little black journal

Our Friday drive to Savannah took longer than expected due to traffic, but Juliette and I leaned into the road trip vibes, cranked up the Chappell Roan, and dug into our snack stash.  Pink Pony Club became our southern anthem as we cruised under tunnels of oaks.

We got settled at our top-floor AirBnB late afternoon and took in the view from our corner window.  Score!

We set out in the evening in search of food and drink, but I was sidetracked around each bend by the abundance of Spanish moss.  It was all I hoped it would be.

Juliette is exceedingly patient with my constant snapping of photos – this was the point in our trip when she made a game out of really amping up her strut each time I pulled out my phone.

Oh-my-gosh-I-love-her-so-much.

We walked down sidewalks lined with brick and through squares shaded by towering, twirly oaks.

We landed a comfy couple of seats at Grove’s rooftop terrace and ordered up a Spritz for mama and a Rise and Shine for kiddo.  Juliette felt so fancy with her pineapple garnish – cheers, girlfriend.

We stayed here for awhile.  No need to rush!

Once we’d eaten and drank and finished our game of Rummy, we slowly moseyed on back to our room, passing through City Market and down Broughton.  The Friday night vibes were strong in this town.

Such a happy glimmer.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and full of charm.

We grabbed coffee and bagels and then walked over to the Jepson Center for an art fix.

The museum was small but lovely.  We lingered for a bit at the interactive Impressionist exhibit and then headed back out into the sunshine.

Our entry to the Jepson was bundled with a tour of the nearby Owens-Thomas house and slave quarters, so we walked that way.  These tree-filled squares, though!  They were everywhere and they were my favorite.

Our hour-long tour through the Owens-Thomas house was packed with information, but I reminded Juliette that there would be no test on this history lesson.  Instead, I told her just to take in what she could.  The juxtaposition of master versus servant quarters was powerful.  And gosh, Juliette’s ears really perked up when she learned that the Marquis de Lafayette, her favorite character from Hamilton, had stayed at that very house.

After our house tour, we decided to book a couple of tickets on the town trolley so that we could do some seated sight-seeing.  It was a short walk to the trolley stop, but again, the moss.  Couldn’t help ourselves.

We hopped off the trolley near the river and grabbed lunch at The Pirate’s House, which was a quirky little place.  Quirky good?  Or quirky weird?  Who can say?

It was short walk to the next trolley stop, where we perched on a bench to wait for our pickup.  We watched the sweetest, happiest couple take their wedding pics.  Lotta love in the air that day.

The trolley took us down to Forsyth Park, which is basically one of those darling town squares times ten.  Stunning.

We strolled back toward our AirBnB, making a stop at Mirabel for iced tea and iced coffee.  Patio table dreams.

Back on our feet, with more delight around each bend.

THE SQUARES!

This one was the setting for the opening scene of Forrest Gump.  Southern as southern gets.

We chilled at our room for awhile and then went back out to do a little shopping.  We had seen lots of people toting bags of Byrd’s “tiny, crispy, cookies” and decided we needed to fill a small sampler box for ourselves.  Two thumbs up for their key lime coolers.

Juliette was craving sushi (which for her, means edamame and cucumber rolls), so we grabbed a table Coco and Moss.  Felt good to eat something green.

Goodnight, Savannah.  Time to get back to our room to do face masks and watch The Notebook!

We had a Sunday evening flight back home, which left us with the full morning to wander and charm-seek.  We found a sweet little patio table at Franklin’s and took our time eating our pastries and sipping our drinks.

I felt like my conversations with Juliette just got better and better as the week went on.  No shortage of things to talk about with this girl.

I wanted to walk along nearby Jones Street, which was rumored to be the loveliest street in Savannah, but I mean really, aren’t they all lovely?

Jones was awfully nice.

And when near Forsyth Park…you go back!

We found a bench and I painted Juliette’s nails and we read for awhile.

There was a musician playing kids’ tunes on his trumpet for an intrigued toddler and Juliette and I watched with a smile and a bit of longing as the little boy clapped and danced.  It was time to get home to our guys.

Final sidewalk snaps…

A signing of the guest book…

And one last square…

We loved Savannah so much.  We loved our time together SO MUCH.  Next time someone says, “picture your happy place”, I think that bench at Forsyth Park may come to mind.  Spanish moss glowing overhead.  Fountain tinkling in the distance.  Juliette at my side.  Sun on our shoulders.  I’m so thankful.

Juliette and I had such a ball galavanting around Paris last October that I wanted to make our mother-daughter getaway an annual thing.  We don’t need to jet off to Europe every year, per se, but I figured we could swing some sort of trip together to do some exploring and focus on each other without little brother interjecting himself into any and every conversation.  I’ve had the South on my to-visit list for some time now and Shane…has not, so I asked Juliette if she wanted to spend a few days romping around Charleston and Savannah and she said OF COURSE and I bought tickets and we kissed our guys goodbye and we were off!

We arrived at our little AirBnB carriage house on a Wednesday afternoon, ditched our sweaters, and set out to grab a snack before our late-evening dinner reso.

This place was going to do juuuuust fine.

We found acai bowls and tons of shopping on nearby King Street.  Plus plenty of charm and twinkle to boot.

We had a bit of time to rest and settle into our cozy quarters before dinner.  What this place lacked in square footage, it made up for with character!

I wanted to do something a little fancy, it being my birthday and all, and Husk did not disappoint.

Get a load of the porch on this place!

The roast chicken was tender, the cocktails were crisp, and the company was perfection.

Such a birthday treat.

Thursday was dedicated to roaming around Charleston.  We had a few sights on our to-see list, but found that we loved the in-between strolls as much as anything.

First stop:  Harken Cafe for coffee and scones.  Loved the cozy vibes here.

We took a spin through the Charleston City Market and Juliette picked out a pair of earrings for herself and for a friend.  We bought a toy car for Isaac, not because he needed it, but because we missed him so dang much and it felt nice to have a Hotwheels in our bag, like we were carrying around a little piece of him.

More walking, more charming street scenes…

And then we landed at the International African American Museum, where we spent a couple of hours processing the South’s black history.  There was obviously much more there than we could unpack in a single morning, but we scratched the surface of Gullah Geechee culture, sat with the region’s painful stories of oppression, and spent several minutes marveling over this hand-beaded Mardi Gras garb.

We lunched and got off our feet for awhile at Fleet Landing.  Best crab cakes I’ve had in a long, long time.

After lunch…more walking!  Through Waterfront Park, along the Battery, then through the French Quarter.  We racked up our steps, but we also took our time and chatted and laughed along the way.  UN-hurrying felt so good.

The trees in these parks!  The dappled-light tunnels they make are magical.

Back at our AirBnB, we took advantage of the well-stocked fridge and the breezy porch.

We drove over to Sullivan’s Island for dinner and sunset beach time.  The pizza and gnocchi at Obstinate Daughter hit the spot after a long day of walking.

Man, I’m funny sometimes.  I wish I could remember what had this kid laughing so hard.

We landed at the beach with about an hour till sunset and did a little walking before finding our perfect patch of sand.

We really did miss Isaac, but we also really leaned into the opportunity to kick back with our books.

Although who are we kidding?  This girl loves to run almost as much as her kid brother.

Getting closer…

We stayed till the sun fully dipped below the horizon and then I said something silly that had us both doubled over with laughter and it’s hard for me to put into words how thankful I am for how much freaking fun I have with my daughter.  Also, how thankful I am that Shane happily holds down the fort at home while we giggle on a beach clear across the country.  What a gift.

On Friday we hit the road to Savannah for Part II of our southern tour.  First, though, tea in the salon…  I could tell Juliette felt very fancy, perched on a velvet couch in a room covered in floral wallpaper.  When in Charleston…

We stopped at Church and Union before hitting the road and did our daily NY Times word puzzles over bacon and cinnamon rolls.

In the name of taking our time, we detoured to Folly Beach to read on the pier and put our feet in the surf.

Pineapple whip?  Don’t mind if we do…  Perfect road trip snack as we head to SAVANNAH.  Comin’ right up.

We’re down to our last full day in Maui…I set out on my own on Wednesday morning for a solo beach walk.  I sat for awhile in the sand and said my prayers of gratitude.  The past few days had been such a treat for family.

Hi, kids!  Isaac’s face in this pic makes me smile, like…”What the heck, Mom?  You went to the beach without me?!”

All was forgiven.

We decided that morning beach time was really our jam, before it got too hot.  It was nice to feel the sun come up while we played in the sand, then take an ocean dip before heading over to the pool.

Little boxes of yogurt-covered raisins are Isaac’s favorite special treat when we travel – he calls them ‘eggs’ and gets giddy when I pull them out.  Shane missed the memo and picked up regular raisins from the market.  Isaac was very sweet in hiding his disappointment.

Isaac truly believed he could stop the waves with an outstretched hand a grumpy face.

Didn’t work.

Naptime seemed to lengthen a bit with each passing day – fun fatigue is a real thing.  We loved those quiet hours back at the room, though, reading and resting and hanging on the patio.  We’d all pile into bed when Isaac woke up and ponder how we should spend the afternoon.

I mean, was there ever really any question?

I know Shane’s arms were tired 14 rounds into this game, but Isaac kept shouting, “More, Daddy!  MORE!”

Who can resist?

Sister wanted in.

We knew our pool time was waning and did the slide circuit several times, then spent awhile cruising the lazy river, Isaac on Shane’s shoulders and Juliette on mine.

Side note: palm trees just don’t make sense proportionally, do they?

We had dinner that night at Monkeypod – Juliette and I wanted to try their famous Mai Tai’s with Lilikoi foam (sans alcohol for the kiddo).

YUM.

We bolted back to the beach after dinner for one last sunset.  Oh, to lounge in the warm sand.  The luxury of this leisure was not lost on me.

1, 2, 3…pants OFF.

Never give up, Isaac.

We walked back to our room pink-cheeked and a little buzzy from Mai Tais and golden skies.  Another top day.

Rise and shine, kiddos!  It’s go-home day…

We staked out our beach chairs and did the mental math on how long we could possibly wait before checking out and heading to the airport.

These footprints were all ours.

Shane and Juliette took a dip while Isaac and I watched from our usual knee-deep spot.  They heard whales underwater and sheesh, could this place be more magic?

Chlorine rinse and one last rousing game of keep-away.

And then we blitz-packed and headed down to the lobby to toss our coins to the wish-granting mermaid.

Oof.  Saying good-bye is hard.  But how lucky are we?!  Mahalo, Maui.

Maui, Days 4 and 5…

I was up before the sun on Monday morning so that I could grab some coffee before my 7am beach yoga class.  I thought I would just quietly slip out of our room unnoticed, but who was I kidding?  Isaac was up, which meant everyone was up, so I had company for my walk to the market.

I laid out my towel on the beach with several other resorters and we warrior-ed while whales played in the distance.

Yoga was fun, but I could see the kids playing down the beach with Shane and couldn’t wait to join them.

ISAAC!

We lounged in our chairs for a bit before going full-bore on sand play.

I thought I had plenty of pictures of Isaac in Shane’s hat, but then he flipped it around and I needed one more.

The kids loved having sand piled on top of their legs, but Isaac’s wiggly toes never stayed buried for long.

Time to rinse off!

Isaac picked out that orange car from the gift shop next to the shave ice place on Saturday and he clutched it close at naptime and bedtime all week.  It’s almost as cuddly as his favorite deer.  Almost.

We drove up to Paia after naptime for a late lunch at the Flatbread Company.  We visited this place a couple of years ago and remembered loving the Mopsy, their signature pie topped with Kalua pork and pineapple.  It’s as good as ever.

Pizza, then pool.  Isaac leveled up on the waterslides and started doing the little ones on his own.

We spent a lot of time at the upper pool this year – it seemed mildly warmer than the big pool down down below and it was away from a lot of the hub-bub.  Our family often had this area all to ourselves and Shane, Juliette and I played several rounds of Monkey in the Middle with our water-ball while Isaac happily bobbed around nearby.  There was a moment when Shane lunged at me to block my catch and I was struck by the volume of my own laughter – I guess we made our own hub-bub.

She’s going to have this boy swimming on his own next year.

The kids reluctantly changed out of their swimsuits in the evening and then we spent awhile playing more Monkey in the Middle, this time on our favorite lawn.  The kids ran and ran, then stopped for a snuggle.

We walked back after sundown and took a peek at the resort’s luau before calling it a night.

Goodnight, moon.

Tuesday!  Up bright and early again.  Shane headed out to play some pickle ball and I took the kids to the market for acai and coffee.

We stopped to look at some bugs and I reveled in how good it felt to be on island time.

CARS.  Always with the cars.

We took our acai bowls down to the beach and munched and read and played.

When the ocean roars, Isaac roars back.

ELEVATOR BUTTONS.  Another simple pleasure in the midst of paradise.  We made a lot of extra stops that week.

Suit up, kids!

Shane joined us for some volleyball and a poolside lunch.

And then we did the tired march to naptime…

Naptime over.  Right back to the pool.

Hot tub?  Don’t mind if we do.

We gussied up for dinner and it’s like this kid was auditioning for Miami Vice, the way he strutted through the lobby.  He clearly knew how good he looked.

Maui Brewing was all we hoped it would be – beer and nachos and cornhole, to boot!

I love a restaurant where Isaac can run free.

Shane’s got the best aim in our family when it comes to lawn games, but Juliette has the best style.

We jetted down to Makena Cove after dinner to catch the sunset.  This little stretch of beach is pure magic at golden hour.

Isaac soaked and shed his shorts within five minutes of our arrival.  Juliette gave me kudos for packing her swimsuit.

I know I’ve said this before, but gosh, watching my kids play tag with the tide is one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world.

Isaac really expanded his repertoire of facial expressions on this trip.  This was a new one – he’d look at Juliette and me, wide-eyed and a little confused, then bust into a cheesy grin.

The sand here is some of the softest I’ve felt.  Isaac spent a long time burying and then searching for a little stick he’d found, just for the feel of the sand running between his fingers.

Magic, I tell you!  Magic!

Juliette and I were buzzing from our perfect sunset and felt too amped to call it a night, so we grabbed some ice cream from Loulou and went down the pool for a night swim.

We sat in the hot tub and chatted till we couldn’t take the heat anymore, then walked back to our room by the light of the moon.  Top day.

Goodness, I’ve got some catching up to do around here.  We’ve had not one but TWO beautiful sun-cations with a grief-filled March in between.  Life has been full, to say the least.

I’ll start with Maui, because that happened first and because it feels good right now to reminisce about those few days at our favorite place.  Maui.  Maui, Maui, Maui.  We have built a precious handful of annual trips and traditions into our family calendar, but our February trip to Wailea takes the cake.  We book our room nearly a year in advance, before the points-per-night rates skyrocket, and we look forward to it all winter long, religiously swallowing our zinc and vitamin D in an effort to ward off any bugs that could waylay our trip.  I was feeling especially anxious this last time around, as Juliette and I were both so traumatized by the five hours of puking she did on our 2023 trip to Maui, but as we inched down the jetway and Isaac tried to board with a family that was not his own, we laughed and my shoulders relaxed.  The kids felt great.  Our bags were packed.  We were making it happen!

Isaac is becoming such a good little traveler.  IPads help, as does a flight that spans naptime, but also, he’s just generally a more reasonable little human these days.  Way to hang in there, Bud.  Good things to those who make it through flights without throwing fits!

We landed on Maui, snagged our suitcases and rental car, and bee-lined for the hotel.  Our room wasn’t ready, but we rummaged in our bags for our swimsuits and passed the afternoon in the pool.  ALOHA.

We walked over to the beach as the sun started to set and the kids played in the sand and splashed in the waves.

When we took Isaac to the beach here a year ago, initially he hesitated to even put his feet down in the sand – it took him awhile to come around to the feeling of it squishing between his toes.  But this time around, he ran and rolled until he had sand in his hair and his shorts and his ears.  No time to waste!

We walked back to the room at sundown, feeling like Maui had rolled out its very finest welcome mat.

Saturday!  Rise and shine!  We walked to the market for our morning acai bowls and then it was right to the pool.

Isaac’s blue arm floaties proved to be the best thing we packed.  We’d click that buckle, toss him in the pool, and he’d happily bob and bob, the sweetest little buoy you’ve ever seen.

We took a break from pooltime to complete our annual scavenger hunt.

I appreciate that Juliette pretends like it’s all still a big mystery, even though she knows the location of each landmark backwards and forwards by this point.

Scavenger hunt over and prize claimed!  Back in the pool!

Pooltime -> NAPTIME.

We drove to Kihei in the afternoon for shave ice at Ulilani’s.  I really didn’t want to share my green tea / guava / passionfruit bowl of goodness, so I let Isaac get his own.  It was as big as his head.

And he ate it all!

We spent the evening at our dreamy little stretch of beach, digging and sunset-gazing.

Inevitably, Juliette couldn’t resist the pull of the waves and wished she’d left her swimsuit on.

Inevitably, Isaac followed sister into the tide and ended up with soaking wet clothes that were stripped off by sundown.

All in a day’s work.

We ate dinner in our room that night, too pooped to put on real clothes and read a restaurant menu.  Isaac threw the fit to end all fits before passing out way past his proper bedtime, then we woke at midnight to the sound of Juliette sleepwalking into the balcony sliding glass door.  She was fine, we were fine, all was fine, but sheesh!  Did we overdose on sunshine?

Sunday was another wide-open day, kicked off with yogurt and fruit from our beachfront cafe, then some lawn antics with the kiddos while Shane went for a run.

We settled into our beach chairs mid-morning and played in the surf.

Some of us played further out than others!

God, I love Beach Jules.  Freckly and smiling and wrapped in a cozy towel.

Pool Jules!

These photos are Isaac in a nutshell.  Silly as all get out, sometimes aggressively so (that second pic!).  I can always count on this boy for a good laugh.  It’s such a gift.

Juliette looks like she’s taking a mid-day Zoom meeting while her brother naps…

How many photos of my kids playing in the pool are too many?

Is there such a thing?

We walked over to Waikiki Brewing for cocktails and dinner.

Followed by ice cream at Lapperts.

Juliette left for a minute to use the restroom and Isaac spent the full time she was gone on a fierce lookout for her return.

She’s back.

We played for awhile on the lawn while the sun went down, twirling in the wind and tossing the ball around.

CLASSIC.

Does Isaac bug the crap out of sister sometimes?  100%.  But at the end of the day, do they have the sweetest, loving-est sibling-ship?  100%.

We walked back to our room as the sun dipped below the horizon, Isaac pointing up the sliver of moon brightening in the sky and exclaiming “MOON!” every few steps.  Even in one of the loveliest places on earth, it’s sometimes still about the simple pleasures.

Goodnight, Maui.

We were en route home from our Maui vacation when I started scheming another beach getaway for Spring Break – the kids were so happy in Hawaii (who wouldn’t be?!) and Juliette had a week off in April that we hadn’t booked anything for.  Flights to LA were cheap and it seemed an easy way to get a couple of days worth of sun and sand.  To Cali!

The minute I said “easy”, I think I jinxed our plans – no such thing with a toddler in tow.  The low-grade fever that Isaac had been muddling through all week spiked the evening before our flight and so in the wee hours of the morning I pushed Isaac’s and my departure back a day in hopes he would make a turnaround within the next 24 hours.  Shane and Juliette left town without us and lived their best baby-free lives on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.  Though the circumstances weren’t ideal, I’m glad they got this time together.  Hollywood or bust.

Isaac’s fever broke on Friday morning, about four hours after I pushed our flight, so we had a chill day at home together and were travel-ready by Saturday morning.  We missed our other halves!

We eased into LA life on Saturday afternoon with a trip to In-N-Out and a couple of hours at our AirBnB’s pool.

SUN!  My kids look so good in the sun.

Isaac was not so much a fan of the relatively cool-watered pool (spoiled Maui boy…), but he was content to spend a couple of minutes in the oversized hot tub.

I was completely tuckered on Saturday evening, exhausted and maybe a bit under the weather myself, so I gulped down a green smoothie from the corner cafe and turned in early.  VACATION.  Hardly the fancy-free fun it used to be, but still, I was glad to be under one roof with my people, away from what was feeling like a never-ending winter in Seattle.

Sunday was a new day, with a morning made bright by coffee and pastries at Gjusta.  We chowed down on croissants and scones in their sweet little courtyard and put together the day’s itinerary.

Isaac really liked his blackberry scone.

Next stop was Tongva Park, which was a favorite of Juliette’s on her first trip to Santa Monica several years ago.  It’s funny – this playground looked so much bigger when she was so much smaller!  And now she looks so grown-up, wearing her dad’s puffy vest and helping her brother down the slide.  Time marches on.

We strolled over to the pier from the playground and took a peek at the beach before booking it back to our AirBnB so that we could get Isaac down for a solid nap rather than just letting him doze on the go.

We…didn’t make it.  Rascal fell asleep on the way back and then woke up the moment we stepped inside, fresh as a daisy and rearing to go again.  I, however, was ready for a rest, so I popped on Bluey and we all lazed around for a bit before our condo started feeling much too small to contain Isaac’s energy.

To the beach!  Shane hit the pickleball courts while I walked with the kids to nearby Venice Beach.  Though Isaac seemed eager to play, his feet became rooted to the sand the minute I set him down.  Run free, Buddy!  RUN!

Or…let your sister do the running for you.

Shane picked us up and we headed to True Food Kitchen for lunch and colorful drinks.

Though it was gray and a bit chilly that day, Juliette begged to head back to the pool, so we spent some time there after lunch watching our little fish swim free.

We drove over to Abbot Kinney, my favorite Venice drag, for dinner and found ourselves at the courtyard of De Buena Planta sipping margaritas and eating chips with guac.  This girl’s got next-level style, huh?  Such a cool kid.

Her brother, meanwhile, lacks a little class.  Can’t take this boy anywhere.

Chips for dinner, ice cream for dessert.  When in LA…

We were back at Abbot Kinney on Monday morning in search of brunch.  The Butcher’s Daughter was light-filled and lovely and our server was very friendly when Isaac dumped water all over our table.

We took a stroll through the Venice canals after brunch – I’d never explored this area before and though the waters were a bit mucky, the neighborhood held its own sort of charm.

Isaac befriended some ducks and we had a heck of a time getting him to say goodbye to them.

But then we stumbled upon a sweet little playground that served as a perfect distraction from his feathered friends.

Vacation with a toddler is exhausting, but the naps are next-level.

We spent Monday afternoon at El Matador State Beach in Malibu, picnicking and playing.  This is one of my most favorite SoCal spots.

Someone got over their aversion to sand…

Again, a bit gray, a bit chillier than hoped, but still so beautiful.  Juliette and I took a little stroll while eating the matcha shortbread I had picked up from Whole Foods and I felt so happy to be oceanside with my girl.

We got back from our walk and Juliette started on a sand castle that Isaac kept threatening to demolish, so I walked him down the beach and we sat together at the water’s edge.  We spent awhile tossing stones and I was thrilled to learn that Buddy inherited his dad’s and sister’s love of rock-skipping.

We rolled up to our condo around 5:00, planning to rest a bit before getting dinner.  Shane parked the car and I got the kids out and suddenly Shane was very nervously patting his pockets and then rooting around under the front seat and then sharing the unfortunate news that our door key was missing – it must have fallen out of his pocket at the beach.  He got a hold of our host, who was 2 hours away, so we quickly adapted our plans and Shane dropped me off in Santa Monica with the kids while he drove to meet our host at a halfway point.  To the pier!

Juliette, it seems, is getting a bit old for the merry-go-round, but she hopped on a horse for her brother’s sake.

Next stop was the ferris wheel, which Juliette and I loved, but Isaac was undecided about.

He couldn’t believe we were asking him to sit still for a 10 whole minutes.

We walked up to the 3rd Street Promenade to kill a little more time and grab some food.  I took Juliette into her first Urban Outfitters and we bought a bottle of electric blue nail polish (as if she wasn’t already hip enough!).  Shane picked us up, key in hand, just as Juliette and I were finishing our evening tea and hot chocolate and we made it back to the condo in time for Isaac to get to bed at a reasonable hour.  Look at us, going with the flow!

Tuesday we packed up our things and said goodbye to our little home at Marina del Rey.

Pastries and coffee at Tartine…

And then Juliette and I spent an hour romping around Manhattan Beach while Isaac dozed in the car.  It was chilly that morning as well, so we steered clear of the water, but we hunted for shells and played tic-tac-toe and drew pictures in the sand.

Juliette won our long-jump contest.

Isaac’s awake!  Kind of.

We dusted the sand off our feet, grabbed a quick bite, and were soon airport-bound.  This trip didn’t go entirely as planned, what with the fever and the gray skies and the lost key, but then again, not much does go as planned these days!  We proved ourselves adaptable, if nothing else.  Sweatshirts can be beach-wear, too.

Ooof.  March thus far has been a month of too much work, too little time with the kids, and no time for myself, but I daresay I’m over the hump and able to carve out a couple of hours to sit in a coffee shop and reminisce about our final days in Maui.  MAUI.  Already feels like a lifetime ago that we were there.

Juliette and I had booked a snorkeling trip with the Chens early-early on Wednesday, so we walked to their hotel in the dark and perched at our favorite photo op while I sipped my coffee.

The sunrise boat ride out to Molokini Crater was actually one of my favorite parts of the whole expedition.  So serene and pastel – I love Maui in the morning.

Juliette was super-excited until the moment we anchored and people started flipping into the water.  You mean, I have to get in?  All the way?

But after a little coaxing, several snorkel adjustments, and one more in-water pep talk, she went for it and we both ducked our heads underwater.  And front and center, as if they were waiting for us, were so many fish.

Thumbs-up for pushing through the nerves, Kiddo.

Meanwhile, Shane and Isaac lived their own best lives.

We all hopped back into the boat after an hour of snorkeling and started to zip toward shore when our guide quickly brought us to a halt so we would all watch the mama and baby whales playing in the water remarkably close to us.

Stunning creatures.  Top moment.

We made it back to the boys just as Isaac was wrapping up his morning nap.  Time to swim some more, I guess!

Isaac added the word whoa to his vocabulary while on this trip and would say Whoa!  Whooooooooooooa! as we spun him in the water.

You look good, Buddy.

Our family pool time was really one long, sweet continuous top moment.  What a treat this was.

And speaking of treats, since it was our last full day in Maui, I splurged on an overpriced poolside pina colada.  Worth it.

We took a short sun-break back at the room after lunch, but Juliette was begging to go swim with N after 30 minutes, so back out we went!  Maybe it’s because our trip was winding down and I was so intent on soaking in every last detail, but goodness, the sky looked extra-blue and the grass looked extra-green that afternoon.

Juliette and Isaac played hide and seek and tag and I sat in the shade.  For two minutes.

And for record, “playing tag” is really us chasing down Isaac and trying to get him into his stroller.

Finally, though, Isaac was strapped in and Juliette was dropped off with her best bud.  Buddy and I walked over to the market for iced coffee and a box of souvenir cookies.  We came back an hour later to these two living large.

I mean, it’s hard not to be giddy when you’re in an ocean-front cabana.

We walked back our place to rest and freshen up a bit before meeting up with the Chens for a final round of Mai Tais.

We don’t do a lot of kicking back on vacation in this current season of life (love you, Isaac!), but this was as good as it got!

And one last sunset…

I love our family time, but vacationing with friends is next-level.  So thankful for these people.

Whooooooooa!

Baby footprints on the beach!  Freeze-framing that one, too.

These five spent several minutes standing at the edge of the waves, wanting to see how far into the sand their feet would sink.  Isaac played that game for about four seconds and then opted for his own game of seeing just how many baby footprints he could leave in the sand.

One more game of chase-the-waves…

A round of high-fives for a top-notch day…

And goodnight, sun.

Shane tucked in Isaac while Juliette traded in our swimsuits for dresses and grabbed a shirley temple and a matcha mojito at the hotel bar.  There was a guitarist playing cover songs across the room and when he started crooning Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar, Juliette and I bopped along.

My grown-up girl…she makes a good date.

We talked about school and friends and Isaac and sports while we ate our matcha creme brulee.

Thursday!  Just a few precious hours left…

One last acai bowl, one last round of beach play…

(You can see from Isaac’s onesie that he very much enjoyed the acai as well…)

We got our mileage out of these $5 sand toys!

Keeping Isaac from destroying Juliette’s masterpiece wasn’t easy.

DON’T DO IT, BUDDY!

Pure mischief, this kid.

A final dip…

A final rollick with friends…

And a final group pic.  See you in Seattle, Chens!

Isaac really got the hang of the beachfront showers.  Life skills!

A quick pause at the lucky mermaid, where I made a quiet wish that I’ll see her again next year…

Mahalo, Maui.  Our trip didn’t start quite as planned, but gosh, those last few days were a dream.

Shane awoke on Monday feeling right as rain, so he made plans to play some island pickle ball while I took Isaac for a sunrise walk.  A pre-sunrise walk, actually.  Buddy was up at 5 am and jiggling the door handle begging to go outside by 5:30…  The hotel coffee shop opened at 6am and I was first in line!

Dark, schmark.  This boy was ready to roll.

A new day dawns in Maui!  Such promise…

Isaac loved this wide-open lawn.  I thought I’d sit down with my back against that tree and finish my latte while he ran wild, but then he tried to cut in on a couple of guys playing football, then he tried to climb the rocks down to the ocean, then he started chasing after a stray cat, and then I gave in and the two of us played a too-early game of tag.

We headed back to the room around 7:30 to find sister still snoozing.  Rise and shine, girl!

We walked up to the market for acai bowls and a sausage scramble.

Morning nap for the early riser…

And then pool time!

So much pool time.  The four of us felt so good to feel so good.

Isaac dug his first water slide.  Next year he might be zipping down this thing on his own!

Juliette’s freckles were poppin’ by this point, which made me so happy!  (They’ve already faded by now…)

We did the slide circuit several times over, lunched at our lounge chairs, and then got back in.  I had a fleeting thought that maybe we should go exploring, go see something new, but then again, if it ain’t broke…

At this point I think Isaac officially pooped out.  WE DID IT!  We exhausted the energizer bunny!  Afternoon nap was goooooood.

There was some late afternoon beach play…

And then dinner at the Chens’ hotel, where Isaac refused to sit still at the table for even a minute (bunny was BACK!), so Shane and I took turns playing with him out front while the other parent ate.

Evening zoomies on our favorite lawn…

And then a set of pushups to round out the day?  We walked back to our room and Isaac snoozed deeply while Shane, Juliette and I watched Rookie of the Year, which was just how I remembered it from 30 years ago, for better and for worse.

Tuesday morning brought more coffee and scones in the dark.

I will say, I do very much enjoy watching the sky turn from blue-gray to lavender to pink.

Isaac stopped to take a call on the grass…

And then Juliette joined us as Shane was heading out for pickle ball day 2.  This girl does not awake with quite the same joie de vivre as her brother, but she comes around…

His pants were soaked and came off within a minute of us landing on the beach.

And then the onesie…  I tried to teach this kid a healthy respect for the ocean, but when the water is that warm and the waves are that gentle, it’s a hard lesson to learn.

Just one more quick dip, Mom!

Ok, now she’s awake!  And ready for a game of tag!

We dried off back at the room and then settled in for a little doze.

Isaac has the best surfer hair post-nap!

We beached a bit before lunch.

And pooled a bit before lunch…

And then actually got in the car for the first time in several days, to grab fish tacos and sandwiches at the food trucks at South Maui Gardens.

We laid low the rest of the afternoon, having hit our sun limit by 1pm.  But when the cloud cover rolled in, back to the pool!  I walked Juliette over to the Chens’ pool so she could swim with N, then circled back to our pool to hang with Shane and Isaac.  I wish I could freeze-frame the sight of the two of them swirling and laughing together, caught up in their own world…  I mean, you know I tried to freeze-frame it, but pictures hardly capture how sweet it was.

Isaac’s afternoon nap had done him good.

Back to the beach!

I waded into the water with Isaac and let the waves lap at his legs.  Juliette said she was too tired to play anymore, but her fatigue was short-lived.

Seriously, these are the gentlest waves ever, but the look on her face!  Such drama!  I love her.

It was so cloudy that night that it was hard to tell when the sun actually set, but I’m fairly certain it was below the horizon by the time we headed in.

Ok, I’ll stop now.

…after ice cream.  Another two glorious days in the books.

When planning a vacation with two children, one of whom is a strong-willed, rambunctious toddler, there are a number of emotional stages a parent goes through in lead-up to the trip.  Case in point:

Stage 1 (6 months prior to trip):  Unbridled excitement.  Trip is booked!  Maui in February!  Let’s gooooo!

Stage 2 (1-2 months prior to trip):  Mild anxiety.  Gosh, I hope we don’t get sick and have to cancel our trip.

Stage 3 (one week before trip):  Cautious optimism.  There’s so much to do before we leave.  But Juliette is positively bouncing off the walls with glee and we all feel good and I can’t wait to see her zip down that waterslide!  

Stage 4 (2 days before trip):  Utter forlornness / temptation to bail.  I “got an early start on packing” but really just have a pile of clothes and diapers that can’t possibly fit into our three suitcases.  The house is a mess.  And, wait for it…baby boy just got sent home from daycare because he threw up after naptime.

Stage 5 (night before trip):  We have come full-circle back to excitement!  Baby’s bug seemed to just be a one-day thing and the rest of the family is unscathed.  Bags are packed.  House is clean, with much help from the determined-to-swim nine year old.  Out-of-office assistant has been turned on.  Alarm is set.  We’re really doing this!

WE WERE DOING THIS.  We arrived at the airport early Friday morning and we were pumped.  Isaac was in good spirits, I had packed a couple of special toys and snacks to keep him entertained on the six-hour flight, and Juliette was adorably over the moon.  Seriously, let’s goooooooooo.  We could almost taste the shave ice…

We were stuck on the runway for about an hour due to a minor maintenance issue, but we rolled with it.  And then, just as the plane was cleared for take-off, Juliette looked at me, the color immediately draining from her face, and said the three words no parent wants to hear on an airplane:  my stomach hurts.  I encouraged her to take a few deep breaths and close her eyes and she fell asleep almost immediately, her dozy brother following suit and collapsing against my chest before we’d even left the ground.

She opened her eyes 20 minutes later and smiled weakly, saying she felt better, and I thanked my lucky stars, but the relief was short-lived and suddenly we were reaching for the barf bag with five and a half hours left on our flight time.  Ugh, that poor girl.  She used up all the sick bags in our row within an hour and I had to ask the flight attendant for another, at which point she handed me a ginormous garbage sack.  I thought that was a bit much, but Juliette spent most of the flight with her head in that bag, heaving at 15-minute intervals, whimpering in between that she just wanted to turn around and go home.  It was brutal.

Isaac, thankfully, was content for most of the flight, playing with the window stickers and suction spinners I’d ordered from Amazon earlier in the week.  Shane and I took turns with the kids, but he did the majority of the bag-holding and I in turn bear-hugged Isaac through his 30-minute crying fit as we neared the end of our flight.  We’re a good team.

I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to step off a plane, though Juliette was still feeling awful and clutched her garbage bag all the way to baggage claim.  I sent Shane ahead to pick up our rental, not wanting to make Juliette walk any farther, and then stationed her behind a column where could discreetly wretch while I chased Isaac around between yanking our suitcases off the conveyer belt.  That whole fiasco was in my top five toughest mom moments, no doubt.

But Shane arrived curbside with the car, hero that he is, we loaded our circus into it, pit-stopped at Target for electrolyte water and wine, and checked into our room at the Grand Wailea without any of our usual “Hooray, we’re here!” photos because all we cared about was tucking our sick child into a clean bed.  Juliette melted into the sheets, relief flooding her face.  The worst was behind us.

I walked up to the market with Isaac to pick up some dinner for Shane and me and we ate on our patio, very tentatively easing into vacation mode.  I took Isaac for a walk to burn off the last of his pre-bedtime steam and introduced him to the magnificent Pacific.  

He was undecided about the squishy, uneven ground.

But give it time, Buddy.  You’ll love it here!

We came back to find a slowly-recovering sister.  She was still up every hour or so, choking up her few sips of Gatorade, but she managed small bouts of rest in between and by 9pm she was sleeping soundly.  Praise the Lord!  

Then I threw up at midnight.  DAMMIT!

My stomach woes were short-lived, but I was a little achy and low-energy on Saturday and spent much of the day napping in the room.  The kids had a good day, though, and I was so happy to see Juliette on the mend and enjoying pizza by the pool.  If anyone had earned the right to feel good that day, it was her.

The pool threw Isaac for another bit of a loop, but like the ocean, I assured him he’d learn to love it.

I napped while Isaac napped (and then some), but there are worse rooms to be confined to…

By late afternoon I felt good enough to take Isaac for a nap-walk in the Ergo, though that tuckered me out and after a watching a sunset rainstorm pass by our patio, we fell asleep together at 7pm.

Sunday!  Gosh, on Sunday I was a new woman!  Isaac and I had each logged 11 hours of sleep and I felt great.  I headed out the door with the kids at 6:30 for a sunrise breakfast.

Isaac cheats at cornhole, by the way.

Reunited!  The Chens had landed the previous evening and the kids met up for a round of super-sized chess.

Juliette decided that if Isaac was a chess piece, he’d most definitely be the Queen, going any which way he pleases, mowing down anything in his way.

That Maui morning light is so beautiful here…

We headed back late morning to see if Shane was up and ready to play.

Since we’d skipped the leis upon our arrival, I went to the front desk and asked if we have a first day do-over – they were happy to adorn Juliette and me with fresh orchids.

Shane, unfortunately, was the last soldier to fall and needed to spend much of the day sleeping off his aches and pains.  Storytime with Isaac took most of the energy he could muster.

It was a bummer to see Dad down and out, but the kids and I managed to find our groove – Isaac grew fonder of the pool, Juliette grew fonder of Isaac in the pool, and we all grew fonder of Maui in general.  This felt good.

Like, really, really good.

SO GOOD, you guys.  What a joy to see these two play in the water together – this was the trip I’d been dreaming of six months earlier.

Isaac took a late morning nap with his dad and then Juliette and I headed out to work on the hotel scavenger hunt.

She was looking very Carmen Sandiego in her hat and glasses.

We made it through most of the scavenger hunt and then popped back to the room to pick up brother for poolside (in-pool?) iced tea.

Shane turned a slight corner and joined us for a bit.

Juliette and I crossed the last item off her scavenger hunt list on our way back to the room and swung by the front desk for prizes.

Isaac weaseled his way into getting his own prize and was very pleased about it.

Watch out, though – his fish bites!

It took us upward of 20 minutes to get from the front desk to our room as the kids zig-zagged the lobby and played 13 rounds of hide and seek near the elevators, but the lack of need to get anywhere fast was one of my favorite things about this trip.

Juliette wanted to do some swimming with N at his pool in the afternoon, so I dropped her off with him and took Isaac up to the market for a smoothie break.  One slurp of my avocado smoothie and he was all grins, asking, “Mo?  Mo?  Mo?”

More, Mom?  Pleeeeeeease?!

I picked up a cheap set of sand toys for Isaac, feeling like we’d delivered Christmas in February, and then it was back to the room for afternoon nap (or so I thought).

LaV and I toasted with poolside Mai Tais while the big kids swam and the little kid (didn’t) nap with his dad.

At 5pm Shane and I called off hopes of a late nap and I took Isaac down to the beach to try out his new sand toys.

Again, looking a little concerned…

But…that water looks kind of fun?

Let’s do it.

I held Isaac’s hand as the water lapped at our feet and he clutched my fingers tightly but cracked a small smile.  Ease into it, Kiddo!

It was ultimately the trusty plastic shovel that made him forget about the strange feeling of sand between his toes.  Once I pulled that out, he spent a good 30 minutes filling his pail, a few grains at a time.

The boy was focused.

The beauty of Maui is largely lost on a one year old, but there were moments that I felt like he understood, just for a flash, how spectacular this place really is.

Juliette, meanwhile, was enjoying being the Chens’ second child.

But…wait.  Is that Sister?!

Such a sweet, happy reunion, Isaac bolting toward her, yelling, “Joo-yeh!!!”

I say this every year, but every year that we watch these kids get such a kick out of playing tag with the ocean, my heart swells.  The magic lives on.

Isaac watched from a distance, but I could see him scheming.  That looks fun…

And then, he was off, with a major case of the beachfront zoomies.

We chased each other until the sun dipped below the horizon, Isaac’s butt soaked, our feet caked with sand, my cheeks sore from grinning.

Goodnight, Maui.  More joy (with a fully-healthy family) on the horizon!

One last batch of island photos.  Need I even narrate?  More of the same old, same old.  That glorious Maui same old, same old…

We scored the perfect pool chairs on Tuesday morning and camped out there for several hours.  Isaac took his first and second naps poolside while Juliette popped out of the water only for her hourly sunscreen application.

I swam for awhile with Juliette while Isaac dozed in his dad’s arms.  I always went down the slides first, partly so that I could be at the bottom when Juliette landed, but also because I loved to look back at her as I slid out of view, her beaming at me and yelling, “Go Mommy!!!”.  Eight is great – she’s so much fun to pal around with these days.

And…he’s up again!  Time for lunch.

We drove up to Paia and chowed down on pizza from the Paia Flatbread Company – their Mopsy pizza with Kalua pork and pineapple and mange bbq sauce was outstanding.

Isaac and Juliette are achingly sweet together most of the time, but this picture is also quintessential – him unknowingly digging his nails into her arm or pulling her hair and her looking at him like, “Why would you do that?!”.

We popped over to Ho’okipa Beach after lunch to enjoy the crystal clear water and watch the kite surfers, but the wind kept us from lingering too long.  Take us back to our quiet little beach at Wailea!

Late afternoon pool play…

And then sunset at Makena Cove, which was just a few minutes south of our resort but a totally different beach landscape.

My attempts to get Isaac to nap that afternoon had been unsuccessful and I knew we were risking a sunset meltdown, but once Shane tucked him into the Bjorn, he fell into a silent daze.

Too…tired…to…fight…it.

Photog-in-training:

I had asked Juliette if she wanted to wear her swimsuit to the beach, but she said she didn’t want to get wet.  The call of the ocean never fails!  We both left with wet hems on our shorts.

Shane headed out for a cocktail with Jack after dark.  Isaac fell asleep without much fuss, Juliette started watching Hamilton for the umpteenth time, and then BANG!  We were all startled by an extensive fireworks display, which was a mostly-nice surprise, minus the baby wakeup.

Wednesday!  You know the drill.

We opted for beachfront chairs that morning and La Verne rented a couple of boogie boards for the kids.  Juliette mostly loved it, until a wave took her under and forced saltwater up her nose.

Who you lookin’ at with that mean mug, baby?!

I put Isaac in the Bjorn and waded out in the water with him, where the gentle waves could lap at his legs.

Reading break after another gnarly fight with a wave…

And more of this…  I remember feeling some baby fatigue that morning, wishing I could just put Isaac down and walk away for a couple of hours, but then a mom in a nearby chair saw me holding him and said with such sincerity, “Oh, I miss those days so much it makes my heart hurt!” and I recalibrated.  This phase is hard, but it’s also fleeting and so full of goodness when I lean into it.

The plus-side of holding a baby – nobody asks me if they can bury me in the sand!

Morning, Bud…

Juliette can’t ever resist the urge to try again.  I love that about her.

The sun felt particularly strong that day and we’d blown through most of our sunscreen, so we decided there was no shame in just enjoying an afternoon in our hotel room.

Juliette snuggled up with little bro…

And then I snuggled up with Shane, at which point Juliette exclaimed, “You two are so romantic!” and asked if she could snap a picture.  “Romantic” is one of her favorite words these days – I’m glad we make the cut.

Evening pool sesh…

And then over to the Chens’ beachfront cabana for pina coladas and one last sunset.

And…there it goes!  The kids clapped extra-loud for the sunset that night as whales flipped their fins and spouted water in the foreground.  

Tuckered.

We had an afternoon flight on Thursday, so we were able to squeeze in a couple of hours of beach play before heading the airport.

We don’t see nearly enough of these folks in Seattle – so fun to be neighbors for a few days.

And…the pool is on the way to the room, so why not?

Isaac and I headed back to the room to finish packing while Juliette and Shane did one last loop (or three) on the waterslides.  Oh, baby…you are not the easy-going-est of travel partners just yet, but I sure do like having you around.

Juliette tossed coins into the fountain as we were checking out – I asked her what her wish was and initially she said it was “to have kids some day”, but after realizing how high those stakes were and how hard it was to land a shot, she wisely adjusted course.  “I hope I have fun with my grandparents when they come to visit!”

Stuck it!

And with that, we were Seattle-bound.  I know, so many photos (kudos to Grandma Schnell for letting me know she’s looked at all of them!) but so many memories.  I want to remember forever how blonde Isaac’s hair looked in the sun, how it would get just the slightest bit curly after taking a warm nap in my arms.  I want to remember Juliette’s utter glee as she came down the waterslide, how her head would disappear underwater for just a moment and then she would emerge gulping and laughing.  Those sunrise walks with baby boy were the stuff of dreams.  Shane and Juliette’s matching Husky hats and the way those two play together as the very best of buds.  Acai bowls and fresh poke and a frosty pina colada, sipped with one of my favorite ladies.  We haven’t gotten out much these past couple of years, but ooff…what a way to re-emerge.