Q’s birthday was yesterday, and look at the sweet note Zoe gave him. (Even sweeter: In a separate card she told him he was a “beyond perfect” daddy. Awwww….)

-M

Our recent vacation and winter break were pretty great, so I was kind of bummed about having to return to our normal life and schedule on Monday. The girls: not so much. They were both just fine about getting back to school and seeing their friends! It seemed to be a pretty mellow week for both girls, and I was able to capture a moment from one of Zoe’s mornings, when she was reading to a kindergartener as part of the school’s “reading buddy” program.

-M

I posted this on Facebook, but it’s too good to not share here… I was getting ready to go out with Q one night last week when I mentioned to Avery that I needed to change my clothes. She asked why I didn’t wear the shirt I had on, and I responded that it wasn’t quite right for date night. With a surprised look on her face, Avery asked, “You mean you’re dating Daddy?”

-M

Another perk of our recent trip to Hawaii: Avery became a full-fledged swimmer. She’s been taking lessons for awhile, but it took a week of every-day swimming to make her comfortable enough to glide through the water on her own. Here she is during at swim class last week – and for those of you who have seen the new Star Wars movie, doesn’t she kinda look like Maz?

-M

We had a quiet but fun and happy night at home on New Year’s Eve. Hope yours was a good one, too!

-M

Some other favorites from our trip, including the sunset from our hotel. (As Q commented, every night looked like a postcard.)

-M

Before we left the island, I wanted a few more photos of the girls together. Luckily, they humored me doing some posing on the sand.

-M

To give the girls a real snorkeling experience, we headed back to Makaiwa Bay one morning and jumped on a cruise on the Winona, a Polynesian sailing catamaran. The spot we were taken to was amazing: deep waters in a beautiful shade of blue with turtles, rays, and schools and schools of fish. One of our guides even caught and brought to the surface a small, brown octopus, which he let the girls touch and name. I was blown away with what I saw under water (on one side of the boat, it looked like that scene of “Finding Nemo” – with nothing but deep blue at the edge of the reef), but what Avery seemed to enjoy the most was the boat itself.

-M

I had never zip lined before but decided to be adventurous (and brave!) when Q suggested it as a family activity. So on the second full day of our trip, we got up early and drove to the Hamakua Coast, known for its rainforests, waterfalls, and gorgeous sights, and home to the Botanical World Adventures. We wound up zipping on lines as high as 200 feet, with a canopy of green below our feet – and it was hands-down one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! (The girls were totally fearless, too; Avery, because of her size, was attached to an instructor on her first few zips, but by the end, she opted to go on her own.) After our adventure, we walked through the gorgeous and green rainforest (where it felt as if we were in a different world) before visiting nearby Akaka Falls, a 442-foot waterfall. Q and I saw it the last time we were on the island, but – because of the recent rainfall – it was much more impressive this time around.

-M

We had seven days on the Big Island and, unlike some of our past family trips, we did way more than lay by the pool. Most mornings we jumped in the car and started exploring: We typically had one destination in mind, and from there we would see where the day took us.

One of my favorite visits was to Hapuna Beach, the island’s largest white-sand beach – and listed in guidebooks as a must-see. There are two sections of the beach, and when we came upon the first (smaller, less crowded, more shaded) part and I first saw the pristine beach and lava rock formations, I gasped. It’s one of the prettiest spots I’ve ever been.

Another morning we grabbed snorkeling equipment and headed to a spot Q and I had discovered on our last trip: Makaiwa Bay, featuring a half-moon shaped beach and schools of yellow tang (my favorite) and other small fish to explore just a few feet out. It was the girls’ first time snorkeling, and Zoe’s summary was a simple “awesome.” After that came exploring one of our favorite little farm towns up north, where we spotted our first rainbow and browsed art at our favorite gallery, and the more touristy Kailua-Kona down south, where we sampled exotic fruit at a farmer’s market and had a sunset dinner on the beach.

-M

The reason for my blogging break is that we were in Hawaii for seven days. Q and I had been plotting to take the girls to the Big Island ever since we visited it on our own last summer, and our time there with the whole family was everything I had hoped for – and more. We have tons of photos to share, starting with one of my favorites - taken on our first morning on the island.

-M

I’m going to do something I haven’t done since launching this blog back in 2006: take a little break! I’ll be back with photos and stories in about a week.

-M

A photo, courtesy of their teacher, of Avery and one of her besties.

-M

Today’s the last day of Hanukkah – and the perfect time to share one of my favorite photos from this year’s holiday.

-M

It’s been a busy week for the girls, with Hanukkah activities at school starting right when we returned from Madison. Among the highlights: a party during which we ate latkes and made menorahs, and Zoe performing with chorus at City Hall. (Q got to watch!) Among the tunes they sang: “We Are All Candles.”

-M