This past Saturday we had another dry spring day in the Pacific Northwest, so we jumped
at the opportunity to get outside. We decided a bike trip would be the best option since the temperature was only in the upper 
50s. Because it was a little breezy, we choose to ride the more protected trails at Fort Stevens State Park and explore more of the WWII bunkers and equipment that it has to offer. The trails of the park are absolutely beautiful, going through moss covered forest, on wooden bridges over coastal wetlands, and alongside the concrete bunkers that overlook the beautiful Columbia River.
My husband loaded up the bikes on the trailer as I packed a few snacks and got the kids and myself ready before heading out. Baby was so excited, she kept crawling into the bike trailer any time she got the chance, even when it was just sitting in the driveway getting ready to load into the trailer.
Brickman and Fancy had a blast getting some exercise and burning off some energy while Baby took a cat nap in the bike trailer. As we were pedaling along, my husband and I got to have a nice chat. It came up in conversation of how 
my college English professor tried to convince me to switch from a biology major to something that would have me writing. She told me I had a talent with words and even if I didn’t pursue it as a career that she knew I would end up doing some kind of writing as a creative outlet. Of course as a busy college student studying for Organic Chemistry and Calculus finals, I blew her off and never really gave it much thought until the recent bike ride chat. I guess she was right, as I am now writing on my blog and writing recipes, hopefully living up to the potential she saw in me.
After pedaling around for 7 miles and doing some geocaching, we went to the local ice cream shop for some Frites (Belgian french fries) and a scoop of homemade custard. Frite and Scoop is one of our favorite local homemade ice cream shops because they offer up some unique flavors in homemade krumkake cones AND piping hot fresh, from the fryer frites with all sorts of delicious dipping sauces. 
I don’t know about you, but I like a little salty with my sweet…Hmm, maybe that’s what hooked me on marrying a Coastie! When we got into the ice cream shop, we ran into some of our neighbors, so we got to enjoy some good company along with our treat. The kids quickly finished off our food (before I got a picture of the frites) and were getting rowdy, so we decided to go home so the kids could play. We ended up switching kids around for the quick car ride home and all the girls came with us and Brickman went with our friends in their vehicle. Sometime in that quick trip home, Brickman ended up hurting his wrist, but didn’t say much about it hurting until later that night, AFTER playing with his friends.
By Monday his arm was still hurting, so I took him along to Baby’s 18 month check up. The pediatrician examined him and ended up sending us for X-rays which confirmed he had a buckle fracture in his right radius. We are STILL waiting to get his cast, because unfortunately my kids came down with Hand Foot and Mouth that I suspect Baby picked up at the doctor’s office and then spread to the rest of the family. Now, we are all on the mend and Brickman should get his hard cast put on by the Orthopedist early next week. Brickman is just taking after his parents, as both of us have had broken arms as children. Unfortunately, we can’t go on any more bike rides until his arm is healed though, but we can go get some more delicious locally made ice cream!
-Mussgo Momma