The haps from Hulaland

The crater where Maui came from. 

A shop in Paia, Maui. We bought two shirts.  

So much has happened since my last post it is hard to know where to start. Thus, I'll begin at the top of Maui and work my way down, then hop across the ocean to a new island, take a quick stop through another ER, and then land us safely in our new home on Oahu. Buckle up.

For starters, our last string of days on Maui were pure fun. We spent time at the beach, swapped babysitting with the Kahns so Tag and I could have a night out, celebrated Davis' fourth birthday, and spent a whole day exploring the volcano that birthed east Maui. The national park reaches above 10,000 feet in elevation, and offers sweeping views of all sides of the island. To say it is spectacular is a major understatement.

Benjamin and Davis became "citizen scientists" by visiting some ranger stations and doing specific activities, scoring very important looking badges to wear on their shirts. Always imaginative, Benji let this achievement go to his head just a little bit. He walked around the lookout station covering the button, telling me and Tag that he didn't want to scare the other visitors... "they might think I am going to call in the police and firemen." Because somehow he now has a direct line.

Does this pic look cloudy to you? It should! We were driving through the cloud layer and stopped so the kids could reach out and touch the sky for a while. 

Junior scientists learning about the climate. 

For my botanist fans (read: Nicole): a rare silversword at the top of the volcano

Must test wind speed to get badge. Check. 

Ready for hiking the peak of Haleakala. 

My recollection of Alice's endless commentary while hiking this whole trail "by self."  It went like this: Big rock, Daddy. Don't trip, Daddy. Climbing by self. (deep breath) Big rock, Daddy. Ooooh (looking at view). Don't trip, Daddy. 

Shaka!

Two blogging mamas, hanging out in heaven.

Family photo.

No wonder it was hard to breath.

Don't mess with the Badge. 

It was tough to leave Maui for many reasons. We had such a lovely time hanging out with Karin, Peter, Davis and Carter. The island is a delight and we didn't even get a chance to see the west side of it, so there are plenty of reasons to find our way back in the future. Plus, it was nearly impossible to once again make all of our belongings fit within three suitcases and five carry-ons, and to actually move around with that load plus our two car seats and a stroller. Yikes. I wore pants, two tee shirts and my fleece to the airport to save space, and that's just not right.

Our airport trip was also made more challenging by sweet baby Alice, who managed to twist her arm an hour before we drove to the terminal. She was crying a lot, and unwilling to move her arm from a single position. This was caused by one of her "going limp while holding a parent's hand" incidents. These incidents usually occur when Alice does not agree with said parent, and decides to demonstrate her feelings by flopping her whole body on the floor. Quite effective, unless you blow out your own arm. We decided to give her tylenol and soldier on through the 30-minute flight.

Upon our arrival at our new place on Oahu, we split parenting duties. I took Benji for pizza at the place around the corner from our house, and Tag took Alice to the local ER because she continued to fuss and point at her elbow. It turns out Alice had dislocated her radius (a problem called nursemaid's elbow). The doctor fixed it with a big tug and a twist, and Alice immediately returned to her happy self. Meanwhile, Benj and I added Bob's Pizzeria to our "things that are yummy" list.

Today was all about settling in. We live in a small, skinny house that makes us feel like we're on a train (each room is adjacent to the next, and connected by unique passageways). One whole side of the house is sliding glass doors, opening to our private yard. We share the larger property with the owners, who have two little girls and many pets including a rabbit in the yard. They are already turning out to be great neighbors (the people, and their bunny, too).

After going to the post office, the Salvation Army thrift store, Walmart, and Costco, we were wiped out. It was a long day of buying useful things. We missed the kids' naps and were all overtired at the start of the day, so we were just holding it together by the end. After dinner we finally decided to walk across the street to the Kailua beach park to see where we live. Forget about bulk laundry detergent and think about your local amenities for a few minutes. It was the perfect antidote. We watched more than a dozen kite surfers doing their dance between water and sky. They were catching 20 - 30 feet of air and making it look easy. We came home feeling refreshed, and then the kids fell fast asleep after their bedtime stories.

When Alice arrived and saw the kites she pointed and said "moon," and then saw more and more "moons" and was so mesmerized she became silent for  the next ten minutes. 

Watching in amazement.

We're going to like it here. I can tell already.