Every year growing up my family took a summer vacation to Yosemite. It became our favorite place. I always hoped to bring my own family to Yosemite to show them how beautiful and fun it is. Well, the Whitaker family finally decided to plan a big trip with everyone to Bass Lake and Yosemite, and it was just as fun as I would have hoped it to be!! Overall, it was about as hot as it could get (man, we were dying inside that cabin) and about as fun as it could get too. If you remember, Ryan and I went two years ago with the Gardner family, which you can read about
here. It's fun going back and seeing Ryan and I then compared to Ryan and I now.
Emry and I decided to fly to California for a day to see some family and to make the drive a little shorter to Bass lake (6 hours instead of 12!), so my mom, dad, Emry, and I were the first to get there. We had a pretty relaxing day getting everything ready for everyone else to get there and hanging out by the lake.
Lynne, Dave, Owen, and Lila drove in one car and Ryan and Jeff drove in another and they both got there about an hour apart from each other the next day. We spent that whole day hanging out on the dock by the water trying to cool off as much as we could (it was really hot inside the cabin, but felt wonderful by the water).
Sunday we went to church at the Yosemite Ward and then spent the rest of the afternoon around the cabin. In the afternoon we were so hot we decided to take a drive around the lake just to sit in some A/C. We went and threw rocks in the lake and just hung out all together. That night Brian, Kelli, Cade, Cam, and Scott got there and then the week was really ready to begin!! :D You see, Scott brought his portable AC unit which basically made it bearable to hang out in the cabin (especially if it was pointed right on you). That night we made cookies, played games, and just enjoyed being all together again.
Monday we spend the whole day on the lake. We rented 2 jet ski's which was so much fun! I was surprised that Emry actually liked going on the jet ski's. She wasn't too fond of wearing her life vest, but if it meant she could go on the jet ski's she was pretty okay about it :D My mom also bought a big floating raft for the kids to play on, which everyone loved. We spent the day hanging out on the dock, laying out, swimming, eating, playing games, going on the jetski's, and having a good time together! That night, my dad did a fun FHE lesson with the kids (the classic iron rod activity) and we had dessert.
Tuesday was a Yosemite day. We spent the whole day in Yosemite and I was worried it was going to be too hot, but it ended up being totally perfect. There was a little cloud cover so it was nice and shady for our hikes. It is always fun to take Ryan to Yosemite because I love sharing something I love so much with him. We did all the typical Yosemite stuff: stop at tunnel view, hiking to the bottom of lower Yosemite Falls, hanging out at Happy Isles, eating ice cream, dunking contests (Brian was the only one who dunked haha!!), etc. That night we came home and had foil dinners. It was a great day!
Wednesday was my Birthday!! Happy 26th Birthday to me!! Growing up I spent probably 75% of my birthdays in Yosemite so being in Yosemite for my birthday just feels right! It was such a great day! We decided to rent the jet ski's again and a patio boat for all the kids to ride on. We spent the morning boating around the lake and switching off riding the jet ski's and riding on the boat. We got a tube to pull behind the boat and I was surprised that Cade and Cam both did it (with adults with them of course). I rode with Cadence and it was so much fun! (the patio boat doesn't pull you very fast so it was perfect for the kids). We anchored the boat at a beachy shore for a while so the kids could get out and throw rocks in the water. That afternoon we went over to Miller's for lunch where we had burgers and fries. Perfect birthday lunch :D We turned in the boat at that point, but kept the jet ski's and spent the rest of the afternoon riding on the lake. Ryan and I both took one jet ski and went on a fun long ride after lunch together. It was really fun. I love doing fun things with my best friend. The rest of the day we hung out on the dock, soaked up the sun, played games, and took turns on the jet ski. That night we had dinner and then Lynne made a yummy cake. My mom was prepared and had Thrifty's ice cream ready for me too! I have such a great family!! It really was a great day! I love birthdays that are just full of fun and that is definitely what this one was! Bursting with fun!!!
Thursday was another lake day. This time we just hung out and had sort of a lazy day, no jet skis or boats or anything, just hanging out. In the morning we did go to the Independence Day Fair (which ended up just being a bunch of political booths with a couple of kids crafts booths). It was really hot and miserable so we hurried home and hung out at the dock, which was much better :D. That afternoon, Ryan took me to the Tanaya Lodge to get a massage for my birthday. (He's a keeper!!) It was a great afternoon of relaxation and a fun time to spend just the two of us. That night we had a delicious BBQ and after putting Emry to bed, we watched the fireworks go off over the lake. We had the perfect view of the fireworks. So pretty and patriotic!
Friday we packed everything up and then headed into Yosemite. We did a couple of hikes that I don't ever remember doing before, which was fun. We hiked bridal veil falls and then drove through the valley to a ufn lookout and then to Tanaya Lakes where we stopped to throw some rocks, etc. It was pretty crowded in the valley so it was nice to hang out in Tuolomne for the evening. We ended up staying in the tent cabins that night so that evening we went to dinner in the dining hall, roasted s'mores over the fire, and played games in my parents cabin until it was time for bed. That night was not the best night's sleep since Emry woke up like 14 times in the night (probably because it was freezing!). I finally had Ryan make a fire because even I was cold and if I was cold I could only imagine Emry was an icicle. It seemed to work because Emry ended up sleeping better the second half of the night.
In the morning, we got up, packed our stuff back in the car and headed out for a LONG drive home. The reason we stayed in Tuolomne on Friday night because it ended up taking about 3 hours off our total drive home, which helped a TON, but it still was a long trip. We finally made it home that night and vowed to never drive that far ever again, knowing we would absolutely do it again because it was totally worth it! Seriously, I love Yosemite. I love Bass Lake. I love family. It was such a fun family vacation, I want to do it all again soon!
Now here are a million pictures to show how much fun we had!
Day one on the dock. We were just happy to be out of the car :D
Day one on the lake. I was instructed after this picture that I am a horrible mother and Emry spent the entire rest of the time in a life jacket. :D
Being cute on the dock again
Daddy and Emry on the jet ski. She loved it and when we took her off she would cry for more! It was pretty cute. (No worries, Ryan stayed in the no wake zone with her--for the most part)
My birthday cake. Too many candles if you ask me...
Hanging out on the 4th of July in her fun 4th of July swimsuit!
Fireworks over the lake
Lila was a brave little girl. She would just hang out in the water just like this!! She is a little dare devil!!!
Cadence and Grandma hanging out relaxing in the water. Cade was cracking me up!!!
Ry, Em, and me on the jet ski. Em had so much fun!
Me and Emry floating on the water (you will be glad to see a life jacket on her this time)
Lila looking good
Emry hanging out on the dock in her floaty car. She loved this thing when it was on the dock but don't you dare put her in the water with it!!
This is what happened probably 75% of the time: all the cousins hanging out on the dock sharing snacks. (Of course Cade is the keeper of all the snacks)
My parents with all their kids. We must have a million of these shots over the years.
Grandparents with all their grandkids
My cute family at Tunnel View
Typical whole clan shot at Tunnel View
The whole gang hanging out in Happy Isles
Just hanging out in Happy Isles being as happy as can be
Jeff, Ryan, Cade, and Brian on the rock in the middle of the river
Again, so impressed with how brave Cade was. She wanted to be do everything her dad was doing. It was cute!
Brian about to dunk, and Brian under the water. He was the only one who actually went in, so I guess he wins this year's dunking contest!
Jeffrey and Cam man in Happy Isles
Ryan pushing the kids in the make-shift double stroller :D
Emry and I at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls playing in the water. She loved putting her feet in, crazy girl!
Everyone on the boat. Ryan, holding Em, Lila next to him. Up front is Cam, Owen, and Cade. (I promise there were more adults than just him on that boat. haha.)
Ryan and I on the tube. It was pretty slow so we had to make up fun games to keep ourselves entertained. Ryan ended up standing up and doing a back flip off. That was fun and entertaining
This was seriously one of my favorite parts of the week. Going on the tube with Cadence. She was seriously so brave to go on it and it was fun to see her so happy when we were out there!!
Emry not so sure about her life jacket on the boat
Emry and I on the boat
The fun floating toy my mom bought for the kids. It has 4 seats around the outside and a mesh part in the middle so the kids could play in the water in the middle but not drown. (a big plus if you ask me)
I can't even tell you how much I love all these babies!! Such cute cousins in their 4th of July swimsuits!
My cute little family at Tanaya Lakes
Emry and I at Tanaya lakes. She loved putting her feet in the water, even though it was FREEZING!
