I think I've mentioned before that my college roommate Jenn was dating Peter's roommate Ryan and they are the reason we met. After college they got married and now have 4 adorable kiddos that our kids happen to LOVE playing with. Unfortunately we live just far enough apart that their time together is generally limited to attending each other's birthday parties. So awhile back Jenn and I started talking about an annual weekend away together! We found a free weekend and Jenn tracked down a cabin to rent in Lake Arrowhead and just like that our first annual joint family vacay was planned!!
Though I've now lived in Southern California longer than I lived up North, this was my first ever trip to the snow down South! For a girl who grew up skiing in Tahoe it was pretty pitiful!!! We'd had a heat wave all week, 70 degree weather in February does not led itself to snowcapped mountain tops! By the time the weekend arrived there was more dirt to be seen in Arrowhead than snow! But seeing as how this was my kids first trip to the snow they didn't know what they were missing!
Here's our weekend in pictures!
It may not have been wise, but all 6 kiddos slept in one room! The boys took the two bunk beds...
and the girlies slept in their sleeping bags on the floor. It goes without saying that little sleeping took place and someone, I'm not naming any names, but she's cute and she's mine, had a ROUGH day the following day!
Our first snowy outing was "tubing", thankfully they make their own snow which compensated for the warm weather which had melted the real snow elsewhere! These three were R.E.A.D.Y.
This was the first patch of snow they saw and they immediately started making snow angels.
All six kiddos after some tubing fun! Age 4, 4, 6, 3, 2, 3! Kaelyn had had ENOUGH!
My attempts at getting a cute pic of the two of them in the snow were in vain, she was beyond tired from her first slumber party and it was already hours past her normal nap time, I decided to document it anyways!
*sigh* Less than two weeks until he turns 5! How did time pass so fast?
Perhaps my favorite photo of the entire weekend!
And because tubing wasn't enough fun for one day we hit up the ice rink a few hours later! Skating got mixed reviews, our prefectionist (Brennan) wasn't a huge fan, but the little one LOVED it, probably because I did ALL the work!
The girlies, Noelle (the only Donnelly girl) was born just a few weeks before Kaelyn, we couldn't have planned it any better if we'd tried!
On day two we headed into "The Village" at Lake Arrowhead.
We checked out the water, fed some ducks,
and rode some rides!
The Donnelly's headed home after lunch but we'd promised Brennan we'd attempt to find a place with enough snow to use the sleds we'd borrowed and lugged up the mountain with us! Thankfully there was one vacant lot with loads of shade cover that was still "mostly" covered with the cold white stuff he so desired!
Bren was in heaven! Dreams do come true buddy!
See what I mean? There was quite a bit of dirt (and a rusty pipe) showing, but we braved this steep run anyways!
He played for HOURS, long after I'd retired with Kaelyn to the car so she could take a nap!
LOVE my two snow bunnies!!
We had a blast and can't wait to go again soon!!
Hysterical :) We have had snow on the ground here since first week of November. Christmas is always white. Kids ignore the snow mostly unless they are skiers. There is no such thing as a snow day at school......it doesn't matter if it snows a foot....no excuse, go to school. We wear t-shirts if it gets up to 40, sweatshirts below that, coats if it goes below 15. I'm guessing Californians would think we are crazy! Ukrainians would feel right at home.
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