little black journal

Spring has sprung!  Feels like summer is springing this past week, actually – it’s 80 degrees and the cherry blossoms have long since fallen from the trees.  I have swept up the last of our magnolia petals and I bought a watermelon on Sunday!

But a backtrack to April, when Juliette was still wearing her fleece.

And Isaac sported his navy blue sweatsuit at Roxhill.

We discovered a new playground in the neighborhood recently and Juliette has been refining her hopscotch skills.

Isaac has some work to do.

I spent a Saturday morning out in Redmond with the kids while Shane played at a nearby pickleball tournament.  We roamed around Farrel-McWhirter Park and Isaac befriended a pig, a goat, and a cow.

Juliette loves to play hide and seek with her brother; the moment she darts out of sight, he throws his arms open and asks over and over, “Where go?!  Where go?!”

Found her.

Donuts, then another playground, because I love these kids that much.  And because Isaac is driving me peak crazy when cooped up indoors.

Our mornings start early, but Juliette has learned how to brew my coffee, bless her heart.

And sometimes we’ll pile back in bed at 8am on a Saturday morning for snuggles and shenanigans.

We’ve been mostly healthy these past few weeks, knock on wood, but there were a handful of days in April when Isaac stayed home with a fever.  We worked around it, literally, but oh, it was rough.

We were in Santa Monica on Easter Sunday, so we did our egg hunt and our reading of Luke the weekend after.  Juliette still loves a good game of “you’re getting warmer”…

I filled Isaac’s eggs with his own toy cars and bouncy balls, but he was still pretty enchanted by it all.

We spent much of the afternoon putting the eggs back together so that he could crack them back open and leave the remnants on the floor.

Is that all there is?  WHERE GO?!

After several days of travel and of not feeling our best, that particular Sunday at home felt extra sweet.

DJ Raphi dance party to burn off those jelly beans!

And then a brief moment of mellow.

Backyard weather has been such a boon.  Tee ball and bubbles and basketball, oh my!

Lots of neighborhood strolls to admire the corner tulip patch and our favorite cherry blossom lane…

And perhaps most notably, spring sports have begun!  Our weekends (and the the occasional weeknight) are consumed with Juliette’s soccer and softball games.  I’m not mad about it – I love watching this girl hone her talent and her team spirit.

Isaac is VP of her fan club.

Shane is assistant coach on both teams, which means I’m on Isaac watch, but occasionally Buddy hangs with Dad and I get a moment to focus on the field.

We have our short list of favorite softball venues – Lincoln Park is top notch because of the nearby woods to wander in.

This is the first year that Juliette has played kid-pitch softball and she’s spent hours doing target practice in the backyard.  A parent remarked at a game last week on Juliette’s intense focus when she pitches.  It’s like she’s willing the ball over the plate with equal parts arms and mind.

Get it, girl!

Juliette has the sweetest buddies that love to hang with Isaac between innings.

Ball boy is really falling down on the job…

Game over, but one last loop around the bases for Buddy, of course.

Seriously, though, SO MANY softball games.  I don’t know that we quite anticipated what we were signing up for.

Isaac goes to the evening games in his PJs and we usually split after the third inning.  It’s a lot, schlepping a toddler to the ball field a couple of times a week, but he’s a good sport about it.

And soccer!  I like watching Juliette play softball, but I love watching her play soccer.  Her team has come such a long way in the couple of years they’ve been together and she is fierce out on that field.

Go green!

(Plus Isaac.)

Now, let’s tuck that beanie away for awhile, huh?

Though I’m still reaching for my beanie and puffy coat most mornings, the cherry blossoms on the trees tell me that winter is waning!  I’m ready – we’ve had our fill of snow and rain and pre-dinner sunsets, but now I’m ready to see our backyard bloom, to enjoy longer days as we settle into Spring.  One final winter photo-log…

Cold, schmold!  Isaac is happiest when he’s got room to run, so we did lots of bundling up and roaming free.  Saturday morning jogs with Dad…

Afternoon trips to the corner patch of grass to kick the soccer ball around…

And some family pickleball when the courts were dry.

We spent a lot of time at Ercolini Park, whiling away the hours till dinner and bedtime.

The playground at Juliette’s school also saw some weekend action.  Most of the equipment there is too big for Isaac, but Juliette makes a very good recess monitor.

On the mornings I couldn’t muster the energy for a full playground romp, we took a quick spin around the block to get the wiggles out.

Shane had a standing sans-family pickleball commitment on Sunday afternoons in January and February and the kids and I fell into a routine of walking to Starbucks for steamer cheers, then heading down the hill to Ercolini.

Round 2!

We still find a full sit-down restaurant dinner a little challenging with Sir Isaac, but he’s getting awfully good at late afternoon Happy Hour.

Though Buddy (and Sister) prefer to be out and about, there were still plenty of cozy days at home.

Other miscellaneous highlights include the afternoon Juliette, Nance and I spent watching the UW women’s gymnastics team compete.

Juliette’s school art walk 2023, where she proudly hung her self portrait…

And a quiet Valentines Day at home with my girl while her dad travelled for work.  There were new earrings and ice cream sundaes and some serious chick-flicking.

A sleepover with the girls (and baby bro)…

And a lot of jumping rope.  Like A LOT of jumping rope – this has become Juliette’s favorite pastime with her buddies and I love watching them double-dutch or work on their latest routine on the back patio.

There was a random end-of-February snow day when we used nearly all the snow in our yard to make a humble little snow man.

And softball season!  It’s begun!  Juliette has leveled up and is in a league this year where the kids pitch (rather than the coaches), so she’s been working extra-hard on her wind-up.

Spring is most definitely in the air.

I just took the stockings down and cleared my collection of bottle brush trees from our mantle this week – the holidays were a little hard to let go of this year (as in all years, to be honest).  They were just so slow and sweet and packed with time with my favorite people.

We came home from Portland to a couple of unopened gifts under the tree, which the kids made quick work of tearing into…

And then we laid out a game plan for the rest of the week.  Isaac’s school was open, but Juliette’s was not, so we took advantage of the three-of-us time to do some cross-country skiing at Cabin Creek.

It was snowy that day and we loved gliding through the fresh powder.  This course really pushed the limits of Juliette’s and my Nordic downhill skills, but we did it!

The uphill slog:

And the downhill glide.

Proud of you, Kiddo!

Juliette has passed my shoulders and is approaching nose-height – this kid is going to be taller than her mama in no time, it seems…

On Thursday, Shane and Juliette headed out for a downhill day at Snoqualmie with a couple of Juliette’s friends.  They had a blast, zipping down the slopes.  I had a blast, binge-watching Bad Sisters back at home under a pile of blankets.  It’s rare that I have the house to myself, and I made it count!

We did pick up Isaac a bit early from daycare those days, so that he wasn’t completely left out of the fun.

And we checked a couple last things off our holiday bucket list, like a visit to the Menashe House (Juliette missed round one last month).

I had postponed my annual getaway to Cedarbrook with Nance and LaV earlier in December, but we made up for it on New Years Eve Eve.  There was shopping and movies and dinner at the hotel bar and ice cream in bed and lots of overdue catching up.  Life gets busy, but it feels good to know we can count on this tradition to stitch us back together!

And then New Years Eve!  The big bash!  Our nearest and dearest came over that evening after Isaac was in bed, and we ate tacos and drank all kinds of things and told lots of stories.

(Story time with Aunt Nance in action!)

We struggled to find a playlist that appropriately matched the vibe of the evening and so I put out a call for 90’s song requests; suddenly we were embarking on a three-hour dance party, bopping to REM and Offspring and Warren G.  Jason’s got moooooooves.

Juliette looked at us like the crowd of tragically un-hip 40-somethings that we are, but couldn’t resist getting in on the Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

Kris Kross makes you jump-jump?  Things got progressively sillier as the night went on.

There was a 10:30 pm Domino’s order and some intense debate over Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam and then we toasted at 11:15 pm as the nine year olds’ energy was waning. 

People split and the house was suddenly very quiet and then suddenly not-quiet as Isaac started crying while I was brushing my teeth.  He must have sensed that he just missed out on an epic party, so I ended up rocking my dozing boy as the clock struck officially midnight.  I think I got the best of both worlds.

New Years morning brought the annual Polar Bear Plunge at Alki Beach.  Juliette was feeling extra-bold again this year and decided to join her dad.

All smiles pre-plunge!

But then reality hit…

And then my poor girl really wasn’t happy.

Isaac was like, “What were you thinking?!”

It took a hot minute, but once Juliette was re-bundled her smile came back.  She’s much braver than her mama!

Cheers, polar bears, to a fresh new year!

We got a bonus break day as school and work were closed on January 2nd, so we decided to give Cabin Creek another go, this time with Buddy on board.

Isaac fussed a little as we were getting him strapped in, but once Shane started to cruise he fell silent and zoned out in the very best way.

The snow was icy and super-fast that day; Juliette and I both took a couple of falls and there was a moment when I wanted to chuck my skis into the woods and just walk back to the car, but we stuck with it and eventually re-found our joy.

Sweet dreams, little boy.

We spent our final afternoon together cozying down at home, having tickle fights and doing puzzles and playing piano.

One last nap together, and then it was back to business with a vengeance.  January has felt a bit nuts, work-wise, but oh, those lazy holi-daze.  They were awfully good.

December felt full and quiet all at once – Lord knows Juliette and I lean in hard on holiday traditions, but we’ve curated our list to activities that can largely be done in our pajamas by the warmth of our fireplace.  Occasionally, though, we braved the cold for the sake of sparkly lights or fluffy pines.  We took Juliette and two of her buddies down to Alki one evening before a sleepover to sip hot chocolate and listen to the carolers sing on the Christmas Ship.  It was the perfect way to get the festive vibes flowing.

(Isaac liked it, too.)

Seattle got a dusting of snow in early December and it was fun to see Isaac’s awe over a world covered in white.  He stood by the window, excitedly pointing outside for a good portion of the morning.

It was a frosty walk to school…

The excitement was short-lived, as snow gave way to rain all too soon.

Oh, the PJ time this month!  So much PJ time, with lazy Saturdays and Sundays spent watching the World Cup.

 

Isaac really amped up his soccer spectating game.  I can’t tell if he’s overjoyed or in agony over whatever play just happened, but he’s feelin’ it!

We headed east the first weekend in December to visit Mountain Creek tree farm in search of our Tannenbaum.  This is one of my most favorite super-special holiday rituals, and Juliette accessorized accordingly.

The snow had stuck in North Bend, making this place more idyllic than ever.  We wandered among the trees, going through the motions of our annual Grand Fir / Doug Fir debate while Juliette introduced Isaac to a small snowman someone had left near the path.

Finally, we found it – a seven-footer that looked just right for for our living room.  Have at it, Shane!

While Shane worked on tying the tree to the top of the car, the kids and I grabbed hot cider from the gift shop and headed back out for some snow play.  Isaac didn’t love the snow, finding it a little slippery on his waddly legs, until Juliette showed him how to “throw” it by knocking it out of her hand, at which point she would yell, “Whoa!!!” and he would laugh hysterically.

This went on for awhile.

Eventually, the tree was secured and our toes were cold and so we hopped the car to get home and on with the business of decorating.

Juliette and I did our usual oohing and ahhing over our treasure trove of ornaments while sipping egg nog and listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas.  We discovered early on that any breakable ornaments must be hung on the top half of the tree.

(Brother feels left out when I get too close to Sister – see him trying to get in on the snuggles?!)

We put the rest of the house in holiday order, lining the mantle with my collection of bottle brush trees, finding a home for Stanley and Samuel, our Nutcracker brothers, and setting up Juliette’s own little bedside tree.  Isaac was into all of it (literally into, with his little hands all over whatever was in reach), so anything precious was placed high up and we let the rest be fair game.

Juliette and I did our annual sleepover by the tree on the first day of winter break…

With an early-morning visit by our favorite third wheel.

We did a part 2 the following night, because we love a twinkly slumber party that much.

We made evening visits to the menagerie of inflatable figures in our neighbor’s driveway.

And then on an evening when Juliette was with friends and Shane was out of town, Isaac and I drove down to the Menashe house to do some gawking.

Santa was strolling the sidewalks that night and I found him to be ultra-friendly, but Isaac was not so much of a fan…

Mama-Jules hot cocoa Christmas lights drive…

And buddies!  I was solo parenting for a weekend and Nance and LaV came over for a cozy breakfast while Isaac ran circles around us.

We gathered at the Rusts for our chosen-family Christmas brunch the following weekend, where Nancy’s homemade almond tart was devoured and gifts were opened and stories were shared.

I always walk away from gatherings with this crew with the fullest of hearts.

We let the kids open a couple of family gifts early, partly so that they’d have some new toys to keep them occupied while we packed for our trip to Portland, but also to stretch out this season of receiving (and also of being grateful!).

Pierced ears was at the tippy-top of Juliette’s wishlist, so I set aside her Christmas money from Grandma and Grandpa and booked her an appointment at a local jewelry shop, coordinating a rendezvous with the mom of two of her best buds, who were also begging to get pierced.  The few days leading up to the appointment were a mix of excitement and nerves for Juliette.  Each day brought a new split:  “Mama, today I’m 70% excited and 30% nervous!”  We landed at 80/20 day-of, which seemed promising, but the minute Juliette sat down on the stool, the tears started flowing.  I’m so glad her friends were there to cheer her on.

As each girl took her turn, the other two gave enthusiastic thumbs-ups and said, “You got this!”  The sweetest.

And the fanciest.  

Now let’s get this kid and her sparkly lobes to Portland!

November…

In November, we saw soccer season come to an end.  Juliette continues to make stellar progress.

While her brother could definitely use some help with his foot-eye coordination…

The season wrapped up just in time – those Saturday mornings were gettin’ cold!

In November, we bopped around the neighborhood quite a bit, with walks to Ercolini for playground time and to the Junction for chocolate croissants.

In November, we used the fireplace a lot.

In November, we took advantage of sunny Sundays to breathe in Fall’s last gasp of golds and greens and oranges.  Camp Long is so good that time of year.

(He’s gettin’ it!)

And Volunteer Park!  An autumn must-roam.

(Brother really does not like it on the rare occasion that I pick up his sister!)

Jefferson Park can’t match Volunteer Park’s foliage, but their zip lines and twirly-ma-bobbers can’t be beat.

Plus, Jefferson Park is right next to our favorite Beacon Hill haunts – Juliette and I shared a lot of morning lattes / steamers at this particular Fresh Flours table.

In November, Isaac made his first visit to the zoo!  We spent an afternoon at Point Defiance saying hello to the elephant and the tiger and the sharks, oh my…

OH MY.

In November, we spent a long, lazy Thanksgiving weekend at home, baking and lounging, venturing outdoors just for a short hike through Schmitz Park before coming back inside for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

 

We delayed our day-after-Thanksgiving Christmas tree plans on account of rain and an important World Cup game to watch on TV.  I was a bit disappointed, but got over it real fast.

This isn’t the worst way to pass a morning!

In November, the kids’ matching pajamas arrived in the mail and I did laundry every day for four days just so they could keep wearing them.

And in November, we got that first sweet taste of Christmas magic.  Hellooooooo, December.

A little more October in November!  Gosh, I took a lot of photos in October, of pumpkins and costumes and autumn strolls.  Ok, photos of the kids, really, but the backdrops were awfully nice, too.

We tried out a new pumpkin patch this year and found it to be packed with activities (and photo ops…).  Knutson Farms for the win!  Isaac fell asleep in the car on the way there and kept snoozing for a good hour after we parked, so Juliette and I got the lay of the land while Shane sat with him.

Tether balls and corn mazes and rubber duck races and newborn piglets, OH MY.

The corn maze proved to be trickier than anticipated…

Finally, Isaac roused and joined us on our search for the perfect pumpkin.

Look hard, Buddy!

And lift with your legs!

Honestly, this place was just a series of perfect stages for the kids to perch and look adorable.

Once we’d picked our pumpkin, we joined the line for the train ride.  Goodness, to see Isaac hardly walking just a few weeks ago.  Time flies.

The train ride was cheesy and a total hit with both kids.

Isaac wasn’t sure what to make of his cow car until we really got rolling, and then he was all in.  The faster we went, the bigger he smiled.

And Juliette!  Bless your heart for still loving the little things.

Someone was very disappointed when the ride ended.

Would some goats cheer you up, Bud?

Juliette challenged Shane to a race through the pumpkin maze and I hated to let her our of our sight, but we found each other again, eventually.

Ok, this is the last photo of Isaac perched near a truck.

I promise.

For reals!

Juliette and I have a soft spot for ugly pumpkins, so we grabbed a couple of those on our way out.

Whew!  What a journey.

I love a good pumpkin patch, but our (2nd) annual Harry Potter Night is perhaps my favorite October tradition.  Juliette decided to be Hermione Granger for Halloween this year, so she was thrilled to get some extra mileage out of her costume.

We decided that Isaac makes a good Draco Malfoy, with his fair hair and mischievous demeanor.

I was without a witch’s costume, so I showed up as Professor McGonagall in cat form.

Sherbet polyjuice potion and chocolate golden snitches and pretzel wands…wizard treats are fun.

The Rusts showed up in full garb with the evilest of scowls, as Bellatrix and Draco and Crabb and Goyle.

I bought some remote control candles and Shane hid the remote in his pocket, turning the lights on every time Juliette waved her wand and shouted “Lumos!”.  We had the whole party fooled for most the night.  Magic, baby!

The raucous sorting hat ceremony…

And movie time!  Get cozy, friends.

It’s a friendship made in heaven, these two.

October is also good for a simple walk in the woods, away from the Halloween fuss.  We spent a quiet Sunday at Ravenna Park, another one of those places that feels infinitely more accessible now that the West Seattle Bridge is open.

Saturdays were for soccer…

And sometimes Sundays were for coffee shops.  Juliette and I have a new favorite spot and snuck away here a couple of times while our guys were napping.

Soccer and coffee shops are fun, but couch snuggles trump all!

Sometimes snuggles were just because, but sometimes snuggles were because Isaac was sick again.  He’d tote around his thermometer all day and just move from one lap to another.  It was the worst.  But also the sweetest.

But also the tiring-est.  I found this photo on my phone and didn’t even know Shane snapped it – Mama was wiped!

We carved pumpkins on a gray afternoon; Juliette was grossed-out by the guts as always, which only piqued Isaac’s interest.  He was dying to get in there!

And finally, Halloween.  Halloween was good this year.  And also somehow four days long, with festivities Friday through Monday?  There is in fact too much of a good thing, and I think we toed the line!  We started with some small business trick-or-treating at the Admiral Junction, where Juliette donned her witch’s get-up while Isaac tagged along as Crookshanks, Hermione’s fluffy brown cat.

Isaac was a bit confused by it all and stopped every few steps to look up at us with inquiring eyes.

If he knew about the sugar rush that existed inside the paper wrapper, I imagine he would have been much more pumped.

Still, though.  Cutest kitty-cub ever.

We met up with some friends on Saturday evening for a small carnival at a neighborhood church.

Roar, Buddy, ROAR!

We walked over to Juliette’s school one evening for the annual Monster Mash.

It was wonderful to see the tradition revived after a Covid hiatus, to watch the kids run wild together.  But it was also overwhelming – even Juliette, my social butterfly, tugged on my sleeve and asked to head home after an hour.

We reveled in the quiet walk home and then settled in for our annual viewing of E.T.  

Finally, Halloween evening, which felt like a long time coming at this point!  I rushed home from work to get the kids into their costumes and then we headed out to snap a few porch pics and let Isaac ring the doorbell of a few favorite neighbors.

This sweet woman scooped chocolate into the kids’ buckets until they were half-full.

I think Isaac was getting the hang of it?

Finally, his bucket was plenty full and he was ready to call it a night.

Juliette was just getting started, though – she met up with some school friends and we gallivanted around the neighborhood with them until our fingers were freezing and we wanted nothing more than some cozy time on the couch with fuzzy blankets and hot tea.  And some mini Snickers.  Halloween was a smashing success.

And that, friends, was October.  Traditions lived large, with a decent amount of hunker-down time in between.  November, though?  Give me all the hunkering!

October!  Much of October felt more summer than Fall this year.  It’s dark by 4:30 pm these days, so it’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were taking post-dinner sunset strolls, Isaac barefoot in his beloved plastic wagon.  But I’ve got the photos to prove it…

As we emerged from our September fog of fevers and coughs, we reveled in spending our weekends at playgrounds and parks.  Lincoln Park is always a hit on a sunny Saturday.

Isaac is less and less content to sit on the swings as he becomes more and more mobile.  Kiddo is everywhere.  Luckily, Juliette keeps up with him well after I’ve lost steam.

The Hiawatha playground is on the way home from Isaac’s daycare, so on a sunny afternoon when I manage to pick him up a little early, why not?

Juliette had a random Friday off from school and so we ventured out of West Seattle to spend a morning romping around Volunteer Park.  This playground was always one of Juliette’s favorites (still is, apparently!) and her brother is following suit.

And the trees!  The kids favor the playground, but the tree-lined path is my Fall happy place.

A quick pop over to Volunteer Park cafe for fizzy drinks and avocado toast…

And then to the tower!

Juliette and I have climbed these stairs many times over, but this was the first time I did it with a baby strapped to my chest.  Wait for me, Jules!

Enjoy the feel of fresh grass between those wee little toes, Isaac – socks and shoes season is coming…

The downside to 2022’s endless summer was the October wildfire smoke – our trip out to Luther Burbank was cut short by scratchy throats and watery eyes.

Bleh – that haze!  Makes me thankful for the rain that drenched Seattle today.

We celebrated my birthday last month with fancy donuts and a tall latte and cozy-time with my munchkins.  I suggested a simple bike ride after Isaac’s morning nap and Shane one-upped my request by loading all our wheels into the Subaru for a drive out to Redmond so that we could bike the Sammamish River Trail to Chateau Ste. Michelle for a picnic lunch.

Made it!

MADE IT!  Mama’s happy.

We spread out on the lawn and ate steak frites and sipped Sauv Blanc while Juliette collected hazelnut husks and Isaac attempted to eat a tangerine with the peel still on.

Tangerine, schmangerine…Isaac was all about the lemon tart once dessert was unveiled – I kept telling him, “last biiiiite…”, but that face!  I’m a sucker.

Oh goodness, Buddy…your joie de vivre…

It was a slow cruise back to the car, with full bellies and a sleeping baby.

We stopped at Westside Park on the way home to check out the playground and the pickleball court.

I laid down on the grass and enjoyed the feeling of the day’s final rays on my face – Isaac crawled over to me and climbed right onto my chest, stretching his little body out on top of mine.  He never stays there for long, but oh, that sweet few seconds when he really nuzzles into me…  A woman passing by said, “Oh, look at how that baby loves his mama!  You’re so lucky!”  You don’t know the half of it, lady.  Happy birthday to me.

And we haven’t even made it to the pumpkin patch yet.

A bit of catching up to do around here, as Fall flies by and winter barrels toward us at lightning speed.  With any luck, I’ll have our Halloween pics up before Christmas!

Juliette is thriving in Third Grade and Shane and I have jumped at the chance to participate in a couple of onsite school activities after over two years of the building being closed to visitors.  Juliette was an all-star tour guide at back-to-school night – we saw her classroom and the library and the gym and the music room and every poster in between.

She’s thrilled on the days Shane picks her up from school on the Rad Wagon, and her friends are thrilled on the days Isaac is there to say hello.

September brought soccer season and so Isaac and I now spend our Saturday mornings cheering on Sister from the sidelines.  The girls named the team Poison Ivy and have grown so much since they started playing together a year ago.  They’re finally doing some legitimate passing and are hustling their hearts out.  These games are often the highlight of my week.

They call Isaac their team mascot and dote on him during halftime.  He eats it up.

More Sunday rides to the library for books and to Good Society for beer…

The West Seattle Bridge reopened in mid-September and suddenly we feel like our world has expanded by 8X.  We can now pop over to SoDo on a whim for Saturday morning coffee and croissants!

Although we keep coming back to our hometown favorites when we want sun+water…

And then there were the days (upon days) at home.  I don’t think a week went by in September when one of us wasn’t sick – the nights were often rough (Isaac has the hair to prove it!) and the days were often spent just trying to muddle through.

Some days, though, we stayed home just because that’s where we’re happiest.

We hung out at Lowman beach on the last day of September and it felt like a fitting way to bid farewell to summer (though let’s be real – it was hot as heck for the first half of October!).

Bring on the pumpkins.

A few August snapshots that should move from a folder on my desktop into the blogosphere, because first of all…

HAMILTON.  We bought tickets to the show several months ago when we heard it would be in Seattle and surprised Juliette in early August, and my goodness…HAMILTON.  It’s been a long time since we got dressed up and went…anywhere, really, and from the moment we turned onto Pine Street and spotted the billboard, we were swept up in the magic of it all.  Juliette oohed and ahhed over the lobby chandelier and held her dress pinched between thumb and forefinger like a princess making a ballroom entrance as she walked down the Paramount’s stairs to the restroom.  

The lights flickered and we found our seats and the whole place was absolutely electric with excitement.  I was captivated from the moment the first notes sounded, but couldn’t help looking over at Juliette every few minutes, wanting to freeze-frame in the my mind the way that she smiled from ear to ear with a little giggle at, “You are the worst, Burr”, the way she bobbed her head along to “Ooh ooh ooh, I do I do I do I doooo” as Eliza entered the stage.  Such glee and sorrow, such heightened feelings as we fed off the energy that comes with being in a room of thousands.  What an experience.

We left Isaac at home for obvious reasons and enjoyed our baby break, but it felt awfully good to be back home with our boy in our arms!

Hamilton is pretty freaking hard to top, but there were also some very sweet evening walks with my two favorites…

Lots of park time…

Evenings walks and park time as we strolled down to Ercolini…

Ercolini can look like a bit of a junkyard, with its collection of discarded riding toys, but it can also be a kid’s treasure trove.  Juliette and Isaac were pumped when this blue truck showed up on a random weeknight.

Is she too big to sit in this thing?  Probably.  But does she look adorable in it, as she radios for backup?  Totally.

There was a Saturday at the Lincoln Park playground…

Followed by one last Sunday at Coleman pool.  This place will forever epitomize for me the pinnacle of Seattle summer goodness.

There were weekend bike rides to the library, where we stumbled upon a concert in the street…

And a visit from my mom and dad for Isaac’s first birthday.

There were also some long, quiet days at home, when Juliette was on her own while Isaac was at daycare and Shane and I worked.  She’s gotten so good at entertaining herself (Covid gave her no choice!).  Her Barbie hair salon was next level.

Also, girl’s got mad puzzle skills – she put this together in an afternoon!

Way to sleep off those pool days, Juliette.  Summering is hard work.

Our trip to Idaho was the real star of July, but we had some closer-to-home good times, in between the daycare colds that Isaac so generously shared with the family at 2-week intervals…  When we weren’t coughing, we were summering!

There were Saturday morning walks to the playground, with the babies in tow (one blonde, one furry)…

Lots of time trying out the array of riding toys at Ercolini…

SWINGS, with the sweetest hat…

Family bike rides to Hiawatha, followed by beverages at Good Society…

Evening scoots…

Treks to the new neighborhood donut joint…

And some West Seattle kitsch.

There was a lot of pickle ball, mostly by Shane, but the rest of us joined in on the fun from time to time.  Isaac holds the balls, Juliette coaches me on my form (“Paddle up, Mama!”), and then Isaac crawls across the court with said ball and the game is over.

On the days we weren’t feeling great, there were Rubik’s cube races…

Crowded reading sessions in the gray chair…

More reading, on the couch…

Lots of movies, which held Isaac’s attention for all of two minutes…

And lots of kisses, because when your baby looks up at you as you’re rocking him and he coughs directly into your mouth, you realize that there’s no point in trying to avoid his germs.

On the days we were feeling…medium, not playground-good but not couch-ridden bad, we camped out in the front yard with snacks and bubbles.

Maybe a wagon ride around the block, just to pass the hour till naptime.

The very best days were the water days – there were a couple of weekends that we felt good enough to run through the sprinklers and bust out the kiddie pool.

(I think Sister felt better than Brother, poor kid…)

Lunch al fresco – things are looking up!

The neighbors one-upped us with their water toys, and were kind enough to share.

We really did luck out on the neighbor front…

We tried out the wading pool at Lincoln Park but found it was a bit much for Isaac and not quite enough for Juliette.  Still, it got us out of the house and they were awfully good sports.

And Colman Pool.  Colman Pool.  We zipped down there a couple of times on the e-bikes for an afternoon of water-front swimming.  Talk about Seattle summer magic.  This place has my heart.

Has all of our hearts, actually.

Juliette passed the swim test, making it mid-way across the pool and back on her own, and is now allowed in the deep end.  It took every bit of courage she could muster to tell the lifeguard she was ready for her test, but goodness, the look on her face when she passed.  Such satisfied exhaustion.

Isaac and I cheered her on from the sidelines.

Round 2 at Colman…

The water felt a little chilly that day, but Isaac and I liked dangling our feet in while Juliette did handstands.

We found a few new summer faves and joined friends for a Fish Sticks game – they’re a rec baseball league that plays less than 20 minutes from our house.  The bleachers are fun, the snack bar is pretty good, and the mascot is a total character (I suppose you’ve got to have a sense of humor if you’re sporting a fish stick costume).

Shane won Dad of the Year (eighth year running) when he offered to move the TV outside so that Juliette could have a backyard movie night with a couple of friends.

And after a few days of jump rope camp, Juliette has a newfound hobby.  She didn’t know a single kid heading into this camp and could hardly jump without tripping on the rope on her first day, but by that Friday she was brimming with excitement over her end-of-the-week performance.

Go Jules!

We found a new coffee shop that has the best banana muffins and ample outdoor seating.

And finally, most splendidly, we paddled.  Juliette and I spent an evening in the water near Lowman Beach and sheesh, if this isn’t peak summer goodness, I don’t know what is.

Best first mate.

There were days last month when outside temps ran too hot and Isaac’s temp ran too hot and it was all we could do to just muddle through.  But oh, when you get to watch the sun set over the Sound on a warm July evening, things look up.