The Garber Fam: August 2014

We had a great week of family time at Club Tahoe in Incline Village-- something we look forward to every year. We missed Chris for 1/2 of the week this time, since he headed back to work after a long weekend. We've been so lucky to go to Yosemite, D.C., Mazatlan, San Diego, and Tahoe this year as a family (some being weekends away and others week-long trips), and with taking time off when the baby comes, it's a lot of days to be away from the office. Ella and I spent the rest of the week under the care of 3 condos of family and had fun both in the sun and water, as well as indoors. This was the first August trip in years we saw rain and clouds-- We even had a short hail storm!

Here is a glimpse of the memories made through what I hope to be an annual Top Ten List.

2nd Annual Tahoe Top Ten
1. Ella's first donut at Raley's. You'd think she'd devour it... Instead, she licked the cinnamon and sugar off of the whole thing and handed it back to me. But when she took a bite of Uncle Brad's chocolate donut, it was all over. She is my daughter, after all.
2. Talking in short sentences. Ella's vocabulary is expanding by the day, and she's talking in phrases. To the point and with expression, she's quite the communicator... and parrot!
3. Huffing and puffing along Lakeshore. With the altitude and my very big baby belly, walking in Tahoe felt more like running a race. I love the gorgeous surroundings and was grateful to get in our walks to coffee, ice cream, and along Lakeshore.
4. Annual pizza and ice cream with our Club Tahoe group of friends. Chocolate dipped waffle cone? Why not :) We enjoy seeing them and catching up throughout the week every year.
5. Splashing in the water. This took place in the cold lake water, with family in the pool, and very memorably during Ella and Josh's first "cousin bath time." We have priceless video of the two of them giggling at each other as Ella poured water on his tummy and shared her cups and Josh kicked away sending water all over Ella. It ended with Ella saying, "Josh, you funny!"
6. Pine needles, rocks, a bridge, three black bears, and a hail storm. Walking and playing around the condos was entertaining and eventful-- especially for an almost two-year-old who could play with dirt for hours.
7. Quiet time. Naps and kid bedtimes at the condo for both Ella and Josh made for daily quiet time where the adults could relax, visit, and make Papa's 80th Birthday Book. And as a bonus, neither Ella nor Josh cried the whole drive home until parting ways in Livermore!
8. Ella having fun with her grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins all week- and the break it gave me while being oh-so-pregnant! It takes a village, and I have a wonderful one.
9. Disney movies, cuddling, and "playing" Yahtzee. Last year Chris was the Yahtzee enthusiast, and this year his daughter took over. The girl loves rolling dice! But Great-Grandma is going to have to keep working on teaching her the rules :)
10. Josh being there! Sushi chef/war vet/gangster style gauze-wrap, sitting on the floor smiling, army crawling to toys, avoiding being trampled by Ella in the living room, eating his first vegetable, bath time... He is such a happy baby, and we loved being with him all week. Our party just keeps growing, as he'll have a little cousin (along with a big cousin) next summer!

Josh's First Trip to Club Tahoe

Baby Belly Photo Bomb

Ella's First Donut

Ella's Second Donut
She prefers chocolate like her Mom :)

Another fun time at Sand Harbor!

Ella LOVES Yahtzee
She rolled Auntie Katelyn a 4-of-a-kind and Uncle Tyler a Yahtzee!

Matching cover-ups were as cute as we thought they'd be.

Ella Showing Josh How to Roll

After Bath Time Snuggles

So Cool

Annual Ice Cream Night
We Love Sue and Stan!

I think Ella liked participating in Ice Cream Night this year...

Last Time as a Family of Three in Tahoe!

It's been too long since I visited my Uncle Brad and Auntie Golvia at their home in Mt. Aukum. They have lots of beautiful land that surrounds a pond, complete with animals of all kinds-- from peacocks, ducks, and chickens to 9 dogs, 2 horses, indoor birds/parrots, and a tortoise (and more). We knew my little animal lover would have a blast checking out the ranch, so my mom, grandparents, Katelyn and I took Ella on a day trip there yesterday.

We had such a happy day watching Ella have the time of her life riding the tractor, going across the pond in a paddleboat, feeding chickens, ducks, goats, and a tortoise, dancing with the cockatoo, running through the sprinklers, and enjoying her first root beer float. She could not have had more fun (or gotten much dirtier). My outdoor girl loved every minute of being in the country with her family. Thanks for hosting us, U.B. and A.G. We can't wait to come back-- with Chris and Baby Brother!

We started the day off with Ella's first tractor ride.
U.B. let Ella drive! She LOVED it.

Feeding "Ben Aflac" with U.B. and Auntie Katelyn

First Root Beer Float

Cheers!

Meet Franklin the Tortoise.

Feeding the Neighbor's Goats

Ella's First Paddleboat Ride on the Pond

Watching Us Paddle Away from the Shore

Auntie Golvia had a great idea to turn the sprinkler on in the 100 degree weather.
Ella happily ran through it over and over again until she was chattering from the cold water!