Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Yosemite III

Time for the next Yosemite installment. These are from the day we spent in Yosemite Valley, home to Half Dome, El Capitan, and most of the amazing waterfalls the park is so famous for. We started the day with a picnic beside a river. The water was freezing, but the kids managed to get pretty wet anyway (cast and all!).

Atti, getting his toes wet.
The gang.
Half Dome.



Patchie, trying to take it all in.

I want to live here!


This was taken on our hike to bottom of Yosemite Falls, the 5th tallest waterfall in the world. It was a HUGE waterfall, with unbelievable amounts of freezing cold water just pouring down the cliffside. Atti and I have just come across the foot bridge that passes directly in front of the bottom of the falls. It was windy, freezing, loud, and more than a little startling for our youngest camper. He preferred seeing the falls from a distance!

Here is a better shot of the falls, from a warmer, drier distance. These pictures can't really do it all justice. Everything was just too big to truly capture with our little camera. But, you get the idea...

We might not have braved Half Dome on this trip, but we did do a lot of rock climbing.

The perfect place for a little rest.



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Yosemite II

These pictures mostly speak for themselves. The first bunch are from around our campsite, which was in the southern end of the park. It was a great campground, situated right on the Merced River, which was full and fast and cold. There had been some bear sitings around our campsite, but unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) we did not see any. We camped with another family from Sam's school, which was great for everyone. The kids loved playing together and it was really nice to share all the work of camping with some other adults.






On our first full day at the park we hiked in a magnificent Sequoia grove, with our destination being the Grizzly Giant, which is the 5th tallest tree in the world. It goes without saying that this was one enormous tree. The pictures don't really do it justice- it is around 2000 years old and taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Here are all the kids, waiting to take the shuttle to the Sequoia for our hike. It is nearly impossible to get 5 kids to stay in one place, especially when one of them is only one and pretty much never stays still unless he is asleep.

These fascinating plants are called Snowdrops. They appear right after the snow melts and is nourished by the snow itself. They contain no chlorophyl and look like they belong in a coral reef, not in a forest.

Grizzly Giant, with Jeff in the foreground.



Patchie, in front of a root system of a gigantic downed tree.




Sam, back at our campsite, having a much deserved post hike lunch.




Sunday, June 20, 2010

Meditating...

because that's what boys do.




Friday, June 18, 2010

Yosemite

The Mosherclan just got home from a great camping trip to Yosemite Nat'l Park. This was our first time there and we were all just amazed by the sheer beauty and majesty of the place. It is truly spectacular. The boys loved being in the woods for 5 days. They explored, hiked, played in rivers and with fire, and got extremely dirty. What more could a bunch of boys ask for? I will be going through all of our pictures soon and posting a bunch, with some more details of our trip. For now, I will leave you with one of my favorite shots from the week, with the promise of more to come!


Saturday, June 12, 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

Elfin

Cast I


As most of you have undoubtable already heard, Sam broke his arm a couple of weeks back. He fractured his elbow, to be literal about it. He jumped off my bed and landed funny. It is not a "bad" break and seems to be healing nicely. Fortunately it is his left arm. Sam, always a stoic, easy going character, has taken it all like a champ. He doesn't complain, whine, or get annoyed. He doesn't seem to be too upset about missing out on birthday parties, trips to the beach, or the remainder of his baseball season. He claims the cast keeps him warm on cool nights and likes that he can still play with legos. In other words, he is a super star.



Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Quote of the day


From one of Sam's amazing teachers today:

"Sam, he's just everybody's friend."


Monday, June 7, 2010

Monday flashback

The charger for our camera battery has gone missing. Just when you think you can get back to regular blogging...
Oh well. It's a perfect opportunity for a trip down memory lane.

From June of 2006.
Note the legos in the background. Some things never change...


Quote of the day

From Patch.
"Mom, today when you are at work, do you mind if Grannie is Maid Marion?"

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Spring Festival

Sam's sweet school marks the passing of the seasons with a handful of lovely festivals. Every spring they celebrate the departure of winter with the May Day festival, with singing and lots of may pole dances. The entire school participates and families come to watch and picnic together afterward. It is always a sweet, fun day and this year was no different.

Sam's class, May Pole and May Queen in the background.

Sam, with his garland.

A little Atti for you