a weekend in the mountains.

My parents flew into town last week and we planned for an adventure away while they were here. We've done a lot of beach trips this summer so we thought going in the opposite direction might be a fun change of scenery. So, a cabin near Mt. Baker was perfect! It's technically the off-season since most of the these cabins are used for skiers and snowboarders during the winter months so we got a great deal in a cute little community with plenty of things to do. 

We headed up Friday morning with the van loaded! (by the way, still loving the van...so much space!)

After a quick stop in Bellingham to let the kids run around at an old favorite park of ours and lunch at our favorite sandwich shop we arrived at the cabin. So cute and perfect for a family getaway!

 The kids quickly settled in and found a trunk full of toys to play with.

 But really, they came for the pool. Any place that has a pool wins major points.

 It was hot that day so this playground perfectly located in the shade was a great place to stop and play along the way.

 Back at home we found a chess board so Matt taught Carter how to play and now he is hooked! After just a few games he was already teaching me how to play and even asking to be in chess club next year. So fun to see him learn a new game full of concentration and strategy.

 After dinner we headed out for a walk to explore the area. It was so beautiful. Lots of trees, log cabins and wildflowers surrounding us. And really quiet (other than the yelling kids running around).

 The next morning we headed up to Mt. Baker. Our first stop was at Heather Meadows to hike around Bagley Lake. I found this hike in one of my parenting groups I follow and it sounded like a perfect trail for kids. If only I would have read (and reread) the directions for the trail we wouldn't have gotten lost along the way and hiked an extra mile in the wrong direction. Oops. After some arguing from Matt and I as to how best to proceed we decided to just turn around and return in the direction we came. So, it wasn't really the Bagley LOOP trail, more like the Bagley "halfway around the lake, go up and around, climb some steep stairs, find a random parking lot, climb back down and circle back around" trail. Thank goodness for water and snacks and some bribing of ice cream for later in the day.

 The scenery was absolutely beautiful though!

 We did it!! Can you tell the kids were thrilled?!? Ha!

 We continued up the mountain to Artist Point for some sledding in the afternoon. So fun to be playing in the snow in the middle of August. This was a huge highlight for the kids.

 On our way back to the cabin we kept our promise and stopped by the local grocery store in town for some ice cream cones. Of course Carter found a tree to climb in and eat his...always climbing any place he goes.

 The afternoon was a bit colder than the day before but the kids were begging to go back to the pool. So a late afternoon swim ended the busy day. I don't know how they had any energy left but they loved jumping in to see who could make the bigger splash.

 Meanwhile back at home this sports loving kid found just about every ball, bat, flipper and board to play with...all at once. I think he spent the majority of his weekend asking someone to throw him a ball to catch or hit.

 Our final morning was spent playing another few rounds of chess before packing up and heading home.

 It was a fun weekend away and I know my parents had a great time with the kids. This summer has been packed full of fun summer memories!