Kid Pix

I've been loosening the reins on the camera a bit lately, because I'm kind of planning on replacing it soon. (We've had some good years, Coolpix, but I just don't love you anymore. You and I want to focus on different things....)
So, the kids have been taking plenty of random shots. Here's a sampling of what I found on the camera today, compliments of Clara and Trevor:I'm looking forward to seeing what they photograph when the old camera becomes theirs for keeps.

My new house!

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. Chad got me this ornament that I've been (not at all subtly) hinting for since I saw it in the store a few weeks ago. It's a tiny replica of the yellow Fisher Price house that I love so much. It even opens up, and the doorbell rings! I want to shrink down and live in it.

Ahhh

If I lived in a house that was right on the beach, I don't think I'd get much done. Unless I happened to be a professional photographer. All I want to do all day long is stare, stroll, and take pictures.
Clara spent a good chunk of time reveling in the care of the extreme makeover team of Stevie and Tori.
Our day ended with a great dinner and a pretty view from Val and Stan's new place.

And I got three out of five great-grandkids together to pose with Gomma.
A little bit of everything this week, and lots to be thankful for.

Ventura Sunset

It was smooth sailing from Yosemite to Ventura, and the kids were thrilled to spend yet another night in a hotel. They just LOVE hotels. Seriously. Add to that a Denny's breakfast (the coffee was actually decent), and hours spent catching up with family, and you've got a great day.
As we toasted at the bench to celebrate another Thanksgiving, the sunset didn't disappoint. And look at this cute Daddy/Daughter pic (sea level clearly agrees with Clara):
Oh, and check out this table: It was even more awesome a few minutes later, when there was food on it. :)

Yosemite. Wow.

We've purposely avoided coming to Yosemite in the summer, because everyone goes on and on about how ridiculously crowded it is, which doesn't really sound like a whole lot of fun. This turned out to be the perfect time of year to come. We hiked for hours and only saw a handful of people.
It was my first time ever setting foot in the park, and let me tell you, the views are astonishing. It blows your mind imagining glaciers carving out this valley, and leaving massive rocks soaring out of flat ground.On the way out of the park, we stopped at the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. I've seen big trees before, but these guys were jawdroppingly big. Astounding. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I just love feeling so small in this amazing world. We must come back soon.

One bummer today was that we discovered, definitively, that Clara is extremely sensitive to altitude. We've had our suspicions for a few years now, since every trip to Tahoe has resulted in a lot of stomach complaints. We were hoping it was just coincidental. But nope. Definitely altitude. She suffered miserably as we walked through the sequoia grove at 5,600 ft, but she was fine beforehand, and afterward. And yesterday, while we were galavanting in the snow, bouts of nausea kept forcing her to sit down for a few minutes to regain her composure. :( Poor thing.

On the road

Our drive ended up being muuuuch longer than anticipated (insert long and woeful story about the Tioga Pass), but we made it down into the Yosemite Valley in time to be welcomed by the afternoon sun on El Capitan.
Oh, ya, and we saw a Jimmy John's on the way out of Reno!!!! A sight that rivals El Cap! Unfortunately, it was only 9:30 in the morning, or else I totally would have stopped in for a Number 13 Vegetariano. People of Nevada, you are very, very lucky.

Snow day, etc.

With a whole week off for Thanksgiving, we wanted to squeeze in as much adventure as possible. It all started today, with a drive up to Donner Summit for some snowy fun.
When we ran out of daylight, we got back in the car and headed to Reno, to spend the night at Circus, Circus. Crazy contrast, I know.
We took in a couple of funny circus acts, like this dog show:
And we won a wide variety of stuffed things on the midway. So naturally we had to photograph ourselves in the elevator mirror at the end of the night.
Super fun day. Off to Yosemite in the morning.....

New duds

Okay, so I caved and ordered Clara a puffy vest from (the dreaded) Abercrombie and Fitch. My hope is that she'll feel so cute in the thing that she'll actually dress warmly on cold days. Fingers crossed.
In other clothing news, Trevor is making a renewed effort to ensure that his dirty clothes make it into his laundry basket.So I guess I need to make a renewed effort to do laundry more often.

Soccer Shots

This year has been a much, much mellower soccer year than the last two years. The big difference is that Clara chose to step down from high comp, and play in a much less intense league this season. It's been so nice. Lots of happy days on the soccer field, with a great bunch of girls, and only a tiny fraction of the driving around. Our family life has been so much more balanced, and Clara is having a blast. This was a good decision.

Trevor's soccer season has been a good one, too. He's all smiles on and off the field, and he's managed to keep his cleats on his feet through every game! :)

As each soccer season comes to a close, I'm always a tiny bit relieved that we'll get a bit more time to relax, sleep in, lounge.... But it's bittersweet. Because I love watching these two.
The other good thing about soccer is that it gives you a really good excuse to just sit there in a chair for an hour, doing nothing but drinking coffee and feeling proud.