little black journal

We’re in the thick of Autumn – it’s raining outside as I type and the kids are watching Coco in the background, snuggled under a pile of blankets.  Summer is a distant memory…  But I’m leaning into the change of seasons, finding some comfort in the way we’ve settled into our Fall schedule and thankful for the sun breaks that graced much of September and October.

We spent a September Saturday up in Duvall, running through fields of sunflowers.  We paid our entry fee to Lora Lee’s and went through the gate, expecting to see acres of gold.  Instead, we found a patch of dahlias, which were beautiful, but not quite what we’d imagined.  We followed the signs to the sunflower maze, hopes held high.

And then there they were, just past the corn.  ENTER!

I’d imagined the sunflowers would be several feet tall, but I’m so glad these were minis, given that Isaac took off like a lightning bolt and I counted on being able to keep an eye on his blond bobbing head from a distance.

Top day.

Shane’s mom was with us for nearly two weeks in September and joined us for donut runs and soccer games and morning walks to school.  And lots of evening games of Hearts, once Isaac went to bed.

She celebrated her birthday with us, with drinks at Salty’s…

And apple pie at home.

We still spend as many golden hours as possible outside, at Alki or Lincoln Park.

I spy…a couple of runners.

Isaac is enamored with the barrage of skeletons and inflatable ghosts that have popped up around the neighborhood this month.  He calls them “mookies”, which is his pronunciation of “spookies” and we love an evening spooky hunt.

We found ourselves with a wide-open Sunday a couple of weeks ago and felt very much in need of a family reconnect after a hectic month, so we shoved aside our to-do list and boarded a ferry for Vashon Island.

We found the smallest, sweetest pumpkin patch at the south end of the island and loaded up our wheelbarrow with a pumpkin for each of us.

Score, Buddy!

Smile, Isaac!

Or…don’t, you little goofball.

I know, this just keeps going, but the pumpkin patch photo ops!

Post-pumpkins, we grabbed some treats at Vashon Coffee Roasters and headed to KVI Beach to get some sun and look for shells.

The weather was so good that day.  Some of us shed our sweaters.  One of us took off our pants.

Juliette and I read our books while Isaac brewed shell soup.

Our final stop was Dragon’s Head Cider – this place is heaven on earth on a sunny afternoon.  Hammocks and orchards and Adirondack chairs and crisp, cold drinks…we made ourselves right at home.

Isaac is far from “easy” these days, but we are finding ourselves with some several-minute stretches where we can sit back and watch the kids play without having to worry that Isaac’s going to hurt himself or run away or eat something unsavory.  It feels good.

I favored the Kinsgston Black, but Isaac thought my Columbia Crabapple was particularly nice on the nose.

A dream, I tell you.  Huge shout-out to Shane for being the mini-adventure mastermind – we drove back to the ferry sun-kissed and happy and reminded of just how much we all like each other.  Island time does a family good.

Happy Autumn, friends.

ELEVEN!  It happened. And it was good.

Juliette had a soccer game in Port Angeles on her birthday and the Chens graciously offered to let us stay at their house on Marrowstone Island for an evening, to save us from a two and a half hour there-and-back drive in a single day.  Shane’s mom was with us and we enjoyed cozying in on Juliette’s birthday eve, eating takeout and watching a movie and stepping outside only briefly to enjoy the fresh air and wooded lane.

I made a run to the local market on Saturday morning for pastries and coffee.  A chocolate croissant for the birthday girl…

Isaac wanted to be in on all the birthday action – he clapped the biggest when Juliette blew out her candle and hopped right into her lap when it was time for her to open her gifts.

I see you, Buddy, trying to open that next present!  Rascal.

Juliette made out good this year, with a new pair of rain boots and an iPad to replace the one her brother dropped and cracked several months ago.

She’s nothing if not grateful.

We had a bit of time to lounge and then it was time to gear up and head to the soccer field.

Ok, one quick beach stop first…  Isaac found a little crab and when I asked him to hold it out and say cheese, he yelled, “CHEESE CRAB!” and now we say “cheese crab” whenever posing for pictures.

Sandy spins…

And then we hit the road.  We play a song called Send It before each of Juliette’s games, the beat pumping all of us up as we dance in the car, and Isaac has really leaned into the tradition.

Let’s go, blue!

It was wet during warmups, so Isaac hung in the car with Pat and me for some selfie shenanigans.  Whatever passes the time…

The girls unfortunately did not emerge from the game victorious, but my mega-tray of cupcakes lessened the pain.  A’s for effort and attitude.

We had a few hours of daylight left after the game, so we drove over to Finn River Cidery for drinks and pizza and corn hole.  One of Juliette’s buddies joined us and we had the best time chatting and drinking and running throughout the sprawling grounds.

The kids all rang the Wishing Bell…

And then summited mulch piles and raced through the orchards.

Isaac, Juliette and I tucked ourselves into the backseat and shared a cup of warm mini donuts as we jetted to the Southworth Ferry.  We were all a little sleepy and Juliette put her head on my shoulder as she listened to her audio book.  Isaac gazed out the window with that pre-nap look in his eyes and I just felt so thankful for these kids and our mini-adventures.

It was a gorgeous, golden-gray ferry ride back to Fauntleroy.  Top day.

Sunday was party day.  Juliette decided on a backyard game night, with pizza and cake and music.  She invited a handful of school friends and we opened with Pictionary.  The girls did great, but their guesses grew progressively louder as the game went on – I’m certain that neighbors a block away were wondering about the commotion.

We moved into charades, which was equally raucous, but also a major crowd-pleaser.  Juliette’s buddies each seem to relish the spotlight in their own way, and I loved watching them shine.

Charades devolved into a game of tag and Isaac was let loose and allowed to join the party.  He was in heaven, trotting behind the girls at each turn, convinced he was one of the big kids.

Cake time!

And presents.  I thought this was the point in the party when things would start to mellow, but instead the energy only amped higher as the girls yelled, “Open mine first!  Open mine last!  You’re going to LOVE this one, Juliette!”.

Juliette was spoiled with earrings and bath bombs and gel pens and slime.  Each present came with enthusiastic remarks about where it was bought or how it should be used.  Isaac generally loved being in the mix, but by the sixth or seventh gift he look over at me, his eyes wide and his mouth in a grimace as if to say, “Dude, these girls are intense!”

But they’re also the sweetest.

Happy Birthday, baby girl.  I’m so proud of your compassionate heart and your growing grit, the way you engage so thoughtfully with people and books and new places.  I was at dinner the other night with some friends and as I mentioned something about Juliette, the ladies all started gushing about what a mature kid she is, how she’s so strikingly helpful and kind.  I was inclined in the moment to take her off the pedestal, to remind them that she’s not in fact flawless, but I stopped myself and instead just gushed along with them.  I see her living more and more into exactly who she’s meant to be and it’s perfect.  Bring on eleven.

It’s Fall!  Like full-swing Fall.  But I’ve got a cache of August snaps I just finished going through, so here’s one last glimpse of summer…

I took a few extra days off after we returned from Neskowin to tackle some house projects and spend some extra time with Juliette.  It was bliss – I crossed a handful of longstanding items off my to-do list and relished my afternoons with my best girl.  We drank boba and watercolored and strolled Alki together.  Turns out Seattle is an ideal place to take a summer vacation.

We took a Saturday spin on the West Seattle water taxi to grab a waterfront lunch with my dad.  Public transportation at its best.

Shane and I took the kids to the Sammamish Animal Sanctuary in Renton to visit their goats and llamas and bunnies.  This place was wonderful – they give a home to neglected or unwanted barnyard animals and we had the best time doling out lettuce leaves and carrot sticks.

We spent a weekend on Bainbridge Island for one of Juliette’s soccer tournaments, but the weather was decidedly un-summery.  It rained and rained and rained and we shivered through her Friday afternoon game.

Thankfully, our AirBnB was warm and comfy and the perfect place to enjoy a post-game nap.

And the Harbour Public House!  There is no cozier place to enjoy a cup of beer and a bowl of chowder on a drizzly evening.

It stopped raining just as we were leaving the restaurant and we all felt a little giddy at the break in the weather.

My word, though – Saturday morning was even wetter.  The girls pushed through.  Isaac and I hunkered down in the tent.

And then enjoyed coffee and macarons at Coquette Bake Shop.

The sun came out just as the girls finished warming up for their third and final game.  They ended the tournament 0 for 3, but they kept their heads up and learned a bunch.

It felt nice to take it slow on Sunday morning.  Couch snuggles and cars.

Isaac was smitten with this little recycling truck he’d found in the house’s toy bin and had a very hard time saying goodbye.  Finally, though, he gave it one last kiss, murmured “I love you, truck”, and walked away.  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

And Poulsbo donuts make things brighter.

We took a short walk along the Poulsbo waterfront and I made a mental note to do some more exploring around here, when we have more time and less rain.

We capped off our weekend with brunch in Gig Harbor.  And SUN!

Labor Day weekend was quiet – we decided to spend the last weekend of summer break close to home and ventured no farther than Jefferson Park when we felt a bit antsy.  It scratched the itch – new grass to run around on!  Bigger slides on the playground!

And dandelions as far as the eye could see.

Shane’s mom came to town the day after Labor Day and folded right into our family hub-bub.  We loved having her around – cheers to Grandma time!

Ah, summer.  It’s so hard to see you go.  So long, spray parks…

And spontaneous evening sprinkler runs.

We loved our sunny drives in the big blue car (though Isaac may insist we keep these up through Fall)…

And especially our front yard water fights.

Dump truck car washes…

And beach ball shenanigans.

What a beautiful season, in so many ways.  But on with the business of September.  And school!  Juliette started fifth grade and I realized as I was snapping these pics that we were memorializing her last first day of elementary grade.  Our walks down the street to our neighborhood school suddenly feel numbered.

Although I suppose in a couple of years Isaac will be a sporting a backpack and we’ll do this all over again!  That makes me feel equal parts comforted and exhausted.

“One more hug, Juliette!”

And then, with a final wave goodbye, summer break officially came to a close.  Bring on the pumpkins.