Hawaii 2011

If you know me at all, I'm a pretty transparent person. You can probably tell how I'm feeling by taking one look at my face because I am that cliche of a girl that "wears her heart on her sleeve". So, I do know that I tend to be too honest when I write which might offend a child or two 20 years from now, but I would pay a million dollars to go back and read the thoughts of my parents oh, say, when we all happened to have been sick with the chicken pox at one time. Or, when I happened to get lost on Corpus Christi beach for a half hour when I was about 6 years old. What I would give to have a true glimpse into my parents hearts the day each of us were born -- those immediate thoughts and fears and the "oh my GOD what have we done!" moments. Because it's real. Because it's life. And because 34 years later, their daughter would appreciate, now more than ever, those little quips that might have escaped me 5 years ago before motherhood.

I say all this because we just returned from our vacation to Hawaii with my parents and my friends keep asking me "How was the trip?! Did you have so much fun?!" I let out a long breath and try to casually say "it was good" when I want to scream "It was rough! We were cheated! I want a DO-OVER!" I really do hate whining because we were in HAWAII for Pete's sake but on day 2 of our trip, Maddie came down with a 102 fever that lasted until the day we left. Two trips to the doctor later, she was diagnosed with strep throat and she was the most irritable child you've ever seen. We couldn't exactly take her outside in the heat everyday due to the fever so one of us was stuck in the room and she was up multiple times each night. When you look forward to something so badly for a year, it can be quite a disappointment when it turns out to be an ill-fated week. On top of it all, I hated that we didn't get to spend much fun time with my parents (so sorry Mom and Dad!) when they were the ones that invited us to come again this year.

As I downloaded our pictures today, I was pleasantly surprised at the smiles (especially from Maddie) caught on camera. It reminded me that experiences like these are filled with "moments" -- good ones and bad ones and I am treasuring these photos as they reminded me of some great times on our trip. And there were some really great ones -- Jacob finding the courage to ride his first "big kid" waterslide all by himself, the way Maddie's face LIT up going underneath the waterfalls, the mudslides....(the beverage, not the act of nature). Thank goodness for cameras and the ability for me to look back fondly on this vacation! Thanks Mom and Dad for inviting us along and for your endless patience with your grumpy baby (ME, not Maddie!) LOVE YOU BOTH!

P.S. I always like to compare pictures year over year to see the changes in the kids. Click here to see how much they've grown since last year's Hawaii trip!

Jacob after conquering his fears of the "big kid" waterslide



The view from the top



























Tattoos from the pirates!







Making his wind chime at the craft center



We spotted a family of ducks on the upper deck of the parking structure. I went down to shuffle them down to the first floor -- I was afraid they were stuck up there!





At the aquarium