of the games! (they weren't hard, just tedious) Love you Beedi

Jack, The Singing Sensation

2007-10-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is a little video of Jack singing some songs that he wants to sing for his sharing day at school on Friday. He has been practicing all week and he is very excited! I am not sure where he learned the first one, but the second one he made up and the third is obviously the ABC song. I told him yesterday that I would tape him singing so everyone could see him and he said "Um, how about if we call ABC World News and have them come and tape me". Seriously, I could barely keep a straight face. A little shot on the news and suddenly he is a star with demands. Makes me giggle!!

Yosemite Facelift - Jack, the Big Star!

2007-10-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3704872&affil=wsyr

Check out this link! It is Jack on ABC World News from last night (October 8). We just had Yosemite Facelift and Jackson and his school were a part of it. WE got to help clean up the park that we now get to call home! It was neat. Jack thought it was really cool to see himself on tv. He said to us after we watched it "Wow, I was GREAT, I am a star!" I was there when they were taping the segment and it was really fun. If you look closely you can see Molly in the background wearing a hot pink sweatshirt.

We miss everyone terribly! Can't wait to have some visitors out here soon!!!

2007-09-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am so very sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. It has been very busy here. My parents came and were here for a week and we had a great time. We went hiking and biking all over the place and went to the high sierra country and saw amazing views from up there. Then Beedi came the following week for a long weekend trip and we had another great time. We actually went camping (which I don't really love) at May Lake one of the the High Sierra camps with friends from work and it was very very cold. Brian hiked up from our camp with a group of people to the top of Mt Hoffman. The picture he took are amazing and I will post some soon (I have to go get Jack from school).

So now we are settling back into our routine and doing quite well. Molly has started preschool and she loves it. All her friends from along our meadow go to school with her and so she thinks it is wonderful. Today she made donuts and last week they made carrot cake (carrots being one of Molly's favorite things, she was quite pleased with the whole thing).

Brian and I are celebrating our 9th anniversary today!!! So, Yeah for us!!

We miss everyone, but we are making some great new friends! Hope everyone is well!

A Nice Visit

2007-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

We had a great time with my parents. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. My dad became Mr. hiking man while he was here. It was nuts. We did all the crazy little touristy things there are to do here and it was a blast. I learned a lot about the park that I didn't know before. We also went out to dinner a lot and that is always nice. The picture is of us at the Awahnee Hotel right before we ate.

We hiked in one day to see the Sequoia Trees. They were amazing. Then we went up to Glacier point where you can see our meadow and our house (if you squint and know where to look) :-)

All in all a very nice time. We drove them back to San Fransisco on Sat and spent the afternoon there. We saw the trolley cars - which my very dear sister in law to be calls "Rice a Roni Trolleys" (I am calling them that now to b/c I think that is the greatest name ever!!)

2007-08-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Things continue to go well. Jack is now in his second week of school and is still enjoying it. Molly still misses him, but the two of us are keeping busy. I am one of three parents on the school's committee to decide what the curriculum will be and what changes need to be made from last year. It is good. Molly and I will be going to a co-op preschool about 45 min from here staring in September. And I think she is going to start Kumon like Jack did back in the day. Brian is working hard, but still has such a nice amount of time at home. We are all busy beavers.

This is a a picture I took of Half Dome from our front porch. Every morning Brian and the kids say good morning to Half Dome, Glacier Point and the Royal Arches. Those are the three granite walls we can see from our house.

This week we have been working on getting pictures hung up in the house and everything put away. My parents are going to be here for a week arriving on Friday. The kids are very excited to see them and to see Izzy (our dog) who has been visiting my parents while we moved across the country.

Pilates starts tonight for me, so that will be lots of fun! I can't wait. Molly and I have been bike riding in the mornings after we drop Jack off at school. I also have found the Race For the Cure, which I have done in Orlando the past few years, is in Fresno too!!! I am very excited about running again (took a break over the summer in Orlando - to darn hot) :-)

Brian and Jack have been working on some bike riding lessons and it is going very well. Molly just likes to run behind them yelling instructions at Jack. The whole thing is pretty funny!

1st day of 1st grade at Yosemite Valley School

2007-08-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Jack had his first day of 1st grade yesterday and he loved it. He is going to the Yosemite Valley school and it has only three classes. He is in the first class that has the kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. He had a great time and met lots of nice friends. There are about 13 kids in his entire class. He is having a hoot. He was very excited to go back again today! Tomorrow (they have half days on Thursdays) they are going for a walk at lunch time down to one of the meadows here to have lunch. He was talking about that all last night and all morning today - can't wait!!

Molly missed him yesterday and was a bit sad this morning when she finally woke up (she is not much of a morning person - similar to Aunt Sissy and Beedi) to find that he was already gone. But she is now having some breakfast and watching the Backyardigans, so she is content for now.

Jack was telling us last night at supper that he loves Florida and Brian looked at Molly and she said, "I just love Pizza". So that kinda sums up Molly's thoughts on the state of things. As long as there is pizza she will be happy enough.

We Have Arrived

2007-08-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! We are here in Yosemite at last! We have been here for about two weeks now and we are all having a great time! Our first weekend we walked down to the river (The Merced) and let the kids throw rocks, it was a lot of fun!

Since then we have done lots of bike riding (b/c that is the best way around) and lots of hiking. The kids have really gotten into it. Jack got some new hiking shoes and thinks himself a rock climber now. And Molly has Jack's Timberland boots and has declared herself the Mountain Princess. So we are enjoying ourselves quite a bit.

I feel like I am at summer camp every day. It's great. We have met lots of really nice people and we are excited to see and do all there is for us to do. We miss you all so much. We were actually doing alright, hadn't cried to much and then last night Bri and I were watching tv and the Launch Experience commercial came on (for those of you who don't know, Brian worked at Kennedy Space Center for 10 years before we came to Yosemite). We both looked at each other and we couldn't believe how homesick that commercial made us. Sad for us. We truly do miss you all and can't wait for you to come visit!!

On Our Way...

2007-08-04T15:50:00.001-07:00

Well, we are officially moved out of the house. It was sad to leave it and very hard to say goodbye to all our dear family and friends. We had an amazing going away party with our dear friends, and that was super hard, but we thank them all for being the best friends ever!!! Chris Henn, so sorry it has taken me so long to update, but thanks for checking :-)

We are on the road now and we spent our first sad night away from Florida in our second home in Etowah TN at our adopted parents. Thank you Ralph and Polly for your gracious hospitality and the most delicious food in all the world!!!! Fried Green Tomatoes ROCK!!!!!!

Today we are in Kansas visiting cousins! It has been a hoot- many laughs had by all. We will be spending one more night here and the tomorrow we are off to the Kansas Cosmosphere. After that the road is open before us with many options.

I will try to keep you all updated. I am sorry there are no pictures this time. We have taken quite a few, but have not had time to upload them yet. As soon as we do I will post them! Take care! We love you all!

Brian's First Few Days

2007-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well. Today is Brian's first day at his new job. He flew out sat morning and went to church yesterday at our new little valley church. Brian said it was wonderful!! Isn't it the most beautiful little church in all the world!! I think it is so cute!

The kids and I continue to get the house ready and get Molly fully recovered. She had a rough weekend, but seems to be doing better now.

Talk to you all soon!

Goodbye Kennedy Space Center

2007-07-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well, last Friday night we had a very fun but sad goodbye party from our wonderful KSC family. We had some great poems and songs about Brian's 10 years at the Space Center. It was definitely Brianfest 2007. It was hard to say goodbye and everyone will be missed. Thank you to all our dear friends at KSCVC!!

So the next week, Tuesday July 3, little Molly had to have her tonsils and adenoids out b/c she has sleep apnia. We had to be at the hospital at 7am and she was a very brave little soldier. I think it was harder on us than her! But she did amazing!! Brian and I stayed all day in the hospital with her and then Brian went home and I stayed overnight. She was released in the morning after a breakfast of pancakes on Wednesday (July4th). We had a quite day, but Molly was up running around a chasing Jack most of the day. So we are quite glad that is all over. And no more snoring and stopping her breathing :-)

Quite the week. Brian leaves tomorrow morning at 6am (Thanks to Uncle Dan who is taking him to the airport at 3:30). He will be out in Yosemite for 2-3 weeks. Then he will return for us. These next three weeks will be very busy here at home. Jack will have a friend from school and his little brother to play with next week. And we will be getting everything ready to head out.

Talk soon!

2007-06-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

Okay, the people in the picture of the house are Brian and the housing lady from Yosemite. The actual address of the house is H-115, 9033 Tecoya Road, Yosemite, CA 95389, but if anyone would like to send us snail mail you have to send it to the PO Box they gave us which is PO Box 805, Yosemite, CA 95389.

I have a link here for you all to see. This link is the view form our front porch, it is a live webcam of Half Dome.
http://www.yosemite.org/vryos/AhwahneeMeadowCam.htm
Not a bad view to wake up to!! :-)

Now if you come to visit, the picture in the corner is what you will see as you drive in. It is called tunnel view. It is beautiful.

WE ARE MOVING!!!!

2007-06-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I realize that some of you already know this but we are moving to Yosemite National Park at the end of July. Brian will be the Director of Marketing for the Park. My dearest and best friend (Amanda K) just moved to Singapore and created a moving blog to keep us all updated! I thought that was a great idea, so I am doing the same. Check back whenever you would like, I will try to keep it updated.

We are all very excited to get out there, but we do have some things to do in the meantime. The moving van man comes today to help us figure out what size truck we will need. Then we have ot figure out what goes into storage and what will come with us. Our house is a bit smaller than we have now, but very cute and you can't beat the view!! I will get a view picture soon.

So, I hope you are all getting ready to come visit us! Talk soon!