Last week it was really HOT. Like 100 degrees all the time, HOT. So what do you do on a HOT day? Well, we got out the little pool, filled it up with cool hose water and let the kids have some fun. OK- K was sleeping, but that can be fun, right? As we were enjoying the relief of the cool pool, we heard a noise. *Tssssst* The landscapers had been working on some sprinkler heads at the park and now had to test them out. Ethan and Erin quickly bolted over for some sprinkler fun. They had a blast playing at the park and going down the now sooo slippery slides, in their swimsuits, while getting sprayed with water. It was a very welcome relief from all the HOT!


The kids hanging out in their "hot tub".
Erin gets a sprinkly shower courtesy of Ethan.

Katelyn had her second birthday last week. This girl is amazing. She has a personality bigger than her little body and a smile that can make us all join in. She definitely has her opinions about how things should be. The day after her birthday she had her first real temper tantrum, and has had at least one every day since. (I am not making this up people!) So I guess we are in the terrible two's now.

In the morning when she woke up she had no idea what was going on. She saw the balloons and her bike and was having a hard time deciding which one was better. Later in the afternoon she opened up some more presents from her grandma and grandpa H. Then later that night we had cake and ice cream. By this point she had it all figured out and was showing everyone her new baby and pointing to the streamers and decorations and saying, "Birthday!"

Some pictures:

Miss K has always been my challenge for sleep. She is never quite ready for a nap, or to go to bed. On this particular day we had lots of friends over, and I had consigned myself to the fact that K probably would not get a nap. It has to be all quiet with no distractions to get her to sleep. So of course, she crashed on the floor in the family room amid all the chaos and clutter. There were five other kids running around her, literally. This is only a second time occurance, ever, so I just had to get a picture. When I relocated her upstairs she actually stayed asleep and finished her nap! Amazing!

One perk to coming back early from our vacation was that Ethan was able to get his cast off earlier than we had planned. He is rid of it, and very happy. We had more X-rays taken and it is all healed up. He is still adjusting to having full use of his arm again. He can't wait to go swimming and have no cast cover. YEAH for that!!

The LAST picture of the cast.


Ethan was a bit scared of the saw (and rightfully so). But it only vibrated his arm and cut through the fiberglass. The doctor is a pro at this.

The evidence.


Back to a regular old arm.

Last Tahoe post, I promise. We saw a sign outside a shop that advertised haircuts and ice cream in the same place. Gross, yet intriguing. So on our last night we had to go check it out. Turns out the ice cream was in the front and there was a hair studio in the back. The rooms connected through a hallway. (Incidentally- the girls serving the ice cream do not also cut hair- I asked them.) The ice cream was good, but I think I enjoyed the unique charm even more.

Only a few more vacation posts. I am planning on printing our blog as a journal of sorts, so I want to make sure that I get it all in.

On our last day our friends pulled out the Jet Skis and we hit the lake. I think Ethan is the speed demon of the family. Erin and K liked being in the sand and splashing around in the lake even thought the water was pretty frigid. I even took a turn taking Erin out, and managed not to flip it over. The weather was beautiful and we had so much fun relaxing and soaking up the rays (with 50 sunblock on of course). Again, sorry for the plethora of pictures- they are more for me than you.

Tori and Ali test out the freezing water.
K, Ali and Ethan in the sand.

Katelyn wanted her turn on the jet ski.
Adam and Ethan
Eric and Tori soak up the rays.
Jeff takes K, our little swimmer, in for some play time.
Eric and Ali on the jet ski. (Otherwise known as 007 and Bond Girl)

Erin takes a break for a snack.
Mom and Erin take a ride too.
Jeff took Erin out in deeper water so she could float around for a bit.

Jeff and Ethan make their return on the jet ski.

Also more aptly titled- Getting There is Half the Fun. (Really true this time!) There are lots of ski resorts around Lake Tahoe. But we decided to go visit Northstar. In the summer you can ride the lifts and the gondola for free up the mountain. Once up there we hiked around a little bit until the kids were ready to go. Ethan found a stick and fashioned it into a walking stick, and K promptly had to join in too. The kids liked the chair lifts the best. I think that it definitely was a highlight for me also. The views were incredible even through all the smoke from the CA wildfires.

We made it to Tahoe around 7pm. We dumped our stuff at the Eaton's family condo and then went down to the beach for some fireworks. It was rather chilly, but the fireworks were amazing and we were very happy to be out of the car! Katelyn thought the fireworks were "loud" and sat on my lap most of the time. Erin couldn't get enough and was sad to go home when they were over, even though the show lasted for over 30 minutes.

The ten hour drive to Lake Tahoe went better than expected. We watched movies, sang songs, drew pictures, played with toys, and slept (a little bit.) We made it with only three stops along the way for potty breaks and food. Jeff and I took turns driving the long stretch since neither of us are long haul drivers. Katelyn was very good at checking the map for directions. It was great to finally get there and get the real party started.

At least this one is easy and not very lengthy.