"snow" trip 2015

A few weeks ago we took our 2nd annual trip to Lake Arrowhead with a group of close friends. We look forward to this trip every year, getting all of the kids together and enjoying some time away. Kyle is the youngest kiddo of the bunch and probably the most work since he really, really loves walking up and down stairs all day long (and there were plenty of stairs in our three-story HUGE cabin), but we had fun nonetheless. It was fun comparing to how it was last year, when he was juuuuust about to take his first step and was crawling all around the cabin pulling himself up on everything.

The weather was gorgeous and we were able to play some outdoor games, and on Saturday we drove to Snow Valley for some sledding fun. Kyle loved going down the hill but was not a fan of his gloves or the ski lift (which freaked me out, too, thinking of him squirming out of my arms and falling out), so after his second run he got so worked up that he ended up falling asleep on me for a nice afternoon nap outside.

Instead of bringing the pack n play we just brought along his mattress to sleep on, but the first night he ended up rolling off and sleeping directly on the cabin carpet - which really irritated his poor face. That, combined with the sun/snow day and lack of good naps, really did a number on him and it took him a few days to recover from our vacation.

Next year Kyle will be almost 3 for this trip and I think it will be the most fun yet. Can't wait to go back to the beautiful cabin on the lake and watch him play baseball/soccer outside with all of his friends! Maybe next year he'll actually have fun in the snow, too :)

(You can read about our last year's trip here.)

snow bunnies

Last weekend we took Kyle to the mountains for our 1st vacation as a family of 3. To say we were impressed with our little guy is a serious understatement. He was so easygoing and fun, and again made us realize yet again how very lucky we are to have such a good baby!

We stayed in a huge cabin with 4 other families - 10 adults and 7 kids ages 11 months (Kyle), 1, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 17. It was Kyle's first time sleeping in the pack n' play (which I was pretty nervous about), but he did pretty well. The first night was a breeze, but the 2nd night he was up for a few hours. Not crying, just having a hard time falling asleep. The next day we realized he had gotten another tooth and a MOLAR, which probably explains that sleepless night!

The cabin we stayed in was perfect. It had 3 separated levels, so we could put the kids to bed on the top floor and bring the monitors to the basement (with a poker table, bar, air hockey table and flat screen) for a few hours of adult fun. The middle level had a kitchen and huge open area, so the babies and kids could play around while we cooked and hung out.

Since Arrowhead was a sunny 65 degrees all weekend, on Saturday we took a drive to Snow Valley so the older kids could have some fun in the snow. We went sledding and bundled Kyle up so he could experience his first snow day! He wasn't a huge fan of the cold because he can't stand anything on his head, hands or feet (and mean mommy tried to cover all 3), but once he got used to it he had fun watching the skiers and eating lunch by the snow.

The other thing I was worried about was naps, since Kyle doesn't typically take naps just anywhere. It can be a process getting him down - especially in the afternoon - so I was a little nervous that he wasn't going to get any naps in and he would be a wreck at the end of the day. But it ended up working out just fine; he napped on the way there and in his stroller on the first day and took a pretty good nap in the pack n' play the second day. All that mommy worrying for nothing!

Packing for a weekend away with baby is no joke, but it was well worth it. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back again next year!