little black journal

We’re deep into autumn and barrelling toward winter, it seems.  The day after Halloween Isaac asked, “Is it Christmas yet, Mama?”.  The aisles of Target would make us think so!

But I’m hanging onto fall vibes for at least a couple weeks longer, as this past season has been particulalry good and we seem to have found a particular groove.  The kids have settled into their schools with grace and positivity.  Isaac started at a new preschool in September and is digging his big-kid classroom with weekly visits to gym and chapel on the larger church campus.  Plus, a Spiderman water bottle?  Psshhhh…

Juliette is a Middle Schooler and made quick work of learning how to navigate her new world, complete with class changes and locker combos and homework.

Isaac brings home a letter worksheet and some coloring pages a couple of times a week and feels so self-important when he declares that he has to do his homework.  Sister lends a hand when he’s stumped.

He’s got ‘X’ down pat.  And Buddy writes his name now!

Fall is also for soccer and we’ve been watching lots of it.  Juliette plays on both her club team and the school team, so she’s on the field for four practices and two games per week.  She’s a more confident, skilled player with each passing month and I’m her biggest fan.

I mean, we wouldn’t spend a Saturday afternoon sitting in the rain for just anyone…

We’ve also become big fans of the Seattle Reign and took Isaac to his first big-time sporting event last month.  He liked the action on the soccer field, but loved the Red Vines and Sprite.  When at Century Link…

Shane’s and my birthdays come right on the heels of our kids’ and while I celebrated my big day in NYC with my best girl, Shane was happy with a lower-key hurrah.  Drinks and pizza at Mioposto, some wiffle ball at Hiawatha, apple pie at home.  It was just his style.

Isaac has baseball fever and asks every hour on the hour if Shane will throw the ball around with him.  On a sunny fall day, it’s an easy yes.

Time to head home for dessert…

Happy birthday, Shane!  You’re so damn good at loving us.  We love you back.

We’ve play-grounded hard this season.  We spent a Saturday afternoon romping on no less than three separate playgrounds near my mom and dad’s house.

And Isaac and I made the most of the October golden hours by getting outside while Juliette was at piano or soccer.  This stretch of Beacon Avenue near Jefferson Park on sunny fall evening is magic.

And Camp Long with a chai and a vanilla steamer at 4pm on a Friday, when you have the full weekend ahead of you?  SO GOOD.

I love that a game of uber-obvious hide-and-seek still brings him so much joy.

To be able to walk and talk with my boy now!  I mean, it’s a lot of chatter about Paw Patrol and Spiderman, but he’s got stuff to SAY and I’m here for it.

Isaac and I paid a visit to our most favorite tree at Lincoln Park on one of the last pre-time-change evenings.

Buddy loves the zip line these days.  Faster, Mama, FASTER!

And then, of course, there were all things pumpkin.  We spent a sunny afternoon down at Carpinito Farms picking our perfect pumpkins.

I told Isaac he could get whatever pumpkin he wanted, as long as he could carry it to the wheelbarrow himself.  Challenge accepted.

I’m trying to pull out my big camera more often these days, but it gets sideswiped by my budding photographer.

We carved our pumpkins the weekend before Halloween and Isaac got a huge kick out of scooping out the gooey guts.

It’s so satisfying when your spoon comes out of there with a big ol’ heap of mush.

Isaac asked me to carve the face of his favorite Paw Patrol character and I admit, it came out a bit more…abstract…than I anticipated.

Juliette kept it simple and sweet.

Isaac has had his Halloween costume locked down since September (Costco starts stocking them early!) and was thrilled when his classroom Halloween party rolled around.  It was a Wednesday and he and I had a playground date that evening, so he got extra mileage out of his racecar uniform by wearing it to zip through Mount Baker Park.

We hunted for chestnuts and then spent 20 minutes sending said chestnuts down the playground slide, to see whose was faster.  My nut had a flat spot and lost every single time, but Isaac encouraged me to just keep trying.  Mr. Positivity, this kid.

And Juliette Grace!  We bought this dress at a garage sale a couple of years ago on a whim because it was beautiful and only five dollars.  On Halloween we finally made good use of it.

Halloween evening was rainy as all get-out, but we still took the kids around the block for some trick-or-treating.  Isaac was tentative at the first couple of houses, quietly mumbling, “trick or treeeeeeating…” when neighbors opened their doors.

But Sister showed him the ropes and his confidence grew with each house; at one point he happily helped himself to two full-size candy bars when a kind lady held out a tray full of Snickers bars and M&M’s.  Juliette was mortified.

THIS RAIN.  Time to head home and sort the bounty.

Finally, October was for cozying in.  Yes, we got out a lot, but we also spent a lot of time racing Hotwheels across the coffee table and reading books under a pile of blankets.

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week.  Coffee, fire, a day of soccer and and playtime ahead of us.

Isaac and I are always the first ones up and we like our Mama-Buddy time, but it’s a treat when Juliette rolls out of bed.

He is almost legit at Jenga now and needs very few hints on which pieces are non-structural.

Also, when he does knock it over, he laughs rather than cries.  Which means we all win.

Play hard, rest well.  Words to live by.