As we have in the past, we decided on Big Bear for our family vacation for this year - my mom booked the cabin for 8 so we loaded the truck, picked up Uncle Michael, and made our way to our weekend in California paradise.
After our 4.5 hour drive, which should have only taken 3 hours, we finally arrived! My parents, along with my Aunt Sandy who had come to town from MI, had beat us there. The weather was nice & cool, especially after leaving our Vegas summer heat - we rolled the windows down and enjoyed the temperature change.
We woke up early on Saturday morning, enjoyed the sunshine and brisk air before making breakfast. The kids collected acorns from the oak tree in our backyard and it kept them busy for quite some time!
Then, Grampy broke out the hammock - he tied it between 2 trees & let the kids go to town. Cooper kept asking ALL day to go back to our cabin to lay in the "cannock" so we've adopted the word.
After stuffing ourselves with breakfast, we took the short drive to the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, a rehabilitation facility which offers a safe haven to injured, orphaned, or imprinted animals, either temporarily while they heal or permanently as they are unable to survive on their own. I was very impressed by their statistics, nearly 90% of the animals who are brought to the facility are successfully released back into their native environment. Those that remain on exhibit are either too injured (missing legs, eyes, etc) or have been imprinted animals who can no longer care for themselves.
We spent several hours wandering the park, the kids intrigued by all the different species of animals they had on exhibit - they had everything from grizzlies, to bald eagles, to wild cats, to a giant boa constrictor. The quote of the morning: "C'mon guys, I wanna see more characters!" - it made me giggle every time.
While waiting for the noon presentation to start, the kids wanted a sno-cone, of course Grammy couldn't resist either.
Once the presentation started, Summer captured everyones attention walking out with a 12 foot boa constrictor around her neck!
After our busy morning, it was nap time so we headed back to the cabin for lunch & an afternoon of relaxation. Once the kids got their second wind, the guys headed to the lake for some fishing, while us girls went downtown to do a little shopping.
After we had our fill of store hopping we met the guys at the lake, we couldn't have asked for a better view!
The only catch of the day, a bullhead, Cooper reeled in like a champ - he is a true fisherman.
We headed out before the sun went down so we wouldn't be eaten alive by mosquitos, and drove back to our cabin for dinner.
Sunday morning the kids headed straight for the hammock, and this time learned how to swing themselves!
After breakfast & packing up our things, we drove to the Alpine Slide for some fun before the long drive back home. While waiting for the rest of the group, Caedyn snatched up the camera, and with a little help from Cooper, started snapping pictures, a girl after my own heart!
Once everyone showed, we bought our tickets and rode the lift to the top of the mountain.
Once off the lift, you grab your sled and wait for your turn to roll, fast or slow, down the track.
Of course we couldn't go only once, so we loaded into the lifts again and went for another ride.
Since Cooper was finally tall enough, we decided to give the water slide a go. Intimidated a little, but he hopped right in and took the ride down all by himself, I was so proud! I met him at the bottom and we headed up for another ride. His second go-round, he opted to wear a life jacket, but rode nonetheless!
Once dried off and back into our clothes, the cotton candy machine was our last stop before Vegas. The kids put in the money and watched, amazed, as the sugar was spun into candy.
Luckily the drive home was MUCH better than our trip up, free of accidents & traffic. Now, with summer coming to an end, Cooper's birthday is also quickly approaching, tomorrow in fact. Eeekkk, can't believe our little boy is going to be 4, but that's for another post entirely. Until then... :)
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