Yosemite 2018

When school ended for the summer on June 1st, we packed the car and headed to Yosemite for a wonderful weekend in the mountains.  Ten years ago, Arne and I met on a hike that started near Mirror Lake, so it was great to return to that spot with our family.  We've been back in 2009, 2013, and 2016. On Saturday morning we explored the beautiful valley on bikes.

We stopped at Mirror Lake to play in the water and enjoy the great views of Half Dome.

Then it was back to our cabin in "Half Dome Village" and some fun time in the pool!

After water play, we went on one last bike ride before our pizza and popsicle dinner.

The next morning we floated down the Merced river on a raft.

We stopped along the way to play with the butterflies resting on a beach and enjoy the sun and cold water.

 It was a beautiful adventure to have before heading home.

A one minute slideshow with some video of biking:

Camp Norge: Memorial Weekend with the YSC

Memorial weekend we headed up to Alta California for memorial weekend in the sierras with the Young Scandinavian Club at Camp Norge.  Ten years earlier, Arne and I met on a YSC trip during Memorial weekend, making this an anniversary adventure.  On Saturday, we enjoyed exploring the local area, from playgrounds to historic hotels.

That night, Liam was tired, and slept through dinner in my arms.

On Sunday, we headed up to Donner Pass to check out the old Train Snow Tunnels.  They were built about 150 years ago and are no longer in use, but cool and a bit wet to walk through. 

After that exploration, we headed down to the Emerald Pools.  We were told it was a short walk, but ended up on an hour hike, accidentally detouring just before reaching the Pools.  It was a beautiful hike, although the kids found it a bit hot, and didn't wear their shirts for most of the hike.

Arne was excited to see a rattlesnake!

We then hiked back to the pools and had a lot of fun swimming in the runoff (cold water) and bouldering around.

After a day out and about, we headed back to camp.  Elsa had fun making fun of me and singing. She was also excited to win the raffle for some heated vibrating foot warmers. We enjoyed seeing their fire making method - using a blow torch.

 Liam enjoyed making s'mores, but did not like all the mosquito bites.

We had a great time in the mountains.

Liam's PreSchool Graduation

On May 22nd, Liam had his pre-school graduation!  It was a wonderful night. The graduates gathered outside and then walked in to Pomp and Circumstance. There were siblings, parents and grandparents there to cheer. 

Then they put on a "Soup Opera."  Liam was the star, singing "I can't eat the soup."

 After the opera it was time for the presentation of the certificates.

Then it was potluck time. Liam was excited to see his old teacher Mikenna.

The graduates all wrote about what they want to be when they grow up.  Liam wants to be an inventor.

We are so excited for our pre-school graduate!

Mother's Day 2018

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  The day started out with trip to Fort Funston, similar to many past trips. We hiked down the sand stairs. 

Liam and Elsa enjoy getting me to carry them.

Similar to how they were 5 years ago, on Liam's first Mother's Day.

It was great to play in the water and sand.

We then headed home for some Strawberry Jam Making!

It was a wonderful day.