little black journal

Wednesday was art day – Juliette and I decided that we’d visit just one big museum on our trip and when she asked me pick one, I quickly decided on the Pompidou, as I knew she’d like the modern vibe.  Plus, ok, it’s my fave.  First, though, breakfast!

Ah, the climb to the galleries through the glass-tubed escalators.  Such anticipation!

We wandered among the paintings and sculptures, pausing at whatever piqued Juliette’s interest.

And then at my old friends Dubuffet and Miro.

Rooftop views of Rue St. Martin…

And the descent.  Lunchtime!

We lunched in style at the Hotel du Louvre, lingering extra-long over our cold drinks to rest our museum-worn feet.

And since we were in the neighborhood…a quick pop over to the courtyard of the Palais Royale.

Though our morning at the Pompidou had nearly art-ed us out, Juliette couldn’t say no when I asked if she wanted to visit the Galerie Dior to see the designer’s massive fashion exhibit.  I had her at the word “dresses”.

We walked from one display to the next, choosing our favorite gown from each grouping.  Juliette often chose the flowiest, most decorative pieces.  My girl’s got a flair for the fancy.

I was suddenly feeling a little schlumpy in my jeans and sneakers…

Whew…staircase of her dreams.

We were legitimately beat after Dior – the long hours on our feet and the visual overload of art-viewing had zapped us.  But we energy-boosted with pizza, Coke, and a Spritz.  Every time we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a beverage break, I could feel our tanks refilling, heart icons lining up before my eyes like they do on video games when the hero wins extra lives.

And to top it off, hot chocolate from Carrette, which came with an obscene tower of freshly whipped cream.  This stuff was RICH.

But so, so yummy.

Seconds, Jules?  “Don’t mind if I do!”, she said.

It was a short walk to Place du Trocadero from Carrette and we found an open spot to sit and watch the sun go down on the Tour Eiffel.

Wait for it…

It’s happening…

There she is!  All lit up and looking fine.  We walked down to the river, snapped a few photos, and then crossed the bridge for a closer-up view.

We stayed long enough to watch the sparkle show that occurs on the hour, which made Juliette gasp, and then high-tailed it back to our apartment where we once again slept like babies.

Thursday we were up early, out the door at 10:00 sharp (early is relative in Paris!) to catch a train out to Versailles.  Quality coffee to-go is becoming more and more of a thing in Paris and I was glad I’d reserved us enough time to pop into White for a latte and a chai.

We made it to Versaille’s front doors right on schedule, thankful that we’d bought advance tickets and could skip the line that snaked through the courtyard.  We spent the first 30 minutes in the less-crowded wing of the palace, getting a feel for it all.  And it was all unlike anything Juliette had ever seen before.

Eventually we joined the mass of tourists making their way through the Hall of Mirrors.  Such grandeur!

After the 87th gold-leafed, crystal-chandaliered room, we felt like we’d maxed out on opulence and decided to head out to the gardens.

Sitting felt good.

I was surprised to see so many flowers still in bloom.  This was a different kind of decadence and it felt refreshing!

We wandered through a couple of gardens and then let our stomachs lead us back toward town for a market lunch.

We spent much of the afternoon back at the apartment, napping (me) and vegging (Juliette), feeling like we’d most certainly earned our rest.  We rallied before dinner and headed back out to do a little shopping in the Marais.  I took Juliette to Mushkane, my favorite little felted-good shop, where we picked out a couple of trinkets for home.

Then we popped into Matieres a Reflexion to admire their latest jewelry offerings.  Mama got a brand-new necklace!  Happy Birthday to me, one more time.

Shopping buzz…

And then a sugar buzz, from the salted caramel bird’s nest at Maison Aleph.

Ok, and then a Coke buzz at Little Cafe.

Every evening I thought, maybe I’ll pass on the Spritz tonight.  And every evening I remembered that it was summer in October IN PARIS.  Cheers!

We dined in Saint Germain on steak frites at L’Atelier Rouliere, one of mine and LaV’s tried-and-true favorites.  Juliette isn’t the hugest fan of steak, but she admitted that as far as beef goes, it was pretty good.  But the fries…she declared the fries were to die for, so the caliber of our meal wasn’t lost on her!  It was a glittery walk across the Seine back to our apartment.

Bonne nuit, Paris!  Only one more full day to go…

Tuesday!  Tuesday ended up being our big pack-it-in day – we hit a number of sights on our must-see list, knowing that we wanted to leave some open time at the end of the week to see where the wind blew us.  First up:  Montmartre.  Plus croissants.

Croissants with a soundtrack, no less!

I’ve been to this neighborhood several times but always end up getting a little lost, which I love, as there’s always a new discovery.  We wandered into the courtyard of le mur que je t’aime (the wall of I love you) and spent awhile hunting for the English “I Love You” among the 250 languages represented.  Never did find it!  But we felt the love, nonetheless.

Montmartre has the cute cafe scene down pat.

Reading break!  What a luxury to just stop and sit whenever we felt like it.

(Let’s be honest…Juliette sat, I took pics.)

I see PINK.  La Maison Rose is one of my orienting landmarks – I knew we were getting close to the hilltop.

We spent a few minutes wandering among the artist stalls at Place du Tertre, admiring the in-progress portraits.

And then, there she was…

Sacre Coeur is stunning and the view is beautiful, but holy crowds.  The plaza and stairs were packed to the gills, so Juliette and I decided not to linger and instead wandered down a lovely, quiet staircase.

Much better.

How many pictures do I really need of Juliette descending the stairs, you might ask?

A lot.

We did it!  We’d earned a beverage.

We grabbed a sidewalk table at 9eme Sauvage and ordered an Orangina and a cafe creme.  Both went nicely with the passion fruit tart we split.

We felt like we still had quite a few steps left in us, so we Metroed over to Pere Lachaise for a cemetery stroll.  Juliette asked, “A cemetery?  Are you sure?”  But once we got there, she understood the appeal.

I’ve walked these cobblestoned streets so many times – Pere Lachaise is in my Paris Top 5, particularly on an autumn day.  Juliette made a math game of calculating the ages on the gravestones, which in hindsight is a bit morbid, but it kept her walking!

Bench break.

Last look…our feet were gettin’ tired.

We popped into a market to grab cold drinks and apples and then opted to rest our feet on a boat!  We bought afternoon tickets for a Seine cruise and let the sights come to us.

This is such a good way to see the city, particularly when it’s hot and your feet hurt.

From the Bateaux Mouches dock, we walked toward the Champs Elysees, pausing every block or two to window shop for outrageously priced clothes and bags.

We wanted to catch at least one bird’s eye view of the city and I opted for the top of the Arc de Triomphe, since it had been almost 20 years since I climbed those stairs with Shane.

We climbed all 284 steps to the top, Juliette urging me on as I started to pant, and then…the payoff.

Paris rooftops at golden hour are so damn good.

 

 

Alright…pictures snapped.  Let’s eat!

We took the metro back to the Marais, did a little shopping at BHV (found some shorts!), and then scored a perfect table on the patio at Pizza Sant Antonio.  I’ve eaten a lot of slices here…

Top night.  Top moment, clinking my Aperol Spritz with her Sprite, remembering all the drinks I shared there with friends during my year abroad.  To be there again with my very best buddy!

When it’s 80 degrees at 9pm, you stop for gelato on the way back to the apartment.

Goodness, I knew my girl had a down-for-anything kind of sprit, but Tuesday it was apparent that she can HANG.  Should have bought her a double-scoop.

I’ve been smitten with all things Parisian since I first stepped out of the Metro station at Place de la Republique in 2003 and zig-zagged toward the tiny studio apartment that would be my study-abroad home that year.  Juliette has inherited my Francophile-ness by osmosis; she took up French lessons on DuoLingo of her own accord and has decorated her room with miniature Eiffel towers.  Shane and I said that we would take her there someday and show her the real thing.  Someday.  Once her brother could hang through the trans-Atlantic flight and sit calmly at a restaurant table for more than 45 seconds.  It would be a few years.

Unless…

Shane all but pushed the two of us out the door, booking flights only for Juliette and me, assuring me that he was more than happy to stay home with Buddy.  I didn’t fight it and Juliette and I spent all summer looking forward to our big adventure.  Go-time arrived in October and we said our tearful goodbyes to Shane and Isaac, Juliette in particular having a real curbside sob – that girl loves her papa.  Once we stepped through the doors of the airport, though, we both flipped into travel mode, navigating passport check and security with determination.  We missed our guys already, but we were going to PARIS!

That determination waxed and waned over our 16-hour journey.  There were times when the inability to sleep comfortably on the plane was almost too much to bear and we whined with fatigue.  And then there were moments we sang the tagline to Taylor Swift’s “Cause we were in Paris”, then squealed with excitement.  There was a brief 30 minutes near Iceland when Juliette finally slept soundly and I stroked her hair, realizing how infrequent it is that she gets my undivided care anymore. 

We landed in Paris around noon and endured our hour-long RER ride into the city (standing, no less) and I about kissed the filthy floor of the Bastille Metro station, having completed our grand tour de transit.  Ah, that first climb out of the Metro tunnel – it’s a MOMENT.

We headed to the market where our apartment key was supposedly stored in a key locker, only to find the market closed, but our AirBnB host was responsive by text and met us at the front door to our building 10 minutes later.  Our apartment was tiny and sweet with fresh macarons and a bottle of rose on the table.  NOW we could relax!

We took a little cat nap, not allowing ourselves more than a 30-minute doze in an effort to save bedtime till 9pm, splashed a little cold water on our faces, and then headed out.  Our apartment was just a couple of blocks from Place des Vosges, one of my favorite squares in the city, so we joined the hundreds of other people catching those late-day October rays and stretched out on the grass for a bit.

She settled in quite nicely.

A short wander through the Marais landed us at the terrace of Les Philosophes, another old fave, and we promptly ordered a white wine and a Coke.

Welcome to cafe life, Kiddo!  It’s the best.

Recharged and raring to go, we paid our bill and set off toward the river in search of ice cream and sunset vibes.

Berthillon for the win!

We picked up a deck of cards from a tourist shop across from Notre Dame and spent the rest of our daylight minutes playing Rummy next to the Seine.  I’m not sure we even kept score – there’s no losing with this view.

Dusk…we’d done it!  We had earned a proper night’s sleep.  Time to head back.

We crashed hard Sunday night but our internal clocks roused us before dawn and we spent the wee hours of the morning tossing and turning while we sucked on melatonin gummies.  We both fell back into a deep sleep at sunrise and leaned into the luxury of a sleep-in (Mama missed you, Isaac!).  By 10am, though, we were ready to seize the day.  Time for breakfast!

We polished off our pancakes at Cafe de la Poste and then took the Metro over to Galeries Lafayette to enjoy the rooftop view and get the lay of the land.  Here in Seattle, Juliette and I do ninety percent of our shopping at Trader Joe’s and Target, so it was fun to be in a bona fide department store for a bit.

From the rooftop, we spotted the Opera and the Eiffel tower and plenty of bustle on the street down below.

I had planned on a walk through Montmartre after this, but I hit a wall as we were leaving the Galeries and asked Juliette if we could head back toward the apartment for a bit – I was fatigued and a bit nauseous and eager just to crawl back into bed.  She sweetly obliged, hopping back onto the Metro and giving me the only free seat on the train.  I collapsed on the bed and woke a couple of hours later to find her eating macarons and reading quietly in the window seat.

When she poured herself some water in a wine glass, I wondered…am I sure this kid is ten?  Did I miss a couple of years somewhere along the line?!

My nap did me a ton of good and I was ready to hit the streets again by mid-afternoon.  Call it jet-lag, I guess.  We hopped into our building’s teeny-tiny elevator and set back out.

I love that we walked through Place des Vosges on our way to so many of our destinations.  You know, no big deal…just passing through!

We walked the streets of Ile Saint Louis and I pulled Juliette through a wooden door in a non-descript facade.  She oohed and ahhed when the dark vestibule gave way to the bright interior of Eglise Saint Louis en Ile.  I love this church.

Back to the streets!

We walked to the Jardin des Plantes, surprised by how much was still blooming in October.

Bench break.  Prior to this trip, I told Juliette that we’d be walking a ton, but we’d never be far from a perfect place to sit and rest.

From there, we walked the couple of blocks to the Grande Mosquee de Paris and drank iced and tea and lemonade in their brightly tiled courtyard while munching on Moroccan treats.

We popped into L’Epee de Bois on our way to the Metro and each picked out a toy car for Isaac.  We really did miss that boy.

Though we’d just walked several miles, Juliette wasn’t too tired to surf the Metro on our way back to the Marais.  “No hands, Mama!”

Back on Rue de Rivoli we did a little shopping (given the 80-degree temps, Juliette wanted a pair of shorts!) and then we grabbed a terrace meal at La Cooperative.  These 5pm Cokes were clutch in seeing us through to bedtime.

These terrace chats were far and away the favorite part of my week.

Seeing the Louvre lit up at night was high on our list of must-sees, so we walked over there after dinner and whiled away the dusk hours with a stroll to the Tuileries and a game of cards.

The street lamps bloomed bright – it was happening!

THIS PLACE AT NIGHT.

We lingered till it was good and dark, satisfied that we’d soaked in the full effect.

We Metro’d back toward our apartment, strolling through the buzzy Marais and deciding we had enough left in us for just one more stop…

We grabbed dessert at Creperie Suzette and I treated myself to a Cote de Provence night cap – I mean, it was my birthday after all!

There’s no one I would have rather shared that tiny table with.  Juliette and I recapped the highlights of our day and I apologized that my little episode had derailed our morning and foiled our Montmartre agenda.  She wisely reminded me that there are no wrong plans in Paris – it had still been a very very good day.  Cheers to that, Kiddo.  And Bon Anniversaire to me!

I almost skipped this September recap, but then I saw Isaac in these sunglasses and decided I want these photos in our family journal…

Coleman Pool!  We made it happen this year, on the last day of pool season – they shuttered this place for Fall the very next day.

So glad we seized the 85-degree day – if this isn’t Seattle summer bliss in a snapshot, I don’t know what is.

It was hard to coax Isaac out of the water, but his teeth began to chatter and I wanted to get a dry towel wrapped around him.  Glad I packed the special snacks.

Isaac and I spent a little time with the new Lincoln Park mascot while Juliette and Shane finished this swim.  This troll installation is beautiful – I’m looking forward to watching her age with the forest.

Feel that summer breeze running through your fingers, kiddos.  Fall is (was) coming; I recall that temps dropped 20 degrees the next day.

Case in point:  sweatshirt weather at Alki Beach on Labor Day!

The world really is this boy’s oyster – he’s climbing and digging and exploring a bit more freely, also falling and getting scraped up more freely, but bruised knees are a part of summer.

Sweatshirt beach days…we make it work.

This feels like entirely old news at this point, but Juliette started fourth grade last month and is loving it.  She’s in a fourth/fifth split and has one of her closest buddies in her class.  She does after-school jump rope club on Wednesdays and after-school coding club on Thursdays and her favorite recess activity is “taking long walk around the playground and talking with her friend, S”.  She currently wants to be a second-grade teacher when she grows up.  Requisite first day pics:

Some random hammock snaps:

And a Sunday trip to the Puyallup Fair!  Juliette and I are fair-fans but have missed it the past three years – we felt like it was time to inaugurate Isaac.  And Shane, for that matter – he’d never been (places with large crowds of people are not so much his thing).

Fly like the wind, Shane and Juliette!

Shane and Juliette loved their twirly swing ride and Isaac was still dozing in the stroller, so Juliette and I bought another pack of tickets and took a spin on the single swings.  Get ready, Girl!

We’re getting hiiiiiigher…

Pure joy.

And pure peace.

Once Isaac was awake, we wandered over to the animals to pet the newborn piglets and the pygmy goats.

These little guys were less than a day old!  Mama looks tired.

This was the highlight of Isaac’s day.

HI, COWS.

This plastic cow-milking simulation was entirely weird, but funny to watch.

The faux egg-collecting game was a hit.

A couple of ice cream cones, a quick zip through the hot tub display, and we called it.  I think we checked all the fair boxes, minus the corn dogs, which Juliette just couldn’t get on board with.

And finally, September brings soccer season.  It’s great to be back on the sidelines with my fellow cheerleader.

Juliette’s team is the Fuchsia Fighters and they’ve got as much (more?) spunk than ever.   Juliette scored a heck of a goal at her last game and I was that mom jumping up and down from the sidelines, waving my arms with glee.  It’s my own form of cardio these days.

Onto Autumn!

One more summer trip to log on the blog, before we get to a humdinger of an October (humdinger in THE VERY BEST WAY)…

We had such a fun family reunion with our buddies at Hood River last summer that we declared it an annual event.  We reconvened on the Oregon/Washington border this past August for another long weekend of eating, drinking, and playing; this time we stayed on the Washington side and booked a bundle of rooms at Skamania Lodge.  Isaac was like an un-penned animal after four hours in the car and immediately set out to explore every inch of the wide open grounds.

Meanwhile, Shane and I explored the bar menu.

This place was going to do juuuuuust fine.

Our friends trickled in throughout the course of the evening and the gaggle of children grew and grew.

Isaac wanted so badly to be counted among the big kids.

His sister did a pretty good job of including him.  Along with that blonde red-shirted boy, who had no affiliation with our group but made himself right at home!

Speaking of big kids…it still blows my mind we’ve got teenagers in the group.  I mean, this guy’s not drinking age, but he’s old enough to pour for the grownups!

Wine and pizza and crispy Brussels sprouts were passed around…

And before I knew it we were talking under the stars.  We never run out of things to say to one another.

I’ll give you one guess as to who the earliest riser of the bunch was on Friday morning!

I forgive you though, Isaac, for getting me up with sun.  This golden light at 6:30am was pretty magical.

We strolled down the hill and toward town in search of breakfast, stopping every so often to take in the view.

We found yogurt and fresh mango slices at the supermarket and then took our fare down to the riverfront to eat.

This kid’s playground radar started beeping and suddenly we stumbled upon these couple of random slides.

And then we found Sister!  (She and her Uber-Dad offered us a ride back to the hotel.)

We took over the hotel lobby late morning…

Played a little disc golf…

And then hit the pool, to Juliette’s utter delight.

Isaac’s delight, too!  He’s loving the water more and more.

Strike a pose, ladies!

While the big kids perfected their cannon balls, I was happy to walk laps in the shallow end with Isaac in my arms.

Lucky kids.

I felt like I’d lived a full day by noon, but we were only getting started…  We walked back into town after swimming to find lunch, then convened at a park to bat the volleyball around and play various lawn games.

At some point the fathers disappeared.  I found them at the whiskey-tasting room next to the park and asked Shane if there was room in their circle for one more guy.

Isaac fit right in.

At some point we strolled up the street for ice cream, again completely overtaking the place – traveling in a pack of 24 is no joke!

There were plenty of times during the weekend when Shane and I had to divide and conquer, one of us hanging back on Isaac-duty while the rest of the group partied, but there were also plenty of times when Isaac folded right into the mix, thrilled by the presence of so many adoring playmates.

Tech break.

And then to the local fair!  It was a quick little trip, but enough time to get our fill of tractors and farm animals.

We spread out at the picnic tables at Walking Man Brewing for dinner.  The grownups drank beer and the kids played corn hole and all was right with the world.

How ’bout them Friday Night Lights?

Saturday!  Morning!  Sunrise!

Isaac and I spent more mother-son bonding time down by the river, this time finding a little dock to lounge on.

I filled my empty coffee cup with rocks from the shore and he tossed each stone in, one at a time, until the cup was empty and he asked, More?  More?  More?

We were here for awhile.  I didn’t mind.

Finally, though, I coaxed him off the dock and into the stroller in search of breakfast.

We found a train on the way, which was very exciting.

We found smoothies and cinnamon rolls and espresso at The Cabin Drive Thru.

And we found this late riser!  Glad you could join us, Jules.

The gang headed out on a hike late morning (sans Isaac and Shane) to Wahclella Falls.

Here comes the party bus!

The hike to the falls was a mild climb, but the kids hardly complained and the payoff was real.

Paparazzi children…so weird to be on the other side of all those lenses!

The more adventurous of the fellas couldn’t resist taking a dip.  I wish I had audio of their high-pitched shrieks as they collectively dunked.

These two got along so swimmingly all weekend, despite the fact that they only spend 2-3 days together each year.  Some friendships just work.

That’s how I feel about all these folks, actually.  We just work.

(Back at camp, Shane and Isaac were partaking in their own form of bonding.)

Juliette, luckily, had plenty of fun uncles on the trail to fill in for Shane.

We cooled our dusty heels that afternoon at a little swimming basin in Hood River.  VIVA LAKE LIFE!

This game made for some laughs and some very good action shots.

Give yourself a couple of years, Isaac…

We floated and jumped and lazed around for a couple of hours, collectively keeping an eye on each other’s kids.

Isaac wasn’t feeling great that afternoon, but the paddleboard did pique his interest.

We migrated a quarter-mile down the road to convene on yet another lawn for a picnic dinner.

Juliette and S were very into their cartwheel practice and suddenly the grownups were challenging each other to headstand competitions (Nance for the win).

And then there was much cajoling and cheering as the adults showed off their own cartwheel skills.  Some people stuck the landing.  Some really didn’t.  In either case, we laughed a lot.

16 years of friendship and counting…

We high-tailed it back to Seattle on Sunday morning, as Isaac’s fever had spiked in the night and we were eager to return to the comforts of home.  But man OH MAN, we left with boatloads of good memories.  Cheers to Year 17.

She did it.  Double-digits.  Juliette Grace is TEN!  Her big day was clouded by the bout of Covid that had struck our house a few days earlier, but Shane, the sole survivor, was able to make a balloon run and I strung up the usual streamers before heading to bed on her birthday eve.  We weren’t going to let that virus keep us from celebrating.

Chocolate croissant and a peanut butter banana smoothie for breakfast – whatever you want, Boo.

And one early-morning present, because we figured she could use some fresh entertainment for yet another day of quarantine.

Juliette finished her 500-piece puzzle by lunchtime and then patiently waited for Shane and I to finish up work so that we could dig into her dinner of choice: it was burrito night!

With root beer in a champagne glass, because…TEN.

We cranked up the party music after dinner and she dug into the rest of her gifts.

2023 was the year of Gilmore Girls for me and Jules, so she was very excited about the matching set of key chains I bought for the two of us.

(And I am the Lorelai to her Rory…)

Shoes!  Always a pair of shoes.

Juliette’s one and only gift request was a paper fan, because she thought “they just make you look so fancy”.

That was five bucks well spent.  Huge hit.

Isaac was a bit of a pill that night, if I recall, though this photo is making me question my memory…

I know this wasn’t the birthday you’d planned, Juliette, but you sure do roll with the punches.

Thankfully, Juliette was in the clear in time for her party the following weekend.  She brunched in the backyard with a few friends and they made bracelets and sipped their hot chocolate and belted out Taylor Swift songs at the top of their lungs.

SO happy to be among people her own age once again!

These girls were all so sweet, jockeying to give Juliette the gifts they’d brought and ooohing and aaaahing over each little trinket.

Long live stuffies as the most thrilling gifts in the pile!

She’s such a great receiver, genuine in her gratitude with each rip of the wrapping paper.

Juliette was most certainly the belle of the ball, but she was willing to share the limelight with this beau, for just a few minutes.

THANK YOU to these girls for putting such a happy end cap on what was a pretty lonely week for our girl.  She’s the luckiest.

Or maybe I’m the luckiest?  So lucky to call this kind, sensitive soul my daughter.  Juliette, I hope this year is filled with wonder and laughter.  I hope you continue to give life your all, whether it’s on the soccer field or with your nose in a Harry Potter book or as you race up and down the hall with your brother in a raucous game of tag.  Just keep doing things so fully, so engaged.  You’re good at that.  Keep being curious.  Keep being a helper.  Keep being YOU.  I can’t imagine anything better.

We just spent an afternoon at the apple orchard and I was feeling very on-board with the onset of autumn, but looking back at these photos from peak summer, I can’t help but long a little bit for tank top weather…

August was full, with our Minnesota trip and and a long weekend in Hood River (more on that in another post), and poor Isaac’s strep/flu/ear infection trifecta in between, but we still found our little joys on the home front.  My mom spent a lot of time with us in August, making trips partly to help out while Shane and I alternately traveled for work, but also just to spend some time with the kiddos.  She joined us at the playground and coffee-shopped with Juliette while I was at work and often had dinner on the table at 5:30.  Come back anytime, Mom.

We did a quick overnight on Bainbridge Island to watch Shane and Jason compete in the Founders Pickleball Tournament.  I never get to do quite as much spectating as I hope to do on these trips, but wrangling Isaac is its own kind of fun, I guess.

A photo of the mixed-doubles GOLD team on Saturday with their biggest fan:

I spent Sunday morning with the kids at this sweet little cafe / nursery and sipped my latte while Isaac chased the resident cat among the plants, murmuring “More meow? More meow?”

And then we headed to Faye Bainbridge to play for a bit, because I knew Shane and J were in the tournament for the long-haul and we had some extra time to pass.

We make a decent trio.

We were back at the courts with plenty of time to watch the guys clinch their gold.

CHAMPIONS!

(It was a windy ferry ride home.)

We spent a lot of time at Lincoln Park, bouncing between the playground and wading pool.

It’s only a few inches of water, but on a hot day, it does the trick.

And the backyard hangs…so much time spent on our picnic blanket out here, watching cartoons or eating popsicles.

And it turns out Grandma is a ladder ball champ!

We amped up the backyard action the last weekend of August with a campout for Juliette and her buddies.

Isaac crashed the party early the next morning and was met with four adoring fans.

And suddenly it was time to do our back-to-school shopping!  Juliette pushed her napping brother around in the stroller while I grabbed flared jeans and rompers off the racks of Target and Marhshalls.  On with Autumn.

Thursday!  The day dawned sunny and bright and I sent the kids across the street to chill on Grandma’s porch while I showered and dressed.

Coffee delivery a la Tiff!  Have I mentioned how much I adore my sister-in-law?

We spent a lazy morning on the porch, thrilled to have the added company of our niece, Shanay.

This truck was Isaac’s very best buddy for the week.  He spent hours opening the doors, putting the little plastic driver inside, closing the doors, repeat, repeat, repeat…

Tractor videos with Grandpa…

This kid’s hugs border on aggressive sometimes.

Isaac would stand at the top of the road here, spotting the water in the distance, and I knew he was making a mental calculation about whether or not to make a break for Grandpa’s boat.

Bring him back, Jules!

We headed into town late morning for the farmer’s market and doughnuts.  Walker is such a sweet little community.

Afternoon shenanigans on the golf cart (we hid the keys!)…

And corn hole!

Heads-up:  Isaac cheats.

We went back to City Park in the evening to do some swimming and catch a summer concert on the lawn.  The kids took a minute to warm up to the water.

But once they were in, the were IN.

We couldn’t keep Isaac from launching himself off the edge of the dock at every turn.

Lake baby!  Dream come true.

Eventually, though, his teeth started chattering, so I wrapped him in a towel, distracted him with a bowl of grapes, and sat him at the end of the dock to watch Dad and Sister swim out to floating dock.

It took some further wooing to get Juliette out of the water, but finally she emerged and we headed over to the main lawn for some live music.

We sat back and snacked as the band got going, but eventually, Isaac couldn’t help himself – Buddy wanted to dance.

Silly little goober…  He hammed it up big, pausing every so often to soak in the smiles from his adoring fans.

Face painting from the same kind librarian that led story time at the farmer’s market earlier in the day…

And then flower tattoos for Isaac.

Back for more dancing…

And somersaulting…

Oh, Isaac.  Way to bring the party wherever you go.

Friday!  A quick pop into town for coffee and milk…

A walk on the Walker dock…

And then we bopped around back at the resort, golf carting and meandering and playing cards.

Tiff’s sweet pup, Gunner, smiles bigger than I’ve seen any dog smile before.

After naptime, back to the pontoon!  Our happiest of happy places.

Best captains!

And more boat bops.

We anchored at a sand bar and pulled out the giant lily pad for the kids to play on.

Swim time with Auntie…

Isaac looks like a bug in these goggles, but you can tell they make him feel like the coolest kid on earth.

We hunted for frogs, but came up short.

And so opted to get our thrill from lily pad jousting.  Get him, Jules!

VICTORIOUS!

Grandma and Grandpa watched from a safe distance.

From jousting to gymnastics.

She’s such a summer beauty.

Time to head back…Buddy’s tired.

Or is he?!

Shane’s dad hosted a fish fry that night with the Walleye he’d been stockpiling in the freezer over the previous few weeks.  We hung out on the porch and the neighbors trickled over and we ate crispy fish and Tiff’s ice cream sandwich cake and reveled in our last evening of low-key camper life.

Tiff had bought Juliette a pack of those little capsules that expand into foam animals when placed in water and goodness, what a thrill!  It really is the little things.

Grandpa and Juliette conspired to squeeze in one last fishing trip.

Hooked one!

(But she’s not quite ready to unhook the fish herself.  That’s what grandpas are for!)

Juliette kept asking, “Just one more cast?!”  It was nearly dark by the time we headed back.  Another 5-star day.

Saturday was go-day, and the tears flowed as we hugged goodbye.  We’d been so spoiled all week, with love and lake time and food up the wazoo.

Isaac’s face here says it all…”You mean we’re really leaving?!  What the heck?!”

I know, Bud.  It’s an awfully special place with some awfully special people we were leaving behind.

I’ve got some catching up to do on here!  It has felt lately like we’re either living our best lives, out and about in the fun zone, or living our hardest lives, holed up inside as we struggle to recover from whatever version of the plague Isaac has brought home from daycare.  Neither state of being leaves much energy for blogging.

But I find myself coming up for breath and going through photos of our early-August trip to Minnesota.  Feels like eons ago, yet these snaps bring back all the feelings of anticipation.  Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Tiff, Uncle Jason…we’re coming for you!

Isaac did as well as could be expected on the plane ride.  He was busy, but generally in good spirits.

And oh, Juliette’s joy as we sped toward Walker.  Denny was waiting for us in the golf cart at the road leading to the resort and as we spotted him on the horizon, Juliette scrambled to unbuckle her seat belt, flying out of the car to wrap her arms around him the second we rolled to a stop.

We quickly settled into our camper, grateful for the well-stocked fridge and the basket full of toys and the cozy spot on Grandpa’s lap.  Those Schnells really know how to roll out the welcome mat.

We ate pizza and then wandered down to the lake, where Juliette tried her hand at fishing while Shane chased Isaac.  It always felt like that boy was about a step and a half from tumbling into the water.

Got one!  Hardly a keeper, but still a thrill.

Do you see why this place is called Moonlight Bay?

Tuesday morning was rainy, so we cozied in at our screened-in porch for Tiff’s breakfast casserole and a round of board games.

A break in the clouds!  Isaac was ready to run.

We went into town for late-morning coffee and got the scoop on the latest additions to bustling downtown Walker.  I made a mental note to come back later in the week to survey the new doughnut shop.

Naptime with Buddy…always a vacation highlight.

The sun came out in the afternoon and we bopped around the resort, golf carting and boating and rolling Tonka trucks around Grandma and Grandpa’s porch.

Isaac didn’t join us on our quick cruise around the lake, but he was ready and waiting to board the boat (and maybe swim some laps?) when we docked.

A boy and his owl…

I can hardly put into words how stinking happy Denny was with his grandkids tucked in next to him as he cruised around the campground.  Lucky gramps.  Lucky kids.

Wednesday!  A morning walk to check on Grandpa’s boat…

Toad-sighting…

Butterfly-sighting…

Shane, of course, had scoped out the pickle ball courts in town and we headed there before lunchtime to check out the scene and cool our heels.

A kind couple saw Shane and Juliette doing their drills and asked if they wanted to play a match.  Juliette’s first grown-up game!  She crushed it.

They make such a good team.

Pool time…

A post-nap plea of, Outside?  Outside?  Outside?

And then, pontoon time!  My very favorite time.  Tiff and Jason took us out on their new rig and we leaned in hard to lake life.

Cold drinks in beer cozies and Taylor Swift piping through the speakers and the wind in our hair…it was just all so good.

(Juliette was really feeling the lyrics to I Can See You.  It’s a bop.)

Denny and Pat cruised alongside us in their own boat and Isaac waved and shouted, “Hi PawPaw!” every 15 seconds.

More pontoon dance partying…

We anchored at a sweet little beach and got out to play and swim.

The kids fed each other grapes and pretzel sticks as we zipped back toward home and they were both just so giddy, laughing like crazy over the silliest things.  An afternoon on the water will do that to you, I guess.

I mean…

Tiff fed us all again on the porch that evening and the kids played until they could play no more.

Isaac fell asleep within seconds of being tucked into his Pack N Play and then Juliette and Shane stayed up late chatting in Juliette’s little sleeping loft while I drifted off myself, buzzing from a day rich with sunshine and smiles.

It’s been a few months since Isaac has gotten his own post.  I know he still features prominently in just about every photo I take these days, but this one’s especially especially for you, baby boy.

He continues to love all things with wheels and as we drive down California Avenue on our way to and from daycare, the backseat is a chorus of “BUS!!!” and “CUCK!!!” (truck) as he looks excitedly out the window.  I find matchbox cars in the bathtub, between couch cushions, in the cup holder of his car seat.  I was finishing up some work at the kitchen island the other night while Isaac played in the living room when I heard him murmur, mmmmmmmwha!  mmmmmmmwha!  I kid you not – that boy had his little green sports car pressed against his lips and he was giving it kisses before tucking it safely into his toy school bus and waving, “Bye, Car!”  It’s his version of dropping the baby doll off at school, I guess.

It’s a rare treat when we find an off-duty bus parked by the sidewalk.  Isaac is minorly frustrated that he can’t get inside, but he’s more than happy just to ogle the reflectors and super-sized tires.

Oh boy, and the garbage truck!  It felt like Isaac had quite a few Mondays sick at home this summer, which meant he could sit on the front porch in the morning and watch garbage trucks cruise up and down our street.

(Bye truck!)

His vocabulary is exploding day by day.  A couple of months ago we were oohing and ahhing over his enunciation of the word “Ow-el?!” whenever he swiped Juliette’s Hedwig stuffy from her room.  But suddenly I’m hearing him exclaim, “Oh Gosh!” and tick off lellow (yellow), boo (blue), wed (red), and PINK as he rummages in the bin of play-dough containers.

(Hedwig isn’t the only thing Isaac swipes from Juliette’s room.)

He loves to stand at our dining room photo wall and do roll call.  Mama!  Dada!  Da-dette!  (Formerly Da-jee-ya, so I guess he’s getting closer to saying Juliette?).  There’s Ellll and Paw-paw (for grandma and grandpa) and Parper, for Juliette’s buddy Harper.  And then Iseeee for sweet little Isaac.

His need for speed lives on, and his sister has the back strength to indulge him in push-car zoomies.

He has an oversized bouncy ball that he loves to flop around on, rolling his body off the top of it and onto the floor with a huge THUD.

It’s all fun and games…

Until someone gets hurt.

He’s still my best little gardener…

And still revels in a few minutes to soak his dirty feet and hands in the bath.

There are few things I love more than a freshly washed baby wrapped in a cozy towel.

(But maybe a freshly washed baby in his sister’s old robe takes the cake?!)

Slicked-back hair Isaac…  It’s like he knows how handsome he is.

The requisite sister snaps!

(This was was after he fell asleep on the couch as Juliette was singing songs to him late one morning…)

When I just can’t get around to that evening haircut, we resort to a work-around to keep the hair out of his eyes.

I’ll stop now with the sister pics, but gosh, the way he looks at her…

A sampling from the “sweet Isaac” album circa summer 2023…

And then, last week, the Birthday!  My kids’ birthdays are always bittersweet – what fun to celebrate, to watch them well up with joy as they tear into gifts and inhale frosting-topped cupcakes!  What a beautiful thing it is to stop for a moment and dwell singularly on the magic of their growth.  But…oof.  The growth.  This growing-older business feels awfully hard and all-too-fast sometimes.  I can’t help but long for baby days gone by, can’t help my mind ticking through all those lasts I may not have known were final at the time.  When did he stop sitting up to nuzzle against my chest after his evening bottle?  When did he stop fitting in the Ergo?  When did I let all of his onesies shift to the back of the dresser, replaced with 2T and 3T T-shirts?

I spent a couple of minutes perched over his crib the night before his birthday, soaking in the beauty of his soft blonde hair, the sound of his slumbering breath.  I prayed for the year to come, gave heaping bounds of thanks for this joyous, affectionate tornado of a human that made his intent to enter the world abundantly clear two years earlier.

But enough with the nostalgia – let’s celebrate!  We kept his ‘party’ chill – just backyard pizza and presents with the Rusts.  Isaac needed just the littlest bit of help from Juliette to get the unwrapping started, and then he was off to the races.

And the biggie…

Because this kid needed just one more thing with wheels…

Once the bus was unboxed, I sat back for a bit to sip my glass of wine while Isaac just…played.

(Juliette just can’t help herself with the toddler toys sometimes, and I love it.)

The Rusts rolled in and we ate pizza and cranked up the tunes.  Isaac really started feeling those part vibes.

More presents!  This one from Sis:

And he could not have loved it more.

A couple more…

I suspect there will be an extra amping-up of holiday excitement this year.  So fun to see these two get so much joy from giving and receiving.

Finally…SUGAR!  Last year, Isaac had to be coaxed into tasting his cupcake.  This year, he was reaching for the entire plate the minute Juliette stepped out the door.

GIMMEEEEEE!

We sang happy birthday to our boy, but I’m not sure he even heard us.  That cupcake top was licked clean of its frosting in about four seconds.

Oh, Buddy.  You’re so good at being life of the party.  Also, maybe it’s the button-down, but you’re also so BIG in this pic.  Big in the very best way.  Big in the “can’t wait to hear what words come out of your mouth next” kind of way.

(Party on, Jules.)

Here’s to an epic year of terrific TWO’s!