Seattle Day!

The kids and I hadn’t been back to Seattle since we moved away last summer. During our first week of summer vacation we made the pilgrimage back to the Emerald City to visit our old stomping grounds.

I have been having some significant issues with my car lately, including a recall for an airbag issue, and was able to drop it off at the dealer while we were in Seattle. After we got my car sorted out, we headed straight for the zoo! Despite being tremendously patient at the car dealership, that is not an adjective I’d use to describe them at the zoo. I’m not quite sure what was going on, but overall, the zoo was surprisingly not a highlight!

Until my cousin Jonathan {and baby Ray!} showed up, that is! He snapped these kids out of their funk and we had a great time. He is just the best – we all adore him. We rode the carousel, the kids got to pick out new stuffies {a giant tiger for Ben and another flamingo for Hannah – her other flamingo needed a brother} and enjoyed the butterfly exhibit. It was really fun being tourists at the zoo.

Next up on our Seattle list was Madison Park Beach. I swung through my favorite cafe nearby for some much needed lunch and coffee before we set up shop on the beach. The kids were in their element having some free-play in the sand.

I couldn’t believe it when Ben called out “this is teacher Shannon’s school!” – he went there as a one and two-year old. Hannah did online preschool with Teacher Shannon, but never got to go in person due to Covid.

Our last stops were in our old neighborhood. We drove past our old house – the kids were so happy to be on our old street. The new owners swapped out the front door – it’s now yellow, and the yard has become quite overgrown.

We were all ready for some ice cream. It was so fun to visit our old favorite ice cream window in our old neighborhood. Molly Moons is just delicious.

On our walk to the park we passed by Ben’s old Montessori school from when he was three. He just loved that school.

I had arranged with some of our good friends who live in our old neighborhood to stop by the park while we were there. Ben and his friend Ali are just the sweetest – they ran so hard and gave each other the biggest of hugs when we arrived. Sadly I didn’t get any pictures of Ben and his friends.

We had a really nice time catching up with old friends, having a picnic in the park with food from one of our absolute favorite Seattle restaurants and enjoying the Seattle sunshine.

We had a wonderful day visiting some of our favorite spots from when we lived in the city. That said, I don’t miss living in Seattle with kids one tiny little bit. I was quickly reminded of the everyday stressors of city living and am so, so, so very happy that we ditched the city. But – I’ll always be happy to visit! 🙂

Ben is SIX!

And just like that, he is SIX years old! What an absolute blast these last six years have been. Ben is such a remarkable kiddo and it has been so fun celebrating him. {NOTE: oops! I scheduled this incorrectly and it looks like it never published! Ben’s birthday was just over a month ago.}

Ben’s stats:

  • Weight: 43 pounds {33rd percentile}
  • Height: about 45.5 inches {50th percentile}
  • Clothing size: kids small (6/7)
  • Shoe size: kids 12
  • Number of teeth lost: 0
  • Favorite foods: crackers, pasta, cheese sticks, artichokes, ramen, tomato soup
  • Favorite activities: playing outside, picking wildflowers, climbing, running, riding his bike and scooter, doing art projects, skiing, spending time with friends/family, jumping on the trampoline

This has been such a big year for Ben! He started kindergarten and officially moved to a new town and had to make all new friends. It was no sweat off his back – he is so loving and warm and makes friends everywhere he goes.

As with every year, Ben has really grown up tremendously. He’s starting to take on new responsibilities and be legitimately helpful, he’s learning to read, and he has become so independent.

Kindergarten has been such a mixed bag this year. He loves school and has made some wonderful friendships.

Ben’s love of wildflowers is still running strong. He just loves nature. We love to watch and feed the birds, go for hikes and bike rides and simply be outside. He’s been so involved in the creation of our garden.

Recently Ben got a new 20″ mountain bike. He was very intimidated by its large size and hated that it was gray (instead of pink, his favorite color). It took him a while to get over both elements, but now he’s crushing it. This summer, Ben is signed up for a few weeks of mountain bike camp and we plan on doing quite a lot of family rides.

Ben is still the super active kiddo he has always been. He’s turned into quite the swimmer, loves to bounce on the trampoline and practice front flips or do the monkey bars over and over again.

Biking and skiing, though, are at the top of his list. It was such a joy to watch his growth in skiing this year. He tried cross country skiing for the first time and ended up joining the local team. Downhill skiing became a true passion for him. He loves sneaking off the main run and ducking into the trees. Skiing is extra fun for him when he is doing it with friends.

He has the whole summer to look forward to and ride his bike. This year the Stevens Pass Bike Park is opening, so he’ll get to check that out for the first time. I think this is going to be a big year for athletics for him.

There are so many things I could picture Ben doing as an adult. He is so passionate about so much. One of his current passions is art – he loves to utilize the creative side of his brain. He’s so athletic and adventurous I could see him doing something with that, too.

The way Ben processes information and the connections he makes in life continue to blow my mind. He is a very deep thinker. The questions he asks are so thoughtful. Just recently he asked “why does the sky change colors for the sunrise and sunset, but not in the middle of the day?”

Ben is an exceptionally kind and thoughtful child. He’s very affectionate and is such a hugger. His relationships with friends and family members are extremely important to him. He loves to make cards for people and always wants his friends and family to feel special.

This last year has been a favorite for me. Five has been such a fun age for Ben. I have loved watching him grow up and become a bigger kid. I am so excited to see all the things he learns and figures out and becomes able to do this year as a six year old.

Our Garden!

For years and years I’ve wanted to plant a garden and grow flowers and produce. When we lived in Seattle we always knew that our house was temporary, so I never invested the time to make it happen. Now, we’re firmly planted and have plenty of space to work with for a garden.

As we’ve been living through a pandemic now for over two years it’s come to light that Alex and I really value self-sufficiency. It sure was tricky navigating those first months of Covid times, not knowing if there would be any flour or bananas at the store, and trying to stretch our groceries two weeks or more.

We learned a lot about our capabilities and creativities living through that and it’s been inspirational in planning this garden.

I have a lot of goals and hopes for the garden. I’m hopeful my kids will be invested in it, learn from it and take a lot of joy and pride from the work we put into it. I also hope that it’s a productive garden. I’m sure there will be some epic flops and we will learn a ton.

We aren’t set up to do this yet, but ultimately, I’d love to have some fruit trees and be able to freeze fruits and vegetables for the winter. Hannah asked me recently if we could make jam sometime – a resounding yes! was the answer.

I envision this year as a massive trial. We wanted to see how the space and size of the garden worked out and make sure we can maintain everything okay. Eventually I’d love to expand on it and maybe one day add some chickens. We’ve already learned so much from the process and it’s not even fully done yet. Close!

This year we’re growing some random produce – I ordered plant starts through Azure Standard, which is a bulk food delivery service we participate in. If you live in a rural community, this is a godsend. We planted a couple varieties of strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, squash and peas, along with green beans, watermelon and pumpkins.

During the beginning of the pandemic we built a couple of garden boxes, which we’ve now relocated into the garden enclosure. Those will be our flower boxes. We have tons of zinnias and dahlias, mixed with some lavender and other flowers to attract pollinators.

The creation of the garden has been a massive investment in time and a labor of love. It has been so much work. Alex and I both had our own parts in the process and it’s been really fun to execute on such a big project together.

Hannah, especially, has been eager to help out and be extremely involved. I think once it comes time to harvest, Ben will be right there. Hopefully waiting until everything is actually ready to be harvested, though! So far it’s been a wonderful family project and I’m hoping it will stay that way for years to come.

We have everything in the ground {!!!}, the irrigation is hooked up and working and all of the trellises are up and ready to support the plants as they need it. Now, we wait!

San Juan Island Camping Trip

Our summer schedule is in full swing and we’ve crossed another trip off our list already! Recently we went on our first family camping trip. The last time we camped was when Ben had just turned two and I was about 35 or 36 weeks pregnant with Hannah. Needless to say, we were not in a hurry to get back into a tent again.

This camping trip started as a school trip. Ben’s whole school was invited to go camping for three days on San Juan Island together. Our family rallied and geared up to attend. Early the morning of the trip, we were informed that it had officially been canceled due to the teachers testing positive for Covid. After taking our own Covid tests and connecting with some other families, we decided to move forward with the trip as it was originally planned.

Our travels took us over the mountains and right by a mama bear and her cub – our first sightings of the year!

About an hour into the drive Hannah got car sick. With nowhere to pull over immediately, we found ourselves with quite a mess to clean up. That was no fun! Pro tip: a gas station poncho works really well as a barrier between a kid and a wet car seat!

A definite highlight of our travel day was the ferry ride. It was a BLAST. We saw a bunch of their friends and they got to pal around with them while we enjoyed the ride.

The kids had the best time running around for hours and hours at the campsite as all the parents got set up. They made themselves at home in the campground and palled around with all the other kids.

Ben and Hannah stayed up extremely late both nights. It would have been impossible to get them to sleep on time with how light it was and the fact that kids were running around all over the place. Once it was finally dark, the kids curled up in their sleeping bags and were out like a light. They slept SO well. We all did, thankfully!

We really only had one full day on the island and it was chock full of adventures. Our first stop was the whale museum, where the school had organized a tour for us.

Next on the list was Lime Kiln Point State Park.We primarily stuck close to the coast and the lighthouse and tried to keep Ben from running on the rocks and falling off a cliff. Luckily, we were successful in that endeavor!

Ben and Hannah loved getting close to the waters edge and checking out the scenery. They found all sorts of crabs and barnacles and little sea creatures.

By this point, we were looking to find some space for the kids to run around, unrestricted and in a safer environment. It turned out, the perfect place exists: South Beach! South Beach is around two miles of costal shoreline and was just what we were looking for.

While I am so disappointed for the kids who were unable to come on the trip due to the cancelation, Alex and I were really happy that because of the cancelation, we could be more autonomous and didn’t have to stick to the schedule or with the group the whole time.

We had so much fun relaxing on the beach and letting the kids roam and play. They were both in their element and I think they really enjoyed the down time.

While we were at South Beach it was just our family. We enjoyed having some time and space to be on our own and catch up with the kids. As it turned out, about a dozen other families came on the trip, which I believe is close to half the number who were initially planning on attending.

We ended our day on the complete opposite end of the island in Roche Harbor at the sculpture park.

The sculpture park exceeded my expectations. It was expansive {over 20 acres!} and wild and engaging and whimsical.

Our trip came to a close officially the next morning when we packed up and headed home. It was so so lovely getting to see Ben and his classmates mixing it up and playing in a completely unstructured environment. Alex and I really enjoyed spending time with other families in the school.

Winthrop Trip!

This year we celebrated Ben’s birthday in Winthrop, which is a small mountain town in the Methow Valley, Washington. It’s located in the North Cascade mountains.

Winthrop is the Mecca for cross country skiing in the state. Their Nordic trails span the whole valley. I believe over 175 private land owners have agreed to have the trails cut through their property. These ski trails turn into biking/hiking trails in the summer. It’s absolutely incredible and unparalleled in Washington state.

We rented a charming cabin through Airbnb. Initially Ben kept saying how “boring” it was, but he quickly warmed to the quaint character of the small cabin and ended up loving it.

One major highlight of the trip for us was exploring the trails.

Alex and his friend Jeff went for a long, challenging ride one day. The rest of the time we did family rides on the flatter trails.

Each morning Alex and I traded off taking Brooks for a trail run, right from our front door. We have both been doing a lot of trail running lately and are really enjoying it.

Hannah is loving her pedal bike, but also takes a lot of joy in riding on the “shotgun” seat on Alex’s bike.

Our family bike rides were so, so lovely. We meandered through lush forests and along the Methow River, and wound our way through open ranch land with horses, deer and turkeys alongside us.

We ended up seeing three other families we’re very good friends with – two of whom live in Seattle and the other lives just down the road from us. It was such a treat for us to catch up with our Seattle friends – they are both families that were in our parent support group, PEPS, when Ben was born.


{Ben and Ian, his friend from school}
{Ben and Maya!}
{The kids and Cora! Ben and Cora’s late older brother, Finn, were in PEPS together. We were so happy to meet their new baby and see their new home in Winthrop on our trip!}

Our trip ended with the celebration of Ben’s sixth birthday!

We had the sweetest family day and enjoyed biking the pump track, going for a bike ride, eating cake and spending time outside together.

It certainly felt funny trading our touristy mountain town for another touristy mountain town in the same state. We sure did have a great time exploring, though. The region is absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to visit in the winter sometime.

Guesthouse Update: Late Spring

How’s the guesthouse/garage coming along, you ask? Slowly! But, it really feels like things have picked up tremendously the last couple months. We’re inching towards the finish line…

{This was mid-April. Thankfully a lot has changed since then!}

We’re not sure when the estimated date of completion will be yet – hopefully sometime this summer, though I wouldn’t be surprised if some loose ends need to be tied up into the fall and winter, given the supply chain challenges we’re currently facing.

Drywall and painting have been completed in the guesthouse as well as down in the garage. The crew made a mad scramble to install the cedar ceilings and gosh they’re gorgeous.

And the roof is done!!

Things have definitely picked up and we’re hoping after the floors are completed that we’ll switch over to mostly finishing stage.

We ordered our garage doors in July and they still have not arrived. I can’t wait to see how the exterior changes once everything is all complete. The siding and the roof are both finally finished, and the exterior doors were just installed.

We came home from a trip to find the house had been painted! Oh what a sight that was!

The floors were partially installed recently. They are stunning! It’s so fun to watch things come together.

Things are definitely moving forward. It’s really exciting to see so much noticeable progress. I’m positive we’re going to hit some snags as we round the corner to finishing the house, but for now, I’ll enjoy the forward progress and not focus on the fact that the washer and dryer aren’t available until November.

Transition to Spring

As with many places across the country, the transition to spring in the mountains is a bit fickle. Despite waking up multiple days recently to a fresh coating of snow, all of the snow in our yard has melted out at this point. Now comes the work! And a change in activities.

{April 14, 2022}

Our project list is massive this year. The biggest undertaking is finally tackling the cleanup of our forest. Half of our property is forest and it’s been unmaintained forever. We have a bunch of downed trees and piles of logs and old stumps, as well as several dead trees that we plan on cutting down.

Alex got a chainsaw {!} and sawed up the downed trees into manageable bits. Already it looks completely different in there. Next step: get all the logs hauled away and build some trails.

Alex’s parents spent a couple weeks with us recently and his dad helped with quite a few projects. The kids loved getting some special time with their grandparents.

The weather has been quite inconsistent, which has thrown our brains for a loop. We’re maximizing our ski passes and have been skiing on the weekends, but alas, the season is days away from ending.

At the start of the pandemic Alex got himself a mountain bike and quickly found a new passion. I’ve always been skeptical of my own interest in mountain biking – I figured I’d be too nervous about flying down a narrow trail over, sliding over roots and rocks with trees as my slalom course. I agreed to give it a shot since I figured if I didn’t, I’d quickly get left behind by my family.

Alex got me a mountain bike for my birthday and I’ve been out a few times now and really love it! I was really surprised how stable and in control I felt, for the most part. One of our rides was a little less comfortable for me, but it was on a very narrow and exposed trail.

The wildflowers are beginning to bloom here – oh how I love this time of year. Early spring is so magical. I take so much joy in seeing all the new life emerge in the springtime. Sure, you never really know what the weather is going to give you, but the beauty and growth and surprise of spring feels so special to me.

Just the other day, when asked what he wanted to do, Ben’s response was “I suggest we go down to the river and take a hike to look for wildflowers.” Over the next few weeks I’m hoping to see a whole host of new wildflowers emerge. We get a few early varieties scattered around our forest, then all summer long we get a rainbow of wildflowers on our little berm at the edge of our yard.

We’re excitedly awaiting some warmer weather and more days on the hiking and biking trails. We have so much to look forward to this spring and summer!

Two Years of Mountain Life

Time has passed in such a strange way these last two years. Our life in the mountains really began two years ago, just before Covid was declared a global pandemic. On a whim, we moved out to our then “mountain house,” to escape Seattle and Covid. I never thought we’d actually sell our house in Seattle and live out in the mountains full-time.

{March 2020}

We just love mountain life and living in our small, rural town. The community here is like nowhere else I’ve lived. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a small town and you know your options are limited, but it feels like everyone is friendly and is just waiting to be your next best friend.

Having four distinct seasons is such a treat. We love the uniqueness that comes with each changing season. Our activities shift with the seasons and that keeps us on our toes and gives us enough variety to keep things interesting.

From the farmers markets to the ski hill to the community pool to soccer practice, I continue to marvel in how many families we have met and become friends with since moving here. We feel so fortunate to be a part of such a tight-knit, welcoming community.

The opportunities our kids are having in school are pretty incredible. When they’re in college or all grown up they can share stories of attending a two-room schoolhouse, or Hannah, attending an outdoor, nature-based preschool. Just last week Hannah went to school in her fleece-lined rain suit and got to build forts out of branches in the rain and watch the Monarch butterfly migration fly through.

Access to nature and the outdoors has been such gift for our family. Alex and I have surpassed 50 ski days this year and we feel it in our bodies and our minds. Getting out in nature and moving our bodies has proven to be paramount for all of us.

What we love the most; however, is the time we’re able to spend together as a family. We go on all sorts of family adventures, whether it’s to the local state park for a campfire and to roast sausages and S’mores, or a family ski day, a trip to the river, a hike or a mountain bike ride, we are relishing in this family time.

Surely there are some inconveniences and slight challenges in living in a rural area. It is a 25-minute drive into town to the main grocery stores, and there are really only a couple of restaurants within a short drive of us, so take-out is a rarity and not a service we can rely on. These challenges have made us so much more self-sufficient and mindful, which I have come to value.

Our move to the mountains has been a good one. We continue to dwell on how lovely this community is and how lucky we all are to be living here and raising our family in the mountains. Our life here feels so fulfilling and filled with joy.

Covid

Well, nearly two years into the pandemic and Covid finally got to us. Hannah tested positive first – she had a fever and went down hard and fast. It took a few days for the rest of us to test positive {I had symptoms on Sunday but it took until Thursday for my test to come back positive}, but we’ve all got it.

Our symptoms were all different and we’re all on the road to recovery now. There’s been some lasting fatigue and general loss of stamina, which has probably been the biggest challenge.

We’ve hunkered down at home and will continue to do so this week. Hannah can go back to school on Wednesday, and Ben on Friday, both after a full ten days of quarantine.

Our quarantine has been fine so far. It’s never fun being sick, nor is it fun to feel like you can’t go anywhere. We are so grateful for the sunshine, and for friends and family checking in on us, bringing/sending flowers, dropping off food and projects and books for the kiddos. Unsurprisingly, being in quarantine is quite isolating and it meant a *lot* having connections to the outside world. We can’t wait to re-join the world and have a few months where we don’t have to worry about Covid! Indoor dining here we come!