little black journal

Holiday season is officially here, ushered in with a cozy Thanksgiving weekend in Portland with my brother and his family.  We rolled up to their house Thursday around lunchtime and settled right in.  Morgan and Elise, how I’ve missed you!

Jules was also thrilled to be reunited with her cousins, hardly leaving their sides for the duration of our stay and whining, “I want to see Morgan and Eliiiiiiiise, mama!” when it was time to head downstairs for nap or bedtime.

While Mitch and Kathryn slaved away in the kitchen on Thursday afternoon, Shane and I gladly took on kid-duty, bundling up the girls and running around with them in the backyard.

I love you, Jules.

The wind picked up and froze our fingers and noses, so we headed inside to drink tea and paint turkeys.

We feasted that night on beef stew and turkey and stuffing and roasted veggies.  We took turns saying what we’re most thankful for, and family topped the list for each one of us.  Actually, Morgan might have said cookies, but I’m sure family was a close second!

Friday morning was chilly but sunny, so Kathryn and I jetted out for a trail run while Shane held down the fort at home.

We came home to a house of stir-crazy girls, so we all headed over to a nearby playground to get the wiggles out.

Ahhhhhhh, that sun!

Sufficiently dosed with fresh air and vitamin D, we were all content to spend the afternoon inside, doing puzzles and reading by the fire.

We went out for dinner that night at a nearby brewpub, threw the kids in the tub, promptly tucked them into bed, and then opened up a bottle of Port to commemorate a day well spent.

Saturday was another gorgeous day, but we got a slow start and let the girls hang out in their comfy polka dot footie pajamas until mid-morning.

Finally, we rallied and drove over to George Rogers Park to check out the beach.

Who says you can’t play in the lake at the end of November?

I think Juliette was wearing thin by this point, a little fatigued by trying to keep up with the big kids.

Luckily, I had a magic fruit snack in my pocket!

Morgan was insistent that we check out the playground, which turned out to be an excellent call, as it was a sunny spot stocked with beautiful new play equipment.

They even had Twister!

Elise and Morgan took turns riding in the back of our car as we went to and fro, and Jules loved having a backseat buddy.

We spent another quiet afternoon back at the house, again curled up by the fire for a book/puzzle/board game bonanza.

We said our good-byes and hit the road to Seattle on Saturday night.  Juliette chattered and sang until finally letting her eyelids fall shut around 9:30, when we were just 20 minutes from home.  Luckily, she hardly protested when I moved her from the car to her crib, too tired to put up much of a fight.  We’d all played hard over the past couple days.  We had run, swung, climbed, skipped rocks, laughed, done that dang monkey puzzle 87 times.  We had found much to be thankful for.

Trick or TREAT!  Since Juliette was such a cute owl last year, I decided to stick with the bird theme and whip up a little peacock tutu and feathered headband this year – I’m no seamstress, but I can make good things happen with elastic, tulle, and a hot glue gun!  Jules was a great sport about the whole thing and donned her “bird skirt” throughout our Friday playdate at the toddler gym.

Those feathered leggings were a lucky clearance find at Old Navy.  Don’t let her face fool you – she was super-stoked about the whole thing.

It was fun to see all of Juliette’s buddies in costume, though Clark Kent looks none too thrilled about having his glasses swiped…

This guy looks like he could be posing for a Fireman-of-the-Month calendar, doesn’t he?

Smile, kiddos!  Or don’t.

Thanks, Jeremy Lin, for indulging me.

That feathered rump!

We laid low Saturday morning, saving our energy for an evening of Halloween festivities at Chez Rust.  This girl woke up from naptime ready to get her trick or treat on.

But first, pumpkin guts!  Jules was fascinated when I popped the top off her pumpkin and pulled out a handful of gooey seeds.  She was also sorely disappointed when I told her she wouldn’t be wielding the carving knife.

One pumpkins were carved, the kiddos (plus Jason) suited up in their costumes and set out on their candy quest.

I wasn’t sure how Juliette would take to trick or treating – I expected she’d be a little nervous about knocking on strangers’ doors, but she boldly marched up to that first house, shoved her hand right into that candy bowl, dropped her chocolates in her bucket, and then ran back to me, eyes gleaming as she exclaimed “I got a treat, mama!  I got a TREAT!”.

Jules had a total blast and I reveled in the whole thing right along with her.  I know, processed sugar and yadda, yadda, yadda, but it’s so much fun to watch her take part in these rituals that I remember loving so much as a kid.  Her gleeful (slightly devilish) laugh as she bounded down the steps from each house was priceless.  And that neighborhood does Halloween right, with lots of super-friendly adults in costumes and spooky spiderwebs on porches.

And…slightly frightening window displays…

After one last treat from Wonder Woman, the wind got the best of us and we called it a night.

We went back to the Rusts and the kids excitedly took inventory of their loot – Juliette ate a lollipop and snagged a nibble of a Snickers bar, which sent her over the moon, but miraculously, thankfully, her candy stash was forgotten by the time we tucked her into bed (which is a good thing, as Shane and I ate all the best stuff out of her bucket while we watched E.T. that night!).  Turns out the thrill was more in the chase than the reward.

Happy Halloween, little bird.  Way to spread those wings.

I think I say this every October (and then again on our first warm, sunny day in May), but Seattle has never looked more beautiful.  I’ve been obsessively toting my camera around (you think?!), wanting to capture every Fall color and texture and hazy glow.

Shane and I were so taken with Ravenna Park when we jogged there a couple of weeks ago that we went back on Saturday for a more leisurely stroll, to wind our way up and down the wooded paths and over the bridges, stopping in open fields of grass for a quick game of tag.

Jules dug around for the biggest leaf she could find and proudly waved her autumn flag.

This. Tree.

And, as icing on our golden cake, a zipline!  Juliette’s new playground favorite.

This season suits her, don’t you think?

On Sunday we set out for our weekly family run, this time at Carkeek Park just north of Ballard.  And once again, Shane’s trail-scouting skills proved absolutely superb.

Mid-loop, we stopped for a breather at the beach – after swooning over all that green and gold, I forgot how much I love blue and gray, too.

We hit the trail for the final leg of our run, not entirely sure where we were going, but…ka-pow!

It was so pretty there that we let Juliette hop back out of the stroller to soak it all in.

Three cheers for Fall!

These colors, this cool, crisp weather – October is killin’ it.  So we’re more than happy to oblige Juliette’s persistent requests for “outside time?  outside time?  outside time?!”.

Last weekend we romped through the Carpinito pumpkin patch with the gang – Juliette went nuts when she saw the mounds of orange and white, momentarily putting down the beloved Percy train she’d borrowed from Nico to grab a pumpkin from the bin.

But ultimately, Percy won.

This was one of those days when I relished her blossoming independence, when it felt so good to sit back and watch her run free.

Juliette is into all things insect these days and could hardly contain herself when she found a little ladybug crawling on this pumpkin.  Simple pleasures…

These boys have become like big brothers to Juliette, contentedly playing magna-tiles together one minute, snatching toys out of each other’s hands the next.  I love watching them grow up together.

Two seconds after I took this photo, the wheelbarrow tipped over.  Whoops.

We finally settled on a long-stemmed beast of a squash, strapped it in the stroller, and called it a wrap, chuckling a little as we reminisced about our less-than-ideal visit to Carpinito two years ago.  We’ve come a long way!

We’re on a family running streak and spent that afternoon zipping down the trails at Ravenna Park – how have we missed visiting this gem in the past ten years?!

Jules and I met up with our pals at Volunteer Park on Friday morning for a go at the playground and a “splash” in the leaf-strewn wading pool.

Turns out dried leaves are a fairly decent substitute for water!

And Juliette’s hair is the perfect Fall camouflage.

Buddies!

I know, Jules – these colors make me feel all warm and huggy, too.

One final embrace for the road…

Ok, I’ll stop now.

Who am I kidding?  More orange and gold magic coming your way – we hit the parks hard this past weekend.  Stay tuned.

I thought about skipping the monthly Jules updates now that she’s two and really not a baby anymore, now that the changes in her seem more gradual, but indulge me – there are a few toddler tidbits that I want to capture in this little time capsule.

Like, holy geez, she’s got a mouth on her!  Not a bad mouth, just an ultra-busy one that rambles on and on and on.  She’s using words that I didn’t even realize she knew, telling me about the owie she got on her sho-der at school and asking for tanger-eeeeeens and reminiscing about that shiny carousel zebra she rode on when we were in San Francisco last month.  When we’re in the car together and she doesn’t have anything specific to tell me, it’s just, “Mama?  Mama?  Mama?  MAMA!!!”, until I acknowledge her with, “Yes, honey?”, at which point she replies, “Uhhhh…Hi, Mama!”  Some of her vocabulary is a little mixed up, which is good for a laugh, like when she gets “sham-poop” in her eyes, wants “busy water” (fizzy water) with dinner, and asks for “pine cones” (pumpkin scones) for breakfast.  She’s parotting Shane and I more than ever, flopping down on the floor with a dramatic sigh and saying, “Oh my gosh, I so tired”, and sweetly murmuring to her doll during pretend diaper changes, “Real quick, baby.  I know, I know…”.

She loves to sing, whether anyone is listening or not – “Twinkle, Twinkle” is currently on repeat (and repeat, and repeat) at our house:

It’s not all sweet twinkle-twinkle’s, though.  Her “assertive” personality is shining through more as she finds the words to express her wishes demands.  Favorite phrases these days are “stay back!” and “just leave it”, said with an upheld, spread-fingered hand and a furrowed brow, usually employed when I’m heading her way to retrieve whatever forbidden item she’s snagged from the counter.  Getting dressed in the morning can be maddening, as she grabs her pants out of Shane’s hands and shouts “Mama do it!”, then grabs her socks from me and yells “Daddy do it!”  I know, labeling girls as “bossy” is taboo in this day and age, and we’re supposed to celebrate our daughter’s excellent leadership potential, but dang, toddler tyranny is not my favorite.

Back to the good stuff: pictures!  Here are a few from our Thursday romp through the Arboretum – I have upped my work hours and am now in the office on Thursdays, but when I can, I slip away a little early so that I can pick up Juliette for an abbreviated mama-Jules day.  She and I can’t get enough of these Fall leaves.

And the requisite N+J photo:

And…just a couple more, because, JOY:

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t wish one hell of a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite guy, the man who keeps our boat on course time and again amidst the glaciers of parenthood.  Happy 36th, Shane.  Jules and I love you so very, very much.

I feel like my last three months of blog entries were a sort of tribute to the glory of Seattle summers, but Fall in the PNW ain’t too shabby, either.  The trees are bursting with color and have shed just enough leaves to coat the ground with a nice crinkly carpet of gold.  Swim season is over, but duck hunting season is well underway – we hop in the car and visit our feathered friends at the Arboretum whenever the sun comes out.

We spent a lazy Saturday there with the Chens, and after the longest short walk ever, as Juliette seemed to run twenty steps backward for every twenty-one steps forward, we staked out a spot near the water to crack open a bottle of wine and watch the sailboats.

Like I said, not too shabby.

My mom and dad were in town last weekend and we spent Friday afternoon at Kubota Gardens – we’d been there just one week earlier with Shane’s mom, but wowsers, it had gotten even better since then!  Happy Birthday to me!

Such a treat to ring in my 34th year with this crew and these colors.

Saturday was rainy, rainy, rainy – we hardly left the house and were all feeling completely stir-crazy by Sunday morning.  Thank goodness for a sun-break!  Off to the arboretum again!

My mom and dad headed back to Oregon on Sunday afternoon while Shane, Jules, and I went for a jog along the trails at the Redmond Watershed Preserve.  Juliette happily bumped along the wooded path with Shane, singing songs while I huffed and puffed to keep up.

We saw a couple of horses on the trails, and three days later, we’re still hearing about them.  “Horsey go poo-poo on his bottom, mama!”

Thanks, October, for being awesome.

Shane’s mom left yesterday after a week-long visit – it was a full few days, packed with parks and sight-seeing and plenty of at-home Lego-building and choo-choo time.  We’re missing her today – Juliette’s first words when we came downstairs this morning were, “Where Grandma go?!”  I know, kiddo, it was awfully fun having her around…

Last Sunday was a beautiful Fall day, so we rented a boat at UW and paddled around Lake Washington.  It was a little windy out there, and the water was a little rougher than we anticipated, but after some frantic rowing on Shane’s part, we made our way to the calm, sheltered waters of the arboretum.

Juliette couldn’t resist leaning over to run her fingers through the water, but Grandma kept a firm hold on her life jacket to make sure the rest of her stayed dry.

This photo captures our crossing back to the dock so well – Juliette and I snapping pictures while the wind whipped our hair, Shane grimacing with each stroke of the paddle as he struggled to keep us on course.

Whew!  Made it!

Shane went to work on Monday while the rest of us headed to the zoo for some animal-gazing.

We lucked out and saw most of the animals up-close, from giraffes to hippos to these magnificent tigers.

And penguins!!!

Juliette loved the flamingos and did her best to mimic their one-legged stance.

We said good-bye to our furry and feathered friends around noon and headed home for naptime – Juliette snoozed the afternoon away but woke up ready to get back at it, so we caught the last of the day’s rays at Jefferson Park.

Juliette went to daycare on Tuesday while Shane and his mom did some sight-seeing, and then stayed home with Grandma on Wednesday for some bonding time (which didn’t go quite as planned, stubborn Jules!).  Thursday was Grandma-Mama-Jules day, and the three of us spent the morning at the mall and the afternoon at Luther Burbank Park.

Shane biked over after work to meet up with us and have his own go at the playground.

The four of us were together on Friday and decided to spend the cool, gray morning indoors at the Museum of Flight.  This kid looks ready to fly, doesn’t she?

We headed to Kubota Gardens in the afternoon and wandered down the tree-lined pathways, soaking in all the greens and reds and oranges.

Tuckered out.  Finally.

We said good-bye to Pat yesterday morning, with lots of hugs and a few tears.  Thanks for making the trek out here, Grandma!  Thanks for riding along with us so patiently on the roller-coaster that is toddler-hood.  For loving Juliette so fiercely.  Come back soon.

Fall officially starts on Wednesday, but it feels like it rolled in about a week ago – skies have been gray, mornings have been chilly, leaves have been losing their green with each passing day…  Thankfully, we made the most of what turned out to be the last blazin’ day of summer a couple of Saturdays ago, renting kayaks and hitting Lake Union for a spin with the Chens.

When we were told that the kids would have to sit in their own seats, we paused for a moment – Juliette’s not one for sitting still, and I wouldn’t be within arm’s reach to restrain her.  What if we got out on the water and she didn’t like it?  What if she tried to jump ship?

Or…what if she loved it?!

(And then still threatened to jump ship?)

Although Juliette’s insistence on testing the water made Shane super-anxious, and although I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to steer with the foot pedals and directed La Verne’s and my kayak into oncoming speedboat traffic a couple of times, we had a blast out there.

Sweet Jesus, that sun!  Already feels like a distant memory…

Soak it up, Nico!

We made it safely back to the dock, relatively dry and a little pink-cheeked.  We grabbed a table at Agua Verde and raised our margaritas to the end of my most favorite Seattle season.  And now the nine-month countdown begins.

Two.  TWO.  Jules up and turned two on Monday, just like that.  Where’d my squishy little baby go?  I miss her.  Luckily, I like the silly, adventurous chatterbox that’s taken her place a whole, whole lot.

We kicked off the celebrations on Sunday, with a birthday-eve donut and gifts after church with the Rusts.  Gryff still calls her “Baby Ju-Ju”.  I’m going to let him ride that wave for as long as it lasts!

Sunday afternoon, we hopped on Lightrail and made our way to Safeco Field for a Mariners Game with our buddies.

Juliette refused to sit still for more than about five seconds and spent the duration of the game running back and forth in the fortuitously empty row of seats behind us.  Despite her limited attention span, a good time was had by all!

It was run-the-bases Sunday, so we all headed down the field after the game to let the little ones go wild.  Juliette took off the minute she hit the dirt and we had to wrangle her back in, reminding her to wait her turn.

Finally, she hit first base, and she was off!  She was completely taken with the moose mascot when she spotted him from way up in our seats, but once she saw him up-close…not so much.  Pardon the chaos at the beginning, but dang, this video makes me laugh.

Made it, in record time!  So proud.

Nico, on the other hand, took the “home run stroll” to a whole new level and walked the bases.  Way to soak up the glory, kid!

Gosh, this crew.  There’s a lotta love here.

All through dinner, Jules excitedly chatted about her day, exclaiming “I run da bases, mama!  Scary moose!”

And then, somewhere between dinnertime and bathtime, all hell broke loose.  She didn’t want to get out of her highchair, and she didn’t want to get into the tub, and she didn’t want to get out of the tub, and pajama time was a fight, and heading upstairs was a fight, and toothbrushing was a fight…she was yelling and hitting and at 7:15 we plopped in her crib, said a very exasperated “I love you.  GOOD NIGHT.”, and walked out as she screamed bloody murder.  I don’t know if she was crashing from that donut, or if the day had plum tuckered her out, or if she wanted to get a jump-start on the terrible twos, but ho-ly crap.  Total monster.

Monday, Juliette’s actual birthday, was a work/daycare day, but I made her favorite meal for dinner and let her swipe a couple of finger-fulls of icing off her cupcake before snatching most of it away and risking another sugar-induced meltdown.

And, praise the Lord, she was a total delight that evening.  The previous night’s drama was quickly forgiven.

When I asked Juliette old she was, she proudly shouted “TWO!”, but she has the damnedest time holding up two fingers, so this photo will have to suffice.

We resolved to get her just one gift this year let her tear into her new easel after dessert.  She was wide-eyed and open-mouthed before even understanding what was inside the box – joyful surprise comes so easily at this age!

She spent the rest of the evening scribbling away – it’s so gratifying when a child’s gift is a complete hit.  Counting on this thing to get us through some rainy winter days.

A couple of cards from the grandparents, a few more happy birthday hugs and kisses, and then we called it a wrap and tucked our two-year old into bed for the night.  Agh!  TWO.  Still letting that sink in.

Today when I heard Juliette stirring after her nap, I went up to get her and rather than reaching for me, she said, “No, mama go!” and ordered me right out of the room.  I left, a little bit hurt (and a little bit thankful for a few more minutes to myself), and headed downstairs to watch her on the monitor and see what my big girl was up to.  She rolled around in her crib for a bit, fussed with her blankets, and then stuck her finger way up her nose.  She pulled it out, inspected it, and then put that finger up in the air and yelled, “MAMA, GET MY BOOGIE!”  So I guess she still needs me, after all.  There’s comfort in that.

Happy birthday, little lady.  It’s been one heck of a year.

It felt so good to pull up to Amanda and Josh’s house on Thursday afternoon, unstrap Jules from her carseat, and tell her she was free to wander through the house, to run through the backyard, to go enjoy the luxury of space after several days in a hotel.  Coincidentally, my dad was in town for work through Friday and was able to pop over that evening for a visit.  Juliette ran right into Grandpa’s arms, as if we’d left their house in La Pine just last week.

Juliette and Sadie were fast friends – they woke up Friday morning ready to play hard and get dirty.  So dirty.  (Look at those feet!)

Amanda and I have a ritual of visiting our favorite discount shoe warehouse every time I visit and thought it was time to inaugurate our daughters.  They loved it, pulling shoes off the shelves and strutting down the aisles in sneakers and sandals and bright pink boots.  Girls after our own hearts.

Turns out Juliette has a flair for flashy footwear.

Sadie and Jules were attached at the hip throughout the whole day, saying a very tearful goodbye once their bath was over and it was time for them to settle into their separate beds.

Poor Sadie woke up with the flu on Saturday morning, so Shane and I took Juliette out to Knights Ferry to give her buddy a play break.

We scaled a few rocks and found a perfect little nook down by the water to get our feet wet.

I know, the Central Valley isn’t known for it’s beauty, but it has its gems.  This is one of them.

There’s a beautiful old covered bridge over the river – a perfect RUNway for Juliette.

Sadie perked up in the afternoon, much to Juliette’s delight.  My delight, too, as I was tired of pushing that car around!

This girl really doesn’t like to wear clothes.  My word, though, can’t blame her for wanting to show off that belly.

A few friends came over on Saturday evening for backyard pizza and some quality catching up.

GIRLS.  Old friends and new!

Sunday morning was go-time – Sadie and Juliette squeezed in a few more precious moments of playtime, and then we said our sad good-byes.

Amanda and I remarked over how hard it is to miss watching each other’s daughters grow.  But our girls make these annual visits extra-special, make us feel extra-close as we share in each other’s mothering joys and struggles and anxieties.  Amanda’s so good at getting me, so genuine in her exclamations of, “I know what you mean!”, so wonderful at offering advice without even the slightest twinge of condescension or judgement.  I miss her already.

Sunday was a long day of travel, but we made it back to Seattle without any major hiccups, thankful for a week free of illness or sleepless nights, a week so full of adventure and beauty and time with friends.