Riding the Trails

Originally, we planned to hike on our first day of adventure with the Davorens, but after discussing our group's "Must Do" activities the night before, we formulated a new plan that would hopefully incorporate everyone's interests. Since every member of the gang wanted to rent bikes, that seemed like a logical place to start. Even Grant was able to get in on the action. Lucky for him, his legs were too little peddle. So, he got to sit back and relax in a trailer while Uncle Mike did all the hard work! How did Uncle Mike get so lucky? Well, Anh elected to ride a tandem bike with Baylor, and I guess Mike took pity on me.

Of course, I doubt Grant was actually to blame for the heavy load since he doesn't even weigh 20 pounds yet. No, I'm certain it was the trailer and all the backpacks that actually gave Mike the workout!

Thankfully, there were plenty of picture-worthy stops along the trail. So, Mike was able to take breather on a regular basis. The first stop was Pope Beach. Such a beautiful spot! You can see almost all of Lake Tahoe from that vantage point which made it the logical viewing spot for 4th of July fireworks. We had an official plan for the 4th!

Our plan would be to arrive early, set up camp, and enjoy a day at the beach and an evening under the stars. The locals told us there would be a barge anchored just off shore for the launching of the fireworks, and we would also be able to see the fireworks launched from the roof of a casino downtown as well as the fireworks launched on the far side of the lake. Perfect! The only downside...we discovered that Lake Tahoe's crystal clear water isn't just cold. It's GLACIAL COLD! We tried dipping our toes in the water to see if we would eventually become numb to the pain. The problem was we did indeed go numb. Completely numb! Yeah, there would be no swimming for us!

That's okay. There's plenty of fun to be had on dry land! The kids would be able to keep themselves entertained, no worries.

Back on the trail, we felt like we were literally riding through history. The bicycle path was dotted with historical markers and exhibits, and of course, there were plenty of photo ops.

The ride ended up being 12+ miles which is no small feat with 6 kids in tow. The "+" comes from the slight detour we took before calculating how far we had actually traveled and realizing we still had to ride back. Thank goodness the return trip was mostly downhill!

Ice Cream seemed like a logical reward for all that bicycling effort. Who cares that it wasn't even Noon yet and we had yet to even eat lunch?! Speaking of lunch, the ice cream parlor seemed intent on breaking a world record for largest scoops. So, lunch ended up being ice cream for most of us. Had we realized how generous the scoops would be, we might have encouraged the kid's to share. Oh well, it was our vacation. You can eat ice cream for breakfast when you're on vacation. At least, that's what Grandfather & Grandma believe.

After the strenuous bicycle ride, we decided to take in a magic show for the evening entertainment. Actually, the star Alex Ramon, is an illusionist...a dang good one! Not to knock South Lake Tahoe's casinos, but I'm slightly surprised he isn't performing in Las Vegas or at least Reno. We bought the tickets thinking, "At least the kids should enjoy the show." Wrong! We ALL enjoyed theatrics. Mike even got in on the action! He was pretty good too! In the unlikely event that medicine doesn't work out for him, he may have a calling as an entertainer. It's always good to have a plan B.

Living the Life on the Lake

Summer is the ideal time to cast off the day-to-day responsibilities, pack up the gear, and take off for a little bit of family adventure. The only thing better? Recruiting friends to join in the fun!!! This Summer, we met up with the Davorens at Lake Tahoe. TEN glorious days of vacation!!! That has never happened before, and it might be a while before it happens again. So, we made the absolute most of our time together out West.

Our family arrived first, and we simply couldn't wait to get out and soak in the beauty of the landscape. The drive from Reno, Nevada to the cabin we rented in South Lake Tahoe only took about an hour, but the flights from Florida took an entire day. Needless to say, we really appreciated the fresh mountain air and dose of sunshine! Our first stop was the Emerald Bay overlook. The vista point was picture perfect and gave us a breathtaking preview of all the activities that we had to look forward to during the week.

Baylor and Jaxon were too short to really see much out of the rear windows of the car as we drove the winding roads up to the overlook and scouted out the trails we'd be hiking the following day down to Vikingsholm and the crystal clear waters of Emerald Bay. Once out of the car, we counted our blessings that none of our 3 children appear to be prone to motion sickness. Thank goodness or we would have been in for a rough week!

Not wanting to jump the gun on the adventure without our sidekicks, we made our way to the cabin to cook dinner and relax in the hot tub under the stars. Yeah, yeah, yeah...Why rough it if you don't have to?! Baby Grant has standards that need to be met. Plus, the cabin rental went towards a good cause, Baylor's school. We purchased the cabin through the silent auction fundraiser last year, and it was worth every single penny! Centrally located to all that this area of the country has to offer, I'd say there's a good chance we'll purchase another stay at the cabin. Maybe next time we'll visit during ski season...

6 Months

You're supposed to celebrate your baby's milestones, but today is a little bittersweet. Baby Grant is 6 months old! I'm sorry, but it just seems too soon. Our baby is growing up waaaay too fast. Don't even get me started on his big brothers!


We won't dwell on the negative. Instead, let's focus on all the wonderful things that Grant has accomplished in the last month.

- As you already know, Grant has his first tooth and seems to be diligently working away on his second.

- Having mastered sitting on his own, Grant is showing interest in being mobile. When laying on his belly, he tries to propel himself forward. Unfortunately, he hasn't figured out that he'd have more success if he kept his hands & feet in contact with the floor. To compensate, Grant has learned to roll across the floor to reach whatever object has peaked his interest.

- Grant has now sampled just about every fruit & vegetable that is available. The only item on the menu that he doesn't care for are pureed bananas.

- Grant has slept in his crib exactly once. He went down without an issue on our first attempt to introduce him to the nursery, but on the second night, Grant put up a protest. That's okay. We eagerly welcomed back into the pack & play in our room because we spent the better part of the day discussing how we had missed him the previous night.

- We've reached that lovely age when babies begin grabbing at things. I have to be especially mindful of what is within Grant's reach when we're shopping. I really hate that moment when you discover a store clerk is a fan of that whole "You break it, you buy it." philosophy.

- It may be a figment of my imagination, but I believe Grant has said his first word, "Hi!" He says, "Hi!" when you walk up to his pack & play after he's woken up from his nap. It could just be a noise he makes, but given that we're in the habit of telling him, "Hi!" when we see him, maybe it's not just coincidence.

As for Grant's height & weight, any guesses? Okay, I won't keep you in suspense. Grant weighs 17 lbs, 14 oz which puts him in the 75 percentile, and he's delightfully average when it comes to his 26 inch height. That qualifies as 50th percentile. Sounds about right to me since he's currently wearing 9-12 month clothing. Yes, our littlest man is growing up at a rate I'm not entirely thrilled about, but at least I know he'll always be my Baby Grant. Size and age don't matter!

Break Through

Look who decided to cut his first tooth just a week shy of 6 months! We've been checking his gums every few days for signs of a pearly white baby tooth because Mr. Grant is an ever-flowing fountain of drool. Sure enough, a tooth finally made an appearance. Just a few more, Grant, and we'll celebrate with some real food! No more baby mush!

All About Dad

Father's Day 2012 was all about Anh aka Dad...exactly as it should be! Generous and thoughtful as always, Anh decided to include our friend and Grant's Godfather, Scott aka Uncle Scott, in the morning round of golf. Since Grant is a little young to complete the foursome, Uncle Scott gladly filled in for him. Jaxon and Baylor were so excited to be included in the golf outing. Dad could have easily chosen to take off on his own to enjoy a little peace and quiet, but I think we all know that's not really Anh's style. It's that thought-process which makes him our Father of the Year!

Planning the Father's Day activity was easy, but coming up with a gift for Dad is usually a challenge. He certainly doesn't need anything, and his wants are all very specific. Too specific really. It's much easier to just take him shopping. Of course, Anh always appreciates the thought and effort that goes into selecting a gift for him. I just really wanted him to love his present, and the boys wanted to surprise Dad. So, the solution was to get creative. I decided to take a couple of our recent pictures and frame them with the responses to a few questions I presented to Jaxon and Baylor. Grant was off the hook this year.

What sort of questions did I ask? I decided to see how well Jaxon and Baylor really know their dad. I interviewed the boys separately to insure that they didn't influence each other's responses. Some of the questions were easy. "What is Dad's name?" Both boys answered that one correctly. Thank goodness! Jaxon went with Anh's actual name, and Baylor answered, "Daddy." Both boys also came up with correct answers when asked where their dad likes to go. Jaxon came up with, "the beach" while Baylor said, "restaurants." Very good answers, boys!

On a few questions like, "What is Dad's favorite drink?" I think the boys got distracted and gave answers based on what they personally like. Both boys declared, "Coke" is Dad's favorite drink when in actuality, I believe it's probably coconut water or coconut milk. Also, when asked what Dad likes to do for fun, Jaxon responded with, "playing golf" which is definitely true, but Baylor answered "ride roller coasters" which is definitely questionable given Anh's tendency to suffer from motion sickness. Some of Jaxon's and Baylor's answers were completely wrong, but of course, those were the most entertaining! Jaxon guessed that Anh is approximately 10 feet tall, but Baylor pegged him much shorter at "2 feet + 31 inches." Oh my! Anh definitely falls in between those two answers. The boys' guesses on weight weren't much better. Jaxon declared that Anh weighs 95 pounds, and Baylor believes Anh is a true lightweight at 35 pounds. If that was true, Baylor would be giving Anh the piggyback rides instead of the other way around. As for Anh's age, Jaxon's response of, "38" was 100% correct, but Baylor's guess of "200 years old" had to sting when Anh read it.

All teasing aside, Jaxon and Baylor came up with the right answers when it mattered most. As my final question, I asked the boys, "What is your favorite thing about Dad?" Jaxon thought long and hard before looking me directly in the eyes and answering, "He likes to spend time with me." Awww! You are so right, Jaxon. Dad loves to spend time with all 3 of his boys. Baylor didn't need any time to mull over what he likes best about his dad. In less than a second, Baylor blurted out, "I love him!" So sweet! I know, buddy! Trust me, Dad knows it too! Happy Father's Day, Anh! The boys and I hope you enjoyed your special day, but we want to make sure you realize you're #1 in our eyes 365 days a year!

Shoot & Score

Jaxon & Baylor are participating in a few camps this Summer. First up is basketball camp. Boy oh boy did we start off with a bang! The week was a raging success! The camp is a well organized machine with great coaches, and the kids in Jaxon's & Baylor's age group were instant friends.

I knew both boys would have a good time because they really like basketball, but I wasn't certain whether the sport would hold Baylor's attention 3 hours a day for 5 straight days. It did! Despite giving it his all, Baylor never managed to score a basket. Even with the rim lowered, the basket was just too high for 4-year old Baylor. That disadvantage never swayed his interest though. If anything, it made Baylor try even harder. Look how low he would crouch to try to gain every bit of momentum possible when shooting. Poor kid!

Jaxon, our sports nut, was in heaven. He really has a competitive spirit and looked forward to the daily free throw contests. The camp was broken down into 4 age groups. The winner from each group would then compete against the other age groups for a daily winner. Jaxon won his age group 2 out of the 5 days, but none of boys were able to take down the older competitors. Oh well. There's always next year!

Grant & I didn't stay for the entire camp, but we would stay for the first 30 minutes, and then arrive early for pickup to watch the free throw contest. This is Grant's facial expression during our time in the gym. Imagine 75+ kids all bouncing basketballs...Yeah, maybe that was my facial expression too.

The coaches went over the rules of the game and put the kids through some drills to improve their ball handling skills, and the group was split into teams of 3 for daily tournaments. Never once did anyone seem bored. In fact, at the end of the week, Jaxon and Baylor both asked me if they could come back the following week for another round of basketball camp. I would have gladly agreed, but Lego Camp was already on the calendar and paid for. Thankfully, that turned out to be a hit as well.

Jaxon and Baylor made new friends and mastered new skills. What more can you ask for? Summer 2012 is off to a great start. Let the fun times continue!!!

Old Friends in the Oldest City

It's been 10 long months, but it's finally time to host our medical school friends for the 2012 group reunion. Sadly, some of the gang couldn't make it, but I'd say the smaller group size made the visit even more enjoyable. Sure, it's great to get the entire group together, but with only 3 couples, we were really able to talk and catch up. Plus, the addition of the kids this time added to the chaos. Throw in 6 more families, and it might have felt completely overwhelming!

Being able to show off our new hometown to our close friends was definitely a highlight. Anh & I planned a few beach days. We were able to enjoy a bit of sunshine while playing in the sand and splashing in the waves. On Saturday, we scheduled a group surfing lesson which was a big hit with the kids and dads. The ladies found time to sneak off for some pampering at the spa and a little boutique shopping while the dads explored the Pirate Museum and downtown with the kids. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all know who scored the better end of that deal. Thanks to our awesome babysitter Kathryne, the adults were even able to enjoy a night out. Anh & I planned a dinner to introduce our old and new friends. A little too much fun was enjoyed by all!

We hated to bring the festivities to a close, but luckily, we won't have to endure another 10 month countdown to see each other. Saddened to be parting ways after such an amazing visit, we promptly through together a plan to meet up in December. I'm not sure who is more excited the adults or the kids!  Bring on the holiday fun! Six months to go!