Hale Ali'i

We're back! We had an awesome trip...no cell phone coverage, no computers, no soccer, school, work, etc. Ahhhh vacation. It's hard to return from that! Here are some photos of our first day at the cottage. We were lucky enough to stay in the VIP cabin owned by the Navy on their very remote installation on Kauai. It's a very secluded beach area and has a great view of the island of Ni'ihau. Ni'ihau is an Hawaiian island but privately owned and only inhabited by about 250 native Hawaiians. No electricity, no modern amenities and no visitation allowed. Olivia did a report on the island for her social studies class so it was fun to be able to see it every day. If you click on the collage, the photo top row, 2nd photo and in the bottom right are pretty good shots of it. More photos of our trip to come!

Happy Easter!

Alooooooohhhhaaaa! We are outta here for a couple of days of R&R on a very remote island (as David says, it's not the end of the Earth but you can see if from there) and won't be home to call and wish everyone a Happy Easter. Enjoy the day and think of us lounging on a secluded beach or sailing with the dolphins :)

These are some photos of us at a beach last weekend where you are almost sure to see a turtle or two.

And sure enough this very friendly little fellow whom we called Limo couldn't get enough of us. He kept swimming by and holding up his flipper for Emily and Olivia to touch.

Another great Hawaiian day!

Emily

Well it's hard to believe but we went almost two months without a trip to the ER! Might be a record for this family but lest we set the bar too high we were back on Monday.

Poor Em went to school Monday and they called about an hour later saying she had a fever of 103.5! She was also complaining of stomach pains so off we went. Long story short is they took very good care of her, did lots of tests, went back and forth about her having an appendicitis or not and finally admitted her to pediatrics for overnight observation and determined it was a virus that presents itself much like an appendicitis but is virtually harmless with no treatment other than to ride it out.

I must say she took it like a champ (maybe minus the catheter in her arm) and had the staff charmed into giving her Popsicles every half hour!

We are glad to be home - I hate being in a hospital. I hate germs. I hate being sick. I'm sure now that I spent 2 days there it's only a matter of time before I come down with everything from meningitis to a flesh eating stomach flu. But enough about me. Emily is doing much better today, no fever and much less pain. :)

Banana Boat Rides

We were invited to a neighbors birthday party this weekend - as you can see below it was big fun. I finally figured out what to do with the 5 cousins when they come :)

You can rent the beach for the day (complete with lifeguard) and the banana boat guy comes in for an hour to give rides! Totally private, totally beautiful, totally fun.

Emily was a fan right up until we got dumped off the boat at a fairly high speed and smashed into the water but she recovered quickly. Olivia couldn't get enough.

The Pledge of the Legions

Last week it was Emily's turn to hold the flag for the morning ceremony. She was very proud!

I really enjoy that my girls go to schools that still say the Pledge and teach the Star Spangled Banner...(although I realized at the Drill Team show last week that our version needs a little work! I wish I could have written down the words that Em was belting out).

Parenting!

So you know that parenting is a constant challenge. My kids are at very different ages but both seem to be at a point of not wanting to listen to me because they clearly know better. Brush your teeth...do I have to...yes you do...or else... Actions and consequences all through the day until I fall into bed at night exhausted from the constant negotiations over tiny little things. I am grateful however that on the really big things they do seem to take me seriously and would never, ever consider disobeying me. Like, say for example, don't play with guns or hang out with Marines. Neither of my kids would ever do that.

Ok, so maybe.

HA! David called home last night and said the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team was in town and was getting set to perform at Pearl Harbor. The girls and I rushed over and were treated to a great show. Anyone who has seen them knows what a thrill it is - ridiculous precision - absolutely fantastic. We have seen them in DC a few times and it is always a stunning performance.



Last night after the show they allowed us onto the field to meet and take photos with both the drill team and the marching band. Oh to be 20 years younger :) They were so cute and very engaging.


I did mention to the group that took the photo with Emily that the shot was basically a Grandparents nightmare! They got a good chuckle out of that.

Diamond Head

Last weekend we took advantage of the overcast cool day and hiked up Diamond Head which is one of Oahu's many extinct volcanic craters. It offers a great view of Waikiki and the ocean which is better photographed on a clear, sunny day-but not recommended for the "I'm too hot" whine factor! Not a super difficult climb but not one you could carry a 5 yr. old on either.

View from one of the outlook bunkers

Coral Reefs

After Olivia had her picture taken here Emily charged out onto the platform and nearly backed right off the edge through the bottom. I screamed and had a mild stroke getting her off of there. She is just too fast and way too fearless for me. I about needed oxygen to carry on!

We settled for a photo shoot in the bunker! Everyone did a great job (almost zero whining) and it is definitely on our itinerary for Aunt Kathy, Uncle Mark and Jacob!!

Photo Shoot

Emily and I were wasting some time while Olivia was at soccer practice the other night. We fed the fish out behind the Hickam Air Force O'Club which is one of our favorite things to do. It's better than any aquarium, one bag of stale bread and it's like watching the Discovery Channel - huge tropical fish of all kinds.

We had a "photo shoot" with my iphone too. The photos are pretty dark and could stand some editing but hey...it's not going to happen. She is practicing for her debut on some awful reality show that is undoubtedly in her future ;)

Aloha.