Seriously amazing

So, my week has beed a little hectic and needless to say I've gotten behind on my thankful posts, so we will move on to a vacay update.

Hawaii is amazing. It's actually nothing like I imagined. But, amazing nonetheless. We traveled all day yesterday. Aidenn was surprisingly fantastic to travel with. We got to the airport at 6:45 am and he played for a bit. We left for Atlanta at 830 and he fell asleep during takeoff.

I woke him up in Atlanta and we ran through the airport. I had enough time to get his diaper changed and eat a Cliff bar before getting on the next plane. We sat next to this super cut old lady on her way to Cali to visit the grandkids. A played the entire 5 hrs to LAX. He was the entertainment of the plane and had a great time. He was absolutely amazed with the tvs in the seats. He ate pretzels, kicked back, and made a 5 hr flight look like nothing. When we got to LAX, he made a friend that chased him around the entire terminal. We quickly got his diaper changed and had a snack and got on our next plane. The last 6 hrs of our trip.

Word of advice: I love Delta, but would absolutely not recommend them from LA to Kona. Teeny tiny plane that is super overcrowded. A's new friend sat across from us and literally screamed the whole way. The dad just put on his headphones and watched Californication. Luckily, A fell asleep and was out for the first 3 hours of the flight.

I loved that after each flight I got great compliments on how well behaved he is. How sweet he is. How smart he is. How beautiful he is. It makes for one proud mama.

Aidenn was so happy to see my parents. They had a lei for me and a flower for him. He loved it and literally smelled it until he passed out in the car.



We ended up going to bed pretty early since they are 6 hrs behind here and we had a very busy day. I was surprised that A slept til 630, but it was nice.

Day 1 of our trip was amazing! We played on the porch this morning. Here is the view:



Supposedly, today is not normal and usually it's much clearer. But, it's still pretty breathtaking. We took the dogs to the fruit stand and got breakfast at Lava Java. Then spent the day at the Hilton. The pools there are amazing. They are absolutely freezing, but so much fun. We played at the beach pool. It's a kiddie pool filled with sand that connects to the regular pool. The regular pool had three different sections, waterfalls, slides, 3 hot tubs, and more. And this is just one of the pools at the hotel.

A loved the beach pool, so we spent the majority of the day filling buckets with sand, putting sand on the turtles, and jumping.



So far, I've learned:
1. A rainy day doesn't actually mean that it's going to rain. It just means it's not clear out. And this is only the 2nd time in 7 months it's been cloudy.
2. Graffiti isn't spraypainted on walls. People use white rocks on the lava to draw pics, write messages, and more.

3. Ruths Chris is totally overpriced, but great when you eat for free. I'm pretty sure we will eat there a couple times.
4. Aidenn likes island time. He was up at 630, napped at 1030, and in bed at 7.
5. You can get anything you want for free, as long as you know the right people. We have daypasses to all of the top rated resorts because my dad likes to network. He is also getting us tickets to a couple luau's and passes to the volcano.
6. Hawaii, or at least The Big Island, looks nothing like I imagined. It's all lava pits that turn into amazing resorts that are world renowned. It is beautiful. It feels like you are on another planet.

That's it for now. But, will definitely continue to update about this amazing trip that we are so lucky to be on. Now to go snuggle with my sweet boy.

Day 13 {my home}

It might not be much. A 1-bedroom apartment can get really crowded really quickly with a toddler hanging around. But, I'm thankful that I'm not living on the street somewhere.

I can't wait to get the big beautiful house of my dreams. With the perfectly landscaped yard. The white picket fence. The columned doorway. The brick driveway big enough to turn around in. The master bedroom on the main floor. The nursery connected to the master so that it's easier to take care of baby.

But, until then, I will pretend that my teeny tiny 1-bedroom apartment is all that and more and be thankful for what I do have.

Day 12 {dark rooms}

I have had a migraine all day. And my migraines are pretty awful. Throwing up with movement, light, sound, or the threat of all of the above. So, it's pretty hard to take care of a 1 year old while it's going on. Of course, it started to back off earlier, so I decided to try to clean. Not a good idea. The cleaner made it come on even stronger than before.

So tonight, as A drinks his milk and watches Yo Gabba Gabba, I'm extremely thankful for my very dark room. Hopefully I will feel better in the morning.

Day 11 {Our Troops}

My Papa was in the army. My brother is in the Coast Guard. My step sister is in the Coast Guard. I love this country and am so thankful for my family that helps to keep our freedoms.

Today, on Veteran's Day, we celebrate the freedoms we are allowed because of the troops that fight for our freedoms every day. A veteran is anyone that signed that paper saying they are willing to give their life so I can live mine. It doesn't matter how long they have served, the fact that they served was enough.

I am so thankful for our troops.

Day 10 {Pumpkin}

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm not terribly fond of this time of year. I don't like cold weather. I despise snow when I have to be out in it. I don't care about the leaves changing colors. I hate the fact that it's light out in the mornings and I can't sleep in.

The best thing about Fall has got to be pumpkin. Coffee, pie, muffins, bread, donuts, and everything else. It is one of my favorite things ever. Even in an iced coffee (3 pumps with skim milk and sugar please), it has a warming feeling that overcomes me. The smell of pumpkin makes me want to sit in front of a fire in super warm pjs all day long. I'm in love with pumpkin.

Day 9 {sleeping in}

It seems like a lot of my posts are about sleeping. But, really, I think it's just because I'm thankful when I actually get it since usually we are not good sleepers over here.

Last night, Aidenn finally went to bed at 1130. Yes, my 1 year old is out of control. I put him in his crib for the first time in weeks because I had to try to get some rest myself last night. I finally went to bed at 1 and knew I'd be regretting it this am. When I finally fell asleep, it was even later. Around 3, A is standing up in his crib screaming. So, I get up and let him get in the bed with me. Yet another hour to go back to sleep.

But, luckily, he decided to sleep in today. Usually he is up between 6 and 7. That makes for rough days. But, he slept until a little after 9 this morning and that makes all the difference in the world.

So thankful for sleeping in when I can!

Day 8 {Mommy Friends}

I forgot to hit post yesterday, so you get this a day late :)

My mommy friends have proven to be an amazing group of women over and over again. From finding babysitters, to job searches, to needing someone to talk to at 3 am, to needing a coffee date, to carpooling, to nights out uptown, to anything else you can think of I know I can call any one of them and they will be there. I have made such an amazing group of friends since having A and I don't know what I'd do without them.

It's hard to be one of the first in your group of friends to have a child. Everything changes. And, more often than not, you get left out of a lot of things. To find such an amazing group of mommies that realize that having a child doesn't mean your life is over has been an amazing blessing!