Let’s Bottle This Up | Twins Age 5½

We saw an ease of parenting emerge when the twins turned five, and I've noticed another little uptick in independence and maturity now that they’re five-and-a-half. Preschool has been good for them—and fun for us :) We still witness plenty of bickering (“that’s not fair!” and “I want to go first!”), along with a fair amount of whining, but it’s no longer constant. Thank goodness.

Our days are filled with wonderful things, and I regularly catch myself thinking: let’s bottle up this childhood.

- Watching them squeal and run from the tickle monster 
- Knock knock jokes
- Playing "true/false" at dinner
- Math chats and on-demand multiplication questions modeled by NLW
-Their willingness (and ability!) to help with chores—dishes, tidying, laundry, etc.
- CCW starting to swim (in his own way at his own pace) 
- EDW learning how to *snap* her fingers
- Library trips and sounding out words
- A love for art and projects 
- Impromptu just-ring-the-doorbell playdates with two neighbor girls (fewer things make me happier)
- Hearing them say "excited" when seeing an exclamation point and "period. stop." after a period
- An unwavering love of lemonade
- Birthday parties and playdates
- Pokémon battles using stuffed animals (“Did you know psychic is a type and a move?”)
- The joys of having a playground all to ourselves—you can too, if you go to Lincoln Park at 8:15am on a Sunday
- Constant conversation, curiosity, and learning

I know we’ll be ready for kindergarten this fall—the start of The Golden Years—when all three kids will be at the same school. One drop-off, one pick-up, one schedule. A dream. Before we get there though, we have another ~5 weeks of this school year, plus a full and fun summer ahead. Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

May + End of School Year
- West Seattle Garage Sale
- Celebrating Mother's Day with a family bike ride
- Seeing Mr. Fleece's family in Connecticut
- A solo weekend trip to Phoenix with my childhood best friend
- Pre-K graduation and a special school trip to Vashon Island
- Beach excursions and low tide days
- Celebrating the last day of school at a local ice cream shop
- Celebrating the first day of summer at low tide

Summer Fun
- Plenty of downtime at home
- Summer camps, including a week of Pedalheads trail riding
- Blueberry picking
- Curating summer movie nights
- Swimming in Lake Washington
- Cougar Mountain Zoo for the first time
- Colman Pool with the kids for the first time

Road Trips
- Gig Harbor
- Port Angeles
- Oregon Coast + Eugene + Hood River
- Mt. Rainier
- Lots of day trips!

"Children still need a childhood with dirt, mud, puddles, trees, sticks, and tadpoles."
 -- Brooke Hampton

oh yes!

-SJW

Life Wright Now | Spring 2026

This spring has been as refreshing and lovely as the seasonal cascade of blooms in our neighborhood. Every year, we witness a colorful order of operations: crocus > daffodils > cherry blossoms > tulips > irises > lilacs. The flowers and sunshine alone would be enough to keep me smiling, but I've been fortunate to enjoy several extra dopamine hits these past few weeks. 

A New Picture Window
Mr. Fleece and I remain giddy about our new picture window in our main living room. We hemmed and hawed over this decision for years, but finally went for it. We worked with The Best Practice (a dad from the twins' preschool) and the process was completely smooth—finished in just one week. The window looks like it was always meant to be there and is so much better than a large blank wall. With the additional natural light, it feels like we’re living in a treehouse :)

The Sound of Music
We introduced our trio to "The Sound of Music" soundtrack and saw our local high school production. We left after Act I/intermission (as planned) since it was already 8:15 and the children were tired, as captured by CCW's yawn! Fortunately most of the hit numbers are in the first half. Since then, our breakfasts have been serenaded with "The Hills Are Alive..." and "Do-Re-Mi..." Hearing EDW sing “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” has to be one of the cutest things ever. 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
I've been recommending this series left and right because it's simply superb. The audiobooks are narrated by Genevieve Gaunt and are an absolute delight. I'm on volume 6 (there are 8 currently published with a plan for upwards of 20) so it's a bit of a commitment, but one I'm more than happy to undertake.

A Little Free Library
I've been dreaming of a little free library and originally hoped to get one last September to celebrate five years in our home, but was discouraged to see how pricey they were online. Undeterred, and with the recommendation of a neighbor, I reached out to my 89-year-old woodworking neighbor and asked if he'd be willing to build one for me. He was and he did! With another neighbor providing the post, and two more assisting along the way, it became a true community project :) Now that the installation's complete, I get to look forward to a lifetime of pilfering from other little free libraries in order to curate my own—haha! 

Birding with the Boys
We met up with a friend at Juanita Bay Park for a springtime adventure. I'd heard it was great for turtles and birds—music to our family's ears. We were not disappointed—robins, wrens, herons, ducks with seven ducklings, a red-winged blackbird, a pileated woodpecker, a bald eagle, a muskrat(!), a frog, and 50+ turtles basking in the sun. These boys were stoked!

Guest Readers
Mr. Fleece has been taking advantage of his reduced workweek for a myriad of activities—mostly exercise, appointments, connecting with friends and family, and errands. Before going on a coffee date, we surprised the twins by reading to their class. Two kids—two parents—two books! We chose two of the Fox books in the series by Corey R. Tabor that EDW and CCW both enjoy. 

“Spring gives us more than we deserve.” — Emma M. Lion

-SJW

Ski Report | 2026

We did it! We got three children on skis for the first time this winter. With historically low snow and only one mountain open, we made a good showing. Similar to swimming, our kids approached the activity at their own pace in their own way. Hot chocolate, jellybeans, and McDonald's on the way home were all helpful tools :) 

I'm proud of my instructional skills and patience with the twins -- "put the cookie in the oven and stomp that bug" -- and really impressed by how quickly NLW picked it up. He was doing rounds up and down the magic carpet independently while we tackled our "lessons" with the twins. In total, we went to Snoqualmie five times, wrapping up our season on Easter Sunday! It was great to end with some wins...amazing parking spot, no lines, extra candy, and most notable, NLW's first time on a ski lift! 

Love these little snow bunnies,

-SJW

Life Wright Now | March 2026

One of my favorite rhythms is looking back at photos from the month, writing these blog posts, and capturing the pace of our days and the simple joys within them. It's a gentle reminder that my highlights are never "the time I spent checking email, watching YouTube, or looking things up on my phone" :) We definitely saw an uptick in our hosting and time spent outdoors -- a sure sign of springtime! 

Highlights from March include:

- beachcombing for sea glass
- enjoying our couch in the kitchen and calling it "the parlor"
- getting back in the habit of placing library holds
- making art and attending my friend's annual "art gallery" house party 
- coordinating and hosting the salad portion of our block's progressive dinner
- book club discussions 
- running into a college friend at Constellation Beach
- committing to Alki Elementary 
- admiring the snowfall 
- giving all the children haircuts
- rollerblading along Lincoln Park
- more pumpkin pie with Poppa (on pi day!)
- celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Lucky Charms for breakfast and corned beef and cabbage for dinner
- birdwatching at Lake Union Natural Bay
- finally spotting orcas in Puget sound
- joining my friend JS in her annual Elliott Bay Book Company birthday celebration
- getting a stand-up comedy routine from a new friend (her stories put me in stitches!) 
- volunteering with Impact West Seattle at Sound Foundations NW
- first family hike of the year!

On a week when I had very little patience with my children, I enacted a tried-and-true antidote: the 1:1 date. I took each twin on a special outing—CCW to the Seattle Art Museum on First Thursday and EDW shopping at our local consignment store, Three Little Birds.

They were both in their element—CCW sprinting through art exhibits and commenting on designs, and EDW shopping for ballet clothes and leaving with an unexpected Elsa dress-up costume. NLW was happy following his weekly tradition of walking to PCC to get an opal apple (kid's free produce with any purchase).

I’m doing my best to say yes to my children and create meaningful core memories—for them and for me. The snow day helped, too :) 

-SJW