Family Time in Hawaii !!

Our family has been looking forward to this trip to Hawaii for some time. We have talked it up to Claire and Chloe for weeks and they were excited and anxious to fly for the very first time and to see Hawaii. Chloe works on her LeapPad while waiting to board the plane.

Claire is intent on her LeapPad as well.

Our first night we stayed in a small hotel that we found on the Internet prior to checking into our condo the following day. Some family members thought it was pretty good, others thought it was like camping. Paula put Claire and Chloe in cute little dresses with tropical prints for their first day on the island.

We had one of the usual short downpours shortly after breakfast that left some puddles out on the lanai. The girls decided they would "surf" there and before we knew it they were soaked. So fun to see them pretend they were in the ocean. Mike and Paula laughed it off and put dry clothes on them.

We did a little exploring the first day. Here are Papa and the girls looking at some treasure.

Chris enjoyed some time near the beach as well.

Here are my sweet daughter-in-law, Chris, and me.

Mike, Paula and the kids check out the beach.

Our view from the condo. So beautiful.....

Claire and Chloe's first taste of shave ice. Their eyes were definitely bigger than their tummies.

Chris experiences the damp grass....and tweaks his crawling stance.

The girls were in the water constantly. They loved boogie boarding and although I didn't ever get pictures I did see a bit of what they were able to do. They had a great time and became so at home in the surf. Chloe decided to be a "surfer girl" when she grows up.

Chris got to try lots of new food tastes. Anything he saw the family eating he wanted.

Claire and Chloe went directly to their first hula lesson from the swimming pool. It was hilarious to watch them. The little girl next to them was about their size but was seven years old. She was

a great little dancer. Some of the first moves as well as the first attempt at the dance can be seen here and here. I'm sure with practice they will perfect this dance. :):)

After the dance Mommy decided they had better be dressed appropriately for the activity.

Swimming was just about as fun as boogie boarding and they did plenty of it. They faithfully used each of the three pools every day. They made so many friends at the pools and would always go up to other children and introduce themselves and ask if they wanted to be friends. They would also "size up adults" as Paula says, and then strike up conversations with them as well. They are certainly not shy the majority of the time.

Chris got lots of attention and here he is playing peek-a-boo with me.

Papa and Chloe clowning around.

Each day the children were able to fee the koi at the fish pond near the entrance to the resort.
The resort, Waiohai Beach Club, is so family friendly. There were quite a few children there and

they really seemed welcome.

Pineapple break after swimming......

Claire is not the most adventuresome eater, but she had promised us that she would try a taste of fresh pineapple and she kept her word.....

One of the evenings Mike, Paula, Jon, Suzie, and Eric went on a dinner cruise to the Na Pali coast which they reported was really great. Below is Suzie enjoying the trip.

While they were gone, Papa and I ventured across the street to a 30 minute or so Polynesian dance show that is put on in the shopping center. Claire was mesmerized. She loved it and sat awe-struck. After the performance the dancers invited the small kids up to learn some dance moves. Our girls went up immediately. Chloe sure had the moves, but kept her back to the audience. Chris really got into it as well. Norm pronounced him a "typical male".

Our evening "thanksgiving meal" on Wednesday night.

Chris assisting in the kitchen.

Chris and Papa.

Chloe gets all cleaned up for a dinner out before we get serious about packing.

The girls talk Papa into taking a break from packing and to tell one of his stories about Wyatt Earp. They never get tired of the legends and I can't believe that Papa is still coming up with stories they haven't heard before.

Our trip was a wonderful time together and we are so thankful for safe travels and good health while we were gone. The memories will last a long, long, time and is certainly one of the highlights in Papa and my life.

Still smiling as we head home.....

Chris' Shirt Says It All !!

Yes, "little brother's rock"! Claire, Chris, and Chloe are actually in the same spot for a moment or two, and actually agreed to pose for Grandma. I had a few hours with them one day this week and as I told Papa when I got home, Chris keeps me busier and more watchful than the two girls combined did at that age. He is fearless and not easily distracted at all. His curiosity is never-ending. Thankfully the windows are low enough that he can just watch all the activity in nature to his heart's content. At this particular moment he was engaged in watching a squirrel running up and down a tree.

Looking forward to a family vacation starting mid-week that will take us on some new adventures with the grand kids. It is so fun to watch as they experience new things and places.

Things They Are A Changin'

Remember the days that I would write about Claire and Chloe spending so much time with us when we were at their house, reading, playing, pretending, singing, and all matter of things? Well those days may be over. Fortunately, Chris still spends his moments adoring his grandparents and smiling and cooing at our beck and call.

I was shocked on Friday when the phone rang and a little voice said, "Can I please speak to either Claire or Chloe?" The girls came, and as they took turns talking, I discovered that it was a neighbor girl asking them to come out/over to play. I quickly said that they would have to wait and ask Daddy when he got home, and they were fine with that decision. Daddy came home shortly after that call, and they both ran to the door to ask him. He said "yes" and they were out the door in a flash, put their water boots on and took off. Below you see them running down their hill to the creek. Apparently two sisters live across the creek, ages 7 and 9, and have become pals of our girls. Mike reports that they seem to really enjoy Claire and Chloe and have played in the house several times so he feels very comfortable with the situation. I remember last year when the twins were two years old how they would see kids across the creek and call out to them. There was never any response at that point, but now they have become fast friends.

Here is one of the sisters greeting Claire and Chloe. Claire was returning up the hill to pick up a bucket of mud that Chloe had decided not to carry any farther. Paula told me later that they both returned home covered in mud. That is always the sign of a good time.... The good news is that the creek is quite low and that you can stand out on Mike and Paula's deck and hear the laughter and play but not necessarily see them. Mike reports that it is very safe and that they play on a flat area just across the creek.

And so, as you can see, we are no longer the "center of the universe" when we are with Claire and Chloe. It was inevitable that this day was coming, but it came much sooner than I had expected.

Looking forward to a great week ahead and a family trip to Hawaii coming up very, very, soon. Chloe has informed us that she isn't sure she wants to fly since she is "afraid of heights". She did add on one occasion, that she had decided, however, "to be very brave."

Special Time!

Chris loves to eat. He really gets into it and is growing so fast we are amazed. I think what he was enjoying at this moment was rice and squashChris was across the room playing and I told him the kitty was on the deck. He didn't waste any time getting to the door for a peek.

Papa and Grandma had a special treat this weekend. We picked up the Claire and Chloe on Friday afternoon to come visit at our house until today, when we met Daddy at Sunday School.
We had such a great time in the park across the street, baking muffins, and cooking dinner on Friday night. The girls really enjoy time in the kitchen and are learning so much about following directions. We made "Larry the Cable Guy's Beanie, Weenie, Cornbread Casserole" on Friday, a pretty basic dumping and mixing of beans, hot dogs, some BBQ sauce and then mixing cornbread mix together, pouring on top, and baking it all. Actually it didn't taste too bad, but I will add that I dropped the recipe in the trash after dinner. It's not exactly what Papa and I would fix for ourselves. :) The girls also enjoyed exploring our big old house and found lots of treasures to pack around in baskets and bags while they were here. We did lots of pretending too, and Papa and I were ALWAYS the babies or children. They also enjoyed counting Papa's many, many, coins and separating them. They both left with good sized jars of coins which they said would be money for Disneyland. Not sure when that is going to happen.......

Sliding in the park...........

Swinging in the park...........

Lunch.....

And...the highlight of the day on Saturday...horses that just happened to be passing by. Two very nice young women brought them into our yard and up close so the girls could see them.

Right after petting the horse, Chloe turned to Papa and said, "Papa did you see those teeth?"

Our house is very quiet right now but we have lots of memories to keep us smiling. My sweetest memory is of Chloe last night. I checked on the girls in the middle of the night and found Chloe curled up in the corner on the floor. She had fallen off the bed I guess. As I picked her up and put her back in bed, she said, "Grandma, I love you". So precious and spontaneous.

As one dear friend reminded her FaceBook Friends last night, take the time to tell someone you care about them while you have the chance. Life can be so uncertain.

October Fun~!

I love these pictures that Paula recently had taken. It was actually the day following Chloe's tooth accident. In some of the pictures that are not shown here, Chloe was definitely still getting used to the missing tooth, sometimes covering it up with her bottom lip and not to eager to smile. This one of the girls turned out particularly well, however. Chris looks like he was very pleased to pose for the photographer. Chris is on the move, continually, and I am happy to report that he is much, much, better after his bout with the "bug". The new thing that I noticed this past week was that rather than crawling to wherever we, the girls, or the current action happened to be, he began to just crawl away to explore on his own. I chased him down numerous times making sure all doors in the hall were closed. He didn't seem to mind, I'd bring him back and in a few minutes he would be off again.

The girls got some new Halloween theme hair clips. The next few pictures show them with pumpkins and ghosts in their hair.

The three C's!!!! Chloe had refused to have her picture taken so I told her that was fine, we would just do Claire and Chris. Just as we were about to take the shot, Chloe changed her mind. :)

Nonie brought Chris this darling little "monster" suit. He wore it most of the day, hat and all.

Looking forward to my day with the C's tomorrow, and it will most likely be my best day of the week! :) :)

The Bug Got 'Em

Monday started out with a sick little Chloe. Since it was pre-school day, she had to stay home with Grandma, Nonie, and Papa, while Claire went off to school. Claire went out to the car to leave and then came back to the door, opened it, and said, "Grandma, I'll be sad at school, but I'll be fine!" The girls really do enjoy each other's company. When Claire came home she ran to Chloe and gave her a hug like she had been gone for 5 years. She also told Chloe that, "everybody missed you!" Claire went on to tell Chloe that Jaden was sick too. That might explain something since Jaden runs from where ever he is on the playground, to hug Chloe good-bye each time I pick her up. Chris was pretty perky for the most part but before the day was over he had some symptoms too. By Tuesday morning all three were sick. Paula took them to the doctor and he said Chloe definitely had the croup. No kidding? That might have been something I could have diagnosed, she had the most horrible sounding cough imaginable! Here are the girls outside of the doctor's office. Very pleasant and cheerful but both pretty sick.
Chloe did bring lots of smiles to our faces however, with her latest saying, "Hakuna Matada...no worries..." she said repeatedly the next few days. She is such a character.

The week got worse before it got better and Chris was still suffering terribly as of yesterday. Here's hoping that the upcoming week will bring better health!

Movie Goers

While we didn't do childcare for the Grandchildren this past week, Papa and I did take Claire and Chloe to see The Lion King. They loved it and sat spellbound throughout the whole thing. When we exited the movie they were drawn to this big poster of an upcoming movie with the Muppets.

Chris and Mommy ran errands while we were in the movie, and then we all had lunch together at our favorite local dive. Lots of fun!