Cruisin' for a[nother] Bruisin!

Well, we had an eventful last week in Hawaii and now we're trying to recover (I know, poor us). The day we left, Auberry got about 4 inches of snow, which is a lot for these parts. We went from "Ahhh, that's pretty" to "Uh, oh. I hope they don't close the highway." Fortunately for us, we were able to get on the road without much fanfare. Flying out early, we drove down the night before and stayed in a hotel. This was the scene when we left. We did come home to a huge oak tree in the back yard that collapsed from the snow/rain/soggy ground. Next year's firewood!

We got to LAX, like good little travelers, about 2 hours before our flight. So the kids were up at 5am, and running rampant through the mostly-empty airport for a few hours. We tried to keep them up with the hope that they would sleep through most of the 5 1/2 hour flight. No such luck. Avery slept about an hour and a half, and would be up for the rest of the long day. She did good, considering. Here she is with her cousin Cole as she waits for the plane to arrive.

So after a long day of travel and a weak-sauce nap on the plane, we finally get checked into our room in Maui. Three kids in our room, exploring every imaginable nook and cranny of their new playspace. It took Avery about ten minutes (while I was still bringing up luggage), to fall and whack her eye on the side of a mean wooden chair. It didn't seem like much of a fall, but she had a scrape and immediate swelling. It didn't help that she was obnoxiously tired and needed sleep. She only cried when we tried to hold ice on it, so we let her go to bed with some children's motrin. It didn't look too bad when she went to sleep (well, actually, it did look pretty nasty).

She woke up with a terrible looking shiner, the second one she has had (the first came back when we were moving in September). Her eye was pretty much swollen shut, but she was happy as a clam. Didn't seem to bother her much, nor did everyone who would stare at her (us) wherever we went. Oh well, we still had fun. The weather over there was a bit windy, and cooler than normal, but still warm by our standards. The pool and spa were fine, and that's where we spent much of our day. It's amazing how your vacation style changes when you have to plan for kids' nap-time. Dinners were also pretty rushed - by the time we would go out, it was late (expecially considering Hawaii time is 2 hours behind CA), so the kids were very tired. The restaurants are very good at getting the kids meals out fast, but by the time the kiddos are done eating and the adult food shows up, they have no intention to sit and wait for you to finish your meal... Ahhh, I'm finally getting paid back for all of the meals I ruined for my folks!

Anyway, we had a great time. The flight back and drive home after the flight was a long day for kids and parents, but we hammered through and got back around 3AM on Sunday morning. Needless to say, we barely made it to the 5PM service at church. The adjustment back to CA time has been tough, Ashley has a cough and Avery has the sniffles. Fortunately, I don't have to go back to work until next Monday so I can slowly try to motivate myself to get out of bed before 9AM again.

More Pictures...

Checking out the "shish-shees" with Ashley.

Admiring Justice's blue Shaved-Ice-colored tongue.

Learning to fly in the pool with Justice.

A little hiking with Justice.

Hanging out on the patio with cousin Cole.


Waving "Hi" with Ashley.


Taking the rental car for a spin with cousin Kinley.


Swingin' at the Park.

On the beach with the Fergusons.


In the pool with Dad.


Enjoying her first Shaved Ice.