Mimi's House

My mom has a house in Angels Camp that the girls have never seen, so we decided to visit her over New Years. As soon as we arrived, Buddie jumped into the van, wagging his tail, and filled with excitement to see his playmates The girls get equally excited to see Buddie. They love to throw balls to him and especially enjoy walking him around the neighborhood. Cate even enjoys hanging out in his bed (remember Thanksgiving).

During our visit we went for several walks in the neighborhood. One of our first walks was 2.5 miles, which was about 2 miles too long for Lizzie and 1.5 miles too long for Cate. We survived but we probably won't go that distance with all three girls for a few more years. At one point we were pushing the Bob stroller through a dirt pathway near the golf course so that we could make an emergency bathroom stop. You are not supposed to be on the course if you are not playing but we had an emergency or so I thought. As soon as we arrived Cate declared that she no longer needed to go. You better believe that I made her sit down and at least try, oh Cate! Over the next few days the big girls went for a walk with Mimi while I stayed closer to home with Lizzie. This seemed to work best for everyone.

Another highlight for the girls were the daily rides in Mimi's golf cart. They took turns riding and steering the cart and LOVED this. I guess we know who we will be calling when we go through drivers training. The weather was really cold up there but the sky's were blue and the sun was shinning.

On two of the mornings Trever was able to ride his mountain bike on some local trails. The first trail was in Arnold and he saw snow on the ground. This made it a little chilly for the guy who only had shorts to wear. Luckily he warmed up once they got into their ride. The next day he went on a trail in Angels Camp. The mud was so thick and sticky, it was all over his bike and clothes and everything else that he came in contact with during that ride.

One afternoon we took Jane and Cate to Columbia while my mom stayed home with Lizzie. Columbia is one of the first towns where gold was found during the gold rush. They have preserved the town for visitors and we had a fun time walking around the area. Jane was excited about gold panning, so we let her give it a try. The water was icy but that did not stop her.

While Trever and I panned for gold, Cate and I climbed around on the rocks. She loves to climb and explore and would be happy to do it all-by-herself.

Our visit also included a ride on a stagecoach through the woods. They even had a robber stop us, which had Jane pretty nervous. She had a hard time figuring out if he was serious and was still a little hesitant when we told her he was just pretending. 

Our last stop was candle making. The girls had a great time dipping their candles and were able to take home the final product. We of course found a candy shop and bakery and were able to enjoy treats as well.

We had a great time in Angels Camp and look forward to visiting again. There are so many things to explore in that area, I think we were all excited about the possibilities for our next visit. We also had a great time with Mimi and loved spending time with her. Trever and I played a new card game with her and had her up past her bed time two nights in a row (it was pretty wild, wink). Thanks for a great weekend Mom, we look forward to seeing you again soon!