It Didn't Help!

We have many friends, relatives, neighbors and ward members who are struggling right now. Cancer, stroke, surgery, lost pets, lost loved ones, testimony challenges, money troubles, divorce, job loss, ..... the whole gambit. Steve is probably more aware and involved than me in the ward stuff as a result of being in the bishopric, but many of my friends in the ward are really having a hard time.

As a result, our family prayers are longer these days with lists of our friends and family that we are praying for. Well, yesterday when the earthquake hit Japan, it was all over the news. Reagan has been asking lots of questions and we've been trying to field her questions in a way that informs about earthquakes and natural disasters without scaring her or affecting her too much. Steve was watching a news story about the quake this morning when I was helping Reagan get dressed. She was asking again about the earthquake. I suggested we say a prayer for the people in Japan. She loved the idea and immediately ran to Steve and instructed him to "pause" the tv so she could say a prayer. She said the most tender, sweet prayer for the people in Japan (first she said China) - that they would be safe and find their families, etc.

Steve and I both complimented her on her prayer and gave her hugs and told her how proud we were that she would want to say a prayer for these people. Warm fuzzies and I thought we were on to the next thing. However, about a half an hour later, Reagan came into the front room and just stood there, watching the tv with a very distressed look on her face. She started getting upset and said "It didn't help!!!" When we asked what she was talking about, she said, "Look - its still happening ... my prayer didn't help!" Steve explained that he was watching the same program as before and that actually it was tivo'd from yesterday and the show was "replaying" the earthquake, so, these things we were watching had already happened. (I remembered talk about children watching tv at the time of 9-11 thinking that more and more buildings were getting blown up as the media replayed the crashes again and again.) Anyway, we assured her that her prayer WAS helping and that the people in Japan were doing a bit better because of her prayer.

As she watched, she asked if the earthquake was coming here. We told her it was not - that the earthquake was over, but that earthquakes can happen in other places and that no one really knows when (we didn't mention that our house is only yards away from the Wasatch Fault Line).

It is a tough decision whether to let our children watch (and be aware of) these things. It can be a learning and teaching experience, but how much can they handle and how much is appropriate to tell them? We just try the best we can and hope that we are doing the right thing.

I was in tears this morning thinking of how Reagan's thoughts were on the Japanese people and next on helping them with a prayer and then on her own safety and wellbeing. What a sweet girl she is - I hope she develops that quality throughout the rest of her life. Don't worry Reagan.... your prayer DID help - I'm sure of it!!!

Frequent Flyer????

Sometimes Reagan just cracks me up. She pays attention to so many things and is especially aware of - or subject to - advertising. (You'll recall her recitation of the Macy's and Little Ceasar's ads.) Well, we were only home from Hawaii for 24 hours or so when we went to the grocery store. As Reagan is climbing out of the car, she says "Mom - smoking is not allowed on any Delta flight." My reaction was "What? Where did that come from?" She just laughed and said "That's what the lady on the movie on the airplane said."

She was right - that's exactly what the red haired, cheek implanted lady said during this particularly cheesy part of the safety video as she pointed her index finger at the camera. (Reagan may have been the only person on the plane who was actually watching the safety video.)

So, do we qualify as frequent flyers when my 4 year old can quote the safety video? When I think about it, though, Reagan has been on 8 Delta flights in the past 12 weeks. Plus, let's face it, when there is a movie on, our kids are like hypnotized - they don't notice people, sounds, or anything else in the room while they are watching. I guess I'm not surprised that Reagan paid attention to that movie and remembered that part, but whatever sparked that in her memory? We may never know.

Big Island - Days 10 & 11

Our departing flight wasn't until 9:52pm so, we had a full day here. With another late checkout (LOVE gold status), we had until almost 4 to swim, sun, shower, pack up, and walk around the resort a bit more before heading for the airport.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Cole hasn't been able to go on the "big" slide because you have to meet a height requirement. Well, today, while Steve was getting the towels and the wristbands, Cole was standing on the edge of the towel desk and I guess he looked taller because the lady handed us 4 "big kid" wristbands. Cole was ecstatic that he could join Steve and Reagan on the big slide. I had to laugh, though, as the speed and force of the water threw him around fairly well - he never came to the bottom of the slide sitting up - he was always sideways or backwards.... but he always came with a smile. Gotta love him!

As we left our hotel, the sun was setting on another beautiful day in paradise. While we waited for our plane to board, we talked about what a great time we've had on this vacation and how we are so blessed to be able to visit places like this. After traveling quite a bit before we had little ones, Steve and I were reflecting on how much fun it is to have Reagan and Cole with us and how happy we are to have our little family. Thanks Hawaii for another wonderful trip. See you next time!!

Big Island - Day 9

Cole woke up again this morning begging to take another walk - apparently he had so much fun yesterday that he wanted to do it again. This time Steve took Reagan and Cole and headed out on walkabout. They walked by the dolphins (again), they sat in the lounge chairs (again), they swung on the hammocks (again), they rode the boat and the tram (again), and they swam.... again!!!

This is our last, full day here on the Big Island. Through our many trips to Hawaii, we've learned that 10 - 11 days is the perfect amount of time to be here. A trip of only 7 days seems to be too short (after all, you have a day of traveling to get here and one to get home), while 14 days seems to be too much - we feel we have missed too much at home or have been out of it for too long. Yep - 10 or 11 days is perfect. I am excited to get back home and back to our routine, but I will miss it here.

I will miss the ocean:

I will miss the beautiful view from our hotel room:

I will miss relaxing in the warm sunshine:

I will miss playing in the pool everyday:

I will miss the green grounds and the flowers and plants:

But most of all, I will miss being with these three people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

Tomorrow we depart..... sad to leave, but glad to get home.

Big Island - Day 8

Reagan woke up this morning and was insistent that she had to wear the same outfit as yesterday - oh well, we're on vacation. She was thrilled that I agreed.

Cole woke up this morning and was insistent that we had to take a walk. Not sure where he wanted to go since we've been all over this resort, but we acquiesced and I took Reagan and Cole on a walk. We walked to the other end of the property, stopping to watch the dolphins, play with a cat named Ketchup who hangs out by the Lagoon Grill, swing in hammocks or look out over the ocean. We took the tram back to our side of the resort just in time to meet up with Steve at the pool. Reagan and Steve hit the slide and Cole was sad that he didn't meet the height requirement to join them on the slide. The slide is not as big, scary and dark as the Hilton Hawaiian Village one, but long and fast nonetheless.

When we went back to our room to shower and clean up, Reagan fixed a nice little table with her blanket and the basket from the bathroom that our shampoo, conditioner, etc. is usually held in. I gave them apples and peanut butter to snack on and had to laugh at them sitting at their little table and eating their snack.

Also in our room was a little leather booklet with a pen, pad of post its and calling instructions (in English and Japanese) for local and long distance calls. Well, Reagan found that to be her own little drawing pad and she used it in our room. She would also hold it in her hand and walk up to Steve and say "Sir, what would you like?" Apparently she wanted his "order". He would tell her what he wanted and she would use that little bathroom basket to bring him his "order". She would put on it whatever snacks she could find in our mini fridge and when he was done eating, she would take his little tray, hand him a blank post it and say "Thank you Sir, here's your paper." It took us a while to figure out that this was his "bill" and she was expecting to get paid. She cracks me up!

Big Island - Day 7

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

So, having been banned from the pool yesterday, Reagan and Cole were more than ready to hit the water. We swam for a while, walked around the resort and had lunch by the dolphins. Then, we returned to the pool and swam some more. Reagan and Cole especially love the sand play area that is connected to the pool. For our Valentine's Day celebration, we headed to a little shopping area for dinner and some dessert.

Reagan LOVES the lei that Steve bought her at the luau last night and she insists on wearing it everywhere. She lovingly takes it off when it is time to swim and lays it out on a pool chair - then, once she is out of the pool and dressed, she immediately puts it back on :)

Usually Valentine's Day is for Steve and me, while Reagan and Cole stay with a babysitter. Well, this year, we are all together and lovin' it. I love these three more than anything in the world. How blessed I am to call them "mine".

What a beautiful place to be together and what a beautiful place to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Big Island - Day 6

Reagan and Cole woke up still having red cheeks, so, I mandated a hat wearing/no swimming day. That was ok, we explored some more of the resort and watched the dolphins some more, watched some sea turtles in the lagoon and ate and played.


When we checked in, the concierge gave Reagan and Cole each a little, plastic, hollow dolphin. He told them they could collect sea shells or rocks or sand and take them home. Well, he didn't mention the legend of removing lava rock from the island. Supposedly, if someone takes lava rock off the island, they will have 7 years of bad luck. You might laugh, but many of the locals have told stories of this and another person at the hotel told us how they have even received lava rock returned in the mail from hotel guests who have taken it and then suffered bad luck. So, as we walked along the oceanside and Reagan and Cole were collecting items to put in their dolphins, I kept checking to make sure they didn't pick up any lava rock - who needs back luck, right?

Tonight, we were treated to a luau at the hotel - Legends of the Pacific. Like most luaus, they roasted a pig (yuck) and had all sorts of island food (I stuck to the fruit and salad). They even had a kids' buffet table. You could get a tattoo drawn from a man dressed in traditional clothing (I don't think it was Hawaiian though - I think it was more Tahitian or something). Anyway, Cole wanted the tattoo, but was a bit scared of the guy. I went first and had a flower put on my hand. Then, Cole had a turtle drawn on him that he loved. Later, he wanted to go back to the guy who drew a dolphin on Cole's other hand.

Meanwhile, Reagan and Steve were learning a hula dance. Gotta love the video of this :) (sorry that it is sideways - I have to remember that I can't rotate the videos)

We ate, watched a show with dancers and singers from many of the cultures in the Pacific and met some friends to play with at the pool. When we were getting ready, Cole was so excited to see the guys who dance with the fire sticks. He kept asking for it, but he fell asleep before they came on stage. I tried to wake him up, but he was out for the count. Poor little guy - he'll have to settle for the video.

Another great day here and we are, sadly, half way through our trip.

Big Island - Day 5

Even though we've been slathering Reagan and Cole with sunscreen multiple times every day, by day 5, they have, what I consider to be, too much sun. Their cheeks are red and their arms are a bit pink. I actually think part of the problem is their goggles. I can put the stick or the spray sunscreen on them, but when they put on and take off their goggles, it seems to wipe it away from the tops of their cheeks and that is where they seem to have received the most sun. So, today, I spent most of the day trying to talk them out of swimming. We took walks, explored our hotel and played.

I tried to keep their hats on them, but Reagan wasn't as willing as Cole to accommodate my wishes. Cole is too funny with his little hat. Steve found it in a local store when we were here in March because Cole's ball cap wasn't protecting the back of his neck and his ears when he was playing in the sand. Well, I'm not sure if the strap was getting in his way or what, but during this trip, he wrapped the strap around the backs of his arms and across his chest. It looks horribly uncomfortable to me, but that's how he does it each time he puts it on. We've tried to wrap the strap up around the hat or put it behind his back, but each time, he takes off the hat, rearranges the straps how he wants them and puts it back on this way - silly boy!

Our hotel has "Dolphin Quest" where they care for dolphins and people can pay to swim with them and learn about them. Reagan and Cole are a bit too young, but they loved watching other people play with the dolphins. There is a Lagoon Grill overlooking the dolphin area and we ate there many times during our stay.

I'm not sure if I wrote about this in March of last year, but when we stayed here last time, they put us in the Ocean Tower which has a great view and a nice pool, but no hot tubs by it. Since they don't heat the pools, Reagan and Cole were freezing (and we were too) and wanted to be in hot tubs to balance out the cold of the pool. Well, the only pool with hot tubs was the Kona pool at, literally, the opposite end of the property from where we were. So, last year, we would get up and pack our stuff for the day and ride the train or the boat to the other end of the resort where we would stay for the whole day. We'd have lunch and sometimes dinner by the Kona pool and then ride the train or boat back to our room. So, this time, I requested to be by the Kona pool in the Lagoon Tower. Bingo! What a difference. We could easily run back to the room for whatever we needed and were right by our chosen pool - with hot tubs.

The Kona pool has huge waterfalls and a rope bridge, a sand area for the kids to play, hot tubs, a restaurant and a big slide. Last year, one of Reagan and Cole's favorite things was to go to the "secret" hot tub, which you had to swim to and you had to go under this big waterfall to get to it. Well, they were disappointed that, this year, the secret hot tub was closed for construction. No matter, we've got plenty to do and see, even without the secret hot tub.

By the end of our day, we had been all around the resort, seen the dolphins, played in the sand and, hopefully, gotten a bit less sun.

Big Island - Day 4

Today, we are switching hotels. We are going to the Hilton Waikoloa Village (where we stayed last March). In order to get as much time as possible at the Sheraton pool, we obtained a late checkout of 4 pm. We swam and played, ate, changed, packed and headed North past the airport to Waikoloa. This meant another drive past the Kona Temple and, this time, we stopped for a few pics.

We stopped at Target to stock up on some items for our mini-fridge and picked up dinner on our way to our new hotel. When we arrived, Reagan and Cole were so excited to ride the train that takes you between buildings on the property. (You can take a train or a gondola-type boat). We were beat after swimming most of the day and we decided to hit the sack a bit early. After all, we have a new pool and new hotel to explore tomorrow :)

Big Island - Day 3

Up again at 6 am, we devised a routine that would last for the rest of our trip. I would get the kids started with a movie or game and head to the gym while Steve would get up, touch base with the office, do some work and have breakfast with the kids. Then, I would come back and finish breakfast with Reagan and Cole and get them ready to hit the pool. Steve would take them to the pool while I showered. Then, I would meet them and play by the pool for a couple of hours. About lunch time, I would feed Reagan and Cole while Steve went to work out and shower. We would continue our play for a couple more hours at the pool until he was ready. Then, we would all clean up and head out for the evening's activities.

So, the majority of our day was spent in the great pool at this Sheraton. We hit the pool, the sand, the slide, the hot tub again and again and again. The weather is great and we are loving the sun.

ps - The fitness center here is really nice - it is big, with good equipment and has floor to ceiling windows that look right out over the ocean. Here's the view from my treadmill:

Big Island - Days 1 and 2

I posted on Facebook a few weeks ago how it was 2 degrees when I was driving Reagan to preschool. With temps that cold, its a signal to us that we need to head to a warmer climate. Actually, we planned this trip over a year ago, but it was good timing and well needed. We headed back to the Big Island for some sun, sand and surf! Really, there isn't much sand on the Big Island - mostly volcanic rock, but our hotel had a lagoon beach and there was a sand area in the pool at both the hotels we stayed at, so, we were good.

As usual, the first thing we do when we arrive is throw on some shorts and head outside. We just want to be out in the warm air. We stayed our first few days at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay. We passed the Kona Temple - quite unexpectedly - as we were driving to our hotel. It is a small, but beautiful temple. I remember from our friends who have a home here that there was a temple here, but I didn't realize that it was right on the main drag. What a nice surprise and Reagan and Cole recognized it as well! We ate dinner at the hotel our first night and just relaxed; it had been quite a long day of travel. True to form, Reagan and Cole did great on the flight - they watched their dvd and the iPad, colored and played games. They are quite the little travelers.

Day 2, we were all up at 6. We had breakfast and hit the pool. We think this may be one of our favorite pools. The sand area is big and is located right by a big splash pad and the rest of the pool, and is right next to a hot tub. We've had all of these before, but not located right next to each other - more like a walk across to the other end of the pool to reach the hot tub, etc. They also have great, big umbrellas to give us shade when we want it and a big slide only steps away with plexiglass surrounding the pool to keep the wind from blowing, but still allow a great view of the ocean. Plus, the hotel is not very crowded at all. Last March when we came to the Big Island, it was the week of Easter and was during Spring Break as well as during the Ironman race. We could barely find 2 or 3 pool chairs together, unless we hit the pool before 7. We deliberately scheduled this trip much earlier to avoid the Spring Break crowd and... jackpot! We have our choice of chairs and plenty of room to play (and not be concerned about bothering people with our rambunctiousness) - perfect!

We swam for most of the day. As is their MO, Reagan and Cole rotate from the sand to the pool to the hot tub to the slide to the sand, etc. With this great setup, we didn't have to keep moving to be able to watch them in their play. Steve takes them on the big slide and I snap some pics and then they are on to the next rotation. After swimming, we showered and headed out to check out the 'hood. It was almost sunset and we walked up and down the shore. We are next to a golf course that overlooks a cliff of black rock and down to the ocean. The waves crash up against the rock and it is beautiful. The sun was red and setting in the background (somehow the true color didn't show up in the pics) and it was gorgeous. What a great, first, full day. Yep - we truly are in paradise!