Still catching up on the highlights around here – this picture is a couple of months old now, but I wanted to make sure I gave a proper Little Black Journal shout out to…ARCHIE!!!
Shane’s Aunt Val and her dog Archer spent a few days with us at the end of March, and Jules soaked up the lovin’ from them both.
Ok, I’m not sure how reciprocal the affection was, but still, this is one patient pup!
We missed them both the moment they left. I’ve known Val longer than I’ve known Shane (she introduced the two of us), and she’s family through and through – felt nice to have a little extra bustle in the house for a few days.
I feel like I had a disgracefully inactive winter, but Shane and Jack slogged through their Saturday training runs together and completed the Mercer Island Half Marathon for the 6th (?) time in March. This cheering squad, though!
Also, we got out! In Belltown, no less! We’ve found a couple of sitters in our neighborhood, which has opened up our social calendar a bit. We dined on tapas and then went out for drinks with the gang – I offer these photos as proof that we actually do stay out after dark on occasion. (P.S. We were home by 10.)
The Jarrell clan came to stay for a night in mid-April, sending Juliette over the moon with cousin joy.
We spent Sunday at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma – Elise and Juliette carefully charted our route while Shane picked up our tickets.
The aquarium exhibits are my favorite part of this zoo and the octopus was particularly showy on this day, hanging out front and center while waving its wild tentacles.
Stingray-petting was Juliette’s hands-down favorite.
Juliette brought her little point and shoot camera and took about a thousand photos. Like mama, like daughter…
The three amigas! I’m thankful for these quick catch-ups with them.
Juliette joined me at the office on a Friday morning for Bring-Your-Kids-To-Work day, where she built marshmallow structures and drew on the walls and hula-hooped in the kitchen.
She walked away with a personalized laser-cut bookmark and some very big dreams of being an architect one day. Well-played, P+W. Well-played.
April was full of quality buddy-time, in the form of bike rides and play dates and sidewalk shenanigans with the neighbors. Juliette had a couple of friends over one afternoon and I was super-impressed by how independently the three of them played a board game together. These kids are getting so grown-up!
…But are still so wonderfully silly.
Easter felt like it came especially fast this year, and we arrived home from a week-long vacation on Easter Eve. Still though, Shane and Juliette managed to read through all of her Storybook Bible during Lent, and I managed to hide a few jelly-bean-filled eggs around the house on Sunday morning.
After church, we gathered at the Rusts for our annual egg hunt and potluck.
This group started hanging out when we were all young and child-free…
Now, look! I heard Emily exclaim during this photo, “You guys! Look what we all did! Good job.”
We were so, so happy to have our beloved Hickories back in town for the week. We’ve missed them like crazy since their move to Colorado last April.
These dads are some of Seattle’s finest.
And Gryff, you are the big brother Juliette’s always wanted. We love you!
We were graced with another full weekend of sunshine after Easter, so we gathered the crew at our house for hot dogs and Spike Ball.
Man, I love a sunny Spring weekend – you know it’s just a teaser and that rain will resume within a few days, but that dose of Vitamin D awakens a certain excitement within me that seems to go dormant in the winter. Summer is right around the corner!
As much as Juliette loves talking Mario and Bowser with the Rust boys, it was apparent on this evening that she also very much enjoys the company of lady friends.
The kids busted out a live dance-along to Let It Go while we ate dessert…
And then kept the performance going. And going. Juliette can be quite timid when put front-and-center, but not on this night.
Definitely not on this night. You do you, Jules!
Finally, the grown-ups couldn’t resist the urge to get in on the action and cranked up Hey Ya for a serious dance party. Then there was Ace of Base, some Ice, Ice Baby, I think even a little Wilson Phillips? I saw the Funky Chicken and some White Man’s Overbite, a lot of shimmy-shimmy-shake-shake. We’re so old, you guys.
These are the smiles of Spring, people. We’ve made it!
