MAUI Wowee!

Well, I decided to spare the blog readers of  a million pictures of me and Don in front of the tropical sunset. This post is just going to be the basics about what we did and what we ate and what we would recommend to our friends. 

1. Our Hotel- Hyatt Regency.  Loved it, but it is a BIG resort.  Fabulous gardens with pink flamingos, penguins, parrots, and swans.  Fabulous art, views, concierge was great.  The location seemed to be perfect.  We could walk along the ocean front path that goes in front of all of the big resorts in that area.  The shopping, dining and water sports area was a short stroll away.  The restaurants and bar offer as much ambiance as I had dreamed of, and they have servers who take orders at the pool.  The food by the pool was spectacular!  I was impressed.  The downsides are few, but if I had to say a few...Very crowded pool, hard to find a chair by the pool (but we always got one), not a ton of umbrellas around pool, not exactly a "nap by the pool" atmosphere.  I had a hard time reading my book and napping because it was so lively.  But, I did have friends with me each day, so maybe I wasn't in the mode to nap.  The hotel served Pepsi products- bummer for a Diet Coke addict.  And finally, there are definite Asian themes in the decor of the hotel, and in keeping with that, the beds are extremely low.  They are almost like cots on the floor- no box springs, just mattresses on these cool Asian bed frames.  It was very comfortable, but we both found ourselves commenting on these "damn low beds"!  We had drinks at the Swan Court restaurant in the hotel.  It is touted as the most romantic location in Maui.  There is a lagoon like area with swans swimming around and the ocean beyond that.  It was romantic, but I liked the outdoor bar better.  And a few people ate there and said it was disappointing.  We never ate at the sushi restaurant in the hotel- Japengo, but the views alone would have made it enjoyable for me!!  I realized that I am at least 50% in for the atmosphere.  I mean, it is the tropics, let's have some palm trees and sunsets!!  One last note on the hotel, we had a partial view of the ocean, and it was fine.  We spent very little time in our room, and unless you are springing for the Presidential suite, I'd save that money to spend on something else!

2.  Places we ate-  Farm Bureau had meals for us on three nights, so we didn't have a lot of time to try the local cuisine.  But, two out of three of our choices will be with me forever!!  The least favorite- Sansei sushi.  Great reviews and food, but no view.  We tried some adventurous things, and I thought the food was GREAT.  I just want a view.
-Everyone wonders if Mama's Fish House is worth it.  And I can wholeheartedly say YES!  It was one of my favorite experiences on Maui.  The drive there was fun- sugar cane fields, cute villages, surfers etc...And Mama's was FAB!  The food was excellent.  This is their famous dessert The Black Pearl!

It was great!  But the atmosphere was what I loved.  The most picturesque beach front location with open air seating and Hawaiian decor.  The service is excellent, and it is just hard to believe that there is really a place that beautiful in the world!!  But, beware, it is very expensive.  Too expensive to even justify, but I considered it  like admission to the most beautiful spot in Hawaii!  You gotta go!!  Critics say it is too touristy, but I am sensitive to that, and I didn't think so. 

-OK, I know you want to know where this is!  Merriman's!  AHHHHH, Merriman's!  This was our favorite!!  Arrive before sunset and enjoy wine from the wine bar while watching the sunset!  This place is at Kapalua where there is some famous PGA Golf Tournament, and I wouldn't have been shocked if Tiger Woods had walked in- it is the kind of place where you EXPECT to see famous people!! The food was incredible.  We dined on the lanai, and it was just Magical!!  Expensive, too, but not quite as bad as Mama's!

This is the front of the restaurant!  Nice!!  Also, loved the Hula Grill. It was just down from our hotel.  Great food and views- less expensive, more casual...
The rest of our meals were either Farm Bureau events or room service- we did that once when we were too tired to go out!
3.Activities-  We didn't do many!  Some people had stuff planned all day, every day, but we did a lot of poolside relaxing!  But we did go Whale Watching!!

I even bought the hat to prove I did it!  I got a little woosy and decided that it wasn't very fun for me, but everyone else seemed to enjoy!  Don LOVED it!! 
We did see some whales- incredible!!  Other things people in our group did...
-zip lining- if you are the kind of person who likes that kind of thing then you will love it.  Some people went because they felt like they should, and they didn't enjoy it.
- the road to Hana.  We were on the fence on this.  It is a guidebook must see, but it takes a whole day to do it right.  And most people in our group seemed to think that they were disappointed that they had spent a whole day in the car.  It is a treacherous drive with lots of twists and turns. 
-Surf lessons, the girls who did this loved it, but they are very sporty.
- GOLF- everyone liked the golf and the views.  One of our friends played several courses, and his favorite was Kapalua.  Who knows if I spelled that right! 

OK, so I might add more later, but I have to go take Sydney to her Talent Show Rehearsal!!  Aloha!

Aloha!

Aloha!  We are jet lagged and delirious from sleep deprivation, but I had to post a few pics from our trip to Hawaii! I am sure that I will have to do another post as I go through the 560 jillion shots from our vacation!
As I write this post, at 12:45 AM, I am waiting for Don to return from a late night ballgame in Memphis.  Paxton's game started at 9:45 tonight!  So, we hope Don will arrive safely home by 1:30 in the morning!!  He is a devoted father and fan! 

There is a five hour time difference between Arkansas and Hawaii.  And honestly, I never really adjusted.  The reentry wouldn't have been so hard except that we were up for 24 hours straight on our trip home!  If you are planning a trip to Hawaii, I suggest giving yourself a few days to recover when you get home!  And, I would consider staying a night or two in San Francisco or LA to break up the trip.  For us, the second leg of the journey was really tough- we were on a full flight, and there never seemed to be enough air conditioning or leg room!  I did manage to get us Exit Row seats on the way home, which made a HUGE difference!! 

Here is a pic of Don at he Luau!  We arrived at bedtime on our first day, spent the second day by the pool, and went to the Welcome Luau on our second night!  It set the tone for fun and was a beautiful ocean front setting!  The palm trees were uplit with bright colored lights and the flowers were incredible!

These little cuties were there to greet us at the party!

And the entertainment was a very fun Hula and Fire Eater routine!  There was also Hawain music! 

This is blurry, but I loved the palms lit in different colors!!  It is a BEAUTIFUL place!  And we had the best time!  I will be back with more as soon as I can sort through the camera!  Don just walked in- Home at 1:15! He is operating on fumes!!  Aloha!!

A Day at the Zoo

We had quite a few fun excursions over Spring Break!  One of my favorites was a day at the Memphis Zoo with some of my friends and their cute little kiddies!  I didn't get a shot with all faces pointed towards me, but this was at the beginning of the big day!  It was COOOOOLD!  I had to wrap John Stephen in a blanket!

We saw lots of animals! 

Climbed up on statues that we were not supposed to sit on!

Ate a few snacks!

Saw tons of people we knew...and some we didn't know!

And napped in the stroller!

At the end of the day we were all still having fun!  I am so glad that we got to spend a fun day with these friends!  I am even more glad that I got to stay up until 1:30 in the morning laughing with their Mommas!!

Let's get this party started...

YooHoo!  Just checking in to let you know that it's SPRING BREAK!  We have been so busy that I haven't gotten my camera out much.  On Friday night Pax had a pitching lesson, so Saturday morning we headed to the FEMA Dreama for the first time since fall!  We made it there in time for breakfast with the family on the porch- delish!  It was kind of chilly up there.  We had had a few days hovering around 80*, but Saturday was overcast and cool.  The kids played wiffle ball while I tried to rig up very sophisticated window treatments out of beach towels for the camper.  We spent the night and loaded up on Sunday morning to head on home.  Sunday night we cooked a little at the house...

Sydney helped me make a Key Lime Pie!  Normally I do not squeeze the juice myself, but WalMart didn't have Key Lime juice in a bottle, and I wasn't up for an extra stop at another store.  After squeezing those little suckers I realized I should have run in Hay's to get the bottled stuff!

Don wanted me to take a pic of the table.  I hadn't even put out the silverware yet, but you get the idea...Shrimp Boil.  We boil the shrimp outside on the burner on our grill.  No smell.  But, John Stephen wanted to go see what Daddy was doing! 

After dinner the kids collasped on the couch.  It is rare to see John Stephen relaxin' like this.  And Sydney doesn't suck her thumb- not sure what she's doing...

  I

Fun Weekend!

In other news...

Diet Coke has now replaced Pepsi as the number 2 soft drink in America (or something like that)! 

Here I am enjoying a DC while John Stephen simultaniously empties my potato bin and the drawer of bakeware in my kitchen!  This is not an uncommon early morning activity for us...

I'll check back in soon we have some fun things planned for the rest of the week.  Hope you are having a fun Spring Break wherever you are!

America's Favorite Pastime

Hello Blogosphere!  Are any of you holding your eyelids open with toothpicks like I am?  Daylight Savings Time Kicks My Booty!!  Well, Daylight Savings Time compounded by an EARLY morning baseball game in Memphis!  We were crossing the "new bridge" this morning as the sun was rising! 

This weekend was our first competitive baseball tournament!  Great, but lots of work/commitment from the ENTIRE family!  5 games in three days, hour and a half drive to the field, snack bar meals, and an active toddler strapped into his stroller for WAY TOO LONG!  The good news is that I think we have learned a few things after this weekend that will make future tournaments easier. 

Sydney spent part of the day on Saturday at a fashion expo where someone put lovely ringlets into her hair, and she also scored a pair of PINK SUNGLASSES!  Cutie.  Her future is so bright she's gotta wear shades :)! 

John Stephen was dressed for the occasion in his new Target "Faux-bees"! 

The team won 3 games and lost 2!  Pretty good for our first weekend competing!  And I must say that the competitive tournaments are run like a well-oiled machine, which is good if you are spending your whole weekend at the ballpark! 

Here is our boy, BIG'N.  I am mortified.I am so happy that the new team has accepted Pax as one of their own, and bestowed upon him a nickname!  This team has been together a while so we are thrilled that Pax seems to fit in and has made friends so easily.  As he stepped up to the plate on Friday night I heard the boys in the dugout calling out, "Go get 'um, BIG'N"  "Knock it out, BIG'N"  "Allright, BIG'N".  Hopefully this nickname will not stick.  Because I cannot have a husband named "Big Daddy" and a stepson named "Big'N"!!  I seriously can't! 

Hope the Springing Forward hasn't been too hard on you! 

The Methodists vs. The Baptists

No, this post is not about weighing the doctrines of the Baptist Church against those of the Methodist Church!  Sorry to disappoint, but this is WAY more fun!  Church League Basketball!!  Both Pax and Syd have been playing on the Methodist teams this winter, and this past weekend was the HIGHLY COMPETITIVE tournament! This event brings out droves of people- even if they don't have children competing! 

Sydney was the only girl on her team this year, and she was so good!  Sadly, Sydney's team lost on Friday night.  But, they had improved so much from the first few games.  Sydney is highly competitive, and she did tune up and cry over the defeat.  What do you say?  I told her it was supposed to be fun and that she had done her best.  That is when she began to cry harder and said that "we NEVER won a game all year!"  OK, so maybe she has a point.  I let her chose where we would have dinner and we managed to move on.

Telling the Ref and the Coach all about it!!

MeMe didn't miss a game!  She was so proud to see Sydney's trophy, and she EVEN cheered for the Methodist's if they were playing against her own Baptist Church team! 

John Stephen was a trooper on Saturday night!  Paxton's team won after SIX OVERTIMES!  It was so exciting!  Everyone was cheering- you would have thought we were in Barnhill Arena cheering on the Hogs! 
So here they are- the CHAMPIONS!

Last year we lost the tournament to the Baptist's so this year the boys were going in to win!  What a fun way for the churches to come together. 

Now it is time for the REALLY competitive stuff!  Baseball.  Paxton LOVES baseball!  And it is gearing up right now!  There was a tournament this past weekend that got rained out, but the weather looks like it is going to cooperate for the coming weekend.  And we will be ready!  Paxton has been going to regular practices, as well as taking a few private lessons from a pitching coach.  This family takes their sports SERIOUSLY!  It has surprised me how much I love these sporting events- especially the baseball games! Who would've thunk it? 

I'll be back soon with signs of spring around here!! Hope you feel like a Champion today!!

Baby Needs a New Pair of Jammies!

Anybody with a Toddler out there?  Well, let me say that John Stephen is not really wild about wardrobe changes!  I am sure some of you have been through this before!  He kicks, wiggles, flops, whines etc...everytime we change his clothes or diaper!  I have learned that singing a song while changing diapers works wonders (thanks for the advice, Mom), but even the BEST rendition of Old McDonald won't get us through a full outfit change!  As a result...sometimes we cave!

If you see a little boy running around in his diaper in my yard this summer, don't call DHS!

Oh, and if you see a little boy with long hair and a pony tail at my house...again, DON"T call DHS!  We are just about to break down and cut the hair!  I will probably need counseling to get through it, but I SWEAR we are getting there!!

This is John Stephen watching TV this morning.  Interesting lounging position!  You can tell I let him wear his jammies too much...

Oh Brother!  I am unfit!  We have SPRUNG THE TOE OF OUR JAMMIES!!   I will be making a trip to Children's Place soon for a new assortment.  And hopefully, somebody will get a better attitude about changing clothes!