Hawaii

I guess it's about time I post our pictures from Hawaii. It was a great experience. Jackson and I had a hard time being at the beach the whole time but we were able to do other things and had a great time. The weather was great and we didn't get much from the tropical storm. Orion had a great time playing in the pool and the sand. He was swimming so well. He was kicking his legs and scooping his arms. He definitely loves the water. Persephone got better about being in the pool and wasn't so scared. Jackson, Persephone and I got to go to Pearl Harbor while Orion played at the beach with grandma and grandpa. We really enjoyed seeing the USS Arizona memorial (Persephone called it the quiet place) and the USS Missouri. It gave me a great appreciation for my grandpa St Clair. He was there during the attach and I am glad he was OK or I would not have even been born. We really had a great time. The flight was long home and at night. We were very tired but glad to be home.

This is the day we went to Pearl Harbor. Persephone really loved exploring the different things they had around the USS Bowfinger. Only Jackson got to go on that because they won't let little kids.

These are pictures from the USS Arizona memorial. It was a truly humbling experience. We had to be very quiet because it is considered a grave site. People were cutting up lei's and dropping the flowers in the water. We could even see the oil still seeping to the surface. They call it "black tears."

The USS Missouri was so fun. It is the ship that the treaty was signed on to end WWII. We got to go to many parts of the ship. We saw bunks, offices, a cafeteria, dish room, and personal quarters. It was so fun and exhausting. It took us about two hours to go through it all and we did it semi fast with Persephone. We ended up having a great time.

Our Vegas Vacation!

Well, we decided that we needed a little vacation to Las Vegas. The kids were really excited and so were we. The drive went better that expected and Persephone did a really good job. We got there around 1 pm. It was really warm outside. We got to see the lions at MGM, M&M World. By the time the first day was over we were all worn out. We went to bed early to get a early start on the next day. We mostly walked around the next day. We got tickets to The Tournament of Kings and Popovich. We were excited to see both. Orion got a lot of sun that day and was not doing to well but he really enjoyed the Tournament show. The next day Orion was not doing to well. He was crabby and itchy all over. We spent a lot of time at the hotel because of it. Persephone and Jackson went to see Popovich. She was ok with it but came out crying (we never found out why). We tried to do what we could but Orion was having a hard time. We left the next day and were glad to be going home. It was so nice to get home and allow the kids to run around and play with their toys. So, not the best vacation but it was nice.

Our Vegas Vacation!

Jackson and I got to go to Las Vegas for three days. It was great we got to talk and enjoy each others company. We missed the kids but knew that we would enjoy them more when we got back. The kids were watched by Rebecca and they were great. They had a wonderful time with her and even got to go play with Ester. It was something Jackson and I needed very much.

Our Big Vacation Continued!

For the last three days of our vacation, other than driving, we went on to Las Vegas. It was really hot, about 107 degrees Fahrenheit. We walked around a lot and got to see only a little Friday night. On Saturday we only took the kids out for a little and then we got to have to evening alone. We got to see the titanic exhibit and the bodies exhibit. Both were really great and educational. After walking around some more we saw a show and headed home. The next day we drove home. It was nice to be home and the kids were happy to be able to move around. It was a really great vacation!

Our Big Vacation!

Well, we went on our big vacation for the year and it was fun. We drove nine hours on Saturday to California. Not so fun with two kids in car seats. We arrived at in the afternoon and got settled in. Then we headed for Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping. It was so nice to be out of the car for all of us. Persephone thought that we were at Disneyland. It was cute! We went to the House of Blues for dinner and then walked around. We really liked the World of Disney store. By 8 pm the kids had had it. So, we headed home.

The next three days we spent at Disneyland and California Adventures! Persephone had a really great time. She loved the rides and she especially loved the characters. On the first day at Disneyland the first ride we rode was Pirates as we left the ride we received Disney Dream Fast passes. Now let me tell you, only about a hand full of people get these each day and you have to be at the right place to even get them. We didn't realize how lucky we were till people started saying things and even tried to buy them off us. Also, we had gotten two for the kids and they weren't going to use them. Well, a dad and his kid offered to take a picture of us and saw our fast passes. He asked were we got them and told us we were lucky. As he walked away. We caught up to him a gave him our two extra ones. I have never seen anyone so happy. He looked like he was going to cry and that really made the rest of our day.

That day Persephone got to meet her most favorite Disney character Ariel. She hugged her and Ariel called her a guppy because she was being shy. She also got to met Goofy, Pluto, Mickey, Minne and Snow white. She saw many others.

Then on the fourth day we went to Universal Studios. We weren't able to do much because the kids were to little. The tour was nice but we could tell that they haven't kept it up and most of it was gone because of the fire. Persephone was so cute when the shark came out of the water. At first she was scared but then she was happy and kept saying "I was the sharky and I say Hi, sharky!" Cute huh? Well, by that point we were worn out and we went home.

On the fifth day we decided to take it easy. So, we went to the Fashion Island mall and then to the beach. The mall was OK and we looked around at some stuff but Persephone was to excited to go to the beach. After we walked around for a while we finally got in the water. That's when it all went downhill. Persephone got cold and sand was everywhere. She freaked when the water got in her mouth. After about an hour it was time to leave. She had had it. Let just say that we won't be going back. So, we went home and showered and had an uneventful evening.

But that was not the end of our vacation............................