Needless to say, my “getting ready” pic will not be posted…but wanna see lovely snow angels and views from the top of Heavenly?  Keep scrolling…

 

I totally wish I had some adorable, well lit, organized photo to post of all our gear but…..let me get real with you.  Traveling from Texas to aaaaaany place in the cold, you will basically pack it all AND the kitchen sink! You will also beg, barter and steal so you don’t have to spend loads of cash on something to be worn by your 14 month old 2x.

 

We touched down in San Fran excited to see old friends and get to our airbnb.  Since we took our (adorable and ever so sweet) sitter, Justin and I slipped out to meet up with some friends and called it a night after only a little bit (due to the yawns and long next day) but not before some super delicious eats!

 

The morning in SF began early, time change glory, and after a quick look around (by quick I mean quick, there was no traffic, not even a red light, so we hit all the touristy spots and were the only ones there!) we hopped in the car and headed East to the cabin and …. the snow.

We have good friends that live in Oakland so we have been to the bay area a time or two but never with kids…it was all a first.  I went ahead and wrote up a few tips and ideas, you can also grab my “Traveling with Kids Guide” that will give you the deets on how to make travel a tiny bit (and we’ll all take tiny bit!) easier!

 

While in Tahoe we had some wonderful moments and some…not so wonderful moments.  Kids DON’T keep gloves on and so all little fingers were icicles which means after about 2 min, everyone is complaining.  We skied through blizzards, fell asleep in pizzas, drank TONS of hot cocoa, survived a double ear infection, drank loads of red wine (to be paired with chocolate, of course) and built snow forts, snow men and had snow fights (while eating very unsafe 18 in. icicles #realdanger).

 

We dreamed of our own cabin in Tahoe and decided that if Heaven is supposed to be better than sunsets here, were are in for a REAL treat!  

 

Where We Ate

A few places that we either stumbled upon or returned to like moths to a flame!

The Beehive – Drinks with old friends

Eight am – Breakfast near Fisherman’s Wharf

Scusas – Dinner Date in Tahoe

Azul – Mexican Lunch

 

What We Did

Skied 2 days and rented from Rip N Willies!

My oldest did Ski school both days and it was so so fun!  He’s a pro now. (ha, this is dripping with sarcasm)

Snuggled by the fire, a LOT

Got hot cocoa from Ghirardelli Square in the city

Watched them make bread at Boudins

Watched the sun rise in Golden Gate Park

 

Next time, what I’d do differently is….

We have yet to fly out of Reno, we hear it’s closer to South Lake Tahoe but there may not be direct flights.  We always go in and out of Oakland or Sacramento.

 

What I’d do the same…

Again and again, stay with our sweet friends in their ever cozy cabin and take it SLOW.  Rent ski’s the day before hitting the slopes and keep my expectations reasonable!

 

 

Make sure you grab my free travel guide so you can get started on your family adventures with less stress right out of the gate!