Snapshots from Hawaii 2010, Part II.

Beautiful rainbow (photo taken by my mother-in-law on her morning walk)


Armed with my NY Times crossword puzzle - ready for a day at the pool!


Robert and his mother


Humpback whale splashing just out from our beach! It's awfully hard to get a good picture, but we saw a lot of whale sprays, tail slaps and even an occasional out-of-the-water breach. The humpback whales migrate from Alaska to the warm waters off Hawaii this time of year to have their babies


Dorothy and her friend Katie reading by the pool


Looking across the pool and out to the ocean


"Don't look now, but my annoying mother is trying to take a picture of the boys table at Happy Hour."


Adults at Happy Hour, with the boys table to the left (at this point we were also joined by three more friends from Dallas)


Hockey Boy, Jeffrey, Hockey Boy's good friend from Dallas Robert, Robert's dad John, my husband (also Robert) and me after Happy Hour. Hockey Boy's friend has just figured out that his dad was pulling his leg when he told him that the drinking age in Hawaii was 18


Sunset from our room

Snapshots from Hawaii 2010, Part I.

Will and Dots on the flight to Maui. Robert and I were directly across the aisle from them. Except for being toward the front of the plane, these were possibly the worst seats on the plane: they reclined ½" at best and backed up to the bathroom! We arrived fairly late at night. My mother flew from Jackson Hole and was waiting for us when we landed. Robert's mother arrived several hours later


Out for a pleasant early morning walk along the beachfront path: our friend Jeffrey from Dallas, Hockey Boy, Robert and my mom


Looking up at the resort from the beach: heavenly!


Robert and Dots receiving instructions before venturing out on a father/daughter kayak ride with our friends Jeff and Katie


Heading out to sea


My mom, me and Robert having lunch by the pool


My favorite time of day: afternoon happy hour! (left to right, our friends from Dallas Julie and Jeff, me, my mom, Robert's mom and Robert)


Dots enjoyed catching up with friends from home on the hotel computer


Sunset view from our room


Dots and me relaxing in the lobby while Robert pulls the car around to take us to dinner. This evening ended up being a bit of a disaster. We had reservations at 7:30, but didn't get seated until 8:15. By the time someone came to take our order, it was 8:45 and the kids were falling asleep at the table and the rest of us were ready to call it an evening as well. I believe that's one of the only times in my life I've ever gotten up and left a restaurant! Very disappointing as it was a place we've eaten before and enjoyed


Hockey Boy the next morning - up bright and early and ready for a day at the beach


Dots overlooking the hotel pools - have I mentioned she got braces a couple of weeks ago?


Dots enjoying lunch with her two grandmothers at the hotel bistro


Dinner with our friends from Dallas at Matteo's Pizzeria


The restaurant's tip jar that my mom thought was funny!


Mothers and daughters after dinner - my friend Hopsy from Monograms and Manicures got this top for me at the Lilly warehouse sale. Isn't it fabulous?

The banyan tree.

In front of the courthouse in the historic old whaling town of Lahaina, there is a beautiful banyan tree that covers two-thirds of an acre. It has become our tradition in the years that we've visited Hawaii to take a picture of Will and Dots in front of the tree. It's fun to look back and see how much they grown and changed.


2005


2006


2008 - I can't fathom how Will squirmed his way out of the banyan tree picture this year, but somehow he is not in it


Here's a picture of Will in Hawaii in 2008, albeit not in front of the banyan tree but with his sister and cousins Jed and Matt back at the resort


2009


2010

Dorothy, I've a feeling we're not in Hawaii anymore.

We had a fabulous time in Hawaii (thanks for all the well wishes), but reentry has been a little difficult. See if these pictures give you a clue as to why!


Last pictures taken in Hawaii: view from our room


Another angle of the view from our room


View from our house the morning after we got home


Another angle showing the gate across our driveway


And yet another view, this one of the front of our house

Are you getting the picture? Do you remember the song from Sesame Street "One of these things is not like the other"?

For the first day of spring in Dallas, this was a lot of snow to fall in one night. I'm happy to report that this unexpected snow was gone within 24 hours, but alas, I retain the definite feeling that we're not in Hawaii anymore!

More pictures and details coming soon

Aloha!

We leave for Hawaii today for Spring Break!

Vivian is staying home with one of her wonderful teachers so I have been busy writing instructions and getting things ready for them in addition to packing for the rest of us.

I'll try to post some pictures while we're gone. I gave up "extraneous spending" for Lent, though, so be forewarned that my clothes are the same ones I wore last year. {smile}

Aloha!

My sneaky girl.

I received this email from Vivian's teacher last week. Robert and I got the biggest kick out of it! Now her teacher reports that Vivian is dismissed to go to art by herself each day (with her aide tailing her from a distance). This is a huge step toward our goal of more independence!

Eloise,
Just wanted to let you know Vivian "snuck" out of class today and yesterday. It was time for art class, and apparently the other students were not moving fast enough for her, so she left. She did tell everyone twice it was time to go and she did look back at Ms. Duncan and me through the small window in the door before she left, so maybe sneak is not exactly the right word. LOL Anyway, I followed Vivian at a distance and she walked to the art room, entered, sat down and began working. I was very impressed at her maneuvering the hallway, it was crowded with other 7th/8th graders going to class.

Wasn't it last year you received the notice of her failing art? Now we can't keep her from going. I love it!


My happy, if sneaky, artist

Long live the Queen!

My mother sent me these pictures in an email. As a lover of history and a bona fide Anglophile (not to mention someone who was certain as a child that she had royal blood), I found them absolutely fascinating.

Long live the Queen, indeed!


















Love her ball gown! (And it goes without saying that Jackie looks fabulous)



Can you spot who's missing?

A wee bit of Googling indicates that LBJ and Queen Elizabeth II never met.