First Annual Family Vacation: Lake Arrowhead

Went up to Lake Arrowhead for 4 days with the family and some close friends...what a fun time! We rented a large cabin and were not disappointed. There was lots of room for everyone and we all really enjoyed our stay.

My favorite part was the bonding with my new nephew, Dean. I really feel that we are officially "bros" now. Getting to see him every day, hold him, interact with him, etc., was wonderful. And I think that everyone got a chance to see a little bit more of Miss Kendall's sweet and sassy personality! Brandon and Anika(Mario and Katja's daughter) had the downstairs playroom with a pool table, cable TV, and ping pong all to theirselves, and they were in heaven! Brandon said it was, "the best vacation I ever had."

Going on vacation with kids may not be the most restful time, but it sure makes for great memories for all involved! Here are a few pictures and then I will share some highlights of the trip...

This deck is right outside the main living area and we spent a lot of time out here, drinking coffee, beers, eating, etc. Kendall enjoyed having Gammy lift her up to throw acorns down to the bottom deck. Gammy now has arms the size of Schwarzennegger from all that lifting!

The game room was the place to be after dark. Brandon is well on his way to being a very good player!

We swam in the lake at Tavern Bay Beach Club. So refreshing during the heat wave! Especially with no A/C at the cabin.

Another view of the main level deck...

Lake view from the very top deck...a great place to enjoy coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening.

We lucked out and stayed in the Teddy Bear bedroom with Kendall. when she would wake up in the middle of the night she would point to all the bears and say, "Hi!" Hard to get her back to bed at that point with toys peering at her from every angle.

Also: Squeakiest. Bed. Ever. And HOT up on that 3rd floor.

We spent a lot of time in the living room...Derek and Shelly set up Dean's activity mat and Kendall watched her Baby Einstein movie a million times here. On the last night here, Gammy and Brandon fell asleep watching TV out here. At some point Brandon actually said to my mom, "Grandma? Umm... This has too much nudity. I don't think I should be watching this." That's what happens when you fall asleep before your kids do. What honesty, though!

A beautiful image of the lake (source unknown). All other pictures from cabinoasis.com.

Fun things from the trip:

I forgot my camera. Duh. All the good pictures are on Gammy's camera, thank goodness. I will post them on the blog asap.

1. It was very dry. I woke up with a painful dry mouth and throat the first night. Chris refused to use chapstick. I think he thinks it makes him more manly? Not fun to kiss that guy...haha!
2. Chris and "the one that got away," as evidenced by the picture of his bulging tricep as he tried to reel in a very big fish.
3. Mario and the one that didn't get away. I think the bait they were using was bigger than that fish!
4. Dean being passed from person to person and laughing when tickled-Cutest. Sound. Ever.
5. Anika and Brandon feeding the ducks down at Lake Arrowhead village. And then feeding them trash after they ran out of food. Oops. Sorry, ducks!
6. Kendall running around happily while Brandon and Anika fed the ducks. People stopping to comment on her beautiful curly hair and how cute she is.
7. Boat tour of Lake Arrowhead and all the fancy mansions where famous people live (Brian Wilson, Jay Leno, etc.)
8. Me being a bacon Nazi.
9. Gammy cooking all our meals. We didn't expect her to, she just stepped up and did it. And it was much appreciated (and delicious!)
10. Me beating Katja at ping pong. In your FACE, Katja! (Sorry, told you I was a poor winner...) On the bright side, she is a good loser.
11. The size of Kendall's regular diaper after swimming in the lake. That thing weighed 10 pounds!
12. Brandon and Anika running upstairs to tell us all something and then charging back down to the game room to play pool, LIFE, watch TV, or just dink around.
13. Kendall taking a bite out of an old stogie she found on the beach. Greeeeaaaaatttt. Yes, I know there are worse things, but looking down and seeing your 15-month-old chomping on a half-burned cigar makes one feel like a bad parent.
14. The tiny and precarious driveway- scary!
15. Just the feeling of being surrounded by so many loved ones at the same time- Joy.
16. What were your favorite moments from our trip? Or from your last memorable vacation? I would love to hear...

Brandon's Home!!

And to celebrate we did some fun stuff this week...

First, we went to the Wild Animal Park. We lucked out because it wasn't too hot. And considering all the walking around we did, that was a huge blessing!

Kendall is very happy her big brother is home.
We saw some elephants- always a favorite animal.
And Brandon's favorite- the Lorikeets. Kind of like a parakeet on steroids.

He bought some nectar to feed them. Here he is getting his nipple bitten instead, "Hey, Mr. Lorikeet! That's not your food!"

"Harumph!"

This wide-eyed look of wonder brought to you by the giant wild animal park hot-air balloon. Possibly Kendall's favorite thing in the whole world.

We found the kids area where this big log was fun to climb around in. I literally had to pry Kendall, kicking and screaming, out of this when it was time to go. Who knew a log could be so much fun?

But by far the best part of the whole visit was ..ice cream!



later in the week we went up to Grandma's pool.



We are so lucky to live here in San Diego!

Friends!

This is one of our hang out places near home. It's conveniently located between Baskin Robbins and Starbucks: something for the kids and the parents! Kendall loves running around the water fountain, and Brandon can usually be found climbing on the top of it!


And Kendall gets to practice her favorite thing: going up and down stairs!


She loves to smell flowers...


Earlier in the day we went to an awesome restaurant with some friends that were in town. Stone Brewery Restaurant is an amazing brewery/restaurant/garden area that just blew my mind. I was amazed that I had never even heard of it, let alone been there before!


Chris' best man, Jeremy, was in town with his girlfriend, Nancy. And that is Jerome sporting the awesome Conan t-shirt. Doesn't Jeremy look so happy in this picture?


We spent quite a bit of time in the garden area, which has beautiful paths and streams. Here's a cool waterfall...


Best place to go with little kids: while you are waiting for your food, or after you eat they can roam around. It really was a fun time. Thanks to Jeremy and Nancy for introducing it to us!

Grandpa!

We don't see Grandpa as often as we would like. Hopefully that will change this year. I vow to make him take us fishing at Lake Cuyamaca routinely- something we enjoyed doing as kids.

Grandpa had a close scare recently. He was riding his motorcycle and went down on some gravel in the road. Now, my dad is a very experienced motorcycle rider- 40+ years or so. So, if it can happen to him it can happen to anyone. Motorcycles are scary!

Anyhow, despite a broken clavicle and scapula (or spatula, as he likes to call it), he will be ok.
Hopefully he will put the motorcycle on the back burner and think more along the lines of taking his kids and grandkids fishing, and stuff.


I mean, isn't this hat perfect for fishing? Or gallivanting in the outback of Australia? ;)

We love you , Dad. Just want to let you know.

Grandpa!

Encinitas Beach

It was the four of us at the beach today: Me, Chris, Kendall, and baby. (Brandon still on vacation). It was overcast as it tends to get right along the coast. But it was still nice and warm and Kendall enjoyed splashing around.

She is getting really good at balancing herself as she goes up and down hills, or trudges through uneven terrain.


Encinitas beach has to be my new favorite. Here's why: clean bathrooms and lots of them, clean playground/grassy area, concession stand, lots of showers, and lots of room to set up with all your friends and family and enjoy the beautiful California sun.



This little girl...still only 14 months and so big! She amazes me every day with her new skills and her silly sense of humor. Love you, Kake!

You belong at the zoo!

Last week Kendall and I went to the zoo with my beautiful sis in law, Shelly, and my enormously cute (pun intended!) nephew, Dean. Fun times were had by all!

One of my favorite animal's are the gorillas. They are so human-like! This one was just hanging out and staring right back at everyone.

Kendall: "It's like looking in a mirror!"

Gotta love the giraffes. Nature is so amazing! To think: we all evolved from the same ancestor billions of years ago. The diversity of life forms is truly amazing.

This would definitely be me if I were at the beach. Same size, same lazy...wanna trade places, girls? I'm pretty sure that nobody would be able to tell the difference between the hippos and me at this point in my pregnancy.

It was a fun day. But there's only so much zoo one can handle at one time. We vowed to come back with brother and daddy next time!

I feel a nap coming on!

I know some people have a problem with zoos. I get where you are coming from. But consider this: would you rather live in the wild? How about we put you in the middle of the wilderness with none of the comforts of civilization. Exposed to the elements and predators-no doctors if you get an illness, a broken leg, or a disease. No grocery store: you must survive solely on what you can gather or hunt.

Now, tell me if the animals in zoos have it so bad. They are protected from predators they would encounter in the wild. They have doctors to care for them if they get hurt. They are assured they will eat each day. They have a safe and comfortable environment regardless of outside environmental fluctuations in the environment.

Just sayin'. :)