WHIRLWIND, HURRICANE, TSUNAMI, TORNADO

These two weeks were the happiest, busiest two weeks I've had in years!

Boys are busy little creatures and constant noise.  They love bodily functions and they each have a great sense of humor.  Until you have witnessed two tiny men peeing in the same potty laughing "sabre fight" as they tried to hit each other's stream, you have not lived.

Every morning by 10am, the house looked like a hand grenade went off.  I slept in guest room with Braeden on a mat beside me.  One parent and Dennis the Menace used the king bed and someone slept on a double size mat in the living room.

I could go on and on (maybe I'll write a book to send the boys) ... catching geckos, squirt gun battles, bubbles, puzzles, Connect Four and Memory .... but a few more pictures are all I will bore you with!

 Camping in the living room

Sitting in the famous Banyan Tree

Infected thorn in his foot ... numbed it, sliced it out and a tetanus shot

Watching the last sunset

DOG GONE BUM DAYS OF SUMMER

Memories.  That's what we are making here.  

Playing in water from morning til night, in the 90 degree weather, sometimes you have to take a break in the air conditioning ..

OVER THE RAINBOW

It is almost 10am on Wednesday, August 17.  Three are still asleep and the five year old is happily playing games on my phone, snuggled up in his bed.  This is the first morning I've had 30 minutes of quiet to drink my coffee.

We are all having FUN, with a few minor setbacks.  Our mosquitos just love Kate and Braeden.  Huge and very very itchy and finally got some over the counter cortizone cream as the old home remedies just weren't helping.

Another giant stress are the adults' prescriptions.  They dutifully had their Dr visit where they received paper scripts to bring and fill here.  Since the meds are the kind you have to sign for, pharmacies will not fill out of state meds!!  They went to a local Dr to explain the problem and he could not write them AND  told them that this is the most common situation he sees (very close to Costco pharmacy).

Kate got up at 5am on Monday to talk to her Dr. and he suggested that she get someone to in to buy and pick up for her then ship them via Fed Ex.  Of course all of her friends work so I contacted my former neighbor (who had to do this for my Ambien for a few months until I found a Dr. on Maui).  She volunteered her daughter and after much running around, said package should arrive this afternoon.  Just in the nick of time.

The dishwasher was delivered and installed on Monday and what a relief that is!  I forgot how often children (and their parents) eat.  

A few more things I had forgotten:
     Constant noise
     Constant motion
     Frequent wrestling matches
     (Until someone gets hurt and cries or draws blood)
     Continual laundry
     Cars seats and booster seats
     How exciting it is to pick your own souvenir
     Wonderful sound of "I just want Gramma"
     Giggles 24/7
     How sand multiplies inside the car or house
     How long it takes to put sunscreen on five people
     How much water and snacks and diapers and changes of clothes go into every trip in the car
     How we all order a meal that can be shared with kids of differing tastes
     I just want to chill with Gramma
     We have to work around naptime ....

     

ONE THOUSAND WORDS

LEGOLAND, the Pre Vacation

Waiting at the Portland airport!

They made it!

The special hotel ... no adults in the Pirate Room

Their new friend

Clones

The Rides!

Exhausted

Deacon heard "monsters" in the upper bunk, so they moved him down and Big Brova held his hand until they went to sleep

JUST THREE MORE SLEEPS

Yep.  I am very excited!  Kate and her little family arrive Thursday afternoon.  They depart tomorrow morning to spend two nights at Legoland.  (Poppa was an engineer, after all!)

I have a list of things we "could" do, but I am playing it by ear.  The parents may just want to relax.  

Braeden was totally happy just playing with water all day long...  I have a deep inflatable pool for the back lanai and will get a rigid smaller one for the front when the afternoon sun is too much.  We have a pool 1/2 mile from here.  

And beaches galore.  B wants to go fishing ... from a boat!  We have a submarine, an animal rescue sanctuary, pictures with parrots, squirt guns, bubbles, coloring books, army guys, beach toys. 

I may post photos while they are here ... or you may not hear from me for two weeks!

OH, THE MEMORIES

I've been posting photos of the two of us on Facebook (hard to find pics of both of us!) and gosh the memories come flooding!

And I'm so glad we took too many photos ... because there can never be too many photos.  Luckily for me, Mr. Ralph was very organized with his photos ... putting in the location and the year.  Even though I didn't travel much with him until Kate flew the nest, I sure got to see a lot of the world!

It was a great surprise to see how many people in other countries view the photos on Facebook ... and some making comments.  He is one hard guy to forget (for better or worse).

All of the trips were business related so I got to see him and his "boys" at their selling best.  Mostly I got to see a bit of the city we were in, either on my own or with the spouse of the salesperson.  That was best of all.  It was affordable for me to travel WITH him, as all I had to pay was airfare and spending money (hmmm, well maybe that wasn't such a deal for him ....).  His airfare and the hotel was business expense.  Most nights there was a business dinner that included wives.  Breakfast was included with the hotel (I could do a whole blog on breakfast in other countries!)  Starbucks at each location (only place you can charge less than $5 without a penalty ... or a dirty look).

Yes, I remember that all of the 30 years were not perfect.  Each of us considered splitting up at least once a year.  For about ten minutes.  Usually over something very important (like how to rearrange the furniture or changing out art).  Or why I had to pay the bills and do the taxes.

I'm choosing to remember all the wonderful times!  And there are lots of them!

Barbara Streisand - The Way We Were Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Mmm Mmm

Memories, light the corners of my mind

Misty water color memories of the way we were

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind

smiles we gave to one another

for the way we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then

or has time rewritten every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again

tell me would we? Could we?

Memories, may be beautiful and yet

what's too painful to remember

we simply choose to forget

So it's the laughter we will remember

whenever we remember

the way we were.

AUGUST?

Yes, today is August 1, 2016.  It's looking like it will be great fun.

A young friend (mid-twenties) from Portland arrives Friday (with her whole group).  Mostly I've been a resource and reassuring her that the weather app for Kihei is WRONG.  It shows rain every single day.  All year round.  Statistically, Kihei gets a max of 9 inches of rain per year.  Usually not that much.  

My kiddos arrive on August 11.

Buddy Phyllis is a little sad as I won't be seeing her 2-3 times a week for those two weeks.  But this is a once a year treat for me.  If we can fit it in, we will have her over for dinner!  She's not been to my little house yet.

I am ready for two busy boys.  Two swim pools (one little rigid one for hot afternoons out front in the shade).  Bigger one on back deck under cover which is not in the sun until about 3pm.  Squirt guns.  Bubbles.  Army guys.  Rubber duckies.  Gecko catching nets.  Gecko homes (they can only keep them for two hours, then let them go).  Puzzles.  Games.  Coloring and painting.  Pipe cleaners.  And a little 3 year old neighbor named Jayden.  And of course, 81 named beaches!  Probably the best part will be camping on the floor!

This week I have my annual skin check.  I wish I could buy a wine barrel filled with 100 SPF that I could just dip my whole self into every morning.  I usually put 15spf lotion on my face every morning and 50 spf block when at the beach. I know it's the every day, quick in and out, that hurts the most.

Looking forward to this blistering hot month ....