Tuesday, July 6 - Day 1
We left the Pensacola airport at 6am Tuesday morning which meant we had to leave the Graf's house at 4am. It was an early morning!!! Luckily our flight went well and we were at the Reno airport by 10:30am. The moment we stepped off the plane the weather was amazing. It was a huge relief from the 90 degree temps we've had in Shreveport all summer. We rented a car and drove about 45 minutes to Tahoe. Before we got to the house we met my parents at Rosie's for lunch. It was a cute place in the middle of Tahoe City that had great sandwiches and burgers. It was a great way to start to our vacation.
The house my dad rented was great!!! It was very spacious, and had lots of big bedrooms. It was in a neighborhood so there was a swimming pool, a private beach and tennis courts we could use. Here is a picture of it even though this picture was taken in the winter:
As soon as we got unpacked at the house, we changed into our swimsuits and headed to the beach! It was was only a short walk from our house which was very nice. The sand was a little hot and the water was a little cold but the kids still had fun. They were exhausted from a long day of travel so they didn't last long but we got a little taste of beautiful Tahoe!
Sanders carrying the kids down to the beach b/c the sand was a little hot
The mountains in the background were beautiful
The family hanging out on the beach
A tired little boy
playing in the sand with daddy
Mae and her shades and silly bands
pouring sand on Daddy
Mae and daddy hanging out in the water
Sanders is ready to head back to the house
A picture of the dock
A cute picture of the kids back at the house
When we got back to the house, the kids took a good nap - they were exhausted! They were definitely off with the 2-hour time change. She took at nap at 3pm which was like 5pm our time. Oh well - you just make it work when you are on vacation. Luckily they both woke up rested so we could go to dinner that night.
We went to Jake's on the Lake which was a fabulous restaurant. It was right on the lake and had outside seating. I found a new favorite drink that night. It was called "The Candy". It had pear vodka, soda and muddled strawberries. It was fabulous!!! It will definitely go down in the book of my top 10 drinks. The kids did pretty good at dinner and even made it up a little while once we got home. We sat on the deck for one last cocktail and enjoyed the cool mountain breeze!
Mimi and Sanders at the restaurant
Mae eating her berries
My new favorite drink - "The Candy"
A family photo. I can't believe everyone looked at the camera
Back at the house - hanging out on the deck
Tired little boy
Two tired little babies
Wednesday, July 7 - Day 2
Sanders and I woke up and went for a jog with the kids. It was a little challenging b/c it is VERY hilly in Tahoe. The first half of our jog was downhill so that meant uphill on the way back - which is hard when you are pushing two kids in a jogging stroller. We did it though and felt great afterwards.
We decided to head to Squaw Valley for the day. We rode the Gondola up to the top of the mountain and they had a great swimming pool and a place to eat lunch. It was kind of weird to see snow next to a swimming pool but they did have the pool heated (a little bit). It was still a little too cold for me to get all the way in but the kids didn't mind at all.
They had a rock wall for the kids to climb on while we waited for the Gondola. Little Sanders LOVED it! It was his first time to climb on a wall like that and I think he's found his calling. He couldn't get enough.
Riding up the Gondola
It was a gorgeous view but it would definitely be scary if you were afraid of heights
Sanders taking the kids to the pool while we waited for our lunch to come. Can't believe their is snow still!
Goggle boy
They don't seem to mind the cold water
Bop Bop soaking up the rays
Mimi and Bop Bop
Mommy and Mae
Sanders and Little Sanders hiking to get some snow
Mae was so excited they had a swing!
What a beautiful background
Mommy and Mae again
Family fun!
Me and Sanders
Worn out after a long day. Notice Mae is sleeping in a big girl bed. She slept there the whole week and did great. Guess I need to get on the ball now with moving her to a big bed at home.
Taking a bath in Mimi's fun bathtub
The rest of the night we hung out on the deck and waiting anxiously for Elise & Jordan and Mary Catherine's arrival! Sanders made chicken and shrimp quesadillas which were delicious. He has definitely perfected that dish! We enjoyed some good wine and watch the kids play! MC, Lee, Elise and Jordan finally arrived around 9pm that night and the kids were ecstatic to see them!
Mimi helping "Mr. Picky" eat his quesadilla
Mae being silly with her quesadilla
The chef
The nice kitchen!
Sanders watching a movie on my phone. He's obsessed too!
Thursday, July 8 - Day 3
The boys headed out early that morning to play golf in Incline Village so the girls decided to go on a walk along the Truckee River and do a little shopping (what we love most). The walk along the river was beautiful. We brought Nola along with us and she loved swimming in the river. You could never get tired of being outside in that beautiful weather. The shopping was fun too. We found this cute children's shop that had adorable clothes. Of course I had to buy a few things for Mae - even though she doesn't need a thing but I couldn't resist. After shopping, we found a nice outdoor restaurant called "The Bridgetender" with great sandwiches and hot dogs for the kids. It had been a fun morning with "the girls".
Mae and Mimi during our walk along the Truckee River
A sister photo minus alexis : 0 (
Mommy and Mae
Mimi and MC
Elise and Sanders waiting outside the store while I bought some Keens for Mae
Sweet Nola having fun shopping with the girls
Mae posing in front of the pretty flowers
Mae strutting with her new baby "Sasha"
So cool!
Elise and Nola waiting outside the store
Mae and Aunt Elise
Sanders eating a hot dog like a big boy - with a bun, ketchup and mustard
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Aunt Elise
Mae has an orange around her wrist
MC posing in front of the restaurant
Loading up in the car to head home. Can't forget Baby Sasha
Back at the house, we put the kids down for a much needed nap. Elise, MC and I decided to go the beach for a little while but didn't last long b/c it started to get overcast and cool. After naps, everyone geared up to go have drinks at the River Ranch. It was a great little outdoor bar/restaurant on the Truckee River. They had great mojitos!
Blowing bubbles with Daddy
Pictures with Aunt Elise and Aunt MC
Dad sipping on a glass of wine on the deck
Pictures at River Ranch restaurant . . .
Pretty good family picture
Sanders and Mae
Mimi and Sanders
Mommy and Mae
Sanders and Mae eating their dinner
MC and Sanders
Elise and Jordo
Me and Sanders
Mom, Dad and MC
Sanders climbing the rocks
Mae is trying to keep up with Bubby
Mimi and Bop Bop
Back at the house, Jordan grilled up some salmon and dad made some yummy kabobs. We drank some of the delicious Oregon wine that Jordan and Elise brought with them and had a fun night!
Mae has on the hat now
Dad and the hat
MC is worn out!
Mimi had a fun night but she is headed to bed!
Day 4 - Friday, July 9 - ELOISE'S BIRTHDAY!!!!
It is the day I wait for all year - my birthday!!! Of course I had been celebrating my birthday all week but today was the official day. Sanders woke me up with breakfast in bed and a sweet card from the kids. We had a fun day planned! We headed to the Tahoe Keys Marina and rented a pontoon boat for the morning. It was a beautiful drive there!!! Very similar to driving down Highway 1 from San Fran. It was a little chilly on the boat but it was a beautiful day! We headed to Emerald Bay which everyone told us we had to go to. The water looked like the Caribbean! There was a little island in the middle that Sanders, Little Sanders and Jordan got out on and climbed to the top. Little Sanders loved the climbing!!! The water was REALLY cold but he was tough and got in. On the way back to the marina we found a cute beach/restaurant/bar that we stopped at to get a drink. They were famous for the rum runners which were definitely strong! Mom and Dad took the boat back to the marina while we waited for a table to eat lunch. The lunch was delicious especially since we were all starving!!!
Mae is ready to go on a boat ride
The beautiful Lake Tahoe
A family picture
Riding into Emerald Bay
Sanders is about to jump in with Mae
Jordan doesn't hesitate to jump in the COLD water!
Mae is not a happy camper
They made it to the little island but Mae is still not happy
Sanders is upset b/c he wants to climb the rocks
He finally got what he wanted
They made it to the top!
Me, Elise and MC
Us plus mom
Mae and all the girls
Mommy and Mae
Sanders and Little Sanders making there way back to the boat
Aunt Elise and Mae
Sanders being silly
Mae is getting tired
What a gorgeous background
Eating at the Beacon Bar and Grill
Mae drinking a virgin strawberry daiquiri
Elise and Jordan
Sanders
The kids playing in the sand after lunch
A view of our drive on the way home. This was Emerald Bay
We stopped on the way home at these rocks so Sanders could climb them
He made it to the top
Two tired kids
That night we had a babysitter come to the house to watch the kids while we went to Garwoods Restaurant. It was great!!! They had outdoor seating, it was on the water and had fun drinks - a perfect restaurant! We drank their famous drink the "Wet Woody". It was a frozen drink similar to a rum runner but delicious!!!! I only had one but I'm sure it would have been trouble if I'd had more. The food was wonderful as was the wine. Afterwards we went to the casino but didn't have much luck so we didn't last long. It was a fun birthday though!!! I was sad when the night was over.
The "Wet Woody"
A few more pictures from the night
A group photo
Day 5 - Saturday, July 10 - ELISE'S 30th BIRTHDAY!
My birthday was officially over but it was time to celebrate Elise's big 30th Birthday!!! MC, Lee, Sanders and I and the kids decided to go for a bike ride down the Truckee River. It was cute - we rented a little hutch to go on the back of Sanders bike for the kids to ride in. I thought they might kill each other riding that close together but they did good - thanks to snacks and drink boxes. Mae even fell asleep on the way back. It was a good 10 mile bike ride and it felt great. The weather could not have been better. We were gone about an hour and came back to the house so Sanders could get ready to leave. He was going home a day early so he could have a day to recouperate before work on Monday. Once we got him on the road, I took the kids to the beach for a little while. They didn't last long but it was just enough to wear them out for a good nap.
The bike ride
Sanders is crying about something
Ready or not here we go!
Thank goodness for the snacks
Pictures from the beach
We had a fun night planned for Elise's birthday. We rented a catamaran and took a sunset cruise. They had drinks and appetizers on the boat - it was great! After the cruise, we went to this great restaurant called Wolfdales. While we waited for our table we played on their bocce ball court outside. Lee and MC were the big winners! The dinner was delicious and we brought some great wine with us. It was a fun night! It didn't end up being too late of a night though because we all knew we had to pack up and leave the next day.
Pictures from the sunset cruise
Our bocce ball tournament @ Wolfdales
Pictures from dinner
Happy Birthday Elise!
One last family photo
We packed up and headed out on Sunday. Our flight left at 11:30am so we had some time to get ready and finish packing. It was a long day of traveling but we made it home safe and sound and back to the HOT and HUMID weather! I missed the Tahoe weather as soon as we stepped off the plane. Hopefully we'll plan a trip back next summer!
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