The day started around 3am with Rosie crying about nothing and everyone having a rough nights sleep. Vivian wanted to sleep in bed with Mommy and Daddy and when trying to transition back into her crib, she rolled over or smashed up close to Steves back and cried that she wanted Daddys bed so we let her toss and turn in bed with us after that because it was cute and we were too tired to fight with her. Since the sunlight came up early everyone was up and ready for the fun day planned ahead at the Big Bear Zoo. First, we had breakfast before spending an hour at Sugarloaf Park again. We wanted to see if Steve would balance on the seesaw vs. the other 4 members of the family, and as the pictures show, Steve won this competition.
We drove through town and saw some other fun activities like Alpine slides, and a roller coaster on the way to the Big Bear Zoo. If we ever came up to Big Bear again, we would certainly check them out. The zoo was perfect for the kids as it started with 3 great, big American black bears that
were moving around when we got there. We snapped some good pictures with Vivian in front of one of these sleeping bears later. Nathan was our map coordinator boy and explored ahead to see what animal was next and to spot where the animals were, as both Vivian and Rosie spent most of the time climbing ropes or fences to be able to see animals. Occasionally, we could see animals down low under the fence such as raccoons, foxes, wolves, and all types of cats (Or Tiger cats as Vivian called the bobcats.) We stopped halfway at the picnic area so the kids could climb, play, and snack on the pringles and goldfish. After the zoo, we went past downtown to Azteca Mexican restaurant for a really tasty lunch and then back to the cabin to say one final goodbye.
Grandpa Jerry and Nancy drove up that day and met us at the cabin as we were about to leave. Nancy helped read books and do stickers with Vivian and Rosie so we could clean up and pack the van. We left for home as Vivian fell asleep right away and napped for 2 hours, while Rosie also
napped for an hour or so after driving down the windy mountain. We only needed to stop once for bathrooms and watched Stuart Little on the DVD player on the way home, then made it home in time to set up some kiddie pools to entertain the kids for the evening and for the next day, Memorial Day. The drive home had some good conversation about where we would want to go for future vacations where we could find a ski resort to teach the kids how to ski. We wont have a place nearly as close to the slopes as the Big Bear cabin, so in hindsight, its too bad we sooner to teach the kids to ski. Thankfully we also have other places like Laguna Beach, Lincoln City, Lake Wildwood, and the Westin timeshare where we can make memories. Speaking of, we now could start getting ready for a week at Westin Kaanapali Beach in Maui with Jerry and Nancy in about 12 up next on the travel blog!
