Pictures and Thoughts from the Fall...

Greetings from Whitney and her entourage of animals and babies!  In the above picture she has gathered five of her favorites and arranged them for a tea party.  Throughout the fall, Whitney has been constructing increasingly elaborate gatherings of animals and bringing them all sorts of treats from her tiny kitchen.  

Greetings from Lyell, hard at play counting corn here in Preschool.  Lyell loves the world of numbers, especially when that world collides with activities like organizing his Halloween candy and figuring out how many more minutes he gets to stay up at night.  

Greetings from Kim and Matthew, taking a final summer camping trip to Wawona (which included a nice dinner at the Narrow Gauge Inn.)  We enjoyed an Indian Summer all of September, which included many trips to the river to swim and fish and make lots of sand structures.  

Here we are in Wawona with Grandpa taking a ride on the historic stagecoach that has been driven by Burl (in the red) for 30 years.  Whitney is developing a love for horses, so this was a a special trip for her.  While it looks overcast in this picture, that is actually the smoke from the Rim Fire, which raged through Yosemite at the end of the summer.  

What would the end of summer be without a few Lemonade Stands?  Thanks to some prolific lemon trees near Nana and Grandpa's house, Lyell and Whitney were able to develop their first business enterprise selling homemade lemonade at the end of our driveway.  Lyell was a big fan of collecting and counting money, Whitney was a big fan of pouring herself multiple glasses of lemonade.  Shown here; some of their customers paid in pomegranates.  

And then it was back to school… Our Preschool took a field trip to Yosemite and took part in a Junior Ranger program.  It was a proud moment for all of us mountain mammas as our little kiddos had answers to almost every question the ranger posed about Yosemite animals and rivers.   

We were so excited to have a visit from Aunt Patty and cousin Georgia in late September.  It was hard to get a picture of Aunt Patty as she was out running multiple miles in marathon training!  

We also had a fabulous visit from Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Dale!  The kids loved showing them our house and of course reading all their favorite books.

We got to show them Yosemite and have breakfast at the Ahwahnee before sending them off on their Wine Country vacation.  

In early October Lyell and I took a trip to Jackson Hole and Salt Lake City.  In Jackson, we visited my dear friend Joanna and her family.  Her son, Karsten, is the same age as Lyell, and we marveled as they became super buddies in the few days we spent with them.  

Karsten, daddy Chris, and Lyell eating pizza and being silly.

We then drove down to Salt Lake City to visit Josie and her new baby girls, Zoey and Ruby.  Lyell got a taste of what our life will be like soon with a tiny baby in the house.

While Lyell and I were traveling, Whitney got to be an only child for a week with Nana and Grandpa.  She loved it!  Here they are at the Monterey Bay Aquarium checking out the eels.

Nanna and cousin Leandra took Whitney to get her very first haircut!  Here she is with her super stylish (and tangle free!) hairdo.  

We all returned to sunny El Portal just in time to visit the Pumpkin Patch and get ready for Halloween.   

We got to feed the baby goats and go through the hay mazes.  

Hay maze smiles!

We had a blast going through our costume box and choosing this year's costumes.  I was hoping that Whitney would go with this Indian princess outfit we found for her, but she chose to be a….. 

Gorilla!  She rocked it!

Lyell was very interested in traditional Halloween ideas this year and chose to construct his own bat costume, as well as his own ghost costume. He alternated between the two as we had multiple trick-or-treating events.

Potluck Preschool trick or treating at the offices of NatureBridge (can you find the ghost?)  This picture amazes me, as fifteen years ago I walked up these same steps for the first time as a new employee of NatureBridge (called Yosemite Institute back then.)  My first year in Yosemite I lived in a dorm-type room on the second floor right above these steps.  If someone had told me then that fifteen years later I would be bringing my two young children to this building in their Halloween costumes I never would have believed them.  

Autumn is the "secret season" up here in Yosemite.  It is stunningly beautiful, mostly warm, and very uncrowded.  We have been able to take many hikes, bike rides and explore new places on the Valley floor.  

Unfortunately, our National Parks were closed for almost 3 weeks this fall, denying thousands of people the opportunity to visit.  We took the above photo during the government shutdown, when most tourists were denied access to Yosemite Valley(we were able to go in because we were local residents on a "grocery shopping trip".)  It was so sad to meet and talk to people who had come from all over the world on their planned vacations and were turned away.  The hardest hit were the local small businesses, who depend on tourism, and lost three weeks of business.  It was a sad time for all around here.


On a different note- yes, I am still pregnant!  Seven months and counting, feeling the baby kick as I type. Besides some mildly annoying side effects, I have been feeling quite healthy and miraculously sleeping like a rock.  I remember when I was pregnant with Lyell hearing many times from other moms, "rest now, while you can," and feeling too excited about it all to sleep well.   Now, having been through multiple years of sleepless nights, I think my body is truly taking that advice to heart.  I am also collecting words of wisdom from families of three (or more) on how to seamlessly glide through the next few years- so send all your tips, tricks and favorite anecdotes my way!

Love to All, Kim, Matthew, Lyell, Whitney and Sprout

From the Mountains to the Sea and Back

September 3rd, 2013

Yesterday I watched my children play for several hours.  Families with two children close together might relate to the evolution that occurs in the sibling relationship, and yesterday I got to marvel at Lyell and Whitney and how they interact at 4 and 2.5.  Matthew was busy canning his huge tomato harvest, and I needed to rest on the couch (for reasons I will reveal soon...) so the two children were left to their own devices.  They decided to construct a train using our couch cushions, arranging them on the living room floor and connecting each "cushion car" together with string and tape.  Then they spent the next hours collecting and arranging items on each "cushion car" that they would need for their journey.  Their conversations right now are priceless, with Lyell directing the flow and Whitney chatting right back at him, filling in words she doesn't know with made up words like "doodle."  Finally, I was allowed to take a ride on their train, only if I sit in the adult sections ("this train is just for little kids," Whitney announces.)  I was served some yummy food as we made our way from 100 degree El Portal to the "snowy place" where you could go skiing and also see jellyfish- Lyell informed me.  

Six months ago I was asking for any advice I could get on sibling rivalry- as it seemed that every five minutes one was screaming at the other.  That was when Whitney was just learning to talk and hold her own in the face of her big brother.  I felt like I was watching some deep and primal DNA at work as one would pick up a toy and the other would snatch it out of their hand, yelling, "Mine!"  I'm not sure exactly how the evolution happened, I'm sure it was slowly, although right now I am only remembering the extremes.  But watching the two of them yesterday I saw two best friends and playmates on their imaginary journey together and it was awesome!!

Last night Lyell got to stay up a little later than his sister and have some "adult time," as he likes to call it.  He wanted to talk to me a little more about a subject that fascinates him right now- Mommy has a new baby growing in her belly!  Lyell knows it takes a long time to grow this baby, but now that he can see mommy's belly getting big (at 18 weeks) he has lots of questions about this new life.  Last night the topic was how the baby will move.  I explained that the new baby wont be able to walk or even crawl.  Lyell proudly announced that he will be the one to teach the baby to crawl.  He showed me several techniques he could use to demonstrate crawling, and asked which one would be the best for the baby.  Finally, he reflected, "Mom, if the baby just wants to rest for a while on their belly that would be ok with me too."  

So, needless to say, summer has been full of adventures and surprises.  Mommy's new adventure led the family to Palo Alto for the summer as I was a Camp Director for Galileo Learning.  I was blessed with an awesome staff, and got to watch my campers construct rockets, amusement park rides and medieval castles.  My camp days were long and often led into the evenings, but Lyell and Whitney hardly noticed as they had Daddy, Nana and Grandpa, as well as cousins Leandra and Katie to play with.  Click here for an article from the local paper on my camp which goes into a little more detail on the daily happenings at Galileo.

We found out in June that baby #3 was on the way!  I am due in early February, and after some initial sickness have been feeling great.  We will be keeping the gender a surprise until the big day.  Whitney keeps lifting up my shirt and asking, "Where is the baby, mama?" She is quite interested in babies and gets lots of practice taking care of all her stuffed animals and dolls.  Her favorite thing to do right now is make us yummy pretend food in her kitchen.  She keeps her entourage of animals well fed!

Here are a few photos from our pre-summer, summer, and post-summer experiences...

Lyell's El Portal Birthday bash with a pinata in our driveway.  

A month later we celebrated his true 4 year mark in Palo Alto with his best friend Whitney. 

Showing off his birthday clothes.

Birthday greetings and presents for Lyell.

Lyell watches a helicopter take off at the Crane Flat fire lookout in May.

Summer in the Bay Area was filled with play parks, pools, beaches, the junior museum and even preschool for Lyell.

Matthew pulled both kids everywhere in our bike trailer and they loved it!  They especially loved our weekend trips to the Farmer's Market for tasty summer treats. (and yes, Pink Bear still comes with us everywhere Whitney goes.)

Ahhhhhh Summer

Lyell attended the neighborhood preschool in June where he met a great friend, Simon.  Lyell and Simon had many high energy playdates throughout the summer. 

Speaking of High Energy!

Nana and Lyell made peach/apple/pear juice from the harvest in the front and back yards.  Nana has created an urban fruit and vegetable paradise which we got to help harvest all summer.

On the weekends we headed to Santa Cruz and Monterey for some ocean time.  Here's Whitney with her buddy Sebastian.

Lyell turned into a full blown water fiend.  He would run, jump, swim and dig at the beach until he collapsed from exhaustion.  After our final trip to Santa Cruz- he refused to eat all day as he was way too busy playing- then downed an entire mega-slice from Pizza My Heart on the way home.  We watched in amazement.

What is it about getting buried in the sand?  Everyone had to get buried once or twice a visit to the beach.

We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few times to make sure the jellyfish were still as unbelievably cool as the first time we saw them.  

Out to dinner in Los Altos during my final week of camp.  

Enjoying one of the many outdoor activities set up for youngsters in the city.

We said goodbye to Palo Alto in the beginning of August and made our annual pilgramage up to the High Country, camping in Tuolumne Meadows for 8 days.  Here we are at the top of Lembert dome looking down on our camping area.

Whitney and Pink Bear relaxing at our campsite.  

Loving the mountain air, peaks and sunsets.

With the support and inspiration of 7 other ladies, I finished the 2nd Annual Tenaya Lake swim!  

The Swimming Posse

Through our travels and adventures this summer, the trusty drip system kept Matthew's tomatoes steadily on track.  When we returned to El Portal the harvest was just beginning.  As I write this blog the number of tomotoes on the counter has doubled, and our porch has turned into the canning center. 

Late summer in El Portal is the season to eat popsicles on the back porch and head to the river whenever possible.

As summer winds to a close, we are settling back into our school schedule.  Matthew begins his fifth (wow) year at El Portal Elementary (and 12th year in the classroom!), Lyell and Whitney head into their third year at Potluck Preschool, and Kim prepares to welcome our third child into the world.

We send greetings and love to our family and friends, near and far.  Come and visit us in Yosemite if you can!  Much, much love from Lyell, Whitney, Kim and Matthew.

Whitney, 2 years 4 months

Lyell, 4 years 1 month