We arrived at the Tahoe house Monday with a load of dry goods and groceries. We wondered what the house would be like, since we hadn’t been since summer 2024. We were so pleased to see that the exterior was its weathered, unchanged self. Inside we found new sofas, new cushy chairs, dining room table and chairs, new downstairs mattresses and dishwasher too! The party really got started when Glenny, Kyle, and Charlie arrived, closely followed by the Cenat clan. It’s been a beautiful weather weekend, with cool mornings and evenings, and sunny and slightly breezy during the day.

The first big celebration was Dacia’s 38th birthday. Glenny baked a chocolate cake, Tommy made Caesar salad (after double washing the lettuce) Baked salmon by Glennis and Paula and baked potatoes a la Kyle with all the trimmings completed the feast. A hilarious game of Pictionary ensued, where we had to draw some of the droll adventures from Dacia’s life, while the others guessed. Spiders, stomach upset, and racoons featured prominently.

As a Tahoe first timer, Charlie adapted effortlessly, entertaining herself on her wiggle mat, and also seems unfazed by all the adult and kid attention showered upon her. She smiles at everyone, enjoys her meals, and goes to sleep without fuss. She hardly ever cries!

Jackson is another baby first timer (8 months). His week was peppered with adventures: barking at everything that walked, flew, climbed trees, or rode a bike. He also made a trip to the vet for a cut on his paw (now healed). But the best part of Jackson’s week was clearly Makai. When he arrived Friday night, Makai was really cautious with the dog, flinching and backing away, but by Sunday afternoon they were best friends. Tayva, who is not a dog fan, is also coming around.

As usual the food was amazing. After the great start of Dacia’s birthday dinner, on Saturday Glennis and Tayva cooked amazing coconut shrimp from scratch. Paula helped a bit too. Miller made his delicious and piquant smoked jerk chicken with rice and beans. Glenny made Sunday morning egg and bacon sandwiches with cheese on English muffins and hashed brown patty cakes. Kyle made delicious cocktails for the adults and sausages on the smoker. Mocktails were available as well.

The week wasn’t just food and games. Everyone was active. The moms and kids took all the kids to the park, and different combinations of kids and adults explored the neighborhood each day. Rayelle is now big enough to play with the older kids, and is totally enamored of Charlie, who she calls “Char-char”. Makai and Miller took cold plunges. Tom and Makai ran together. Paula had a run on her own. Miller and Kyle took the scooters to Caesar’s Republic and enjoyed some video poker, and then a cool beverage at McDuffs.

Now, Sunday mid-day, we are all preparing to watch the World Cup final. The kids are snacking and enjoying the backyard and the hammock that Kyle put up. Jackson is napping in his crate after a big walk with the kids. Charlie’s on her wiggle mat. It’s turning out to be a great afternoon. We can’t wait to see what the upcoming weeks will bring.