March indeed came in like a lion today. We woke up to about 2 inches of snow on the ground- the most we have seen since moving here. It sure does not feel like Spring is only a few weeks away!

Steve and I took the younger two kids on a little hike the other day. (Who knew that a few days later we would be in for some snow!) The lake was beautiful and peaceful and empty. Seeing that we have had some heavy rains recently, the trail was quite muddy at times and Ariella did not care for that at all. She would stop dead in her tracks for fear of falling in it. Gabriel on the other hand plowed through it all and more than once had me fearful that he was going to run full tilt into the lake. He will be 2 years old this month and still possess no fear of anything. He scares me half to death though on a regular basis.

Earlier this week I finally got around to starting up another batch of sauerkraut. I have been meaning to make some since moving but just never could seem to get around to it. It is actually a family affair when I make it because the three older males in my house like to squeeze the cabbage for me. (I think they enjoy showing off who has the stronger forearms.) I chop the cabbage, they squeeze the heck out of it. It’s a good combo. This time I decided to try adding some grated carrots to the mix. I can’t wait to see how that changes up the flavor. Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz is my go to source for making things like sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, etc. He also has a great YouTube video on making sauerkraut that I thought was very helpful the first time I made it. We have all been having some tummy troubles lately and I can’t help but think that some of that is related to how little fermented foods we have eaten since moving. With any luck this sauerkraut as well as the kombucha I have brewing will help get our tummies back on track.

I certainly did not mean to disappear from this space for a week. Wow! The past week really did zip by me! It was quite the whirlwind really. Lots of new things being thrown at us and needing to digest. I’ll save all of that for another post on another day though for today I am finally getting around to posting the video I promised my 13 year-old son I would share with you last weekend. (Sorry Logan for letting this past week slip through my fingers. I swear I never forgot my promise to you. It just was a tad bit delayed.) Logan is our aspiring filmmaker and he had a blast at the waterfall earlier this month filming footage of the beautiful scenery. After getting home and editing all of his clips he practically begged me to share it with all of you here on my blog. I’m pretty proud of all his talents so I certainly do not mind sharing it. I think you all will enjoy it as well. I must add that he did not have his tripod with him at the time so I think he has a very steady hand!

I apologize in advance for the heavy picture post! I just couldn’t resist posting them all!

Our days living in the Gorge are rapidly coming to an end and I suddenly feel this frantic urge to revisit some of the beautiful places to see here. I truly feel so lucky that I have been able to call this undeniably gorgeous part of the Pacific Northwest home for the past 5 years now.

Yesterday found my husband home for half the day so we took advantage of the morning and went on a little mini field trip with our younger two children, Ariella and Gabriel. We ended up at Multnomah Falls first and then stopped at Horsetail Falls on our way back home. We went at a very casual pace for the little ones and it was so much fun to see the waterfalls through their eyes.

The last time I stopped to visit Multnomah Falls I was 7 months pregnant with Ariella. (And can you believe we actually hiked to the top of that waterfall that day! That is quite a hike for a pregnant lady!) Multnomah Falls was a little overwhelming for Ariella. It is so massive and high up. I believe it intimidated her some. Gabriel would have had us hike to the top if we would have let him! He had so much fun on the trail. (Multnomah Falls has some wonderful native legends to it and I recommend reading about them here if you are interested.)

We had the most fun at Horsetail Falls because it is not as well-known as Multnomah Falls which translates into: not as many tourists there. You can also get right down to the bottom of the fall which we did and let the little ones run around.

They enjoyed climbing on the rocks and tossing pebbles into the water. It was wonderfully cool by the waterfall and I could have stayed there all day.

The Gorge is full of amazing waterfalls, some much more accessible than others. One day my husband and I would love to go and try to see them all. Hiking in the Gorge is a beautiful treat to explore.

I hope to squeeze in a few more local field trips in the weeks before we move. I’m beginning to miss this wonderful area already.