Big Bear

So I know we post a lot about Big Bear and Disneyland, but these are places we enjoy going and get cute pictures of the kids!--Just deal with it!

Cliff had a 3 day weekend, so we drove up to Big Bear (in our new minivan--yes I've graduated to the mom-mobile). Grandpa Clinton has been very busy landscaping the backyard. His current big project is a pond with a waterfall feature. Here's a pic of the girls enjoying his work in progress. Don't they look like they're panning for gold? The girls were out there for at least an hour. We decided it was time to come in when Anjali crawled into the water.
Our weekend included:
Feeding the turtles (and Anjali says "turtle" quite well now!)

Going to the zoo--this little owl is named Yoda.

Swimming in the hot tub.

Going for a walk--Here's Lacy stepping on Grandpa Clinton's shadow's head
Going for a walk--Lacy petting a colt that Grandpa says has never come out to the fence to be friendly with before.

Magic Johnson and Cookie...I mean Candy Apple

This year is Cliff's 'Magic Johnson Birthday'--he turned 32. For those of you that know Cliff, he's big on sports trivia and I must credit him with coming up with that on his own. (What a nerd, but I love ya!) Also, a quick sidenote, on one of our first dates in Westwood, we saw Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie--at Baja Fresh. I don't know if Cliff was more excited about dating me or that he got to see Magic Johnson that night.

On Cliff's birthday, my parents came up to watch the kids so Cliff and I could go on a date to celebrate. Cliff isn't big on celebrating his birthday, so he always jokes that when its his birthday, it really means he has to take me out to dinner...

We went to Macaroni Grill for dinner and saw the movie Leatherheads. We stopped at Rocky Mountain to get some candy apples in lieu of birthday cake. (Cliff is also not a
big fan of cake.) I stuck a candle in the underside of the apple and we all sang. Its so fun to watch the girls get excited at birthdays--they always think its about them.

I've been wanting to plan something fun for Cliff's birthday for the last 2 years, but it just hasn't worked out. But, I finally did it this year. I let Cliff in on the plan, because he once told me he would be livid if I threw him a surprise party. Also, I needed his input, because the two of us have very different ideas of what would be fun. I decided on Laser Tag. I reserved a dozen spots at a place in Fullerton for a Saturday night. I told Cliff what I did, and he took over the rest. He called his friends and arranged the time and where to meet to carpool over. He even brought snacks (girl scout cookies and water bottles) for after the game for everybody. I'm glad that he had fun. It's difficult for me to find things to do for Cliff to show my appreciation for him, because he really is so selfless. So I'm really happy that I could do this for him. I love you Cliff. Happy Birthday!