Beautiful Yosemite

We had a great weekend in Yosemite with mom and the Ostergar's. Here are some highlights in pictures...hold on to your hats.


Here Abbie is enjoying the spray off of Yosemite Falls. It's the 5th tallest waterfall in the world and very beautiful. By the way, we could see it from our super cool camp site. The top of Vernal Falls. We (all of us) hiked up to the top of these falls to enjoy the spectacular views. It was definitely worth the 25 mile hike (or at least it felt like 25 miles at times). We all got a bit wet on the way up.

My sister Cathy with two of her kids, Julia and Adam, at the top of Vernal Falls. Here's my bunch at the half way point of the hike.

ahhh, so pretty.

Abbie and Emma, along with cousin Ruthie, fished in the river next to our super cool camp site whenever they got a chance.

View from our super cool camp site--have I mentioned yet that our camp site was the best spot in the valley?

Grandma, Mark and Ostergar cousins stoking up the campfire.Matthew and cousin Adam doing some fishing.Thanks Ostergars for inviting us to tag along on this wonderful weekend. It had been about twenty years since I had been to Yosemite, and it won't take another 20 to get us back. The kids are already planning our next visit!

National Parks

This weekend we spent a few days enjoying the beautiful National Parks of California. We started off in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and ended up in Yosemite. We all enjoyed a little snow time in May!

Mark jumped out of the car to take a picture of this beautiful deer eating on the side of the mountain. This peaceful picture was taken just seconds before Mark returned to the car only to see it slip out on gear and start rolling down the hill. No, not kidding. Mark jumped into the car and saved us from certain death just in time.

Yep, here it is folks, the LARGEST tree in the world (largest and tallest are not the same).

Ahhhh, Yosemite in the spring. The view you get upon reaching the end of the Yosemite tunnel is breathtaking.

Let's Hear it for THE BOYS!

When I was pregnant for the third time many people would say, "I'll bet your hoping for a BOY this time!" Mark would always reply, "We love our girls. We don't care what we have." He was convincing and I believed him. The day of our ultrasound came around. We were both really excited to learn about the baby. Would the baby be healthy, have all it's fingers and toes?? Would it be a BOY or a GIRL. Mark was still insistant that he didn't care--and of course he would have been thrilled to have another daughter, but when the technician announced that we were having a boy and Mark JUMPED out of his seat and cheered. I think his reaction even took him by surprise.

He was stoked!! Beyond stoked.

So, today marks one of those occassions that brings that day to mind. Yep, it's the Father's and Son's camp out. Mark is taking Matthew, of course. Matthew is 2 1/2. Both are super excited. Mark, as an adult is able to contain his enthusiasm, but Matthew keeps talking about going camping with just dad, eating marshmallows, and having none of the girls in the family around. Mark's probably excited about the same things.

So here's to my boys! Have great time tonight, eat all the marshmallows you can, sing camp songs until your throats get dry, enjoy playing at the beach, and above all TRY and get some sleep.

The girls and I are going to a movie!

Tickle Monster

A few weeks ago I went on an annual retreat with some of my dearest friends. I love the feeling I have when we are all together. We share ideas to help us a mothers, we talk about how to strengthen our families, we reminisce (we have known each other since 1992--a few of us even longer), we eat out, we eat junk, we talk all night... you get the idea. We also always have a gift exchange. This year one of the gals brought this book, Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett. It was a hot item, and switched hands a couple of times. I didn't get it. But fortunately one of my girlfriends found it online for a screaming deal and I picked up the "laughter kit" for my family when I got home. Here are the results of last night's unveiling the book---AND MITS! Tickle Monster is a cute little story of a monster that comes from outer space who loves to TICKLE everything from toesies and nosies to underarm pitties! Emma wasn't so sure about being tickled, so she made sure to keep the tickle monster in line by lightly BITING ME! Anytime the mits got too close, she let me have it! Matthew and Abbie loved it!

All in all, it is a great book. I love how the mits transformed me into a silly tickle monster. The kids loved that too. Even Emma came around later that night and asked me to read the book to her again...this time without any bite marks!!

Spring Break in Utah

During our first week of spring break we hit the road for a fun filled trip to Utah. We really enjoyed the time we spend with our family there and also loved (kind of) the snowy weather. Here are a few highlights from our week. We enjoyed a couple of days of skiing. Good job Emma on your first time skiing!

Our kids probably enjoyed the day on Boots and Jean's farm in Heber the most of all of our activites this week. Our host Jean gave Abbie her first driving lesson. All the kids got in on the horse brushing action.

Emma loved exploring the hayloft... when she wasn't collecting eggs, caring for cats, playing with bunnies, brushing goats, and riding horses and donkeys.

Riding in the Model A Ford with Grandma and Grandpa was a hoot.

Emma could get used to farm life.

Abbie took Matthew out for his first ride on a horse.

As a little side trip, we hit the Valley of Fire outside of Las Vegas for some Petroglyph hunting. We found tons on a small mile hike that we took. We like to break up the long drive to Utah by seeing some of the sights along the way.

Zonked

I just had to take a picture for posterity's sake. Matthew is taking his afternoon nap. There is nothing special about that, he has taken a three hour afternoon nap since he was a small baby. But, he is sleeping in a BIG BOY BED for the first time!!! Way to go Matthew!! My little guy is growing up. **sniff**

Festive...

Or totally disgusting??? This morning that pesky leprechaun had a little bit o'fun at my family's expense. The cushions on our couch were all in disarray, the milk was green, etc. He also turned our hashbrowns greenish. I thought it was kind of cute--that silly little guy, but not everyone in my family had the same feeling about the matter. Delicious hashbrowned potatoes, cooked in a combination of butter and olive oil, lightly salted and covered in a sprinkling of paprika , pepper and a little green magic.

Matthew chose to focus on the bucket full o'treats rather than even try any of his breakfast.

Emma began eating her's until she finally stopped and said that she just couldn't eat any more because "they SICK ME OUT!!!"

*

Better luck next time Mr. Leprechaun.

Some of my Favorites

The weekend has been busy. With the kids home from school, a Valentine's Party for an excited group of girls, Disneyland, family in town, and the beach to keep me from home, today I have been trying to catch up on all of the less exciting parts of motherhood. But as I have been walking from room to room, with laundry and a spray bottle in hand, I have noticed that today my home is full of some of my favorite things.

Light pink tulips on my kitchen table
New rug in the living room
Sand in the bathtub (not one of my favs June-September)
Laundry folded
Open windows
Warm breeze blowing in
Something good for dinner
Son napping

Sometimes it's nice to reflect on the little things that enrich my life and to take a minute to write them down. It's now time to get back to my laundry and spray bottle, but I can do it with a smile on my face as I anticipate my favorite gals knocking on the door, all hot and sweaty from walking home from school--another of my favorite things!

Mark Birthday Surprise

This year Mark's birthday surprise didn't come the usual way wrapped in a box with a big beautiful bow. Nope, this year it came on Southwest flight 438 from Sacramento. Eric and Kristin came and surprised Mark by meeting us at the same restaurant that we (together with the Price's) have celebrated their birthdays for years up in Sacramento. Mark was stunned when we walked into the restaurant and saw them sitting at the kitchen table waiting for us. We spent the weekend together at the beach, eating out, going to the temple, eating out, going to the movies, boogie boarding (not Kristin and I), whale watching and eating out.

A nice shot of Eric and Kristin--I love the beautiful background.

Aboard the whale watching boat.Not the boat we were on, but one can dream.

If You Don't Believe Me...

...Count the candles! The love of my life turned 40 this month, though no one believes it. So here's the proof for all of you who agree with me that Mark looks better than ever!! Happy Birthday Love!!

Memory Lane

Each time a eat a Lindor truffle the same floodgate of memories opens wide. It was probably 19 years ago, the summer after my high school graduation, that my family (meaning my parents and the younger three kids) went on a two week, six country, whirlwind trip to Europe. We had a lot of fun, and definitely expanded our horizons--but I remember eating a lot of spaghetti (no matter what country we were in) because it was familiar. But what the chocolates always bring to mind is when we were in a train station waiting for our next sleeper car and my dad disappeared and resurfaced again with a bag full of pretty, shiny, red balls wrapped in cellophane. The first one I popped in my mouth was like heaven. I loved the silky chocolate center. They were rich and satisfying. My dad rationed them, so we only got one every once in a while, but that didn't matter because I knew he had more. They were the perfect companion to travel the rails with.

I didn't see them in the states for many years after that, and now they have become kind of ordinary. But for me, they will always represent train rides through beautiful countrysides, and time spent with my family. Ahhhh. I think I will go have another.

They Did It!!!!!!

Congratulations to Abbie and Emma for completing the CANDY DEAL!! They were able to abstain from eating ANY candy for 12 whole months. The girls were amazingly diligent, never cheated or complained, and Abbie is even thinking about doing it again this year! Wahooo, Look what you can do when you set your mind to it!

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with the Madsen Family. It was a beautiful day so we ventured off to Torry Pines Reserve to enjoy some hiking and panoramic views. Later that night we celebrated with Starwars and homemade donuts. Yumm!

Christmas Hightlights---Get Comfortable

Merry Christmas!! In the spirit of thorough documentation, I have compiled some photos from our Christmas celebration. We really enjoyed our time together over the past few weeks. Christmas dinner wouldn't be complete without the crowns and jokes from inside the tradional Christmas Crackers--a tradtion I brought home from my mission to England.

Matthew was in train heaven.

Emma got a new set of wheels!

In the middle of all the action on Christmas Eve!! We have such a good time when we get together as a family (minus Sarah and Jake).

One Sunday night in December we got together with friends to act out the Christmas Story from Luke chapter 2. Emma and her friend were sweet (and funny) little angels.

He's no pirate! He's a shepherd, of course.

Our narator and our super WISE man.

We spent one night looking at the Christmas lights at the Temple. My kids loved walking around.

Last year we came upon a living nativity in Rancho Santa Fe and we knew it would become a tradition. The kids loved the camel rides again this year.

Here we are with our new friends, the Curtis family. The Roman soldiers are keeping us in line.

Abbie and Emma sang in a Children's Christmas Choir this year as part of a Choir Concert put on by our stake. I have never seen such a beautifully done choir concert--ever.