Yosemite, Day 3

We began our Tuesday morning with a bright and early start down to the river; the kids had an appointment with a fishing instructor.

Stace taught the kids how to set up their fishing rods, cast, and reel in the line.

The fish weren't biting. But the pine cones were

So were sticks, weeds, and even the tree behind Wylie, when he was playing with his rod and line as they walked away from the river.

It was a gorgeous, peaceful morning. Stace and the kids crossed the bridge to try out the other side of the river,and ended up seeing half a dozen deer.

The second early morning in a row was too much for Violet. She took a solid nap when we got back.

Cora wasn't feeling her best, so she also lay down. Stace and I got a nice lunch with Pam and the boys while the girls rested.

We then got ready for our next big adventure on the Merced.

We had an amazing time on our rafting trip. Pam, Violet and I were in one, and Stace and the big kids in the other. The views around every corner were beautiful - here's a waterfall, there's Half Dome.

Love this photo Pam captured - Wylie and Cora manned the oars for the first while, and argued and bickered about everything. Cooper seems to be casting a negative assessment of their leadership skills.

The water was cold but refreshing, and we all ended up in it throughout our journey.

When we got back, we needed showers and dinner. Cooper and the girls had a quick dip in the pool, and then we showered up and ate. What a fabulous day!

Yosemite Day 2

After a very full Sunday, we took our time Monday morning getting going. At least, Pam and I did. Violet was up with the sun, thinking it was time to be out and about since it was light. By 5:45 she was dressed and bugging Stace to take a walk with her. He gave in, and they had a nice, quiet look around our beautiful surroundings at Half Dome Village.

A bit later, the four kids took off on their bikes for an exploratory mission. They had a great time, with walkie-talkies connecting them to us at base camp.
(I ADORE this photo Pam got of the kids on their time away! They didn't know she was nearby.)
After lunch, we rode our bikes to Yosemite Village to check out Yosemite Falls.
Here's another awesome pic from Pam. Those silhouettes!

After checking out the waterfall, we found a quiet part of the Merced River to rest.

Violet, after her early morning, took a nap on a blanket, while the rest of us played in the river. Stace showed the big kids how to skip stones and play the "duck-drake-goose-mallard" game, for how many times your rock kicks up after you throw it.

When we were around our tent cabins, the kids usually were whittling sticks into differently shaped sticks.

Our tent cabins were perfectly adequate for our four-night stay. Beds were fine, and the bear boxes out front held everything with a scent so we didn't attract bears.

We couldn't cook, but we could figure out breakfasts and lunches with food we'd brought. The food in the eateries at Half Dome Village was quite good, and reasonably priced, given the nature of the captive market.

On Monday evening, we took our girls and Wylie to the village amphitheater, where we watched a cool documentary on the park. We also discovered that the ice cream shop offers a fabulous product at a great price. Win!

Yosemite Day 1

Our buddy Cooper started Stace's birthday early, when he generously gave him his Lego Imperial Star Destroyer. Wow!

Stace was thrilled to find it on the doorstep Saturday, while we all were getting ready for our Yosemite adventure with Cooper and his family.

We began our trip Sunday morning, leaving home around 9:30 and reaching Pam and the boys at her aunt's home in Visalia two hours later. They had spent the night there to visit with their extended family.

We embarked, stopping for lunch in Fresno and then entering Yosemite around 3. We then headed into the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, with its beautiful trails and visitors center. The visitor center and parking lot had reopened two days prior to our visit, after a yearslong renovation.

The ancient trees are amazing, reaching over 200 feet into the sky.

Stopping also gave the kids a chance to run around, stretch their legs and climb rocks and logs.

(Thanks to Pam for this one - and many more over the trip! This photo makes me smile - these kids are good friends, but actually touching each other friendly-like for a photo is a big stretch. There's a lot of cooperation going on behind the scenes here!)

We spotted a deer in the Mariposa Grove, but too far away for a good photo. Our next stop revealed this pretty creature.

We had pulled in at the Tunnel View area, just after a l-o-n-g tunnel, after which you're faced with the most gorgeous view of Yosemite's highlights.

The three big kids were a little more interested in climbing the hill behind us, finding the deer and sliding down the rock face.

We adults were fascinated by the view, however.

 Our next stop took us to Bridalveil Falls, our first waterfall of the trip. It was pretty!

From there, we drove into the Yosemite Valley, got checked into our lodging, and started the unpacking process.

End of School Fun

Violet's class participated in the third-grade end-of-year water play party, which had a Hawaiian theme. She dressed for the occasion with her print dress and lei. At breakfast, while I was braiding her hair, she bit into her bagel and her top tooth popped out! Woohoo!

The party started with popsicles - shouldn't all good summer parties start that way?

Games involving water balloons ruled the afternoon.

Also on Thursday, the 5th graders had popsicles or ice cream sandwiches. This event constituted their end-of-year party. Kind of boring, but next year, as 6th grade draws to a close, they'll have more than enough fun to make up for it.

(Not that I want to think about 6th grade ending - or starting! - yet!)

Violet came home from school buzzing about Pokemon cards. Her classmate Sebastian gave her one, and she sounded like she knew all about the different powers and values and whatnot. She also was very anxious to go out and buy a pack of cards for herself, so she could trade on Friday, the final day of school. Oh dear! Pokemon! Stace was a fab daddy and drove her around to a few stores to find cards she could afford.

And then Friday came - the last day of second grade and fifth grade for Violet and Cora. Another year has flown by!

I had a final Friday walk/coffee date with my friends, and then got ready for an afternoon of fun.

After picking the girls up, we stayed at the park for a bit for the end-of-school big picnic, and then took the girls to the movie theater. We met up with a bunch of friends to watch The Incredibles II.

From the front, we have Wylie, Kameron, Cora, Jake, Travis, Cooper and Charlie - I expect we'll be hanging with these guys and their lovely mamas a lot this summer.

(If only one of two of these families had a younger sister for Violet! Alas...)

After the movie, everyone came to our neighborhood for swimming and an easy poolside dinner.

Happy Summer!!

Miss Charity's Dilemma

One of the joys of being in Dr. Porter's class is performing a melodrama she wrote called "Miss Charity's Dilemma, or The Perils of Greed."

I fondly remember Cora's turn in it, when she had a role in a funny commercial.

Violet's turn in the play came on Wednesday - it was a big day, with three performances. She, along with all the kids, had several bit parts: Violet was a narrator, and a town council member.

Best of all, she had a brilliant role as a disgruntled buyer of a cure-all tonic sold by a traveling salesman. Her assertion that the tonic made her cat go "BALD - COMPLETELY BALD!" brought laughs from the entire room.

In fact, when I went in to watch the third show, parents we knew who were leaving stopped me to say that Violet stole the show and did a fabulous job.
 Enjoy the video below of her best part in the play.

Stace and Cora were able to watch the show, and even Auntie Mel. Grandma and Grandpa were out of town for a few days, though.

After the show, the actors were treated to a special lunch, with chicken tenders, corn, tater tots and watermelon.

I know that, with the Wizard of Oz, this was a highlight of Violet's year. She came home so excited on the days that the class had time to practice the play.

Lewis and Clark Fun

The 5th graders at Cora's school took part in their biggest event of the school year on Tuesday: Lewis and Clark Day.

Celebrating the expedition into Western United States by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at the start of the 1800s, the children encountered 12 stations at the big park next to the school.

Some stations were active, and others more learning-oriented.

Here, Cora and her teammates throw horseshoes and roll hoops with a stick.

They also drew out a map of the park, followed directions using a compass, and read stories about Lewis and Clark.

Here, they're drawing animals that the expedition team would have encountered on the trail.

At lunch, the children chose who to sit with, and it was no surprise to find Cora in the midst of the boys. She has girlfriends, to be sure, but she gets along very well with the boys.

If only she wasn't digging in the mud while she ate her lunch!

Thanks to my friend Pam for the second photo - classic Cora.

After lunch, Cora's group moved to square dancing. This drew groans from the kids - it was only fun when Cora and her partner, Thomas, spun themselves so fast that they flew off away from each other.

Notice the distinct lack of proper hand-holding here. Dancing aside, this was definitely a fun day for the students.

Birthday Blast

 It was a fun few days filled with birthday parties for the girls.

Violet attended her friend Katherine's party on Saturday at Color Me Mine, where she was able to paint a pot. She loves succulents, and wants to put some in the pot when we get it back.

 On Sunday, Violet attended another party, at Scooter's Jungle, for the little sister of her classmate Zane. That's Zane on the floor - go get 'em, Violet!

 Violet had fun with Caitlyn on the giant slide. Caitlyn has been part of Violet's Art Club, too.

 And on Tuesday, we went to Jake's Laser Blast birthday party. I love this girl so much - in the midst of all the boys, loving it.

Here's Cora and the birthday boy, sharing a game of air hockey.