Hi friends!
Well, we didn’t make it to Philly as planned this past weekend unfortunately – my friend’s son got pink eye!
We rescheduled for 2 weeks from now when the kids will all hopefully be well and able to play together. Fingers crossed.
It ended up being a gorgeous weekend to be in DC, though, so it all worked out!
One of the big highlights was a little family hike on Saturday afternoon.
It had been awhile since we got out for a hike and it felt so nice to be out in the fresh air together.
Especially because we basically had the trail to ourselves!
We didn’t want to bother with our huge hiking backpack/carrier, so I just used my old soft carrier that was in the car and had Riese on my back.
I kept Riese in the carrier for about 45 minutes, and then when we got back to a flatter section of the trail, we took her out and let her hike with us because she was starting to get restless.
She started out holding Matt’s hand…
And then quickly just started walking fully by herself.
Now that she can walk, she’s obsessed with it! So fun to have her hike with us for the first time for real. Many more hikes to come!
By the time we were done it was about 5 and we were all hungry, so we dropped our dog off at home and then went and grabbed dinner at Lebanese Taverna.
We shared a big hummus, veggie, and pita sampler and grape leaves (unpictured) to start.
Riese LOVES hummus and pita – and theirs is especially good!
And then I had the kale tabouleh with grilled shrimp, which was delicious and really hit the spot because I was craving some greens.
Then we raced home because Riese was starting to melt down a bit/be ready for bed ASAP.
On Sunday morning, I met my friend Sokphal for a run date!
Running when it’s in the 40’s or 50’s but super sunny is my absolute favorite running weather.
Felt so good out there!
Once I warmed up, I ditched the jacket. I love the feeling of the cold air on my skin when I’m heated up from working out!
I was actually pretty sore from our hike the day before – we didn’t go that far, but it required some steep stairs for part of it and doing those with a 20 pound toddler on my back was apparently a legit workout!
Once I warmed up my legs felt okay, though, and we made it 4 miles.
Post-run lunch back at home was tuna salad sandwiches – Lebanese Taverna sent us home with some extra pita, so I stuffed the tuna salad in those.
I mixed the tuna with guacamole and added a bunch of broccoli slaw for crunch. Plus string beans on the side, and an unpictured celementine!
Once Riese was up from her nap we spent the afternoon hanging outside, too – had to take advantage of the sunshine!
For dinner last night, we enjoyed marinated flank steak that we had waiting in the freezer.
It was one of the meals we prepped ahead at the meal prep party I went to – be sure to check out the meal prep party blog post for the marinade recipe because it was really delicious!
You can either prep it ahead and freeze it like we did, or just use it as a normal marinade right before cooking.
We defrosted the steak earlier in the day, and once it was fully defrosted Matt grilled the steak, and I roasted some potatoes (with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and dried parsley and basil) and broccoli to enjoy as sides.
Yum, yum.
Have a nice day, and I’ll see you guys back here on Wednesday with a delicious new sheet pan recipe!
What’s your favorite activity to take advantage of nice weather?
It sounds like you had a great weekend! Yay for great hiking weather and delicious food!
I’m sorry you had to reschedule your visit, but it really sounds like an awesome weekend! I, too, ran in the cold for the Lucky Kidney Run. I work as a Renal RD, and this was the first year I participated. I admittedly haven’t run in a long time, so the 6k was a bit tough at times. I did, however, finish it in 35 minutes, which I was proud of. I ate a bison burger afterwards that so hit the spot. I’m definitely craving a Mediterranean spread now, though! ;)
Way to go Kori – that’s awesome! And the post-run bison burger sounds delish. :)
Thank you very much, Anne!
Yay for nice weather! We are still waiting for it to warm up here but it should be in the 50s by this weekend. I can’t wait! We still have so much snow and our side walks are really icy in spots. I took our son for a walk on Sunday which felt good. He still needs to wear a snowsuit as it’s pretty chilly. He’s happy once he’s in it but does not like the ‘getting the snowsuit on’ process – especially the hat and mittens! But it was really nice to get some fresh air together.
Our son Paul and Riese must be very similar on the growth chart! You mentioned that she’s 20 pounds – I think that’s about what Paul will weigh by the time he’s her age. He weighed 17.5 pounds at his 1-year appointment so is between 4-5th percentile! So tiny but I guess one upside is that clothes last FOREVER! He’s still mostly rocking 9 month clothes! Anyways, it’s nice to know of another petite baby. :) I thought he would start to put on more weight when he got more into solids as he eats quite a bit between the solids + breast milk. But he’s still tiny. I guess he has a high metabolism like his daddy!
Definitely similar — Riese was 17 pounds 12 ounces at her 1 year! That was 18th percentile – guess it’s very different for boys vs. girls which makes sense. She’s definitely still on the small side but was up to 26th percentile at her last appt – she LOVES food. :)
I hope the warm weather arrives for you guys soon! It’s so nice to get out and about with the little ones, although Riese is the same in that she hates getting coats/hats/whatever put on!
Hi Lisa!! Just chiming in because we have another little guy over here! Our first child, Chase, is now 3.5 and has always been in the FIRST percentile for weight… ever since birth and even still! He’s definitely growing taller but I swear he has a killer metabolism and just never seems to gain a ton of weight! Thankfully our pediatrician has always been so great about telling us he’s growing just fine… just on his own teeny curve! <3
Thanks for the comment, Julie! Nice to know of another mom of a small boy! Ours started out around 50th percentile as he was 7#5oz at birth, and then he fell down to 1st percentile in the first couple of months. We had so many appointments with OTs, speech path, etc, to figure out why he wasn’t gaining and then it became clear that he was just going to be on a lower growth curve. He increased to the 4th percentile around 6 months and has stayed there. His doctor is great about reminding me that it’s all about staying on their curve but it wasn’t until recently that I accepted it and stopped worrying about his slow weight gain. He’s healthy and meeting all his developmental milestones and his doctor reminds me that someone has to be 1st percentile (or 4th or 5th, etc)! :)
My pediatrician always says that, too, which I love — “someone has to be at all the percentiles or it wouldn’t be a curve, right?” :)
Hi Anne! I am a longtime reader and just starting to get out and try different hikes. I am often alone, so I was wondering if you had some suggestions on favorite area hikes that are challenging but not too secluded. I have done Great Falls in Virginia & the Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side recently…could you recommend any others? Also open to any other local readers’ suggestions! Thank you.
Hmmm… check out Scott’s Run for a lower key but nice hike with various trail options and some water crossings and such. Potomac Overlook is nice too! If you want to go a little farther, Sugarloaf Mtn in Maryland is nice!
Aww, what a happy little hiker! :D
ah! i am still not used to seeing riese walking!!! i cannot help but picture her as a little baby but wow that pic reminded me that she really is a toddler now. ahhh! time flies so darn fast with little ones!! <3 she's adorable!
I KNOW I can’t believe it either — I still think she’s a baby and feel super weird calling her a toddler! They grow SO fast!!
What an awesome weekend – and how exciting to see Riese walking – and smiling from the backpack! Spring may actually finally arrive! Nice that you could get out and take advantage of the nice weather…
So excited that spring appears to finally be here! So much more stuff to do with a toddler when the weather is good.
I saw your running picture on Instagram Sunday morning, and it inspired me to wear only a t-shirt and shorts for my ten miler Sunday afternoon. The wind had definitely picked up by that point, though, so I was regretting it for the first three miles!
Where did you hike? I’m looking to get into trail running, that trail looks wide/flat enough that I might not kill myself trying.
Yeah, the wind definitely is a factor – when we headed back it was a bit windy and I definitely put my jacket back on! We were at Potomac Overlook – you could try some trail running there! It’s a bit hit or miss because there are some steep sections that require stream crossings, etc., but some flatter areas down by the water.
We have a 5 month old and love hiking with him. This post gives me hope we can do many in our future too! Can you share (although I’m sure you have before) which hiking backpack you use? Thanks so much!