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I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been on vacation! Even though it’s a lot of work to pack up a household for a week (especially when you add little ones into the picture!) and leave behind your responsibilities(did somebody pay the bills?!), once you’re finally on your way – it’s worth every minute! It’s wonderful and needed to let your brain relax and recharge once in a while!

5 years ago when my brother and his wife got married, we started a tradition of planning a summer vacation together. We camped a few times and then when babies started to arrive we switched to renting a house and splitting the cost. We’ve built a lot of fun memories together and this year was no exception!

We found a cute cabin about 15 minutes from the southern entrance into Yosemite. It would have been perfect except that we forgot to check for air conditioning (we usually vacation near the ocean so we’ve never needed it before). We managed fairly well with fans running 24/7 and usually left in the afternoon when it started getting unbearable.

Day One: We enjoyed a relaxing day at the cabin and then headed out to the nearby Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. The fed us a steak dinner, took us for a train ride through the woods where we stopped over for fun time of singing around the campfire, and ended with a moonlight trip back to the station.

Spencer was just a little bit excited – can’t you tell by the nerdy face!!

Day Two: As native Californians we decided it was high time we made a visit to Yosemite! So we packed a lunch and headed into the park. There wasn’t a lot we could do with four little people in tow but we did enjoy the amazing views and phenomenal scenery that surrounded us.

View from our picnic spot with Yosemite Falls in the background…

Views from Glacier Point…

My brother Ty, Sister-in-law Amy, and their children, Elaina (4), Lily (3) and Colin (1) with baby #4 due in November…

Day 3: The guys left the cabin around 6:15 to make the strenuous 14 mile round trip trek to Half-Dome. From what I hear they enjoyed themselves except for: Aaron slipping and cutting his leg, running out of water by the time the made it to the top (Ty had a water purifier but the only place to get water is the Merced River, several miles from Half-Dome) Aaron’s back going out and barely being able to walk the last few miles, and not making it back to the car before dark (thankfully they had a flashlight)! I was just praising the Lord that they had cell service and could tell us where they were - otherwise I would have had search and rescue out looking for them. Especially when they said they’d be back around 6:00 and didn’t roll in until 10:45! (Ty took all the pictures with his camera so I don’t have any to post).

Amy and I had a much quieter day back at the cabin with the kids. We planned a few crafts for them to enjoy and let them splash around in the little pool we brought along…

Day 4: The guys were pretty tired so we planned a low key day. Bass Lake was only 10 minutes away so we packed another picnic lunch and headed to the water. We found a great spot with a sandy beach and parked ourselves there for the afternoon.

Later when the kids were down for their naps, Amy and I got to sneak away for a few hours and do a little shopping in town. We ended the day with dinner all together at the Pines Resort overlooking the lake!

Day 5: After a fun and relaxing week it was time to say our farewells and head home. One last picture together in front of the cabin…