Fall Escape

It's been a series of mini-getaways since summer. Fall is no exception. We keep truckin' with the best of them. My husband and I have a special place for Yosemite in our hearts. We got engaged at the top of Half Dome, celebrated our 10-year anniversary (along with a presidential visit--hi, Mr. President!) at the Ahwahnee (aka, The Majestic), and recently, finally brought our brood to see this magnificent place for the first time this past weekend.

I grew up with the natural splendor of this incredible national park. I visited Yosemite as a child several times with my family, often bringing others to share its' beauty. It took two times for me to conquer Half Dome in a day. My first try with my husband was while we were dating. We had a late start to our hike that ended with me being concerned that the last two miles or less would result in us hiking in darkness, so we bagged the ascent. The following year, even through some travel mishaps, we finally conquered Half Dome. We hiked up the top as boyfriend/girlfriend, and came down as an engaged couple. It still holds as one of the biggest surprises ever in my life that my love proposed up there. Since then, I've always wanted to go back. As the years brought on new challenges of everyday life, a visit to my favorite place never left my mind.

As a last-minute decision, the Mr. and I thought it was right time to share these imposing granite slabs with our kids. It's rare to secure lodging at Yosemite so last minute, but we luckily we got to use some points to cover a one-night stay at The Tenaya Lodge, located about an hour away from the valley floor. Our family had done some light hiking this past summer and I knew the kids could handle a little more adventurous terrain. We opted for a hike to Mirror Lake (which at the time of our visit, was more of a meadow, compared to early spring/summer). Yes, mM came with us. This girl has been to Europe and several places in her first year of life. What a lucky stinker! Since baby was with us, we had to choose which hike would be safe and yet, somewhat challenging enough for the big kids. Only two waterfalls were still going. Vernal and Bridalveil. The latter was more like a strong mist blowing off the top of the rock. The Vernal Fall hike is ok for the first mile, but becomes more challenging with steep inclines. Mirror Lake, which we had done earlier in the summer (do not take the paved path if you want more "rocky" terrain), was our best bet for a short hike with the all the kids. It's 1.2 miles one way. The big kids loved climbing up and over some huge boulders and probably could have handled rougher terrain. Below are some pictures. Note, these pics were taken two months ago.

This Party of 5

It's been eons since I last did a post. Last year since the birth of mM, I have been going non-stop. In the month of November alone in a span of two weeks, I threw 3 big parties back-to-back. That's not including all the holidays and birthdays in between. Oh and a wedding to attend. Suffice to say, I burned out in no time. Once 2016 hit, I was ready to take it slow and steady.

We took our first trip with mM. I am pleased to say, she did exceptionally well! She really is such a laid-back baby. Since birth, she is all smiles and sleeps really well. My MIL calls her a "saint." Our trip took us back East to visit family and for our little boss lady to meet more family members. It was a truly memorable trip. Growing up in a Filipino household, family get-togethers are commonplace and it's really important that my kids grow-up in a similar fashion. However, I don't know whether it's the times are changing, or that kids these days just have more activities dedicated to weekends, but squeezing in extended family time is hard. I'm lucky that I get to see my side of the family often enough that my kids are comfortable seeing their cousins.  All my nieces and nephews nearby are involved in extra-curricular sports or activities, as are my own kids. So it's still hard to find time to get together. In addition, we try to balance some quality family-time with just the 5 of us, too.

At least the past few months have lent to many memorable moments for my kids to remember of time well spent with their cousins from both sides. It really is quite a circus being a family of 5. When we eat out with other families, I'm basically asking a restaurant to seat anywhere from 9-10 people. Insane, right? But it's fun, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

mM is now 7 months old. I seriously want to cry! She's more than halfway through her first year! As with all my kids, I want to savor every little moment while their still babies because this period is so quick and you can't ever have these moments back. I'm talking specifically to my Dad, because he keeps on wanting my babies to grow up. What's the rush?

I do have my hands full, but they've been that way since Micro arrived. Enjoy the updates below!!

It was FFFreezing in February back East!!

Cousin quality time!

Meet the youngest and newest cousin, Sophia. My sister's new addition and the two are only 4 mos apart! Buddies for life.

Valentine's Dance. First and possibly last I'll attend with my date ;)