little black journal

Juliette turned to me when we were walking home from lightrail the other evening and said, “Mommy?  I’m sad because the leaves are coming off the trees.”  I feel ya, kiddo…it was indeed one heck of a summer.  In addition to the camping trips and the family vacations through the mid- and north-wests and that fun impromptu getaway at the coast, there was much savoring of summertime in Seattle as we made sun-soaking part of our weekend routine.

After years of insisting that I am not comfortable on two wheels, family bike rides became a new favorite pastime.  We did Lake Washington Boulevard and the Sammamish River Trail and the Burke Gilman and, on one gorgeous Sunday, a 6-mile stretch of the Green River Trail.  One of the advantages of hauling Jules in the bike trailer is that we can also load it up with a picnic lunch for a mid-ride break!

Friday family dinners with the Rusts have become a mainstay in our calendar, rain or shine.  Shine is extra-good, though, when we can pick up BBQ and eat outside.

Jefferson Spray Park continues to be the perfect place for a close-to-home cool-off.

And oh, those evenings at Lake Washington…those are what I’ll miss most as the weather cools.  We’ve always loved the lake, but since we bought our paddle board, we’re enjoying it all the more.  This girl looks good in a life jacket!

THIS.  I want more of this!

But alas, seasons change and daylight wanes, so we’ll find new ways to fill our weekends.  Frisbee golf shows some promise as an autumn hobby – the three of us ventured out to Lakewood a couple of weeks ago and while I usually play the part of the observer so as not to embarrass myself, I took some pointers from Shane and after a few holes, my discs were consistently traveling in the forward direction!

Still, I have nowhere near the power of this animal…

After frisbee golf that day, we all headed over to Pioneer Square to check out some of the early happenings at the Seattle Design Festival.  I was perplexed when Shane said he really wanted to see the 10-ton ice cube, but I’ll admit, it was cool.  Ice cool.  I so appreciate this guy’s knack for finding out-of-the-ordinary ways for us to get out together.

And now, all ten tons of that ice have melted and we’ve started wearing jackets when we leave the house.  Sayonara, summer 2016.  You were dope.

That girl has gone and done it again, turned another year older in what feels like the blink of an eye.  What an emotional roller-coaster the past week has been!  And I’m not talking about Jules…  I’m feeling all the feelings – melancholy over how quickly time seems to be passing; pride in the kind, exuberant girl she’s become; joy in watching her revel in the gifts and the cupcakes and the special time with friends; total disappointment that tantrums apparently don’t end at age two…  But the over-arching theme has been one of gratitude, for Juliette and for sunshine and for friendship.

We partied at Jefferson Park last Sunday, celebrating with wiffle ball and pizza and a few of Juliette’s buddies.

I think (or desperately hope, at least) that she has inherited her dad’s natural athletic ability!

Juliette was just about to take a whack at another one of Jason’s pitches when she stopped mid-swing and cried, “my balloon!”

Sure enough, that giant number 3 had come untied and was floating away to never-never land.  Juliette was super-bummed, but I promised her we’d do our best to find it later (and then I promptly ordered another from Amazon…).

Holy crap, they’re cute.

How do you end a perfect evening?  With a warm embrace from a cherished friend…

I snuck into Juliette’s room the morning of her actual birthday and tied the new balloon to her bed – I’ll never forget the wide-eyed look of wonder on her face as she whispered in disbelief, “Mommy!  It came back!”

Shane and I took her out for a bakery treat at Fresh Flours before dropping her off at school – I told her she could have anything in their beautiful pastry-filled display case, and she chose…yogurt and granola, which is what she eats at home every single morning.  Routine for the win.

We walked over to her classroom and I spent a little extra time with her before drop-off, wanting to ease the good-bye and give her a tear-free start to her third year (sadly, it didn’t work).

I may have left her bawling in the morning, but when I came to pick her up, she was livin’ large, strutting around her classroom with this giant birthday crown on her head.  I told her it was time to head home and she asked if she could pleeeease stay a little longer so that she could head out to the playground with her new friends.  I happily obliged.

I eventually coaxed her home and we packed some snacks and our beach gear for dinner by the lake with Shane, La Verne, and Nico.

Make a wish!

I watched these two taking in the sunset together and it was almost too much to bear, knowing that not only had our girl’s second year come to an end, but also that these summer nights by the water are numbered as Fall quickly approaches.  SIGH.

They clearly weren’t too broken up about it.

Inevitably, we tell the kids sure, they can put their feet in, and one of them ends up soaked.  Poor N was much more distressed by his wet cupcake than he was by his wet clothes, though.

Jules had a few gifts to open back at home, so we set up a throne for her on the back porch and let her tear into them.  Gift-giving is so much fun at this age, as she’s equally excited by a flashy new game and a practical package of underwear.

Happiest of birthdays, Juliette Grace!

I’ve been going through our photos and videos of the past year, putting together the highlight reel, and gosh, we played hard during age two – we sledded and danced and swam and camped.  I also read Parenting Without Power Struggles and made a New Years resolution not to scream at my child, but really, two was a blast.

And now it’s time to get on board with three.  THREE.  I expect three will hold more dancing, more hilarious chatter, more adventure.  More milestones, too – in the past few days, Jules has said good-bye to diapers and learned how to count to four in Spanish!  Yep, our daughter is THREE.  I’m liking the sound of that more and more.

This is it…one last update on our two year old, as she turns a whopping THREE tomorrow at 9:03 am.  The latest and greatest:

 

She’s a regular comedian these days, making us laugh whether she means to or not.  A few recent gems:

Said first thing in the morning (with a chuckle), as I walked into her room:  “Mommy?  Daddy doesn’t have any boooooobies!”

Said when I asked her if she had room in her belly for dessert, since she’d just eaten a bunch of chicken:  “I have room for dessert!  The chicken is in my bottom!”

Said when I asked her if she had any dreams the night before:  “Yeah!  I had a purple dream, and a pink dream, and a black dream, and a blue dream!  And there was a brown lion and he said ROARRRRRR!”

Said when we were out on a walk and a short white guy passed us on his bike:  “Mommy, what’s his name?”  I don’t know, hon.  “I think that was Johnny Cueto!”  (Johnny Cueto is a (tall, black) pitcher for the Giants, who we hadn’t talked about for weeks.)

Said with the utmost enthusiasm whenever she’s about to ask for something she knows I might say no to:  “Hey!  I have an idea!”

And then said when I invariably cave and tell her she can watch a show or have a snack:  “Yeah!  It’s going to be great!”

 

Speaking of the fact that I’m putty in her hands, Shane likes to play the hardass and “set firm limits”, but who are we kidding?  If I remember correctly, this was going on about 30 minutes after we’d told her it was time to get in bed…

 

While she seems to derive a certain amount of satisfaction from making her dad and me crazy, she’s surprisingly uncomfortable when Shane and I turn our frustration on one another.  If I get the least bit snippy with Shane, Jules is quick to ask, “Mommy?  Why are you being mean to Daddy?  Daddy, are you sad?”  The other night at dinner, when Shane and I got into what I would call a “friendly debate”, Juliette put both hands up in the air and shouted, “Hey guys!  RELAX!”  Looks like we’ve got a little peace-maker on our hands…I never would have guessed.

 

She’s fascinated with spiders and slimy creatures and all things creepy-crawly – snail and slug hunts are a new favorite pastime.

Furry guys are cool, too, if they don’t bark or jump or outweigh her.

 

She continues to be frustratingly independent, insisting on shutting her own car door and buckling her own car seat and pouring her own milk.  But she’s also acquired some fun new skills along the way, like learning how to draw faces:

And how to nibble her foods into letters (“It’s an M for Mommy!!!):

 

We pull out the Magna-Tiles every couple of weeks, and puzzles will hold her interest for 15 minutes at a time, but Purple Baby continues to be the tried and true favorite.

 

She loves playing restaurant and will take our order at anything resembling a pickup window.  This is from our camping trip back in July – so nice to have my “morning coffee” served to me while still in my sleeping bag!

 

Favorite real foods include pistachios, watermelon, and tacos.  That’s our girl!

 

Perhaps most significantly, we said good-bye last month to the teachers and classmates that Juliette has come to love over the past year and a half.  An opportunity presented itself at a great new preschool a little closer to home and we decided after much heartache to expand Juliette’s horizons a bit.  I second-guessed our decision on her last day at her old school, as Jules gave the biggest, warmest hugs to her teary-eyed teachers.  This place was so good to her!

She started at the new place last week, and it’s been…a little rocky.  Some dramatic drop-offs, some reports that she’s had a tough time eating or napping, but she’s always smiling when we pick her up at the end of the day and when we ask her if she likes her new teachers and playground, she responds in the affirmative.

Plus, she loves the new commute!  Morning train ride with Mama, evening bike ride home with Daddy!

 

Finally a random smattering of pictures I haven’t known what to do with…

A family stroll through Schmitz Park:

The face she made when her Dad asked her if she wanted to go look for Pokemons:

A post-market blackberry binge:

Seward Park shenanigans with her best bud:

The requisite wink shot…

 

Happy two years and 364 days, Juliette.  It hurts my heart a little to watch you grow so quickly.   Hot dang, though, kiddo – you’ve become an exceptional cohort.

 

We had a couple of things on the agenda on Friday, the first of which was COFFEE.  I loved everything about Sisters Coffee Company, from the velvety lattes to the deer heads mounted on the wall.  Perfect spot for a proper Grandma-Mama-Jules date.

Around the corner from the cafe is a beautiful little quilt shop – we popped in to drool over fabric while Juliette excitedly pointed to all the pretty “blankies” on the wall.

Once we’d painted downtown Sisters red, we drove over to Smith Rock for a good dose of nature.  The desert landscape was stunning and in such sharp contrast to the densely wooded Metolius River we’d strolled along the day before – this place is like the southwest of the northwest.

Lord knows I love green, but it turns out brown can be gorgeous, too.

I spy Shane and Jules…

We made our way down to the base of the rocks and then I peeled away from the group to hike up and over the cliffs.  Juliette wasn’t thrilled about being left behind, but the summit was calling my name!

I breathlessly scampered to the top and then paused for a couple of minutes to take in the view.  That spire on the left is called Monkey Face.  It took me awhile to figure out why, and then I made out the strong brow and small mouth facing out of frame – see it?

Kudos to Central Oregon’s weather for being so good to us that week.

It was a quick, steep descent down the backside of the mountain to the quiet river below.

I hooked up with Shane, my dad, and Jules and we stopped to eat our lunch in a patch of shade.

I sometimes wonder if this girl understands how lucky she is…

Hey, buddy!

We made it back to the car just as Juliette was on the verge of crashing.  I thought she might doze on the way home, but there was just too much exciting stuff flying by the car window.  Like these alpacas!  I spotted those adorable little babies and asked Shane to slam on the brakes.

I want one.

We got back to the house and immediately passed out for a solid family nap – it seemed that a week of adventuring had caught up with us.

Rested and refreshed, Shane and I skipped out before dinner for a little gin tasting at the Cascade Street Distillery.  We finished a gin/vodka flight and a round of cocktails in the space of about 30 minutes – don’t we look happy?

There are few things this guy loves more than walking out of a liquor store with a hefty box in his arms.

We ate dinner at the house and then made the short drive over to Sisters Meat and Smokehouse for a dessert of beer and beef jerky.  When in rural Oregon…

We had breakfast in town on Saturday morning and waved to the deer that grazed in the field near the house.  I sure was going to miss these guys!

We said our good-byes and hit the road to Portland around 10:00.  First, though, one more deer spotting…

And one more Sisters latte!

We popped by Suttle Lake on the way to Mitch and Kathryn’s.  Calm, clear water, a recently renovated lodge, and a lawn full of games – we’re already looking at making reservations for this place for summer 2017!

We arrived in Portland late afternoon and kicked back on the porch while the girls partook in a joyous reunion.

Ok, I kicked back.  Uncle Shane is just too fun to stay out of the fray.

Morgan and Jules enjoyed a little downtime before dinner…

And then really revved it up after dinner for a pretty intense dance party.  Miley Cyrus for the win!

We squeezed in one final adventure on Sunday morning before heading back to Seattle, loading up the bikes and scooter for a ride across the Tilikum Bridge.

I had my doubts about whether or not Juliette could make it across the whole thing, but she rocked it.

We ended our ride at Elizabeth Caruthers Park, where the girls splashed in the fountains, hoodies and all.  65-degree weather be damned!

And with that, Schnell Family Tour de Oregon 2016 was a wrap.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for showing us the sights and stoking those backyard campfires and making us feel so at home in your little corner of northwestern paradise!

We left La Pine Wednesday morning, full of energy after a hearty breakfast and a round of veggie-rich green smoothies (seriously, thanks, Mom!).  We decided to take the circuitous route to our rental house in Sisters and make a stop at Hosmer Lake, as I had heard that the super-clear waters were a good place to paddle board and kayak.  We had a little trouble finding the one small stretch of non-marshy water access, but once we landed, Shane pumped up the board, Jules buckled her life jacket, and they were off!

They took a quick spin around the inlet and then came back to pick me up.  I wasn’t convinced that our inflatable board would support all three of us, but we managed a family loop and landed back at shore with only slightly wet butts.

Since I was coming off four days of single parenting, I figured it was fair to ask Shane if I could sneak away for a solo paddle while he and Juliette ate lunch on the shore.  He happily obliged and I set off to find my SUP-mojo.

Found it.

I made my way through the channels, getting stuck in the reeds only once, while Mount Bachelor soared in the distance and rainbow trout glided beneath me.  The water was so clear.  So quiet.  So perfect.

I rowed like hell back to Shane and Jules once I realized how long I’d been gone and then plopped myself down on a log to sip the jar of Rosé my mom had thoughtfully packed in our cooler.  Jules gulped down some of Grandma’s home-brewed Kombucha, and then we were off to Elk Lake for another water fix.

We spread out our blanket on the rocky beach at Elk Lake and splashed for a bit.  It was gorgeous there, but Juliette was much more taken with the ice cream the kid next to us was eating than she was with the scenery.

So we caved.  Ice cream for the win!

I told her she had to share her scoop of salted caramel with her dad.  Which she did, happily.

And then she swiped the rest of my mocha almond cone…  I really need to learn how to say no to this kid.

But she lays it on so dang thick!

We joined my mom and dad in Sisters later that afternoon.  We’d blown past naptime and had a little time to kill before dinner, so Shane set up his tent in the backyard for Juliette to play in.  When we asked her a couple of days ago what her favorite part of vacation was, she said, “Being in the tent!”.  Two year olds can be so wonderfully easy to please.

We ate dinner and drank beer at Three Creeks and then Shane tucked in a wiped-out Jules while I headed out with my dad to snap a few photos of that gorgeous country evening light.

Fields and mountains and sage brush…this is the stuff of my dreams.

We kicked off Thursday in “downtown” Sisters, which consists of a few blocks of charming shops and eateries.  We met up with a couple of college friends for coffee, did the bakery circuit, and scored a like-new one-dollar Thomas the Train book for Juliette at the thrift store.

We drove up to the Metolius River later that morning to check out the fish hatchery and walk along the water.  We pumped our quarters into the fish food dispenser and watched Juliette toss handful after handful of pellets into the tanks.

She could have fed those fish for hours.

When we ran out of quarters, Shane got thrifty!

Finally, we pried Jules away from her fish friends and headed down to the bridge.

I’ve never seen a river this color before – aqua and foamy in the fast-moving parts, deep deep blue in the calmer waters.

Juliette looks a little concerned, doesn’t she?

That’s better.

We ate lunch on the banks of the river and watched the water change colors as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

Digging his new aviators…

And I know, I’m gushing, but these colors.

We walked for a bit, sat for a bit, and then headed home.

While on his bike ride earlier that week, Shane had met a guy that described the Metolius as “magical”.  I now see what he meant!

We ate burgers back at the house and then grabbed a beer at the pub around the corner.  Doesn’t my dad look thrilled to have a drinking buddy?

We took the long way home, watching the clouds roll in over the mountains and waving to a few deer that hung out in the field across from the house.  I love Seattle, but…I could get used to this.

Up next:  a rocky hike and some more time with the cousins!

Just as the post-vacation sheen from our time in Minnesota was beginning to wear off, we packed our bags and headed out again, this time for a week in Central Oregon with my parents – I love August!

To break up the seven-hour haul to La Pine, we spent last Friday night in Portland.  Bonus: a quick catch-up with Morgan and Elise!

My dad was in town and joined us for a brew-pub dinner with the kids.

These girls may have had one too many beers…

We enjoyed a leisurely Saturday morning at the house, soaking up the cousin time.

And then Shane strapped on his bike helmet, packed (and repacked, and repacked) his bags, and tossed me the car keys – my stud of a husband set out on a four-day 200-mile bike-packing trek from Portland to Bend!

See you on the flip side, hon!

Meanwhile, my dad, Jules, and I made the relatively short (but still sooooo long) four-hour drive to La Pine.  We were greeted by my mom and Bernie and quickly settled into life among the trees – evening strolls in the woods and subsequent bucket baths to wash away the dust that sneaks between your toes.

Sunday was warm and sunny, so my dad and I took Juliette to the Sun River Aquatic Center for a dip in their pools.

She dug it.

So did I.

We dined that night at La Pine’s finest Mexican joint and then hit the local playground for a sunset romp.

That wink!

As we turned onto my mom and dad’s street that evening, we spotted a deer and hopped out to say hello.

It’s so nice to let this little spitfire run free on the traffic-less open roads…

We came back from our deer hunt to find a campfire roaring in my parents’ backyard.  This is the face of a kid that knows without a doubt, fire=marshmallows.

Jules and I woke on Monday morning to the smell of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon (thanks, Mom!).  I think this guy wanted in on the breakfast action:

Fueled by caffeine and home cooking, Juliette and I headed out for a morning run/deer hunt.  No bucks spotted this time around, but we did encounter a very sweet bunny and several bushy-tailed squirrels.

We spent the afternoon out at Cultus Lake, paddling and floating and splashing.  This may be my favorite of the several Cascade lakes we’ve visited - a large, shallow bay with ultra-clear water and then the prettiest rich turquoises as you paddle further out.

She’s a great first mate.

We’re still making use of the cheap little floaty boat we bought for Juliette two years ago – she cruised around the shallow waters for nearly an hour.

We missed having Shane around, but…mama-Jules time was pretty special.  We’d start out each naptime laying side-by-side, and then Juliette would snuggle a little closer, and then put her head on my chest, and eventually just stretch out her whole body on top of mine, whispering, “I want to be close, Mommy!”.  Homegirl is gettin’ heavy, so I eventually had to roll her off of me in order to catch my breath, but those few minutes brought back such sweet memories of her baby days.

Post-nap, Juliette “helped” Grandpa man the grill for dinner…

And post-chicken, savored one more gooey s’more.

This is the point at which I realized I was in for one heck of a bedtime battle…

Juliette got her final wiggles out with a bike ride to the neighbor’s house to deliver some leftover chicken and then we called it a day.

A fun-filled, dirt-packed, joyous kind of day…  Someone fill a bath for this kid, stat!

Tuesday morning we had one main objective:  head to Bend and FIND DADDY!  We met up with a tired, slightly scruffy Shane at Drake Park around 11:30.  Jules shouted “Daddy!  Daddy!  My daddy’s here!” as he rounded the corner and then bounded into his arms – it was quite the reunion.

We sat on a park bench for a few minutes to have a drink and hear the major highlights.

Shane had rocked his ride, covering 200 miles and some serious elevation gain with his tent, sleeping bag, and food strapped on the back of his bike.  I’m so proud of him.  And so glad he got his adventure-fix – it’s good to have him back with us!

We laid low in the afternoon, tossing the ball around with Jules and letting her roam a little on her bike.

The weather was perfect for a river-side stroll, so after dinner we drove over to Wyeth Campground to watch the sun go down on the Deschutes.

Juliette did some bird-watching while her dad skipped rocks.

I love the pine trees and the water and the frequent deer sightings, but man, that Central Oregon dust makes for some seriously grimy feet!

Jules spent a little quality time with Bernie on the back deck when we got home, and then there were baths/books/bed and a morning good-bye to La Pine as we set out for part 2 of our vacation, at a rental house in Sisters, Oregon.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a perfect few days at Grandma-Grandpa camp!