Soak it in, Babies!

Yosemite is not fair. In the same way that Hawaii isn't fair to the other states.

Sometimes it's not enough just to drag your kids to one of the most spectacular piles of rocks in the world. You have to force march them into a meadow and demand that they stop talking about video games just for a moment. Fling out your arms! Tip your head back and soak it in, Babies!

Around here....

Thanksgiving happened! And it was just as straight-up crazy as only Thanksgiving can be. You know - place cards and perfect weather and zip-lining with cousins and remarks about your parenting style and employment status at dinner.
AND? beer and Scrabble with some of my favorite people - which was awesome, and noticing it's awesomeness while it was happening, which was awesomer.
And we saw Santa. I get giggly and star-struck when I see Santa.

 

Around here....

  

Around here, it was a rough week. How was your week? Okay? Cool. Also, we went to the central coast which did not contribute to the roughness of the week that followed, because: extreme see-saw! beach time! Cal Poly tee-shirts for all!

Around here....

Around here, I took my kids on a mildly adventurous day trip to Hearst Castle. (Short notice, extra credit.) I recommend it - if you're into opulence and splendor and that sort of thing. My dudes would have traded some of the splendor for a chance to do a cannonball into that pool.

Around here!

Around here, we've had a mildly adventurous couple of days in Monterey.... Jellies! Skinny white guys!

Around here (one day late).

Around here, I hit the open road with my 10-year-old choosing all the music - a lot of Fall Out Boy. (A lot.) Fourth Grade Mission Report: Accomplished. Creepy Santa display: seen.
More Pea Soup? No, thank you.

Around here....

Such a mixed week it's been! Road trips, haircuts, first dance - all good. Hard lessons learned, and finding out what kind of bad ass I am: if you take money off my child, I Will call your mother. That kind of bad ass.

Around here (ish)....

What's summer without a road trip? Preferably, a road trip with an early morning start.

These are our Mama-are-you-finally-ready-can-we-go? faces.

San Diego! Where I heard the best advice ever: Look forward when you're walking. You'd be surprised how many people do not. And I'm talking about the adults.
Not pictured: Comic-Con, special guest star Liza Thoms, and a real rainstorm with thunder and lightning! So good.