{Yosemite National Park}

We just returned from one of the most beautiful places on earth and to think it is only 6 hours away from us!  I can't believe we have been living in California now for 8 years and this was our first time to go to Yosemite National Park.  Now that we've been there, we will definitely be making it a yearly event.

We were lucky to have my parents meet us in Yosemite to begin our summer vacation.  We needed all the hands we could get as we took turns lugging Mya and Owen on all the hikes.  From the moment we arrived at the park, we were all in awe as the trees just got taller and taller! The giant sequoias were our first adventure.  

The Sequoia groves have trees that have lived for over two thousand years.  Their trunks can reach over 25 feet thick!  They are the most massive trees on earth and were amazing to explore.

Here are the roots of one of the giant trees.

Ge & Grandad at Faithful Couple tree, very fitting name for both of them!

Our Family Tree!

This tree looked like it had arms instead of tree trunks!

Our next stop was to Glacier Point to take in the majestic view of Half Dome.  Half Dome is a sheer granite wall that we could see people climbing on with our binoculars.  We decided our boys are too young to climb it now, but it is on Drew's bucket list for later! 

Owen taking in the beautiful views.

My mom, Owen, & I

Our canvas tents were we soundly slept in Curry Village.

 The next day, we set out early for our big hike up to the top of a waterfall.   The hike was to the top of Vernal Falls which was 4 miles and was considered strenuous with a 1,000 foot gain in elevation.

We went half way and decided to send Ge and Mya back down, while the rest of us tackled the 600 granite steps in the mist to the top of the falls.  It worked out well for us not to have Mya to haul, however she did not make it easy for Ge.  Ge took her screaming and kicking all the way down the mountain yelling, "Mommy!"  According to my mom, people looked at her as if she had just abducted this small girl!  She had to keep telling everyone that this was her granddaughter, who was very tired, and needed a nap.  Luckily for my mom, Mya cried herself to sleep in her arms, which made for quite a workout for my mom!  We owe you one mom!

My Dad, Mya, & I

Half Way There!

Next the 600 wet steps...we loved every minute of the climb!

Beautiful Rainbow

almost there....

 The last 100 steep steps!

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!!!

 Grandad is 61 years young and still able to keep up with the boys!

This was one of the most amazing, beautiful hikes I have ever been on.  I can't wait to do it again....

We also were amazed by the wildlife we found in Yosemite.  Drew loved feeding the chipmunks from his hand, Kenny was shocked by how tame the coyote was, & I got up close with the deer!

 Kenny, Drew, & Ian hiked to the bottom of lower Yosemite Falls.

The boys loved climbing all over the rocks to get up and close to the waterfall.

My kids loved being in Yosemite and thought it was the perfect start to our vacation.

Drew loves to be out in nature, so Yosemite was perfect for him.  He climbed up every rock and tree he could.

The bigger the rock, the happier Ian was to climb it!

Owen loved playing in the dirt and drumming away on the rocks!

Every fallen tree or trail of rocks became Mya's balance beam!

She did find some rocks her size to climb!

We made special memories in Yosemite and were so grateful to experience it with Ge and Grandad! Next stop...San Francisco!

{Bogart Park}

We had such a busy and fun Memorial weekend.  To start it off, we went camping with our good friends the Headley's at Bogart park.

Owen and Mya helped daddy build the fire.

Kenny brought some ropes to make a swing.  

Hot Dogs...its so nice that my boys are old enough to cook their own.

The Headley girls don't mind getting dirty and playing with the boys!

Drew, our tree monkey!

Hunter is like Kenny's little brother.  We tore him away from his phone to come hang out with us!

Owen's favorite part of the whole camping trip!

Yummy Smores!

Anderson chased Mya all over camp... she loves to push his buttons!

Marshmallows devoured!

Eggs, Sausage, Buttermilk Pancakes.....mmmm!

Rock Throwing

Maddie takes care of Mya like a big sister!  She was her little shadow the whole day.

We didn't get very much sleep, but we had lots of fun and didn't see any bears, so all in all it was a successful camping trip.  We are already making plans for our next camping trip.  A summer of camping, vacationing, and playing at the beach....here we come!

{Future Veterinarians}

Kenny or Dr. Daddy Summers, is training our children at a young age to be future Veterinarians! Ian & Owen have already decided that they want to be Vets, which makes daddy happy.  However tomorrow they might change their minds!   Drew, on the other hand still wants to be a fire fighter and Mya said she wants to be a mommy!

Kenny went in for his 35th emergency for the month, they've been crazy busy,  and called and invited us up to watch him do surgery on a dog who ate 3 rocks.

Our kids have grown up seeing blood, so this image was no big deal to them.

Kenny told them exactly what he was doing and pulled out intestines and the stomach to show the kids.
 

It took some digging around before he grabbed each of the rocks.

Poor pooch, thats gotta hurt!

These are some expensive rocks!!!

Kenny always impresses me with his surgical skills and his patience with our children.  He is a great teacher and a wonderful provider.   He is an amazing father, our kids are very blessed to him.

{Best Buddies}

I love to watch Mya and Owen playing. They have the best giggles that are contagious.

Mya sure is going to miss her play buddy when Owen starts school in August. I'm so grateful that they are so close!

{Pinewood Derby}

I'm not sure who was more excited about the Pinewood Derby, Drew or Kenny!  Kenny went online and researched how to make the car run faster and used lots of "tricks," which I am unable to disclose!  Drew looked at several cars online and chose his favorite.  He only had one stipulation in mind as he decided...it had to be fast!   Kenny did all the cutting, Drew did the sanding, and together they painted the car.

Here is the finished product!!!!

Let the Races begin....

That's his white car coming in first! You can see the excitement in his face.

Drew's car finished 1st place 4 times!  He was pretty pleased and didn't try to hide it at all!  Kenny was smiling from ear to ear too, but he tried to be more discreet!

It took 3rd place on this run and as you can see he wasn't too happy!

He definitely does not hide his emotions!

Drew achieved his goal and was awarded the "Fastest Looking" car!

This father son duo did pretty good for their first year in the Pinewood Derby.  Drew's car came in third place, however, two cars tied for second, so his 3rd place win was pushed back to 4th place.  He had a wonderful time participating in the Pinewood Derby and has greater hopes for next year.  Ian will be able to participate too, which means double the fun for Kenny!

{Preschool Career Day}

I have been teaching for the last five weeks Owen's preschool group. We have been talking about different professions and so for our field trip we went to visit Dr. Summers at the new Veterinarian Hospital. Owen was excited to show the kids where his daddy works and to see the animals.

We started our field trip by first going over to our neighbors house to see and hold their new puppies.

They had a litter of 8, so each kid was able to "love" on a puppy!

Owen keeps asking our neighbor if we can have a puppy.  I told him the only way we would take one is if it gets to live in their backyard and we can just throw food over the fence twice a day.  NO MORE DOGS AT MY HOUSE!

Mya and her friend Elliot sharing a puppy.

The hospital that Kenny works at just opened a brand new 15,000 sq. ft facility.  

The kids liked how big the kennels were.  Room enough for all of them...cheap babysitting!

Kenny showed them the x-ray pictures of a constipated dog that was full of Poop!

He told them he does dental work on the dogs, just like a dentist does.

Each of the kids were able to listen to their own heart.

They also examined dog bones.

I'm hoping they are not traumatized by the laceration that was sewn up on this sleeping dog!

They said "hello" to a hissing cat!

Before we left the hospital they were given a popsicle, which is what my kids get every time they go to the vet hospital.

It was a fun field trip and a great way to end Owen's last day of preschool.  We are so excited for him to start a new adventure next year in kindergarten!

Dr. Summers did a great job teaching the children about the job of a Veterinarian.  He had many admirers, but I'm his biggest fan!