Maui Vacation -- Getting here

Two days ago, Chris and I woke up at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. to catch our early morning flight out of Wichita to DFW where we met Dad and Millie and the Perkins' from KC.  Of course, we a had a small amount of airplane drama when the Perkins' plane got stuck on the tarmac without auxillary power before it ever took off from KC.  We weren't sure they were going to make it to DFW in time for our connecting flight to Maui, but they landed about 15 minutes before boarding for our flight.  We all took the same 8 hour flight into Maui and were all seated together.  The flight was uneventful, thank goodness, and we landed at 3:15 p.m. Hawaii time -- gaining 5 hours in the air.

After we arrived, we claimed baggage and waited out front for our car rental company -- a small, local company that beet the national car company prices by a lot.  Of course, sometimes you get what you pay for.  The Mustang convertible that Chris and I were driving wouldn't start for us to leave the parking lot.  They had to put in a whole new battery, which took about 45 minutes.  And just when we thought we were finally going to be able to take off, the "low tire" signal came on in the same car.  LOL.  Don't worry, they filled up our tire and we finally got on the road.

It takes about 45 minutes to get from Kahului, the city with the airport, to Ka'anapali, where we are staying.  The entire drive is along the beautiful coast though, so we were already enjoying the beautiful Maui beaches and watching the surfers as we drove by.  We arrived at our condo to find it FABULOUS.  The photos on the internet booking site really didn't do it justice.  We had a quick dinner and then I was ready for bed.  So, to the dismay of my family, I demanded to go to sleep at 6:30 p.m. Hawaii time.  LOL.  In my defense, that makes it 11 p.m. at home and I had gotten up at 3 a.m. that morning.  Cut me some slack! :)

We were here for about an hour and already saw a beautiful rainbow. I guess Hawaii really lives up to it's name, "The Rainbow State"

Poker Run!

The Central Kansas Yacht Club hosts a Boat Poker Run every year.  Since Chris and I have been members, we've been helping with it the last couple of years.  Last year, they had a pirate theme so Chris donned his Jack Sparrow costume and handed out free hot dogs.  This year, we were upgraded and allowed to be a boat station on the lake.  So, along with the Perkins', we drove the boat out to our designated cove and anchored.  For the next 3 hours, there was a steady stream of boats coming up to us to get their poker hand cards.  During the entire time, we had about a 10-minute break... so I did take a few pictures and a video of the boys goofing around. :)  Everyone on the boat got completely sunburned, despite having a bimini shade on the boat and Emily constantly reminding everyone to reapply.  None of us had very good poker hands, but we did win two $25 gift cards in the raffle drawing!  Woohoo!

Josh flips off of the wake board tower.

Chris' attempt to jump off the boat was somewhat less successful.  :)

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Today is Grandpa's birthday.  We went out to dinner and had a great time.  Ledger really loves his Grandpa and we got some good pictures of them together.  One year ago, we took pictures of them together too.  It's a pretty cute comparison! :)

2009

2010

Haircut

Ledger had his official "real boy" haircut today.  His long baby hair is all gone.  Tracy did a good job of making his hair much less fluffy! :)  Here are the pictures:

Video Blog

This weekend was another fun weekend at the lake.  I didn't take the camera, so you're not getting any fun lake pictures.  Too bad! :)  Instead, you're getting some cute video footage.  I'm trying to insert these from YouTube, so please be patient.  If you like the videos, you should subscribe to our YouTube channel.

This first video is Ledger putting wooden clothespins in an empty cup.  Our "Parents as Teachers" family consultant told us that this would be a good activity to work on to refine his fine motor skills.  This is our first try at this activity -- he figured it out right away.  I guess we'll move on to the 15-month activity. :)

Ledger figured out how to stab a Cheerio with a fork and put it in his mouth.  Yet another major fine motor skill...

Last video: Ledger laughs at EVERYTHING when he's tired.

Cooper's New Workout

Oh Joy, Oh Joy!!!

My laptop is back!  Hip-hip-hooray!!  My new screen was installed today and my laptop was returned to me just in time.  Tonight is our first "trial run" with Ledger spending the night with Oma and Papa in Lindsborg to try to get us all used to the idea of spending the night apart.  Honestly, it's been a little tough on Mommy.  I find myself especially melancholy... but at least I know he's in good hands.  And my laptop is helping keep me occupied too.  I thought I'd share a few recent pictures tonight, since I'm missing my baby...