little black journal

Hellllloooooooo 2016!  We ended 2015 with a bang, with snow and champagne and fireworks.

Since Juliette’s daycare was open on New Years Eve but Shane and I both had the day off, we dropped the kiddo at school and reveled in our freedom by heading to the mountains with Jason and Nance for a day of cross-country skiing.

It was cold out there, but clear and absolutely gorgeous.

And once I found my stride and really got going, the numbness in my fingers and toes waned.  I can see why Shane has fallen in love with this sport – it’s hard work, but also invigorating and kind of soothing.

We made it as far as this serene lookout over Keechelus Lake…

Which seemed like a perfect place to pause and toast with a little tipple from Shane’s flask.

Once we’d caught our breath, we headed back toward the car, making good time on the return leg – I was kind of getting the hang of this skiing thing!

Made it!

We warmed ourselves with lunch at Kukai ramen in Bellevue on the way home and then squeezed in a quick couch doze before heading out to pick up Juliette and then hit the beach.  Brian and Nicole were bonfire-ing over at Alki and that seemed like a perfect place to watch the sun go down on 2015.

The Rust clan came over for dinner and we partied hard until about 8:00.  That champagne I mentioned earlier?  We cracked open the bottle at 7:30.  And those fireworks?  I vaguely remember hearing them around midnight, as I rolled over in bed and sleepily muttered “it’s tooooo loud!”  We’re wild, I know.

Speaking of wild, though, there are hundreds of crazies that jump into the freezing cold Puget Sound from Alki beach every New Years morning!  Shane, Jules, and I decided to head over there Friday morning to watch the show.

And to cheer on Jason and his sister.  I suspect these two might have a slight adrenaline addiction.

Gosh, they’re fun, though!

Brian and Nicole were also there, but we’d missed seeing them take the group plunge.  I joked that I really wanted a group pic, which apparently was all the incentive they needed to jump right back in!

Nuts, I tell you.

We went back to Jason and Nancy’s with the Polar Bears for hot coffee and treats – we’ve been brunching at their house on New Years day for a few years running now.  But this was the first time baby E joined the mix!  Juliette was very excited by the prospect of holding a real, live baby doll.

We passed the rest of the day at home, mellowing out after a couple of busy days.  Shane and I spent the evening talking about the year to come, planning vacations and making goals, building anticipation and excitement about what 2016 may hold.

Like…more snow days!  We loaded the sled and our snow gear into the car yesterday morning and set out for Hyak.  It was another gorgeous day in the mountains, but also super-duper cold.  Jules tolerated the biting wind for about five minutes…

And then didn’t want to do anything but nuzzle into Daddy’s chest.

We tried to shake it off, but this picture says it all…

Shane and I each had a couple of fun runs on the sled, and Jules was a good sport, but it wasn’t long before we packed it up and called it a day.  We’ll give the snow another go on a 30-degree-plus kind of day.

This kid was done.

But man, she sure perked up once we were all tucked into the car with hot cider and snacks!  A blanket, a banana, and a warm drink, and she was exclaiming, “that was fun, mama!”

Cheers to 2016.  It’s going to be good.

It’s been a jolly month, packed with all of our favorite traditions.  We’ve spent lots of time with the gang, eating and drinking and shopping/sledding (more on that later),  and the house feels extra-cozy, lit by the sparkle of our Christmas tree.

Gosh, I love a good tree.  And ten years of trekking out to Mountain Creek Tree Farm has made us experts in the art of tree-choosing.  I wanted to bring Juliette fully on board with the excitement of the tree hunt and spent the whole drive out to North Bend pumping her up. “We’re going to find the perfect Christmas tree!!!  This will be so fun!  Christ-mas tree!  Christ-mas tree!  Christ-mas tree!”  I was bound and determined, she would love it.

But after wandering among the pines for 45 seconds, I could see she was unimpressed.  She looked up at me and whined, “Where’s my Christmas treat, mamaaaaa?”

Thank goodness for that rogue Halloween lollipop I found buried at the bottom of my purse!

Once sugared up, Juliette was ready to get in on the game of choosing a tree.  The whole concept of appropriate sizing was lost on her, though…

Finally, we spotted it!  A perfect Fraser Fir.  Tall but not too tall, full but not too full – a few hacks and it was ours!

A tree that good deserves an apple cider cheers.

Juliette helped me trim the tree that night – I gave her a little felted penguin as this year’s ornament and she proudly hung it up.  Then took it down.  She’s been carrying it around with her ever since, sleeping with it in her crib every night.  Next year I’ll give her something a little less cuddly.

One of the most cherished things on my December calendar is my annual weekend getaway with Nance and La Verne.  We had such a great time at Cedarbrook Lodge last year that we decided to book a room there again for a night of eating/lounging/livin’ la vida kid-free.  But first, shopping!  We spent the afternoon at the Auburn Supermall, starting with a leisurely perusal through J Crew and Loft and Old Navy, and ending with a mad tear through Gap and Banana Republic for a few last purchases before heading to the hotel for check-in.

We did good.

We spent the evening soaking in the hot tub and then stuffing ourselves at the hotel restaurant.  I woke up on Sunday morning relaxed, refreshed, and a little surprised to see that I’d slept until 9 am!  That hasn’t happened in…27 months!

It’s hard for me to put into words how much these ladies mean to me.  Seriously, it’s hard – when La Verne started to express her gratitude for our friendship over breakfast, I got all choked up and misty-eyed.  Suffice to say, I love them like sisters.

As we lingered over our morning coffee, I wondered how Shane and Jules were faring.  Answer:  GREAT.  He and Jason had taken the kids up to the mountains for some snow-packed adventures, and Juliette was lovin’ that freshy-freshy-pow-pow.

The whole weekend had gone off without a hitch – so well, in fact, that we’re already talking about next year!  Up to the ante to two nights away, maybe?

Finally, FONDUE.  December just wouldn’t feel right without gathering the whole gang together around pots of melted cheese.  First, though, some appetite-building at the Seward Park Pre-Fondue 5K.  Nailed it.

And a quick run up to the mountains for some sledding and snow-gazing.  Shane has become quite the snow-bird this month and has taken an intense interest in mountains and cross-country skiing (I think it’s the new all-wheel drive car).  Jules and I wanted in on the fun, so we tossed our new sled and all our warmest clothes into the trunk and headed east!  We ended up at the Hyak Snow Park, impressed by their monster sledding hill.

Juliette had a blast, tearing down the hill with Shane.  I decided to give it a go – Juliette nestled into my lap and we were off!

And it was super fun, until the sled started to tip a bit and I had to put my boot out to level us – the ensuing snow-spray was pretty unpleasant.  I’m afraid Juliette’s laughter quickly turned to tears.

So we took a snack break in a snow bank while Shane headed out for a short run on his skis.

(Meet Subaru Shane!)

We cajoled Juliette into one last run down the hill and left on a high note.

We warmed ourselves that evening at Jack and La Verne’s house, feasting on cheese-dipped bread and veggies, then chocolate-dipped marshmallows and fruit.  The White Elephant gift exchange is a critical part of the evening program, and people really stepped up their game this year.

Baby A was surprised to find that the amber liquid in that cute little bottle tasted nothing like apple juice (kidding, it’s not open!).

“What…is this?” was muttered throughout the evening.

There was much, much cheering when Jason opened the one remaining gift to find…a goldfish!

Christmas came early this year, huh, Gryff?

We wrapped up the night with our active rendition of the The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Everyone had a different part to mime, and wow, by my fifth round of playing the swan-a-swimming, I was out of breath!

Things wound down after that as people rushed their little ones home to bed.  Ok, clearly, these big kids are not winding down.  I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here – are they trying pull that poor boy’s limbs off?

Jules and Nico snuck in one last duet before we said our good-byes.

We capped off our merry weekend with our annual “family dinner” with the Rusts and the Chens on Sunday evening.  Jack popped open the best bottle of champagne I’ve ever tasted, Nance whipped up her special soup and homemade biscuits, we exchanged gifts and kicked back, savoring all the joy in that house.

Happy holidays, friends.

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.

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 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.

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.

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are getting ever-so-slightly cooler – summer has begun that sad, inevitable process of waning…  But we haven’t pulled out our sweaters and holed up just yet.  Rather, we’re doing our best to seize the 82-degree days, hitting our favorite hot spots and doing some quality outdoor exploring.

We still love our Thursday evenings at Jefferson Park, where Shane meets us after his post-work bike ride and Juliette romps in the splash pad.

And Saturdays at Lincoln Park – an oldie but a goodie!  Shane and I used to come here a lot for summer sunsets before we had Juliette.  Now that she’s in bed by sunset time, we’re hanging here in the mornings instead, eating donuts with the Rust clan or reconnecting with our community group.  Shane borrowed Brian’s paddleboard and took Jules out on a very short tour of the Sound a week ago – they didn’t make it more than 20 feet from shore before Juliette was asking to turn around, but we’ll try again some other day.

Shane and Jack logged their annual Redhook ride out to Woodinville last weekend, but this year we introduced a twist – La Verne and I met our biker dudes up at 192 Brewing in Kenmore with the kids, and Shane pulled them the remaining few miles up to Redhook in the bike trailer.

I guess this is what a pub crawl looks like for us these days…

Beer, burgers, bikes, success!

We made it!  (A celebratory hug.)

The weather was a little cooler last Thursday and Juliette and I opted to stay closer to home, taking our afternoon treat across the street to the greenbelt.  This girl will be sorely disappointed when popsicle season comes to a close.

La Verne texted me as we were leaving the greenbelt and asked if we wanted to meet up with her and N for a walk/bike ride at Seward Park.  The kids have matching balance bikes and we figured the wide-open path there would be perfect for trying out their new wheels.  Plus, it was just a tad too cool for them to take their usual dip in the water.

Or…not.  They darted into the lake before we could even strip them down – I managed to fish Jules out of the water long enough to pull of her soaked pants and salvage her mostly-dry shirt, but then she and N were off to the races again, reveling in the late summer rays hitting their pale, bare bellies.

Shane and Jules have done some quality cruising on the bike this summer, taking regular spins to the grocery store or along Lake Washington Boulevard.  Despite Shane’s urging that I get a bike so that we can make this a family activity, I’ve resisted, happy to play the part of the spectator.  But on Saturday the lure of afternoon sun and time with friends was hard to turn down, so I borrowed Nancy’s bike and we all set out along the Green River Trail for a slow, easy spin.  And you know what?  It was kinda great.  Easy, breezy, perfectly paired with a mid-ride picnic dinner.  I might put a bike on my wish list after all.

And Jules was pretty stoked about our matching helmets.  “Mama ride bike?  Mama ride biiiiiike?!”

Yesterday morning we drove up north to check out St. Edward State Park – I had been wanting to check this place out for awhile and am so glad we made the trek.  After a quick go on the huge playground, we hit the trail down to the water.

The forest fires in Eastern Washington have been terrible it was hazy even in Seattle yesterday, the smoke hanging in the air like fog.

Juliette crashed in the stroller before we reached the water, so Shane and I had a few rare, quiet moments to ourselves.

Just as I spread out my blanket and reached for my book, though, she was up, wanting to come say hello to the ducks that had waddled onto the shore.

She lays it on so thick when she wants to.

Those few freckles on her nose have gotten darker with each passing weekend.  I’ll miss them if they decide to leave the premises come rainy season.

We headed back up the hill and through the forest once we’d had our fill of rock-throwing and pretzels.  Green, green, GREEN.  So good.

We spent the evening at Seward Park with the Chens, this time more prepared for a swim in the lake.  Jack lifted weights while the rest of us sipped wine on the lawn.

We packed up our things as the ultra-orange sun began to set, wondering what on earth we’ll do when it’s 40 degrees and dark at 4:30 pm.  I mean, I don’t want to sound too gushy about summertime in Seattle, but dang…it’s magical.

This heat wave continues and we’ve been doing our damnedest to beat it over the past four days: three lakes, one wading pool, a couple of rounds of frozen margaritas, one visit to the ice cream shop, and nights spent sleeping in our downstairs office, which is 10 degrees cooler than the top floor of our house.  By 5 pm, our living room feels like a sweatbox.  On the bright side, all this lake-bopping has kind of made us feel like we’re on vacation!  Minus the air-conditioned hotel room…

Jules and I spent Thursday at Seward Park with a few buddies, running in the sprinklers and splashing in the lake.  Shane had the day off and biked over to join us for a dip – this girl is all about her floaty boat now.

On Friday we ventured east with our crew to Lake Sammamish State Park to celebrate Nance’s birthday with swimming and paddle-boarding and snacks in the shade.

Yes, I eventually made it up to the standing position!  And then I fell off.

Jules crashed hard for her nap when we got home but woke up roaring to go again, so we took a quick spin through the Miller Park fountain and then grabbed ice cream at Hello Robin.

Sugar rush!

Serious sugar rush.

We rang in the Fourth of July on Saturday at our favorite stretch of rocky beach on Rattlesnake Lake.  We hadn’t even spread out our blanket before Juliette darted into the water.

There was swimming and “boating” and watermelon-eating and frisbee and generally all things summer.

We spent the evening with the Rusts partaking in our own (very tame) fireworks show.  Thankfully the kids are all still young enough to be satisfied with sparklers and smoke bombs and party poppers.

Jules wanted a front-row seat for all the action.

Shane, on the other hand, was insistent that she stay at least 15 feet away from any flames or sparks.  Ever the voice of reason, that guy…

We spent Sunday morning at church and then swung by Volunteer Park for a go on the playground and a romp in the wading pool.

The weekend was capped off with a bike ride along Lake Washington, cold Coronas, dinner hot off the grill and kiwi sorbet for dessert.  I don’t love this heat, but this summertime lifestyle?  Money.

We’ve had a busy few days, livin’ large in this perfect Seattle summer weather.  The Giants were in town last week for a match-up against the Mariners, so we got together with Jack and La Verne on Thursday night to cheer on our boys at Safeco field.

We slurped down beers and mowed through a monster bag of Kettle corn, reveling in the ease of being out sans kiddos.

By the 8th inning the Giants were leading by 7 and most Mariners fans had cut and run.  We stayed through till the end though, taking advantage of the abandoned seats and sitting just a few rows away from the action.  Orange and black for the win!

My office held our summer picnic at Safeco the following night, so we headed back to the ballpark for dinner and a Mariners-Astros matchup, this time with Jules in tow.  We ate burgers on the patio and then caught just the first inning of the game, not wanting to push our luck and keep this happy kid out too long past bedtime.

Shane’s old friend Steve flew in from California late Friday night for a weekend visit and was eager to do some exploring, so we set out for Rattlesnake Mountain on Saturday morning.  Rather than just hang by the lake as per usual, we tucked Juliette into the hiking backpack and made the 2-mile trek up to the ledge.

Shane’s shoulders were begging for mercy by the time we summited, but the vista turned out to be well worth the pain.

We made it down the mountain with minimal whining and then set up shop in our favorite shady lake-front stretch of grass.

Watermelon, water, and 80 degrees.  Perfection.

We went to church on Sunday morning and then headed to Local 360 for Father’s Day mimosas and French toast.  Cheers to this guy!  Hot damn, I’m lucky.

And a quick stop at the sculpture park for some pre-nap sun-soaking…

We made plans to get together with the gang on Sunday afternoon for a lakeside picnic.  But first, a chariot ride!  I love watching these two snuggle into the trailer, seeing them share snacks and clank their bike helmets together.

We spread out our blankets at Seward Park and watched the kids frolic in the lake and kick the soccer ball across the lawn.  Shane and Jack picked up a boatload of burgers and fries and we chowed down while drinking white wine from plastic cups – we ushered in the first day of summer with such gusto!

It took the better part of the weekend and a Pepsi bribe (kidding!  that cup is empty!), but Juliette eventually warmed up to her new buddy Steve.  It was so good to catch up with this guy, to fold him into our family mayhem and then stay up late playing Nintendo and reminiscing.

We said good-bye to Steve this morning, dropped Juliette off at daycare, and returned to business as usual, simultaneously ultra-relaxed and completely exhausted.  SUMMER IS HERE!