VACATION!!!

So, we have returned from a wonderful, much deserved weeklong vacation that took us all over California. We went from here to Livermore to Redding to Lake Shasta to stay on a Houseboat for 4 days, then to Yosemite (affectionately now pronounced in the family as Yo-sehm-ite) and after a few days there, home again! While out and about we visited the Jelly Belly Factory (Greg's favorite stop!!) and that was something to see...did you know that Jelly Belly makes Costco's fruit snacks? We had an awesome time and of course I have lots of pictures and videos...but only the fun and appropriate ones get posted here =)

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from our vacation!!

Karyl relaxing after our first long stretch of driving...watching the DVD below...

Ah, our buddy Diego....without him, we wouldn't have had such wonderful bedtime success!
She is seriously the best traveling toddler EVER!!! And, that little doodle pad saved our lives!
Daddy and baby at Daddy's favorite place...the Jelly Belly Factory!!
What kid doesn't love a GIANT Jelly Bean??

This was our home away from home for 4 days =) Beautiful isn't it??

Karyl driving the houseboat...I don't think she passed the training though.

Mommy and Karyl on the speedboat...watching everyone else waterski.

Shh...don't tell my doctor I was on the speedboat...apparently it's frowned upon for pregnant women!!

Hey...you....are you takin' my picture??

Karyl and daddy waiting for the rest of us to empty our bladders =)

Our little family at Tunnel View in Yosemite with Half Dome behind us...the best view in the park!

Where's Karyl? There she is!!

All I can say is obviously I didn't take this picture...At least I don't look pregnant from this angle!

After all that travel time, still smiling!!

Disney Fun

Well, as with most Saturdays, this past Saturday night was spent at Disneyland. Unfortunately they have their Winter hours back so there is no Electrical Parade and the Character Parade seems to change times and we can't keep track! Regardless, we went and ran through Toon Town and rode the Merry Go Round. We even got a picture of Karyl on Julie Andrew's horse (it's all pretty with bells and colors). Here are a few pictures...

Karyl was trying to call Minnie from Mickey's House...what number was she on the speed dial again??

Karyl riding the Merry-Go-Round, her favortie ride!!

Thanks to Grandma's suggestion, we snuck Karyl on the Julie Andrews horse while getting off the ride...she's ridden on it a few times, but we never have the camera when she does!!

O'Neill Park and foil dinners

Last night we went to O'Neill Park and had some foil dinners, baked apples and s'mores. Greg has been wanting to do it for a long time and it finally happened!! I was kind of a party pooper since it just hadn't been a good day (I wasn't feeling good and I'm starting to grow again so I was really sore!!), but luckily that didn't stop Karyl and Greg's family from having some good fun!

Karyl enjoyed playing in the dirt and flicking it up with sticks and a badminton racquet! She found lots of large leaves and even got to see a little creek that was up behind our campsite. I was having a hard time but I was trying to keep my mouth shut and let her touch and experience nature, but it's so hard when all you can picture in your mind is what's on her hands goes directly in her mouth...but I guess a little dirt never hurt anyone!

I learned that Greg is a an AWESOME wood splitter and he did a great job cutting up all the wood. Our foil dinners, while experimental, were actually pretty good and the apples and s'mores were a big hit. We had a fun time and finally left a little while after it got dark...next time we know to bring lanterns because MagLites aren't quite the same!!

So, Karyl got her first "campfire" experience and she seemed to like it. Greg's sisters keep saying that she is a dirt girl, and as much as I hate to say it, I think they're right. Give her a good pile of dirt or mud and she'll be all in it before you can tell her no. At least she's not afraid to get dirty!!