January Hawai'i Trip: The End

Sunday after church we went to Kalopa with the Marshes (Rayna, Mahana and family, Ken, and Barb) and Megan Wiberg and some Wiberg children (hers and Sarah's). Norm and Jarilyn were out of town. It was cloudy and lovely, as always. I mainly stayed in the pavilion and talked to Rayna and some to Barb and Ken. They are highly enjoyable. Rayna is great. Meanwhile, Toots and Barbie played frisbee with the littles.

My favorite action shot:

While we didn't get the boomerang stuck in a tree this time, we did get a football stuck on the roof of the pavilion. Lily was hoisted up to retrieve it.

Ever, Wren, and Tutu watched. 

Ever was having so much fun just watching all the goings-on that she became very upset when I said we had to leave.

Cokes got a pic with Megan and Hana before we said goodbye.

I took Jim down Church Row before heading home because this green church is his favorite, and he wanted pictures.

Back at home, Tutu did lots of reading to the littles. 

Note Tiny's jammies in the above picture. Tutu and Papa's house gets so cold - like into the forties, although I think it didn't get colder than the upper fifties while we were there. So we dressed her in thin footie jammies under thick footie jammies, with warm fleece pants over the top of it all. She stayed comfortable.

While the littles read, Ever got Papa to teach her Solitaire.

Monday morning, Coco spent a lot of time on the phone trying to push back her return trip in hopes Antonio could recover a little before they made the trek. Then we squeezed in a Hawaiian Style breakfast with her before we had to leave to catch our flight. I'm all about the french toast there, but chocolate chip pancakes (or waffles) are Ever's favorite food. I was lucky to get this picture before she dug in like a child who hadn't eaten in a year.

The chocolate gave Wrenzy a Frenchman's mustache, which went well with her top.

Taking off midday seemed like a good idea. It was nap time (or past) by the time we took off, so Tiny was tired. She tried to catch some z's on Jim's lap.

Things really got rough during our layover in L.A., though. By then it was late, and the kids were so tired that they were totally unruly. I spanked Wrenzy in a bathroom and thought I might get reported. It was a really terrible time. Ever tried to help Wren rest on the final leg.

I think Wren and Tiny finally just lost it and cried for the last half hour solid of that flight. We didn't land until after 11:30, so it was 1:00 A.M. by the time we got home. Not good.

In the San Diego airport, there were battles over Ever's rolly bag. Tiny insisted on taking it. Wren wanted it. I thought Tiny threw a tantrum (and maybe she did), but Jim got video footage showing Wrenzy, not Tiny, in action. I was glad the airport was pretty empty.

We survived the trip, and it will only get easier from here. In a few years, we won't need car seats or pack n' plays, and our girls won't need naps. The end is in sight! 

The first week we were home, Ever was getting up early and playing Solitaire before school (and at other times, too). 

Then she seemed to kind of forget about it, so maybe she won't have a lifelong love of the game as Pod does.

I was sad we didn't do the fresh-water pond (too hard with kids), but other than that we managed to do most of what we'd wanted to. I discussed with Jim the possibility of going every year instead of every other. He totally supports that, but he may not join me every year on account of work. So we'll have to see if I can muster the strength to take the girls alone. Coco was very, very brave to do it, and from VA! I felt bad for her, though, as Antonio's sickness really made the latter part of the trip hellish for her. Kids are so hard. But Hawai'i and family are wonderful.