On Thursday night, after our yummy sweet pork burritos, we headed over to Leatherby's Ice Cream. There isn't a Leatherby's near our cousins, so this was a big treat to go there. It was a great way to top off our fun day.
Here is G with his sister
We all loved our ice cream! We can always make room for ice cream. Later, the kids all literally fell into bed. My boys, Ja and Tr all slept in the living room. It was wall-to-wall blankets and pillows. They loved it.
On Wednesday evening, our cousins, who live in Las Vegas, came for a visit. Almost ALL day Thursday, the kids were in the pool having a blast. Their parents were able to go to the temple, one they hadn't been to yet. They returned around 2pm. I enjoyed visiting with my sister-in-law, Sylvia for the afternoon. We squeezed in several rounds of dominoes, too.
Tr swiped his little brother's arm-floaties. I had to get a picture. Can you say 'blackmail'?
J enjoying the water with everyone
Ja and N on the swings. By the time Ja left our house, he was able to swing really well by himself.
Unfortunately, N hasn't been feeling well. He relaxed in a chair instead of going into the pool. He was so frustrated that he couldn't fully enjoy his cousins.
J, C, and Ja playing together. These 3 spent the most time in the pool. They were prunes!I took this picture of T before our hike. He looks like an evil storm trooper from the DeathStar! I couldn't stop laughing!
T taking a turn with J's walking stick
On Wednesday morning, we hiked up to a vista point to get a great view of Lake Tahoe. Our original plan was to ride up the lift and hike around Northstar, but the lift was closed. So, we drove a few miles to the hiking trail. The boys did well. T hitched a ride here and there. The hike was 1 1/2 miles to the vista point.
J's almost there. There were lots of beautiful yellow wildflowers. J found an awesome walking stick.
Victory!!
J taking a rest. His was dealing with a couple of blisters, and it was really painful for him.
It's hard to see in the picture, but we used gum wrappers and lichen to wrap around his blisters on his pinky toes. They worked for a while, then would fall off, and we'd wrap them again.
G enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Tahoe
Here we all are on the top of the vista. Felt weird not having N with us -- he was away at Scout camp. We rested at the vista for a while and enjoyed some bagels, M&M's and water. It took us less than half of the time to get down the mountain as it did going up. G ended up carrying either T or J down the mountain. J's toes were hurting SO bad. G's legs were burning by the time we got all the way down. We headed back to the condo, enjoyed a yummy lunch, then spent the afternoon by the pool. Very refreshing. Sadly, we had to head back home late afternoon. Back to the real world ... It was so nice to get away for a day, and spend time together in such a beautiful place. (Thanks, K!) 
We had the opportunity to stay at a beautiful condo in Northstar Tahoe on Tuesday night. Here, the boys enjoyed a quick ride on the luggage cart. 
We settled into the condo, went on a short walk through the village, and then headed over to the pools. B didn't disappoint in posing for a photo. Such a character!
The pools were closed, but the "hot water" wasn't. We relaxed in one of the big spas for a while. We had it all to ourselves. Sure enjoyable. We went back to the condo, put on our PJ's, ate watermelon, and enjoyed a movie. The boys all slept in the same room, even though, at first, they all thought it would be cool to have their own room. But when it came down to it, they wanted to be together.
The next morning, we went down to see if the gondolas and/or lift was running. Nothing opened until 10am, so the G and the boys enjoyed a game of chess. J & G played checkers with the pieces for their game.
CHECKMATE! B squished G in a game of chess. He completely blindsided him not too far into the game. G was stunned! Way to go B! J also won checkers ... fair and square. It was a fun way to pass a bit of time. The weather was perfect. We missed having N with us. He is still away at Boy Scout Camp.
So, I realized that I didn't post anything special for G on Father's Day. I do have a couple of great reasons, but I would be remiss if I didn't remind G how special he is to our family. He is an amazing father to our boys, who absolutely adore him. He spends quality time with each of them and takes a genuine interest in each boy. He is a wonderful example and I couldn't ask for a better husband.
Now, the reason why I didn't get onto the blog was because I was busy baking! I made G's favorite Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins for breakfast. The boys gobble these up, too. They are a family favorite. (I've posted the recipe in a previous post)
Triple Chocolate Cake
1 pkg. (18 ¼ oz.) white cake mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
2 TB baking cocoa
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate frosting
2 TB milk
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sugar, eggs, sour cream & oil. Beat on low for 1 minute; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour half of the batter into a large bowl. Stir in cocoa until blended. Fold chocolate chips into white cake batter. Spoon batters alternately into a greased & floured 10-inch fluted pan. Bake @ 350* for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. In a small bowl, combine frosting & milk. Spoon frosting over top of cooled cake. Yield: 12 servings.
So, during the day, the boys all wanted to spend time with G. G played Uno, Chess & Checkers. T insisted on sitting on G's lap during church and drawing pictures. They knew it was Dad's special day and wanted to be near him. G appreciated it even though he felt a bit mauled by the end of the day! What a great sport! Another reason why he's so loved in our home.
When my sister was here for her visit, we took the kids over to a little hidden gem: the cement slides. We ate a picnic lunch and then spent quite a while at the slides ... trying to burn off some of their energy!
T is ready to launch!
Here's S ready to launch. He loved it when I'd give him a BIG push. The faster, the better!
