Lake Tahoe- Days 2 and 3

 Check back HERE for the post about the first day!

DAY TWO

Happy 4th of July!

The girls got dressed in their matching red white and blue shirts that Erin made for them and the rest of us did our best. Somehow I forgot to pack something exciting for myself.

An okay, real quick here- important info about this week: 

When I was in 8^th grade, so 14 years old, we had an exchange student from China who lived with us for basically a whole year. Her name is Fe Nan but she wanted to choose a new American name and so we call her Kelsey. She was Erin's age and I became her super odd and crazy little sister. She really became apart of the family and I remember being incredibly sad and empty when she left to return home to China. And I haven't seen her since that final good bye! But she's married now with a son. And she's been in America for a while. They lived in the Dc area for a while and then in the Bay area where she currently lives with her son while her husband works in China. So she wasn't far from Lake Tahoe and my mom invited her and Truman, her son, to come spend the week with us and they did! So I finally got to see her again! 

So here is a photo of the girls with Truman! 

And anyway, the men were apparently more prepared with their wardrobes.

Erin, Kelsey, and me. (and Dan's patriotic tie)

First we ended up walking the small lake side town. There were some cool spots but no fun stores so I don't know, we felt a little aimless and tired. However, we found the river that feeds into the lake and there was a whole meadow of purple wild flowers and I was dying from excitement.

We ate at a restaurant that took a long time so Hazel was not amused.

But June tried to help.

That night we went to the firework show! We were worried about the potential crowds but compared to some firework shows I've been too, it was really a laid back atmosphere even though it was crowded. We were near a little park too so the girls played on that and then went and watched the geese on the lake and then got hand dipped ice cream bars. The glow sticks were a big hit as well and then finally the show started. June was funny. She kept saying, “Oh my gosh! That was the whole world one!” and Hazel was into it too and not scared. It ended up being a really good classic night. It's fun to think that June will remember this a little bit. And getting back to the cabin through some traffic wasn't even as bad as we thought it would be. As we walked back to the car I wrapped a cold little Hazel up in a huge soft blanket and put her in the stroller and she looked like a burrito and it was the best.

DAY THREE

The next day we did the other hike since it was less crowded. It wasn't long, just about 3 miles total, BUT it was down a steep mountain side and back up. At the bottom there is this old viking castle some rich lady in the 1920's built and you can tour it. Then there is a beach to the lake that is in the beloved Emerald Bay that is only accessible through the hike or by boat. We didn't end up doing the tour because it cost money but mostly because there was a long wait and it was a guided tour that would have been awful with the girls so we admired the outside and looking into windows. Then the girls chased some geese (there were so many tame geese!) on the shore and got their feet wet and covered in glittery sand. We extended the hike to some water falls and then made the trek back out.

The hike back out was tough. Steep and sunny and being pregnant I was nervous but we made it. The real highlight, however, was June. When we first started the hike, she wanted to be held and said she was too tired to go on. So I had a pep talk with her and told her that she would feel better if she found the strength in herself to keep going, to just focus on each step at a time. I never know if these lessons are over her head or not but she surprised me and ended up with the best attitude of anyone there. She ended up walking the whole time by herself and on the way out through the steep incline I noticed that when she felt tired she would say to herself, “Keep going June! Keep walking!” and THAT was like, one of the best moments of my life. Being a parent is a real trip. There are so many emotions to it but so far I think that being proud of your child has got to be one of very best feelings in the world.

We started driving back around the lake and we all stopped in South Tahoe to get some pizza and then headed back towards the cabin.

  My parents were riding in our car and we saw this amazing beach and it wasn't crowded so despite the long day and no nap for Hazel, we decided to stop at it! Erin and Dan and Kelsey decided to go back to the cabin. 

I'm really glad that we stopped. Everyone was leaving as we got there so we had a nice spot all to ourselves with large boulders creating a little bath area to explore as well. There were fish in the water and June loved trying to catch them. The sapphire water sparkled as the sun set low in the sky. It was calm and a wonderful ending to a full day.

Catching fish.

Getting warm in the sand

Singing and being Ariel.

My mom, a child at heart, out playing with her underwater telescope.

I made Buck go up here for a photo.

And we were completely beat by the time we got back to the cabin! But the best kind of beat.