Summer Fun

Summer’s more than half over and as always, Bridgette’s social calendar has been jam packed with all kinds of activities, from strawberry picking to theme parks to what has now become our annual family trip to Lake Tahoe with all of her cousins. She’s been having a blast, just as she should, and soaking in every beautiful moment of her summer vacation.

Bridgette and Mina enjoying the mass of strawberries at Gizdich Ranch | Photo by Stella Loh

She was excited to find a teeny tiny “baby” strawberry
So rare to get a pic of my baby and I 🙂

Our ginormous strawberry pie

Some of the most memorable parts of my childhood were the times that I spent with my cousins and friends. I’ve always been quite social, and I genuinely like being around people. When I was Bridgette’s age, it didn’t matter what I was doing. As long as I was doing the activities with my cousins and friends, I was a happy camper. It has been remarkable for me to watch Bridgette’s personality form in the last 5 years, but more apparently in the past 2 years. She’s definitely a chatty social butterfly who loves being around people and values her friendships a great deal. Even at only 5 years old, she’s developed some strong bonds with her friends and neighbors. She’s constantly asking us to invite people over, and loves a great party already!

Having a blast at the beach in Aptos

Body art at age 5

The girls loved the ride up and down the cable car at Shadowbrook Restaurant!

Our annual Lake Tahoe trip this year included Bridgette’s cousins St. John, Shaun, and Sherwin from Hong Kong, as well as her cousin Jovian from the Bay Area. Brianne didn’t make it here in time to join, and Bridgette definitely missed her presence as the boys were not as enthusiastic about playing “princess” with her. St. John and Shaun were basically glued to their iPads the entire time, while Jovian and Sherwin constantly worked up a sweat by chasing one another nonstop. It’s always more fun to rent a cabin and all stay together in one place, but you have to be prepared for the noise level. We had one teenager, one tween, and three pre-schoolers under one roof. Let’s just say it was a bit chaotic at times. Us adults kicked back with a whole lot of wine, champagne, and beer while the kids drove each other crazy. 🙂

Black Bear Lodge–my family and I were the first guests to rent this brand new cabin 8 years ago, and now, we’re back with a whole lot of kids!
BBQ is always on the agenda when we’re in Lake Tahoe for the summer!
Ready to hit the beautiful lake!

On the boat ride out to the lake for some parasailing!

The temperature was a lot cooler this time around, and the lake was icy cold. That didn’t seem to deter the kids from being in the water though. We spent the afternoon parasailing, jetskiing, swimming, building sand castles, and Bridgette’s latest invention–making sand angels.

Love this photo of the boys sharing a “moment” by the lake

After 3 days of fun and a whole lot of junk food, we packed the two vans again and headed home. That was the end of our June. The next post will be about our new life with 2 kids in our household, beginning in July…. 🙂

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