Yosemite, but I call it Yo-sa-mite.

Chris and I are trying to be more adventurous these days.  Instead of just playing the, "What do you want to do? I don't know, what do you want to do?" game, we are trying to go out and see the world. Sometimes planning trips can be complicated.  Coordinating with people, packing, finding time and just getting people to want to go.  We have decided to just make things happen.  We'll only be there for a day? Let's go anyway.  Packing is about as enjoyable as getting pants on an overly squirmy nine month old?  Pack anyways.  No one else seems interested in sharing in our adventure or can come (maybe because we planned it 2 hours ago)?  Go anyway.  It has really made our lives more exciting.

Chris has also gotten really good at pulling the car over and going someplace that I mention I've wanted to go to.  I'm used to just letting places pass by and thinking, "Well I'll go there sometime."  Chris has started making those sometimes happen right then.  I love it.

One of our adventures this summer was going to Yosemite.  Or as the locals call it...Yo-sa-mite.  Just kidding, the locals don't call it that.  In fact, if you do call it that, people promptly correct your pronunciation and assume you are stupid.  But it's worth it. 

We spent the day exploring Yosemite and then spent the night at one of the park's campgrounds.

Top 6 Things of Note from the Trip:

1.  This was the first time I had used a bear box while camping.  Visions of people being dragged from their tents by rabid bears because they left a scented Kleenex in their sleeping bag, kept running through my head.  I scoured our car for any stray tampon or napkin that might have any sort of perfume and locked it up tight in that bear box.

2.  Yosemite is really beautiful.  All the shear canyon walls and huge waterfalls are amazing!

3.  Sometimes I felt like we were at an amusement park, because it was so busy there.  Instead of waiting in line for rides, we were waiting in line to get our picture taken in front of some waterfall.

4.  Pine cones work really well as kindling.  Those things go up in flames.  We saved a few pine cones for your collection Momma Kaylee.  But then we burned them...because it was that fun...and they were covered in sticky sap...you choose.

5.  At one point we zipped up Little man in the tent so that he could roll around on the blow up mattress and play with toys.  But then he rolled a little too far and ended up wedged between the mattress and the zipped up tent door.  We could see his little face squished through the mesh fabric.  I ran over to help out the poor little thing and hurridley unzipped the door.  And then PLOP, the little man fell out and landed on the forest floor.  When I picked him he had a face full of dirt.  It was so cutely pathetic. 

6.  I learned that people are very generous.  We met a few people at church and within a few moments of meeting them, Chris was asking if we could borrow camping supplies.  They all agreed and we made a couple friends in the process. 

Jack in his little carrier and bucket hat.

Jack and I taking a rest.

Jack liked to use Chris's ears as handles.  And who can blame him.  It's almost like Chris's ears were made for just such a thing.  But, sometimes he dug in too hard.

Selfies in front of Yosemite Falls.  The tallest waterfall in North America.  Look at Jack's little eye poking over.

I should make a post dedicated to all of the strange places Jack has had his diaper changed.

On our way to one of the falls we found this log that people had carved their names into.

I found this rock that looked like a turtle.

Chris's turtle face.

Yosemite Falls.

All of these people wanted pictures of this buck.  They kept creeping closer and closer to him to get a better picture.  I was just waiting for the buck to ram one of them with his horns.

Ta da!

I'm pretty sure I was being mocked in this picture.

The little and I.

These next few pictures I like to call...the downward spiral of Jack's journey in the baby carrier.

I just loved that Yo-sa-mite and hope to return again someday.