Saturday, December 31

I am back in Ohio. I have traded my "slippahs" for galoshes, rainbows for rain clouds, tank tops for turtle necks and sunshine and blue skies for dreary gray but I am where I am and happy to be. I left Honolulu on Wednesday night around 9 pm Hawaii time, stopped in Maui and then 6 hours to Denver, then another 3 to Columbus to arrive at 2:30 pm EST. I didn't sleep very good on the plane but at least there was no one in the seat next to me on the 6 hour leg of the trip and I could stretch out a little. My friend Sharon picked me up at the airport and it was good catching up on some of the news from home. Thanks to everyone who helped out while I was gone. Mr. B and Molly seemed to fare just fine while I was gone. There were no ribs visible so I assume they had plenty to eat and both were napping in front of the TV when I walked in the house. Wednesday evening marked the 3rd year since Andy's accident and it is really remarkable that he was able to stay for an entire month on his own. He did many things that he doesn't normally do when I'm home so I am thinking I need to put him to work! Tomorrow on New Year's day we will be having lunch at the Madison House with my mom and dad to help them celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary. They spent their honeymoon in New Orleans all those many years ago.

Tuesday, December 27

Christmas at Grandma Peg's - Luke, Lily, Lincoln & Mylee

Lily with Santa

Luke looks worried, but I think he knows he can count on Grandma & Pop Pop if the Santa thing doesn't work out!

Shorty loved her Frosty squeak toy without stuffing!

I think Evelyn is getting a little tired of Grandma and her camera!

But she just looked so doggone cute in her little sun dress and lei.

For crying out loud Grandma, enough already!

Hard to believe that my month in Hawaii is almost up and I will be heading back to winter in Ohio. I really do like winter and I don't mind the snow or even the cold (well not the real cold) but I really hate the gray skies. I must say it is pretty hard to be depressed in the sunshine no matter what the temperature. Any way, we had a really nice Christmas day, walked to the pool only to find out that it was closed, but it was a nice walk just the same. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries and ice cream for dessert. Yesterday we had lunch at the Dixie Grille for some authentic southern style pulled pork and today we ate a more sensible salad bar and sliders at Ruby Tuesdays. Tomorrow for Sara's birthday we are planning to drive down to Waikiki and eat at Duke's where they have an awesome breakfast buffet. I don't fly out until 8:37 pm so I plan to make the most of our last day. It will be nice to get home and see everyone. Sara is probably ready for me to leave, she is doing a great job as a mommy and Evelyn is helping out by being a really good baby (most of the time!).

Friday, December 23

Our pretty little "pu'alani" princess is 3 weeks old today.

Sugar Cookies and Ginger Snaps

Proud Mommy and Baby Evelyn

Happy 3 week birthday to Evelyn and a Happy Birthday to Grandma Peg, she has finally caught up with me. We are now the same age! (at least until May) Can't believe that 5 years ago we were having Luke baptized. Hard to believe all that has happened in that short 5 years, both good and not so good. I like to think the good has overshadowed those not so good happenings. Luke is growing into a fine little pre-schooler, Lily is just as cute as a button and her MRI's continue to give us good news and little Evelyn is perfect in every way as well. Mr. B continues to improve and is becoming more confident about his independence each and every day. There is a lot to be thankful for.

It feels pretty good knowing that my Christmas gifts have all been given out already. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend with friends and family. I will miss being at home but am so glad to be able to be here with Sara and the baby. What a wonderful gift.

Thursday, December 22

The only paved trail at the Lyon Arboretum

Then the trail was gravel before it became slippery red mud.

These are our outside Christmas decorations!

Another beautiful day in paradise! Today we visited the Lyon Arboretum in Honolulu. It is run by the University of Hawaii and is over 200 acres of rain forest. It is really pretty but the trails are not very well maintained so it was hard to get the stroller around as they had gotten some really hard rains earlier. We walked where we could and I did a 30 minute loop by myself. The trails were similar to the Manoa Falls Trail which is near by, very steep and slippery but very beautiful. Evelyn slept the entire time. Tomorrow we are baking cookies.

Wednesday, December 22

Heading out for a day at the Aloha Tower Center.

The park at Hickham Airforce Base.

Hickham beach with the airport and Diamond Head in the background.

All worn out at the end of the day!

Time is flying by. I can't believe that it is almost Christmas. Today it was the rainiest morning yet but around noon it started to clear and we decided that we would ride down to the Aloha Tower to have lunch at Don Ho's. We were so disappointed when we learned that Don Ho's went out of business last July and it is now the Lanai Restaurant. We didn't see anything we liked on the menu so we ate at the Gordon Biersch next door. I stopped at the Ukulele store to buy a new song book before we headed back home. Later we took Shorty and Evelyn over to the beach at Hickham Airforce Base. After wearing Shorty out we came back home and called it a day.

Tuesday, December 20

Boarding the Christmas trolley

Shaka and Mrs. Claus

Shaka Santa had bermuda shorts on.

This is for Luke, a tree decorated with Angry birds, he calls them Dirty Birds.

Kung Fu Panda eating noodles.

Frosty and his family celebrating in Honolulu.

Back on the trolley and heading for home.

Last night was a beautiful evening. The rain held off and it was very mild with temps around 75. We boarded the trolley on the Pearl Harbor Navy base and rode into Honolulu with the "crazy driver" her description not mine. We sang Christmas songs all the way and each time we stopped at a traffic light she rang the trolley bell and we waved to the cars around us. The kids on the trip were loving every minute and when we got to the center of town we could see the lights on the grounds around the Hawaiian Palace. We had an hour to get off the trolley and walk around to see the decorations and all of the lights. Shaka Santa was available in the ginger bread house but the line was very long and Evelyn was sound asleep so we took a picture and thought we could photo shop Evie in later. They had a festival of trees and a wreath contest with some very unique entries. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Sunday, December 18

Making our pouty faces!

This is more like our little princess.

Hello to all my fans out there!

Today was rainy pretty much all day. It did clear a little around lunch and we drove to Ruby Tuesday's for soup and salad. I saw a little of the Brown's game while we were there but knew enough not to get too excited that they were actually winning because when we got home I saw the final score and they ended up losing in the last 5 minutes 17-20. At least they are consistent! Tomorrow we have tickets for a special Christmas trolley into Honolulu to see the lights downtown. I'm really excited and hoping that the rain holds off. We are hoping that Evelyn will see Shaka Santa who actually arrived in Waikiki last week by paddle boat. Like I said before, it is a little harder to get into the spirit of Christmas in a tropical climate when you are used to cold weather and snow but this is still a very special Christmas and I am thankful everyday as I hold our little Christmas gift in my arms. Look for pictures of Christmas in Honolulu in my next post.

Thursday, December 15

Tummy time is a physical workout for the baby after she eats that gets her to learn to use her muscles.

Evelyn does much better at moving when she is mad. The object is for baby to kick against your hands to move herself forward.

She did really good for Charlotte, she just wanted to chill when we tried.

Shorty thought she would try a little tummy time too.

I can't hardly believe that Evelyn will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. Evy is doing fine. Today the visiting nurse came to talk with Sara and check on Evelyn. Sara and Matt were given the choice of going in to the clinic for a check up or having the nurse come to the house. I am glad they chose the latter. Charlotte, our nurse was great. She was so helpful with lots of tips and information. She was very thorough and spent an hour examining Evelyn and showing us how to do "tummy time" and sharing her knowledge with us. She was so nice and very good at her job. Evelyn is back to her birth weight at 7 lbs and 11 ounces which meant she has gained an ounce a day since her 3 day check up. She also measured 20 inches long, nearly 2 inches longer that when she was born. Of course I am not convinced how acurately they can measure a newborn baby when their knees are tucked up under their chin! One thing Charlotte stressed was for Sara to take it easy. She spiked a fever today which may indicate that she is over taxing her body. So for a while any way, no more outings.

Tuesday, December 13

Evelyn has her "Auntie loves me" t-shirt on today

I think she is growing right before our eyes.

It rained really hard last night and there was a lot of very uncharacteristic thunder on the island of Oahu. This morning the news was reporting a landslide on the H-1 interstate north of Honolulu that was slowing down the morning commute into the city. However, the day is shaping up to be one of the nicest days so far. We mailed out the rest of our Christmas cards and the birth announcements and then did a little shopping at Target. Now we are just relaxing at home.

Monday, December 12

Evelyn got a rocking horse from her Aunt Trish and Uncle Chad, Luke & Lily.

She may have to get a little older to really enjoy it.

This is Evelyn's favorite sleeping poses. We call her "touch down" Evy

Grandma and Evelyn rocking each other to sleep. Works every time!

Talked to Andy today after he had attended the Madison County Retired Teachers luncheon. Thank you Barb H for providing his transportation. He said the meal was great and very filling. He sounded like he really enjoyed seeing everyone. It has been 2 weeks since he had been anywhere. Our friend Sharon did stop by yesterday to deliver a pizza so there is little chance that he is going to starve. He told me that he has so much food that he can't decide what to eat. Here in Hawaii we are settling into a routine. It's called, eat, sleep and poop and not always in that particular order. Evelyn is a really good baby and doesn't really cry much. She doesn't like to have her butt wiped with the wet wipes and she hates it when we try to put a shirt over her head. Today we went to the post office and to the Exchange on Hickham Airbase. It is a lot less crowded than the Navy Exchange and has a lot of the same things. We ate at the food court and had some Baskin Robbins before heading back home. It is nice to get out and Evelyn usually sleeps the entire time but Sara still gets a little worn out each time when she is on her feet too long. Time seems to be flying by and I still don't have much of a tan. I also haven't lost any weight and probably won't if I eat ice cream every day!

Thursday, December 8

Our little Hawaiian Princess with her plumeria flower

This morning's rainbow

A family photo.

What a beautiful day. Shorty and I saw a rainbow on our walk this morning over our favorite hill ending down by Pearl Harbor. I like to think it may be the stairway to heaven for those who were intered in the harbor yesterday with their shipmates at both the USS Arizona and the USS Utah. They interviewed several of the survivors last night on the news and they were commenting on how each year the number of survivors is dwindling and that they are going to disband the Survivors Organization because they can no longer find any one to serve as officers for the group. It will remain as a social group. I think the youngest survivors are 88 years old and the speakers yesterday were talking about the importance of passing on their stories so that the next generation will have a better understanding of what occurred 70 years ago in Pearl Harbor.

Today is Matt's last day on leave and he will be heading back to Bahrain tonight at 11 p.m. This morning we had a photo shoot here at home to get some pictures of Evelyn and her daddy. We also got to FaceTime Luke & Lily which is always pretty interesting and lots of laughs.