Just Eight More Days

Eight days left until I'm 30.  We already did my big birthday present, our trip to Hawaii.  It was part birthday present to me, Anniversary present to ourselves, and just long overdue family vacation somewhere really fun.  We had a blast!

We flew in on Thursday the 15th.  We didn't get to our hotel until sometime after 10pm, Lauren fell asleep in the shuttle van on the way to the hotel.  Friday was chilly and overcast, but we walked just under 2 miles each way to go pick up groceries at WalMart- peanut butter and jelly and bread and crackers- so that we'd have some good food in the room so we didn't have to go out to eat for every meal.  We stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki and it was pretty awesome.  We were able to walk right out from the elevators to get to the pool, down the stairs from the pool to get to the beach, or out the front of the hotel to the main streets for shopping.  Lauren picked out this Keiki Friends Dress-Up Dolls from the ABC store to play with in the room.  We found two more similar sets for the plane ride home, too.  Saturday morning we met up with Ben's cousin (who he hadn't seen in 15 years or so) who happened to be in Hawaii also.  He and his fiancee were leaving that day, but we had a good breakfast at Cheeseburger Waikiki and it was fun.  On our way back to the hotel, the sun came out and it was good weather for the rest of the trip.

We spent lots of time at the pool, lots of time on the beach and in the water, and lots of time walking around.  I can't believe we almost didn't bring the stroller!  We used it every. single. day.  The hotel had a koi pond and they let kids feed the fish twice a day.  Lauren really liked that.  We went to Margaritaville for dinner.  They have a hula show that is pretty fun.  Lauren got up on stage and did the hula during the show.  Then after the show was over and while we were eating, Lauren decided she needed to dance again, so she went and got on stage and performed for everyone.  It was great.  Ben got a short video of it, and believe me, this isn't the highlight.  There was so much more to it, and it was a lot of fun.

We shopped lots at the ABC stores, ate breakfast at Cheeseburger on the Beachwalk most days (they had great pancakes, and we were able to get a plate of fruit for the girls to share. Ben liked their omelets.) It was a great trip. On the last day, we checked out at 11 and had the hotel store our bags. We went for a loooooong lunch, laid by the pool, walked around and picked up souvenirs, and finally got picked up to head to the airport around 7:30. Our flight left at 10, and Lauren fell asleep at the gate and Natalie fell asleep while we were taxiing to the runway. They both slept the whole flight home. We got into SeaTac before 7, shuttled to our car, drove home and took a nap. It was a great trip!

Today we are going to go to a baseball game and then I'll have to start a new book. I finished reading The Devil in the Junior League and in the few days we've been home, I finished Chasing Harry Winston. Next up I have Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously unless the library emails that they have the latest of the True Blood series waiting for me.

Her Last Day Being Three

Lauren turns four years old tomorrow.  We're taking her to IHOP for breakfast since Ben has to work tomorrow night.  I think I'm looking forward to that as much as she is, if not more.  It's a pretty fun weekend for her with Easter today and her birthday tomorrow, lots of presents and treats and fun.  We're going to have her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese next weekend.  Lauren is all done with soccer now, she did such a great job this year.  She was by far the smallest kid on her team, but loved playing goalie. Somehow her team only ended up with five kids on it while the other teams in the league all had 10, and even with that huge disadvantage, they won a few of their games.  She got a medal and a certificate at the end of the season and they had a pizza party at the bowling alley after their last game.

Natalie has an evaluation for Occupational Therapy tomorrow.  We'll see if she starts doing regular work with them.  That is for more fine motor skills than the Physical Therapy she does already.  They changed the setting on her shunt when she visited her neurosurgeon a few weeks ago.  They upped the setting to a slightly higher pressure.  She's been doing pretty well with the change, which is good, and in June she'll go back and have another MRI to see how it's going in her head.

I have to get a crown put on my tooth in 10 days.  The dentist thinks I cracked it.  I was in such pain and thankfully they got me in the same day.  I've been doing ok with tylenol and learning to avoid the tooth, I hope the crown does the trick and helps me out.  I always get so nervous about the dentist and every time I go it's awful, then I avoid going and the next time it's bad again.  It's an awful cycle.  I do really need to get better about going regularly.  I just hate it so much and avoiding it only makes it harder on me later.

Ben's been making some really great food lately.  Tonight he made pulled pork and last night chicken caesar salad and bread.  We had strawberry shortcake for dessert both nights.  I made the Pioneer Woman's Hot Cross Buns on Friday and they were really good.  They make a great breakfast.  I didn't realize Hot Cross Buns were an Easter food, but now that I know, I think I'll have to make them every year.