Day One in Hawaii: Puppies and Pineapples

Once we were settled into our hotel rooms, we decided to check out the hotel and see what was in store for us for the next five days!  We decided to have some lunch poolside because, well- why wouldn't we?  We were in Hawaii!!!

The lunch started out with a bang when Emily said, "Look!  It's a bunch of little puppies!"  We looked all around and there were no dogs in sight.  Then she said, "The puppies are flying!"  Our little table erupted in laughter.  She was talking about the pigeons.  "Sometimes I like to call pigeons, puppies!" she said with some serious sass.

After lunch and a few yummy fruit smoothies, the kids did some swimming in the ocean.  They loved the waves.  Not big enough to surf on, but big enough to bring on tons of laughter, body surfing, plently of choking on the salt water, and lots of fun.

We went back to the room, showered, and headed down to dinner on the beach.  While we were waiting for our table, Matthew kept complaining that his shirt was really big.  Then he looked at me with a knowing look and said, "I think I am wearing Michael's shirt.  THAT means, Michael is wearing MY shirt!"  I look over at Michael and my handsome son is wearing a way too short, way too tight shirt.  How Matthew realized it and Michael didn't- I'll never know.

We were seated at a table right on the edge of the sand.  The sun had yet to set, the air was still so warm.  It was amazing.  We didn't want to remind the kids of the time change so they kept saying, "It's so weird.  We feel so tired but it is only dinner time!"  One of the funny parts of dinner was watching Damien jump as the rock wall behind him lit up in flames.  He couldn't see it (his back was to it), but the heat hit him and he rocketed out of his seat and drew a lot of funny looks.  Of course it didn't help that when it lit up, I said "Oh my gosh!".  He heard me say that, then felt the heat and freaked out as if something really bad was going down.  We all got such a kick out of this moment.

Damien was insistant on getting the kids a pineapple drink at dinner.  His goal (mine, too) is to make this trip as memorable as we can for the kids.  We don't normally splurge and buy them the frilly drinks at restaurants.  But since we were on vacation in Hawaii, I guess frilly wins out.

We practically had to carry the kids up to the room because they were so tired by the time dinner was finished.  We got them home, threw them into bed in the clothes they were wearing (Michael and Matthew still wearing one another's shirt), and the three older kids were out cold within minutes.  That would leave little Miss Emily.  Surprise, surprise.  Although she was dileriously tired, she was still raring to go. 

We finally made Emily a little bed on the floor. (She's still too wiggly to share a bed with her older siblings and is used to getting the shaft anyway, so sleeping on the floor is no biggie.)  She had just fallen sleep when an unexpected firework show started going off right outside our balcony.  I am serious when I say right outside out balcony.  It was the most gorgeous firework show I have ever seen.  Each boom shook the hotel and the sound was so loud!  It lasted about fifteen minutes and it was spectacular!  We tried to wake the older kids up, but they were passed out.  I have no idea how they slept through it!

Emily was beside herself.  She kept saying how pretty the fireworks were.  See, it pays off to be pesky and not go to sleep!  Maybe she was onto something.  Damien, Emily and I went outside on the balcony to watch the show but it literally was hurting our ears.  We went back inside to enjoy the rest of the show.

To say that our first day in Hawaii ended with a bang is just too perfectly put.  This is going to be an amazing experience for all six of us.  Now let's get some sleep!