Whoa, trees!

Wow! Just back from a wonderful family vacation in Yosemite/Fish Camp. The beauty of the place will capture anybody and it was not lost on the little one. The road through the National Park is lined with lush greenery and big trees to which the little narrator in the back repeats, "Whoa" and "Oh" and "trees" thus making the drive thoroughly entertaining. It pleases me to see her appreciation of nature at such a young age.

We spent several days just relaxing in the cabin which is met with a bit of angst from the little one come 3pm or so. Cabin fever sets in. With her best attempt she puts on her shoes and walks to the door chanting (in no particular order) "bye bye", "outside", "fishies" (after she discovered the local creek is filled with them). Fortunately for us this is new territory so a short walk around the cabin vicinity accounts for satisfying exploration. She displayed a great amount of tolerance for someone with so much energy and curiosity. Thankfully the other little one, her little buddy she appropriately refers to as "wino", and her seemed to enjoy each others company and the hugs and kisses flowed freely.

Outside of the hours in the cabin, we did find time to venture into nature and glorious it was. The little one busied herself moving rocks in the river and wading in not-so-swiftly, but enough to put mommy on edge, moving water. For me it was like watching a scary movie, every muscle is clenched, shoulders up to my ears from the tenseness but just can't take my eyes off the screen. I loved watching her regardless of how high the level of anxiety. Admittedly, I struggle with this idea quite often in my parental role. Do I pull her away from all potential danger or stand at arms length and allow her to have fun and be a kid. Hopefully more of the latter. I can't bear the thought of hindering her rightful desire to adventure because of my desire to shield her from all that is, or can be, dangerous in this world.

Our final great adventure for the weekend found us on a solid, moderately challenging hike to the top of Vernal Falls. The little one comfortably situated in the baby backpack with Daddy as her sherpa.

It was a beautiful trek through the forest and we learned a new word, "warful" translated as waterfall. Apparently the adventure made quite the impression on her because when she woke up the next morning in the hotel room, we heard the usual momentary half wimper/half cry followed by a very clearly stated, "warful", and she hasn't stopped since. Good thing we have lots of video footage since Oceanside is not known for its pristine waterfalls.