Waikiki

I thought it would be fun to take the girls and my mom down to Waikiki to walk around, grab some lunch, and just enjoy the glorious day outside.  We walked around the Hawaiian Hilton Village so that Riley could check out all the ponds filled with Koi and the little waterfalls that are located throughout.  Then we just cruised down the path by the beach taking in the beautiful scenery.  The weather was perfect for our day outdoors.  We went over to the International Market Place where they have tons of vendors selling all sorts of coral necklaces, pearls, and loads of other stuff.  I found a really pretty red coral necklace that I fell in love with.  Mom bought it for me for my birthday...thanks mom!  Then Riley picked out a necklace with a flip flop charm, so I bought that for her.  I got it for $2!  Riley was in love with her necklace because it matched the flip flops she was wearing!  The market place would be a much cooler area to walk around in if everyone wasn't trying to haggle you to buy something every two feet.  I was happy I got my necklace though.

Once we were done with the market place we crossed the street to enjoy lunch at Duke's.  I enjoy this restaurant a lot because it sits on the beach so you have a great ocean view.  It definitely gives you the vibe that you are on vacation in paradise.  We all sat back and relaxed during lunch.  Riley and Hadley were both fascinated with all of the birds flying around.  When Riley was done eating she decided that it would be fun to chase them around.  I'm sure everyone dining around us appreciated that!

Once lunch was done we walked back towards the lagoon because I promised Riley if she was a good girl I'd take her to the water.  Both of the girls dipped their feet in.  It really felt refreshing.  I'm pretty sure Riley would have gotten completely soaked if I had let her.  But we didn't have bathing suits, so I bargained with Riley to get her out of the water which meant we were heading to get a scoop of ice cream!  I normally don't do that, but she was behaving very well, so a special treat wouldn't hurt!

Shopping Day

I dropped Aunt Terry off at the airport this morning so she could go on her excursion to Maui.  I'm not going to lie, I am a tad jealous that she is going to Maui.  We were planning to go awhile ago when the Super Ferry went there, but the government got rid of the ferry before we had our chance.  That's ok, we'll get there before we leave to come back to the mainland.  After I dropped Aunt Terry off, it was time to take Riley to gymnastics.  Kiki was super excited to watch Riley at her gymnastics class.  Of course Kiki whipped out her camera during the songs and dance in the beginning of class, which Riley saw, and so Riley decided she wasn't going to participate.  Riley doesn't like her picture taken unless she wants it taken!  (If that makes any sense.)  Once it was time to do the stations and flip over the bars, walk on the balance beam and jump on the trampoline Riley was ready to go.  Kiki decided to keep the camera off and just enjoyed watching Riley.  

After gymnastics class we headed to Waikele to hit up the outlets.  It was lunchtime so we grabbed something to eat at Chili's first.  Riley scarfed down her pizza like she had never eaten before.  She also had to take every ones straw from their drink and put them in hers.  Kiki was on double baby duty.  Riley was sitting next to her so Kiki was playing with her and then whenever Hadley would drop her toy Kiki would pick it up.  I just sat back, watched, and relaxed.  But it's ok, I treated my mom to lunch for all of her hard work!!  Not to mention I know she was loving every minute of it!

So once our tummy's were full we walked across the street to start our shopping.  I really needed to pick some clothes up for the girls to get us through the winter.  The crappy thing here in Hawai'i is that they sell winter clothes here even though we are still wearing shorts and tank tops.  Therefore I have to stock up  on summer clothes while they are still being sold so that my girls have weather appropriate clothes to wear.  We first hit up Carter's.  Ahhh, I LOVE Carter's.  They have such cute clothes.  It was pretty funny to watch Riley shop with Kiki and myself.  I was grabbing things left and right and Riley followed in my footsteps.  She kept picking clothes off the rack and handing them to Kiki saying, "this, and this, and this."  It was too funny.  Riley even picked out an adorable jean skirt.  Yes, I said skirt.  I asked her if she was sure she wanted a skirt and she told me "yeah mama."  Well ok then!  The prices were so awesome I think I could have picked out one of everything but I held back.  I probably would have picked out more, but they actually already had a lot of cold weather clothes.  Time for the next store.

But before we could go into the next store we had to stop and let Riley ride in one of the cars.  We had to do this in between every store that had a ride!  It was cute.  Until I thought about all of the germs on them.  No worries, I whipped out my hand sanitizer and cleaned her right up!!

We were of to Osh Kosh B'gosh next!  Now, this store has just the sweetest things for kids.  We picked up some really cute things for Riley here.  They didn't have the sizes I needed for Hadley so she only got one outfit.  But I grabbed up a couple of capris(only $4.99) and some tops for Riley.  Riley also picked out a necklace, bracelet, and some rings that she just had to have.  Riley is blossoming into quite the fashionista.  I like it!

Next up was Children's Place.  I'm a big fan of this store.  They always seem to have cute outfits and have great sales.  I enjoy sales!  That's the only way I shop.  I think it's from all the years I worked retail, I just refuse to pay full price for clothes.  Especially with my munchkins that know how to trash some clothes.  I was a bit disappointed though because it was practically all winter clothes in the store.  I managed to grab up a windbreaker for Hadley, a pair of capris for both girls, two tops for Hadley and another top for Riley.  And do you want to know my grand total?  Ok, let me tell you!  It was only $9.56.  I almost passed out!  I'm a better bargain shopper than I though!  Thank you Children's Place!

So I thought we were done until I saw the Gymboree outlet.  Now I absolutely love Gymboree clothes but they are seriously way too expensive for me.  I just don't see paying those kind of prices for kids clothes.  Even some of the thing in the outlet were too pricey for me, but then I found a little watermelon collection.  OMG!  It had the most adorable outfits.  I was trying to buy all of it in both 3T(for Riley) and 18mos(for Hadley) but they were out of 3T in almost everything.  That's ok though,  I managed to snag up 2 outfits for Riley, 2 dresses and an outfit for Hadley.  I was in watermelon heaven!  They also had an adorable cherry collection, but I steered clear.

I had the most fabulous day with my mom and the girls.  It was a load of fun and great bonding time!

Sea Life Park

Today we all got to experience, for the first time, Sea Life Park.  I was super excited because I've heard awesome things about this place.  I've been wanting to take Riley for awhile now and I couldn't imagine a more perfect time than now with Kiki and Aunt Terry in town.  The first area we walked through had a giant aquarium tank with loads of windows for us to look through.  We got to see stingrays, sharks, and an assortment of fish.  Riley was in heaven and I think all of the adults were enjoying it too.  At least I know I was!

One of the first things we did was feed some sea turtles.  My mom went and got a cup full of lettuce and some other green veggies for the turtles.  I honestly think that Riley could have stayed with the turtles all day long.  She just wanted to keep feeding them more and more.

After feeding the sea turtles we decided to feed ourselves just a little.  It was pretty hot out so we all grabbed some drinks and split some french fries.  Then we headed over to watch the dolphin show.  The cool thing about Sea Life Park is that you can have encounters with the dolphins and/or seals.  So before the dolphin show started we got to watch some of the people who were swimming with the dolphins.  It definitely looked like a fun experience.  I'm sure Riley would've loved to do it, but you have to be at least 3 years old to participate.  Maybe for her birthday!  As soon as the show started it was time for Hadley to eat so I had to go find a quiet spot where I could feed her and still see the show.  Yes, I was that excited to watch a dolphin show that I was only able to feed Hadley if I could watch the show.  I honestly was a little upset that I wasn't able to see Riley's reaction to the dolphins jumping in the air.  But afterwards, seeing the smile on her face showed me just how much fun she had watching.  

After the dolphin show we walked around the park more and saw seals, penguins, and birds.  Riley was in animal and water heaven.  Kiki treated Riley to some dippin' dots, Trey got a funnel cake, and Aunt Terry and I enjoyed an ice cream cone.  It was hot out, so that ice cream was totally refreshing.  After the  ice cream break we headed over to see another sea life show.  This one was mainly focused on dolphins, but also included penguins and sea lions.  This time I got to see all of Riley's reactions which were absolutely priceless.  Hadley was enjoying the show as well.  Whenever the crowd would cheer Hadley would squeal super loud and throw her hands up and down.  It was adorable to watch.  By the time that show was over I think just about everybody was ready for a nap.  So we all packed up in the Tahoe and headed home for a little relaxation.

29 & Feeling Fine!

My oh my how the years just seem to fly by.  I can hardly believe that I have entered the last year in my twenties.  It seems like I was waiting forever to turn 21 and now I'm going to be 30 before I know it!  I'm not depressed at all about it though.  I just think it's amazing how fast your life goes by.  I'm happy that I had my mom and Aunt Terry in town to help celebrate my birthday this year.  Since we were going out to dinner later I decided we should do something low key earlier in the day.  We all went to Pearl Harbor so that Aunt Terry could see the memorial.  Yes, I know.  Pearl Harbor isn't the most upbeat place to be on your birthday, but it was something on the to do list while my guests were in town so I didn't really think much about it!  Not to mention I've been there a ton so I didn't watch the video that will bring you to tears.  I just let Aunt Terry watch that while mom & I played with the girls in the piping hot sun!  Riley thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride over to the memorial, as usual.  I felt bad for Aunt Terry though.  Normally on the boat ride they give you information about the USS Arizona and how much oil it leaks and how long it will leak for and some other instructions.  The sailors didn't say diddly squat!  It was kind of disappointing, but I don't think it affected Aunt Terry's experience.  

With the exciting part of my birthday behind us, we headed home to have some lunch and relax before it was time to leave for dinner.  Trey got home a few minutes after we did which is when he presented me with my birthday gift.   I open up my present to find a blue box.  Yes, a Tiffany & CO. box.  As I open the box I realize I have been tricked because it had a coach clutch in it, which I liked a lot.  Trey told me to open the clutch, so I did.  It contained a pretty necklace with an anchor charm(since he''s a sailor).  It also had money for me to go get my hair and nails done.  Of course I owe a big thank you to my Aunt Kathy who sent my mom here with a blue box to give to Riley with a pretty necklace.  I was totally jealous that Riley got one at age 2 and I had yet to ever receive one.  So thanks Aunt Kathy for Riley's necklace and for helping me receive my first blue box!  Trey did awesome on my birthday gift!  Thanks honey!  I also owe a  thank you to my dad & Miss Kathy, my Aunt Leslie & Uncle Time, and Madeleine for sending me birthday money,  I will be able to pamper myself thoroughly!!  Perhaps I should get all of my grey hair covered up!  

After opening my gifts the girls and Aunt Terry took their afternoon naps.  I just relaxed and chatted with my mom and Trey.  Then it was time to head to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner, Kona Brewing CO.  I love to go there and sit out on the waterfront and just enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.  Well it's normally relaxing, but not so much with a 2 year old and a 9 month old.  However, I still got to enjoy the company of my family and my scrumptious steak dinner.  Plus I managed to squeezed in a delicious brownie sundae contraption for desert.  Mmmm, I was definitely in heaven.  Except at that point I was 29 and feeling fat!  It was an enjoyable day and evening and I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Lunch & Ka'ena Point

We enjoyed a delicious Mexican lunch at Cholo's, one of my faves!  We were all hungry.  And I know this because the basket of chips disappeared in seconds.  Once we all refueled from lunch we walked around the North shore Marketplace.  There are some cool little shops to look in.  We went into the Wyland Art Gallery and Aunt Terry fell in love with a really cool photograph, but passed it up.  Maybe if I win the lottery I could buy it one day!  Mom & Aunt Terry bought some post cards.  Riley was excited because she got to help Kiki pick out some of the post cards.

After walking around the shops we all jumped in the car and headed for Ka'ena Point.  This is a big spot for four wheeling, hiking and fishing.  I like to take everyone here because it's such a gorgeous view.  Of course every time we go Riley always wants to get into the water which is a no no at this spot.  The water is way too rough and rocky.  I'm not sure how we bribed Riley to get back into the car but I got her in there pretty quickly after we all grabbed some pictures.

I'd say Ka'ena Point was a perfect ending to our lovely day in the North Shore!

North Shore for the Day

The second adventure I decided to take my lovely visitors on was to the North Shore.  We headed to Waimea Valley to walk through the botanical garden and see the waterfall.  I fell in love with this place when we took Toni & BJ.  I find it to be such a peaceful place.  The natural beauty is just breathtaking and pictures definitely don't do it justice.  The smell in the air and the sounds around you make you feel like you are in a tropical heaven.  At least to me they do!  Riley didn't want to ride in the stroller on the walk to the waterfall and insisted on stopping at every little area that you could see a creek or pond or whatever else might have been tickling her fancy.  

I'm positive that Aunt Terry and my mom were feeling the same way as I was while we were walking through Waimea Valley.  It was nice to be doing this today because we were pretty much in the shade of trees for the entire walk which was well needed after our entire day in the sun yesterday.  My face was super burned(the first time in my 2 years of living in HI that I've been burned) and my moms back was torched.  The shaded walk was our friend!  And the beautiful surroundings made us forget about our pain.  When we made it to the waterfall Riley remembered last time when she got to swim in the water and was asking for her life vest.  Unfortunately it had been raining last night and this morning so there was limited swimming.  The waterfall was really massive from the rain and the pool was pretty high.  Aunt Terry, mom & I all opted not to jump in today.  It's really only worth it if you can swim out to the fall, but that wasn't allowed today.  No biggie for any of us.  Just seeing the waterfall made us all happy.

I definitely wouldn't want to be standing under all of that water power!

On our walk back Riley was running around acting like she was a bird flying, thanks to the game Kiki invented for her, and took a big spill and scraped both of her knees.  The waterworks were rolling.  The fact that she was bleeding didn't help the situation and of course I didn't have any band-aids in my diaper bag.  We are rushing to get out of there so we can get Riley's knees cleaned up when all of the sudden a nice down pour starts falling on us.  Riley's cries got even louder because she doesn't like to get wet from the rain.  (Don't ask.)  So we completely covered her with a beach towel which seemed to settle my little angry monster.  We hit up the gift shop on the way out and Kiki bought Riley some band-aids to calm her from her fall.  It was definitely time for lunch!  I was hungry and losing my patience quickly.  Cholo's here we come!

Beach Time

After our hike we were all ready to grab some lunch and then we were heading to the Bellows, my favorite beach.  I drove straight to the subway which is right at the beach and was so looking forward to my sub.  We get everyone unloaded from the car, only to walk up to the door to find that they have a water main break and are closed.  WHAT??  I was so hungry and was craving subway during my entire hike.  I was completely devastated when I saw that sign.  The Bellows rents out cabins, so we wound up eating at a restaurant inside of the lobby area.  We all just grabbed a burger, which was nowhere near as good as the sub I had been craving, but it filled me up which was all I could ask for at that point.

Now it was time to hit the beach.  We got everything set up and I got the sunscreen on the babies.  Riley was immediately in the water and I went down there for a bit to play with her.  Then it was time for Hadley to eat, so Kiki took over playing with Riley.  After I finished feeding Hadley I took her down to the water so she could get some water play in too.  I was sitting with Hadley just where the water comes splashing over your feet.  I was having a wonderful time watching the girls play in the water.  Then, out of nowhere, I get a horrible burning sensation on my leg.  I quickly scoop Hadley up out of the water and look down at my leg.  Now, lets remember the last time I was at the Bellows Riley & I both got stung by a Portuguese man-o-war.  Go figure, that a month later it would happen to me again.  I didn't have the huge blue tentacle stuck to me this time, but I saw the red rash appearing on my leg.  I walked down to the lifeguard who sprayed me with some jellyfish spray, which didn't do a damn thing for me, and then went over to our chairs.  My leg was burning so bad I wanted to throw up.  Instead, I just sucked it up and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon.  I was just thankful that I got stung and not Hadley.  Kiki continued to play in the water and build sand castles with Riley.  Me on the other hand, I took a nap with Hadley.  Ahhh, sure did feel good.  Once Hadley and I woke up, we packed up our stuff and headed home.  Other than subway being closed and me getting stung again, I'd say we had a fantastic day.

(Thanks to Aunt Terry for the photos!!)

Ready for a Hike

I thought it would be a fun first day for my mom and Aunt Terry to get to take in some of the beauty of O'ahu.  We started our day by heading to the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail for a nice hike.  I had the double stroller ready to go so I could get the girls up the mountain.  Riley, of course, insisted on walking for the first half of the hike, so  pushing Hadley wasn't too strenuous up the mountain.  Once Riley made it up the first two hills she was plum tuckered out.  I put her in the stroller and started pushing both of the girls.  Good golly, it was no easy task.  I was pushing over 50 pounds up a mountain in flip flops.  Oh yes, I decided that I would be fine hiking the trail in flip flops.  Trey is normally the one to push the stroller so I didn't really grasp how difficult it would be to push the girls up the mountain while in flip flops.  I made it about three quarters up and then let Kiki take over.  Phew, what a relief that was!  I did feel bad watching my mom push the girls up the last part of the trail, but she insisted she was fine.  So who was I to argue with that?

Aunt Terry claimed the whole way up that she would push the stroller on the way down to help out.  But since it was her first excursion on an outdoor adventure since her foot came out of her boot, I didn't think it would be a very good idea for her to strain herself trying to get the stroller down the mountain.  Not to mention I thought pushing the girls down would be a breezed.  After enjoying the gorgeous views from the top of the trail we headed back down.  I quickly realized pushing the stroller down wasn't so easy.  I think it may have been more difficult than pushing up hill.  The incline was so steep I had to hold onto the stroller with all of my might so it wouldn't drag me down the mountain!  When we reached the last hill I, once again, let Kiki take over.  This mama needed a break before my arms fell off.  I did enjoy the hike and it was completely refreshing to me.  Every time I hike that trail I am reminded of how lucky I am to be living in such a beautiful place.  

We Have Company!

Riley, Hadley and I picked up Kiki and Aunt Terry at the airport this afternoon.  Lucky for them, they flew first class so they were well pampered on their long voyage to see us.  Even though they got here in the early afternoon, I figured they would be way too exhausted to want to run around the island and sight see.  Instead we just layed low, hung around the house and watched Kiki play with the girls.  Riley and Hadley were in heaven.  I'm not even sure where my mom had the energy to play with the girls like she was, but she found the energy somewhere.  While my mom was throwing the girls around, Aunt Terry was relaxing, trying to finish reading her book.  Of course I don't really know how much reading she was getting done with Riley interrupting her every two minutes.  Notice in the picture below Riley's feet at the bottom.  That was when Riley was diving onto the couch trying to get Aunt Terry's attention!

It feels so nice to have some of my family here visiting.  It's especially nice that this trip for my mom I am able to show her around the island.  Her first time here we had just moved here so we didn't know much about the island or where anything was.  Her second visit was for Hadley's birth and we couldn't really go very many places seeing that I just gave birth and then had a newborn.  So for her third visit she gets to experience more of O'ahu and that definitely excites me!  I know that she'd be fine just staying at my house and playing with the girls, but I look forward to showing her and Aunt Terry the beautiful island I live on.  

Aunt Terry hit the sack around 5:00pm which was really 11pm for her.  While Aunt Terry was sleeping, mom, Trey & I enjoyed dinner from the shrimp truck.  Afterwards we went and played down at the park for awhile.  My mom managed to stay awake until I got the girls down for bed.  Again, I don't know where she got her energy from, but I sure wish I had some of it!  I'm looking forward to the next nine or so days with my mom and aunt!

9 Months

Oh my!  Hadley is nine months old today.  Goodness.  That means in three months I will have a one year old and a two and a half year old.  No wonder I'm going grey!  I took Hadley yesterday for her nine month well baby check.  My favorite part was the fact that I didn't have to take her for any shots at this check-up.  Hadley is now 28.5in long and weighs 21.5lbs.  She is in the 75% for both her height and weight.  That means that she had a growth spurt and is slimming down.  At all of Hadley's previous check-ups she was only in the 50% for height and was in the 97% for her weight.  She is still healthy as can be.  And oh boy is she getting more and more active.  She is continuing to be into EVERYTHING and pulling herself up on everything.  She climbs under tables, tries to climb the stairs, and just likes to explore every inch of the house and her surroundings.  Hadley is definitely becoming much more content now that she is getting around better.  Her laugh is the sweetest thing.  She is definitely a playful little thing and I just fall in love with her more and more everyday.  

Moanalua Garden

I took the girls to Moanalua Gardens today for a play date with our friends from the Baby Hui group that Riley and I were in.  Moanalua Gardens is a 26 acre public garden with a taro patch and Koi pond.  It is one of the smaller gardens located in O'ahu, but was the perfect spot to meet for a bunch of two year olds to run around and have some fun.  We got some pellets to feed the koi.  All of the kids were having a blast with the fish feeding.  Most of them were ready to dive into the pond, Riley included!    The picture to the left is of the Tea House, which didn't appear to be open, but I think it looked pretty cool.  For the two hours we were at the garden we stayed by the Koi pond.  The kids didn't really want to wander away from the fish.  So they ran around in the fields chasing each other, climbed some trees, and fed the fish some more.  I was looking forward to walking around the gardens to see the beautiful Hawaiian flowers but didn't get the chance since all the kids were running around and playing.  I figured it would be a good place to go when my mom comes and Aunt Terry leaves us for Maui.  It's nothing too exciting, but a fun thing to do with Riley so she can feed the fish and take a nice walk around the gardens.  It was a really fun morning catching up with our friends, two of whom are expecting baby #2 in a month.  I got asked today if I was going to have a third.  I laughed a little because I don't have the answer to that question.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see! 

We went during Hadley's morning nap.  I thought that she'd fall asleep in the stroller but there was so much action going on around her she stayed awake.  During the last half hour she didn't want to be in the stroller anymore.  I picked her up and she just nuzzled up on me with her hands under her little face and fell asleep.  My friend Beth grabbed my camera because she thought Hadley looked sweet cuddling up on me.  I love snuggles from my girls!