Maui Bound!

I decided at the last minute that Esme and I should go to Maui.

The Island Eyes conference is this week and I almost always go.  Several months ago, Aaron and I talked about it and decided that we would skip Maui this year to save money.  Also, it would be fun to go somewhere new.  Aaron and Esme have never been to Portland, so we thought maybe we would go there in the fall instead of Hawaii in the winter.

That all sounds fine and dandy until it's a super cold day in January in Minnesota and other people you know are going to Maui for the conference.  Then it's just a killer!

Part of the reason that the conference in Hawaii each year holds such appeal for me (besides the obvious - January, Winter, MN) is that I get to go for free because we've always had interns from Pacific University at the clinic I work at and Pacific sponsors the conference.  Therefore I am considered faculty.  Last November we said goodbye to our last intern.  So starting in 2014, I will have to pay to go to the conference, about $600.  Another way to read that is - this year would be my last free year.

Normally, we stay at the conference hotel.  My parents usually stay in a condo nearby the same time of year.  They said to me - "if you decide to come, you could stay with us".  Another way to read that is - free housing.

I kept checking the flights and they weren't too bad.  But the Friday before the conference was to start, I looked into frequent flyer miles and I had enough to get my ticket for free.  Again my parents chimed in - "maybe we could use some of our miles to get Esme's ticket".  There was a $400 fee to transfer the miles.  Initially this seemed really high to me until I thought - $400 for two tickets to Hawaii - that's not too bad!

I bought the tickets and away we went!

here we go!

Esme did so well traveling.  When we went through security they gave her TSA stickers and told her she didn't need to take her shoes off.  She was having no part of that, she wanted to take her shoes off just like everyone else.  Later she was telling someone about her flight and she said "at the airport we got to (got to!!!) stand in a really long line that curled back and forth before taking off our shoes and walking through a magic tickle door".  I wasn't sure if she would walk through the metal detector by herself, so I told her it was a tickle door and that it didn't tickle everyone, but she should pay close attention as she walked through to see if she felt any tickles.  Just for the record, she didn't. :)

ready to get on the plane!

So excited for the plane to take off!

the flights go much faster this way...

Finally we got to Maui and Esme was very happy to get off the plane.  Mamoo and Papa were there waiting for us and brought Esme a lei.

As we were walking towards baggage, Esme saw this tree and said "Look Mom, a real palm tree!".  Oh Lord, you haven't seen anything yet, child!  You just wait!

It was late at night when we arrived and we went straight to bed.  I'm so excited for tomorrow when Esme can see the ocean and sand and REAL palm trees!

Littles 2

We're in Littles 2!!!

Esme started swimming lessons last June as a birthday gift from Grandma Gini and she loved her first session - Littles 1.  Because she was only 3, I wasn't surprised when after the first session they recommended that she take Littles 1 again. She was just learning and getting used to the idea of being in the water.  But her second time in Littles 1 wasn't quite as good.  She had two boys in the class and one of them was just unable to pay attention.  He would splash and move all around the lane.  He would grab the noodles and play with them when he wasn't supposed to (which isn't that big of a deal except when he would bonk Esme when it was her turn to swim).  When she was floating on her back, he would tap her toes.  Overall just very distracting for Esme.  Other times the other kid in the class would cry and cry because he didn't want to be there.  She also had a couple of breaks in there where she was sick one week or had time off for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

When they tested her to see if she could move up to Littles 2, she was still suffering a bit from a plugged nose and was not interested in putting her face in the water, a basic requirement for moving on.  Plus, when she did actually get her face in the water, the before mentioned little boy would bonk her in the head with a noodle so she would take her face out of the water!  We were told that she would have to take Littles 1 a third time, but they would watch her and if it seemed like she could move up, they'd move her.

At that point, Aaron suggested that we start taking her swimming on our own more.  So Monday nights we can often be found at either the Maple Grove or the Monticello community centers in their pools.  Esme has loved this and has gotten much more comfortable in the water.  Plus, it's fun family time!

The last day of Littles one, I asked that someone watch her to see if she could move up to Littles 2.  I didn't want to be the mom who requested that her kid move up when they didn't deserve it.  I just felt like Esme could do better and they weren't seeing it because of what was happening in her particular class.  Plus, I figured that in Littles 2, at least some of the kids who didn't want to be there wouldn't.  After watching her, they said they didn't think she was ready but that they would agree to give it a try because on the first day the new instructor would test her anyway.  If that instructor didn't think she was ready, we would have to go back to Littles 1.  I thought that was fair.

Well...  Esme showed up for Littles 2 and ROCKED it!!!  Before class, I told the instructor that we were prepared to go back to Littles 1 if need be.  Half way through the class her teacher, Christy, said "there is no way this child should be in Littles 1" because she was doing so well!  Esme had so much fun during the class she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face and she was super sad when it was over.  So many things were different.  She really liked her new teacher (who obviously has children), there was only one other girl in the class and she's at about the same level as Esme, and now looking back I think Esme was probably a bit bored in the other class.  She had been doing the same thing in class every week for over 20 weeks.  This time she did a lot of new things and seemed happy to be challenged.

At the end of the class we visited with the teacher and she told us that she thought Esme was actually an Advanced Littles 2 and a lot of what we would be working on this session are things that she would be doing in Littles 3.  Yes, Littles 3!!!  Woot, woot!!!

So in celebration, I made a little video about her first lesson.  For those of you that might be computer genius', you might not be that impressed.  But I'm pretty dang impressed with myself for putting together my first real video.  Enjoy!

Anoka Tree

Yesterday I got a call at work from my mom that my dad wasn't feeling well and they had called the Ambulance to come get him and take him to the hospital.  He had a heart attack 20 years ago and it seemed very similar to that.  The ambulance took him to Mercy hospital because they have a great cardiology department there.  I left work a bit early and met them.

By the time I got there, he was feeling better and they weren't really sure whether or not he had another heart attack.  Even today they still don't know but are keeping him in the hospital for some additional tests.

Aaron and Esme met us at the hospital and after awhile we decided to get a bite to eat.  We went to Anoka and parked right next to this -

Downtown Anoka has this delightful tree decorated for Christmas.  Esme thought it was the most beautiful tree she had ever seen.  It really was pretty spectacular, especially with a little help from Instagram.

Anyway, we'll know more Monday about how Dad's doing after his tests.  Then hopefully he can get back home and recover in his own space.  My guess is that they'll probably tell him to eat vegetables, lots and lots of them... :)

Writing to Santa

Today Esme wrote a letter to Santa.  I hope he can deliver!

In the top two pictures you may see a little brown horse on the table.  That is Sneeze and Esme just got him today a few hours before she wrote her letter.  She wanted him to be a friend to her other horse at home. That horse has never had a name, but she decided that she wanted the new one to be Sneeze and the one at home to be Hachoo.  How sweet is that?!?  After she mailed her letter, we went upstairs and looked at Christmas ornaments/decorations because they were on sale.  We found a lot of cute ornaments and even some flannel sheets since we were in the home department.  But we lost Sneeze.  We didn't realize it until we were in another store and by the time we got back we couldn't find him.  Esme was really sad.  But we told her that since Sneeze was lost in the Christmas area of the store, maybe Santa found him and could bring him home.  So now I had better go get a new Sneeze so Santa really can deliver! :)

Funny Toes

A couple of months ago Esme was sitting on the sofa watching television and playing with her feet.  I looked over and watched what she was doing because she was being very deliberate.  Finally I asked her what she was doing.

"Mom, I'm making my toes like yours!"  

yay...

Half Birthday

Esme got to celebrate her half birthday at preschool today.  Who knew that they do this for summer birthday kids?  Not me!

We're supposed to send a treat.  It has to be prepackaged.  I just assumed food so I sent fruit chewies for her that were in the shape of Tinkerbell.  Some other mom sent sunglasses.  The kind that are in the party favor area of the store for kid's birthdays.  What a great idea!  Maybe something that I should have thought of, yes???  Maybe next year!

It snowed a little bit today...