good fun

A hotel with nightly DIY s'mores, tree swings, roaming wild turkeys and a bulldog mascot = good fun.  

a family pilgrimage

In memory of (Great) Grandma Irene Leatart, who finished her life quietly just a few weeks shy of 97 years old.  A pilgrimage to the Hill family plot at the Carmelo Cemetery where in rests Irene and Grandpa Wally, as well as Wally's parents and grandparents.  A beautiful resting place and an incredible legacy focused on the love of food, wine, arts, and family.  

beautiful Point Lobos

Day 1 of our weekend family reunion in Carmel, California.  Point Lobos State Reserve Park.  

 Completely amazing display of churning waters, big waves, and ocean spray.  

 Outdoor exploring = happy boys.  Always.

 Stunning views.  

 Gorgeous and interesting plant wild life.  Hens and chicks succulents grow wild everywhere!   

 A chorus of sea lions barking steadily on the distant rocks.  

 Daddy and Uncle Adam take the exact same stance (genetically?) but do not have the same hair!  

 Let's climb!  

 Strangely, in this fog, we all got sunburnt!  

If you ever head to Carmel, don't miss Point Lobos.  We only scratched the surface and it was fantastic!  

rainiest day EVER!!

Best thing ever to do on a rainy spring break day with no plans?  Force Auntie Bridget to play hookie at work and meet us in Centralia for lunch.  Yes it was an hour and forty five minute drive both ways through the driving, blinding rain....but SO worth it!!!  We had Burgerville milkshakes and visited with the baby in her belly.  Hooray for our new cousin!!  

***Side note.  I've been asked about 30 times in the past two weeks if the boys are twins.  Doesn't help that they keep wanting to wear matching clothes, but I wonder if they are looking more and more alike?

daddy's great heli adventure 2012

Alyeska, Alaska heli-skiing with Uncle Matt:

It should come as no surprise to those who know us that my boys say things like "Time to ski the pow pow!!" or throw massive screaming tantrums in the Bachelor parking lot if they haven't gotten in enough "jumps" for the day before being forced to head home.  And it is equally no surprise that Daddy is everyone's skiing hero, including mine.  He is an adventurer at heart and a bit of a dare devil, which he has passed on to his sons.  It both scares me and makes me love him.  

(Yes, he wears an avalanche beacon and yes, we have good life insurance!)

garden toes

I happened to notice two sets of these beauties at lunch one day after a morning of weeding (playing) in the garden.  Yikes!  I wonder how much more topsoil was deposited on the floors before I clued in!  

spring break cousins' club

"Baby Ryan" is now officially "Cousin Ryan" as he really no longer qualifies as a baby.  Now we just play as three big boy cousins together....such fun!