Yosemite

I can't believe we have the good fortune of living within an hour and a half's drive of at least 3 beautiful national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Forest. Growing up it required a lot of planning and scheduling to be able to come out to these and other national parks. It feels somewhat unbelievable to be able to take an afternoon and go over and enjoy a park.

Sunday we took the afternoon off and went to recon Yosemite for some later hiking, biking, and camping trips. It was a beautiful day and we were only gone 6 hours from door to Yosemite and back to door. Also, it only took 1/2 tank of gas. Yeah! Here are a few pictures from our first trip as a family of 4:


First real view of the valley, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls. It was breathtaking! You come upon this view just as you exit a tunnel. There are parking areas on both sides of the road but it's a wonder there aren't multiple accidents exiting the tunnel every day.






John & Joshua using the "man" sling.



Mama & Maria using the "girly" sling.

Picnicking in the back of the truck. We were all hungry by the time we stopped for the first view of Half Dome. We decided picnicking in the back of the truck was just as easy as continuing on to a picnic area so..... we pulled out the blankets and the cooler and all piled in the back (beagles and all). We had a nice lunch of string cheese, herb roasted turkey and cheese sandwiches, homemade herbal tea and fruit cups.

Once we finished lunch we headed on down to the valley floor where we took these pictures. Since we were on a recon mission and afternoon outing we didn't identify each of the falls but they were beautiful. We look forward to getting back to Yosemite many times this year and exploring.


Here are the beagles excitedly, albeit erroneously, anticipating being let loose on the valley floor.








I believe this is Bridalveil Falls.




No idea which fall this is but it was beautiful









Again, no idea which fall this is but it was beautiful too.











The giant rock on the right is El Capitan and I'm not sure about the name of the fall on the left.






Each time I visit a national parks or other wilderness areas I am am reminded of the power and beauty of nature.

Getting in the Groove

So, I think I am getting the hang of having two toddlers in the house (though you may want to check back with me when Maria becomes completely mobile). :)

After getting John out the door to work we all got breakfast, cleaned up from breakfast and then had some indoor playtime until morning naps at 11:00 a.m. The kids slept until 12:30, giving me time to clean up a bit and prepare lunch. John came home and joined us for lunch outside on the patio. After lunch and cleanup the kids played outside and I got the organic potting mix put in my 4X4 garden. I also got another load of laundry folded from the line and hung out a new load of clean, wet clothes to dry. It's nap time again for kiddos so I am blogging.

I have just balanced the ckbook and am happy to say that since we got on a written budget we are doing well. We had a little extra because the final adoption expenses were just a hair less than we had planned. When mom was here we went to Costco and I stocked up on some meat, graham crackers, animal crackers, and other things I don't generally buy that will make my life easier as I get the swing of two toddlers.

Yesterday I put up the fireplace bumper and got the rest of the cushiony floor squares put down on the patio. This afternoon I plan on getting all the computer stuff back in the guest bedroom so there are less cords out and about for little people to get into.

Only a few more days of tax season and then I won't be a "tax widow" anymore. Yeah!

Will post pics tomorrow or this weekend. :)

Spring Break, Easter and Home with Maria!!!!!

I haven't posted in a while because we had family in from out of town for spring break and then we went out of town for Easter. After we got back from Easter I was very busy getting everything finalized for my trip to Guatemala to pick up Maria.

John is, as you can imagine, very busy at work as it is the height of tax season. My mom, Mimi, was able to come and stay with Joshua while I was gone to Guatemala. Mimi left today and we are all sad. It was wonderful to have her here and Joshua really enjoyed having her to play with. Maria also enjoyed getting to know Mimi.

We had a wonderful trip and are home safely.

Tonight I survived preparing dinner for two children, cleaning up dinner, two baths and bedtime on my own. We started dinner at 5:30 and everyone was in bed by 7:45 so I think I did okay. It was definitely interesting.

Joshua and Maria are doing really well together and, knock on wood, both are sleeping through the night in their own cribs in their room. When they wake up it is incredibly sweet because they talk to each other from their cribs. Joshua has already begun to worry about Maria when she cries and has, several times, brought her one of his special toys to help comfort her. Tonight when I was rocking her he brought a book for me to read them together and then he brought her lovey to make sure she could get to sleep. Very sweet. He was so proud of himself for helping comfort her!

Here are a few pics from Easter, Guatemala and arriving home.


Building with blocks on the coffee table


Goodies from the Easter Bunny


Checking out eggs found on Easter egg hunt

Saying goodbye to Mama as she leaves to go get Maria.


Tummy and teething time in the hotel in Guatemala.


Hanging out in the hotel in Guatemala

Sleeping on Mama in the Guatemala City airport

Waiting to board plane and head home to US

Watching Auntie Anne at the hotel in Atlanta.

Meeting everyone at airport.

Puppies hiding out under table and resting in peace away from two toddlers.