Big Bear Part 8…

Aunty brought up all the ingredients for Smores!   It was Jack’s first time and he loved it:

 

Being the genius that I was, I added peanut butter to the chocolate to have super yummy smore:

 

After a nice long day it was great to snack on smores:

 

Yum:

 

This really has no place, but I had to throw it in.  It was so hot up in Big Bear that we stopped off for ice cream.  While we were in line I saw a sign, frozen twinkie, dipped in chocolate, rolled in oreo crumbs.  Hmm, I have had ice cream before but never a frozen twinkie:

Sure, it might not sound good or look good but DAYAM….that thing was awe-some!!   It wasn’t so frozen where it was hard to bite, it almost seemed like it was fried.   Man, that thing was good.  Frozen twinkie snack, 4 smores for dessert, all sorts of food throughout the day…..it was a nice long fun filled weekend!

Big Bear Part 7…

Yeah, so fishing from the shore was a snooze-fest.  No nibbles, no fish, no nothing.   I guess the fish knew there was no one worthy enough to catch them since I didn’t even touch a fish pole from the shore!!   I think my dad had ZERO bites the entire trip:

 

Jack eating and sitting down…the youngest person has a chair!

 

Then Jack got smart and realized he could throw rocks in the lake….but we told him to stop.   Then he found an old anchor chain.  That pretty much was a sign that we needed to pack up and call it a day:

Big Bear Part 6…

Hmm, I am beginning to think I should have made a Big Bear slide show.   We decided to change it up and try shore fishing.  

 

Being the gracious fishing champion that I was, I gave the rest of the family a chance to fish while Stacy and I just hung out:

 

Stacy tries to wear her hat backwards like me:

 

Since no one else was catching fish, Stacy tried her luck:

 

Nope…not even a nibble!

Big Bear Part 5…

I don’t think it matters where we go…we could have been around the block as long as their was a jacuzzi tub because Jack and Stacy loved playing in the bath tub:

 

I added extra soap, turned on the jacuzzi jets and foamed up the tub. 

 

Stacy was wondering what is all this foam:

 

Before I could say STOP, Jack showed her what the foam was:

 

Yeah, not cool because this wasn’t baby soap or shampoo.  Stacy’s eyes got all red.  She disliked the foam after that:

 

Awww….this is the life:

Big Bear Part 4…

Okay, okay…you might think I have a big head if I win at EVERYTHING.   I did not win at mini golf.  Actually, driving a boat on a lake was a first for Bryan.  Turns out so was miniature golf.  Sadly his first time and he is beaten by a girl.  Dawn ended up beating us badly in mini golf.

Bryan’s first time:

 

Jack….yeah he is no Tiger Woods:

 

Jack thought it was so funny that you could hit it into the water…nerd:

 

Crap bag….like son, like father.  I hit it into the water too:

 

Later that night, Grandpa, Dawn, Bryan, Aya and I played Texas Hold Em.   Yup, the gold braclet was all mine as I beat Dawn to take home the Poker title!!   Dawn, Bryan, Grandma, Aya and I played Scattegories and I dominated that game as well.   We also played guys versus girls in SOME GAME.   The guys lost…but that was Bryan’s fault because he kept blurting out all the words you COULDN’T say!

WAIT!   I forgot,Bryan, Dawn, Aya and I played Domino’s with Grandpa and Grandma as well…I won that too on the very last hand!!  

Needless to say it was a kick-butt weekend for me!   I truly am the GREATEST!!!!

Big Bear Part 3…

WAIT there is more!!!   I know, I know, what more could there be other than being the fishing champion of the family, right?   Well, there was sooooo much more.   We taught Jack how to play Domino’s:

I know ghetto…but we ALL played and had a great time.    I beat everyone in Domino’s so  I was the Domino Champion as well.

Jack had never been fishing and he never rode a ski lift so we took a ride up the ski lift.   Bryan and Dawn were behind us:

 

I personally dislike the ski lift.   Heights kind of creep me out.   I kept thinking my slipper is going to fall off.   Anyways we made it up and this would have been a nice picture, if Jack didn’t mess it up:

So much for nature…but at least we got a good family picture (minus Stacy who was napping at the cabin):

 

Jack:

 

Jack and his giant pine cone that we had to bring home:

 

Uncle Bryan:

 

Ahhh….so Bryan started it.  No wonder Jack walked in when Bryan was taking a shower and left the bathroom door open!!  Jack figured if Bryan is going to flash his boob then he can flash the family while Bryan is showering!   hahahah!

Big Bear Part 2…

The fishing trip started off well.   We anchored, set our lines and within 5 minutes, Dawn got a bite….sadly her line broke….no fish…no picture.   Soon after that, I got a bite, reeled up the fish to the surface and I tried to give Jack my pole to reel in the fish but then MY line broke.   No fish, no picture…well, I am the photographer, so I couldn’t reel in the fish, give it to Jack AND take the picture.

Then it got pretty quiet.   Stacy trying her luck:

 

Jack concentrating on fishing:

 

But after 5 minutes, Jack was bored and moving around the boat and eating snacks.  Actually both Jack and Stacy did pretty well for being on a boat for 4 hours:

 

Bryan had ZERO bites:

 

Then, dumb luck strikes again and Aya caught the FIRST fish:

 

How?   I have no idea.   Just amazing.  Every single stinkin’ time:

 

Hold up…wait a minute…let me some BOOM in it!   Look who scratches the scoreboard and catches fish numero two:

 

Actually it was a bit lucky.  I thought I was getting some bites but then Jack walked by and just lifted up my pole to get some snacks and then nothing.  I assumed the fish got scared away.   I went back to taking pictures….Jack just makes lounging on the boat look good.  Nice day in Big Bear…on the water….family….a good day:

 

Then I noticed my line was loose so I started reeling it in.  I was reeling, reeling and I was like thinking did someone mess with my drag?   Why isn’t my line reeling in?   Why is my line going the opposite direction I casted it in.   Now my line is close to Dawn’s.  Then Dawn jerked her pole….great…we just crossed lines….no fish.   We untangled the lines and I kept reeling….TUG…WHAT?   HEY….I got a fish on my line!  Woo-hoo.

After I reeled in my fish, there was nothing.  We called it a day and headed in.

Bryan let Jack steer the boat by to the dock.  Not smart.  Jack was moving the boat side to side and I was getting a tad sea sick.   Luckily the ride wasn’t that long to the dock:

 

Well, well, well…looks like yours truly is the 1st Annual Big Bear champion with the BIGGEST trout caught!   DOMINATOR!!

Big Bear Part 1…

Grandpa promised Jack that he would take him to Big Bear once summer camp ended.   Going up to Big Bear sounded good, so we turned it into a family weekend!

Unfortunately for Aya and I the trip did not start out well.  As we headed up the mountain to Big Bear the car in front of us drove off the cliff…literally.   It looked like the girl who was driving fell asleep and drove straight off the cliff.   At first Aya and I didn’t believe what we saw, but we stopped, got out and we assumed we would help.   We didn’t realize that when she drove off the cliff, the cliff was straight down 200 feet.   Umm, yeah, we won’t be helping out.    We called 911 and waited for the police, fire and helicopter to come in to help.   Sadly the driver was dead by the time they were able to pull her and the car up.

In any case, we made it up the mountain unharmed and made a bee line for the lake!   Jack was happy to give fishing a try…this was his first time!

 

Grandpa, Jack and Aunty:

 

The driver of the boat:

 

Stacy liked being on the boat but didn’t dig the life vest much:

 

Aya, Stacy and Grandma:

 

Lets go fishing!!

Sureshots…

The SureShot clinic was not bad.   Even though it was chaotic Jack enjoyed it.   What I am torn about is the skill level.   One one team, the kids are his age but he is the youngest because he is born late and the other kids are actually born early in the year.   We found out that the basketball divisions are GRADE based and NOT aged based.  Thus, in one league he is playing up a level because we are holding back in school and Jack is starting Kindergarten while other kids are going into 1st Grade.   The SureShot had him in the Kindergarten group and now Jack is on the older side and it makes a HUGE difference. 

I feel like it is cheating Jack by playing based on grade but I guess it is why we are holding him back.   Boy mature slower and now Jack can have more confidence and leadership abilities.   Instead of being average or lower half of the 1st grade team he will be the top half of the Kindergarten team!

 

Passing:

 

Defense:

 

Shooting:

 

Dribbling:

 

See!  I told you there was a lot of kids!!