little black journal

Ooof.  March thus far has been a month of too much work, too little time with the kids, and no time for myself, but I daresay I’m over the hump and able to carve out a couple of hours to sit in a coffee shop and reminisce about our final days in Maui.  MAUI.  Already feels like a lifetime ago that we were there.

Juliette and I had booked a snorkeling trip with the Chens early-early on Wednesday, so we walked to their hotel in the dark and perched at our favorite photo op while I sipped my coffee.

The sunrise boat ride out to Molokini Crater was actually one of my favorite parts of the whole expedition.  So serene and pastel – I love Maui in the morning.

Juliette was super-excited until the moment we anchored and people started flipping into the water.  You mean, I have to get in?  All the way?

But after a little coaxing, several snorkel adjustments, and one more in-water pep talk, she went for it and we both ducked our heads underwater.  And front and center, as if they were waiting for us, were so many fish.

Thumbs-up for pushing through the nerves, Kiddo.

Meanwhile, Shane and Isaac lived their own best lives.

We all hopped back into the boat after an hour of snorkeling and started to zip toward shore when our guide quickly brought us to a halt so we would all watch the mama and baby whales playing in the water remarkably close to us.

Stunning creatures.  Top moment.

We made it back to the boys just as Isaac was wrapping up his morning nap.  Time to swim some more, I guess!

Isaac added the word whoa to his vocabulary while on this trip and would say Whoa!  Whooooooooooooa! as we spun him in the water.

You look good, Buddy.

Our family pool time was really one long, sweet continuous top moment.  What a treat this was.

And speaking of treats, since it was our last full day in Maui, I splurged on an overpriced poolside pina colada.  Worth it.

We took a short sun-break back at the room after lunch, but Juliette was begging to go swim with N after 30 minutes, so back out we went!  Maybe it’s because our trip was winding down and I was so intent on soaking in every last detail, but goodness, the sky looked extra-blue and the grass looked extra-green that afternoon.

Juliette and Isaac played hide and seek and tag and I sat in the shade.  For two minutes.

And for record, “playing tag” is really us chasing down Isaac and trying to get him into his stroller.

Finally, though, Isaac was strapped in and Juliette was dropped off with her best bud.  Buddy and I walked over to the market for iced coffee and a box of souvenir cookies.  We came back an hour later to these two living large.

I mean, it’s hard not to be giddy when you’re in an ocean-front cabana.

We walked back our place to rest and freshen up a bit before meeting up with the Chens for a final round of Mai Tais.

We don’t do a lot of kicking back on vacation in this current season of life (love you, Isaac!), but this was as good as it got!

And one last sunset…

I love our family time, but vacationing with friends is next-level.  So thankful for these people.

Whooooooooa!

Baby footprints on the beach!  Freeze-framing that one, too.

These five spent several minutes standing at the edge of the waves, wanting to see how far into the sand their feet would sink.  Isaac played that game for about four seconds and then opted for his own game of seeing just how many baby footprints he could leave in the sand.

One more game of chase-the-waves…

A round of high-fives for a top-notch day…

And goodnight, sun.

Shane tucked in Isaac while Juliette traded in our swimsuits for dresses and grabbed a shirley temple and a matcha mojito at the hotel bar.  There was a guitarist playing cover songs across the room and when he started crooning Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar, Juliette and I bopped along.

My grown-up girl…she makes a good date.

We talked about school and friends and Isaac and sports while we ate our matcha creme brulee.

Thursday!  Just a few precious hours left…

One last acai bowl, one last round of beach play…

(You can see from Isaac’s onesie that he very much enjoyed the acai as well…)

We got our mileage out of these $5 sand toys!

Keeping Isaac from destroying Juliette’s masterpiece wasn’t easy.

DON’T DO IT, BUDDY!

Pure mischief, this kid.

A final dip…

A final rollick with friends…

And a final group pic.  See you in Seattle, Chens!

Isaac really got the hang of the beachfront showers.  Life skills!

A quick pause at the lucky mermaid, where I made a quiet wish that I’ll see her again next year…

Mahalo, Maui.  Our trip didn’t start quite as planned, but gosh, those last few days were a dream.

Shane awoke on Monday feeling right as rain, so he made plans to play some island pickle ball while I took Isaac for a sunrise walk.  A pre-sunrise walk, actually.  Buddy was up at 5 am and jiggling the door handle begging to go outside by 5:30…  The hotel coffee shop opened at 6am and I was first in line!

Dark, schmark.  This boy was ready to roll.

A new day dawns in Maui!  Such promise…

Isaac loved this wide-open lawn.  I thought I’d sit down with my back against that tree and finish my latte while he ran wild, but then he tried to cut in on a couple of guys playing football, then he tried to climb the rocks down to the ocean, then he started chasing after a stray cat, and then I gave in and the two of us played a too-early game of tag.

We headed back to the room around 7:30 to find sister still snoozing.  Rise and shine, girl!

We walked up to the market for acai bowls and a sausage scramble.

Morning nap for the early riser…

And then pool time!

So much pool time.  The four of us felt so good to feel so good.

Isaac dug his first water slide.  Next year he might be zipping down this thing on his own!

Juliette’s freckles were poppin’ by this point, which made me so happy!  (They’ve already faded by now…)

We did the slide circuit several times over, lunched at our lounge chairs, and then got back in.  I had a fleeting thought that maybe we should go exploring, go see something new, but then again, if it ain’t broke…

At this point I think Isaac officially pooped out.  WE DID IT!  We exhausted the energizer bunny!  Afternoon nap was goooooood.

There was some late afternoon beach play…

And then dinner at the Chens’ hotel, where Isaac refused to sit still at the table for even a minute (bunny was BACK!), so Shane and I took turns playing with him out front while the other parent ate.

Evening zoomies on our favorite lawn…

And then a set of pushups to round out the day?  We walked back to our room and Isaac snoozed deeply while Shane, Juliette and I watched Rookie of the Year, which was just how I remembered it from 30 years ago, for better and for worse.

Tuesday morning brought more coffee and scones in the dark.

I will say, I do very much enjoy watching the sky turn from blue-gray to lavender to pink.

Isaac stopped to take a call on the grass…

And then Juliette joined us as Shane was heading out for pickle ball day 2.  This girl does not awake with quite the same joie de vivre as her brother, but she comes around…

His pants were soaked and came off within a minute of us landing on the beach.

And then the onesie…  I tried to teach this kid a healthy respect for the ocean, but when the water is that warm and the waves are that gentle, it’s a hard lesson to learn.

Just one more quick dip, Mom!

Ok, now she’s awake!  And ready for a game of tag!

We dried off back at the room and then settled in for a little doze.

Isaac has the best surfer hair post-nap!

We beached a bit before lunch.

And pooled a bit before lunch…

And then actually got in the car for the first time in several days, to grab fish tacos and sandwiches at the food trucks at South Maui Gardens.

We laid low the rest of the afternoon, having hit our sun limit by 1pm.  But when the cloud cover rolled in, back to the pool!  I walked Juliette over to the Chens’ pool so she could swim with N, then circled back to our pool to hang with Shane and Isaac.  I wish I could freeze-frame the sight of the two of them swirling and laughing together, caught up in their own world…  I mean, you know I tried to freeze-frame it, but pictures hardly capture how sweet it was.

Isaac’s afternoon nap had done him good.

Back to the beach!

I waded into the water with Isaac and let the waves lap at his legs.  Juliette said she was too tired to play anymore, but her fatigue was short-lived.

Seriously, these are the gentlest waves ever, but the look on her face!  Such drama!  I love her.

It was so cloudy that night that it was hard to tell when the sun actually set, but I’m fairly certain it was below the horizon by the time we headed in.

Ok, I’ll stop now.

…after ice cream.  Another two glorious days in the books.

When planning a vacation with two children, one of whom is a strong-willed, rambunctious toddler, there are a number of emotional stages a parent goes through in lead-up to the trip.  Case in point:

Stage 1 (6 months prior to trip):  Unbridled excitement.  Trip is booked!  Maui in February!  Let’s gooooo!

Stage 2 (1-2 months prior to trip):  Mild anxiety.  Gosh, I hope we don’t get sick and have to cancel our trip.

Stage 3 (one week before trip):  Cautious optimism.  There’s so much to do before we leave.  But Juliette is positively bouncing off the walls with glee and we all feel good and I can’t wait to see her zip down that waterslide!  

Stage 4 (2 days before trip):  Utter forlornness / temptation to bail.  I “got an early start on packing” but really just have a pile of clothes and diapers that can’t possibly fit into our three suitcases.  The house is a mess.  And, wait for it…baby boy just got sent home from daycare because he threw up after naptime.

Stage 5 (night before trip):  We have come full-circle back to excitement!  Baby’s bug seemed to just be a one-day thing and the rest of the family is unscathed.  Bags are packed.  House is clean, with much help from the determined-to-swim nine year old.  Out-of-office assistant has been turned on.  Alarm is set.  We’re really doing this!

WE WERE DOING THIS.  We arrived at the airport early Friday morning and we were pumped.  Isaac was in good spirits, I had packed a couple of special toys and snacks to keep him entertained on the six-hour flight, and Juliette was adorably over the moon.  Seriously, let’s goooooooooo.  We could almost taste the shave ice…

We were stuck on the runway for about an hour due to a minor maintenance issue, but we rolled with it.  And then, just as the plane was cleared for take-off, Juliette looked at me, the color immediately draining from her face, and said the three words no parent wants to hear on an airplane:  my stomach hurts.  I encouraged her to take a few deep breaths and close her eyes and she fell asleep almost immediately, her dozy brother following suit and collapsing against my chest before we’d even left the ground.

She opened her eyes 20 minutes later and smiled weakly, saying she felt better, and I thanked my lucky stars, but the relief was short-lived and suddenly we were reaching for the barf bag with five and a half hours left on our flight time.  Ugh, that poor girl.  She used up all the sick bags in our row within an hour and I had to ask the flight attendant for another, at which point she handed me a ginormous garbage sack.  I thought that was a bit much, but Juliette spent most of the flight with her head in that bag, heaving at 15-minute intervals, whimpering in between that she just wanted to turn around and go home.  It was brutal.

Isaac, thankfully, was content for most of the flight, playing with the window stickers and suction spinners I’d ordered from Amazon earlier in the week.  Shane and I took turns with the kids, but he did the majority of the bag-holding and I in turn bear-hugged Isaac through his 30-minute crying fit as we neared the end of our flight.  We’re a good team.

I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to step off a plane, though Juliette was still feeling awful and clutched her garbage bag all the way to baggage claim.  I sent Shane ahead to pick up our rental, not wanting to make Juliette walk any farther, and then stationed her behind a column where could discreetly wretch while I chased Isaac around between yanking our suitcases off the conveyer belt.  That whole fiasco was in my top five toughest mom moments, no doubt.

But Shane arrived curbside with the car, hero that he is, we loaded our circus into it, pit-stopped at Target for electrolyte water and wine, and checked into our room at the Grand Wailea without any of our usual “Hooray, we’re here!” photos because all we cared about was tucking our sick child into a clean bed.  Juliette melted into the sheets, relief flooding her face.  The worst was behind us.

I walked up to the market with Isaac to pick up some dinner for Shane and me and we ate on our patio, very tentatively easing into vacation mode.  I took Isaac for a walk to burn off the last of his pre-bedtime steam and introduced him to the magnificent Pacific.  

He was undecided about the squishy, uneven ground.

But give it time, Buddy.  You’ll love it here!

We came back to find a slowly-recovering sister.  She was still up every hour or so, choking up her few sips of Gatorade, but she managed small bouts of rest in between and by 9pm she was sleeping soundly.  Praise the Lord!  

Then I threw up at midnight.  DAMMIT!

My stomach woes were short-lived, but I was a little achy and low-energy on Saturday and spent much of the day napping in the room.  The kids had a good day, though, and I was so happy to see Juliette on the mend and enjoying pizza by the pool.  If anyone had earned the right to feel good that day, it was her.

The pool threw Isaac for another bit of a loop, but like the ocean, I assured him he’d learn to love it.

I napped while Isaac napped (and then some), but there are worse rooms to be confined to…

By late afternoon I felt good enough to take Isaac for a nap-walk in the Ergo, though that tuckered me out and after a watching a sunset rainstorm pass by our patio, we fell asleep together at 7pm.

Sunday!  Gosh, on Sunday I was a new woman!  Isaac and I had each logged 11 hours of sleep and I felt great.  I headed out the door with the kids at 6:30 for a sunrise breakfast.

Isaac cheats at cornhole, by the way.

Reunited!  The Chens had landed the previous evening and the kids met up for a round of super-sized chess.

Juliette decided that if Isaac was a chess piece, he’d most definitely be the Queen, going any which way he pleases, mowing down anything in his way.

That Maui morning light is so beautiful here…

We headed back late morning to see if Shane was up and ready to play.

Since we’d skipped the leis upon our arrival, I went to the front desk and asked if we have a first day do-over – they were happy to adorn Juliette and me with fresh orchids.

Shane, unfortunately, was the last soldier to fall and needed to spend much of the day sleeping off his aches and pains.  Storytime with Isaac took most of the energy he could muster.

It was a bummer to see Dad down and out, but the kids and I managed to find our groove – Isaac grew fonder of the pool, Juliette grew fonder of Isaac in the pool, and we all grew fonder of Maui in general.  This felt good.

Like, really, really good.

SO GOOD, you guys.  What a joy to see these two play in the water together – this was the trip I’d been dreaming of six months earlier.

Isaac took a late morning nap with his dad and then Juliette and I headed out to work on the hotel scavenger hunt.

She was looking very Carmen Sandiego in her hat and glasses.

We made it through most of the scavenger hunt and then popped back to the room to pick up brother for poolside (in-pool?) iced tea.

Shane turned a slight corner and joined us for a bit.

Juliette and I crossed the last item off her scavenger hunt list on our way back to the room and swung by the front desk for prizes.

Isaac weaseled his way into getting his own prize and was very pleased about it.

Watch out, though – his fish bites!

It took us upward of 20 minutes to get from the front desk to our room as the kids zig-zagged the lobby and played 13 rounds of hide and seek near the elevators, but the lack of need to get anywhere fast was one of my favorite things about this trip.

Juliette wanted to do some swimming with N at his pool in the afternoon, so I dropped her off with him and took Isaac up to the market for a smoothie break.  One slurp of my avocado smoothie and he was all grins, asking, “Mo?  Mo?  Mo?”

More, Mom?  Pleeeeeeease?!

I picked up a cheap set of sand toys for Isaac, feeling like we’d delivered Christmas in February, and then it was back to the room for afternoon nap (or so I thought).

LaV and I toasted with poolside Mai Tais while the big kids swam and the little kid (didn’t) nap with his dad.

At 5pm Shane and I called off hopes of a late nap and I took Isaac down to the beach to try out his new sand toys.

Again, looking a little concerned…

But…that water looks kind of fun?

Let’s do it.

I held Isaac’s hand as the water lapped at our feet and he clutched my fingers tightly but cracked a small smile.  Ease into it, Kiddo!

It was ultimately the trusty plastic shovel that made him forget about the strange feeling of sand between his toes.  Once I pulled that out, he spent a good 30 minutes filling his pail, a few grains at a time.

The boy was focused.

The beauty of Maui is largely lost on a one year old, but there were moments that I felt like he understood, just for a flash, how spectacular this place really is.

Juliette, meanwhile, was enjoying being the Chens’ second child.

But…wait.  Is that Sister?!

Such a sweet, happy reunion, Isaac bolting toward her, yelling, “Joo-yeh!!!”

I say this every year, but every year that we watch these kids get such a kick out of playing tag with the ocean, my heart swells.  The magic lives on.

Isaac watched from a distance, but I could see him scheming.  That looks fun…

And then, he was off, with a major case of the beachfront zoomies.

We chased each other until the sun dipped below the horizon, Isaac’s butt soaked, our feet caked with sand, my cheeks sore from grinning.

Goodnight, Maui.  More joy (with a fully-healthy family) on the horizon!

The annual Schnell family snow-cation!  It’s a favorite.  I initially made resos at a hotel in dreamy Winthrop, but as the date drew closer and Isaac’s patience for being strapped into his carseat drew shorter, we changed course and opted to stick a little closer to home with a long weekend in Suncadia.  Shane and Juliette took the ski-bus on Friday morning to Snoqualmie to get their downhill fix while Isaac and I followed with the car later in the afternoon to scoop them up on our way to the resort.

We checked into our room with our piles and piles of stuff (snow-tripping with two kids is no joke!) and then took a short walk to dinner.  Since Shane and I had lugged all of our bags into the lodge, Juliette offered to lug the baby to the restaurant.

Cozy vibes…

And the glowing-est ice skating rink!  This place is a madhouse during opening hours, but when it’s closed, it’s the perfect place to perch by the fire for a quick warm-up.

We all slept well Friday night, but sweet Jesus, baby boy was up early on Saturday.  I took him down to the lobby at 6:00 am to burn off some steam while Shane and Juliette grabbed some extra Z’s.  Thank goodness for hallways to roam in and fireplaces to sit by.  A staff person walked by as I was chasing down Isaac and said, “You know there’s fresh coffee by the front desk, right?”  I about hugged her.  To the front desk, Isaac!

We headed back up the room around 7:30, having covered what felt like every square inch of the ground floor, and the kids caught up on some business while I prepped breakfast in our small kitchenette.

Cinnamon rolls were devoured and Isaac was climbing the walls again by 8:00, so we jetted back out to hit the sledding hill.  It was misty and quiet out there, because who eats breakfast and gets dressed and leaves their room by 8:00 on a winter vacation?  We do, friends.  WE DO.

He makes me awfully tired, but dang, he’s awfully cute in his puffy gray snowsuit.

Isaac didn’t love the fast runs down the hill, but a nice gentle tow by big sister was definitely his jam.

Faster, Daddy, faster!

Biggest trooper award goes to the guy who forgot his snow boots but still dragged his kids up an icy hill several times over.

Funny how watching your dad haul you around poops you out, huh, Jules?

We walked back to the lodge after awhile to grab some hot chocolate and a late morning nap.  All in a morning’s work…

We snoozed, ate some lunch, and then piled into the car to check out the Nordic trails at Salmon le Sac.

It was pretty icy out there, but a good time was had by all.

I sure do love skiing with this girl.

High five, Buddy!  You nailed it.

We lazed around in the afternoon and grabbed a second nap (myself included), then drove into Roslyn for dinner.  More cozy vibes!

And a very long wait for our food, but the kids were good sports about it.

…and to all a good night.

Sunday!  Rise and shine!  At least this time I knew right where to head for the free coffee.

Juliette woke up as Isaac and I were putting on our shoes and begged to come along on our obnoxiously early hallway shenanigans.  Knock yourself out, Girlie.

…and more early sledding!  We discovered that this hill is packed by 10am, so I guess there are some advantages to not sleeping in.  Some.

“You’re not going to send me down the hill by myself, are you?!”

You’re safe with me, Kiddo.

The skiing and sledding were fun, but the kiddos seemed to especially love the leisurely strolls around the grounds of the lodge, stopping to make a quick snowball or see how deep they could burrow their footprints.

Pure joy, I tell you.

Juliette requested a little break from Brother and we let her fire up the iPad and put on the headphones, but Isaac kept wandering over and putting one hand gently on her leg while waving with his other arm and exclaiming, “HI!”.  She couldn’t resist.

Napped and happy.

To lunch!  We drove back into Roslyn to check out the Mexican food scene there.  Again, the food took awhile, so Isaac and I wandered while Shane and Juliette ate their weight in tortilla chips.

The salted caramel chocolate from the corner candy store got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Juliette; I gave my latte from Basecamp Coffee a solid 4 stars out of 5.

We gave up on the idea of more skiing due to the crusty snow and instead opted to romp around a nearby playground.

Juliette stock-piled ammo for a family snowball fight…

But Shane had her laughing so hard with his antics that she had a hard time nailing him.

Afternoon lazing…

And an evening walk through the twinkly woods.

Monday was check-out day, but we were in no great hurry to hit the road, so we spent the morning at the lodge, sipping coffee and reading in cozy chairs by big windows.  Isaac seemed sleepy, so I tucked him into the Ergo while I walked the halls.  It’s not too often anymore that this boy naps on the move, but sometimes it works.  And it’s so sweet when it does.

He’s up!  I let him borrow my Kindle so he could be just like Big Sis.

We piled our stuff back into the car and said goodbye our cozy-though-confined room.  One last stop before booking it to Seattle, though…

Three cheers for Juliette!

And a lot of laughing at Shane, who took that last little sled jump none-too-gracefully…

We maxed out our mileage on our trusty red sled and then headed to the playground for swing-time and sculpture-carving.

He has the best hat hair.

Whew!  That was…exhausting.  But packed with good memories.

I just took the stockings down and cleared my collection of bottle brush trees from our mantle this week – the holidays were a little hard to let go of this year (as in all years, to be honest).  They were just so slow and sweet and packed with time with my favorite people.

We came home from Portland to a couple of unopened gifts under the tree, which the kids made quick work of tearing into…

And then we laid out a game plan for the rest of the week.  Isaac’s school was open, but Juliette’s was not, so we took advantage of the three-of-us time to do some cross-country skiing at Cabin Creek.

It was snowy that day and we loved gliding through the fresh powder.  This course really pushed the limits of Juliette’s and my Nordic downhill skills, but we did it!

The uphill slog:

And the downhill glide.

Proud of you, Kiddo!

Juliette has passed my shoulders and is approaching nose-height – this kid is going to be taller than her mama in no time, it seems…

On Thursday, Shane and Juliette headed out for a downhill day at Snoqualmie with a couple of Juliette’s friends.  They had a blast, zipping down the slopes.  I had a blast, binge-watching Bad Sisters back at home under a pile of blankets.  It’s rare that I have the house to myself, and I made it count!

We did pick up Isaac a bit early from daycare those days, so that he wasn’t completely left out of the fun.

And we checked a couple last things off our holiday bucket list, like a visit to the Menashe House (Juliette missed round one last month).

I had postponed my annual getaway to Cedarbrook with Nance and LaV earlier in December, but we made up for it on New Years Eve Eve.  There was shopping and movies and dinner at the hotel bar and ice cream in bed and lots of overdue catching up.  Life gets busy, but it feels good to know we can count on this tradition to stitch us back together!

And then New Years Eve!  The big bash!  Our nearest and dearest came over that evening after Isaac was in bed, and we ate tacos and drank all kinds of things and told lots of stories.

(Story time with Aunt Nance in action!)

We struggled to find a playlist that appropriately matched the vibe of the evening and so I put out a call for 90’s song requests; suddenly we were embarking on a three-hour dance party, bopping to REM and Offspring and Warren G.  Jason’s got moooooooves.

Juliette looked at us like the crowd of tragically un-hip 40-somethings that we are, but couldn’t resist getting in on the Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

Kris Kross makes you jump-jump?  Things got progressively sillier as the night went on.

There was a 10:30 pm Domino’s order and some intense debate over Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam and then we toasted at 11:15 pm as the nine year olds’ energy was waning. 

People split and the house was suddenly very quiet and then suddenly not-quiet as Isaac started crying while I was brushing my teeth.  He must have sensed that he just missed out on an epic party, so I ended up rocking my dozing boy as the clock struck officially midnight.  I think I got the best of both worlds.

New Years morning brought the annual Polar Bear Plunge at Alki Beach.  Juliette was feeling extra-bold again this year and decided to join her dad.

All smiles pre-plunge!

But then reality hit…

And then my poor girl really wasn’t happy.

Isaac was like, “What were you thinking?!”

It took a hot minute, but once Juliette was re-bundled her smile came back.  She’s much braver than her mama!

Cheers, polar bears, to a fresh new year!

We got a bonus break day as school and work were closed on January 2nd, so we decided to give Cabin Creek another go, this time with Buddy on board.

Isaac fussed a little as we were getting him strapped in, but once Shane started to cruise he fell silent and zoned out in the very best way.

The snow was icy and super-fast that day; Juliette and I both took a couple of falls and there was a moment when I wanted to chuck my skis into the woods and just walk back to the car, but we stuck with it and eventually re-found our joy.

Sweet dreams, little boy.

We spent our final afternoon together cozying down at home, having tickle fights and doing puzzles and playing piano.

One last nap together, and then it was back to business with a vengeance.  January has felt a bit nuts, work-wise, but oh, those lazy holi-daze.  They were awfully good.

Christmas 2022!  When we saw news of an ice storm moving across the PNW, we moved up our travel plans and jetted down to Portland the moment Shane wrapped up work on Thursday.  We got caught in some pretty slippery conditions two-thirds of the way there, but carefully crawled over those last 50 miles and safely arrived at Mitch’s house by 10pm.  The plan was to quietly transfer a sleeping Isaac from his car seat to his Pack N Play, but he only dozed a bit on the ride down and then was so amped up by the adventure of it all that we let him run circles in the living room for thirty minutes before tucking him in.

Friday was icy and the city was largely shut down.  We stayed close to home, venturing only as far as the neighborhood Starbucks for cocoa and coffee.

We thawed out under fluffy blankets…

And then we hunkered, with music and video games and several rounds of Christmas tree hide and seek.

Isaac was completely stir-crazy by dinnertime, so I took him out for a slushy spin on the sled.  I mean, we packed the puffy suit – may as well use it!

The kiddos (one little kiddo in particular) were up early on Saturday, so I stretched out on the couch with them and a cup of coffee while the sun came up.

Early wake-up means early naptime.  These daily dozes with my boy were one of my favorite things about the holiday break.

Bina kept a very close eye on Isaac throughout the week – she’s accustomed to being the main recipient of family doting and seemed a little put out by having to share the love.

Lunchtime donut run to Blue Star for my favorite passionfruit cacao raised glazed…

And then more lounging.

And naptime Part II!  Captured by a little spy…

Isaac’s cousins were so good with him – I was impressed by Morgan’s patience for unending games of “roll the ball and clap”.

The annual Christmas Eve viewing of The Polar Express was cozy as ever, though we missed my mom and dad, who were delayed in arriving due to the weather.

These kids may not believe in Santa anymore, but bless their hearts for playing along with the magic of it all.

Christmas morning!  Let the games begin!

The wrapping paper flew and the kids were all delighted and delightful and it just felt so good to see them each express joy in their very own way.

Juliette is still very much impressed by the little things and I love it.

Juliette’s three big wish list items were pierced ears, a fancy coat, and high-heeled boots.

She got two out of the three and seemed plenty pleased!

Isaac became smitten with this shopping cart as we were browsing the toy aisle at Target in early December and pushed it all around the store while I finished my shopping.  He was thrilled to see it reappear under the Christmas tree.

The calm after the flurry is so wonderful.

Did I say calm?  I meant toy-induced hysteria.

You do you, Buddy.

What are you looking at, Bina?

Oh, Bina.  

BINA!

We napped mid-day and did some puzzling and then made cupcakes for that evening’s dessert.

We Facetimed with Shane’s parents after lunch and then did some gaming, both virtual and in-real-life…

My parents arrived around 2:00 and another pile of gifts appeared under the tree!

Shane and Mitch drew each other’s names for our Secret Santa exchange and ended up trading pickle balls.  It seems they have similar interests…

Juliette got me a pretty pair of earrings and then wondered aloud if maybe she could borrow them someday…

WHEW!  Officially, the gift bonanza was a wrap.

We had our traditional country ham for dinner and Mitch and Kathryn opened some extra-special wine and the cupcakes the girls served for dessert were the perfect bow on a perfect day.

Monday was open and agenda-less, though Isaac once again missed the memo on sleeping in…

Bina greeted Isaac that morning with a look that said, “You’re still here?!”

Whatever my dad is selling in this game of Sushi Go, Juliette and Morgan clearly aren’t buying…

The afternoon stir-crazies started to set in…

And so we got out, for a rainy walk at Lake Oswego.

More gaming…

And the finishing touches on one hell of a puzzle.

We played a rousing round of Code Names before dinner and though I can’t recall what was so funny, I do remember my Dad literally laughing so hard he cried, which had all of us rolling.  Isaac was sitting on my lap and yukked it up with the rest of us – he hadn’t the foggiest idea what was going on, but he knew it was fun.

Tuesday was our departure day, so we snapped a few final family pics, let Isaac do another 37 loops around the house with his shopping cart, and packed it up.

Thank you again, Jarrells, for sharing your home and your wine and especially your love.

December felt full and quiet all at once – Lord knows Juliette and I lean in hard on holiday traditions, but we’ve curated our list to activities that can largely be done in our pajamas by the warmth of our fireplace.  Occasionally, though, we braved the cold for the sake of sparkly lights or fluffy pines.  We took Juliette and two of her buddies down to Alki one evening before a sleepover to sip hot chocolate and listen to the carolers sing on the Christmas Ship.  It was the perfect way to get the festive vibes flowing.

(Isaac liked it, too.)

Seattle got a dusting of snow in early December and it was fun to see Isaac’s awe over a world covered in white.  He stood by the window, excitedly pointing outside for a good portion of the morning.

It was a frosty walk to school…

The excitement was short-lived, as snow gave way to rain all too soon.

Oh, the PJ time this month!  So much PJ time, with lazy Saturdays and Sundays spent watching the World Cup.

 

Isaac really amped up his soccer spectating game.  I can’t tell if he’s overjoyed or in agony over whatever play just happened, but he’s feelin’ it!

We headed east the first weekend in December to visit Mountain Creek tree farm in search of our Tannenbaum.  This is one of my most favorite super-special holiday rituals, and Juliette accessorized accordingly.

The snow had stuck in North Bend, making this place more idyllic than ever.  We wandered among the trees, going through the motions of our annual Grand Fir / Doug Fir debate while Juliette introduced Isaac to a small snowman someone had left near the path.

Finally, we found it – a seven-footer that looked just right for for our living room.  Have at it, Shane!

While Shane worked on tying the tree to the top of the car, the kids and I grabbed hot cider from the gift shop and headed back out for some snow play.  Isaac didn’t love the snow, finding it a little slippery on his waddly legs, until Juliette showed him how to “throw” it by knocking it out of her hand, at which point she would yell, “Whoa!!!” and he would laugh hysterically.

This went on for awhile.

Eventually, the tree was secured and our toes were cold and so we hopped the car to get home and on with the business of decorating.

Juliette and I did our usual oohing and ahhing over our treasure trove of ornaments while sipping egg nog and listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas.  We discovered early on that any breakable ornaments must be hung on the top half of the tree.

(Brother feels left out when I get too close to Sister – see him trying to get in on the snuggles?!)

We put the rest of the house in holiday order, lining the mantle with my collection of bottle brush trees, finding a home for Stanley and Samuel, our Nutcracker brothers, and setting up Juliette’s own little bedside tree.  Isaac was into all of it (literally into, with his little hands all over whatever was in reach), so anything precious was placed high up and we let the rest be fair game.

Juliette and I did our annual sleepover by the tree on the first day of winter break…

With an early-morning visit by our favorite third wheel.

We did a part 2 the following night, because we love a twinkly slumber party that much.

We made evening visits to the menagerie of inflatable figures in our neighbor’s driveway.

And then on an evening when Juliette was with friends and Shane was out of town, Isaac and I drove down to the Menashe house to do some gawking.

Santa was strolling the sidewalks that night and I found him to be ultra-friendly, but Isaac was not so much of a fan…

Mama-Jules hot cocoa Christmas lights drive…

And buddies!  I was solo parenting for a weekend and Nance and LaV came over for a cozy breakfast while Isaac ran circles around us.

We gathered at the Rusts for our chosen-family Christmas brunch the following weekend, where Nancy’s homemade almond tart was devoured and gifts were opened and stories were shared.

I always walk away from gatherings with this crew with the fullest of hearts.

We let the kids open a couple of family gifts early, partly so that they’d have some new toys to keep them occupied while we packed for our trip to Portland, but also to stretch out this season of receiving (and also of being grateful!).

Pierced ears was at the tippy-top of Juliette’s wishlist, so I set aside her Christmas money from Grandma and Grandpa and booked her an appointment at a local jewelry shop, coordinating a rendezvous with the mom of two of her best buds, who were also begging to get pierced.  The few days leading up to the appointment were a mix of excitement and nerves for Juliette.  Each day brought a new split:  “Mama, today I’m 70% excited and 30% nervous!”  We landed at 80/20 day-of, which seemed promising, but the minute Juliette sat down on the stool, the tears started flowing.  I’m so glad her friends were there to cheer her on.

As each girl took her turn, the other two gave enthusiastic thumbs-ups and said, “You got this!”  The sweetest.

And the fanciest.  

Now let’s get this kid and her sparkly lobes to Portland!

November…

In November, we saw soccer season come to an end.  Juliette continues to make stellar progress.

While her brother could definitely use some help with his foot-eye coordination…

The season wrapped up just in time – those Saturday mornings were gettin’ cold!

In November, we bopped around the neighborhood quite a bit, with walks to Ercolini for playground time and to the Junction for chocolate croissants.

In November, we used the fireplace a lot.

In November, we took advantage of sunny Sundays to breathe in Fall’s last gasp of golds and greens and oranges.  Camp Long is so good that time of year.

(He’s gettin’ it!)

And Volunteer Park!  An autumn must-roam.

(Brother really does not like it on the rare occasion that I pick up his sister!)

Jefferson Park can’t match Volunteer Park’s foliage, but their zip lines and twirly-ma-bobbers can’t be beat.

Plus, Jefferson Park is right next to our favorite Beacon Hill haunts – Juliette and I shared a lot of morning lattes / steamers at this particular Fresh Flours table.

In November, Isaac made his first visit to the zoo!  We spent an afternoon at Point Defiance saying hello to the elephant and the tiger and the sharks, oh my…

OH MY.

In November, we spent a long, lazy Thanksgiving weekend at home, baking and lounging, venturing outdoors just for a short hike through Schmitz Park before coming back inside for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

 

We delayed our day-after-Thanksgiving Christmas tree plans on account of rain and an important World Cup game to watch on TV.  I was a bit disappointed, but got over it real fast.

This isn’t the worst way to pass a morning!

In November, the kids’ matching pajamas arrived in the mail and I did laundry every day for four days just so they could keep wearing them.

And in November, we got that first sweet taste of Christmas magic.  Hellooooooo, December.

For years now, every time we pass Centralia on our way to Portland, Juliette sees the hotel just east of I-5 with waterslide tubes swooping out the side of it and asks…”What IS that?!”  Welp, it’s the Great Wolf Lodge, Baby, and we’re going.

Shane booked us a couple of nights there on a bit of a whim, when an online deal popped up just as he was feeling particularly grateful for how Juliette has rolled with the ways life has changed since Isaac entered the scene.  We wouldn’t call the baby a party pooper, per se, but he definitely keeps us closer to home.  Time for Sister to have an adventure!

If you haven’t been to Great Wolf, imagine Vegas for kids.  An arcade and a candy shop and an indoor water park and a lobby that’s meant to pass as a winter wonderland.  All the things.  Juliette was in her swimsuit within minutes of us checking into our room and we all followed her lead and geared up, minus the sunscreen, to make our way down to the water park.  Slides and a wave pool and a ropes course and a high-up bucket the size of a small hot tub that would fill with water that came splashing down every 15 minutes.  All the things.

Shane and Juliette hit the slides while Isaac tried to make sense of the wave pool.

Shane booked this trip so that Juliette could do the big-kid things, but really, she was just as thrilled to splash around in 12 inches of water with her brother.  That’s how she rolls.

We traded in our swimsuits for cozy clothes late afternoon and settled in to watch some soccer and lounge in our king-sized bed.  These were actually some of my most favorite weekend moments.

We ate pizza in our room and wandered around the hotel in the evening, a little dazed by the flurry of activity around each corner.  It felt good to turn in early that night.

Isaac broke the curse of horrible hotel sleep on this trip (sensory overload will do that to you!) and both kids snoozed like champs.  Still though, we were up early enough to beat the 8am Starbucks rush.

Morning soccer…

And mid-morning story hour in the lobby.

Story time was a little goofy, but when soap bubble snow started to fall from the ceiling as Christmas tunes blared over the speakers, I gave in.  Give me all the kitsch!

Back to the room…

But then, back to the pool!

Isaac had a little more fun in the water the second time around, though he was also content to just sit in my lap and watch all the commotion.  Looks like kind of a surfer dude, doesn’t he?

Play hard, rest hard.

And wake up happy.

Juliette couldn’t resist the lure of the wand shop and bought her own wand so that she could take part in MagiQuest, a magic-themed scavenger hunt that had kids running all over the hotel, opening treasure chests and activating crystals so that they could become Master Magi.  It sounds very confusing, I know, but Juliette got very into it and we all got our steps in, zipping from floor to floor as we followed her on her quests.

We ended the day with lobby lawn games and cake pops.  I don’t know that I’ve ever been so tired after a day with zero time outdoors.

Monday was checkout day, and we took our time getting going.  We agreed not to try to squeeze in any more waterslide runs, so we sipped coffee and read books instead.  Seemed like a decent trade!

Remember what I said earlier about kitsch?  Juliette’s bed was in a “tree house”!

Juliette gained her Master Magi status just as Shane finished packing the car.  Well done, kiddo.

Whew, the things you do for your kids!  Honestly, though, it was a sweet little getaway and filled our adventure-bucket as we headed home for a very low-key Thanksgiving.  Play hard, rest hard.

A little more October in November!  Gosh, I took a lot of photos in October, of pumpkins and costumes and autumn strolls.  Ok, photos of the kids, really, but the backdrops were awfully nice, too.

We tried out a new pumpkin patch this year and found it to be packed with activities (and photo ops…).  Knutson Farms for the win!  Isaac fell asleep in the car on the way there and kept snoozing for a good hour after we parked, so Juliette and I got the lay of the land while Shane sat with him.

Tether balls and corn mazes and rubber duck races and newborn piglets, OH MY.

The corn maze proved to be trickier than anticipated…

Finally, Isaac roused and joined us on our search for the perfect pumpkin.

Look hard, Buddy!

And lift with your legs!

Honestly, this place was just a series of perfect stages for the kids to perch and look adorable.

Once we’d picked our pumpkin, we joined the line for the train ride.  Goodness, to see Isaac hardly walking just a few weeks ago.  Time flies.

The train ride was cheesy and a total hit with both kids.

Isaac wasn’t sure what to make of his cow car until we really got rolling, and then he was all in.  The faster we went, the bigger he smiled.

And Juliette!  Bless your heart for still loving the little things.

Someone was very disappointed when the ride ended.

Would some goats cheer you up, Bud?

Juliette challenged Shane to a race through the pumpkin maze and I hated to let her our of our sight, but we found each other again, eventually.

Ok, this is the last photo of Isaac perched near a truck.

I promise.

For reals!

Juliette and I have a soft spot for ugly pumpkins, so we grabbed a couple of those on our way out.

Whew!  What a journey.

I love a good pumpkin patch, but our (2nd) annual Harry Potter Night is perhaps my favorite October tradition.  Juliette decided to be Hermione Granger for Halloween this year, so she was thrilled to get some extra mileage out of her costume.

We decided that Isaac makes a good Draco Malfoy, with his fair hair and mischievous demeanor.

I was without a witch’s costume, so I showed up as Professor McGonagall in cat form.

Sherbet polyjuice potion and chocolate golden snitches and pretzel wands…wizard treats are fun.

The Rusts showed up in full garb with the evilest of scowls, as Bellatrix and Draco and Crabb and Goyle.

I bought some remote control candles and Shane hid the remote in his pocket, turning the lights on every time Juliette waved her wand and shouted “Lumos!”.  We had the whole party fooled for most the night.  Magic, baby!

The raucous sorting hat ceremony…

And movie time!  Get cozy, friends.

It’s a friendship made in heaven, these two.

October is also good for a simple walk in the woods, away from the Halloween fuss.  We spent a quiet Sunday at Ravenna Park, another one of those places that feels infinitely more accessible now that the West Seattle Bridge is open.

Saturdays were for soccer…

And sometimes Sundays were for coffee shops.  Juliette and I have a new favorite spot and snuck away here a couple of times while our guys were napping.

Soccer and coffee shops are fun, but couch snuggles trump all!

Sometimes snuggles were just because, but sometimes snuggles were because Isaac was sick again.  He’d tote around his thermometer all day and just move from one lap to another.  It was the worst.  But also the sweetest.

But also the tiring-est.  I found this photo on my phone and didn’t even know Shane snapped it – Mama was wiped!

We carved pumpkins on a gray afternoon; Juliette was grossed-out by the guts as always, which only piqued Isaac’s interest.  He was dying to get in there!

And finally, Halloween.  Halloween was good this year.  And also somehow four days long, with festivities Friday through Monday?  There is in fact too much of a good thing, and I think we toed the line!  We started with some small business trick-or-treating at the Admiral Junction, where Juliette donned her witch’s get-up while Isaac tagged along as Crookshanks, Hermione’s fluffy brown cat.

Isaac was a bit confused by it all and stopped every few steps to look up at us with inquiring eyes.

If he knew about the sugar rush that existed inside the paper wrapper, I imagine he would have been much more pumped.

Still, though.  Cutest kitty-cub ever.

We met up with some friends on Saturday evening for a small carnival at a neighborhood church.

Roar, Buddy, ROAR!

We walked over to Juliette’s school one evening for the annual Monster Mash.

It was wonderful to see the tradition revived after a Covid hiatus, to watch the kids run wild together.  But it was also overwhelming – even Juliette, my social butterfly, tugged on my sleeve and asked to head home after an hour.

We reveled in the quiet walk home and then settled in for our annual viewing of E.T.  

Finally, Halloween evening, which felt like a long time coming at this point!  I rushed home from work to get the kids into their costumes and then we headed out to snap a few porch pics and let Isaac ring the doorbell of a few favorite neighbors.

This sweet woman scooped chocolate into the kids’ buckets until they were half-full.

I think Isaac was getting the hang of it?

Finally, his bucket was plenty full and he was ready to call it a night.

Juliette was just getting started, though – she met up with some school friends and we gallivanted around the neighborhood with them until our fingers were freezing and we wanted nothing more than some cozy time on the couch with fuzzy blankets and hot tea.  And some mini Snickers.  Halloween was a smashing success.

And that, friends, was October.  Traditions lived large, with a decent amount of hunker-down time in between.  November, though?  Give me all the hunkering!