During a recent day off of school, when Q and Zoe were off doing something else, Avery and I headed to one of our favorite restaurant spots for brunch. We’ve been there before; Avery calls it “our spot” and often asks if just the two of us can go.

It makes me happy to think of the little one wanting to spend one-on-one time with me and I love that we have our own place. But I had to smile and shake my head when I heard her talking to Q afterwards and discovering it’s not just the company she likes – but the fact I let her get the Nutella banana pancakes!

-M

A few weeks ago the four of us went to a Jewish Art Show at a local synagogue. Not only did Q and I fall in love with (and ultimately buy) a painting by Israeli artist Slava Ilyayev, but Zoe discovered a piece she had to have herself. Called “Bat Mitzvah,” the painting is one of many that, in the artist Peter’G’s words, “introduces us into the magical mystery of Jerusalem… through the eyes of a child.”

It’s the first piece of art that Zoe bought on her own, and she and her dad got it framed and proudly hung it up in her room this weekend.

-M

We’ve all been doing pretty well health-wise this winter, but Avery came down with a bug – headache, sore throat, cough – that kept her home from school for a few days last week. (It also got passed along to me, but that’s a different post.) While home, since I needed to work, she spent much of her time playing games on her tablet.

When I put her to bed one of those nights I told her I know she hadn’t been feeling well and needed to relax, but it bothered me that she hadn’t done anything productive that day. And, then:

A: “What’s productive mean again?”

M: “Something meaningful and something good for your brain.”

A: “Well, I did learn a new word today.”

M: “Oh, good. What?”

A: “Productive.”

(Classic Avery)

-M

For the last ten years+ we’ve celebrated Q’s birthday at the race track. We wound up doing it a bit after the fact this year (and we weren’t able to go down to the track and meet one of the winning jockeys like in years past), but we still upheld tradition!

-M

About ten months ago, during what would be the last time I ever talked to her, my mom told me about a new book for pre-teen girls that she had heard about on TV. “Growing up these days is hard,” she said and suggested I get it for the girls. I would, I told her (the topic was right up my feminist alley) but I didn’t think much of it until a few days after the funeral, when I opened up their mailbox… and found the book inside. It turns out she had ordered it – likely to read herself and then to hand over to us – the night before their accident.

Opening that package remains one of my most bittersweet memories ever, and when I came home after the funeral I brought with me not only the book but the Amazon box it came in. Both book and box then sat on my shelf for many, many months (I wasn’t ready to read it) but a few months ago I read a little to the girls and then handed it over to Zoe to read on her own.

To me, The Confidence Code is a reminder of my mom’s love for her granddaughters and her desire for them to be confident and strong. And when I see Zoe reading it, as she did the other night, it makes me smile – not cry.

-M

Another year, another Super Bowl party! This year, we had only a very small gathering, but it featured some firsts: first time using our inflatable football-themed cooler (guess who picked it out?) and first time Maddie attending (and look what she was wearing)! We all had a good time, aside from the boring game and its outcome, but Zoe pointed out the night before that our annual tradition isn’t just about the day of. “I love having our party,” she told me as she made artichoke dip on Saturday, “but, honestly, the most fun part is getting ready and cooking.”

-M

January was a very rainy time here in San Francisco – especially the beginning of the month. The sitter who watched Maddie for us when we were gone reported that Maddie (and the other dogs) had no interest in going out in the rain, and indeed we saw that firsthand upon our return. Let’s just say getting her to go outside some days was a challenge!

We all breathed a sigh of relief when we got a break from the cloudy skies, and Avery and I took advantage of the sun and took the dog to a few new parks. Maddie loved running around with her sister – and when Avery left her to go to the playground (a dog-free zone) at one point Maddie didn’t want to play. She instead just sat watching her and waiting patiently.

-M