Weekend Recap + Dinosaur Land!

Happy Sunday evening, friends! I hope that you all had a good weekend. I’m popping in with a quick recap from our weekend. I decided to bring my phone along with me for a couple of days to capture the highlights of about 48 hours with our crew. Curious to see how we spent a fairly typical weekend? Here ya go!

I started Saturday morning with an easy 30-minute workout on the elliptical…

before heading home to enjoy an early breakfast before the kids woke up. I had a slice of delicious Chicken Sausage and Spinach Frittata that I had made earlier in the week (similar recipe is here), plus my favorite thick and fluffy Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pancakes.

Another highlight? This hand cream that I picked up on Friday. It smells so citrusy and fresh for spring, and I keep a tube of it near my kitchen sink so that I remember to moisturize my hands after washing them, doing the dishes, etc. Love it!

Since we didn’t have soccer games or swimming lessons yesterday, we took a quick little road trip about an hour northwest over the mountains and into the valley to Dinosaur Land. I’m not sure who was more excited…Keith or the kids!

The park was originally built in 1963 and visiting it today is like stepping back in time. I don’t think much has changed since the 70’s! The boys loved running around and looking at the enormous dinosaur replicas along the paths. They also climbed in the mouth of a Great White Shark,which was obviously a favorite. Can you tell it was COLD yesterday morning?! I was freezing.

The kids came home with these souvenirs, which they later devoured:

On the way back we stopped at a random indoor flea market, but left empty handed.

After lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent like a typical Saturday: I went grocery shopping with Spence, while Keith and the older two boys got a kite stuck in a tree in our yard,

and then went to Lowes to buy some garden supplies. Casey is chomping at the bit to get our gardens planted this spring!

For dinner I made some Skinny Bang Bang Slaw (I’m addicted!) to go with the burgers that Keith grilled, and the boys settled in for movie night with Big Hero 6 (no Honey Lemon Cups this time, though!).

After the boys went to bed, I uploaded some photos while Keith and I watched the movie, The Foxcatcher (good…and kind of sad!).

Sunday was less exciting, but still a nice day. I spent the first part of the morning doing even more laundry than usual. In addition to changing the sheets on the beds, I also had to re-wash some of yesterday’s laundry when we realized that one of my sweet children had thrown some dirty underwear in the washing machine (poop and all!) without telling us. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that it was a MESS and our “clean” clothes came out smelling like…poop. Not cool. The best part? Neither of the boys would own up to it. Instead, they insisted that Spencer was probably the one who put poop in the washer. Hah! I’m thinking that the 16-month-old in diapers is definitely NOT the guilty party!

And while some of my laundry was being cleaned (again), I tackled the closet in my bedroom. It’s spring (despite the cool temps we had this weekend), so I pulled out my cotton sweaters and packed away the fleece and wool for the next few months. Hooray!

Then it was time for a snack, which was definitely tasty. I love Siggi’s yogurt (this flavor is good, but vanilla is my favorite) and it’s perfect topped with THE BEST GRANOLA I’VE EVER HAD! You need to make this! Keith and I are still talking about how good it is. And that’s high praise, because let me tell you: my football-playing, tractor-driving, husband is definitely NOT the usual “granola type.” But even he can’t believe how tasty this healthy little recipe is!

After everyone had some snacks, we made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up some odds and ends. In addition to a new supply of bubbles for the season, guess who the boys found at the store? They’ll do anything for a piece of Easter candy (Spencer, on the other hand, wouldn’t go near the thing!)…

We had some sorry-looking overripe bananas sitting on the counter, so before lunch Gibbs and I made The Perfect Whole Wheat Banana Bread. It’s a great option to have on hand for quick breakfasts and packed school snacks for the week, and it’s so easy that even a 5-year-old can make it!

After lunch and quiet time, we headed out for a walk on one of our favorite local hiking trails along the Rapidan River: the Graves Mill Trail.

We put Spence in the backpack and let the other two run wild. {Baby Selfie!}

We stay along the river at the base of the mountain so that the terrain is nice and flat. The boys like to climb on rocks,

collect big rocks for throwing in the water, and carry along hiking sticks that also double as “blasters” (i.e., weapons).

Once home, it was time for baths, dinner (salmon on the grill — everyone’s favorite!), and BED.

Have a great week!