And now that Paris is in the books, we return to our regularly scheduled programming, because it is FALL in Seattle and this city is stunning.  We’ve been doing our October circuit these past couple of weeks, playing in leaves and picking pumpkins, oohing and ahhing over the yellows and oranges and reds.
Juliette and I made an impromptu visit to Lincoln Park the Friday after I got back from France, because we were in West Seattle anyway and the sun was shining and we needed to lift our spirits after an especially traumatic doctor’s visit (those four-year-old shots are a doozy!).
I’m adding this yellow tree to our list of annual October must-see’s…
It felt so good to see this kid smiling again! There was a moment that morning, as I was holding her down on the doctor’s table while she shrieked and squirmed, when I wondered if she’d ever forgive me.
(She forgave me.)
We made a follow-up bonus trip to Lincoln Park the very next day because Gryff and Isaiah had a soccer game there and Juliette and I were eager to see their fancy footwork.
We made our annual Autumn pilgrimage to Kubota Gardens a couple of weeks ago.  It’s always a little tough to sell Juliette on a visit to a park that doesn’t have a playground, but I kept reminding her that this place has the prettiest trees!
And the best bridges!
And the most magical patch of grass for playing soccer…
Were the sun not setting at what felt like lightning speed, we could have played here for hours…
Shane had Friday off a week and a half ago, so the three of us declared it a day-late celebration for Dad’s birthday and chowed down on soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung for lunch.
Bellies full, we took a crisp afternoon stroll through the Arboretum for more tree-gazing.
Every year, this place takes my breath away.
It just…glows.
Up next: pumpkins, a rainbow unicorn, and a leaf-jumping marathon. October rules.