We're building a pinata for Alice's 2nd birthday-- it's coming up on July 15th. Right now we call the pinata-in-progress the dinosaur egg because it's just a large balloon with two coatings of paper mache. Today I successfully sealed up a major fissure caused by some heat-related balloon expansion. It was touch-and-go there for a little while, but the egg looks almost normal again. We've been getting all kinds of crafty lately because the kids' weekly gymnastics classes happen right next to a Ben Franklin store. There is a lot of pipe cleaner artwork hanging about the place. We even made shrinky-dink pirates in our toaster oven this morning. Maybe that makes you think about how you are under utilizing your own toaster oven. Did your bagel come out and say "Ahoy, Matey" and wield a sword? Probably not.
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| A good egg. |
In other news, I sustained my second beach-related injury but nothing nearly as impressive as a staph infection. The funny thing is I was taking a long walk and I was actually caught up in thinking about the perfection of the setting, and feeling a sense of peace and gratitude for this whole Hawaii experience. It was nice to have a quiet break from the kids and to be at the ocean without any responsibilities. And then... Ouch! I stepped right on a bee. It has been a while since I've been stung, and let me be the first to inform you that salt water doesn't do diddly to salve the pain. Ice, on the other hand (or foot, as the case may be), does work wonders. My swollen and itching foot hampered our ability to go on major excursions this weekend, and so did my indulgence in wine later that night.
Friday was special because Tag and I got a chance to go out again while the kids went to My Gym for Parents' Night Out. We ate at a little Italian place called Baci and were excited that our bottle of Chianti came from the place we stayed in Italy (Greve! The town name must be announced with gusto to honor the way our family friend Fred said it during our visit). Like last time we finished the night with a trip to the beach, but opted to sit and listen to the waves instead of taking a walk (bee sting + pasta dinner + desserts + wine = too encumbered for movement). The kids were totally hyped up when we retrieved them at 9:00 pm, and the change in routine altered their inner clocks causing "mass confusion and delay" (I'm quoting Thomas the Tank Engine with that one, so you can get a sense of my most recent intellectual stimulation). The next morning was not pretty for any of us, especially because the kids woke up before 6:00 am.
Our big adventure today was a trip to Georgia's house. She is a retired zoologist, and has lots of turtles and tortoises in her yard. She gave us a guided tour and then hosted us for appetizers and iced tea on her pontoon boat in the canal behind her home. It was all very lovely until Benjamin-- on his wild appetizer rampage-- barfed up the watermelon slices and crackers and brie because his rapid chowing temporarily got the better of him. This led Tag and I to quickly address the situation with as little "to-do" as possible, because Benjamin seemed totally fine afterwards. We laughed really hard during the car ride home, thinking about our question for Miss Manners: "What is the proper way to handle a child spitting up while aboard a moored vessel-- hoist them over the edge aiming the ralph in the canal, or a swift bile catch in a cocktail napkin?"
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| Georgia shows off a turtle. |
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| Benji pets a baby turtle and Alice hunts for her own to hold. |
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| Wait! That's not a turtle! Alice and I pet Buttercup, the chilled out rooster. |
Now that the end of June is getting closer we are becoming more aware that our trip to Hawaii will eventually come to an end (on July 31st, to be exact). It seems like we've been here for a while, and it also feels like time slips by so quickly. With just five weeks left on Oahu we decided we need to get more serious about our outings to be sure we see and do all of the things we want to "accomplish." Tag and I discussed this the other day and thought a list might be in order. This documentation is intended to hold us accountable to pursuing these adventures... and to share them all with you via the blog. You get to see the pretty pictures, but don't need to wipe up the barf after the appetizers. A delightful way to travel with toddlers.
Things left to do:
(1) Stroll through Honolulu's Chinatown and eat some dim sum
(2) Visit Pearl Harbor
(3) See July 4th fireworks from the beach
(4) Check out the Waikiki Aquarium
(5) Go the Childrens' Discovery Center
(6) Hike in Kaena Point State Park to look for albatross and monk seals
(7) Visit the Kualoa Ranch in Kaaawa to go for horse rides. Sounds like fuuun, huh?
We are open to your suggestions if our list is lacking a must-do experience. Let us know... we'd hate to disappoint!
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