Yosemite

Dad and Mom came up for a visit and took us to Yosemite. It was a beautiful day.

There wasn't much water in the waterfalls and it was pretty cold, but there weren't many people there and the fall colors were beautiful.

We had a picnic lunch and watched the climbers on El Capitan. The kids loved walking along the logs.

In the afternoon, we stopped by a museum and hiked to Yosemite falls.

We got some great views of Half Dome along the way.

It was the kids' first time in Yosemite, and we all had a wonderful day.

On the way home, we enjoyed a pretty sunset.

Two Years

Our little toddler is growing like crazy.

Hannah is talking up a storm and adds new words almost every day. She loves to run and go for walks.

She likes pretending and playing. One of her favorite games is to sing, "trot, trot to Grandma's house to get Hannah some cherries" with Joshua while he bounces her. If he says someone besides her or the wrong fruit, she corrects him right away. Hannah has a strong sense of how things should be.

She likes to sort things based on to whom they belong.

She also likes to get a tissue from the box and blow her nose or put the tissue in her pocket. Since she often doesn't have pockets, this means putting them down her pants.

Hannah likes dinosaurs, which she calls "roars."

She loves to laugh and smile and is silly and fun.

 We love our little girl.

Hannah's Birthday Celebration

Back at home, we had birthday dinner and presents for Hannah Sunday night.

She got a quilt made by Gayle.

 And some new coloring things, which Mary and David were happy to help her try out.

Birthday Weekend

The men's retreat was the same weekend as Hannah's birthday, so the kids and I went to Dad and Mom's house since Joshua was working. Mary and David love spending time out in the shop with Grandpa.

Hannah had waffles for her birthday breakfast.

We had a combined birthday dinner for Micah and Hannah on Saturday.

What fun birthday buddies!

Crest Fest

Mary climbed the rock wall for the first time at Crest Fest.

She did a great job.

The kids also enjoyed the hay ride, playing with friends on the green, and making ornaments in the craft condo.

We had a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Lakeview Lodge.

Dave and Gayle came up for Crest Fest, and Gayle brought window crayons, so the kids had fun drawing an autumn scene on the back door with her.

 I love the black oak trees.

Miwok Village

We hadn't been to Miwok Village for awhile, so we decided to hike over there.

The kids enjoyed the grinding stones as usual.

 

Autumn in the Woods

I love this time of year. Beautiful walks and happy snackers.

 

Joshua's Birthday

Most of my family came up to Oakhurst for a fall vacation. We had dinner with them the first night they were here, then met up with them again on Friday when we rode the Sugar Pine Railroad.

After the railroad, everyone came over for lunch and apple picking.

 

Photo: Michelle

Mary got to lead a group to find apples by the lake, which she thought was great.

Photo: Heather

After picking, we pressed the apples to make cider.

We finished the day off with birthday dinner for Joshua, Manhattan clam chowder in bread bowls with blueberry pie for dessert. 

Apple Snacks

We've been enjoying beautiful fall colors on our walks lately.

 We've also been picking and eating a lot of apples. The kids love to find apple trees when we are out and eat an apple for a snack.

Happy Autumn

We decorated fall leaves for the first day of autumn.

 Then Mary decided to make leaves and put them up on the windows around the house. She always likes to help decorate.