yosemite 2017

Every year since we were married Dan has been going up to Yosemite with some or all of the family.  We realized after trying to camp with baby Mya and baby Winter that babies are just not good campers. Nor are they good travelers. So I haven't joined Dan on his annual Yosemite trip since I was pregnant with Angus. I was actually excited to go up this year because my mom agreed to watch Angus, the extremely high-maintenance two year old. But as we were prepping the food the day before we planned to leave, Mya fainted. We were completely shocked and worried since she hadn't been sick in over a week and had a mild cough we weren't too worried about. Turns out she had pneumonia. Whaaattt?! 

She was actually okay to stay behind and hang out with me. And with only one toddler to compete with, she would have a lot of mommy time. Which she totally did. And I had a peaceful few days with just the two kids. 

Before Dan left, he started coughing. So I packed extra cough drops and Advil and cough syrup in his suitcase and told him not to worry. Yes, Winter and Addie are the more spirited of the four kids, but he could totally handle them. And I think that would have been true had he not gotten pretty sick up there. He pretty much had a miserable time but managed to take these awesome pictures. 

Things don't always turn out the way you plan them. Dan spent tons of money on some new camping supplies and food for a trip he regretted when he got home. BUT that's life ya know? I love these pictures though. 

black and white july

These are all from my Sunday photo shoot when I took out the big camera and went Paparazzi on my family.

When I cook/make anything, this happens.

Wassup wassup

All day Angus lies on these poor dogs. This face doesn't really look like Twitch is enjoying it. Sorry old boy.

This is my sweet little Mya singing Hallelujah for her Daddy's birthday. 

This was when I only had two kids when Dan went camping with the other two. I could totally handle two kids. I would even say I would be a really good mom of two kids. 

Mya has had some bad luck with pneumonia, dizziness and just being sick lately. Poor girl. She's on the mend but still can't do too much without getting dizzy or weak.

Watching Daddy fix the vacuum. Best day ever. 

He may be slightly OCD. He enjoys washing his hands over and over in the sink...

She's wearing a homemade ladybug hat and matching purse. And that's all she needs.

The dogs don't get out much in the summer and they get extra attention from the kids. They've had a hard couple of months. 

Sporting new sandals from the thrift store. 

escape to bako

Bakersfield has become my happy place. My sister likes to call it The New Palm Springs. Wendy and I planned a little summer retreat back in January. Well, I suggested it and she planned it. And when Wendy plans something, it may look like she has hired a team of professional party planners on uppers but it's actually just one person... Wendy.

Top 10 favorite things about ladies weekend 2017:

10. There were NO kids there. Love ya kids.

9. There were no boys there. Sorry boys, we totally love you too, we really do. But we were able to let our muffin tops out and our pasty thighs bask in the sunshine without worrying about how they may shock an innocent male bystander.

8. Animals roaming free in the backyard. There's something therapeutic about floating around in the pool and hearing the sounds of chickens clucking by or horses and goats talking to each other in their calming animal voices.

7. Slept when I felt like it. Stayed up late and slept in... like the weekend used to be like before kids.

6. Massages! Wendy arranged for a masseuse to come to the house. Rosie and her magic fingers need to move down to SoCal so we can hang out again.

5. Cocktails and food. Wendy made a menu including cocktails with every meal of course. This included mimosas and brunch when we arrived Friday. That crazy awesome overachieving sister of mine spent hours prepping Thursday.

4. Impromptu 80s and 90s hip hop dance party.

3. Cards against humanity. Best game ever.

2. Walking through the almond trees. That will always be at the top for me.

1. Quality time with some truly amazing ladies. I loved being able to catch up with old friends and family I rarely get to see.

There was much more that helped to make the weekend perfect like the crazy welcome baskets Wendy left on each of our beds, the gorgeous property, and details like pretty plates and fancy glasses. We got to explore downtown and shop a little bit too. And everyone got along and no one was high maintenance or caused drama. It really was the perfect way to relax.

And then BAM! Right back into it.

Thanks to my superhuman nearly 70-year-old mom for watching all four kids 2 out of 3 days! You're BEYOND amazing. Thanks to hubby too for saying yes to ladies weekend, and always taking care of the kids so well that I never worry about a single thing when I'm not there. And Mya, for pretty much running the show in my absence I'm certain. I'm not sure my mom and Dan would be able to find a single thing without her. She also tells the truth when asked what mommy usually does... Winter will tell a fun story but it's rarely correct.

reluctant photoshoot

Dan's birthday is coming up. He brought home a frame I gave him a few years ago to hang up at work, and requested some updated pictures for his birthday. He was like, No big deal, just take a few pics and put them in. You take pictures of the kids all the time. 

So of course I started stressing out immediately. For one thing, the kids are pretty much never wearing clothes these days. What's the point when it's 100 degrees and you live in the pool? So Sunday, I took advantage of the fact that the kids usually wear clothes to church... at least on the way in. I brought my super expensive camera with me that I begged Dan for and never use. That was like a birthday present in and of itself. He loves it when I take that baby out and get all paparazzi-like.

The big girls are definitely easier than the little ones. But they don't always cooperate like they should. If I can get all the kids in the morning when they are still in a good mood, chances are higher of actually getting some okay shots.

Mya is still learning how to smile for the camera. She immediately goes into deer caught in headlights mode. I always tell her to give me a natural smile and this is what I usually get. We're working on it. She's always very cooperative though which I really appreciate. 

Winter is a born model. She can so easily flash an effortless smile and it's totally frameable. I have tons of Winter pics to chose from. She's a feisty one, however, so sometimes she starts messing around and making horrible faces that are really not appreciated when I'm trying to take a nice pic for Dad. But usually I love it. 

Addie's 3 so she's bit bipolar so it's extremely hit or miss with her...

Pretty much all pictures I take of this guy end up like this... oh and he also HATES to be photographed. I tell you, he's like Dan in every way possible. 

But I actually got a few cute ones after taking pictures of them literally all day. And I forgot how much I love looking through the lens and feeling that satisfying click when I take the pictures. It really is kind of awesome. But I would make a horrible family photographer. I don't know what professionals do but I say fart a lot for the older ones and throw a couple of fart sounds in for the younger ones. Not sure how else to get them to smile. They find the most random things funny and are not amused by the normal funny things. So yeah, fun day.

I'll post the finished product after Monday since Dan looks at this blog and I want him to kind of be surprised even though he knows what's coming... and he knows what his kids look like. 

UPDATE: Here's what we went with. There were only 3 spots so I had to combine the older two.