little black journal

One last homage to the 2023 holidays!  We arrived home from Portland the day after Christmas, quickly unpacked then repacked our bags, then headed to the airport early the next morning to catch our flight to Minnesota.  Schnell clan, here we come!

We had asked Shane’s parents what they wanted for Christmas and when they said, “Just a hug from our grandkids”, it felt awfully good to respond with, “YOU GOT IT!”.  Isaac and Juliette made themselves right at home.

It was a bit too cold to do a lot of playing outdoors, but we managed to get out for a walk to the mailbox on Thursday.

Isaac appreciated the chance to get some wiggles out.

Buddy refused to keep his mittens on and bravely rolled a snowball with his bare hands.  He’s tougher than I am!

I was hoping for a fresh couple inches of snow while we were there, but Juliette made do just fine with the dusting that was left from earlier in the week.

The rest of the day was spent rolling matchbox cars up and down Isaac’s makeshift box ramp, baking Grandma’s famous sour cream cookies, and playing cards with Aunt Tiff and Uncle Jason.

The sun came out on Friday and so Isaac and I hopped in the car and drove to the park while Juliette and the other grownups went to see Wonka.

It was a beautiful afternoon, but still frigid, so we did a quick tour of the playground equipment, ran a couple of laps on the lawn, and then bolted back to the car.

We warmed up at Caribou Coffee with a steamer and a latte and I very much enjoyed sitting across the table from Isaac and just taking in his array of facial expressions as he sipped his milk (mmmmm….nommy!) and flipped through his animal flashcards (lion…roooooaaaar!).  This felt like one of my first real sit-down dates with my boy and I believe he’s on the way to becoming a pretty respectable cafe companion.  Oh, the places we’ll go, Bud.

Back at the Schnell homestead, we walked through Grandpa’s corn field and then the kids took a spin with him in the side-by-side, which Isaac lovingly calls The Tractor.

We eeked out one more Christmas lights visit that night and walked through a display in town, stopping to pet the glittery deer and pose with blinking Santa.

Back at the house, we ate fried chicken and wrapped our arms around Hayden, who had just rolled into town with her boyfriend.  Cousins together and it felt so good!

Saturday was wide open – plenty of time for card games and matchbox cars and laying low with loved ones.

And laughing.  These three had the giggles.

Shane whupped us at Polish poker.  And was not so humble about it.

Juliette stopped laughing!

After much pleading from Isaac, we got out for a family ride in the side-by-side that afternoon.  We just went up the street and back, but Isaac treated it like the adventure of a lifetime, grinning throughout.

We made a quick run into town to peruse the toystore – Grandpa had slipped the kids some Christmas money and we picked out a sweet stuffed deer for Isaac and a stuffed fox for Juliette as mementos of the week.

Ok, I thought we were done with lights for the year, but Tiff pitched a visit to another big display outside town and you know I’m a sucker for the twinkle!

Back at the house, we played more games, ate more cookies, and savored our last snuggles.

We got an early(ish) start on Sunday and said our sad goodbyes to Denny and Pat, but then said a happy hello to Shanay near Minneapolis before checking in at the airport.

We’d done a lot of coming and going that week, but Isaac and Juliette were such troopers.

This was Isaac’s best flight yet – he had a snack, ran his orange Hotwheel car up and down my arm for a few minutes, and then crashed out on Juliette’s lap while watching Star Wars.

MADE IT!  Happy New Years Eve, folks.

Our NYE evening was quiet – we were tuckered and turned in well before midnight.  Felt good to wake up at home on New Years Day, turn on the fireplace, and bust out the train set.

That said, we did have places to be later that morning.  These two were polar plunging!

Juliette nearly bailed at the last minute, but I pep-talked her pretty hard and she peeled off her sweatshirt and beanie just as the first folks waded into the freezing water.

Isaac looked on from the shore, intrigued and a little bit concerned.

Wouldn’t be a true polar plunge without a few tears!

I’m sorry she cried, but I’m proud of her for pushing through.  You’ve got more gumption than your mama, Juliette Grace!

Isaac asked to go in the water, so I peeled off his shoes and socks so that he could understand this wasn’t really a Maui situation.  One toe in, and he got it.  “No thank you, Mama!”

For the record, she was quite proud of herself as well.

We’d had rain-checked our family brunch with the Chens and Rusts due to Isaac being under the weather in mid-December, so we gathered after the plunge for our makeup festivities.

After tucking into Nancy’s famous almond torte, the kids did some very serious house-building with gingerbread and frosting.

And then, presents!  Always so much laughter and gratitude when we gift-give with this crew.  Isaac got to go first, as we went youngest to oldest, and he was thrilled with his squishy dinosaur from the Chens.

No stuffies for these teens…skate shop gift cards and light-up drumsticks it is!

Ahhh…cheers to the coziest of kick-offs to a brand new year.

 

We saw far too little of the Jarrell fam in 2023, so it felt awfully good to land on their Portland doorstep a couple of days before Christmas for a holiday cozy-in.  Isaac made himself right at home in his cousin’s comfy bed.

And then there were card games and puzzles and cookie decorating…

I know, he looks very focused, but in actuality his interest waned after about 15 seconds.

Juliette was a little skeptical about my dad’s frosting skills, but in the end she gave him a solid ‘A’.  For effort, I mean.

We watched Elf that night, piled on the couch or stretched out on the floor by the fire, and all felt right.

Christmas Eve!  Isaac spent his morning hovering around the tree (and the pile of presents underneath it).  He still has no real concept of time, but I think he sensed the big day was near.

We (ok, ISAAC!) started getting the stir-crazies before lunch, so we ducked out for a coffee run and a playground romp.

Mitch was the biggest kid on the playground that morning.

Faster, Uncle Mitch!  FASTER!

Back at the house, Isaac and I settled in for an afternoon doze while the rest of the fam settled in for a marathon game of Monopoly.

Post-nap vegging…

And then the young ladies went down to El’s bedroom, entered a time warp, and came up looking a couple of years older.  My nieces are both officially teenagers and suddenly it feels like Juliette isn’t far behind them?

While Juliette played the part of the mature big sis, Isaac really dove into his role as the annoying kid brother.

We tucked into our country ham for dinner that night, Grandpa read a couple of books, and then Shane put Isaac to bed while the rest of us settled in for our annual Christmas Eve viewing of The Polar Express.

Buddy Boy would have loved to join us, but it would have been too hard to tear him away from the TV once he saw that train roll onto the screen, and we couldn’t have him up too late with the big day ahead.  Next year, maybe.  I was so happy to hear El say, “I love this movie” as the initial credits started rolling.  Kids change, but some things stay the same.

Movie done, jammies donned, cookie and carrot placed.  We’re ready for you, Santa!

We agreed the night before on an 8am gift-opening start time, but everyone was present and ready to go by 7:45 on Christmas morning – even the sleepy-headed teenagers showed up early!  Isaac got us rolling.

And then…stockings!  Stocking stuffing and un-stuffing is my favorite.  Juliette got some good stuff this year – a bedazzled beanie, a Time-Turner keychain, sour Hi-Chews.

Isaac needed a little help getting all the way to the bottom of his stocking and Juliette was happy to step in.  Buddy was particularly pumped about his little box of raisins.  I love two year olds.

Morgan and El were both thrilled by their haul of new sneakers, hoodies, and pajama pants.

And Juliette’s new Hermione stuffy was a hit.  Happy, thankful kiddos all around.

Mitch and Shane both got charcoal odor absorbers to stick in their stinky pickle ball shoes.  THANK YOU, KATHRYN!

Beer for Grandpa, always.

The grown-ups opened their cache of presents after a couple of rounds, but those kids just kept on going…

And going…

Finally, the last treasure was unwrapped and Isaac could get down to the real business of playing.  This train set from Shane’s parents absorbed him for most of the morning.

A quick break from laying train tracks to fiddle with his new remote control car…

And then a moment to gaze outside to see if the rain had stopped so he could go outside to play (it hadn’t!).

It poured all day long, but I didn’t mind so much – the kids had plenty of new goodies to keep them entertained indoors and I was happy to curl up on the couch and watch them play.

Jammie day for the win.

We shared a beautiful dinner and then retreated to the living room for more lounge time.  The kids and I tested each other’s tickle tolerance – trophy went to the person who could withstand foot or knee or neck tickles without laughing.  I failed miserably.  Juliette, surprisingly, was a rock.

Though the chin tickles finally got her.

There was a hallway soccer session with Grandma and Grandpa and then Isaac was officially tuckered.  We did it!

Again, the rest of us snuggled in for a movie.  We watched Home Alone and I looked over to the couch at one point to see El’s head resting on Juliette’s shoulder and I felt so grateful for cousins and warmth and all the love in that house.  Merry, merry Christmas.

We headed back to Seattle early on Tuesday, knowing we had another trip to prepare for (Minnesota on Wednesday!), but we made record time getting home and getting our laundry done and getting our bags repacked.  Found ourselves with enough time to snuggle up by the tree and then take the kids’ new remote control cars out for a spin!

I wasn’t sure neighbor Dave’s inflatable menagerie would still be there when we returned from Minnesota, so Isaac and I spent some time there saying goodbye to the dinosaur, and goodbye to Mickey Mouse, and goodbye to the doggie.  Isaac was going to miss these guys!

What’s next, you ask, Isaac?  More family fun to come.  Lots more.

December…more plaid jammie time, more morning snuggles.

We decided to skip the formal Santa photo op this year, as Juliette’s getting a bit old for it and Isaac is a bit timid for it, but it was fun to run into Saint Nick on an evening walk near the West Seattle Junction and I did convince Juliette to cozy up to her hat twin for a quick pic.  We were in the neighborhood to grab a couple of gifts and it was so festive that night, with roaming Santa and carolers in front of Bakery Nouveau and the Better as Brass crew tooting out All I Want for Christmas Is You.  Just a typical December Thursday…I love the holiday season.

Juliette’s Winter break began on December 15^th and we celebrated with the opening of a single Christmas gift.  I knew she would want something fancy to wear over the coming couple of weeks and this new dress from Grandpa and Grandpa went straight from the gift bag onto her body!  Girl loves a good outfit.

We also celebrated the onset of break with another Christmas tree slumber party.  I never sleep quite as well as I hope on these nights, yet it’s never a disappointment.

And the mornings after!  I love a good Saturday morning blanket nest.

December 16^th!  Recital day!  Juliette started in-person piano lessons with a new teacher a couple of months ago and we’ve been anticipating her first real recital ever since.  It’s a great motivator to practice, plus girl loves the spotlight (whether she’ll admit it or not).  After many at-home rehearsals and a multitude of nervous butterflies, the big evening arrived and Juliette strode up to that stage with such grace and bravery.  She played O Christmas Tree and Square Dance without a hitch and I couldn’t have been prouder.  She’s a star.

We relished the rest of that weekend at home to be quiet and cozy, as we knew we’d be Portland-bound early the next Saturday.

We keep a couple of Santa hats in a basket by the tree and I get a little giddy every time the kids pull them out.  Isaac’s Santa impression includes a booming HO, HO, HO!, shouted while he swings his arms and scratches his armpits like a monkey.  It works for him.

Juliette and I baked cookies…

And then she got very crafty with this mobile Mistletoe holder, which she dangled over Shane’s and my heads with a plea to “Kiss!  Kiss!”  Then Shane kissed me and she promptly told him to stop.  Parents can be so gross.

I worked most of that week before Christmas, but signed off a little early when possible to hang with Juliette, as she did a lot of self-entertaining during the day.  We picked up Isaac early on a foggy afternoon for a coffee shop date.

Visiting neighbor Dave’s driveway menagerie of inflatable characters became a regular part of our day.  Isaac would look out the window on the regular to see if the dinosaurs were “awake” (inflated).  If yes, he was desperate to go give them pat-pats.

What a mini wonderland…

Juliette and I requested a return trip to Bellevue’s Snowflake Lane parade, as it had been a few years, and Shane obliged and drove us all over there on a free evening.

It was crowded, but Isaac had a seat with great sight lines.

(Shane, meanwhile, couldn’t see anything!  Hehe…)

The parade was as cheesy and glittery as ever and Isaac ate it all up, getting particularly giddy over the dancing polar bear.

Plus, the people dressed as Nutcrackers hand out lollipops?!  Score.

It was…a lot.  I’m not sure this scene is totally our jam anymore, but we went, we saw, we survived.

ASTRA LUMINA, however!  This is a traveling light exhibit that recently landed in West Seattle and I snatched up tickets for Juliette and me on a Thursday night.  We got to saunter through the different installations at our own pace, hot cider in hand, and it was all pretty magical.

It looks like Juliette could start levitating at any moment…

This giant disco-looking ball was my favorite and we stood near it for several minutes, watching it shimmer and change color.

Top night.

I took off the Friday before Christmas so that Juliette and I could make our final holiday preparations together.  We picked up our last couple of gifts, baked pumpkin bread while watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women, and joined Isaac in his classroom for craft time and treats.

We let the kids open a few gifts from their Minnesota family that evening to lighten the load we’d carry down to Portland.  Isaac didn’t entirely understand the gift-opening concept last year, but this year…he’s on it.

Thanks, Aunt Tiff and Uncle Jason!

(And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!)

That smile…and so much more fun to come, Buddy.  So much more.

November!  I know the seasons officially change today, but November very much felt like the closing of Fall and the beginning of Winter.  We started the month with our annual Harry Potter Night, complete with friends and treats and sorting hat cupcakes.

Pink frosting means…House Gryffindor!  Perfect for our little Hermione…  My cupcake, on the other hand, was filled with green.  Yikes.

And to keep the good times rolling, the Chens invited Juliette and I on a walk-through of the Harry Potter Experience a couple of weeks later – we convened in Bellevue and chased our kids past Platform 9 3/4 into the Potions classroom and then onto the Quidditch pitch.  The magic lives on.

November brought the end of soccer season, and Juliette went out with a bang.  We spent our open Sundays kicking the ball around at Hiawatha…

And then watched the practice pay off on Saturday game days.  Juliette had three killer games in a row, scoring three (then four, then FIVE!) goals in each game.  She’s a beast.

Rightfully proud of herself.

Isaac is chomping at the bit to join the team.

But in the meantime, he’s an awfully good cheerleader!

Another parent captured these action shots on the girls’ last game, and these pics say it all…

Congrats on a stellar season, Fuchsia Fighters!

Fall park days!  Get the leaf-peeping in while it’s good!  We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at Volunteer Park, basking in Capitol Hill’s golds and oranges.

THIS KID HAS SO MUCH LOVE TO GIVE.

And then more traipsing through the leaves near Hiawatha while Shane and Juliette did soccer drills out on the fields.

Requisite November Lincoln Park pics:

And a crisp Saturday afternoon on the West Seattle water taxi.  Shane dropped us off at the West Seattle dock, we sailed to downtown, then strolled through Pike Place Market where Uber-Dad picked us up.  Thankful for a guy that chauffeurs our mini-adventures.

(Hat hair, don’t care!)

And some backyard fun to round out our playtime…

Finally, November meant the official onset of Cozy Time.  Lots of hibernating done last month.

(Isaac’s snuggles are sweet, but often devolve into a wrestling match.)

MATCHING JAMMIE SEASON!  We’re ready for ya, Holidays.

Again, what starts out sweet…

Later, Fall.  Winter is so definitely here.

October!  Paris was of course the major highlight, but Shane and Isaac deserve some airtime, too.  We kicked off October with a quick weekend trip up to Bellingham to finish up Isaac’s passport/Nexus pass application at the Blaine Custom’s Office.  Plus…pumpkins!

Apples were actually the main attraction at Bellweather Farms, so we bought a bag to fill and boarded the tractor trailer for a ride out to the orchards.

His little hand on her leg…

So, about U-pick with a toddler…works much better with raspberries than apples!  He filled our 9-pound bag in about two and a half minutes, wonderfully proud of himself and also confused when we told him he was doing too good a job.  Make it last, Bud!

Since our apples were picked in under five minutes and we had a couple more hours until our passport appointment, we took our time saying hello to the cows.

And then ran same extra laps in the Gala aisles.

Boy down!

Sampling the merch…

Juliette said it was the best apple she’d ever had.  I agreed it was perfectly juicy and crisp, but also, the whole of experience may have added some extra flavor.

Still T minus 90 minutes to appointment time…corn maze it is!

Isaac passed his global entry interview with flying colors, we grabbed a quick bite, and then settled into our hotel for swimming and movies.  Mission accomplished.

We breakfasted early the next morning at Old Town Cafe, where the pancakes, mimosas, and toy-packed play area were all a hit.  Something for everyone!

We drove over to the waterfront after breakfast to throw rocks and have a go at the playground.

The previous day’s tank top weather was already a distant memory…we jumped back in the car and then Isaac fell asleep as I was giving Shane directions to a coffee shop where we could warm up, so we decided to quit while we were ahead and hightail it back to Seattle.  Quick trip.  Easy-ish trip.  Good trip.

October brought more soccer, and more time on the sidelines with my favorite fan.

It’s great when Grandma comes and can take a turn on toddler-duty so that I can focus on sister.  Juliette snagged the ball with just a few minutes to go and ran it down the whole field for a goal.  Isaac did 47 laps on this log / balance beam situation.  They’re both winners.

Lately Saturdays are for soccer games, and Sundays are for kicking the ball around with Shane and Isaac at Hiawatha.  Juliette’s got soccer fever and I think her brother is catching it.

My parents spent some time with us in October between a couple of east coast trips – it’s nice to live near an Alaska Airlines hub.  Isaac taught my dad a few things on the art of accessorizing.

And both kids lapped up the time with extra playmates.

Shane had a birthday and we got out to Fonda la Catrina for tacos and laughter with our crew.

We saw the Taylor Swift Eras movie and all loved it in equal measure.  Or maybe Shane loved it the most?  Anyway, it was fun.

And we did our usual park circuit.  Lincoln in October is such a gem.

I spent the last weekend of the month in Florida with my parents attending my grandma’s memorial service.  She passed away in August and I’m so thankful I had to the chance to spend time in the presence of people that loved her so dearly.  I met some distant family members for the very first time and connected with cousins that I haven’t seen in decades.  Nothing but the kindest things were said about Grandma that weekend and it was all true.  She was resilient and kind-hearted and open-homed.  She was entrepreneurial and courageous and hopeful in the face of challenge.  She WAS the goodest and faithfullest servant.  She loved seashells and flowers and even when dementia robbed her of her memories, her kind-hearted nature prevailed.  Love is her legacy.

I have fond childhood memories of my Florida beach visits.  I took a long solo walk one afternoon at Indian Rocks and felt sad and thankful all at once.  Rest well, Grandma.

The end of October also brought Halloween season, complete with giant spiders on the neighbor’s fences and trees…

(Isaac wasn’t a fan at first, but when he felt how soft this one was, he tried to pull it down to give it a hug.)

We picked up a couple of pumpkins from the corner market after one of Juliette’s soccer games and then got down to the business of carving.

Isaac was given a marker and a packet of stickers rather than a blade and told to make his pumpkin pretty, but he wasn’t buying it.  What Juliette was doing looked way more fun.

Or did it?

Such drama!  Get in there, girl!

She pawned off the dirty work on her little brother.  And he loved  it.

Seriously.  I couldn’t get his arm out of there!

At some point Isaac started putting the guts back into the pumpkin so he could pull them out again, and I let that go on for awhile, but eventually we needed to get down to business.

Mission accomplished!

When it came to Halloween costumes, Juliette rejected all of my cute woodland-animal ideas, but her eyes lit up when on a whim I suggested Cruella Deville.  I think it was the promise of red lipstick that had her hooked.  Isaac was a Dalmatian and of course was adorable, but somehow, so was his evil villain of a sister!

We did the neighborhood with Isaac and it took all of one stop for him to get the gist of the gig.

TRICK OR TREAT!  MORE PLEASE!

My dad wasn’t intending to trick or treat himself, but when a neighbor offered him an IPA, he wasn’t about to turn it down.

The porch with the cackling witch statue was not so much a hit.  Isaac still points to that house out our front window every couple of days and says, “keery!!!” (scary).  I assure him that the witch has left and then he brightens up with, “all done keery!”.

Again, we quit while we were ahead.  Isaac was trying to eat his candy as quickly as it was being dropped into his bucket, so we called it after just a few houses.

Juliette, though, was just getting started.

She met up with her buds and the moms and I spent an hour or two drinking tea from our travel mugs while our girls ran from door to door.

Happy end of October!

…and happy December?!  How did that happen?!

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.

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.