Lake Arrowhead: Part IV

Like I said earlier, we spent just about every day at the lake...it's just so easy when it's so close...and the kids LOVE it.  We did hike to the village one day to get some lunch, but then we still made it to the lake in the afternoon!  Anyway, we have a couple of kayaks that are good fun to cruise around the lake, but this year some friends loaned us a couple of paddle boards to use for our last weekend.  We had a ball on them!  My mom and I went out on them and I don't think we've laughed so hard...it was so fun!  One is quite a bit shorter than the other and when boats coming flying by you really need to have some good balance!

Here's a bunch of random pictures from that day. Enjoy!

Tomorrow will conclude my final set of pictures from the trip.

Happy Thursday!

Lake Arrowhead: Part III

We tried a new hike in Big Bear called Grays Peak...although we never actually made it to the actual peak. But the hike was very beautiful none the less.  It overlooked Big Bear Lake for a bit of it.  Since Rory is still on the small side and Piper is probably the world's worst hiker, (yes, I just said that about my own child...don't worry I say that with much love) we aren't the fastest bunch.  Ryan and I end up piggy backing the little ones for most of it, which makes for a pretty darn good workout.

Piper already in tears in the beginning of the hike.

I'm not worried (much)...she'll come around to love it (I hope).

And yes, you guessed it...we celebrated yet another birthday!!

Little Morgs turned eight!!

Lake Arrowhead Part II

Haley loves to create little videos with her Pet Shop toys using Ryan's laptop.  She sets the computer on the floor and then creates a cute backdrop to set the scene and then acts out little stories.  I think her and Morgan created about 100 little videos on Ryan computer!  Anyway, while at the cabin Andrew taught Haley how to do Stop Action filming.  Haley got a kick out of it and created a couple of very simple videos of her own.   

One of her videos. 

My dad, Andrew and I went to Big Bear do some mountain biking.  What we all though was going to be a couple of hours on the mountain, turned out to be four hours!!  I didn't think I was going to make it off that mountain!!  But it was beautiful!!  

That tree behind my dad is a Champion Lodgepole Pine and is over 400 years old!  One of the highlights of the ride.  Except we were supposed to ride around it three times for good luck...we forgot to do that...darn.

That also marked the first mountain bike ride I've ever done with Andrew...good times.

Lake Arrowhead: Part I

We're back from our 10 day adventure to Lake Arrowhead, CA.  This seems to be the new destination for the second year in a row.  The family cabin (or lodge as my kids call it) accommodates more people quite a bit easier than my parents' house in the LBC, and since my children are getting bigger, things were getting pretty tight...so Lake Arrowhead it is!  We have a pretty plush set up I must say, as my family gets to take over the master suite!  Not only is the bedroom quite large it also has a massive office that fits three twin beds (and a pack and play for Rory) with room to spare for our kids.  And we have a large bathroom to ourselves!  Not too shabby if I do say so!  

But like always, the hardest part is the drive there.  Rory only had one moment of panic when she had to go potty and we were no where close to a bathroom.  Luckily, I had a Pull-Up on hand and stuck that on her just in case she couldn't hold it.  I'm happy to report that she was able to keep it dry and made it to a bathroom.  No side of the road squats needed on this trip!  Progress!  

 I downloaded some music for the kids to help make the drive a little smoother...I think it worked.  Some favorites of theirs: Taylor Swift (You Belong with Me), Shakira (Waka Waka), Katy Perry (Roar),What does the Fox say?, and of course anything Frozen.  I also introduced them to joys of Weird Al Yankovic.  

But any who...we made it in one piece.  And once there, our days looked liked this:

Really made the drive worth it!  

I think we got lake time just about every day we were there.  So nice!

Also, that first weekend we were there we celebrated my brother, Andrew's birthday!

Welcome to 30 somethings club Andrew!

Then, on Monday, around 4:30 in the morning we woke up to loud scratching in the woods...like if a bear were clawing up a tree trunk.  It was loud!!  While the girls were still asleep, my parents, Andrew, Ryan and I used a flashlight out the window to try to spot it.  But although we could still hear it, we couldn't see it!!  So finally, as it was getting light we decide to poke around outside to investigate.  (We were pretty sure it ran off since we couldn't hear it anymore)  We looked all around right beside our cabin to find any traces of it...but nothing.  Right about the time we were going to give up and go back inside my mom spots it right above our heads in a pine tree!!  It had been watching us the entire time!!  Of course we hustle back into the house (by this point all the girls are up) and watch it from the safety of the cabin.  We had a perfect view from our bedroom window.

There he is...nice and comfortable about 60 feet off the ground.

He got real comfortable, in fact, he even fell asleep up there (we watched with some binoculars).  And then after about 4 hours being up there, he very calmly climbed down and lumbered off.

I have been going to Lake Arrowhead since I was just a kid...and not once have any of us seen a bear.  Let alone a bear right next to the cabin!!  So it was a very exciting way to start the day!!  

Haley kept saying, "Wow!  A bear in his actual habitat!!".  

And the bear sighting just so happened to land on the morning of my mom's birthday!!  A birthday that will no doubt be one for the books!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Today you are 8 years old!!

How we love our little Morga-Muffin!

Vacation Time!

That's right!  We're heading out of town tomorrow (hopefully early morning) to Lake Arrowhead in California.  And we'll be meeting up with my folks and two of my brothers.  We spent a few days there last year and had so much fun we're staying there our whole trip (a little over a week) this year!  And this year, we'll be celebrating three birthdays that week!!  My brother Andrew, my mom, and Morgan...so there will be no shortage of cake I'm sure!

I'm really looking forward to it!  Ryan has been out of town a lot this past two weeks, and I'm just plain worn out!!  I kid you not, I don't think I went to bed before midnight once these past couple weeks!  I just can't sleep lately!  It's terrible!  

I've been spending my late nights watching Call the Midwife...I finished the second season recently.  How I love that show!!  So good!  You must watch it, if you haven't.  Except if you're pregnant...then I don't recommend it.  Sometimes I even find myself watching it with my legs crossed, cringing....and I'm not pregnant!  But seriously, the characters are wonderful!  Go see it!

And then I watched a few blasts from the past...and I usually complimented them with a very large bowl of ice cream.

Far and Away.

I forgot how much I liked this movie...even with the cheesy ending.

When I watch this movie I think of watching it with my friend Jen...and how sad we were that Uncus dies.

Poor Uncus.

So yeah,  that's what I've been up to in the evenings.  Staying up way to late, eating too much ice cream watching girly shows and movies.  But now Ryan is home!  Today I have much packing up and cleaning to do!  But first, I had to do a blog...and now, I'm off to get my toes done with a friend...and then I'll get busy, honest!  Priorities people!!

Happy Thursday!!

Mega-Moon

Or also known as the Super Moon...but somehow our family has adopted the name Mega-Moon instead.

So did you see it last weekend?  It was pretty spectacular!

We enjoyed it from Sundance on the lift...and boy did we time it perfectly!  By the time we got off the lift to go home the crowds were crazy!!  And lucky for us they let our family on the same chair!  Sometimes they split us up, and that's no fun.  However, Haley and Morgan have already requested sitting on their own chair next time...boo hoo, they're growing up.

I tried to take a picture of the moon, but it didn't look "mega" at all...so you will have to take my word for it, it was very beautiful!

The downfall on the evening...it turned into a very late night.  The girls didn't get to bed until 11 or so and we've all been paying the price since...it's cranky city around here.  It probably hasn't helped that they haven't been to bed before 10 since.  It's probably good that Ryan is out of town this week, there are 5 girls in this house, all with an attitude right now.  It's not pretty.

And now, for you viewing pleasure...

This is Rory trying to ride a Flicker scooter...it's pretty hilarious.

Happy Tuesday!

So, how's potty training going you ask?

Well, it's been about a month I think now and she has done bang up job!  In fact she pretty much grasped the whole concept that first week.

However, if I have to complain...which I will...I will say that she loves to call "bluff" when she says she has to go potty, which results in taking her to the potty about 100 times more a day than I should have too...seriously.  Like when we're in the store she'll say she has to go (most likely when I'm at the furthest point away from the bathrooms), and I'll say "Are you sure?".  And she'll be all frantic like she's going to have an accident, so I rush with my cart full of groceries and take her just to sit her on the potty and her to say, "Oh, nothing is coming out."  Great.  Thanks a lot Rory.  Now times that by like 10 for every hour and then that's pretty much my day.  It's a miracle if she says she has to go, and then she actually does go.

Also, we have discovered that this girl does NOT like pit toilets.  She refers to them as "Eww Potties" and will not go in them, as of yet anyway.  She is her mother's daughter, that's for sure!

Visit from Grandpa Barrett

It's been nearly 8 years since the last time we've seen Ryan's dad...yeah, too much time had passed!  The last time we saw him Morgan had just been born!  The amount of children we have doubled since then, and I tell ya...they gave him a run for his money!  Things are a bit...lets say...well, crazy since the last time he's been in our household.  But all in all, I think he had a great time catching up with the kids, and they loved every bit of it!

Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum on the "Y" campus...or "Bean" museum for short.  

We also took a drive to Cascade Springs.

We also had a picnic at Sundance, went out for Pizza one night, hosted a BBQ with my parents and brother's family another night and walked to the park with the dogs in there too.  After a couple of days of go, go, go we decided to relax on Sunday before he flew out of town Monday morning.  I think he needed a day of doing nothing after all that.

It seems my blogging form has taken a hit since summer came around.  Truth is, summer is kicking my butt!  I just can't seem to catch up on anything lately.  I did finally paint Haley and Morgan's room, however I still need to paint the closet and finish the trim.  The older girls have been taking tennis lessons these past couple weeks and we've also been going to a neighbor's pool around the corner quite often to swim. Rory has had a fever these past two days, so she's been needing some extra attention.  And potty training...oh, potty training. So much to catch up on! One day at time I guess.

Happy Tuesday!