around the yard: part two

With the beautiful weather we've been having Riggs and I have been spending nearly all day every day outside. Riggs loves to explore the yard, visit the chickens, and ride his bike or drive his car down our road. I also try to come up with something new and special to do once in a while, like blowing bubbles or making a swimming pool for him out of a winter sled, like we did this weekend.

It was so hot over the weekend and getting in the water was the perfect relief. Plus it kept him in one spot so I could enjoy some reading in my new lounger - a total win-win for both of us! He also helped me fill our planters with flowers and has been helping me water them every day too. 

Every day has been filled with fun things to do and I'm so thankful for the beautiful weather we've enjoyed. There are a few very scary wildfires burning across the state now and so we've been praying for rain, which can be fun to play in too! Plus I wouldn't have to water the plants twice a day like I'e been having to with this hot, sunny weather.

around the yard: part one

down at the river

Nearly every single day this week we've made it down the road to the Knik River to play in the sand and enjoy the sun. It truly is a beautiful and peaceful spot to spend a few afternoon hours. I hope you have a chance to get outside and enjoy some time in nature with your family this weekend...

around our yard: spring so far

Spring is here and we have been having so much fun basically living outside from late morning until evening. It is easier than ever to get outside with Riggs at two years old, there are endless corners of the yard for him to explore and investigate. Riding his bike is also a big hit, and we've already gone back and forth up our road more times than I can count. I'm savoring every minute of every day, just like I promised myself that I would.  

'the best' almond meal muffins (they really are good!) + mail day

I love finding recipes for healthy snacks that are also good to eat and easy to bring along with us. Coconut flour and and almond meal are great alternatives to both white and even wheat flour, but I prefer almond meal (I think it's a little easier to work with). I found this recipe online, claiming to be 'the best' Almond Flour Muffins, and so I tried them out. They are very unfussy to make and they taste amazing. The recipe is for blueberry muffins, and I added some lemon extract to make them lemon blueberry. I also made a separate batch with strawberries. I think the strawberry are my favorite, there is just something about a moist, crispy edged muffins with sweet juicy strawberries that I love. 

You can find the recipe here. I made mini muffins and shortened the baking time to 15 minutes instead of 25 and added 1 tsp lemon extract to the blueberry batch.

We also went to the post office today to pick up the mail and were excited to see find two more packages, one for Riggs and one for baby sister. I love when you order something online and it turns out to be even more adorable in person than you expected. That is how the headbands and leggings are from Lil Sugarlamb, I just love them! I also thought her packaging was just about the sweetest I've ever seen. 

I also ordered some Freshly Picked weathered brown moccs for Riggs. He lives in moccs in the summer - we use them instead of sandals unless he's going to get his feet wet. They are really comfortable for him plus they just look adorable. 

It was another gorgeous day so after making muffins we went back outside to play in the evening sun. Riggs had so much fun running through the sprinkler. After he ran through for a bit he ran over to me and said, "Riggy clean" and reminded me again when we got in the house that he didn't need a bath. Haha nice try, he still had to have a bath. I swear, in the summer it's a completely necessity to bathe him thoroughly every day before bed. I love seeing his dirty little feet and hands though because it means he had fun playing outside! All around it was a pretty amazing Monday, and I'm going to bed tonight thankful that the week started out so well.

Riggs' first bicycle

We took Riggs to REI and picked out his first ever bicycle this week. All three of us were so excited about it, and Steve and I might have been even a little more excited than Riggs himself. We weren't sure whether we were going to get him a regular 12" bike with pedals and training wheels or a balance bike. He could reach both pedals and even pedal a bit on the 12" bike, but we ended up going with the Skuut balance bike. It's much lighter and easier for him to actually maneuver by himself and I like the idea of him learning balance and steering first. I think he'll pick up pedaling easily later and will probably be able to skip training wheels all together (that was my nephew's experience).

We've been biking all day every day since (or at least Riggs has) and yesterday I pulled him in the bike trailer (with his little bike in the storage compartment) and headed towards Palmer to get our mail and have a picnic lunch out in the sun. What a perfect day! But I was definitely pretty sore in the lower back afterwards and still am today. I think I'll be able to get in a few more bike rides before baby girl gets here though and that makes me happy. I love biking so much and it's a great way to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and get some exercise at the same time.

definitely got some funny looks for being visibly pregnant and riding my bike, haha