Big Bear Lake Vacation

Oh my gosh, sorry for the long delay between posts! We have had quite a couple of weeks around here and then some major computer issues to boot! Anyway back in July, the girls and I spent 3 days with my parents in Big Bear. I L-O-V-E Big Bear, especially in the summer. As a kid, I spent many, many weekends up at the cabin and I have such fond memories of that part of my childhood. It's really important that Ryan and Charlie have experiences up there too!

My Grandpa Shen (my mom's dad) built this cabin when she was just a toddler and it has been in the family ever since. I'm very proud of it. It's a true log cabin and every time I sit up there in the living room, I ponder all the work that went into building it. My mom has pictures of her family staying in a tent on long weekends outside of the cabin so that her dad could get some work done on the cabin. He even built a wash basin with concrete on top of a rock so that they could wash their faces and brush their teeth. Now it's a bird bath. I didn't take a good picture of it from the front (I meant to but forgot, I guess) but this is the side of the cabin.

A lot of time at the cabin is just spent relaxin'! Mommy was tired of driving so Grandpa helped out to entertain the kids while mommy rested!

Nona and Grandpa showed the girls how they like to hang out on the porch and feed the blue jays. This was definitely a very educational trip for my kiddos.

We ventured into the village to show the girls around and go to a movie at the Village theater (an old staple where I saw ET for the first time as a kid). The last time they were in Big Bear, Ryan was only 16 months old and Charlie was still in my tummy (she obviously didn't see much...LOL)!

The girls and I took a hike back into the woods a little bit... A very little bit actually! They got pretty tired, pretty quick. Plus, about 5 lizards into our hike and some loose rocks that are tough on the toddler's balance, the girls were quick to say, "Can we try this later maybe mom?"

Ryan did find the biggest dandelion ever! She wanted to bring it home. I said, "No way Jose!" She wanted to then make a wish and blow on the porch of the cabin. Grandpa said, "No way Jose!" Nobody wants those strangely monsterous things growing by their house!

Charlie insisted on having a ponytail like her sister! What cute smiles though, they loved it up there.
Big Bear even has a zoo. None of us had ever been there before but we were genuinely amazed by the fantastic animals they have there. We stood about a foot from bald eagles and and just a few feet away from a snow leopard. All the animals were alert and fun to watch. Seriously, better entertainment than most big zoo visits I've had. (Bubba, I know that you love a good zoo visit. You'd love this one!)
The Big Bear Zoo Photo Opp!
We had lunch overlooking the lake. It was gorgeous like always.


The afternoons meant very long naps for the girls. The altitude and Nona's everlasting energy equals two tuckered kids!

We enjoyed a trip to the Big Bear Arcade. I can't tell you how many long hours I spent here as a kid playing skee ball! Nona took the reins teaching Ryan how to play. Then Ryan beat me in air hockey. Charlie enjoyed the motorcycle the best.
What was this game called when I was a kid????? I can't remember but Ryan loved it!

And Charlie loved crashing into things.
Ice Cream and window shopping.
A mighty good time had by the Grace Girls!

Thanks for treating us so wonderfully Grandpa and Nona! We can't wait to come back!