Yosemite Trip

Over the Labor Day weekend we went to the Strawberry Music Festival at Camp Mather (just outside Yosemite).  Three days of Bluegrass music, swimming in a lake, sleeping in a tent and lots of other fun.  This family picture was taken after three days of camping.  We don't look too bad for how dirty we were after three days of camping.  Baby Greyson was screaming his head off (ready for a nap).  I should have faced him forward so you could see him scream.  Oh well. Ilana looks so pretty here!

Here is a peek at our house during packing.  What a mess!

Our first night we spent in Mammoth at a B&B.  I got the boys matching jammies.  Too cute.  I had a really hard time getting Jack and Liam to sit still for the picture.  Wiggly boys.  

The kids did pretty good with the long car ride.  Lately Liam has decided that any large animal is a "Moo" or cow.  On our trip any horse or cow was a Moo.  He loved seeing the cattle in the fields.  When there weren't any cows to see he would say, "Mom!  Mom!  Moo!" As he signed the word "where?", trying to ask me where all the cows were.  Then he would sign "sleep" to tell me that the cows must all be sleeping since they weren't by the roadside for his viewing pleasure. 

The first night at the festival we sat out in the music meadow and listened to Rose's Pawn Shop.  Jason knew the lead singer, Paul Givant, from high school days.  They were really good!   We were really glad Grandma and Grandpa Padgett could join us on our first camping expedition.  Thanks Grandpa Ed for taking such great pictures for us. (Ed Padgett Photography)

The nights were really cold and the days were really hot.  I put Grey in a little bear snuggie to try and keep him warm.

The kids got to run and dance around the meadow with a ton of other kids.  Jack was mostly off in the tall grass looking for bugs and who knows what.

We met some really nice people.  The music festival is super kid friendly and has a friendly hippy atmosphere.  We met some people that have been bringing their kids to the festival for 14 years.  They were surprised at our "bravery" to camp with so "many" kids that were so young.  Seriously, we only have four kids.  I always laugh when people make a big deal about how many kids we have.  I'd like to think it's because we look too young to have four kids:)  Anyways, they were excited for us to start the same family traditions they had.

As the kids ran around, Ilana got smacked hard in the face by a kid that didn't see her.  Daddy picked her up to comfort her and this is a picture of a very upset Liam.  He didn't like that Daddy picked up Ilana and then couldn't pick him up! 

This has got to be my all time favorite photo from the camping trip.  A boy needs to look good even when he's camping. 

A boy loves a Dad.