We’ve been so busy with taking advantage of weeks of nice weather that I haven’t written an update in a while! My (vaccinated) parents came to visit and we’ve started to have occasional outdoor meet-ups with friends as more folks are getting vaccinated and the weather is (often) nicer.
Here’s some of what we’ve been up to:
Visiting Farms
Big farms, little farms, all kinds of farms. We went to Mystery Bay Farms on Marrowstone Island and the Smithshyre Farm in Poulsbo to visit goat kids. We checked out Fox Hollow Farm in Issaquah and Maris Farms in Buckley for spring baby animals and tulips. Our favorite was definitely Maris Farms — we’ve never been before, but their play areas are spectacular and everything felt very spread out so everyone could enjoy the space. I’m really looking forward to going back for their pumpkin patch in the fall. We also loved Maltby Produce for the sweet goats and lambs that are located behind the produce stand. In short, visiting baby animals and getting a bit dirty in the process has been a wonderful (and oddly relaxing) way to spend spring.
Local Tours
Not really a surprise given our normal activities, right? Big J and I spent a whole day on Bainbridge Island testing out an Explore Bainbridge kit (which included a hike down to the beach) for the Kids Discovery Museum (KidiMu). We took an eco tour with the Duwamish Tribe in West Seattle, which was super informative and I’m really looking forward to future tours by kayak or bike. We also remixed our fall visit to Oxbow Farms with a spring family farm adventure — kudos to educators who patiently explain nature and farming to little kids with short attention spans.
April showers bring (April and) May flowers
We visited the Washington Arboretum for cherry blossoms, Roozengaarde (and Tulip Town) for tulips, and the Mima Mounds near Olympia for blue camas, shooting stars, violets and buttercups. The kids are too cranky for long road trips to Southern and Eastern Washington for the epic flowers there, but I’m happy to enjoy the bountiful signs of spring closer to home for now.
Hikes
While she would never admit this, Julia has been blossoming into a really excellent hiking buddy. We aren’t hiking quite as frequently as when playgrounds were still closed in the late summer/early fall of last year, but our hikes have gotten longer and more challenging. After a fun family outing to Garfield Ledges, she announced she wanted to hike a “real” trail instead of a wetland boardwalk one morning. I wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass me by, so we jetted over to Heybrook Lookout and she carried her own little backpack with nary a complaint. We celebrated with Italian sodas and a trip to REI for her first pair of hiking boots. She’s since used them to hike Poo Poo Point and now I need more fun trails to keep up with her!
What’s been on your spring agenda? Are you firming up summer plans?
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