Mele Kalikimaka!

We just got back from a wonderful week in sunny Hawaii. It wasn't particularly exciting, but George and I got some big thrills out of watching Madeleine explore one of our favorite places: the beach. Madeleine loved the sand and ocean, aka "pool!" It was fun to hear her vocabulary expand in a new environment and to generally just enjoy each other's company.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the week:

Madeleine loved to run around the grounds of the condo we rented.

This was Madeleine's first introduction to sand in its natural habitat.

A fellow tourist snapped a family photo on the northern coast of West Maui.

After having to be carried near the coast, this little girl was happy to be on her own two feet again.

She loved to go back and forth between the sand and surf, often with hands full of wet sand.

Sunset from South Maui

Do you think I'm wearing enough sunscreen?

Following in Daddy's footsteps, even at 18 months.

She couldn't get enough of the sand. Unfortunately, that often meant eating it, too.

We did a very (very) small portion of the Road to Hana, and she rode on Daddy's shoulders most of the way to and from a little waterfall.

On our last day, we checked out one of the few black sand beaches on Maui.

I'm planning to pass along a few more details of our trip and some tips in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!