Life in photos lately

Life in photos lately

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

There is nothing quite like celebrating the holidays with a small child. The wonder and awe even a single strand of lights provides is a good reminder that Christmas time needn't be busy, over scheduled or expensive to be enjoyable- in fact it is more enjoyable if it is none of those things. This year I have tried my best to keep things simple. We forewent getting a large Christmas tree and instead invited our favorite little tree inside for a couple of weeks. This year I have not bought very many gifts, left most of our Christmas decorations in their box and spent very little time at the mall. Instead I made a simple advent calendar and we have been filling our evenings with hot cocoa, impromptu dance parties, walks and drives to look at the Christmas lights and even a Christmas movie or two once Jasper goes to bed. 

Argosy Christmas Ships

Argosy Christmas Ships

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Each Christmas season we make it a point to go on the Christmas Ships. We have left from Kirkland, Pier 55, and Shilshoe Bay. Each year we can count on a chilly night on the water, festive music blaring in our ears and lots of beautiful Christmas lights. This year, same as last year we left from Shilshoe Bay. We made our way through the Ballard Locks and then over to Golden Gardens. Since it was a clear night, there were a good number of parade boats following behind the Christmas Ship. Most of the parade boats were sailboats which had christmas lights strung over their lines. Being out on the water surrounded by lights and music felt like a quintessential Christmas in the northwest kind of night. 

Christmas shopping for our little mountain man

Christmas shopping for our little mountain man

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

For anyone who has a small child it probably feels like every day is Christmas. Small children are constantly outgrowing, wearing out or in need of something and Christmas is just a good excuse to wrap up all those adorable gifts you have been stock piling over the past few months. It might just be me, but when it is small it is cute and when it is cute I am tempted to snatch it up. A long time ago I saw a good idea to give your child three gifts for Christmas; something to wear, something to play with and something to read. I really liked this idea as a good starting point for my Christmas shopping and if I had more self control that would be all I was buying. Instead, I remind myself Jasper will only be little once and he will only be able to fit into tiny plaid shirts and coonskin caps while roasting marshmallows over his play fire for so long. 

Wandering through the snow

Wandering through the snow

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Parenting, Outdoor adventures

During the Winter I am constantly checking the weather report up in the mountains. If we receive substantial snowfall during the week then we make it a point to head up to the mountains on Saturday. Saturdays have traditionally been our day set aside for being together as a family and having fun. I am not a fan of chores, errands or work on Saturdays and I avoid it at all costs. I once read an article which stated from the time your child is born until the time they turn eighteen you have 940 Saturdays. Particularly now that we have Jasper I want to make the most of these days and give him memories of hikes, camping trips, catching snowflakes on our tongues and enjoying picnics by the water. During the week in between work, laundry, and to do lists I try my best to squeeze in the chores and errands. 

The every day

The every day

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

It is in the quiet moments I find the most joy as a mother. When I enter my son's room to get him from his crib after his nap and I see his beaming face and outstretched arms or the moment he stops crawling and looks backward to make certain I am going to chase him or when he rubs his tired little eyes and rests his head on my shoulder for a few seconds. Those are the moments, the moments I want to engrave on my heart. The past few months, I have made a conscious effort to pick up my camera more often to capture these small, but important moments in our lives. 

Visiting Santa

Visiting Santa

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Parenting

For the second year in a row we took Jasper for the obligatory Santa photo. Since Jasper was so small last year it wasn't much of a feat to have him happily sit on Santa's lap, but this year we were uncertain how he was going to react this year. This year we also planned ahead forewent the three hour wait and visited Santa at a time he was less busy.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Outdoor adventures, Parenting

A big storm rolled into the mountains this weekend which meant lots and lots of new fluffy white snow. We decide to head up Saturday afternoon to check it out and get our first real taste of snow for the season. We were also interested to see how Jasper was going to react to it all. It was cold, blowing at times and the snow was coming down pretty hard, but as always Jasper was a trooper. We kept him bundled up pretty well, and overall he was delightful, but it came as no surprise he was not a fan of snow blowing directly into his face. Like each new experience we have with him, it is a learning process. We are constantly figuring out ways to adapt, be better prepared and make certain it is a fun experience for us all.  

South Lake Union during the holidays

South Lake Union during the holidays

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle

Downtown Seattle is such a fun and vibrant place this time of year, but there is also a lot going on in other parts of the city. We wandered down to South Lake Union during our staycation over Black Friday and were delighted to find so much to see and do. There were ships open for touring with complimentary hot cocoa and coffee, choirs performing, and an opportunity to make and festively decorate your own wooden boat from the Center for Wooden Boats. The best part of all these activities, was they were either free or by small donation. 

A holiday staycation

A holiday staycation

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Seattle

This year we decided to mix things up and spent the evening of Black Friday in downtown Seattle. Normally, on Black Friday we have a tradition of doing a little shopping in the morning and then heading home to a local nursery to pick out our Christmas tree. Then we spend the rest of the evening decorating the tree and listening to Christmas tunes. Instead of our usual tradition, we jumped on the bus downtown armed with an overnight bag and eagerly anticipated our weekend adventure in the city. Although we spend a lot of time downtown in general we have not stayed at hotel in the city for over ten years. 

Easy D.I.Y. Christmas Advent

Easy D.I.Y. Christmas Advent

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Each Holiday season I like to create an advent calendar. The focus is not necessarily a countdown to Christmas, rather a tool to help us enjoy the season. This year I took twenty five mini craft paper boxes and filled them with slips of paper listing an activity we can do together as a family. Then I glued a little bottle brush tree on top and tied it up with a ribbon. 

A wintry hike up to Snow Lake

A wintry hike up to Snow Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Outdoor adventures

We have now reached the point in the year where there is not enough snow to snow shoe, but most of the hiking trails are covered in either snow, ice or both. It can be a bit treacherous making your way up and down safely, but it is a beautiful time of year especially when the sun decides to shine. On Thanksgiving we wanted to get outside for a bit before going over to my parent's house for dinner. We decided on Snow Lake because it is a moderate hike and we knew we could do it in the time that we had. Once on the trail it was a tad colder than I had anticipated, so next time I will need to be better prepared for wintry conditions.

A pit stop in Portland

A pit stop in Portland

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend

On our way home from the Oregon coast we decided to take a little detour and meet up with our friends in Portland. Since I easily daydream about going to Portland at least once a month, it was a no brainer when the opportunity presented itself. There is something about Portland that feels so young and hip. The food scene cannot be beat and I love how easy it is to get around. We met up with our friends for lunch at Por Que No and then walked down Mississippi Avenue looking in the various shops. Some of my favorites include: Black Wagon, Paxton Gate, Land, and Pistils Nursery.

Pre holiday get away

Pre holiday get away

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Travel

The holidays can be such a frenzied time, so we decided to enjoy the calm before the storm by heading to Cannon Beach for a few days. We stayed at Tolovana Inn in a two bedroom condo right on the beach, our unit had a full kitchen and dining room which made it easy to make our own meals and enjoy them at a leisurely pace. We only ended up eating out a couple times and our favorite was Tom's Fish and Chips. Aside from a day trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, we spent the majority of our time walking along the beach and enjoying the sea breeze. These days our trips are a lot less structured and just being together makes me feel endlessly happy and content. Jasper has taught me so many things. However, the most important thing he has taught me is to enjoy the mundane. Eating breakfast used to take me five minutes, now I can plan on at least thirty. He has taught me the unscheduled day has its advantages and being busy does not necessarily equate to fulfillment or happiness. Productivity has always been a source of happiness and pride for me, but since Jasper has come along some days I resign myself to the fact not much is going to get done. The important realization I have come to is that I am okay with it. Playing blocks, jumping in piles of clean laundry, unfolding and tossing the folded laundry on the floor, playing hide and seek, and crawling around the room are among life's simple joys. 

A new way to travel

A new way to travel

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel

Since our son arrived we have spent the majority of our vacations exploring closer to home. The thought of several days cramped in a small hotel room has lost its appeal. With a busy toddler who loves to explore we are constantly searching for experiences which spark his imagination and capture his creativity.  Over the past year, we have started to explore alternate types of places to stay, so when the opportunity to partner with Glamping Hub popped up I was happy to try out their services. Glamping Hubhas a variety of unique places to stay from tree houses and railroad cars to log cabins, yurts, canvas tents and teepees. The exciting part is many of these places you can stay for less than the price of a standard hotel room. Washington is such a diverse and beautiful state, even though I have lived here almost my entire life there are so many places to explore and beautiful gems to discover. Check back in to see the adventures we had with Glamping Hub. 

A first birthday in the woods

A first birthday in the woods

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Kid Style, Parenting

As soon as Jasper was born I was eager to start thinking about his first birthday celebration. Although it needn't been elaborate, I knew it needed to be special. Between our love for the outdoors and the beautiful area we live in, I knew it needed to be connected to nature. I was uncertain how to make my dream a reality until I started to look at venues and nothing felt right. My husband suggested a place we have visited the year prior; a beautiful glass house in the woods. Immediately, I knew the house had the vibe I was looking for, the only problem was it was small and almost two hours away from Seattle. Would my guests be willing to spend an entire day traveling to my son's birthday party? Would I be able to pull off a party in a remote location?

A birthday trip to the Seattle Aquarium

A birthday trip to the Seattle Aquarium

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Parenting

I have not spent a whole lot of time doing specific "kid" things with Jasper because usually he seems to be enjoying himself regardless of what we are doing. However, on his birthday I wanted to do something special for him and yet memorable for us. I finally decided on going to the Seattle Aquarium. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and at the end of our visit we decided to splurge on the annual pass. I am uncertain how many times we will actually visit the aquarium over the next year, but their toddler programs are on my radar and I am excited to spend more time exploring the aquarium myself. There is no end to the sights, sounds and colors at the aquarium. Jasper favorite spot was the tide pools, in particular the wave machine which turned on every few minutes to mimic the tide. I love this age of discovery and I am trying my best to capture his imagination and keep each day interesting. 

Long weekend traveling

Long weekend traveling

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel

Ever since Jasper has been born we have changed the way we travel. Over the past year we have predominately visited places we have been before and have kept our trips to either three or four days. Between this season of life being extra busy and adjusting to our new family we have made a conscious decision to keep things simple. I am certain as Jasper gets a tad older it will be easier to meet his needs and have big adventures, but for the time being we have stayed close to home and enjoyed low key adventures. Some of our favorite trips have included:

One of the best days of my life

One of the best days of my life

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Parenting, Outdoor adventures

I don't think it was a coincidence one of the best days of my life preceded one of the worst days of my life. It was not that we did anything lavish, but the weather was spectacular and we spent the day hiking to Cutthroat Pass via Cutthroat Lake (one of the prettiest trails I have ever been on). The sky was blue, the larch were golden and my happy little family was doing what we do best- enjoying nature and each other. I was confident after seeing the heartbeat of our child, that this tiny human growing inside of me was happy and healthy. We were eagerly anticipating breaking the news to friends and were feeling blessed beyond measure to be adding again to our family so soon. 

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