The rythm of Maui in the veins

FINALLY we are in the rythm of Maui. It was a VERY trying last couple of days while we weren't getting any sleep, had a tired and VERY cranky daughter and were ready to put the kibosh on vacationing with child. After we figured a few things out (turned up the AC and give her motrin before bed) we are finally getting rest at night and aren't up all night with a daughter who wouldn't sleep.

Ella and I are turning the corner on our colds and feeling much better. The sun is helping to bake it out of us. Dale is still really hackin' and it is putting his back out. I am pretty sure he has bronchitis. There is a walk in clinic here but you can't do antibiotics and sun, so... he will wait til we get home (if he actually goes to see a dr.).

The last 2 days have been great. We got a FULL night of sleep last night and the Puddin' has been taking 3 hour naps during the day. When she is rested she is fully charged and a happy little vacationer. The beach and pool have been marvelous. We have really enjoyed watching her learn to try new things and not be so afraid of the water splashing on her face. She is jumping in the side of the pool to daddy and trying to dog paddle a little.... but, don't get me wrong... she is NO fish, that's for sure.

The weather has been HOT and very clear the last couple of days. We all have mild sunburns even though we are slabbing on sunblock at every turn. Every night has been a different dinner spot as we soak in our favorite restaurants. Ella has been doing great with that as she typically plays games on Dale's iPhone.

I have had to be more careful about the amount of walking I am doing each day and not to over do. The baby is growing and I can feel things stretching again. If I do to much, I am pretty miserable at night. Shorter walks in the mornings and making sure I lay down for an hour or so each afternoon that Ella naps is helping. We are walking a LOT during the day to the beach, pool and dinner so the 4 mile boardwalk stroll in the morning was just to much (so I figured out the hard way!). Sasa is going on her walk without me in the morning and getting her exercise in without having to wait for me to catch up.

Tomorrow... more of the same.... more beach, more pool and hoping that the wind stays down so that we don't eat any sand like we did today! Our Maui time is 1/2 over now and we are grateful that it has settled in to a good rhythm where everyone is happy and has the feeling of aloha running through their veins.

Trade winds a BLOWIN'!

Last night we had a great dinner at a cheeseburger place in the Wailea shopping center. Ella got this fun pineapple drink and drink umbrellas that entertained her almost the ENTIRE meal. She proclaimed it to be the BEST DINNER EVER! Was pretty fun in the eyes of a 3 year old!

We are all feeling pretty tired and still hackin'. Dales cold seems to be more bronchitis in nature. His back hurts from coughing so much. Hoping to have a miraculous recovery for him. I am feeling better and but Ella is about the same. Still has a pretty nasty cold. Every morning the Puddin is up at about 6am which makes it hard to get any additional winks in!

This morning was pretty cute as the birds started to chirp with the sun coming up (rises at 6). Ella was saying... "quiet birds! Stop chirping!" I enjoy the sound of the birds in the morning. It is a nice thing to wake up to. There is one type of bird that has a VERY loud kacoo in the morning, but we don't seem to have many of those around our unit, or it would be like waking up to a rooster outside your window. When the birds start singing, I get up and Sasa and I go for our walk along the boardwalk. It was slow going this morning... I was pretty tired. I may have to skip a morning or two while here or not do the whole boardwalk. I was waddling pretty good on our return home! ;0)

The beach this morning (about 9am) was GREAT! There are SOOOO many vacationers here for spring break. I can't say as though we have been here when so many folks have been on the beach. Ella had a great time digging holes, hunting for crabs and running up and down the beach. After the beach it was a short stint at the pool before meltdown and having to head back to the condo. Unfortunately there was no nap today for our Puddin'. She was coughing, was pretty upset and wanted out of her bed. Dale took off to do some freeway fathering hoping she might take a quick wink in the car and they ended up at the park. Hopefully we will have a quiet and early bed time tonight. We all could really use it!

The trade winds are here with full force in the afternoons. It is pretty to see the white caps rolling in across the ocean. You have to make sure everything is tied down! It is great to sit out on the lanai and enjoy the warm breeze and scenery. The Hansens fly in today and our little beachy clan will get bigger by 2! I am sure they had a pretty bumpy flight with the wind!

Hopefully our little family can rally after a good night's rest and get back at it tomorrow! It took a LOT to get here... now we just need to heal up!

Our Preps and First days on Vacation!

It was a bit of work to get everything ready to go for Maui this year. It seemed like a rush for me to get all the personal things done while I KNOW Dale has been working for months to get to a place where he would feel comfortable leaving the company and his projects that he has going on. Sometimes it seems we are moving mountains! But, of course, we got it all done... despite the whole family having hacking coughs and TOTALLY worn out. We were fortunate enough this time to have a house sitter stay (thanks Candace) and take care of the home front while on vacation.

We had a pretty uneventful plane trip over and Ella was a great little traveler. The toys have been replaced by technology and gaming on Dale's iPhone with various apps that he downloaded. Something tells me Ella will have an iTouch here shortly so she can play away without burning through the batteries on our phones! She totally pantsed Dale while we were waiting in line at the Hawaiian ticketing counter. One minute daddy standing there normal... the next standing there with a kid and pants around his ankles. She was sliding down daddy's legs and took his jogging pants with her. Pretty funny. Not many people saw it, I quickly got them pulled back up when I realized what had happened. His hands were full of backpacks, plane info and a Puddin. The couple behind us was trying to be polite and not laugh, but that quickly subsided when we were all ROLLING and dale was saying... now that was funny!

We had some troubles getting Ella to eat enough through out the travels, which had an effect on our first night of slumber. She was cranky and crying most of the night keeping Dale and I up. Alyssa got a great night of sleep!!! In the morning we FORCED her to eat saying she couldn't go to the beach until she finished her breakfast. Then it was off and running!

This is how a typical Maui day stacks up for us.... Alyssa (Sasa) and I go on our morning walk along the boardwalk (6:30am) which is about 4 miles round trip. By the time we get back the Puddin is through her morning routine with Daddy and fueled up. We head to the beach at about 9am. Ella has REALLY grown since the last time we were here. It is AMAZING the difference in her capabilities from 2 years old to 3 1/2. After the beach we head to the pool for a while and then it is up to the condo for lunch and a group nappy! We all passed out for a while the first day and were ready to go after our nice long moi! Then it is about 3:00 in the afternoon and we start thinking about dinner. After dinner we come home, put our Pud to bed and wake up the next morning to start all over!!! It's a rough schedule, but someone has to do it!

More beach time and pool time today and we have just finished our naps. I am sure there will be some afternoon Puddin' walk collecting flowers for a lei we are trying to make. It ahs been very windy with the trade winds in the afternoon. The grounds here become littered with Plumera flowers and we are gonna thread some together. There are many "tasks" to do in Maui, we figured this was a good accomplishment!

The whales are still here and we can see them from the condo. The temp has been in the 80s, lots of afternoon wind, and some high clouds. The feeling of Aloha has definitely set in. Now if only our colds would go away!!!

Pregnancy and Such

WOW it has been a LONG time since I have posted anything on the blog. What a bad blogger I am. There has been so much happen that there is NO WAY I could possibly catch everyone up on everything. I will have to post some pictures in a slide show as catch up!

We have been remodeling our house all summer. Things were slowly dying on the vine. It started with a deck that was becoming rotten and dangerous, kitchen appliances dying one by one, and sidewalks cracking or falling in. MUCH to do and MUCH money to be spent. UGH. After one summer night of the super hot temps and it being 85 degrees IN THE HOUSE AT 4AM we decided air conditioning was gonna be a must!

I bought a travel trailer in May, which we affectionately call "the Nasher". It is my little slice of heaven. The Puddin' LOVES it and Dale, although he would never admit it, secretly likes it too. We weren't able to get it out much over the summer with the remodeling and busyness that comes along with lake living and summer fun.

I also am expecting another baby on May 28th. In August my eggo was preggo and it has been a journey ever since. The second baby thing has been pretty taxing. I am not sure how ladies have LOTS of kids, but maybe it has something to do with being 35 and pregnant? My sciatic nerve is KILLING me and the baby feels like a bowling ball that is being held in by my tailbone. LOL. All indications are telling us it is another girl... which we are REALLY excited about. Ella is very happy to be having a little sister.

Christmas was REALLY fun with a 3 year old. Santa brought Ella a guinea pig named Cupcake. Who knew that Santa dealt in "used" pigs. She is pretty sweet and is a great addition to our little slice of "American Pie."

For now, it is getting the rooms ready (Ella moving into her big girl room and changing the nursery). Dale chose a butterfly theme for Ella's new room and the nursery will be cupcakes. There is LOTS to do before baby comes, but... there is one more squeeze in of Maui before then. I will make sure I do a better job of updating the blog while we are feelin' the aloha!