New Territory...

Trying on uniform pants for the upcoming school year...

Lookin' good, Ava!

{She looks great in everything though...}

Sink or Swim...

Post-family camp meant only one thing...

Swim Lessons!

Our three girls couldn't wait to jump in,

Owen on the other hand...

Yes,

it was quite tramatic.

Fortunately,

by the end of two weeks he was getting into the water without crying,

and though he'll be repeating the same class next year,

at least he got his feet wet (yes, pun intended!).

Like I said before,

the girls were thrilled to get back into the water,

and of course,

they rocked it!

And thanks to Gabriel being such a

stick-to-you-with-glue kind-of-boy,

he sat quietly pretty much the whole time

and was content to munch on craisins and cheerios

during all the hoopla!

Ahhh.  Yes.

How could I forget?

The girls learned how to dive this season.



Or should I say,

attempted to dive this season?

{smile}



At least they know how to make waves!

One more season down...

Eight is Great!

 

Ava,

We can hardly believe you're eight already!

You have always been stunning,

but somehow you've transformed

from alittle rascal who hated puffed sleeves

and any color other than blue,

into a beautiful young girl

whose open to pretty much anything!

You're trademark

easy-going way,

tender-heart,

and melt-the-heart brown eyes

still take our breath away!

Your father and I love you

so, so much!

Continue in this way,

work hard as ever,

and know that you are so, so special.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Love always,

Mom + Dad

2011 Family Camp: Mono Lake & Yosemite

This year,

due to rising costs in our old campground,

we headed to Mono Lake and Yosemite!

To break up the drive,

we made an impromptu stop at the Strawberry Lodge

and posed with the enormous stuffed bear from Kodiak, Alaska.

And who can resist a a good totem pole?

The scenery out here is stunning!

Crisp, clean, clear.

I felt like we were in the Rockies!

We pulled into camp to see a beautiful sight:

Rachel in the kitchen!

The wild beasts...

My memory is already fading,

but I believed we camped at Lundy Campground.

It's to the right of Mono Lake,

and just 45 minutes from the Tuolumne entrance of Yosemite.

Guess what we hit first?

The expedition begins!

Destination:

Lembert Dome!

Once at the top,

I have to admit that what rivaled the fabulous views

was yelling at all the kids to,

"Sit down!".

My favorite line:

"Until your mom gets up here,

you listen to me!"

Seriously,

with little ones EVERYWHERE and

fall-off-the-mountain-cliffs at every side,

you'd be screaming too.

Plus it was fun.

The Joe Elmers

Notice Luke,

deprived of exploring.

I'm proud of these kiddos!

They are some tough cookies!

Like ants...

I love this guy!

Thanks, Owen!

Next up,

Dog Lake!

Getting our bearings...

But first,

some tree-watering...

Thanks to Bill's excellent Uncle Ron navigating skills,

we take a detour, planned of course,

to this stream (river?).

Between wading,

rock-throwing,

and...

...attempts to put ON swimsuits,

we had a blast!

Samuel,

he can't resist.

Told ya!

Baby Lucky!

This is heaven...

This side of Yosemite is gorgeous!

So, so different from the valley.

You feel like you are literally on top of the world!

What we thought was a simple jaunt into a campground

for a Jr. Ranger Program

turned out to be another mini-hike!

We learned a rockin' song though so it was worth it!

Ask any of the kids to finish this line for you:

"Yo ho Tuolumno..."

It's pretty funny.

Another beautiful sight...he he.

Rats!

I guess I'm there too!

Just kidding,
we love getting in the camp kitchen!

Today's destination:

Mono Lake!

Gabriel pooped out on his Uncle Bill.

I suppose you could say he's unwavering?

The "Tufa Towers"

The smell is incredible...

in a not good way.

Very salty...stinky...

And when you touch it,

if feels like oil.

Oil buzzing with millions of black flies and

chock-full of super-tiny shrimp.

Would you hire me for the

Mono Lake Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau?

Seriously,

aside from that,

it is an ancient lake

- over 1,000 years old - 

2 1/2 times as salty as the ocean,

and the gathering place of 1.2 million sea gulls!

Plus, it's beautiful in it's own unique and stinky way.

Beautiful, stinky girls!

I wish I were kidding!

My favorite peeps!

My boys!

Next, the Wyllies took us to the Mono-Inyo Craters,

a volcanic chain of craters, domes, and lava flows.

The kids went crazy collecting,

you guessed it,

Obsidian!

The next day we took the kids swimming,

unfortunately,

we had a terrible time finding a kid-friendly spot.

After a few us got wet,

we headed back to camp only to stop and

check out this dam overflow.

He he.

Sorry, that's just always funny.

Hallie-bird

Miss Lillian

Scraggle-monkey!

When you're camping,

a real toilet is a destination magnet!

We had a busy day!

Time to gather around the fire.

Yum!

M & M's!

WARNING:

This is what happens when you eat too many M & M's!

Not pretty!

The constant and ever-entertaining

adjustments to the fire!

S'more happiness!

Will the toothfairy have to make a trip to Mono Lake?

 { nope! }

The next day we set our sights on
Yosemite and the Valley Floor!

Our first detour:

Olmstead Point

{ Nice view of Half Dome in the background... }

My hunnies!

I never get tired of seeing Gabriel

- or any of my kids for that matter -

trekking around!

It just makes me...happy!

 

Heading up to Vernal Falls!

 

There she is! 

Gorgeous,

and deadly as ever.

We learned that only days prior three people

went over the top of the falls.

So sad,

and yet another excellent reminder

to keep a close eye on everyone.

The Motley Crew

The Mist Trail...living up to it's name!

We made it!

My sweetheart

Uncle Nathan & Lillian

Everyone moves for,

what else?

Lunch!

Down we go! 

We have a dinner date at Degnans!

Nature-induced meditation!

And King of the Mountain!

Love these dirty, dirty sneakers!

My girl, Iris!

After our big hike the kids excitedly await the

shuttle-bus!

Brothers...and little cousins!

L E N N O N

Gabriel

Copy-cat!

Saturday was go-home day.

But not before we celebrate camp-style with

ding-dongs, twinkies, and cupcakes for the

B I G  E I G H T !

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y,  A V A !

Hi, Iris!

After we broke camp and said our good-byes to aunts, uncles, & cousins,

we hit the road but not before making a few pit-stops.

First up,

The Mono Lake Visitor Center

Who did we run into?

The Green Beans!

Thanks to a tip from the Wyllies,

our next stop was all about the foodie in me...

The Mobile Gas Station!

What?!?

This is no joke!

A celebrated chef is behind the counter cooking up some

amazing 4-star gourmet grub!

World Famous Fish Tacos

with Ginger Coleslaw + Mango Salsa

Pork Carnitas

with Avocado + Tomatillo Salsa

And my favorite...

The Legendary Lobster Taquitos

with Tomatilo + Pineapple Salsa

Truly, truly legendary! 

If you get a chance,

The Tioga Gas Mart & Whoa Nellie Deli

is a must see + eat!

On the road again...

Once again, we couldn't resist stopping

at this new LDS chapel in Walker, California!

From this photo you can tell that,

1) We are squished in the van, and

2) Gabriel has found a way to entertain himself with his pillow!

Lesson learned:

Next time you're on the road in tight quarters

for an extended amount of time,

suck on something,
preferably big and fluffy!

Exhausted,

dirty as can be,

but within a stone's throw of the Sacramento Temple,

we decided to take advantage of the proximity and visit a bit. 

Iris was in a snit and enjoyed the serenity of the grounds

far, far away from us.

How can you not open your arms wide?

Yea! 

She finally likes us again!

Good-bye temple!

You are the perfect capstone to our trip!

When we arrived home

we gave the van a bath

 - which means we soaked each other in the front yard! -

took real baths ourselves,

and then continued the birthday party

with pancakes for dinner!

...

This year, was a great year at camp!

High marks for the super-clean bathrooms,
and being able to explore someplace new.

But more than that,

it's really, really fun spending time with our extended family.

  

Yes,
we all have our quirks,

but for the most part we know when
to stay out of each other's hair,
and when to step in and help out.

There's a lot of love in this family,
and it's great to share that with our kids.

We're looking forward to next year!

Beach-bound!

XOXO

The Samuel Elmer Family