Winter was made bearable this year with our January getaway to Winthrop and a blissful February week in Maui (more on that later) – snow-breaks and sun-breaks do much to ease the gray-sky doldrums. And in-between, when we don’t have the luxury of skipping town, we still do our best to get out of the house and catch a breath of fresh air. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually breaks in the rain around here – I’ve got photos to prove it!
Isaac has been getting well-acquainted with each and every West Seattle playground over these past couple of months. Though he’s not able to do much more than lean back in the baby swing, Juliette is eager to show him the ropes and will always offer him a lap-ride on the slide if he’s up for it. Delridge Park has become a new favorite, mainly because there are pickle ball courts there and Shane gets his own form of play-time while we hit the swings.
Seahurst Park down in Burien was stunning on a sunny Sunday.
I’m so glad that Juliette still loves the swings.
Isaac is…still getting the hang of it.
Her face when she looks at him is everything.
Alki forever! Juliette and I headed down to the beach for a scooter/walk one afternoon while Isaac was napping, then treated ourselves to boba.
We went back a few days later with brother in tow and hit up Whale Tail playground.
And…more beach boba. Isaac was feeling very left-out, so I sat in the sand, leaned back on a piece of driftwood, and nursed him while I savored my jasmine milk tea. Something for everyone.
Lincoln Park on a sunny day can’t really be beat.
Also, Lincoln Park’s baseball diamonds are the perfect place for Juliette to field some grounders in preparation for her Spring softball kick-off.
Hiwatha is great for the variety of playground equipment. And the proximity to coffee / hot chocolate at Met Market. Juliette and I have our priorities!
Her big grin and his little tongue.
…and Hiwatha today, while Shane and Juliette watched a Little League game at the ball field.
Westcrest is a playground we’d forgotten about until I started aimlessly scrolling the map of West Seattle looking for green spaces. We met the Rusts there on a Saturday afternoon and climbed, zip-lined, swung, and played catch.
How many photos do I have of her pushing him in a swing? Probably two hundred.
And counting.
We went to the Walt Hundley Playfield in Highpoint yesterday, again lured by Shane’s pickle ball obsession. A group of little girls invited Juliette to play with them and they did a few rounds of hide and seek together, but in the end, she just wanted to push Isaac on the swing.
Shane and Juliette ventured to the mountains a few weeks ago for a bluebird day at Snoqualmie. I stayed home with Isaac (and took him to the playground!) but loved getting pics of these two living their best ski life.
We’re still settling into Isaac’s nap schedule and often find that he needs a short doze around 5pm to get him through to bedtime. I often need to get out of the house around 5pm to make up for a day of sitting in the rocking chair with little buddy. Cue the evening stroller nap!
(I can see the days getting longer – hallelujah!)
Though we’re making a solid effort to embrace the outdoors, we still spend most of our time cozied up inside, watching pickle ball tournaments (I’ve stopped fighting it), reading books, and listening to the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat (we’re about seven years late to the game, but Juliette and I are obsessed).
Juliette and I look for little ways to make the long days special, like chocolate-covered strawberries and the sweetest table scape on Valentines. On Friday nights we do face masks and watch a movie or an episode of Queer Eye. Yesterday she dressed to the nines to go get a haircut. She’s so great at making her own magic.
Cheers to being over the winter hump! We’ll be seeing cherry blossoms in no time.
