4th of July at Big Bear Lake

Being pregnant makes summer holidays a little difficult, in my mind. There is no glass of wine, rarely can you make it past 11pm at the latest, sleeping is good, but not great, and of course, being pregnant with a toddler means the show never stops. So, with that in mind, I decided it was time for our family to head up to the mountains, to experience something new for our first family vacation. Big Bear is only 90 minutes away from us, and we could rent an entire cabin for the same price as getting a hotel room by the beach. Woody was invited as well, but we've found that Woody is more like a cat on vacations, than a dog. He just wanted to sleep, upstairs in the bedroom, and didn't even notice the squirrels, bunnies, etc. outdoors in the backyard. Lazy, lazy dog.

We arrived on Friday and set up shop. The cabin was even better than the pictures, as the owner had purchased a new sectional couch and new bed linens which were mountainy and fabulous. That evening we went to venture out for our first meal, and decided to stop at Village Pizza, which was a good choice.






The next morning, we woke up bright and early, and had mama's big breakfast of eggs, sausage, english muffins, and mini doughnuts (hey, it's vacation!) We packed a bag and headed out to Big Bear Marina, to pick up our pontoon boat we rented for several hours until lunchtime. I grew up on a lake, always water skiing, vacationing on a houseboat, and boating in general, so it was clear that Ginger has my love of being on the water! She ADORED being on the boat, never complained or whined once, despite a life jacket that was a little big and made it hard to sit down! Her favorite spot was definitely at the front of the boat, where she could feel the water splash on her face and the wind through her hair. It was an unforgettable experience. Dad did a great job driving, and both Paul and I marveled at all of the amazing homes on the lakefront.





That afternoon we played outside at the cabin, and then headed out for dinner to a Mexican restuarant called El Jacajitos. I name it because it was delish! I even ordered a virgin margarita that tasted pretty good, for being virgin.






We all slept in on Sunday morning (yes, Ginger sleeps these days from 8pm to as late as 8:30am, if I let her! She is an awesome sleeper, takes a 2-3 hour nap every day from 12:30-3:00 or so!) and then after getting ready for the day, we headed over to the Big Bear zoo to check out the alpine animals. It was just amazing to watch Ginger act so independently, she wanted to walk on her own, point at the animals, chat with mom and dad (and others) and generally she acts about 5 or 6 years old most days. It's pretty unreal.







We stopped by a few antique shops, then headed home for lunch and a nap. We decided to just enjoy the cabin for the afternoon, and then headed over the village in Big Bear to walk through some of the shops. We ate dinner at a great little place called the Peppercorn grill, and even got some gelato for dessert across the street at the candy store. We planned on calling it an evening, and went back to the cabin for bathtime for Ginger, and put her in her jammies. Then, we looked at the clock, and it was a little after 8pm. Ginger was in a great mood, and we decided in the spur of the moment to pack up, drive down to the lake, and see if we could possibly find a place to park and pop open the back of my SUV to watch the fireworks for a few minutes. Well, we were in luck! Though the entire area around the lake was PACKED, we found an open parking space quickly, found a plce to sit quickly, and had time to spare before the show started! Thank goodness for green grapes- gave Ginger just the sugar high she needed to make it to the 9pm show (that is a huge stretch for her!) We had the most wonderful moment as a family, watching the fireworks together. This is what the trip was for- to make memories, to enjoy each other, and to remember this special moment when we were just a one child family.







All in all, this was a trip we will never forget. Thank you Ginger Lauren, for being such a special little girl. We are so blessed and thankful for your beautiful spirit each day. I love being your mommy, and Dad loves being your daddy, you completely and utterly melt our hearts each and every day (let's see if that still rings true when you're a vivacious teenager!!)