Feeding goats!

Today we met my cousin Ciara, her husband Nate and their sweet daughter Sophie at the barn!  They are back home for the holiday and it was great to see them.  Sophie ran up and gave me a great big monkey hug!  It was awesome!  The kids really enjoyed it and it was nice to visit with Ciara and Nate.  Sophie was full of spunk!  

They had chairs just her size!  

Blessed to enjoy these moments together!

Happy 5th Birthday Corbyn!

Today we celebrated Corbyn's 5th birthday!  It is hard to believe she is 5!  But she is sure quick to remind you if you try and say she is 4!  :-)

Anna passed along her my size Barbie and it was cute to see all the Arnold girl cousins hanging out, even if it did involve a lot of giggle at the expense of poor Barbie! 

All the Arnold cousins, with the new addition of Barbie! 

Pool Party Day!

Today the boys celebrated their birthday with the cousins and friends at the pool!  It is always a guessing game regarding the weather and this year we would have been fine to got to the beach because it was a very warm day but the indoor pool worked well too!  And we realized so many boys = lots of noise!  They all had a blast and I have a feeling everyone will sleep well!

Love this photo of Mason in the air doing a canon ball!

Hike day!

Today I went on a hike along our beautiful (although very dry) hills.  A dear friend joined me and we were thankful that we were visited by any mountain lions but we did see this little guy along the way.

Spoiled to call this place home!

Happy 10th Birthday!

Today Olivier and Mason turned 10!  Time seems to be going faster each and every day and we are doing our best to try and enjoy each moment because if we blink it will be gone!  It was a good day at school and they enjoyed the dinners and special deserts they choose.  

They got their gifts before dinner and here are a few funny photos of them.  Olivier got a blanket that looks like a shark is eating you!

And watch out, he got a skateboard!

 Mason got a ping pong set!

 And a dinosaur blanket!

 Olivier had donuts and Mason had ice cream cake for desert.  We look forward to the next 10 years and love you so very much!

And now for those silly questions I ask every year!

Olivier:
What is your favorite color: orange
What is your favorite book: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
What is your favorite gift: (hasn't gotten all of them so we are waiting)
What do you want to be when you grow up: Video Game Tester
Who is your best friend: Sutner, Logan, Jacoby and Oliver from school
What is your favorite thing to do: play video games
What is your favorite thing to do at school: soccer
What is your favorite food: pizza
Where is your favorite place: Game Stop
How old will you be when you grow up: 18
How old will you be when you get married: 20-23
How old will you be when you have a baby: 27
He is 4' 8.5"

Mason:
What is your favorite color: blue
What is your favorite book: Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian
What is your favorite gift: (hasn't gotten all of them so we are waiting)
What do you want to be when you grow up: Engineer
Who is your best friend: Bryce
What is your favorite thing to do: play basketball
What is your favorite thing to do at school: play basketball
What is your favorite food: pizza
Where is your favorite place: home
How old will you be when you grow up: 20
How old will you be when you get married: 24
How old will you be when you have a baby: 27
He is 4' 11"

Sunday Funday in Tahoe!

Today we started the day by walking around the area near Heavenly.  It was nice to just walk around and enjoy some down time.  There is a magic show going on and they had this ad!  

There was a giant connect four game that Matt and Anna played.  Anna won!

We played 19 holes of mini golf in the afternoon.  We had a great time and they had some really cool holes! 

And I had to laugh because the cabin had a VCR/DVD player and the kids wanted to watch Air Bud and when they took it out of the case they asked how it goes in.  And we had to remember, be kind rewind! 

It was a wonderful relaxing day! 

Day around Tahoe!

Today we started our day by taking a hike up and into Nevada from California.  The weather was cool but as long as we were moving it wasn't cold.  We started on a short walk to the boarder before we made out way up the mountains.  They had this cool boarder line.

As we rested along the way up (it was a fair amount uphill and with the high elevation we all needed to stop and catch our breath!) I was watching Mason and had to take his photo.  Sometimes it just hits me on how much they change right before our eyes!

At another stop along the way up!

And this was the end of the hike before we made our way back down.  Olivier found sunglasses early on in the hike and wore them the rest of the trip. 

They are almost 10!!

Cool nap spot!  And yes, it was cool because the rocks were rather cold!

You can see how we crossed the state line.  We didn't start tracking until we had started a bit and that is why it looks a bit odd!

After the hike we went and got donuts and check some souvenir shops.  Then it was lunch time and the kids played at the park.  We checked out the ice arena and watched a bit of the high school age game. 

Yup, we just got to hang out right on the glass!

We decided to go explore a bit more and went to visit Emerald Bay.  So breathtaking.  And a scary drive! 

We then went back to the ice arena and watched a bit of the 10-12 year olds game.  It was great to watch!  They used to have a team called the Tahoe Icemen but unfortunately they are struggling to keep the team going so they have disbanded.  They had a cool logo with a Viking though!

After all the adventure we all were ready for dinner and relaxing back at the cabin!

South Lake Tahoe!

We took advantage of the kids not having school today and on Monday to take a trip up to Lake Tahoe!  Matt was in Reno this week for work so he was able to meet us there.  It worked out really well, especially since traffic was great and we made great time driving up!  :-)  After sitting in the car we wanted a bit of a walk so we walked along Stateline.  We were those parents who sent two of our kids to walk in the other state!  

The sun wasn't in our favor but I couldn't help but enjoy a photo of the kid in this giant chair made of skis! 

Nice moose!  But a very very small statue compared to the real thing! 

And the view will never get old! 

Daring Olivier had to check the water temperature.  At first he said it wasn't that cold when he checked with his fingers.  Didn't feel the same way when he checked with his feet that had been nice and warm in his shoes! 

A little interesting history!

We had a great relaxing afternoon!  Nice to be away!

Self Directed Learner!

Today Mason got an award at school!  The award was for being a self directed learner which all the teachers said is very helpful!  We are very proud of his hard work!  

Jiu Jitsu Stripe Day!

Today Olivier got his 4th stripe on his jiu jitsu white belt! We are very proud of all that he has learned and his continued efforts!  And his cousin Eli got a stripe on his grey belt!  Well done!