Hawaii Adventures!

We just returned from beautiful, sunny Hawaii!  We enjoyed our first Egan Family Vacation!  It was a treat to have 10 solid days together in such an amazing place. 

We flew into Kauai on 2/12 and were greeted at the baggage claim by G-ma & G-pa.  After several hours of travel and toddler entertaining, it was great to see some friendly faces.  They drove us back to our VRBO about 45 mins away.  It was perfect.  A whole house to ourselves, surrounded by lush trees, and plants.  They had an avocado tree right outside with a swing in it.  The avocados from that tree were perfectly ripe and buttery, and didn't brown up right away either.  Mmmm!

The three of us explored the house while the Kims went back to the airport to pick up Uncle Jesse & Emily.  We all made it!  Success!  We celebrated with pizza and drinks, and hit the sack early to get ready for the next day.

The first day we went to kick the Kalalau Trail.  I carried Anora up the rocky path in my kangaroo pouch (you can barely see the top of her head in the pic above).  We made it to some beautiful lookout spots, and then headed back down with G-ma & G-pa.  We played and sunned ourselves on the beach while Ben, Jesse, & Emily continued on the trail.  They said it had amazing views and some cool wild cats along the path.  When Ben came down, he was in rough shape.  He had some sort of allergic reaction - possibly to the orange he ate- and his face was all puffy and he broke out in a rash.  He was able to throw up the orange and said he immediately felt better.  After we got some Benedryl in him, he was pretty much back to normal, but it sure gave us a scare!  That night we grilled and chilled back at the house.

The second day (Valentine's day) we scoped out another (windy!) beach.  Getting to this beach was quite the adventure, complete with bumpy dirt roads.  We felt like we were on a rollercoaster for a good 3-5 miles.  But it sure was pretty once we arrived.  Anora, G-ma and myself played on the beach, while everyone else explored the Makauwahi Cave!  They said it was really amazing inside, complete with blind spiders.  They had gone 20 years ago on their last visit to Hawaii, so it was cool they got to see it again with new eyes.  There was also a turtle reserve that we all got to see.  Apparently it's right by where the Pirate's of the Carribean was filmed.  There were baby turtles and old, married turtles.  Anora even rode one of the big ones :)  On the way out of town, we stopped at Poipu beach for some grub!  I got the shrimp, yum!  We even splurged for some Hawaiian Shave Ice for dessert complete with a snow cap (condensed milk on top).  Mmmm.  Love that stuff!

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast in town - great pancakes!  Anora had a breakfast sandwich with SPAM.  She liked it a lot!  That afternoon, the kids (sans Anora) went zip-lining!  SO fun!  Ben and I have gone in Jamaica and Mexico, and now Hawaii!  Great views and good guides.  We ate dinner and chilled at the house for the evening.

Tuesday 2/16 was a travel day.  We flew from Kauai to Oahu.  The flight was a mere 30 mins, so very easy, breezy.  The car rental ordeal probably took longer than the flight.  Apparently since it was rented through Boeing, it wasn't going to work because the rental was held under my credit card, and I'm not the employee.  They had to call a 1-800 number to cancel the reservation and then re-book, ultimately having to pay a bit more.  Don't ask me why the credit card couldn't have been updated to be Ben's...  Unreal.  But once, that was all taken care of, we drove off to Ko'Olina beach resort where we stayed for the remainder of the trip.  We explored the property and ate at Longboards down by the beach. 

The next day was Pearl Harbor.  We got down there and looked around.  The tickets we got for the Arizona were ultimately cancelled due to the high winds meaning they couldn't drive the boat across to get to it.  Bummer.  We saw some things though, and were reminded of sad day on December 7, 1941.  Anora snagged a couple rocks from the monuments.  She also liked spinning in this area that you get to after the Remembrance walk.  Apparently the next day a helicopter crashed in that very spot!  Yikes.  After Pearl Harbor, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the resort.  We played on the beach and swam in the ocean.  That night we ate at the Monkey Pod - a restaurant by our resort.  When we arrived they said it was going to be an hour wait.  Ben and I were preparing to have to leave before that time was up to put Anora to bed, when the pager went off!  Somehow we were put at the top of the list.  It was a Hawaii miracle.  And I am so glad we were able to eat there!  It was the best meal I had the whole trip.  I got the Fresh Fish and Coconut Stew - YuMMM!!!

Thursday we explored the Waimea Valley.  We walked through a beautiful botanical garden.  They had peacocks and everything.  It looked old Hawaii...like what you would have seen if you would have been one of the first to arrive back in the day.  So charming and peaceful.  At the end of the walk was a waterfall- the Waimea waterfall!  We all got in (brrr, the water was cold!), but Anora wasn't too sure about nearing the waterfall.  But she sure loved getting in the water.  She's a little fishy.  After, we stopped into town for a bite to eat.  We ate at Uncle Bo's and I had the second best meal of the trip - Mediterranean eggs Benedict.  On the way back home Ben, Anora, and I stopped by the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  We got to ride the train around the plantation and see all kinds of different plants and tress.  Unfortunately, there were no pineapple because they had already been harvested.  But Anora enjoyed the ride and especially the Dole whip at the end!  Very fun!  After settling back in at the resort, the kids went down by the water for drinks and Frisbee.  Nice having those warm evenings hearing the water lapping up on the shore. 

Friday was a relaxing beach day at the resort.  We played on the water slide and in the fake cave and waterfalls.  Later we went to the beach and played in the sand.  Anora could not get enough.  She could live on the beach.  We even got lucky and caught some time with Kerial - a mermaid - playing in the water.  She taught us all about mermaids - where they live, and where they come from.  Anora was intrigued.  For dinner we got Mexican food and basically all ended up ordering the same thing - a chimichanga, LOL. 

Saturday we cashed in our Valentine's day plans and got a couple's massage.  Ben thinks it was the best one he's had yet.  It was pretty amazing.  I felt like jelly afterwords.  The rest of the day was spent lounging around the resort, eating shave ice and swimming in the pool for at least 4 hours.  G-pa grilled up some chicken for dinner while we played at the park.  After a yummy dinner we went to the beach and finally caught the sunset.  SO beautiful!  Our last one in Hawaii.

Sunday we flew back home.  For us, the travel was pretty short and sweet.  About a 5 hour direct flight.  Since Anora had gotten a nap before hand, she was the most content I've seen her on a plane yet.  The pretzels and Frozen always help too.  She is obsessed with both.  I can't tell you how many times I heard "Let it Go" on this trip.  We also got her listening to "Big Girls Don't Cry" and she likes to sing that one now too. 

We had such a fun trip and it was so nice to have some family time.  I love those sunny vacations! Can't wait for the next!!!

Minnesota Visit Jan 2016

I don't know what we were thinking, but Anora and I booked a plane ticket back to Minnesota in the dead of winter!  It did not disappoint, with sub zero weather and snow.  We were warmed by all the family and friends we got to see while back in the mid-west.  It was nice to spend lots of time with Gammy & Grandpa.  Anora liked playing a game of circling up and down the stairs in the house while Grandpa looked for her.  She liked sitting by the fire eating dinner one night, and watching the Vikings v Seahawks game. 

 Walking and playing in the snow was also a highlight.  Gammy helped her build a snowman!

Anora was spoiled by Gammy and got to do Build a Bear.  She made an Elsa bear.  She loves it.  I can hear the "let it go" music playing as I type this.  Not only did Anora get Elsa bear, she also won a bear from the claw machine that she named Lexi Bear after cousin Lexi.

 She got to play with some sweet toys at Peicks house, including this fun drum set.

 Anora loved seeing all her cousins and playing with the big kids!

 Anora got to spend a whole day with both sets of Grandparents!  She was in heaven!

G-ma & G-pa drove all the way from Madison to see her and spend the day! 

 One morning we went over to Choo Choo Bobs Train store.  Lots of kids running around to watch, and trains to push!

 We even made it to Owatonna to watch Laken's hockey game, and eat popcorn!

 On the last morning we caught brunch with Gammy, Grandpa & Uncle Mike.  We shared that huge cinnamon roll between all 5 of us!

Then Anora and I took off on the airplane and flew back home.  All and all she did pretty good.  She was tired and I was hoping she would fall asleep.  Well, she did, right as the wheels of the plane touched the ground...convenient.  Fortunately there was a nice woman next to me who helped me carry all my stuff while I carried my sleeping babe.  We missed Papa, but had such a fun time seeing everyone.  Until next time!!  xo

Christmas time in our New HOME!

We have been in our new house for 2 weeks now, and it feels like home.  It's not super familiar yet, so we still lose things, or trip over stairs, but it's really starting to come together.  It was especially nice this year, to celebrate Christmas here.  We even found time to get a tree up.  It made it really feel special. 
 



 Christmas eve day we went to Winterfest at the Seattle Center.  We got to see a huge train display that was so neat.  There was even a train with Santa on it.  We saw lots of snowmen (though we had no snow) and even watched the kids on the ice rink.  Next year we will take her ice skating, but this year she really enjoyed watching. We did too.  It was pretty hilarious to see all the people skating who have no idea what they are doing.

 
We went to church in the evening and Anora was SOO good.  She even clapped and sang at the end with Mrs. Michelle :)  After church we came home and unwrapped matching PJs!   They all had moose on them.  Anora got a moose stuffed animal and the If you give a moose a muffin book.  She was so excited. 

 Two of Anora's prized gifts: the Little People house & car from Gammy & grandpa and the kitchen set from Santa Claus!

Christmas morning we ate Monkey bread while opening our gifts from family and Santa.  Anora could barely find time to shove a piece of bread in her mouth between gifts.

That night we took a walk around the neighborhood to see Christmas lights.  We stopped by the Porth's house and Anora liked playing with the kids and seeing all the new toys.  It was such a great day. 

But wouldn't you know it, the binkie fairy came the day after Christmas and swooped away all Anora's binkies.  We were expecting choas, tantrums, and lots of tears, but Anora has taken it all astonishingly well.  She asks for it periodically, but gets over it quickly.  She even sleeps just fine without it.  What a relief for mama and papa!  Our Anora is such a big girl.

Potty time

Update!  Anora went pee pee on the potty for the first time last night!  We were all so excited jumping and cheering.  Anora loved that she got an treat (one M&M) for it too and it may motivate her to do more peeing on the potty!  Here's to no more diapers.

In other news we just bought a house, we get the keys tomorrow. 
We literally cannot wait to get in that house!  Last night we signed all the paperwork....here we go.  Homeowners round two!

We have had a wonderful and busy few months.  Anora dressed up as a fairy princess on Halloween and loved the treats and other kids in costume.  We went to a Halloween gathering with our PEPs friends to see all the cuties in costume.

We had a lovely visit from G-pa and G-ma in November.  They spoiled Anora and she loved it!  She also learned how to say TV when they were hear and showed off her spectacular pronunciation of "Sea-hawks!".  Ben's parents really helped us seal the deal on the new house too.  It was so wonderfully having them stay with us.

Over Thanksgiving, we did our annual roadtrip down to Utah to visit the Schauers family.  I love catching up and eating with the Schauers clan.  They sure do know how to cook!  I really enjoyed watching the cousins play together.  Anora said "Lexi, are you?" "Amy, are you?" and "Baby Archer" for days after we returned.  She missed Aaron and Ava too, but those names are harder for her to say.

While in Utah I got to visit the doTERRA headquarters which was so exciting for me since I am soooo into the essential oils now.  I loaded up on supplies when I was out there and readied myself for my second doTERRA class that I held when I returned.

We stopped by to see Santa one night, but Anora wasn't having it...so we have a picture of her crying and Santa saying, "I'm not even touching you."  Hahaha!  Ava decided she didn't like Santa either and started crying for their picture too!  Gotta love the toddlers :)

Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Anora's fav song

In case you missed it, here is Anora dancing to her favorite jam - Whip Nae Nae by Silento.  She prefers the video with the little girls dancing so she can copy the moves.