Archive for the ‘seattle’ Category

One last homage to the 2023 holidays!  We arrived home from Portland the day after Christmas, quickly unpacked then repacked our bags, then headed to the airport early the next morning to catch our flight to Minnesota.  Schnell clan, here we come!

We had asked Shane’s parents what they wanted for Christmas and when they said, “Just a hug from our grandkids”, it felt awfully good to respond with, “YOU GOT IT!”.  Isaac and Juliette made themselves right at home.

It was a bit too cold to do a lot of playing outdoors, but we managed to get out for a walk to the mailbox on Thursday.

Isaac appreciated the chance to get some wiggles out.

Buddy refused to keep his mittens on and bravely rolled a snowball with his bare hands.  He’s tougher than I am!

I was hoping for a fresh couple inches of snow while we were there, but Juliette made do just fine with the dusting that was left from earlier in the week.

The rest of the day was spent rolling matchbox cars up and down Isaac’s makeshift box ramp, baking Grandma’s famous sour cream cookies, and playing cards with Aunt Tiff and Uncle Jason.

The sun came out on Friday and so Isaac and I hopped in the car and drove to the park while Juliette and the other grownups went to see Wonka.

It was a beautiful afternoon, but still frigid, so we did a quick tour of the playground equipment, ran a couple of laps on the lawn, and then bolted back to the car.

We warmed up at Caribou Coffee with a steamer and a latte and I very much enjoyed sitting across the table from Isaac and just taking in his array of facial expressions as he sipped his milk (mmmmm….nommy!) and flipped through his animal flashcards (lion…roooooaaaar!).  This felt like one of my first real sit-down dates with my boy and I believe he’s on the way to becoming a pretty respectable cafe companion.  Oh, the places we’ll go, Bud.

Back at the Schnell homestead, we walked through Grandpa’s corn field and then the kids took a spin with him in the side-by-side, which Isaac lovingly calls The Tractor.

We eeked out one more Christmas lights visit that night and walked through a display in town, stopping to pet the glittery deer and pose with blinking Santa.

Back at the house, we ate fried chicken and wrapped our arms around Hayden, who had just rolled into town with her boyfriend.  Cousins together and it felt so good!

Saturday was wide open – plenty of time for card games and matchbox cars and laying low with loved ones.

And laughing.  These three had the giggles.

Shane whupped us at Polish poker.  And was not so humble about it.

Juliette stopped laughing!

After much pleading from Isaac, we got out for a family ride in the side-by-side that afternoon.  We just went up the street and back, but Isaac treated it like the adventure of a lifetime, grinning throughout.

We made a quick run into town to peruse the toystore – Grandpa had slipped the kids some Christmas money and we picked out a sweet stuffed deer for Isaac and a stuffed fox for Juliette as mementos of the week.

Ok, I thought we were done with lights for the year, but Tiff pitched a visit to another big display outside town and you know I’m a sucker for the twinkle!

Back at the house, we played more games, ate more cookies, and savored our last snuggles.

We got an early(ish) start on Sunday and said our sad goodbyes to Denny and Pat, but then said a happy hello to Shanay near Minneapolis before checking in at the airport.

We’d done a lot of coming and going that week, but Isaac and Juliette were such troopers.

This was Isaac’s best flight yet – he had a snack, ran his orange Hotwheel car up and down my arm for a few minutes, and then crashed out on Juliette’s lap while watching Star Wars.

MADE IT!  Happy New Years Eve, folks.

Our NYE evening was quiet – we were tuckered and turned in well before midnight.  Felt good to wake up at home on New Years Day, turn on the fireplace, and bust out the train set.

That said, we did have places to be later that morning.  These two were polar plunging!

Juliette nearly bailed at the last minute, but I pep-talked her pretty hard and she peeled off her sweatshirt and beanie just as the first folks waded into the freezing water.

Isaac looked on from the shore, intrigued and a little bit concerned.

Wouldn’t be a true polar plunge without a few tears!

I’m sorry she cried, but I’m proud of her for pushing through.  You’ve got more gumption than your mama, Juliette Grace!

Isaac asked to go in the water, so I peeled off his shoes and socks so that he could understand this wasn’t really a Maui situation.  One toe in, and he got it.  “No thank you, Mama!”

For the record, she was quite proud of herself as well.

We’d had rain-checked our family brunch with the Chens and Rusts due to Isaac being under the weather in mid-December, so we gathered after the plunge for our makeup festivities.

After tucking into Nancy’s famous almond torte, the kids did some very serious house-building with gingerbread and frosting.

And then, presents!  Always so much laughter and gratitude when we gift-give with this crew.  Isaac got to go first, as we went youngest to oldest, and he was thrilled with his squishy dinosaur from the Chens.

No stuffies for these teens…skate shop gift cards and light-up drumsticks it is!

Ahhh…cheers to the coziest of kick-offs to a brand new year.

 

December…more plaid jammie time, more morning snuggles.

We decided to skip the formal Santa photo op this year, as Juliette’s getting a bit old for it and Isaac is a bit timid for it, but it was fun to run into Saint Nick on an evening walk near the West Seattle Junction and I did convince Juliette to cozy up to her hat twin for a quick pic.  We were in the neighborhood to grab a couple of gifts and it was so festive that night, with roaming Santa and carolers in front of Bakery Nouveau and the Better as Brass crew tooting out All I Want for Christmas Is You.  Just a typical December Thursday…I love the holiday season.

Juliette’s Winter break began on December 15th and we celebrated with the opening of a single Christmas gift.  I knew she would want something fancy to wear over the coming couple of weeks and this new dress from Grandpa and Grandpa went straight from the gift bag onto her body!  Girl loves a good outfit.

We also celebrated the onset of break with another Christmas tree slumber party.  I never sleep quite as well as I hope on these nights, yet it’s never a disappointment.

And the mornings after!  I love a good Saturday morning blanket nest.

December 16th!  Recital day!  Juliette started in-person piano lessons with a new teacher a couple of months ago and we’ve been anticipating her first real recital ever since.  It’s a great motivator to practice, plus girl loves the spotlight (whether she’ll admit it or not).  After many at-home rehearsals and a multitude of nervous butterflies, the big evening arrived and Juliette strode up to that stage with such grace and bravery.  She played O Christmas Tree and Square Dance without a hitch and I couldn’t have been prouder.  She’s a star.

We relished the rest of that weekend at home to be quiet and cozy, as we knew we’d be Portland-bound early the next Saturday.

We keep a couple of Santa hats in a basket by the tree and I get a little giddy every time the kids pull them out.  Isaac’s Santa impression includes a booming HO, HO, HO!, shouted while he swings his arms and scratches his armpits like a monkey.  It works for him.

Juliette and I baked cookies…

And then she got very crafty with this mobile Mistletoe holder, which she dangled over Shane’s and my heads with a plea to “Kiss!  Kiss!”  Then Shane kissed me and she promptly told him to stop.  Parents can be so gross.

I worked most of that week before Christmas, but signed off a little early when possible to hang with Juliette, as she did a lot of self-entertaining during the day.  We picked up Isaac early on a foggy afternoon for a coffee shop date.

Visiting neighbor Dave’s driveway menagerie of inflatable characters became a regular part of our day.  Isaac would look out the window on the regular to see if the dinosaurs were “awake” (inflated).  If yes, he was desperate to go give them pat-pats.

What a mini wonderland…

Juliette and I requested a return trip to Bellevue’s Snowflake Lane parade, as it had been a few years, and Shane obliged and drove us all over there on a free evening.

It was crowded, but Isaac had a seat with great sight lines.

(Shane, meanwhile, couldn’t see anything!  Hehe…)

The parade was as cheesy and glittery as ever and Isaac ate it all up, getting particularly giddy over the dancing polar bear.

Plus, the people dressed as Nutcrackers hand out lollipops?!  Score.

It was…a lot.  I’m not sure this scene is totally our jam anymore, but we went, we saw, we survived.

ASTRA LUMINA, however!  This is a traveling light exhibit that recently landed in West Seattle and I snatched up tickets for Juliette and me on a Thursday night.  We got to saunter through the different installations at our own pace, hot cider in hand, and it was all pretty magical.

It looks like Juliette could start levitating at any moment…

This giant disco-looking ball was my favorite and we stood near it for several minutes, watching it shimmer and change color.

Top night.

I took off the Friday before Christmas so that Juliette and I could make our final holiday preparations together.  We picked up our last couple of gifts, baked pumpkin bread while watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women, and joined Isaac in his classroom for craft time and treats.

We let the kids open a few gifts from their Minnesota family that evening to lighten the load we’d carry down to Portland.  Isaac didn’t entirely understand the gift-opening concept last year, but this year…he’s on it.

Thanks, Aunt Tiff and Uncle Jason!

(And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!)

That smile…and so much more fun to come, Buddy.  So much more.

The holiday roundup!  It’s been a merry few weeks and I’m fighting a pretty fierce case of the post-Christmas blues, but I’m also feeling immensely thankful for home and family and health and for the spirit of wonder that lives in both Isaac and Juliette.  I don’t take for granted this cozy cocoon we’ve woven.

The gratitude meter officially kicked into overdrive on Thanksgiving Day – we spent a lazy morning on the couch, watching the The Grinch and eating the pumpkin bread that Juliette and I baked the night before.

And then we got on with the business of meal prep – Juliette took her usual post as cranberry sauce maker and pie glazer while I chopped veggies and peeled potatoes.

Desserts complete, we took an outside break to enjoy the sunshine and kick the soccer ball around.

And then a nap break, because we believe in giving ourselves in the gift of rest on holidays.

Shane kept the kids out of the kitchen after naptime so that I could finish up the potatoes, Brussels, and salad.  It’s amazing what I can pump out when I don’t have a toddler underfoot!

A quick pre-dinner cocktail break…

And LET’S EAT.  We’ve made a tradition of picking up BBQ from Peco’s the day before Thanksgiving and warming it up as our meat main.  Easy-peasy and a bigger crowd-pleaser than turkey.

Turns out Isaac was more thankful for yogurt and applesauce than anything else this year.  More ribs and mashed potatoes for me!

I’m mostly thankful for his multitude of facial expressions.  We laughed extra-much that evening.

A post-dinner stroll, to let the food settle and to visit the neighborhood bear.

Dessert hour…

And more snuggles while the kids finished The Grinch.

Shane, Juliette and I watched Little Women after Isaac went to bed, as we do every year, and Juliette and I cried our eyes out when Beth died, as we do every year, and I felt like holiday season couldn’t have possibly gotten off to a sweeter start.  What a perfect day with my favorite people.

I’m a stickler for tradition, but sometimes I can be flexible, so when Shane asked if I’d be interested in trading our annual pilgrimage to Mountain Creek Tree Farm for a fuss-free artificial tree, I said I’d think about it.  We found a lovely prelit fake fir at Costco and Shane promised a mountain hike in lieu of the tree farm, and so it was a done deal.  We bundled up and drove out to Gold Creek Pond the day after Thanksgiving for our consolation mountain time.

No regrets.  It was frosty, but so beautiful.

Once we hit the sunny side of the lake, we stopped shivering and were able to kick back a bit to throw rocks and explore.

Not too bad, huh?

We grabbed a brewpub lunch on the way home and Shane raised a glass to the fact that he didn’t have to stress about securing a tree to the top of our car.

That afternoon we unboxed our tree and pulled out our Christmas bins.  I love watching Juliette discover our treasure trove of decorations year after year.

Isaac learned the word “snowman” and has been toting around this mask on the regular.

Eggnog toast while we tree-trim and listen to Charlie Brown Christmas!  Some traditions live on.

I’m a fan of simple white lights, but this tree comes with a color option and an option to flash from white to color every few seconds, which Isaac loved.  He stood there for several minutes yelling GO! over and over, convinced he was changing the lights on command.

Shane got to work on the rooftop while Isaac shouted “Daddy!  Get down!”.

And then Juliette and I slept by the light of our tree.  Let the Christmas vibes roll.

Morning brought reading time in our living room blanket nest…

More shouting at the tree (the remote has since been hidden)…

And Isaac’s first viewing of The Polar Express.

Evening walks are so much fun at the holidays, complete with snowman hugs and Santa high-fives.

My mom spent the first week of December with us and Isaac really loved the evening Facetime calls with Grandpa.

And the Menashee House!  Such a wonder.  Isaac could have spent a couple of hours here, counting the Santas and watching the toy train run its tracks.

What a gift this family gives to West Seattle each year.  Talk about sparking joy!

That first weekend in December brought craft time with Grandma (homemade gift tags for the win!)…

More loving gazes at the Christmas tree (I love it too, Buddy!)…

And a living room piano recital, in preparation for Juliette’s first real recital later that month.  Juliette learned a whole smattering of Christmas tunes and it made me so happy to hear the tinkle of O Christmas Tree and Deck the Halls and We Wish You A Merry Christmas during her evening practice.  Sweetest-ever soundtrack as I folded laundry or read Isaac his bedtime stories.

(What Isaac lacks in technique, he makes up for with style.)

More evening light walks…

And a few final snaps with Grandma before she headed back to Idaho.

I spent the second weekend of December with Nance and La Verne on our annual Ladies Getaway.  This year we opted to venture a little further than our usual digs at Cedarbrook in SeaTac and booked a room at Suncadia Lodge.  We almost bailed on our plans when we saw the dumping of snow in the forecast at The Pass, but we pressed on and I’m so glad we did.  Cue the Cozy!

We lunched at Basecamp Cafe in Roslyn and spent a couple of hours chatting over our soups and sandwiches while fluffy flakes fell outside.

Quick market stop for chips, canned wine, and chocolate…

And then we got settled in our room, where we lounged and laughed.  We took a short walk to see the grounds and then ate dinner at the Lodge, but my favorite memories of that weekend are the time we spent sprawled on our beds, telling stories and eating chips.

These friends…I hope this tradition lives on forever, no matter where we live or how old we are.  I believe it will.

Whew!  Made it to mid-December!  And plenty more joy (and so many photos) still to come.

November!  I know the seasons officially change today, but November very much felt like the closing of Fall and the beginning of Winter.  We started the month with our annual Harry Potter Night, complete with friends and treats and sorting hat cupcakes.

Pink frosting means…House Gryffindor!  Perfect for our little Hermione…  My cupcake, on the other hand, was filled with green.  Yikes.

And to keep the good times rolling, the Chens invited Juliette and I on a walk-through of the Harry Potter Experience a couple of weeks later – we convened in Bellevue and chased our kids past Platform 9 3/4 into the Potions classroom and then onto the Quidditch pitch.  The magic lives on.

November brought the end of soccer season, and Juliette went out with a bang.  We spent our open Sundays kicking the ball around at Hiawatha…

And then watched the practice pay off on Saturday game days.  Juliette had three killer games in a row, scoring three (then four, then FIVE!) goals in each game.  She’s a beast.

Rightfully proud of herself.

Isaac is chomping at the bit to join the team.

But in the meantime, he’s an awfully good cheerleader!

Another parent captured these action shots on the girls’ last game, and these pics say it all…

Congrats on a stellar season, Fuchsia Fighters!

Fall park days!  Get the leaf-peeping in while it’s good!  We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at Volunteer Park, basking in Capitol Hill’s golds and oranges.

THIS KID HAS SO MUCH LOVE TO GIVE.

And then more traipsing through the leaves near Hiawatha while Shane and Juliette did soccer drills out on the fields.

Requisite November Lincoln Park pics:

And a crisp Saturday afternoon on the West Seattle water taxi.  Shane dropped us off at the West Seattle dock, we sailed to downtown, then strolled through Pike Place Market where Uber-Dad picked us up.  Thankful for a guy that chauffeurs our mini-adventures.

(Hat hair, don’t care!)

And some backyard fun to round out our playtime…

Finally, November meant the official onset of Cozy Time.  Lots of hibernating done last month.

(Isaac’s snuggles are sweet, but often devolve into a wrestling match.)

MATCHING JAMMIE SEASON!  We’re ready for ya, Holidays.

Again, what starts out sweet…

Later, Fall.  Winter is so definitely here.

October!  Paris was of course the major highlight, but Shane and Isaac deserve some airtime, too.  We kicked off October with a quick weekend trip up to Bellingham to finish up Isaac’s passport/Nexus pass application at the Blaine Custom’s Office.  Plus…pumpkins!

Apples were actually the main attraction at Bellweather Farms, so we bought a bag to fill and boarded the tractor trailer for a ride out to the orchards.

His little hand on her leg…

So, about U-pick with a toddler…works much better with raspberries than apples!  He filled our 9-pound bag in about two and a half minutes, wonderfully proud of himself and also confused when we told him he was doing too good a job.  Make it last, Bud!

Since our apples were picked in under five minutes and we had a couple more hours until our passport appointment, we took our time saying hello to the cows.

And then ran same extra laps in the Gala aisles.

Boy down!

Sampling the merch…

Juliette said it was the best apple she’d ever had.  I agreed it was perfectly juicy and crisp, but also, the whole of experience may have added some extra flavor.

Still T minus 90 minutes to appointment time…corn maze it is!

Isaac passed his global entry interview with flying colors, we grabbed a quick bite, and then settled into our hotel for swimming and movies.  Mission accomplished.

We breakfasted early the next morning at Old Town Cafe, where the pancakes, mimosas, and toy-packed play area were all a hit.  Something for everyone!

We drove over to the waterfront after breakfast to throw rocks and have a go at the playground.

The previous day’s tank top weather was already a distant memory…we jumped back in the car and then Isaac fell asleep as I was giving Shane directions to a coffee shop where we could warm up, so we decided to quit while we were ahead and hightail it back to Seattle.  Quick trip.  Easy-ish trip.  Good trip.

October brought more soccer, and more time on the sidelines with my favorite fan.

It’s great when Grandma comes and can take a turn on toddler-duty so that I can focus on sister.  Juliette snagged the ball with just a few minutes to go and ran it down the whole field for a goal.  Isaac did 47 laps on this log / balance beam situation.  They’re both winners.

Lately Saturdays are for soccer games, and Sundays are for kicking the ball around with Shane and Isaac at Hiawatha.  Juliette’s got soccer fever and I think her brother is catching it.

My parents spent some time with us in October between a couple of east coast trips – it’s nice to live near an Alaska Airlines hub.  Isaac taught my dad a few things on the art of accessorizing.

And both kids lapped up the time with extra playmates.

Shane had a birthday and we got out to Fonda la Catrina for tacos and laughter with our crew.

We saw the Taylor Swift Eras movie and all loved it in equal measure.  Or maybe Shane loved it the most?  Anyway, it was fun.

And we did our usual park circuit.  Lincoln in October is such a gem.

I spent the last weekend of the month in Florida with my parents attending my grandma’s memorial service.  She passed away in August and I’m so thankful I had to the chance to spend time in the presence of people that loved her so dearly.  I met some distant family members for the very first time and connected with cousins that I haven’t seen in decades.  Nothing but the kindest things were said about Grandma that weekend and it was all true.  She was resilient and kind-hearted and open-homed.  She was entrepreneurial and courageous and hopeful in the face of challenge.  She WAS the goodest and faithfullest servant.  She loved seashells and flowers and even when dementia robbed her of her memories, her kind-hearted nature prevailed.  Love is her legacy.

I have fond childhood memories of my Florida beach visits.  I took a long solo walk one afternoon at Indian Rocks and felt sad and thankful all at once.  Rest well, Grandma.

The end of October also brought Halloween season, complete with giant spiders on the neighbor’s fences and trees…

(Isaac wasn’t a fan at first, but when he felt how soft this one was, he tried to pull it down to give it a hug.)

We picked up a couple of pumpkins from the corner market after one of Juliette’s soccer games and then got down to the business of carving.

Isaac was given a marker and a packet of stickers rather than a blade and told to make his pumpkin pretty, but he wasn’t buying it.  What Juliette was doing looked way more fun.

Or did it?

Such drama!  Get in there, girl!

She pawned off the dirty work on her little brother.  And he loved  it.

Seriously.  I couldn’t get his arm out of there!

At some point Isaac started putting the guts back into the pumpkin so he could pull them out again, and I let that go on for awhile, but eventually we needed to get down to business.

Mission accomplished!

When it came to Halloween costumes, Juliette rejected all of my cute woodland-animal ideas, but her eyes lit up when on a whim I suggested Cruella Deville.  I think it was the promise of red lipstick that had her hooked.  Isaac was a Dalmatian and of course was adorable, but somehow, so was his evil villain of a sister!

We did the neighborhood with Isaac and it took all of one stop for him to get the gist of the gig.

TRICK OR TREAT!  MORE PLEASE!

My dad wasn’t intending to trick or treat himself, but when a neighbor offered him an IPA, he wasn’t about to turn it down.

The porch with the cackling witch statue was not so much a hit.  Isaac still points to that house out our front window every couple of days and says, “keery!!!” (scary).  I assure him that the witch has left and then he brightens up with, “all done keery!”.

Again, we quit while we were ahead.  Isaac was trying to eat his candy as quickly as it was being dropped into his bucket, so we called it after just a few houses.

Juliette, though, was just getting started.

She met up with her buds and the moms and I spent an hour or two drinking tea from our travel mugs while our girls ran from door to door.

Happy end of October!

…and happy December?!  How did that happen?!

I almost skipped this September recap, but then I saw Isaac in these sunglasses and decided I want these photos in our family journal…

Coleman Pool!  We made it happen this year, on the last day of pool season – they shuttered this place for Fall the very next day.

So glad we seized the 85-degree day – if this isn’t Seattle summer bliss in a snapshot, I don’t know what is.

It was hard to coax Isaac out of the water, but his teeth began to chatter and I wanted to get a dry towel wrapped around him.  Glad I packed the special snacks.

Isaac and I spent a little time with the new Lincoln Park mascot while Juliette and Shane finished this swim.  This troll installation is beautiful – I’m looking forward to watching her age with the forest.

Feel that summer breeze running through your fingers, kiddos.  Fall is (was) coming; I recall that temps dropped 20 degrees the next day.

Case in point:  sweatshirt weather at Alki Beach on Labor Day!

The world really is this boy’s oyster – he’s climbing and digging and exploring a bit more freely, also falling and getting scraped up more freely, but bruised knees are a part of summer.

Sweatshirt beach days…we make it work.

This feels like entirely old news at this point, but Juliette started fourth grade last month and is loving it.  She’s in a fourth/fifth split and has one of her closest buddies in her class.  She does after-school jump rope club on Wednesdays and after-school coding club on Thursdays and her favorite recess activity is “taking long walk around the playground and talking with her friend, S”.  She currently wants to be a second-grade teacher when she grows up.  Requisite first day pics:

Some random hammock snaps:

And a Sunday trip to the Puyallup Fair!  Juliette and I are fair-fans but have missed it the past three years – we felt like it was time to inaugurate Isaac.  And Shane, for that matter – he’d never been (places with large crowds of people are not so much his thing).

Fly like the wind, Shane and Juliette!

Shane and Juliette loved their twirly swing ride and Isaac was still dozing in the stroller, so Juliette and I bought another pack of tickets and took a spin on the single swings.  Get ready, Girl!

We’re getting hiiiiiigher…

Pure joy.

And pure peace.

Once Isaac was awake, we wandered over to the animals to pet the newborn piglets and the pygmy goats.

These little guys were less than a day old!  Mama looks tired.

This was the highlight of Isaac’s day.

HI, COWS.

This plastic cow-milking simulation was entirely weird, but funny to watch.

The faux egg-collecting game was a hit.

A couple of ice cream cones, a quick zip through the hot tub display, and we called it.  I think we checked all the fair boxes, minus the corn dogs, which Juliette just couldn’t get on board with.

And finally, September brings soccer season.  It’s great to be back on the sidelines with my fellow cheerleader.

Juliette’s team is the Fuchsia Fighters and they’ve got as much (more?) spunk than ever.   Juliette scored a heck of a goal at her last game and I was that mom jumping up and down from the sidelines, waving my arms with glee.  It’s my own form of cardio these days.

Onto Autumn!

We just spent an afternoon at the apple orchard and I was feeling very on-board with the onset of autumn, but looking back at these photos from peak summer, I can’t help but long a little bit for tank top weather…

August was full, with our Minnesota trip and and a long weekend in Hood River (more on that in another post), and poor Isaac’s strep/flu/ear infection trifecta in between, but we still found our little joys on the home front.  My mom spent a lot of time with us in August, making trips partly to help out while Shane and I alternately traveled for work, but also just to spend some time with the kiddos.  She joined us at the playground and coffee-shopped with Juliette while I was at work and often had dinner on the table at 5:30.  Come back anytime, Mom.

We did a quick overnight on Bainbridge Island to watch Shane and Jason compete in the Founders Pickleball Tournament.  I never get to do quite as much spectating as I hope to do on these trips, but wrangling Isaac is its own kind of fun, I guess.

A photo of the mixed-doubles GOLD team on Saturday with their biggest fan:

I spent Sunday morning with the kids at this sweet little cafe / nursery and sipped my latte while Isaac chased the resident cat among the plants, murmuring “More meow? More meow?”

And then we headed to Faye Bainbridge to play for a bit, because I knew Shane and J were in the tournament for the long-haul and we had some extra time to pass.

We make a decent trio.

We were back at the courts with plenty of time to watch the guys clinch their gold.

CHAMPIONS!

(It was a windy ferry ride home.)

We spent a lot of time at Lincoln Park, bouncing between the playground and wading pool.

It’s only a few inches of water, but on a hot day, it does the trick.

And the backyard hangs…so much time spent on our picnic blanket out here, watching cartoons or eating popsicles.

And it turns out Grandma is a ladder ball champ!

We amped up the backyard action the last weekend of August with a campout for Juliette and her buddies.

Isaac crashed the party early the next morning and was met with four adoring fans.

And suddenly it was time to do our back-to-school shopping!  Juliette pushed her napping brother around in the stroller while I grabbed flared jeans and rompers off the racks of Target and Marhshalls.  On with Autumn.

July!  Berry-picking and pool parties and pickleball, oh my!  The photo recap:

Juliette and I let Isaac tag along on our annual pilgrimage to Remlinger Farms for raspberry picking early last month, when the berries were PEAK.

Juliette showed Isaac the ropes and he quickly learned how to find the juicy ones, but very few of his berries actually made it into the bucket.


But to be fair, Sister did a fair amount of sampling the merchandise herself.

Get in there, Bud!

Nailed it.

Some friends of ours hosted a pool party on a Sunday afternoon and Isaac went wild over the water – he’s tolerated swimming before, but on this particular day he went full-on water baby.

Mid-July was fraught with a Nasty case of hand-foot-mouth (capital N!), but the moment Isaac’s rash cleared up, we jail-broke and walked up to California Ave to watch the West Seattle Parade.

We got there early, before the action started, and there was a moment when Isaac WAS the parade.  He’s got that friendly wave down pat.

And then, finally!  Fire trucks and dance troups and convertibles driven by local business owners.  It was all very small-town and kitsch and the kids loved it.

Little loves…

When the swag started rolling in, Buddy ate it up.  Not pictured is the beer cozy he wore as a wrist cuff on the walk home.

We had a wide-open Saturday that I had envisioned spending at home, catching up on laundry and yardwork, but by mid-day it was clear that Isaac had other plans.  He wanted OUT.  He’s way, way into buses these days, so I hopped on the C line with the kids and we rolled toward the waterfront to check out the scene there.

We carosel-ed and got ice cream and people-watched (the rickshaw driver dressed as Spidermas was particularly interesting).

Dig in, kiddos!

Getting out with this boy is rarely easy, but it’s worth the effort.

We water-taxied back to West Seattle, where Shane met us for dinner at Marination.  Isaac passed Mass Transit 101 with flying colors.

Mitch and his family came up to Seattle for a brief visit so that Shane and Mitch could play in the Seattle Metro pickle ball tournament.  It was hotter than heck that day and the guys’ matches didn’t quite pan out as hoped, but we appreciated the chance to catch up.

And the following weekend, Shane took Juliette to the PPA tournament in Seattle, where they had front-row seats to watch and Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns take gold in mixed doubles.  I stayed home with Isaac but spotted these two on ESPN!

Juliette couldn’t believe how cool it was, seeing Anna Leigh up close.  THEN Ben Johns came by and handed Juliette a signed paddle and she about lost her mind.

THEN she ran into Anna Leigh at the snack tent and gosh, you’d think she’d just met Taylor Swift, the way she buzzed afterward.

And Hannah Johns to boot!

So happy for these two.  Top day for them.

Isaac missed out on the tournament, but again, he’s a sucker for free swag!

Other highlights include Alki mornings with coffee and scones…

Sunday afternoon bike rides to Good Society for beers and hummus plates…

Fishsticks games with buddies…

And more pickle ball.  Always more pickle ball.  Shane is training up the next generation.

Finally, yard time.  This yard has been our happy place on many a summer evening and weekend, when it’s too hot indoors or Isaac is infected with a rash that should not leave the bounds of our property or we just need to get a few last wiggles out.

(I think they’re having fun?!)

Summer lovin’.  It’s something else.

July is slipping through our fingers like sand (warm sand!), so best get the June photos logged before I’m in over my head with pics of my kiddos in swimsuits and sunglasses…

Shane, Juliette and I found ourselves with a toddler-free day on Juneteenth, as the three of us had no school or work, so we dropped baby bro at daycare and headed northeast toward Wallace Falls for a family hike.

It was overcast that day, but the cool felt good as we climbed toward the falls.

This hike pushed our limits at six miles round-trip, but it was dotted with intermediate lookouts that broke up the journey.  Plus, we felt extra light on our feet without Isaac in tow.

When Juliette’s feet started to drag, we made a game out of seeing how many Harry Potter characters we could name, from A to Z.  Answer is:  88!  We’re into HP World deep.

The money shot / turn-around point…

A few more minutes to contemplatively take in the view / catch our breath…

We made record time on the return trip, each of us motivated by the promise of Blizzards from the Dairy Queen we’d passed 10 minutes from the trailhead.  Whatever it takes!

Three feels nice sometimes.

We spent the following weekend out on the Olympic Peninsula with the Rusts for a pickle ball bonanza in Sequim.  Let tournament season begin!  Shane and Jason talked strategy on the ferry deck while a pod of Orcas played in the distance.

Our AirBnB was farmhouse-y and cozy and the scene of much backyard game-playing.

The Rusts brought their net for some pre-game warmups.  The inclusion of Isaac added a whole new level of complexity to the game.

Game day!  Good luck, Daddy!

I didn’t watch many of the matches, mostly because I was chasing Isaac around the nearby playground, but also because I found I don’t have the nerves for it.  It’s just a game, but oh, I wanted those wins!

Leveraging the beloved bottle to get brother to sit still and watch for a moment…

And a high five for a won match!

Isaac and I were both tiring of the same slide run on the playground by mid-afternoon, so I put the kids in the car and we drove out to a nearby dairy to visit some cows, pet a cat, and eat some ice cream.

Isaac isn’t quite ready for a solo cone, but not to worry – Juliette is an excellent sharer.

One last pat-pat goodbye…

Back at the courts, we found that our crew unfortunately ended the day medal-less, but not without a handful of wins.  Super proud of you, Shane, Nance, and Jason!

Back at the house, Shane clocked in for Isaac duty while Juliette and I did our own dinking in the driveway court.

Dinnertime tickles…

And then more backyard gaming once Isaac was in bed.  We played Spike Ball and lounged in the Adirondack chairs and Juliette brought out her jump rope to school Gryffin and Isaiah on how to do a double-under.

G and Z are teenagers and wanting more and more independence, but there are times when they’re still Juliette’s goofy big bros.  What a joy to all grow old(er) together.  We laughed a lot that night.

Early-morning front yard bird-watching with Buddy on Sunday…

Bacon and cinnamon rollss..

And then a short family hike out at the Dungeness Spit, as Shane didn’t have to leave for the courts till noon.

We only made it as far as the start of the actual Spit, as we’d left our stroller in the car and Isaac walks slooooow, but it felt good to get out together.

Driveway b-ball while the adults loaded the cars…

And then Shane and Jason took to the courts for mens doubles while I took to the beach with the kids.  The Spit was calling us back and this time we made it down to the sand.  The full stretch is five miles long, but we were happy just to cover a bit of it.

Juliette discovered that beached kelp bubbles make a very satisfying pop when stepped on, so the kids spent the better part of an hour racing up the beach, looking for kelp.

Keep up, Isaac!

Seriously though, this game was a thing.

Isaac was quite proud of himself with each and every one.

QUITE.

We hung out for awhile at a pile of driftwood, the kids picked out a couple of perfectly-sized walking sticks for the trek back, and then we zoomed toward the car to watch Shane’s and Jason’s final matches.

Top day.

And pro tip – use the stroller to get as far as the beach!

Back at the courts, Isaac got some skating lessons…

And we found that Shane and Jason were dominating the 4.0 mens doubles scene!

Last year they played this same tournament at only 3.0, so this was a significant jump for them.  They held their own, though, and after a couple of nail-biters walked away with bronze metals!

The last week of June was packed with end-of-the-year festivities at Juliette’s school.  There was her jump rope club performance, where she showed off her months of hard work with a series of double-under/skip-hop/fancy-pants moves.  I didn’t even know such things were possible!

And there was the annual Move-A-Thon, where kids run as many laps as they can around the school parking lot in the space of 20 minutes.  I volunteered as a lap counter and was very proud of Juliette’s get-up-and-go, despite the heat.

Girlfriend was flushed!

There was an outdoor movie night for third graders at the school playground, but when kids realized it was still too light out to see the movie screen, most of them opted for the playground.  Juliette and this sweet, freckled red-head often call themselves sisters.

And the last day of third grade!  I paused at the gate when I dropped Juliette off that morning and reveled in the sight of her stopping to chat with her favorite teachers aide while her friends ran to greet her with a hug.  These school with these kids has been good to our girl.

DID IT!

Isaac toasted to his sister with a backyard popsicle and then we got down to the serious business of summering.

We’re comin’ for you, Idaho!

There’s quite the random smattering in here – June was good, full of small simple pleasures and slightly grander getaways.

We wrapped up May and kicked off June with a visit from my parents – Isaac served up heaping helpings of his homemade broccoli stew to Grandma while Juliette played the part of the card shark with Grandpa.  So fun to have some new playmates in the house!

Sunday morning snaps…

And more playtime!  Plus a free haircut.

My parents are diligent about doing their morning exercises and Isaac was eager to join their routine.  Work those muscles, Bud.

We spent most of Memorial Day weekend in the backyard – almost felt like summer!  Juliette found an old football and learned how to run a handful of plays under the tutelage of Shane and my dad.  Her joie de sports is unending.

We celebrated the high-70’s weather with Isaac’s first Fudgesicle.

He was a fan.

Kudos to Juliette for devouring hers without a trace of chocolate left on her face.  My girl is growing up…

We romped around Lincoln Park for a bit on a sunny evening…

And gave my parents a West Seattle culinary experience when we picked up Pecos bbq to pair with our beer from Ounces.

A water balloon toss with Grandpa…

Followed by another round of Fudgesicles (I bought the big box!).

We had one last dinner al fresco before my parents packed it up early the next morning to hit the road.  It was such a lovely, light few days with them.  We stayed close to home, but loved folding them into our day-to-day.  It was nice to have extra hands on-deck to coax Isaac out of his evening crankies with a silly game of catch or a couple of books.  There were evenings we all just sat around the living room and chuckled over his myriad of facial expressions and admired the way that Juliette sisters him with such grace.  Seattle is beautiful in the Spring, but those kiddos were definitely the main attraction.

I wish I could remember the context of these few photos of Juliette, but no matter…they’re such a good semblance of her striking beauty and delight in life.

We saw softball season come to a close in mid-June, which was bittersweet – I loved watching Juliette on the field, loved sitting on the sidelines with Isaac (when he’d actually sit), but napping on the go has its challenges…

Such focus!  I think he actually spotted a dog in the distance, but we’ll pretend he’s watching his sister warm up in the bullpen.

That’s a wrap!  Proud of you, West Seattle Storm!

In other miscellaneous goings-on, we finished Book 7 of Harry Potter last month, hitting a major milestone in Juliette’s Hogwarts journey.  I initially felt a little sad as we heard the narrator of the audio book utter those final sentences, but this wasn’t the end – the magic lives on as we talk about the books and their characters all the time (like…all the time).  It’s fun to see your kid so immersed in something so magical.

Isaac still helps me water…

And has mastered the art of drying off.

I had a solo Saturday afternoon with the kids while Shane took a pickle ball lesson and we found ourselves at Lincoln Park.  The weather had cooled that weekend, but it was still more than adequate for rock-throwing and crab-hunting.

And snacking.  Boy loves him some freeze-dried mangos.

Soccer season ended a week after softball season and I was left with the same mix of disappointment and relief.

Definitely sad to see this season end – Juliette’s confidence on the field and the communication among her teammates skyrocketed these past couple of months.  We just signed up for Fall league!

Isaac is convinced he’s part of the team.

Shane also found his footing as assistant coach this season, though you can see some kids are more keen than others to study the lineup!

The final game ended up being a zero-zero tie, but we called it a win.  Defense like I’ve never seen from these girls before!

(Coach Dan is THE BEST.)

More backyard meals…

Look at those matching grins!

In farther-from-home goings-on, we spent Father’s Day weekend on Marrowstone Island with the Chens.  When Jack asked how early we could arrive on Saturday, we said we could easily make the 6:45 am ferry.  Very occasionally pays to have an early riser in the family…

We pulled up to the house by 8:30, breakfasted, and then headed out for a walk along the beach.  It was chilly that weekend, but these PNW kids know how to beach in any weather.

Shane found himself on a little island and though he could jump to the rocky bank without getting his feet wet.  Want to take a guess at how that went?

Made for some good laughs, at least.

As in soccer, Isaac had no clue he was on the sidelines while the big kids did their thing.

His oblivion is charming.

Though Juliette is awfully good about bringing him into the fold.

We lunched at Finnriver Cidery, slurping ramen noodles and wolfing down hot slices of pizza while Isaac napped in the stroller.  Such a treat!

 

Cornhole:  Dads vs. Kids.

(Buddy’s awake!)

The grounds at this place are perfect for roaming.

Make a wish, Juliette!

I don’t know who came up with this game, but it’s funny every time.

We spent the afternoon cozied up inside, playing video games and chasing Isaac around the house.

When baby boy really started bouncing off the walls, we ventured out for a pre-dinner walk.

Isaac loves the sound of birds and becomes very surprised/excited when he actually spots one in a tree.  It’s the little things with this kid.

Isaac was up with the sun on Sunday, so I put him in the car, picked up a coffee, and we cruised around the island.  You know we got an early start when Buddy is grabbing his first nap before 8am…

Once he was awake, we pulled up to a nearby beach for an early romp while the crew back at the house rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

He had that puddle-jumping look in his eyes, so I stripped off his socks and shoes before they could get too soggy.

Cold, schmold!

Back at the house, I made chilaquiles for breakfast while the guys opened their Father’s Day cards from the kiddos.  Juliette’s card said “Happy Baller’s Day”.  She’s got Shane pegged, for sure.

One more woodsy walk…

And a porch pic of the Dads of the Day.

It started to rain as we were about to head to lunch, so we instead called it a trip and high-tailed it to the ferry (where the sun came back out, of course!).

Father’s Day afternoon was cozy and quiet, with couch naps and golf-watching and takeout burgers for dinner.  These are few of Shane’s favorite things…

June Part II (HELLO SUMMER!) coming up next…