Days 1, 2, and 3

I think I'll tackle the trip in segments, since I know it's going to be awhile to get through - I'll spare you with a lot of pics too and just try to pick out some of the best from each day. I'll probably put the rest on snapfish and share them that way for anyone who is interested. Scot and I took notes each night about the things we did, I'm so glad we did, because I'd have probably already gotten things mixed up.

Day 1 - July 19th
We left the house around 9am. Here is our last picture with Ava before we took off...and yes, I cried like a baby.



We had a great flight - it left on time at 11:40 am. We were on an A330, which was really nice because it is a newer airplane. It had TV screens in the backs of the seats so that we could watch movies or play games, it definitely made the time go by a little faster. It was still a LONG flight (about 8 1/2 hours), especially since Northwest didn't feed us. We bought a crappy sandwich about midway through, otherwise we filled up on snacks that we brought along.

We arrived in Hawaii (Oahu) at about 3:30 Hawaii time and picked up our rental. It was a thing of beauty...an Audi A4 Convertible that had about 400 miles on it. (This picture was taken on Day 2)



We promptly put the top down, got on the main highway believing we were the sexiest things alive...and then it started raining. Ha! It wouldn't be the first time this happened to us, but the rain in Hawaii is generally more like a mist and can barely be felt. I think there was just one time that we actually pulled over and put the top back up and that was when we were higher in the mountains so the rain was a tad bit heavier.

We found our hotel, checked in, checked out the grounds and the beach, and had dinner at an outdoor restaurant (all of these pictures are in my previous post). We stayed up as late as we could to start to make up for the time difference. It was about 10pm Hawaii time when we finally hit the sack (3 am CST time). A LONG day.

Day 2 - July 20
We were up fairly early and had coffee on our lanai (balcony), then wandered down to one of the hotel restaurants for breakfast. One great thing about staying at a military resort was that the food wasn't anymore expensive than what you'd find on the mainland. The same is definitely not true for the rest of Hawaii. We enjoyed quite a few military perks throughout the trip like discounted tickets and special access, so it was a great way to experience Hawaii. This morning is when Scot had his first taste of a macademia nut waffle with coconut syrup. And when he fell in love with it.

Our adventurous spirit kicked in quickly (along with our lust for our new convertible), so we did a lot of island exploring on Day 2. Here's a map to give you a little more perspective. Our hotel was on Waikiki Beach which is the southernmost tip of the area in brown. On this day, we drove mostly around the eastern edge of the island (both the brown and green area).



We drove Highway 1 East to Maunalua Bay and continued past Hanauma Bay (which we'd snorkel at later in the trip) and Makapu'u Point. We saw one of the prettiest beaches just beyond that.



Then we continued on to Bellows Beach, which is a recreation area just for military. We stayed there and swam and layed on the beach for a few hours - it was great.



Then we drove some more and explored a Marine base, which we decided would not be a fun place to stay at - they had some cute rental cottages, but you had to cross an active airstrip to get to them. Our timing was terrible and we ended up waiting about 20 minutes to get there, watching several planes take off and land. Pretty inconvenient! We continued through the central part of the island and then headed back to the hotel. We were in bed pretty early - we had an early wakeup planned for the next day to see Pearl Harbor.

Day 3 - July 21
We were up before 6am, which really wasn't a problem since we were still goofed up with jet lag, to see the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We found the site fairly easily and arrived at about 6:45 am. There were already about 75 people in line in front of us (it opens at 7:30 am) but we were hopeful we'd get on the first tour. And we did. By the time we entered at 7:30, there were hundreds of people in line who would have to wait hours to see the Memorial. We ended up chatting in line with a really nice family from Boston - we talked a lot about fantasy football with their 14 year old son. The first part of the tour was watching a 45 minute movie, which was a very informative overview of the events of the day. Then we boarded the boat for the Memorial - it was beautiful and very moving. It is built over the sunken ship and you can see parts of the ship still intact in the water below. Amazingly there is still oil leaking from parts of the ship (67 years later) and you can see pools of oil in the water - some call these "black tears" in remembrance of those who lost their lives there.





This is a nice model that shows where the Memorial is in relation to the sunken ship


We did an audio tour of the museum and then left around 9:30. Ironically, we saw this Mustang Shelby in the parking lot, which is the car Scot REALLY wanted to rent. So we took his picture and that was the closest he got to it.



We continued our history theme and visited the Pacific Cemetery - where thousands of war veterans are buried. Its views of Honolulu were amazing. Here we are with Diamondhead mountain in the background (which we would hike later in the week).



We then headed back to the hotel, took a much needed nap, hit the hotel pool for a few hours, and walked the beach.

Our pool


We saw 2 sea turtles swimming in the ocean, just off the beach, which was really cool - they are HUGE there, about 5-6 feet long.

Went out for Mexican for supper - we lived by our Frommers and Fodors guidebooks that I checked out from the library. This restaurant was both recommended and moderately priced. :-) Here we are.




Phew! That's enough for tonight...more to come in the next few days. We took 748 pictures, so I guess you can be thankful you're getting the abbreviated version!

16 Weeks

My 16 week checkup went well...the most incredible news was that by some miracle I did not gain a pound in the last month. I'm not sure how that is possible, considering I ate about 4000 calories each day on vacation BUT I'll take it. Maybe I haven't gained any weight, but I have definitely gained inches. So much so in fact, that I had to call my friends Angie and Jess in a panic the day before we left to get some of my maternity clothes back and add some new ones to my collection (thanks again girlies!)so I actually had some things to wear on vacation. So, I'm in the yucky hybrid stage right now. Busting out of normal pants, but not altogether fat enough for maternity. Good times.

Anyway, back to the appointment. Everything checked out pretty well, though I came home to a message from my doctor that my iron is STILL low. So, now I need to up my intake to two a day. More good times.

Got to hear the heartbeat again...and then Ava insisted that Dr. Lockhart use the doppler on her, it was too cute! Ava also got her blood pressure taken, she was having a ball. After the doctor left and we were waiting for the nurse to come back, Ava hopped up onto the table, pulled up her shirt, and wanted me to examine her some more. Mommy in training, that girl.

I scheduled my 20 week ultrasound for Tuesday, August 19th. I will actually be 19 weeks then, but since Scot leaves on the 25th, I was able to schedule it a little early.

I'm too tired to post many pictures tonight...but I will leave you with a few, just to wet your appetite.

Not Hawaii, but Ava in her big girl bed a few days before we left


Waikiki Beach (our hotel is the farthest on the right)


The view from our balcony


Sunset on Waikiki Beach


Our first night in Hawaii, we ate dinner outdoors at a restaurant within our hotel complex

Home Sweet Home

We're home and we're exhausted...our flight left Saturday at 5:15 pm Hawaii time (10:15 pm CST) and we arrived at MSP at 5:55 am CST Sunday (which was really 12:55am Hawaii time). Scot's dad picked us up and we headed home - it was great to see my baby girl again! Scot made us all some macademia nut waffles with coconut syrup (his new favorite thing) and Chuck & Sandy left shortly thereafter.

I will update later with pics and stories - we had an AMAZING time, it was a perfect vacation.

I have my 16 week prenatal appointment tomorrow morning at 8, then I'll be heading into work (blah). I felt the baby move for the first time on Friday, July 25th - yay baby!

Ava made a lot of progress with potty training while we were gone, thanks to 3 patient grandmas and lots of marshmallows! :-) Think we might be finally on to something now. She stayed dry all day today exept for one accident in the evening (she made it all the way to the bathroom but just couldn't get her pants down quick enough). Hopefully the trend continues and our diaper era is over soon! Well, at least until January...

Happy Anniversary to Us

10 years...Wow

July 18, 1998


April 26, 2002 - Scot's graduation from Air Force Officer School in Knoxville, TN


August 15, 2003 - Scot's graduation from Air Force Pilot Training in Columbus, MS


October 2005 - 38 weeks pregnant with Ava @ the Vikes/Packers game in the Metrodome


December 26, 2005 - Christmas in Wausau


May 2006 - At a friend's wedding at the University of Ohio at Miami


September 2006 - Our house in St. Paul


November 2006 - Ava is ONE


Wish I had more photos between 1998 and 2003, but you know...that was in the olden days before digital cameras. The ones I've posted were a few I scanned in awhile back. I'd scan some more in, but I need to go to bed. Hawaii here we come. See you in a week.

Two more days until Hawaii…

We’ve been doing lots of prep work – making lists, cleaning, organizing, fretting, packing, etc. Grandma #1 (Diane) will come over Friday night and take us to the airport on Saturday. Grandma #2 (Nola or “Ola” as Ava calls her) will take over the second shift sometime on Monday. She has the longest stretch and we have reminded her that she can take Ava to Vicki’s during the day if she needs a break. Grandma #3 (Sandy) and Grandpa Chuck take over the reigns on Friday and will pick us up at the airport on Sunday morning. Phew! Ava’s going to have a blast for sure!

Update on the Big Girl Bed: Since Ava has been ultra persistent in her crib escape tactics, we pulled the outside rail off again so it looks like a day bed. She’s actually been doing really well so far – she hasn’t been scared and has stayed in bed for the most part. I’d praise her efforts more, but I think her/our success might be a tad more related to the lock we put on her bedroom door. Now we can basically lock her in from the outside. Ummm…is that bad? We would have used one of those doorknob cover things, but her door doesn’t shut tightly and can basically be pushed open unless it is locked. In preparation for this, we made sure to tether her dresser and bookcase to the wall to prevent any mishaps when she undoubtedly gets out of bed.

The other morning I heard her talking to herself…so I opened the door and found her laying on the floor with her bear and in a dress! She had taken her jammies off and was ready to go. This morning she was “reading” books when I walked in. We had taken all of her bedroom books away as a punishment when she kept getting out of bed, so our little bookworm was very happy to have earned some of them back. So…things seem to be looking up. Hopefully she doesn’t startle the grandparents with many 5:30 wake up calls next week!

More cute Ava-isms:
Ava: We’re a big family.
Me: Yes, we are – that’s right.
Ava: Yes, because we share fruit.

And one from my sister-in-law Julie:
Normally, I ask Ava for "un beso" and she gives me a kiss. Then, I say "gracias." Here's what happened Saturday:
Julie: Ava, can I please have a kiss?
Ava *kiss*
Julie: Thank you very much.
Ava: Say gracias.

By the way, in case anyone was wondering, I did not finish my book (Devil in the White City) in time. I have about 30 or 40 pages left, but I wasn’t the only one. It’s been a really good read – very interesting account of the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. It goes back and forth between two main characters – the major architect/organizer of the fair and a serial killer. It’s a true story, but reads like a novel. I recommend it!

Quick post

Let's see...

Book club is on Wednesday and I have over 200 pages to go...

I'm 14 weeks pregnant. My weekly email update tells me the baby is the size of a lemon now - about 3 1/2 inches. He/she can now also squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb. I'm doing well - I haven't had true morning sickness for about 3-4 weeks now and I feel fairly energetic. However, I was blown over by a 24 hour bug on Saturday. Upon waking, I immediately felt nauseaus, but just figured it was morning sickness rearing it's ugly head again...but after countless trips to the bathroom during the day, I figured it was something more. I ended up sleeping almost all day and barely ate a thing. UGH, it was miserable. Thank God it only lasted the day, though. I've felt fine ever since. My waistline is definitely expanding and I've worn the occasional maternity garb here and there. I expect it won't be too long before I'm in it full time.

We're still having trouble with Ava getting out of her crib/bed and opening her door. Like clockwork at about 5:30 each morning, she has waltzed down to our bedroom and announced, "I'm done napping." It's getting old.

But she always redeems herself and says cute things like this:
Ava: The new baby is talking.
Me: Really? What is he saying?
Ava: He saying, "I need my mom."
Me: Aww...that's nice.
Ava: I'm a big sister now! I going to wrap him up in a blanket and keep him warm and cozy.

Yeah. Time to get back to my book now...

Terrible Twos times a Gazillion

Wow. What a long weekend. Long as in not all that nice long. If the Terrible Twos were an Olympic event, Ava would have been a gold medalist ten times over this weekend.

Whining
Crying
Sobbing
Not listening
Defying
Pouting
Screaming
Running in the opposite direction

Mix at high speed and repeat. That was our weekend.

Not sure what her deal was other than that she is two. I searched for signs of two year molars popping through, hoping for some sort of validation of her misery, but nothing. Couldn't come up with anything else. She's just two.

Don't get me wrong. I still love her and we still had some fun moments. On Friday, we went to the 4th of July carnival in Richfield where she rode a bunch of kiddie rides and even rode the Tilt-a-Whirl with Gwamma Di and Mawilyn.




On Saturday morning Jess and Keira came over and the girls had fun playing in the pool.




That night, everyone came over to celebrate Julie's birthday. We had the best dinner - spinach/strawberry salad, "family" steak, corn on the cob....MMMmmmm....and 2 fantastic chocolate cakes.



Sunday was just all around miserable. I don't remember what we did but it was trying. It was compounded by the fact that she has mastered climbing out of her crib again. She greeted us twice this weekend by walking into our bedroom and saying "Hi guys!" Figured we might as well take off the crib rail and let her have a go at that. She was really excited at nap time, jumped right in and stayed there. Until she woke up an hour later and thought it was too much fun to walk around instead of sleep any more. OK, well, we knew it wouldn't be a seamless transition...at bedtime, we did the usual routine and she went into her "new" bed willingly again. Until we closed the door and she started screaming incessantly. I checked on her after a few minutes and rocked her until she calmed down and we tried it again. Seemed to go OK until I left the room and the screaming commenced again. Went in there again and in between sobs, she said "Put the thing back on!" Meaning the crib rail. I guess the freedom freaked her out a little and she wanted the confines of her crib that she was used to. Weird. So we put it back on and she fell asleep within minutes.

After that, Scot and I turned our attention to more Hawaii planning. We leave in 12 days. Ahhh....

And yes, she climbed out again this morning. Sigh...not sure what we'll do next.

Read it

I couldn't put this book down.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Yes, it was 660 something pages and yes, it was historical fiction, but it was an amazing read. At least in my opinion. I started it last Saturday when my dear sister JoAnn was here and visiting...I had to have something to take along on her shopping quest to The Yarnery in St. Paul. I learned my lesson from last year when we went to the Yarn Cafe in Maple Grove - quite simply, there is nothing for a non-knitter in a knitting store. So, this time I armed myself with a book so she could shop at her heart's content. We both were happy. Anyway, it was a great read. It chronicles the time of King Henry VIII and his many mistresses, including Mary and Anne Boleyn. It was apalling and intriguing all at the same time. Highly recommend it.

So, I've been in a book club for about 9 months. It's been really fun - I've met some new girls and have had the excuse to have a girl's night out about once a month. When we meet we talk about the book for about, oh...15-30 minutes, depending on the book and our moods. We then generally move on to other topics and dismiss about 2-3 hours later.

Here are the books we've read so far, most of which I highly recommend:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Scot will tell you I ended up in tears nearly every time I picked it up. It chronicles the lives of women in war torn Afghanistan. It came out after The Kite Runner, which was also amazing. Scot even read both of these books and gave them rave reviews (he never reads fiction, so it was a stretch). But he read The Kite Runner while he was in Afghanistan, so he definitely had a more intimate perspective with the story than most of us. I think all of us in the book club gave this "FIVE" stars.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Another great read - most of us gave it between 4 and 5 stars. From Publisher's Weekly - "The narrative alternates between the present-day story of Trudy, a history professor at a Minneapolis university collecting oral histories of WWII survivors (both German and Jewish), and that of her aged but once beautiful German mother, Anna, who left her country when she married an American soldier." A powerful and emotional story during the time of Nazi Germany. This book also has a lot of Minnesotan references, so it was interesting from that perspective as well.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Didn't like it at all. Some did. And I know a fair amount of other people who really love this book. I just couldn't buy into most of it - I thought many of the characters were unbelievable...and there was only so much I could read about mating bees...

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This is probably my favorite up to this point. It was an amazing story, intertwining ghosts, murder, romance...all that good stuff. Great book - we all loved it.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
This was actually one of my picks. Each month, we take turns bringing 3-4 book selections for the rest of the group to decide on. This one won by a narrow margin...and I didn't like it. It was recommended to me by my dear friend Adam and I really, really wanted to like it, but I didn't. And most of the others didn't too. But some loved it. It has a very stream-of-consciousness style of writing to it that I just couldn't embrace. I don't know, it just didn't seem to have much of a point and I thought the author/main character was very immature. Thumbs down on this one.

Three Cups of Tea - One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
Amazing story, but not all that well written in my opinion. It jumped around a lot from present to past tense and it didn't seem to flow all that well. You have to admire this man, though - he basically started from nothing and went on to build schools all over Pakistan. One person can make a difference. But in his quest to save children in another country, I felt that he essentially deserted his own wife and children. Kind of annoying.

Hmm...I think there's been one or two more, but I can't think of them right now. I'll udpate again if I remember. I should probably get off the computer and start our current book...we meet on the 16th, so I don't have much time...hopefully it's a page turner. It's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Rair that Changed America by Erik Larson. It is a true story about the events surrounding the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. Looks promising...

Edited to add: I knew I forgot one. An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance. Another 4-5 star rating from our club. It follows a high society woman in New York in the late 1800s. Lots of startling content from the standpoint of the treatment of women in that era. Very well written and interesting.

Ava's first haircut

Well, I suppose she ought to get used to the frustration that all women deal with - hair and bad hair cuts.

My friend Tricia keeps making me look bad, with all of her on-time trips to the photo galleries to get pictures of her little ones. We had kept quite a rigorous schedule ourselves until this past year. Our last attempt was back in November, when Ava turned two. In the past we had always gone to Sears and I always made sure to request one of two women who worked there - they always did a great job and really knew what they were doing. But alas, all good child photographers come and go, and when I made Ava's 2 year appointment I found that neither of them worked there anymore. I decided to risk it anyway...and that was a mistake. We had a horrible photographer and got equally horrible shots and we walked out empty handed.

Anyway...I've been thinking I ought to do 2 1/2 year pictures, since we never got the 2 year ones...I'm already about 2 months overdue with that too! But I'm stuck on the hair - what do I do with it? Do I get barettes? Bows? Put it up in pigtails? As ridiculous as it is, the decision making (or lack thereof) is crippling me. So, I decided that maybe we should get her hair trimmed up for starters. Just a bang trim and a little off the ends in the back. When I said I wanted her bangs "just above her eyebrows", I didn't mean an inch or more. Oh well...so they're shorter than what I wanted and now I just might have to delay pictures a little bit longer until they grow out a little more...welcome to womanhood, Ava.

Getting started. We went to a place called "Kid's Hair" in Woodbury.


Not much of a challenge with Dora on.


Big smile.


Checking out her pretty self in the mirror.


Choosing a sucker rewarding her for her bravery...(again, which more or less amounted to watching Dora for 15 minutes).