Lady Gaga

Cole and I were driving one day and he asked me if the song on the radio was by Lady Gaga. I was surprised that he would know that, but informed him that he was correct.

He then asked me "Mama, you don't like Lady Gaga, right?" I told him he was right. He said "Because she says bad words in her songs and because she shows her belly?" I was impressed - he's been listening.

"Yes" I told him "She wears shirts that are too short and skirts that are too short." He paused for a bit and then asked "So, if she wears shirts that are too short, they show her belly and if she wears skirts that are too short....... will it show her garments?"

I tried to cover up my laughs. "Yes Cole - you are right. Her garments would definitely show."

I'm not sure it is your classic "teaching moment" as I was giggling so hard, but - whatever works, right? Way to go Cole!!!!

Free Pancakes - Bring your checkbook!

Our ward is VERY supportive of Primary Children's Medical Center. Several of the ladies in our ward are on the Board for Primary's. Several ladies are on the Board for Festival of Trees and seemingly everybody else gets recruited to help at some time during the year.

So, when it was Free Pancake Day at IHOP to benefit Primary Children's, we had to go! What a great idea. IHOP donates the food and their restaurants for the day - the employees donate their time for the day and everyone who comes in gets free pancakes. Obviously, the hope is that while you are there, you'll make a nice donation to benefit Primary Children's. With your menu, you are given a brochure about the hospital and their program. There are stories of children treated there and the other fundraising activities throughout the year.

Well, we have several friends who were "hosting" at IHOPs around the valley. Sally, Berty, Valerie, Andi and Karen were each at different IHOPs. So, Cole and I started the day with pancakes at one IHOP to support Sally. I was literally in tears as I read about the sick children in the hospital while I watched Cole scarf up his pancakes. Then, since our YW leaders were involved as well, we figured we would hit IHOP for our YW activity that night. Unfortunately, Valerie's IHOP was all the way across town - we would spend our entire activity driving across the valley. So, we decided to hit Sally's IHOP once again. We piled the YW and leaders into cars (plus one YM who was the brother of one of our girls - we called him the honorary YW) and we hit IHOP. We waited almost 20 minutes to get a table - good thing we didn't drive across the valley or we really would have been late. When we were talking with Sally, we were laughing that the signs should really say "Free pancakes - bring your checkbook!"

We're so blessed to have a hospital like Primary Children's so close to our home. Seriously - people come from all over to visit this hospital. I'm so grateful that we've never had to take Reagan and Cole there (knock on wood), but I'm so glad that the staff there have taken such good care of our friends, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews and our ward members. Count us in for the free (sort of) pancakes next year!!!

Kindergarten Science Fair

Reagan's school has a Science Fair each year. In the Kindergarten classes, they do it as a joint project. Reagan's class project was Sink or Swim. They chose several liquids and several items and hypothesized whether the items would sink or swim. Then, they recorded their results on a chart and had a presentation for the parents to show off their project. So cute!!!

Reagan was so proud. After the

presentation, she showed us around the room (we've actually been here before, but...) and then said to Steve "Daddy, may I introduce you to some of my friends?" She was all official and took us around to some of her friends and introduced us.

Even though it was a group effort, the Science Fair was great. Way to go Room 2!

The Aquarium

I mentioned in a previous post that we bought annual passes to the Aquarium. We've still only been a few times, so, we decided to hit it this week. We actually ran into some friends from school and dance as we checked in, so, the aquarium was even more fun this time.

In the entrance, there was a worker holding a snake that the kids could touch - eeeewwwww! I was surprised to see both Reagan and Cole line right up and touch the snake. Brave little ones! The aquarium is a very "hands on" place. There is a pool of water with manta rays in it and you can touch them. Cole tried and tried but couldn't seem to get his arm deep enough in the water as the manta ray swam by. He was soaked. We had to loose the sweater. Finally, all the stars aligned and he was able to touch the ray. He was so proud. Less proud was Reagan who was upset that we had taken so much time by the rays and had lost, temporarily, our friends. Social little butterfly that one :)

They have the penguin exhibit still and even had otters this time - they are so playful. We saw reptiles, frogs, sharks and octopus. Whoa! What a day at the aquarium. We need to come back more often!

YW Stake Basketball

Oh yes - Church Ball. The "No Blood - No Foul" rule, etc. Well, in our Stake, for the YW, it is not nearly that rough. (I understand Rachel has some good stories about YW Ball in her Stake growing up.) In fact, we don't even have enough girls playing to make our own team. We had to be combined with another ward. As a family, we try to go and support the girls when they play each week. Reagan and Cole love to hit the court during time-outs and to try to make the ball go into the basket - they always need Steve's help. Our girls are doing great - they've won some and they've lost some, but they always have fun. We're on to regionals this week. Way to go girls!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

What a Valentine's Day we had! Cole had his preschool Valentine party on the 13th (he doesn't go to preschool on the 14th). The morning of the 14th, Reagan had all of her Valentines addressed and ready to go to school. She asked me to help her brush her teeth since that loose tooth is REALLY loose. I barely even touched it with the toothbrush and it came right out!!!! She seriously predicted that it would be Valentine's Day - crazy! It bled for a little bit and she was SO excited!!! Apparently, when someone loses a tooth at school, they have a special necklace that they give to people to keep the tooth in. Reagan wanted to take the tooth to school to get that necklace. I warned her that if she lost it, the Tooth Fairy would have no tooth to take and she would not get a prize. She promised to protect the tooth and off to school she went, telling everyone she came in contact with about losing her tooth. I could see her as she was walking into the classroom, talking, opening her mouth, so that they could see for themselves, and looking so proud. Gotta love it!

Turns out, they only give you the necklace if you loose the tooth while you are at school. Bummer. She brought home the tooth and was so excited to go to bed (at like 4pm). Steve and I had plans to go out for Valentine's Day, so, she would have to wait a bit longer .... like until it got dark. We tried out a new restaurant - Vuz. It was ok, but we were't thrilled. I wished we had tried out a new restaurant on just any old date and gone to our favorite La Caille for the special Valentine's dinner, but oh well. Reagan and Cole played dress up with the babysitter and made crafts. Grandma and Grandpa Petersen even stopped by while we were gone to deliver some Valentine treats. They were lucky enough to see the lost tooth for themselves. When we returned, it was definitely time for bed and Reagan was the first one downstairs. She borrowed an idea from Anistyn that she could write the Tooth Fairy a note and ask to keep her tooth. Steve helped her write the note and she put it in a bag with the tooth. She put it under her left pillow (not sure what the significance of that is, but she was very clear which pillow it was to be under) and got under the covers. It was a long, long time before she fell asleep. Steve puts her to bed each night and they talk until she falls asleep (I do the same with Cole). He said she just kept talking and talking and that he couldn't believe how long it took her to fall asleep.

It just so happens that the Tooth Fairy and I have some mutual friends. I have it on good authority that when the Tooth Fairy went into Reagan's room to get the tooth, it took her 5 tries because Reagan was sleeping so lightly that whenever the Tooth Fairy would reach even a finger under the pillow, Reagan would wake up. I hope the Tooth Fairy was able to get to all the children on her list that night, because, apparently it took her several hours at our house. She left Reagan a $5 bill!!! We know it was from the Tooth Fairy because some of her pink glitter was on the money and on the note from Reagan and even on the tooth! Wow! So far, Reagan won't spend that $5 because she says it is "too special". In addition, the Tooth Fairy granted Reagan's request and left the tooth. Jackpot!

So, this year was much more eventful than our traditional Valentine's Day, but we wouldn't have it any other way. First lost tooth on Valentine's Day? Wow!

New Beginnings

Fresh back from Maui and it was Sunday. We, as a YW presidency, had to speak in Sacrament Meeting and put on New Beginnings that same night. As a relief (and a bit of payback), we asked one of the Bishopric members to take over our class time. Well, a bit of miscommunication resulted in that falling through and I had to teach our YW class that day as well. Whew~
The talks went well, the lesson went well and New Beginnings was awesome! Our theme was: I Heart New Beginnings. We talked about love and how many people love the YW and how much their Heavenly Father loves them. We only have 2 girls coming in this year, so, we are a small group, but it gives us a chance to focus on each and every girl in our program.
We decorated with hearts and had lots of candles (the theme for the year focuses on light). It was great!

Maui - Day 8

Ugggh - bad day for Mom. I must have caught whatever Steve had because I was throwing up all. night. long. I was seriously worried that I wouldn't be able to fly. Every time I sat up, my head would pound and I would have to head to the bathroom. Luckily, the hotel gave us a 7pm checkout time, but we couldn't stay in our beautiful, oceanfront, room. We had to move to a room with a mountain view. No problem. Just give me somewhere - anywhere - to lay down. Steve was feeling better, so, I hoped it would be a 24 hour thing and that by 10 that night, I'd be ok to sit up (on an airplane for 6 hours). We packed up and moved and then Steve took Reagan and Cole to the pool and beach while I closed the drapes, turned off the lights and slept.

Mid-day, Cole said his stomach hurt, so Steve brought him back to the room, bathed him and got him dressed. We were worried that he would get sick, but he didn't - he was just tired. So, Cole stayed in the room with me and watched tv and rested while I slept and Steve took Reagan back out to the beach. From the pictures, it looks like they had a great time (I'm calling it February's Daddy/Daughter Date). When evening came, Reagan and Steve returned to the room and they showered and cleaned up. Then, Steve took the kids outside for a walk while I slept some more. Eventually, 7 arrived and we had to be out of the room and we needed to meet our shuttle to the airport. I hadn't eaten anything all day and drank very little, so, I was really weak, but we headed to the airport. I sat down wherever we went (I had no energy) and then got on the plane. I was afraid to eat - I didn't want to throw up on the plane. Reagan and Cole went right to sleep (it was 10:15) and we had a smooth flight home.

Even though we had a rough last day or so, it was still a great trip. This beach is one of our favorites anywhere. We return here again and again because we know the quality of the hotels, the people and the food will be great. It is a beautiful area and, this trip, it did not disappoint. We haven't been here since '09 and I've missed it. The Big Island is cool, but not like this. O'ahu is great as well, but still, not quite like this. This is my favorite place to be - away from home. So, farewell Maui, for now.... I'm sure we'll be back!

Maui - Day 7

Well, today was our last full day here and it did not start out well. Steve had a rough night. He must have had a fever or something because he was shivering all night. He was also nauseous and had a headache. We wanted to let him sleep in, so, Reagan, Cole and I went for breakfast by ourselves. We called before coming back to the room to see if Steve wanted us to pick up something for him - no way. He was still sort of nauseous. On our way back to the room, Reagan and Cole were able to feed the Koi fish that were in the hotel pond. They got a big kick out of it.

Well, Steve is not one to let a little sickness get in the way of a good time. (It reminds me of the story when he was deep sea fishing in Alaska and was SOOO sick. The owner of the fishing boat said he had never seen anyone be so sick and keep right on fishing. Steve said he would have paid a million dollars to get the guy to turn around and go back to shore, but Steve was only one of a group of guys fishing and the rest wanted to stay out at sea. Oh well - my point is, this guy will get his fun in, no matter how bad he feels.) So, we hit the pool, and the beach, and the pool, and the beach. Yesterday, Steve bought these little beach chairs for Reagan and Cole (not sure what we're going to do with them when we leave tomorrow, but ...) and they thought the chairs were the bomb!

After we had played on the beach for a while, we saw a crowd of people gathering a ways down the beach. Steve took Reagan and Cole to check it out. They motioned for me to join them and when I arrived, I saw a seal laying still on the beach. Reagan and Cole said "Mama, its sleeping." I figured that was sort of "code" for what had actually happened to the seal until a guy with a shirt that said "Monk Seal Rescue Team" came up and told us that it was a female Monk Seal who had been swimming a great deal and needed to rest. So, she sort of beached herself and she really was sleeping ... really! The Rescue Team spots the Monk Seals, ropes off an area so they are not disturbed and waits for them to be ready to return to the water. He estimated it would be several hours.

I eventually did see her move a bit and when the water level rose to the point where it was splashing her nose, the Rescue guy said that she might back up so as to not be forced back into the water sooner than she wants to. Alrighty then - crazy! We eventually left, but kept hearing people at the pool talk about it for hours. She really must have slept there for hours. Oh - and might I say - this Monk Seal Rescue Team job may be for me. You get to spend your days on the beach in Maui, watching in case a Monk Seal comes up on shore (mind you, we've been here at least 20 times and I've never seen a seal - or anything else on the beach. We did see a shark once, but that's another story) and if you do see a seal, you rope off the area and kick it until the seal wakes up. What a gig!

We ordered lunch by the pool - Steve actually ate a bit - and we played until evening set in. We showered and cleaned up, had dinner and went for ice cream at Whaler's Village. As we were walking around, we noticed that they were having the little hula show again. This time, Reagan was able to go up on stage (with a bunch of other people) and learn the hula. She already thinks she knows how to hula, but she learned a bit more. She very intently watched the hula teachers - it was so cute!

What a way to end our last full day here in paradise. Tomorrow is almost a full day since we don't fly out until 10:15 pm, but we'll have to be packing up and heading to the airport, so today was the day to enjoy.

Maui - Day 6

My morning run was a bit different today. It was still beautiful, but it was windy! It actually blew the headband right off my head, but the wind was so in my face that I didn't realize I had lost it until the end of the walkway and I turned around to run back. Luckily, I found it on the ground on my way back. It doesn't matter what the weather is, I still love this beach!

We decided to return to the Sheraton pool today. With the crazy storm and winds that have hit the island, there were several boats that came loose from their anchors. One of them was anchored off the coast of the Sheraton at Black Rock (you can see it in many of our pictures from our first couple of days here). Well, the winds beached it. Good thing it didn't hit Black Rock or it would have had much more damage. The police were there and part of the beach was roped off - that's some crazy wind! Well, we enjoyed the pool, the hot tub, the beach, the pool, etc.

The winds continued and the rain started. We thought it might blow over, but it didn't. We ended up walking back to our hotel in pouring rain - Cole was not a happy camper. We picked up some subway and called it a night. Plus, Steve wasn't feeling very well. He wondered if he maybe was in the sun too much today or something else. He didn't eat dinner and we all hit the sack early tonight.

Maui - Day 5

We were awake early again and I headed out for a run up and down the Ka'anapali Beach walkway. The sun was just coming up and it was beautiful. I LOVE this run. It is just over 3 miles - not a long one, and you do have to dodge people walking and people taking in the scenery, but it is gorgeous. With the sun just coming up, and the beach nearly empty, it is just such a peaceful, gorgeous scene.

We decided to visit the Marriott this morning and Reagan and Cole loved playing on the pirate ship there. That is also one of our favorite places to stay. Later, we returned to the Westin and played in the pool some more.

After our pool time, we showered and cleaned up and went into Lahaina town. We love walking up and down Front Street and looking in all of the shops and galleries. We decided to eat at Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was so funny - waiting outside Cheeseburger, we ran into the couple who gave us a ride on Sunday :) After dinner, we visited lots (and lots) of shops looking for Reagan and Cole's gifts. On each trip we take, they are each allowed to choose one little gift to bring home to remember the trip. They are meticulous - looking at each aisle in every store to find what they don't actually know they want. (It seriously makes no sense.) They look and look and choose what they will get if they don't find something they like better. Then, they keep looking and asking our opinion and FINALLY, they select their gift. Cole chose a blue, stuffed animal dolphin that said "I Love Hawaii" on it. Reagan chose a pink, valentine stuffed animal dog.

Well, when we were done shopping, we were going to hit the grocery store for some snacks and then head back to the hotel. Unfortunately, it started pouring! It was raining so hard. People were crunched under awnings for every shop. Water was pelting people and the ones trying to get inside were soaked. After about 10 or 12 minutes, it calmed down enough that we headed to the store. We arranged for a taxi to meet us in front of the store so as to not get ourselves or our groceries any more wet. That night, there was a big, big storm. The rain continued, the wind was crazy and the waves were huge. Let's hope the good weather returns tomorrow.

Maui - Day 4

Today was Sunday. Again, we were up early (our bodies are slowly adjusting to the time change) and we got ready to make the 9am Sacrament Meeting at the chapel right outside Ka'anapali. It was funny - as we were waiting for the Hotel Car to take us to the church, the valet brought up another couple's car. He was wearing a tie and she was wearing a dress. I thought - "That's pretty uncommon here at the resort at 9am. I wonder if they are going to church?" Well, they were. We laughed when we were all walking into the building. The lady said "We looked at you guys all dressed up and we thought you guys might be going to church." They were from Northern California.

Sacrament Meeting was funny. It was Fast & Testimony Sunday and every person who got up to that podium called out to the congregation "Aloha" or "Talofa" and the congregation would call back "Aloha". I've said it before, but it doesn't seem very reverent when you are not used to it. Maybe some day I'll be used to it :) When our meeting was over, the Hotel Car didn't arrive. We waited a few minutes and then our "Northern California friends" offered to give us a ride back to the hotel if we didn't mind cramming our family into the back seat of a compact car. No problem! We'll cram. As we were talking, we realized that the gentleman grew up in my Mom's neighborhood as a teenager. He told me exactly where my Mom's house growing up was and he remembered her. What a small world! We were grateful for their kindness in giving us a ride and eventually found out that the Hotel Car was just delayed in coming to get us.

We decided to take some pictures in the hotel lobby and as we were taking some (me taking pics of Steve with the kids and Steve taking pics of me with the kids), a lady came up and offered to take a pic of our whole family. She said she knew we were going to church and that she was a pastor, and felt badly that she hadn't gone to church today. She was sweet and took a couple of shots of our whole family (wish someone would have informed me that my shirt was untucked).

Back at the hotel, we changed our clothes and headed outside. We walked along the beach, swam and hit the slides. Back in our room, it was time for the Superbowl. We missed being with family and friends for this traditional day. (I hate to say it, but we REALLY missed our tivo!)

That night, it started to rain - pretty hard. We were able to hear the Hotel's Luau (as it was right below our room). We watched as the people attending the luau wrapped in towels to try to keep dry. Reagan and Cole wanted to sit out on the lanai and watch the whole thing. Steve and I were not as excited about sitting out there for an hour or two, but we spent some time out there. (Reagan and Cole aren't allowed to be by themselves on the lanai, so if we weren't out there, they weren't out there.) Reagan wanted to do each of the hula dances that were going on below (they have dances from each of the Polynesian cultures (Hawaiian, Tongan, Samoan, Tahitian, etc.). She was trying to do each of them and trying to get each of us to do them as well. She's such a dancer girl!

Watching the sun set from our room and hearing the Island music just closed our day out perfectly.

Maui - Day 3

Up early again today, but not quite as early as yesterday - it was actually light when I went to work out. So, I ran the length of Ka'anapali Beach and back. Love it!!!! Today, we are moving. We only planned to be at this hotel for 2 nights and then move to the Westin, half way down Ka'anapali Beach. Well, with such a great room here, and Cole not feeling great, we tried to see if we could switch our arrangements and stay here for more nights. Alas, it was not to be and we reluctantly checked out and headed to the Maui Westin. Well, we shouldn't have been so reluctant - they gave us an oceanfront room on a high floor and we have an amazing view! Here's a pic of the view from our room.

The Westin has, traditionally, been my favorite hotel on this beach. It is centrally located, right next to Whaler's Village, it has a great pool, it has a nice fitness center and it has great restaurants.

Cole seems to be all better, so, after moving and unpacking, we went to the pool. We swam, slid down the kiddie slide and the big slide and went under the waterfall to the "secret" hot tub (which actually wasn't very hot).

Then, we hit the beach. The surf was quite a bit higher today. On one occasion, a wave was so strong, it lifted Cole off his feet and carried him right up onto the beach (good thing it wasn't going the other direction). Steve and I resolved to keep an extra tight hold on Reagan and Cole while they were in the water.

After spending the day in the water, we decided to give Hula Grill another try. It was great - as always. We had our feet in the sand, ate good food and listened to "island music" to the light of tiki torches while watching the sun set out over the ocean.

After dinner, we walked around Whaler's Village and in the courtyard area, they were having a little hula show - love it! A full day of sun, surf and sand with my little family, finished off with a sunset meal? It just doesn't get any better than that!

Maui - Day 2

Today, with Reagan and Cole's bodies still on SLC time, they woke up at 5 (8 at home). I set them up with a movie on the iPad and headed to work out. I wanted to run along the beach walkway (my favorite run almost anywhere), but it was pitch dark. So, I decided to go to the fitness center. I ran on the treadmill and then sat and cooled down while I watched the sun come up over the mountains. There is this pretty, round room with open windows and couches and chairs to relax on. Steve and I have worked here in this room in trips past. I sat on this cute bench and looked out over the ocean as the sunshine gradually made its way across the property and onto the water. Beautiful, calm and peaceful. Here are some pictures of my little bench and my morning view:

When I returned to the room, Steve was up and he and the kids were having breakfast. We donned our swimsuits and headed outside. We've stayed here before, but it has been quite some time (as I remember, last time we were here, Cole was barely walking and he would chase birds all over the property). The pool is big and winds all around the eating areas. There is a little slide and a "kiddie" area where it isn't too deep. A short tile wall in the water separates the kiddie area from the rest of the pool. For some reason, Reagan and Cole just loved walking along that little wall and it almost looked like they were walking on water :) Another bonus was that they now have water, bean bags. Only a few, so, we had to scout them out, but they were great! Reagan and Cole loved climbing on them, sitting on them, jumping on them, and - best of all - having Steve haul them all around the pool as they lounged on the bean bags.

After we played at the pool, we hit the beach. Reagan and Cole had a blast playing in the water. They climbed on Steve, played with sand toys and had races on the beach. We had lunch out by the pool and, eventually returned to our hotel room to get cleaned up.

We walked to our favorite place - the Hula Grill - for dinner, but Cole was complaining of a stomach ache. So, we returned to the room and hit the sack relatively early. Let's hope he's feeling better tomorrow - I'm having memories of him being sick in Disney World and have no desire to re-live that! Other than our little Cole not feeling well, it has been a wonderful, first, full day in Maui. Let's keep it up!