It was a beautiful, extremely windy week here at The Lodge. We spent most of the week at home given the wind and the crowds coming in for the holiday weekend. We’ve been busy checking things off of our summer activity list and our summer baking list {post coming!}.
The kids kicked off the week with some ice experiments. They had so much fun with these cute little fish-shaped ice cubes. We put some in the water table and experimented with how quickly or slowly they melted in the sun, shade and inside. More than anything, it was just something different to do that happened to be slightly educational.
I run with the kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it’s become quite a habit for us to run over to the hardware store. The kids had the pleasure of trying an Italian soda for the first time on one of our runs. I was lucky they shared with me!
It’s a nice distance of a run for me – somewhere between 4.5-5 miles {my GPS keeps losing me somewhere on the run!} and it’s fun for them to have something to look forward to in the middle of the run.
Sweet Hannie was crushed when she found out she wasn’t coming with me on my solo run over the weekend. This girl has come along on almost every one of my runs since she was 8 months old. Alex brought the kids out on the street to do their own run, then I ran with Hannah for a little bit on my way back. Next weekend I’m planning on running a half marathon {unorganized} with a friend. Hopefully I can count on the kiddos to pop up somewhere and cheer me on!
Our only outing for the week was to Ski Hill for a hike. We’re very comfortable there and there’s so much space it seems very, very safe. Most people, especially mid-week, are there to mountain bike anyway, so they’re on different trails.
Ben fell asleep in the car on the way to the hike and wanted to ride in the hiking backpack so I had the pleasure of carrying both kids for the entire hike. Oofta.
My sweetest Ben has been so into wildflowers this spring/summer. We’re so fortunate that we have an abundance of them on our property. I’ll find him out wandering from one place to the next, selecting the perfect flower for his little bouquet.
He has quite the knack for arranging flowers. I purchased a set of 6 little glass milk jars for him to fill with his bouquets. The first day after he placed his bouquets in the vases he walked around the house finding the perfect spots for his beautiful flowers. It’s so endearing coming across these little bouquets from our sweet four-year old.
I am hard at work learning how to arrange flowers, myself. I ordered some roses for myself this week, though sadly, they were a bit disappointing. They never perked up upon arrival. Thankfully the company is replacing them next week. Hopefully they turn out quite a bit better.
In food news – I felt like I had another week that lacked much creativity or inspiration. I did have a few major food wins, though. We made focaccia bread again and it was just as good as I remembered.
I’m normally not much of a La Croix fan {Waterloo is my sparkling water of choice} but dang these Limoncello La Croix waters really hit the spot last week. We found them in a variety pack at Costco and I’m pretty sure I drank 11 of the 12 in a day or two. Whoops.
Saturday mornings are usually reserved for pancakes in my house. This week was no different; however, after seeing a post from Alex’s cousin’s wife, I tried Joanna Gaines’ pancake recipe from her cookbook and it’s a life-changing pancake recipe. I thought I had already found the best pancake recipe. I now stand corrected. If you have the Magnolia Table Cookbook {first volume} please do yourself a favor and make her pancakes, and if you don’t have the cookbook, I found a link to the recipe here.
Finally, for the Fourth I decided to bake an angel food cake. I have many memories of eating angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries around the Fourth up at my dad’s family cabin in northern Minnesota. It’s one of my favorite summer desserts – perfectly light and airy. I was a little intimidated by the recipe and the fact that I was making it while with my kiddos {they didn’t want to help, surprisingly} but it turned out absolutely perfect. When I took it out of the oven it smelled and looked like a perfectly toasted marshmallow. It was definitely a success!
Our Fourth of July was lovely. We took a family bike ride to the hardware store for the Saturday farmers market. Just after we arrived we got to enjoy an unexpected fire truck parade.
Hannah wanted to join us all in wearing our masks to the farmers market. This was her first time wearing a mask, as she’s not quite 2 yet. Since she asked and she’s almost 2 I figured it was a great opportunity for her to practice. Also featured in this picture is how badly I need a haircut!! Haha.
Sunday was leisurely and we closed out the weekend with a very impromptu jaunt into Leavenworth to do some kiddo mountain biking and a picnic at Ski Hill, which has quickly become one of our favorite little spots.
Alex took Ben up on one of the mountain bike trails so he could “do mountain biking” just like Alex. Ben was SO excited and so into it and totally nailed it.
This kid absolutely loves riding his bike. And yeah, he’s getting a little big for his tiny bike!
We picked up take-out from one of our favorite spots, Tumwater Bakery, and had a tailgate picnic in the parking lot while the kids rode their bikes. It was the perfect way to end the long weekend!