I’ve always looked forward to my mom and dad’s visits to Seattle, but I’ve longed for quality time with them even more in the years since I’ve had Juliette.  It’s a good feeling, watching people love your kid, and grandparents are especially good at doting, at hugging and playing and bearing witness to the fact that you have the sweetest, smartest, most amazing child on earth.
Thankfully, grandparents are also good at keeping their cool when that sweet kid turns into the whiniest, clingiest, most tantrum-prone of toddlers.  Jules was on a definite mood swing rampage this past weekend!  Way to keep it real, kiddo.  So maddeningly real.
But hey, let’s dwell on the highlights:
We had a good time running along the blossom-lined sidewalks of Lake Washington Boulevard on Friday morning.
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On Saturday we all hopped on Lightrail to take advantage of the recently-expanded tracks and catch a ride to Capitol Hill.
We spent awhile at Cal Anderson – Jules hit the playground while my mom and I sipped our tea and coffee from Caffe Vita.
When Juliette was feeling stubborn and disagreeable, we found that the only tear-free way to move her along was for Grandma or Grandpa to challenge her to race. Â On your marks, get set, GO!
We spent the rest of the afternoon at home, sidewalk-chalking, kicking the soccer ball around, and cracking open cold drinks on the back porch.
Sunday was another beautiful day, so we ventured to Kubota Gardens for a green-and-pink fix.
My mom and dad hit the road back to Oregon on Sunday afternoon. Â As we said our good-byes, I felt that overwhelming urge to plead Juliette’s case, as she’d had another doozy of a morning. Â I wanted to shout, “She’s usually not like this, I promise! Â She’s such a sweet, funny, affectionate little girl! Â She loves you so much but is just having a hard time showing it!”. Â I bit my tongue, though. Â I mean, they’re her grandparents. Â They know the drill.