Tahoe for 4th of July

This year we looked into taking a vacation to Boston for my cousins wedding and to Cleveland, but we just could not find a good deal on airfare and had to scratch those plans. Justin's Grandma's sister's family goes to Kings Beach in Tahoe every year for 4th of July so we asked if we could join them this year. The hotel on the beach that they stay at was sold out, so we found a cabin and invited Justin's grandma & nephews to stay with us. Then, his cousin Katie from Kansas ended up coming for a visit and joined us as well. Keith bailed at the last minute, but with 7 people it was not a boring vacation by any means.

The boys & Grandma came up on Friday afternoon and joined us for our friends annual party at her parent's ranch. I left early to pick-up Katie from the airport and we all crammed into my house to sleep. Justin & I picked up the rental minivan in the morning and we packed it to the brim and headed up. Overall the ride to Tahoe was smooth. We had a little traffic but were entertained by the truck transporting beehives next to us. Some of the bees had made their way out and were just flying next to the truck. It was interesting. Oh-And we saw a car on fire.

When we arrived at the cabin we had the excitement of the water not working, but that was resolved quickly. The cabin was perfect for us, a little outdated, but the sleeping arrangements were great. We settled in. Katie & I braved the very packed Safeway and we all decided to just stay at the cabin and relax that night. Justin's brother, Dan, his wife-Michelle, and their kids Lucus, Alyssa & Teagan all came over for dinner. They were only staying for the day and then they were headed home.

It was fun having them at the cabin- but it was CHAOS!!! Later in the evening, Grandma's sister and her two children stopped by to visit. I felt bad because her sister had a hard time getting up the stairs, but she made it and we had a nice visit.

The next day we packed a picnic lunch and headed down to the beach and met up with all of the Paradas (We also spend Thanksgiving with them as well. We love hanging out with them and we all get along great). The water was COLD, but that is just what the told me because mostly I sat under the pop-up tent and watched. They strung a couple of huge rafts together and created a floating island where most of them hung out.

We headed back to the cabin during the late afternoon, had dinner & changed into warmer clothes. Kings Beach does their fireworks show on the 3rd. We dropped Grandma off with her sister to watch from a balcony, found a parking spot and met the rest of the family on the beach. It was packed. Joseph went for a walk and we thought we lost him, but after the show he was finally able to find us once people started clearing out.

We waited about an hour and a half and the traffic was still not moving. We couldn't figure out how we were going to get the car to Grandma, so she started walking. Paige had fallen asleep, and on the walk ended up throwing up and then peeing on me (Oh the joys of motherhood). The plan was for me to get the car and meet them after they crossed the street, but by the time I got to the car, stripped Paige down and got her in her car seat, I turned around and they were already there. We made it home with just a little traffic (We got to know the backroads well).

The next day, all of us except the two teenage boys went back to meet up with the Parada's and walk through town. There was a little street fair where the kids all had their faces painted. Then we had Lunch at a great little hamburger joint. Paige fell asleep on the walk back so we stopped and let the other kids play at a park while Paige slept on my lap on a bench.

A little later we headed back to the cabin for dinner and a great game of Jenga. Watching Grandma play was so much fun. Katie, Paige & I played some Country Dance on the Wii as well.
We joined Grandma's sister and some of the Paradas and watched the fireworks shows across the lake. Then we headed home and hung out til late playing battle of the sexes. I am proud to proclaim that the girls triumphed this time!

The next day we packed up and headed home. We stopped in Tahoe City to check out "Fanny Bridge". Apparently the fish are so big that people are always stopping to look. You only see their "Fanny's" which is how it got it's name. But we didn't see any fish. We also stopped in Auburn for a few hours and hung out with the Parada's a little bit more.

Overall- We had a great trip. We did have some fun with my nephew Joseph who has turned into quite the teenager who didn't want to spend too much time hanging with family. He slept a lot! And poor Tyler got a wicked sunburn on his legs (Despite my attempts to have him put on sunblock). Paige slept pretty well which was a relief. The first night was rough, but she was so worn out the other two nights that she slept all night.

The pictures below are not in any particular order.

Grandma & Katie

Michelle with the three girl cousins

Grandma, her sister and her grandchildren (Sans Stan) and Great-Grandchildren (Sans Keith)

This is what Joseph looked like most of the weekend

Fanny Bridge

Easy Bake Oven

Right before Paige's 2nd birthday we gave my nephews some $ and took them to Wal-Mart to get Paige a gift. They bought her an easy bake oven. I was thrilled and started to dream about the fun things we would do with that oven. I remember how much I enjoyed using mine as a little girl. But at 2 she was much too young to use it so we put it away.

A few months ago it was raining and I went to look for the easy bake oven as something to do, but it was nowhere to be found. After cleaning out all of the closets & garage we came to the conclusion that it had either been thrown away by mistake or we gave it as a gift and did not remember. I was so disappointed. But then my mom bought us a new one.

I immediately pulled it out and almost had to return it. It runs on 100W bulbs which you can no longer purchase in California (Yes- HAsbro received a nice email from me). I was finally able to track some down online and had them shipped to me.

A few days later we were finally able to pull it out. I have to admit, it was fun to use again, but the food did not come out exactly like I remember. I am eager to try some of the homemade recipes I have found on the internet in the hopes of more edible fun with my daughter. Regardless- the memories are priceless.

Me & my dad when I was around 7?

Justin takes Paige camping

Sometimes I don't understand my husband, but he is pretty darn brave. He planned a camping trip that involved taking his 3 nephews, his 80 something year old grandmother and his 3 year old daughter up to Hume Lake where his mom used to take him camping as a kid. And the best part is he told me I could stay home (He knows how much I LOVE camping).

It was probably a good thing I was not there, because he handled the curveballs like a pro. His oldest brother and one more kid ended up joining them at the last minute! The got up to the campsite pretty late (It was already dark) and set-up camp. Turns out they weren't at a campsite so they had to do it all over again the next day.

They had a great time. They went fishing and were able to cook what they caught (And I hear it was pretty good too!). I loved hearing some of the stories, but mostly was just glad that everyone made it through without getting hurt.

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