Making Weekends Special

4/3

Home learning - the kids cruised through their learning checklist early today and even packed up for the cabin without a reminder. We went up on the roof to put Moss Out down. Seems like we are going to be spending a LOT of time in our backyard sanctuary this spring, so we want to make it as nice as possible. I had a Zoom BLT meeting this morning. Afterwards the kids and I went running for our daily exercise - Edison, Charlotte, and I ran three miles and Reed encouraged us while riding Charlotte’s bike next to us. After a yummy lunch, we finished packing up and headed out to the cabin. Due to rain and hail, we didn’t stop to hike like we’d hoped. It was even snowing at the cabin (but not sticking) - brrr - what a chilly start to April. The kids made amazing triple chocolate cookies this afternoon - they are becoming more and more capable in the kitchen. After dinner we had recess and just played outside a bit. Charlotte had a Zoom chat with Bryn and Harper and got to meet their new puppy, Romeo. Happy Friday! 

4/4

We got the pine needles raked at the cabin! We were a total force - Edison and I raked piles while Charlotte and Reed transported them to the big compost pile in the back. It took us almost two hours, but we cleaned up the driveway, patio, etc. and the cabin is now looking a lot more inviting and ready for better weather. After lunch we headed down to Wenatchee with our bikes for our daily exercise. We rode a ten-mile loop on the Apple Capital Loop Trail. It was a very scenic ride, nicely paved, and went along a nice waterfront stretch that included a really cool sculpture garden near the Pybus Market. I was really proud of all three kids for doing such a great job - we stopped a couple times for short breaks, but didn’t need to take a single long pit stop or snack break! Can’t wait until Reed has a gear bike, though! Then he will fly! We tried to make it feel like a Saturday night at the cabin (because right now every day feels kind of the same and blends into one another). We had pizza and rented a DVD which ended up being a nice end to a great day together.

4/5

Today I went running and Edison joined me on his bike. The kids hunted for palms for Palm Sunday - they were to take a picture of themselves with it and email it to Ms. Mary at their Sunday School. The other part of Sunday School was to discuss Mother Theresa’s quote, ““everything begins with prayer that is born of our hearts.” After thinking about it for awhile, we discussed the difference between a prayer and a wish and where a prayer begins versus a wish, and more. It was actually a really cool discussion with them. I want to have more of those moments with them. After packing out the cabin, we went to Leavenworth to hike. The plan was to hike the Icicle Gorge Loop. However, the Forest Service had closed the road at the Snow Lakes Trailhead and we sadly couldn’t reach the Icicle Gorge Hike. We went to the Fish Hatchery instead and the kids enjoyed observing the Chinook Salmon fry in their ponds and the nature hike along Icicle Creek with the snowy and stunning Icicle Ridge in the background. They asked lots of great questions about the fish hatchery and speculated on a dam and other structures as to their purpose and how/why they worked the way they did. We will be back! The drive home was smooth and we worked to quickly unpack, prep dinner, bathe, etc. so we could have a little downtime before bed. It actually felt like a weekend - mission accomplished!