The Final Three Days (June 28-30, 2007)

On Thursday, Lindsay went to camp and David took Brady to a medical clinic because he still had a fever. He had to wait for two hours to see a physician's assistant, who said that Brady's eardrum looked red and had some fluid. We did not know if this was from an infection that was starting or from an infection he had six weeks previously, but started him on an antibiotics as a precaution because we had to fly home on Saturday. Lindsay was not feeling well after camp and she immediately took a nap afterwards (she only stayed until noon and was not hungry for lunch). I took her temperature when she woke up and she also had a fever over 101 degrees. I started her on an antibiotic as well as a precaution. We had dinner in our room that night with hamburgers and hotdogs from the grill.







On Friday, with the two kids still not 100%, we decided to take them on a road trip up the northern coast of Oahu to see the North Shore and visited the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. We put the kids in the stroller and walked .75 mile each way to the Waimea Falls. The scenery was beautiful and the kids were in good spirits despite not feeling well. Many tourists swim in the falls, but we were not up for that (not this time at least). Then we drove back and went to Roy's for dinner in our matching Hawaiian outfits. We packed up that night and woke up at 4am on Saturday to catch an early flight home. We were home at 5:30 PM.

We miss Hawaii!

Wednesday, June 28, 2007

Brady woke up with a fever. David went golfing and Lindsay went to camp. Poor Brady.

We were supposed to get a babysitter and go out to Michelle's Restaurant tonight but we canceled. David dropped off Lindsay at camp and I took Brady for a long walk in the stroller since that is what he likes to do when he does not feel good. I took the path from our hotel past three lagoons (all similar to ours) over to the JW Marriott, where Lindsay's camp is. I peeked in the window and she was making perler beads and seemed happy so I did not let her see me.

Brady and I then walked back to our hotel. This was a 1.5 mile walk and I will admit it to beone of the four times I exercised on the trip. As we approached our hotel, Brady wanted to get out of the stroller. He proceeded to borrow a toy cart that was abandoned on the grass area of the beach and load leaves into it and then take the leaves to the trash can and put the leaves inside the trash can. He did this for about an hour, each time announcing "I did it!"

Lindsay made a kite in camp and flew it around the grass area when she came back. She was so proud of herself. Brady also attempted to fly the kite, without as much success. That night, Lindsay and I were going to have a Girls Only dinner but Brady stood by the door saying "outside" so we let him come with us, despite his fever. We went to the outside restaurant by the ocean so as not to infect many others (yes, I was one of the mother's I hate). Despite his fever (and because of Children's Motrin), Brady had a great time at dinner, or for the portion of dinner he attended. After about fifteen minutes of dinner, Brady decided to hang out at the foot washing station and washed the sand off his feet for about an hour.

Then, he and Linday danced to the solo guitarist/singer on the grass area by the restaurant, entertaining all of the other diners. Lindsay asked him to play her favorite Hawaiian song, "Pearly Shells" but he said that they only play that song in Waikiki (in other words, it's a toursist's song).

Tuesday, June 27, 2007

Brady woke up early (5:50 a.m.) and we put him down for an early nap so we could go out sightseeing in the afternoon. Lindsay spent the morning at various activities sponsored by the hotel. She made a bracelet, two suncatchers, painted a coconut and a special surprise for Grandma that should come in the mail sometime soon.

After lunch, we headed out to the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. They had several exhibits for kids that were really cool. One was a "build your own roller coaster" type of exhibit that captured the kid's (and David's attention) for quite a while. There was also an interesting volcano display. It was very hot outside and the kids got tired after a while.

We headed to the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu to go to Hilo Hattie's and get souvenirs. I somehow convinced a very reluctant David to get matching Hawaiian shirts (for the boys) and dresses (for the gals) for the family. He was extremely reluctant but he finally gave in. Lindsay is so excited to model the matching family outfits. We are planning on doing this on Friday night as a farewell to Hawaii. David thinks we will look like tourists from Ohio but I love my new dress so who gives a heck?

We had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen in the mall. Brady was really fussy. We then headed back to hotel, spent from day in the city!

After Brady went to bed, Lindsay spent an hour explaining why she did not want to get married because she does not want be a Mommy when she grows up because she is afraid of how a baby comes out of a mother. We tried to explain it to her but the entire concept is terrifying to her. She even cries when she talks about it. David and I laughed - Lindsay got both of our worst traits - the worrying from me and the doddling from David.




More pictures from today here:

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Monday, June 25, 2007

Lindsay and I took the shuttle over to Keiki Camp at the Marriott Ilihani next door in the morning. She was aprehensive about trying out the camp but thrilled when we got there and they were making perler beads (one of her favorite passtimes). I spent the morning in the spa while Lindsay was at camp. I had an awesome Lomi Lomi massage and then I enjoyed the sauna and steam room. I then spent an hour relaxing by the pool before picking up Lindsay. It was heaven!

David and Brady, in the meantime, spent the morning by the beach and the pool. They had a great time.

In the afternoon, Brady and I went to the pool and Lindsay and David went to a hula lesson. This hula lesson was much more serious than others Lindsay had attended but she held her own.

At 5pm the resort hosted a Mai Tai party. We waited in line with hundreds of guests but then David decided that he did not like the pork sandwiches that were being served so we went to eat at the Chuck's Steakhouse next to the lawn area so we could watch the entertainment. The food was very mediocre, however David won a prize in the raffle during the Mai Tai party and he was able to run over and claim it. He won a picture frame, two cooler/lunch packs and a baseball cap. Woo hoo!

David wins the raffle prize! We were so proud of him!

Here are some pictures of our room. The small room with the crib is Lindsay and Brady's room.

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The picture above is of the lagoon that the hotel looks out onto. There are no waves and it's a perfect place for the kids to play. It has clear blue water and is much nicer than the beaches on the other side of Honolulu.

Sunday, June 24th, 2007

Lindsay was so happy to hear that our luggage had arrived after she went to sleep. She literally clapped and jumped up and down and said, "Yay, my pretty dresses are here." The night before, she was very upset about going to dinner without wearing one of her pretty dresses. She said, "What will people say?" It was very funny.

We spent the morning at the Oceanside lagoon. Some boys had dug a huge hole next to the shore and Brady took it over. It was like a virtual playpen. He took his shovel and bucket and played in that hole for two hours. Lindsay also enjoyed playing in the sand. We ate lunch at the hotel (same place as dinner the night before) and then Brady went to sleep.

During Brady's nap, Lindsay decided she wanted to rent a canoe in the ocean. She became afraid when she realized that a canoe does not have a seat belt and did not want to go. I coerced her into going with me on the one-man canoe and we sailed around the lagoon for maybe ten minutes until she had enough. It was a great ten minutes and I was proud of her.

Then, when Brady woke up we all took baths and headed into Honolulu to Waikiki Beach. Lindsay realized yesterday that our rental car has a DVD player and she was excited to check it out. We played the "Backyardigans" DVD that has driven us nuts on the trip into the car and the kids were thrilled. We stopped at a local outlet mall on the way to town and bought a new rolling duffel bag so we (hopefully) will not be as bogged down in the airport on the way home.

David had heard that Sansei Sushi restaurant has a 50% off dinner on Sunday nights if you got there at 5pm and ordered by 6pm. We loved that restaurant in Maui so we lined up with the locals at 5:10 p.m. They seated us by 5:30 and we had an amazing dinner for $70 including tip. The sushi was outstanding. The kids had pasta and the meal ended with a fried macadamia nut ice cream concoction. Yummmmmmmmmmmy!

I have no pictures to post. I've been too tired to take any. Hope to get some tomorrow.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Another long travel day. We had to leave the hotel by 10am so we spent Friday night packing. Nana, Papa and Seth stopped at the hotel to say good-bye.

We took a long ride up the coast to the Kilua Lighthouse to kill some time as our flight was supposed to leave at 2:50 pm. Lindsay desperately wanted a pair of binoculars but they were $65 and we knew they would break so we only let her borrow a pair. She whined about this for about an hour.

Here are pictures from the lighthouse:

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We got to the airport at 1pm. Brady was sleeping so I put him in the stroller and checked-in the luggage. One of David's bags was 58 lbs so I had to pay a $25 penalty. I hate Aloha Airlines, but that was just the beginning...

David returned the rental car and the four of us (Brady was awake by this point after a whopping 20 minute nap) went through security and then to the terminal to wait for our plane to leave. We waited and waited and waited and waited.

At 3pm the take-off/arrival board said our plane would be delayed until 3:20 p.m. The plane was nowhere in sight and we started to become concerned. At 4:00 p.m., the board still said that the plane was going to leave at 3pm. And then our flight disappeared from the board completely. The Aloha Airlines staff made no announcements about our flight and had one attendant at the check-in counter and about 100 irate passengers. I called Aloha Airlines on my cell phone and they informed me that the plane had already left, according to their computer system. I assured the person on the phone that such was not the case. I asked when the next plane was leaving to Honolulu and she said in 15 minutes. I asked if we could get on and she said I would have to speak to the manager. I went to the front of the line and asked the sole attendant at the counter to speak to a manager and she said she was a manager. I asked if they were planning on informing all of the passengers on our flight whether they might be able to get on another plane and she said that we would have to wait for flight 73 from Honolulu - which had not yet left Honolulu! The kids were extremeley fidgety and cranky by this point, and we were not doing any better (We had been in the airport kicking a ball down the hall for three hours and it was hot and humid).

I asked the manager if we could get on the plane that was leaving and she said that people who had connections to the mainland would have first priority. David said that we should just wait and said that if I kept complaining the woman at the counter would call security. I think he was overreacting and I was not going to sit around and wait until the Aloha Airlines personnel got their act together. I was goign to get on the next flight come hell or high water.

I saw that the line for the flight was fairly short and told David, who was waiting in the hallway with seven carry-on items and the kids to go wait in the line. He did not want to since he thought it was futile but I did not want to take any chances in case we could get on the plane.

To make a long story even longer, we did get on the plane but, of course, our luggage did not. We arrived in Honolulu around 5:30 p.m. with only one carseat and our various carry-on bags. Of course, our luggage was nowhere to be found. We decided to send David back to the airport later since there was no way it would be there any time soon. We got our rental car (God Bless Hertz Gold!) and an extra carseat and headed for the hotel. On the way there, Brady said, "I'm hungry." We did a double-take and he said it again.

The hotel is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS and we got a penthouse room. There are two bedrooms and a sunroom. The place is HUGE and the hotel sits on a beautiful lagoon with clear blue water and no waves. Perfect for little kids. There are two or three pools in front of our building, one of which has a sand bottom. We ate outside at the restaurant that overlooks the water and they had a great buffet. Brady ate more than I have ever seen the kid eat. A Polynesian band was playing live music and Lindsay wanted to dance on the lawn area of the restaurant. David and I took turns dancing with her, but she was also content dancing by herself and with Brady (when he finished stuffing his face).

The kids were filty after dinner so we threw them into a bath and changed them into the one extra outfit I had packed for them in the carry-on bags. Then David went back to the airport around 1opm, just as our luggage was coming out onto the carousel. He got all seven of our bags and then went to Safeway near our hotel. By midnight, he was back at the Marriott Ko Olina. From 2am - 4am, Lindsay came into our bed and said she could not sleep. She mostly kicked me and rolled around. I was exhausted.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Nana and Papa put Seth in a kid's camp at the Sheraton and went out shopping for the day so we did not see them (again). We went to the Gaylord's Restaurant property, where they have a train ride for kids. The train ride was about 40 minutes long and featured a stop to feed wild animals on the property (that were behind a fence). The train ride featured scenic views of farm land and local vegetation.

Then we went over to the Marriott Kauai in Lihue to check out the property. It was nice but very big. We are going to try to stay there for a week next year. We had lunch at Duke's restaurant and Lindsay ate ribs.

For dinner, we have plans to go to Tidepools restaurant at the Hyatt Regency.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

We bought the kids fishing nets at the Big Kmart in town last night and Lindsay and Brady tried to catch fish with the nets at Mother's Beach in the morning. The fish were too fast and got away, although Lindsay claimed to catch "clear fish" in her bucket.

The afternoon was spent in the pool and Lindsay took another hula dancing and lei making class. See her practicing her hula here:



For dinner, we went to Brick Oven Pizza, a Kauai landmark. The kids loved the pizza and so did we.






When we got back to the hotel, Lindsay fulfilled her dream of drinking a (virgin) pina colada and watching the sunset. She was adorable.






Nana, Papa and Seth are still in quarantine as Nana is sick. They transferred over to the Sheraton today. They have probably secretly plotted this "illness" so they can go to fancier restaurants without us and forgo any babysitting obligations.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The kids played on the beach this morning. Brady discovered the sand wash off station and literally played with the foot shower and hose for an hour. He was not happy when we tore him away. I then got a massage, which was wonderful. I decided that we have to move to Hawaii, but I don't know if David will agree. Nana, Papa and Seth went out on a catamaran ride to see the Napili coast so they are gone all day. Lindsay has been playing in the kids pool area during the morning. She does not want to swim and prefers to stay near the steps. She made friends with a three year old named Danielle (like her bitty twin) and they played for hours.

Nana and Papa came home in the afternoon and we learned that Nana is sick. They had offered to babysit that night and we had made reservations at Gaylords, a fancy restaurant on a plantation. We were able to book a babysitter through Happy Kidds babysitting service, a lovely native named Pua who is also a registered nurse. We had a great meal and a few too many mai-tais.

Monday, June 18 - Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Monday, June 18, 2007

On Monday, Mom & Dad went to listen to their timeshare schpiel with Seth. We got up very early (5:45 a.m.) because one of David's defense firm buddies (Phil Rambo- my enemy) decided it would be cute to call David at that time and he woke us all up - including Brady. This made for a long day. We spent the morning at the play park area outside our room. The hotel offered a bubble making extravaganza in the park and Lindsay and Brady learned that fly swatters are great bubble markers.

Then, Brady took his nap and David got Puka Dogs from the nearby shopping center. When Brady woke up, we decided to go to the Kumalani play area which is about 40 minutes away. It is a huge wooden play structure accross the street from the beach. The beach was beautiful but it was terribly hot so after 10 minutes we had enough. We realized we were around the corner from the Fern Grotto so we decided give it a try. We all went on the boat ride and Brady was ansty. When we got to the end of the river, we all walked about 200 yards to the Fern Grotto. It was a beautiful sight but Brady was not a happy camper so we had to leave with him. My parents announced that they never took us on vacation when we were kids because it was too hard. Yes, it's hard but we're bonding as a family (right?) so what could we do? We had a terrible time on the boat ride back with him and when we got to the car I found a few snacks and decided that poor Brady must have been hungry. We had signed up for a Luau at our hotel at 6pm and made it back by 5:45. Brady fell asleep in the car around 5:40 p.m. Not good. Lindsay and I took a quick bath and joined Nana and Papa at the luau while David showered. They had a great buffet dinner which we all enjoyed. Brady and David came 1/2 hour later - Brady woke up in a bad mood but David threw him into the bath anyhow. He looked so cute in his Hawaiian shirt. The luau was fabulous and Lindsay thoroughly enjoyed it. She has decided that she no longer wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, she wants to be a hula dancer.


Tuesday, June 19, 2007

In the morning, Seth and Lindsay were able to go pole fishing in the hotel pond. Seth and Lindsay had to share a pole because Lindsay was not old enough (five). Ultimately, she convinced the teacher to give her a pole of her own. Lindsay caught at least three fish. She had to throw them back into the pond. As she did so with the first one, and it bounced off a rock, we wondered if the poor fish would ever swim again.




Then David and Papa went golfing. Brady and I went to the market and picked up steaks to grill for dinner. Lindsay went to the beach but returned soon after I got back from the market because she did not want to go to the pool. We spent some time working on her activity books and eating lunch.

Nana returned back and took Lindsay and Seth to a lei making class. The activities here for the kids are great and she has enjoyed them all. I am stuck in the room while Brady naps but I am not bitter, I am not bitter, I am not bitter.

We went to the beach in the late afternoon and then had a steak dinner in our unit with Nana, Papa and Seth.

Friday, June 15-Sunday June 17, 2007

Friday, June 15th

We went to Kauai to the Marriott Waiohai Beach club, where we own a timeshare. Getting here was a bit tricky. We flew through Oahu because we used American Express miles so we saved $2600 in airfare. We had a two hour layover in Oahu. Brady did better on the first plane (LA to Oahu) then we thought he would. He slept for 1 1/2 hours and only walked up and down the aisle for 20 minutes. Lindsay watched about 3 hours of videos on my iPod and DVD player on my laptop.

We almost missed our connection plane to Kauai from Oahu when Lindsay and I went to the bathroom. We got out just in time to board the plane but we did not get to sit with David and Brady. It was only a short 30 minute flight so that was okay. We then arrived in Kauai and shleped six carry on items through the airport and waited for our luggage. It never came. I then waited on line for 30 minutes at the luggage claim area and learned that our luggage might arrive on one of the next flights from Oahu. We decided to go get our rental car but because we did not have Lindsay's carseat we had to rent one. Lindsay was extremely tired by this point and whined quite a bit (to put it mildly). Brady wanted to run through the car rental area, which was also difficult. After we got the rental car, we returned to the airport and found that one of our seven bags made it onto the next plane. The next plane would arrive in an hour, so we went to town for a short while and returned to find two more pieces of luggage. We did not want to leave the other luggage at the airport (because it was not clearly marked) and went out to Shakey's in town for pizza before returning to the airport for what we promised would be our last effort to get our luggage. Fortunately, our luggage was on that plane. Unfortunately, David's golf club carrying bag was destroyed. The airline (Aloha) is going to try to "fix" it but we don't have much hope. We got to the hotel after travelling for 16 hours and were exhausted. The kids were asleep and we unpacked.

Saturday, June 16th
In the morning, Lindsay took hula dancing lessons. She loved it. She also got to feed the koi fish in the front of the hotel lobby.








Nana and Papa arrived with cousin Seth at about 1pm. We were happy to see them. We went in the pool and had fun frolicking in the sun. We made dinner in our room that night (a barbecue of hotdogs and hamburgers).

Sunday, June 17th
We went to Mother's Beach near our hotel for two hours in the morning.



The kids loved it becasue there are no waves and they could see fish swimming by. Nana and Papa went to a presentation at the Sheraton (where they are staying later in the week). They got suckered into booking the most expensive luau I had ever heard of (which they later cancelled) and a catamaran ride for Wednesday. Lindsay and David then made sand art Father's Day cards.


For Father's Day dinner, we went to Roy's. The service was terribe, and the food was not much better. The kids were antsy and Brady announced that he was "all done" after they served the quesadilla appetizer. It was downhill from there. We took turns walking thim through the mini mall where the restaurant is located while we ate dinner. The highlight of the evening was when I went into the Crazy Shirts store with Brady and we were dancing to the music playing. The maybe 16 year old clerk said, "Excuse me, ma'am. I hope you don't get offended, but your skirt is sticking into your underwear." Lovely.