Cozy

Sometimes a boy just needs his mama and mama needs to make dinner...


Yes, he's 35+ pounds and I can still put him on my back!

Metolius River Hike

Saturday the 5 of us decided to go for a hike. Jake had refused to nap so we went ahead and drove there and this is what he looked like when we arrived.
We started down the trail...
We put Jake on my back, and he kept his eyes tightly shut for 3/4 of the hike!!
This is a beautiful springs that comes directly out of the hillside into the river.
The water was crystal clear, so beautiful. I was looking for fish, but didn't see any.
There were rapids here and there along the river. During the hike my Dad was mentally navigating the river in a kayak, planning the route he would take through the various rapids.
It was so fun to go hiking with both my parents.
Jake finally woke up and hiked the last 1/4 of the trail back to the car.
Stopping to admire the snowberries. (They are "for the birds" as we have to tell Jake.)
Gramma and Jake looking at the water.
Papa helped Jake put his hand in the water to feel how cold it was.
Jake liked that!
Family shot.
Cool husband.

These feet were made for walking...

The new Food Front Coop has opened up near us, finally! This was after the Wild Oats that was there was sucked up and shut down by Whole Foods. Bah. But the replacement is awesome!

We needed groceries, but we also needed an outing yesterday morning. So I decided that Jake and I would walk to Food Front, which is 0.93 miles from our house. We took the wagon, the yamo, and our reusable cloth grocery bags and headed out. On the way there Jake alternated between walking and riding in the wagon. It was really nice! We shopped, then loaded our groceries into the wagon. On the way back Jake walked a bit but then mostly rode on my back in the yamo. It was perfect, and also a good workout -- it is mostly uphill going back home! (Taking a shower after is a good idea.)

I have to admit, I was nervous before setting out. It would have been oh so easy to just jump in the car and be there in 3 minutes. Plus I was nervous about walking uphill with a wagon full of groceries and an almost 30 pound kid on my back. But I reminded myself of women all over the world who walk for miles to get wood, water, etc. and then carry them back, sometimes also with their children strapped to their bodies. This was not a big deal.

So I feel really good and am glad I did it. We now have a grocery store within walking distance. I didn't use any gas. We got exercise, fresh air, and vitamin D from the sunshine. I think we'll do it as much as we can.

Hangin' Out

Not much happening around here. We are laying low so Mike can rest a lot and recover. We did walk into the village this afternoon and that was really nice. Jake has suddenly decided that he will no longer ride in the stroller and prefers to walk. Luckily it's really easy to just strap the yamo (similar to an ergo) onto my waist and put him in it if he tires of walking.

I've been doing all the tasks that Mike normally does which is kind of fun because I almost never do them. Like taking out the trash, putting the garbage/recycling/compost cans out on the curb, and mowing the lawn. Mike is welcome to keep doing those things when he feels better, though. :)

I am also washing dishes pretty much nonstop. The dishwasher isn't working right now. It took me 2 days to do the current dishes, keep up with dishes that were being used, AND wash all the dishes that were in the dishwasher that wouldn't run. This was Thursday when I discovered this, so I called the Appliance Hospital (pretty cool name, I think) and they told me they couldn't come until Wednesday. When I said I had houseguests, they said they could come on Tuesday instead, no earlier, but would call me if they had a cancellation. So that makes...about 3 more days of hand-washing dishes. With houseguests. And a birthday party on Monday. Nice.