Our Summer Vacation to Yosemite

We spent almost all of this past week in California for our summer vacation. It was so nice to be back in Fresno and then be able to head up to Yosemite once again. That's one of the places were spent the most time and really miss here in the desert. We had such a nice time and it was so great to be able to meet up with Jim, Michelle, Annie and Isaiah. Even with all the smoke from the nearby fires, the weather and scenery were breathtaking! We also were able to see most of our Fresno friends who we miss so much ... thanks for making us feel so welcome!!!


Arriving in California ...

Lizzie's first time on a plane!


Yosemite National Park ...

Heading into the park!


Yosemite Falls ...

Three generations!

Yosemite Falls in all her glory.

Mueller Mania at the base of Yosemite Falls!

More Mueller fun!!! :)

Our little family!

Grandma Michelle & Auntie Annie.

Grandpa & Grandma Mueller.

Unkie IZ hanging out on a log! :)

Super Annie splitting the rocks!

The California Mueller's

Annie & Isaiah at the base of the falls.

The aunt and uncle looking back at all that water!!!

Park Wildlife ...

One of many squirrels who were scurrying about the valley floor.

A doe along the side of the road at dusk.

The bob cat that we watched from our cabin ... we actually had a bear outside one of the nights, but a black bear in the middle of the night does not show up well on a camera! :)

The Trail to Half Dome ...

Nate, Frances and Lizzie at the top of Vernal Falls

The view from the top of Vernal Falls! Absolutely gorgeous!

Vernal Falls

Looking up to Vernal Falls ...

Daddy with Lizzie on their way up the trail! Try to stay dry!!! :)

Isaiah, Nate & Annie at the edge of the Emerald Pool.

The Mueller's with Nevada Falls in the background.

The Mueller's with Vernal Falls in the background!

Cute squirrel along the trail ... seems to be looking for a handout of some sort!

Nate, Lizzie, Jim & Michelle on their way up the trail to Vernal Falls.

View of the Merced River.

Annie, Nate, Lizzie & Isaiah on the bridge over the Merced River.

A rainbow over the mist trail.

Elizabeth, just along for the ride! :)

Grandpa Jim with a sleeping grand daughter.

Jim & Michelle kissing on the bridge.

Holding hands ...

Peek-a-boo along the trail!!!

Sitting near the edge of Emerald Pool.

The grandparents with Lizzie Lou near Emerald Pool.

Grandma Michelle & Lizzie.

Nate did a lot of work hiking while Lizzie did a lot of dreaming!!! :)

Nate's new pet ... a common robber fly.

Nate, Frances and a sleepy Lizzie near Emerald Pool.

The sign to tell us how far we went ... not that far at all! :)

Riding Around & Seeing The Sights ...

Lizzie on the shuttle ... such a big girl riding in a seat all by herself!

Yosemite Valley! Even with all the smoke, it's still awesome!!!

Three Brothers and Bridalveil Falls beyond the Merced River.

The view from behind our cabin ... straight up!!!

A washed up tree trunk wtih El Capitan in the background. Nate did such a great job shooting this photo and I just love how it looks in black and white! Great job honey!!!

Three Brothers and Bridalveil Falls.

The Merced River.

Yosemite Falls

BBQ at the River ...

The gang finding the perfect rocks to skip.

Lizzie in rock haven ... so many rocks, so little time! :)

Annie & Isaiah out experiencing nature!

Annie and a Cadis fly. These insects built a home out of small sticks and stones and live in the water until they are old enough to get their wings and live outside the water.

Cadis Fly close-up ...

Another view of his little home.

A Cadis Fly floating in the water ...

Lizzie playing softball ... actually just sitting down and coming up with a stategy for her next move as our youngest pitcher!

The zerbert kids in the back of the truck on our way home to the cabins!!!

Another deer along side the road.


The sunset on Half Dome ... what a beautiful view!


Rock Climbing ...

Lizzie attempting to climb her first rock all by herself - freestyle!!!

She made it to the top, as did Daddy, Annie & Isaiah. Great job guys!!!

Mirror Lake ...

Riding the shuttle up to the trailhead.

Lizzie gearing up for the hike ...

Only to fall right asleep! :)

At Mirror Lake - lots of smoke, but still beautiful!

A butterfly near the waters edge.

The rest of the butterfly flock!

On a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see the reflection of Half Dome in this lake. With all of the smoke, it was impossible the day we were there.

Mommy at Mirror Lake.

Lizzie & Daddy at Mirror Lake.

No reflection in the lake, but we were able to see it through all the smoke.

Lizzie on the way back ... still sleeping! :)

Celebrating Lizzie's Birthday!!!

Grandpa, Lizzie and her new ladybug float. Thanks so much guys!!!

Having fun with the tissue paper and gift wrap! :)

Waiting for cake ... or "ding-dong's" from the country store!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Our little chocolate monster!

Yummy!!!

Heading Up Out Of The Valley ...

The Mono Pass entrance.

Tenaya Lake.

Yellow flowers along the roadside.

A roadside waterfall.

Nate at Olmstead Point wtih Half Dome in the background.

Eye level wtih Half Dome.

Red flowers growing from a crack in the granite ... amazing!

Unicorn Peak!

Daddy and Lizzie on the hike up to Lake Elizabeth.

Unicorn Peak ... a little closer!

Lizzie and Daddy.

Another mountain creek.

Lake Elizabeth. Great view, but gigantic mosquitos! :)

Daddy and Lizzie having a snack at the top of the hike.

Mommy and Lizzie playing in the snow runoff ... very cold!


Our little family!

Another shot with a glacier in the background. Breath-taking views!!!

Lizzie asleep on the trail. Great job dad! :)

A quick photo of the sign on our way back!

Enjoying a post hike snack!!!

A crazy braided tree along the highway!

More wildflowers creeping out of the rocks!

Catching some "z"s in the truck after the hike!!!

It's amazing, but trees can grow out of rocks!!! At home, trees need soil and even then, they may not make it! :)

Celebrating Papa Jim's Birthday ...

Grandpa Jim and Daddy with his Little Debbie Oatmeal Cookie Cake.

Nate assiting his dad with blowing the candle out! Great job guys ... nice teamwork. :)

Opening gifts!

Breakfast at the Ahwahnee ...

The Mueller's annual brunch. This has now become a tradition since we have gone for the last four years. We took a similar shot last year when Lizzie was just a month old, so we had to try again! :)

The historic hotel ... I just can't imagine all the people who have stayed here over the years from presidents to royalty to the average person. Maybe someday we will stay here, you just never know.


Celebrating Mommy's Birthday ...

My birthday cake! If you haven't noticed by now ... summertime holds many birthdays for our family. It's so nice that we can celebrate in so many different places. What great memories we are making!!!

I hope there's enough cake for everyone!!!


The Great Falls ...

Wait for it ...

Okay, so maybe they're the Not-So-Great Falls. This is Fern Spring and you can actually drink the water right from the ground here. I had to wait a little bit to take this photo as many people bring jugs and fill them up here. I always liked these little falls because in Yosemite everything is very large yet in the midst of all those giants in the valley floor you have Fern Spring. It's just something that I marvel at and know that God does great things, but also small ones too.


Base Camp ...

Curry Village was the place we called home for the few days while we were in the park. They are famous for the canvas tent cabins, but we actually stayed in one of their more permanent structures.

Nate and Lizzie on our porch enjoying some morning quiet time.

Our cabin, complete with two beds a closet and a bathroom ... BONUS!!!

Isaiah, Lizzie and Annie hanging out on the porch.

Daddy goofing off in the afternoon!

Lizzie all wrapped up at night, sleeping off the hike we took.

Mommy and Lizzie in the pool enjoying the new birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

Swimming on her own ... :)

Bridalveil Falls ...

Daddy and Lizzie Lou in the creek.

Daddy, Lizzie and Mommy enjoying the fresh air.

Looking back towards the falls.

Lizzie Lou and Daddy.

Bridalveil Falls in the smoke.

Leaving the Park ...

Lizzie in her brand new shirt from G'ma & G'pa. So long Yosemite, maybe we'll be back again next year ... you just never know with us!!! :)

Wawona ...

We stopped at Wawona to grab a bite at the hotel. It's such a nice place for lunch and very peaceful. After lunch we walked around the grounds to stretch our legs a bit.

Momma and Lizzie having some fun!

Lizzie's Fresno Grandparents, Honorary Aunts & Playmates ...

Our trip would not have been comlete without staying with the O'Neils. You guys are such wonderful hosts and we greatly appreciated all the things you did for us including the use of your truck while we were visiting!

Lizzie and Grandma Linda

Mommy, Lizzie, Grandma Linda & Grandpa Jim

Lizzie and Mommy with Auntie Kjirsten. Lizzie has another wonderful honorary aunt, but we forgot to take any pictures with Auntie Leslie. Sorry about that!!! :(

Then it was off to see the twins, Hannah and Megan. These two cuties are about 3 months younger than Lizzie but they seemed to have a good time together.

Megan & Hannah sitting on the floor.