Yosemite

Steve and I recently went to Yosemite National Park while my parents stayed at home with the kids. We spent the first day and night in "the village" which is the touristy part of the park, with drive-in campsites, cafes, and hotels. It was still very beautiful and we were glad it was off-season and a bit less crowded than in summer. 

The next day we hiked about 3 hours, all uphill, to get to a more remote campsite. Here is Steve using our filter to get some water from the nearby Merced River.

The hour before this peaceful moment at the river was somewhat less peaceful... we had just set up our tent when I decided to turn on my cell phone and see if there happened to be a signal. There was just enough signal for me to receive a text from my neighbour, sent the evening before, saying "are you okay? I see a fire truck and ambulance outside your house...". As soon as I read the text, the signal was gone. After some tears and speculating about what could have possibly prompted my very capable parents to have to call 911, we quickly decided to pack up and head back down the mountain to look for a signal to call home. After a few minutes I decided to start asking other hikers if they had any cell service. Thankfully, one energetic and empathetic young guy decided to scamper up a cliffside to get high enough for a signal. Steve and I followed him and I was able to reach my mom at home. It turned out that Ross had gotten his finger stuck in a small metal hole in our old kitchen table. My parents weren't able to get it out with olive oil and as the finger swelled and both children screamed, they wisely decided to call 911. The firefighters were able to free his finger with a packet of vaseline within a few minutes, and then showered both kids with firefighter hats, coloring books, and stickers. Needless to say, Steve and I were very thankful to hear all this. We shared the somewhat funny story with all the hikers who had helped us make the phone call, and then headed back to set up our tent again.

We did a day hike the following day to Clouds Rest, with a beautiful view of Half Dome in the background.

A dusting of snow was just starting to cover distant mountain tops.

Here we are with Yosemite Valley in the background.

Our tent among the pine trees at Little Yosemite Valley camp.

Our cooking stump...

This campsite is popular enough that they provide bear bins throughout. The large metal cabinets are meant to hold everything edible or scented, and although we never saw any bears, they are apparently quite common in that area.

The almost-full moon rising on our last night...

Skating and Halloween

A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to the ice rink in Oakland. This was Madeleine's second time skating, and she absolutely loved it. The kids took turns skating with Daddy around the rink and having snacks with Mommy in between turns.

This was Ross's first time on the ice and he loved it too.

Madeleine is really keen to help me in the kitchen these days, and I just had to include this cute picture of her helping wash the dishes.

Last year they were both a bit apprehensive about Halloween, but this year they got pretty excited about it. Madeleine requested a heart nose for the Jack O Lantern.

Madeleine decided to be a "princess fairy" and Ross decided to be a firefighter. Madeleine was jumping up and down with excitement as we got ready to go Trick-or-Treating, and Ross cautiously followed. 

They were overjoyed at the experience of getting candy and reliably said Thank You, but usually forgot the "trick or treat". 

Uncle Chris Comes to Visit!

We were so happy to have Uncle Chris come visit from Ontario. Here is the scene from the first evening of Chris' arrival, soon after Chris gave the kids the Clifford book...

We all went to Muir Woods to see the big redwood trees, and the kids loved running around with Uncle Chris.

M had a lot of fun building her lego car with Uncle Chris.

The crew taking a break from an afternoon dance party, with Uncle Chris on baby doll duty.

We spent a day in San Francisco and waited in long lines to ride the Cable Car, but it was really fun and Ross especially loved it.

Then came the part that Madeleine associates with trips to San Francisco - ice cream!

We stopped at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the views.

It was a wonderful visit and the kids were so sad to see their beloved Uncle Chris leave. He was non-stop fun for the kids - never hesitated to say yes to their constant requests to play, and calmly distracted them from sibling squabbles. Steve and Chris also got to spend some quality brother time in the garage giving Steve's lathe a try now that it is all assembled. It is visits like this make us so glad to be back on the same continent as our family.

Grammie's Visit

My mom came down for a 2.5 week visit at the start of September. It was so fun to have her here, and we really appreciated her help since Steve was spending long hours at work preparing for a big presentation. 

Here are some pictures from Steve's birthday - the kids helped make vanilla cupcakes and shortly after this picture M got a bit of hot wax on her finger...

...which explains her blank stare in this picture:

We went for a little hike with Grammie, around one of the water reserves in Marin County. M dresses herself most days, and usually has a few outfit changes throughout a day. This was her chosen hiking outfit, and the most important part of it for her was her little red emergency kit.

She said several times, "when is someone going to have an emergency?!?"

M playing the role of big, protective sister as she "helped" Ross cross this dry creek bed.

Our lunch stop... it wasn't until I saw this picture that I realized my mom and I were dressed alike that day!

The kids and Grammie examining the Acorn Woodpecker holes in the trees.

M took this lovely picture of Grammie!

We also went to the Oakland Zoo with Grammie.

Both kids did not put their little zoo maps down once. I think the maps were more interesting for them than the animals!

A beach day at Point Pinole...

... topped off with yummy frozen yogurt. (Ross had just woken up!)

M and her pretty braids, just hours before she decided to give herself a haircut (with braids still in)...

... which results in a sort of reverse-mohawk style, with added little short spots at the back, sides, and crown. Fortunately, there is enough for a comb-over, and I added a few more bangs to even it out. As much as she claims to like her long hair, she didn't seem at all bothered by the short pieces. This is her second DIY haircut, so the scissors now live on top of the fridge.

Grammie with Ross, Madeleine, Baby Theo, Poppy, Madeleine, Anna, Elsa, and Baby Coconut.

Grammie's visit also coincided with a 3 week visit from Luna, a little white rabbit who was escaping every other day from her home a couple of houses away. The owner offered her to us after we caught and returned her one day, so we had a bunny living in our kitchen for a few weeks. In the end, the owner's sister wanted to take her, which was fine; as much as we all liked her, we had realized this is not the best house or time for us to have a pet. 

One final shot of Grammie and Ross reading together...

Summer Projects

Here is a collection of pictures from the last couple months, starting with a project in the garage.

The kids wear their ear protection and stand far away when Daddy is cutting wood.

Ross was so proud of himself for doing as he was told...

They were cutting wood to make some little wooden boxes.

They were so excited with the finished products and as soon as they rolled out of bed the next morning, they were showing them off and putting treasures in them. Ross used his to hold all his plastic bugs, Madeleine used hers to hold a wide variety of trinkets and papers.

Madeleine helped me iron some fabric I bought to make her a skirt. She had never seen an iron in action before!

While Ross was napping one dayMadeleine helped Daddy scrub some of the parts for his lathe...

 ... and then re-grease them.

We went for a weekend hike in Marin County and the kids loved throwing rocks into the reservoir.