Bass Lake and a Birthday

In August we went on a much needed, very fun, week-long vacation to Bass Lake, thanks to Rick's parents.  Rick and his family used to vacation here often growing up but they hadn't been back in quite a few years. We had a blast!! We rode a jet ski, slid down a rock waterfall, went tubing behind a boat, hiked Yosemite, and swam at the lake.

 Arriving in Bass Lake after our long car ride "to the forest," as Owen referred to it.

 

Hiking on the trail to see the giant sequoias. It was very HOT that day and there were so many bees it was ridiculous! (Bees and I don't have a good relationship.) BUT it was really fun and we saw woodpeckers, squirrels, and even a deer!

Lexie lounging on the shore in comfort.

Owen swimming "all by himself!" When we first arrived to the lake, he was not confident in the water at all because he's only been swimming a handful of times. (That is SO SAD to me because that is the complete opposite of how I grew up!) Anyway, by the end of the week, he swam all by himself with his life jacket and now he loves to swim!

While we were there, Owen turned 4!!! We celebrated with an Avengers/Batman theme party!

The birthday boy, complete with bedhead

Rylan and Owen admiring the cake. Funny story about the cake.... we went to Vons to get a Batman cake, as per request, but the cake decorator wasn't scheduled to come into the store until the day after his birthday and they were all out of Batman cake decorating kits. The only Batman ANYTHING we could find was a light up action figure at CVS and after getting a price check learned it was $20!!! We did not want to spend an extra $20 just for the cake topper for his 4th birthday. Luckily, the store manager was really nice and without us even saying anything offered to mark it down 50% because it was another store's leftover shipment. Woohoo!!!

The fancy light-up Batman cake and a happy boy.

 

During the trip, Rick's toenail got caught on something and he didn't want it to split any further, so he used some pretty pink nailpolish to glue it back together. Chloe and Owen thought it was pretty funny.

 Owen and Lexie soaking up the sun.

 

The end of a long day at the lake. The kids would fall asleep within a minute of getting in the car to go from the dock to the house.

 

Our dock/beach area where we went almost every day. So pretty!

 

We had a great time and Owen still talks about going to the forest and the lakehouse. We can't wait to go back!! THANK YOU Loretta and Henry!!!!

Lizard Hunter

One of my favorite memories of spending summers at my grandparent's house is hunting for lizards.  In Florida, lizards are everywhere and as kids we'd spend hours in the backyard "hunting" them.  I remember one year I got really lucky and caught a tiny frog, too.  Good times.

While in Florida, my brother and sister kept the tradition alive took Owen lizard hunting. He LOVED it.  When they caught a lizard, my brother let Owen hold it and he did NOT want to let that thing go!  He was so proud of his lizard and held it for at least ten minutes straight.  A couple of times the lizard got away, but they caught him again. (It wasn't a very fast lizard.)  Here are some pics of Owen proudly holding his lizard.

Photo Shoot: Take 2

Remember this post when I attempted to be a professional photographer in my grandparent's backyard?

Well.... with my trusty new camera in hand, I was determined to take new photos in the same picture spots.  However, it is WAY harder to photograph an almost 2 year old than it is to photograph an almost 1 year old.

So... many of the pictures are of the back of Owen's head or of Owen looking down at the ground.  And he wasn't in a very smiley mood.... But I think I managed to get a few decent shots.

 Look at the difference 1 year makes!!

Slumber Party

So..... back to our Florida trip.  :)

Imagine fitting 12 people - my mom, siblings + spouses -  in a 2 bdrm condo.  

As you can imagine, the sleeping arrangements were very cozy and we all got to know each other a lot better.  :)  In all seriousness, we had a LOT of fun.  Owen especially loved all of the air mattresses on the floor and loved visiting all of his aunts and uncles in their beds.  Here are a few pictures of Owen having fun.

Owen and "Elle"

(Notice the tile kitchen floor above their heads.  This bed was on the dining room floor.)

Owen and "Ike-uhl"

We're Back......

from vacation and will have LOTS of updates coming your way!

Florida

Last week Owen and I took a trip to Florida for my cousin's wedding.  We were looking forward to lots of fun in the sun, but instead we had almost constant rain!!  The week we were there, Florida got more rain than they have in the past three hurricanes combined!  Go figure.  But we still had a great time, anyway.  There were a few moments of sunshine, and we definitely took advantage of them going on boat rides and playing in the backyard at my grandma and papa's house.  Owen got to meet relatives for the first time and was a great sport on the plane ride there and back.  We had a great time, but we definitely missed poor Daddy who was home all alone.  He had to stay behind because of finals and job interviews.  Here are a few pictures from our trip.  I'm a a little "picture happy", so I tried to narrow it down.  Enjoy!

Sitting on Great-Grandma's swing

Dancing at cousin Aaron's wedding

Going for a boat ride

Sitting in front of the old outdoor brick oven

Feeding the fish with Uncle Jon

Standing in Great-Grandma's hose barrel

The following pictures are my attempt at being a professional photographer.  My grandparents have the coolest backyard.  They live on a lake and have so many beautiful "picture spots" in their backyard.  I really wish I had a better camera, but I think these turned out all right.