It’s been a busy, busy June for the Keene’s but we’ve enjoyed every moment of it.
We started out our June with a wonderful family vacation to the Tsadi resort in Lake Shasta. We had stumbled across it last year when we did our Northern California road trip and loved it so much we booked it again for this year. We also invited Aaron’s folks to join us and having them there made the vacation all the more special. Aaron also rented a boat so we could enjoy the lake.
Aaron’s folks drove from Arizona and met us in Tracy where we picked up the boat. We then switched cars so Aaron and his dad could pull the boat while Judy and I drove on with the kids. Definitely a good plan since we could drive faster with no boat.
The resort is the perfect family place and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It has 17 cabins that face Lake Shasta, a swimming pool, a toddler play area, barbeques and nice decks you can sit outside on and just enjoy nature. Tons and tons of kids as well. There was also lots of deer walking around too- completely fearless and very at home at the resort. Trent was beyond over the moon watching the deer. He kept calling them Reindeer and got SO excited every time they would walk by. The Lake unfortunately was quite low so we had to walk down this very, very steep path to get the dock- quite challenging with excited toddlers, coolers and boating stuff. Also, it was quite warm (around 85+ degrees) Needless to say- we all got our exercise. Trent who is now Mr. Independent “ I want to do it myself” preferred to walk on his own just holding our hands but Sophie for the most part wanted to be carried “ I hold you”. We were worried initially about her balance but it was clear over the week that her self-confidence improved and by the end of the week she was more than happy to try and walk down and up the path on her own.
We spent our days boating, having boat picnics, checking out the lake and enjoying the water. It took a while to get the kids in the water but once we did – they thoroughly enjoyed it- especially with the hot weather. We also made a point of keeping a special eye on Sophie with her sensitivity to heat- but all was just fine. We brought their little floaties and tied them to the swim dock which gave them the freedom to be out in the water, still keep them close to us and allowed us to create a little game of hand driven water surfing. Aaron also did a little water skiing. At first when he got in the water both Trent and Sophie cried hysterically but once they realized he was going to be ok – even though he was being pulled behind the boat- they enjoyed watching him go “FAST”.
We also did a little exploring. Aaron who is a fishing maniac took the opportunity to get Trent his first fishing pole and teach him how to fish. Aaron was so proud when Trent caught his first fish. I don’t think Trent really understood but all he knew was that he was with his dad- and it as clear he was happy.
Of course we had a share of accidents – but emergency room visits so I’d consider it a success. Lots of falling down with bruised knees for all of us, one chipped tooth for Trent (he did it on the boat when we were lifting him out) and one black eye for Sophie (she and Trent were throwing rocks into Lake Shasta and he accidently hit her) but still a great vacation. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we have booked again for next year and hope to have a mini family reunion with Aaron’s parents, and brother’s family.
Our fun continued when we got home when we attended the Willow Glen street dance. The event gets bigger and bigger each year. In recent years they’ve started having a kids row with games and such. This year the children’s cook school at a little activity section where kids could play in flour. Talk about a ton of fun. Trent and Sophie spent almost an hour playing in the flour. The next time we’re looking for something to do on a weekend, Aaron and I plan to whip out a large plastic bin and put flour in it with shifters. Who knew such a simple thing could be so much fun?
Aaron’s folks have been staying with us and it’s been so nice to have them with us. His mom is nothing short of amazing- always helping out and the kids just adore being with their Grandpa Bobby and Mamaw. It was so nice for Aaron to be able to spend father’s day with his dad. It’s been years since he’d been able to do that and nice that all of us could celebrate Aaron and his dad on their very special day.
Our neighbors have also come to know Aaron’s folks well and everyone is so happy when they come to the neighborhood Monday night barbeques. Last week our old neighbors came with their daughter Gabby and their new babies. It had been several months since Trent and Sophie had seen Gabby but pretty quickly everyone warmed up and pretty soon we were having a toddler fest added to by the two new twins across the street. They all have so much energy and it was so nice watching all 5 toddlers play together.
Time continues to go so quickly and I can’t believe we already have to think about pre-school. I guess I better buck up. If pre-school is freaking me out- I can only imagine how nervous I’ll be when we have to make bigger decisions. The thing is – I really want Trent and Sophie to enjoy being children and because certain areas around where we live our OVER the top about education- I just don’t want to put them in an environment where we’re already worried about test scores and learning Mandarin. Thankfully Gayle our early interventionist is helping me navigate all this and make the right decisions.
