Hiking: Platte River State Park (3)

The kids and Mason were home on Monday for Martin Luther King Day (and this was our 4th day with everyone home, thanks to a snow day for the  base and schools on Friday).  It was a cold day, only 10 degrees as the high, and there was snow with a layer of ice over it on the ground, so I was little nervous about doing a hike.  Since we’d been inside past couple days I thought we just needed to get out and move.  I packed up our snow pants, boots, hats, gloves, and face masks along with the infamous snack/water backpack.  I chose the Platte River State Park (which is about half an hour south of us) for our adventure.  The trail is fairly short and flat, so I figured if it was really cold and miserable, we wouldn't have far to get back to the car.   

During the summer the kids and I went hiking on this trail.  It's a really nice spot, and while we always see someone else on the trail, it hasn't been crowded.  When the kids and I went in the summer, they were able to take off their shoes and play in the waterfall.  In the fall

Max and I went back to hike around after visiting the Wildlife Safari Park which is close to the PRSP.  It was Mason's first time and he said it worked out nicely for us.  

 

Another reason that I like this particular hike is because it has a nice parking area, clearly marked trailhead, and bathroom access.  We all got bundled up in the car and were on our way.  It was fun to see all the animal tracks on the undisturbed snow, and "through" the forest since the leaves weren't there to mask the trees.  We passed the waterfall but continued on the trail which leads to the edge of the Platte River.  There is a railroad track right along the park/river border and there was a train passing right when we got close.  It was kind of crazy to see this large freight train going through the forest .  And no need to worry, they do end/block the trail off so hikers stay away from the tracks. 

The kids had fun looking at all the different animal tracks that were in the snow and Theo and Woodrow ventured down to the little river that goes through the forest.  They were able to walk on ice along the small stream.  I was a little nervous about the ice being thin, since you could see some flowing water in different spots, but the reality is that the rives is maybe six inches at the deepest part, so even if they broke through, they'd just end up with wet boots.  They had fun making snow angels, forst, and Max even found a snow couch. 

When we headed back to the trailhead, we stopped at the waterfall and let the kids play on the ice.  It was pretty cool how the waterfall had frozen because you could still hear and see water flowing underneath the ice.

After about an hour we headed back into the car to seek out an area to sled, have some snacks, and warm up a little bit. We drove around the park and saw some deer in the woods When we visited during the summer we played at the splash pad and picnicked by a large pond that was right near great hills for sledding (though we hoped the kids wouldn't end up sliding into these smaller ponds at the bottom of the hill. 

The kids went sledding down the hill so fast!  It was HILARIOUS!  I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.  Theo and Woodrow had a great time.  Max only took one or two runs down the hill since he was more interested in the homemade chocolate chip cookies and snacks that were now available.  Mason and I each took a turn sledding and laughed all the way down the hill.

Winter Arrived

This Fall/Winter season has been a little unusual for the Midwest.  Cold weather struck early in September/October and just felt cold, cold, cold.  Then we had these warmer temps in November and December which were a nice reprieve that allowed us lots of hiking days and time outdoors on the weekends.  Perfect for a house with energetic little men.  We have had a few snowfalls here and there, but nothing too much.

All week the weathermen have been predicting winter storms for today.  Mason and I were a little surprised at how Omaha handles winter weather.  Having grown up in Illinois (we never had snow days) and living for three years in Minot (hardly anything was ever cancelled), we've been interested to see the bases conservativeness and the city's "shut it down" plans.  Today was a snow day for the kids and Mason.

We did get a few inches, Mason tested out the new-to-us snowblower that we got before leaving Illinois, and the boys played outside building forts, sledding, and having snowball fights.  I reaped the advantages of another adult in the house and got some work done grading papers and working on course resources...and I took a long nap.  It was awesome, but I'll likely be up quite a bit tonight paying for sleeping the day away.

We shall wee how the rest of the long weekend goes with cooler temperatures and snow.  It's fun to see the boys enjoying it this year.  The biggest shocker is Max who seems so happy to play when he's bundled up properly. 

Mason turns 35!

Today we celebrated Mason’s birthday.  It seems like just yesterday he was the seventeen-year-old I fell in love with and now he’s thirty-five. Time flies! In true birthday fashion around here the birthday person gets to choose activities/meals for the day. Mason got to stay in bed a little later than normal, and enjoyed his usual Coco Krispies and fruit breakfast. Then he got to spend some time building legos with the boys while I snuck away for a quick nap since I didn’t sleep well.  

We ventured to the base gym as a family later in the morning.  Max asked, “is that where Dads birthday is?”  Maybe we should have tied a balloon to his treadmill.  After we got home it was a little late for lunch, but early for dinner. Mason ended up making a gyros and saving street tacos for a date night meal. (Re: quiet and not with complaining kids).  People kind of ate and grazed all afternoon.  

As I was in the middle of making his banana bread mini cakes for dessert, Theo punched his hand thru a glass plate in a cabinet in his room. He’s fine. A trip to urgent care, some glue, and bandages later he’ll survive and maybe decide NOT to throw a fit like that again.  Meanwhile Mason finished baking his own birthday dessert and cleaned up the glass mess. 

We watched some Football this evening, opened presents (B52 hat, new cover, 3 workout shirts, smart plugs, and a new watch).  While the kids ate dinner we sang happy birthday and Mason got to enjoy his chocolate chip B52 and chocolate frosted banana bread. 

Mason’s grown a lot this year...in many ways; however unlike our littlest men Mason’s clothes are gettin smaller instead of larger.  He’s going strong with his heath goals.  He had maintained his weight loss for some time now and goes to the gym everyday.  He is the flu in December and I think took one day off.  He makes the most laundry in the house, but keeps his car and room clean and does his chores, so we’ll keep him around.  

Recently he’s been helping out as the assistant den-leader for Woodrow’s Cub Scout den and they’ll be (indoor) camping later this month.  Mason enjoys his new job here in Omaha.  He frequently gets out of taking about work because “it’s classified.”  He’s made some new friends at work and we try to get together for a potluck lunch monthly.  Everyone is super nice!  One of Mason’s new co-workers even got him to read a book! Between that and an audio book...he’s read two books this year. We’re so proud!  

In his free time, he works on organizing all the photos in our computer, keeping up with household projects, hiking with the family, taking photos, and playing Mario Kart.  Mason is the greatest and we love him so!  

Foodies: Oven Baked Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs

I adapted this recipe from Chew Nibble Nosh.  It was originally meant to be on skewers, but ain't no mama got time for that when it's going in the oven.  

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup Ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup pineapple juice

3 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 1/2 TBSP. rice vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP minced ginger

1/2 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper

1 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes

1-2 green peppers, cut into chunks

1 large red onion, cut into chunks

skewers (if you prefer or want to grill)

Directions: 

1.  Prepare the marinade a few hours before cooking ( I did this a day before and the meat was very moist).  Mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 TBSP of the olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken cubes and marinate for at least 3 hours.  

 

2.  If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them about an hour prior to cooking. 

 

3.  Preheat your broiler.  Line the bottom of the broiler pan with foil and use a nonstick spray.  

 

4.  Combine peppers, onion, pineapple, 2 TBSP olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Either thread onto skewers (with chicken) or put onto baking sheet.   

5.  Broil the kebabs for about 8-10 minutes total (basting both sides with the reserve marinade and turning halfway through.  

I served mine with white rice and added cashews.  YUM!

Hiking: Swanson Park (2)

Today we set off on our second hike of the new year.  The kids and I went on this trail during the summer and it was super lush with plants and trees.  Over the summer the park area was pretty lame, but the city recently updated the playground so it was a nice incentive for the kids to have a playground to play at after the hike.  During the summer I couldn't really grasp how long the trail was, but today we were able to complete the entire thing.

The Swanson Park trail is a pretty narrow trail because it's meant for mountain biking (even though it is pretty flat).  The trails weave in and out of each other which was fun on a day like today beucase I was comfortable giving the boys more freedom to run ahead because I could see them, versus in the summer where they would easily disappear.

I'd warned the boys last night that we'd be hiking today, and I think that helped when we decided to pack up and go.  We almost didn't because it was chillier in the morning, I slept terribly, and so we did a family outing to the gym in the morning.  But, we rallied and the afternoon turned out to be lovely.  We walked on the trail for about an hour and then the kids played baseball and at the playground for another hour.

The hike reminded me of hiking with Theo when he was a little guy, around Max's age, because he'd get whiny and we'd of course be far from our destination or car.  So we'd sing, I'd engage him in all sorts of questions, and stories.  Today he wasn't whiny, but he did spend quite a bit of the walk telling me about the birthday party he is planning for his stuffed bear Robert (his birthday is January 6th).  The elaborate plans changed when I told him it was his bear so he had to pay for the party/food...but I would supply teddy grahams.  Theo felt he might be able to scrap some allowance together to buy two McDonalds happy meals.  One for him and one for Woodrow and Max to share.  Ha!  That kid.

We had a really nice day, and came home pretty tired.  We spent the evening lounging around and are now watching the Wildcard football games and getting ready to put the little boys to bed.   

Hiking: Indian Cave State Park (1)

After seeing an acquaintance post on Facebook a week ago about how many hikes she'd done during 2019, I thought that adding a hiking goal for myself for 2020 would be fun.  We've been on several in our short six months that we've been here.  It's different to do hikes during the winter that we did over the summer. It's been enjoyable to hike in jeans and a sweatshirt compared to the summer heat, but we do miss the flora and fauna.

On New Years Day we rallied the troops for hike number 1 at Indian Cave State Park.  This state park is about an hour and twenty minutes South of us.  We didn't realize that we'd pass through Iowa and Missouri, to get the the park that is actually in Nebraska.  I was really surprised when we saw the Missouri sign!  We crossed the Missouri River twice-it really is pretty-and around here it's the division between Nebraska and Iowa state lines.  

We left a little later in the morning than I'd originally anticipated, but it worked out because Max fell asleep after just a few minutes in the car and slept for the entire drive which was awesome!  Not only was it a peaceful car ride, but he was much more agreeable on the hike since he got a nap in.  Mason and I even started a new podcast-Serial.  We only listened to the first episode, but we're going to continue listening.  Only recently did we discover that there are many bald eagles in Nebraska, and we've seen quite a few of them. On this drive we saw approximately 10.  They are so cool.  It's fun to see their large nests, and see them along the waterways.

When we got to the park we decided to head for the cave area.  I knew that the stairs were closed due to the flooding that happened in Nebraska this spring.  I didn't realize that you couldn't even really see the cave and that it was essentially blocked.  When we arrived we could see the stairs had been damaged.  The cave contains prehistoric Native American petroglyphs and can be viewed from the boardwalk.  We saw part of the rock structure from the road, but I don't know when or if it will open anytime soon for the public.

Overall the park was much muddier than I had anticipated.  Things had been frozen a few days prior, but the break in the temperature (about 48 degrees) helped things to soften, and since this area was largely under water most of the Spring/Summer/Fall, we think it was just still saturated.  We attempted a trail on the East part of the park (trails 9/10), but they were pretty muddy and we didn't want to continue upwards on a downwards mudslide.

We got in the car (again) and drove to a different trailhead area, that also appeared to be washed out.  By this time I was getting pretty frustrated because I really didn't want this day to be ruined by mud after we'd driven so far.  The area at that trailhead happened to be the old ghost town of Ar. Deroin which was founded in 1853.  It was an important steamboat landing and shipping point for grain.  There was an old schoolhouse, mercantile. log cabin, merry-go-round, and a few other items of interest.

It ended up that we passed a "do not enter" area and found a different trailhead we thought we could attempt.  It was muddy, but we decided to go for it.  We set off on the trail (3a).  This part of the trail was about 1.5 miles with various ups and downs.  The boys had fun (mostly) getting muddy, running, playing, and eating along the trail.  Mason and I took turns holding Max's hand and comforting whichever child was needing attention.  Halfway through this trail my mood started to turn and I was rejoicing that for January 1st the weather was nice enough to be outdoors hiking and that we finally were getting somewhere.

This portion of the trail led to the road in this area and a scenic overlook that looked down on the Missouri River.  After stopping for a quick break and a family photo we started off on trail 3 which connected to trail 2 eventually leading back to the car (3.5 miles).  This trail was up and down, and parts were drier (yay!). We passed by some camp sites, and abandoned windmill, and the Half-Breed Cemetery .  This trail had some ups and downs, but some nice views of the Missouri River and smaller trail offs.  The sun was lowering and created a pretty orange glow among the trees.  The boys caught a glimpse of a few deer and even found a dead fish (missing its head) on the trail.

We made it back to the car before dark and were a little muddier than when we started, but overall we had an enjoyable time.  I'd go back in summer or early Fall when it is drier and it would be a nice place to camp. 

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays Loved Ones, 

We started off the New Year living in Park Ridge, Illinois where Mason was attending a fellowship with the Department of Energy at Argonne Laboratory.  He finished his program in May having listened to many podcasts, learned coding, attending dozens of lectures, and writing his culminating paper on Machine Learning’s Role in the Air Force.  We were completely spoiled by his schedule, living a year slightly unattached from the Air Force, and being within 30 minutes of most of our family members.  We enjoyed exploring the Chicago area to the fullest, even though it’s our hometown.    

In June we moved to Omaha, Nebraska and we are really enjoying it.  It’s the perfect balance of urban/rural for us.  We have been surprised by how hilly the terrain can be and we’ve taken advantage of hiking in the warmer weather and checking out local attractions with the kids.  Another big milestone for us was purchasing our first home.  I fear we have been spoiled forever, especially when we go back to base housing one day.  For now we are living the good life here in Nebraska.       

Mason started his new staff job doing nuclear mission planning at Strategic Command HQ here at Offutt Air Force Base.  He won’t be flying during this assignment, but has some work travel lined up to new and exciting locations.  He isn’t able to talk about his role in the office much at home, but enjoys the work he is doing, the people in his shop, and the reasonable hours.  He’s been rocking his fitness goals and hits the gym 7 days a week, enjoys hiking with the family, assisting with Cub Scouts, and building legos with the boys in the evenings.  He can usually be found relaxing by the fireplace playing Mario Kart on his phone in the evenings. 

  

Ellen continues to keep the home front running by making sure the pantry is well-stocked and the washing machine doesn’t sit idle.  She continues to teach English and Social Studies online and just this month was promoted to a full-time position which she’ll do from home.  She’s gotten involved with writing for the Omaha Moms Blog, Officers’ Spouses Club (especially book club, bunco, and playgroup), helping with Cub Scouts, attending a women’s bible study on base, and going to Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS) here in town.  She is never without a book and has read/listened to over 75 books this year.  

Theodore turned eight in September and is a sweet spirit.  This year Theo’s love of all things sports has really started to shine.  He loves to play and watch football, and was lucky enough to attend several pro sports games when we lived in Illinois last year.  Theo spends a lot of time outdoors pitching baseballs, playing football, and enjoying friends in our new neighborhood.  He is a Bear in Cub Scouts, takes swimming lessons, ran 32 miles in 37 days with the school run/walk club, is in the military kids club at school, has run some 5Ks on base, and participated in a Kids Triathlon this summer.  When he’s not running around he’s frequently found on his ipad watching videos, making videos, and reading, reading, reading. 

Woodrow turned six in August which is hard to believe!  It’s been amazing to watch him grow throughout the year.  He blossomed in Kindergarten last year-learning how to read, taking part in book club, and blasting math facts.  He is currently enjoying first grade.  He ran 52 miles in 37 days with the school run/walk club, participated in some 5Ks on base, and participates in the military kids club at school.   Woodrow learned to ride his bike this year, enjoys hiking, playing with lego minifigures, and playing on his ipad.  He attended a short baseball camp in the summer, is currently in swimming lessons, and is a Tiger Cub Scout.  

Maximus turned three in October and is a joy.  Throughout the year he’s taken gymnastics and music classes, gone on many playgroup outings, and started swimming lessons this Fall.  He definitely wants to keep up with his big brothers on all of their adventures and is known for sneaking treats around the house.  Max is super friendly, talkative, and loves to be with his family.  He loves to snuggle and most recently is really into pretend cooking and Toy Story.   

  

I have not done a great job keeping up with our family blog this year, but I hope to be better in the upcoming year; so you can check out our adventures at http://ellenmason.blogspot.com.  The boys also love to receive snail mail or emails.  2019 was a great year for our family.  Our marriage prospered and our kids are thriving; we are truly blessed and can’t wait to see the adventures 2020 holds. 

Peace, Happiness, and Love