Lake Tahoe

Sacramento

We took two family vacations to Lake Tahoe when I was a kid and we've always wanted to go back!  It is such an amazing place and is absolutely gorgeous! 

My brother, Steve, lives in Sacramento so we decided to break up the drive from So Cal and spend the night at his house.  Unfortunately, he didn't get home from his deployment in time (poor guy was stuck in England for 5 days waiting for mechanical problems on his transport plane to be cleared up) to be there so Tracy had to deal with all us Chapmans on her own!

The start of a very LONG drive with the kids (8 hours in the back of a van with my kids while Mark and Shana pretended not to care about or hear all of Reagan's screaming)

This kid did AWESOME!

He spent all of the time either playing with the iPad or his new Mr. Potato Head which he LOVES!

When we finally made it to Steve's house, we had more light saber wars (Cody is really in to Star Wars!)

Then we were off to Tahoe!

Lake Tahoe

My mom flew in on Monday and we were glad to have her back :)

Pool Time!

Game Time!

Evening games after the kids were in bed

On Tuesday, Steve arrived with Tracy and the twins...it was so sweet to see the reunion of Cody with his daddy, who hadn't seen him in over two months.

(Funny story - we saw them pulling up so Cody starts running and yelling "Daddy's here!Daddy's Here!" so Colin starts doing the same thing...he had no idea why he was running to that car and was so confused when his daddy didn't get out of it!)

Craw Fishing

The people staying next door suggested craw fishing with bacon and string.  Shana took charge and caught a bunch, which Kevin cooked up and ate! 

Squaw Peak

One of the days, we all took the gondola ride up the mountain to the sight of the 1960 Winter Olympics - Squaw Peak.  At the top, you can swim, hike, roller skate, or just enjoy the amazing views! 

Throw Rocks, Daddy?

 Something Colin could not get enough of was throwing rocks in to the lake! He loved standing out there chucking the pebbles into the glassy blue of the lake and of course, everyone joined in!

Around the Cabin

 Poor Colin could not remember that you can't jump up in a bunk bed! He kept whacking his head every time he woke up!

Papa's a Sith Lord!

Emerald Bay

 Out of beautiful Zephyr Cove you can take a river boat tour to Emerald Bay, one of the most breathtaking parts of the lake!

Nana has her boys!

Family Baseball Games

Kevin bought Colin a baseball set at the grocery store and everyone got a kick out of it!  When we found a baseball T at the condo, it was game time!

 Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

The twins and Reagan are just almost 6 weeks apart, making them cousin triplets!

Reagan had a blast playing with them, even if the feeling wasn't mutual!

Poor Bailey was not a fan of Reagan's, shall we say, zeal? Every time Reagan screeched, poor Bailey would burst in to tears! She is the sweetest, most sensitive little thing and Reagan is kind of a brute!

At least Andrew was a little more rough and tumble!

I am sure Reagan prompted this cry!

Nana's Here We Come!

We had one crazy trip filled with equal highs and lows. 

I expected the highs, but the lows took us by surprise.

It started out really great.

I flew in on a Friday morning and the kids did fine on the flight.  It was my first time flying alone with the kids and it went as well as could be expected.

That day I went shopping with my sister-in-law, Tracy, and then we all spent the weekend hanging out together. 

Swimming and hanging out at the Sharps

And the first of many light saber wars

Colin got to help work on a construction project with his cool uncles. 

And then we went out for a wonderful dinner at the Capital Grille to celebrate my parent's wedding anniversary.

Sunday was filled with more family time...

  

And a customary walk around East Lake

My brother Kevin was so good with the kids all weekend!  His wife, Jessica, was in Utah with her family and he spent the entire weekend playing with Colin and Reagan...and yes, he wanted to give the front pack a go!  

Sunday night, my Uncle Ralph called to let my mom know that their mother, my Grandma Donna was not doing very well.

The next morning I woke up to my mom crying and letting me know that Grandma Donna was in sharp decline.  She was concerned about whether or not she should leave since I had just gotten in to town and after I assured her she didn't need to worry about me, we got her out the door and on to a flight to Utah in no time at all.

She spent the next few days at her mother's side until she passed on Thursday, August 8th at 6:30 PM.

She had just turned 92.

She was an amazing woman and such a great example of hard work, integrity, service, love, fortitude, and faith. She had an unshakable testimony built on a lifetime of living the Gospel, serving others, prayer,  knowing who she is and what her divine purpose is, and coming to personally know her Savior.

I will talk more about her when I post about her funeral.

That day, I had driven out to Temecula to visit my cousin, Val, and to have lunch with Papa Tom and my Aunt Cheryl.  It was so nice to be able to see them and to spend some time with my grandpa.  He is a wonderful man - sharp as a tack, still golfing, and 89.  Amazing.

Well, the next day really sucked, too. That sounds crass, but it really did.

Earlier that week, our family dog, Indy, stopped eating and drinking and was urinating blood.  After a trip to the vet, it was concluded that she had a large tumor and without eating or drinking, she wouldn't last long. 

Since we were leaving for a family trip on Saturday, we tearfully decided that we would have to put her down, knowing that if we didn't, she might pass when we were gone and left with neighbors checking in on her. 

She was always my brother Kevin's dog - he found her on a golf course (Industry Hills - hence the name Indy) on my 16th birthday and brought her home. She was just a young and obviously malnourished and abused puppy.  We couldn't resist her sad little face.

My poor brother.

He is a new young accountant at a Pasadena firm and just started another round of busy season work and knew there would be no way he could be there.  We made an appointment 5 PM on Friday and hoped that Kevin could be there.  He worked literally round the clock all week to be there.

Unfortunately, Indy had to rally and look all adorable right before we took her in...it KILLED us.  

She was such a great dog.  

It really sucked having to put her down, especially since my mom couldn't be there.

Well, we tried to salvage the night with a trip to Brea Downtown for some awesome savory Belgian waffle sandwiches.   

And then we grabbed dessert at a creperie next door. Seriously good eats. Since Kevin and Jess couldn't come to Tahoe, it was fun to be able to hang out with them all evening.  I just wish it would have been under better circumstances!

**these are the two restaurants Reagan cleared out :)

Reagan - 8 and 9 months

Reagan at Eight Months

Reagan at Nine Months

Gone are the days of my easy baby...I now have the most adorable and crazy little monster!

In short, she has discovered the strength of her voice and the speed of her arms and legs.

My friends used to say that they would hang around Reagan and never hear her (being a perfect baby, she only cooed)...but no more! She screams when she is both happy and sad, leaving me somewhat exasperated! A happy scream can still deafen you!

While visiting family, they nicknamed her the Pterodactyl and even did google searches for different dinosaur sounds to make sure they labeled her as the right one (according to Hollywood, that is). Yep, her screeches are something primal and prehistoric, but mostly just LOUD.

She cleared more than one restaurant on our trip and led me to walk around with more than a little crazy in my eye (moms, you know what I mean!).

I love her, but had our roadtrip been one hour longer, I don't think I could have been held responsible for my actions...insanity defense, you know.

But back to her good qualities...

She is both cuddly and wiggly, preferring to cuddle for a few seconds then wiggling off at some serious speed.

She is a major hair puller, much to my and Colin's chagrin...she just can't keep her hands off the red hair!

She is eating very well and is chowing down all sorts of big girl foods with her favorites being fruits (duh).

Reagan is very adept at pulling herself into a standing position and she loves the power and reach this gives her.

She has grown like a little weed and is now wearing size 18 month clothing and is over 21 lbs! 

I love my beautiful little girl and can't believe that she's now been "out" longer than she was "in!"

Fourth of July

Two months ago we celebrated the Fourth of July...I guess we are a little far behind!

Fireworks in Sachse with the Zollingers and Youngs

Swimming on the Fourth with a tired baby!