Over President's Day weekend we decided to head to Big Bear Lake for the long weekend. The kids have never seen snow before and we figured that they are at perfect ages to enjoy it and experience it. We surprised them with this trip as a Crhsitams gift and since Chrsitmas we had been praying and hoping that there would be snow on the ground, or better yet snowing!! Thankfully southern California got some rain the week before we headed up, which meant snow for Big Bear, so there was snow on the ground! To say the kids were excited and loved it would be a huge understatement. They had the BEST time and were so thrilled about it all!! Even the littlest bit was exciting to them whcih was just awesome. Our cabin itself didn't have snow on the property but the street still had some and the cabins next to us were empty and their yards had some so we played there, too. Our friends told us about this great sledding spot so we spent both of our full days there and couldn't have asked for better conditions. The sun was out and it was warm but plenty of snow which equaled hours of fun!!
We arrived on Saturday afternoon after a peaceful drive and thanks to giving everyone dramamine we didn't have any upset stomachs.
Kids immediately wanted to get ourside and play in the snow so we walked down the street and had a snowball fight, made snow angels and a little snowman. They were in heaven with just the little bit of snow so it was funny to think how they were going to react tomorrow when we hopefully will find a lot of snow for sledding!!!
This was our backyard which had basically zero snow in it but then all fo the pictures after that are from our street and the house next to us. It was so interesting to see what had melted and what hadn't.
Snow angels in jeans and a light long sleeve shirt-gotta love southern California!!
On Sunday morning after breakfast we went to the park that my friend, Allison, told us about. We hiked about 3/4 of a mile and found the perfect patch of snow! It was incredible! We spent about 3 hours just playing, sledding and hving so much fun! You would never know that Joseph's collarbone was still broken!! He had a doctor's appointment the Thursday before we left adn the dr said that it was healing well and that he was allowed to keep the sling off when he wasn't in public...we didnt' ask him about sledding but Joseph quickly learned to fall to the right to protect it and thankfully we left without any other broken body parts!
After sledding all morning and having a late lunch we made our way to the other side of the lake to hike. I found a loop trail that was about 2 miles and was great. The kids at first didn't want to go but then were glad that we did! There were patches of snow on the ground so they had a blast making snowballs and trying to peg Rich and it was just great to be in the mountains!
After our hike we stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the cabin and with Valentine's Day being two days before, Rich found this romantic plastic heart filled with a big slab of meat. So gross!! He took a picture and sent it to Dave!
So fun that our cabin came with a hot tub! It was the perfect way to relax after a busy day of snow and hiking and was great to use our last morning there before the drive home. They all got in both days when I did my runs and I loved hearing them in it when I finished the run and got back to the house. It was chilly running but was such a nice change of scenery!
Day 2 of the snow was more of the same fun but at least this time Joseph wore pants under his snow bib and we were more prepared for Julia and Ella's feet by putting them in ziploc bags and bringing extra socks. We built snowman, explored and sledded a lot! So much fun!!
Although thankfully there weren't any other broken bones, Joseph did take a ride into a bush which left his face all red for a few hours, but he didn't let it bother him at all.
So fun pounding Dad with snowballs!
Ella, Joseph and I hiked up the snowy mountain a ways and found these huge boulders. It was fun to hike through the snow and then be at a point where there wasn't any snow...so crazy!
After another great morning/late afternoon of snow fun, we tried to find another hike but it was closed due to the run off from the snow melting so we walked along the lake which was beautiful.
Honestly, this was just the best weekend. Everything about it was perfect, well, except for the part where I thought we were going to die from carbon monoxide poisoning because the smoke from the fireplace was filling the house on our second night. After consulting google, checking to make sure the carbon monoxide alarms were working and airing the house out all night I was able to sleep...but, other than that, it really was perfect! The girls all cried when it was time to leave on Tuesday and everyone agreed that we need to go back next year! Thank you Big Bear for such awesome memories with our family!
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