Snow!

During our camping trip to Lee Vining (see post below), we drove up to about 8000 feet (only took 5 minutes or so) so the kids could experience some snow. We estimated that we were standing on about 4 feet of the white stuff. It was gorgeous and the kids had fun making snow angels, throwing snowballs, and sampling some of the white, not yellow, stuff. We didn't make a snowman, and I am kind of bummed about that. I will have to add that to my list of things to do when we return next year. Yay! Yay! Yay! I am already looking forward to next year!

This is Madeline with her friend Elliot. He was camping next to us, and these two made friends immediately and could not be separated. So, we brought him up to the snow with us. I was really really thankful to have his family camping near us since he and Madeline had so much fun together.

Camping!

Friday morning we filled our van to the brim with our tent, sleeping bags, a cooler full of beer, 2 kids, and a dog, and headed about 5 hours north for a Memorial Day weekend camping trip. We joined Grandpa Dean, Granny Mel, Aunt Jessie, Uncle Adam, and cousins Emmet and Sawyer in Lee Vining, a small town just outside of Yosemite where Aunt Jessie does field work every spring.

This is the gorgeous view from our campsite. We camped at about 7000 feet along a babbling creek. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. The days were warm, and the nights were cold. By cold, I mean it was 22 degrees when we woke up Saturday morning. Luckily, Kent and I invested in some cold weather sleeping bags just for the trip.

To say we had a fantastic time, would be a complete understatement. This weekend was one of the best I have had in years. Hanging out with family, roasting marshmallows, and sitting around a campfire without any access to telephones or the internet was awesome.

We did not bring any toys, and the kids were almost completely entertained by the things nature had to offer (to be honest, the kids did have fun playing in the grandparent's camper and with Emmet's cars and dinosaurs).

Here Madeline is playing a super safe game that she observed the adults playing the night before. The goal is to make your opponent lose his balance and topple off his log.

The kids also built several skunk traps. They were very creatively engineered.

Here is a picture of our whole group on our last day. Although it is nice to be home and showered, I am already looking forward to next year.

Look Who We Found!

Wednesday evening we headed east, and look who we found in Claremont? We saw Sawyer, our new cousin, and his mama, Aunt Jessie!!!! The girls were smitten with him right away. Madeline wanted to hold him and play with him. She will make a wonderful and energetic babysitter in about six years. Saaaweet.