Things to Do in Hawaii When You've Got a Petite Bebe

Okay, so I am back...and I don't know why...but I'm still finding it hard to make time to blog! Or maybe it's just that, on a sort of hiatus from school stuff and hanging around the house a lot, I don't have a lot to say (wow, that's a shocker coming from me! But I'm sure that will change soon.) Anyway, although I've been back for over a week, I still need to post about our Hawaii trip, so that's one I'm doing. I didn't have the same trip that some of my other family members had...I didn't kayak, snorkel, mountain bike, scuba or snuba, surf, or any of those other water-vacation-Hawaii-associated things. I hope to do some of that when Scarlett's a little older, but this trip involved a lot of trying to put her to sleep, waiting for her to wake up, getting her ready to go in the sun, then going in to avoid too much sun...you get the idea. Not that I'm complaining, because I had a beautiful, relaxing, and fun time. So, without further talk of what I didn't do, here's an overview of what I DID do:

Partied: Yes, I actually got some time to party with my cousins and the fam! In fact, that was the first I've actually been fully buzzed in...oh...about a year and a half. And I got buzzed about once per day on delicious pina coladas (and mangolinas, I drink I "invented" with fresh mango and pineapple, pina colada mix, ice, lime, and a healthy amount of rum). It was great having so many family members around because there was always someone to hold the baby when my hands were busy with beverages.

Went Swimming with the Squidge: She loved both the ocean and the swimming pool, although the ocean scared her a bit so I'd say she liked the swimming pool more. We took her in a bunch of times and she would kick her legs like crazy whenever she was getting in! So cute. It was really fun to swim with her. (PS I also had my first moment where mommy-life-saving instinct kicked in. One of the pools had this super slippery curved step, and one time as I was trying to pass the baby up to my mom to dry her off, I slipped and went under. I stuck my arms as far as I could above the water to keep Squidge from going under and totally forgot to even try to hold my breath, so breathed a ton of water. I'm sure it only took my mom one second to catch her, but it felt like forever!)


Enjoyed the fantastic scenery: It's hard to take a bad picture in such a beautiful location. Okay, most of these were taken by Mario, including the one below. But I did actually get a good snap or two in myself!
Threw my cousin a surprise shower: All of the gals in my family gathered at Tommy Bahama's (the guys did too, only we put them at a table by themselves) to surprise my cousin on the day before her wedding. (Note about me: I freaking love party planning. It's my Martha Stewart side that must emerge now and again.) The surprise worked (although my dad almost gave it away when he wandered into the restaurant late, and Michelle saw him!)--we even got a few tears! I didn't want to overdo it on the activities, but I did make a "The Story of Michelle and Jeff" Mad Lib for everyone to fill out--and then laughed my ass of reading them out loud. I also had everyoen write notes that I later put in a scrapbook for Michelle (putting it together kept me busy during above-mentioned nap times).

Went on a Sunset Cruise: This was one of the activities arranged by the bride and groom, and luckily there were enough takers to charter the whole boat! It was great having practically all the wedding guests aboard as we snacked, sipped alcoholic beverages (okay, I admit it, I wussed--Istuck with ginger ale made with fresh ginger after a touch of seasickness set in) and got to see an amazing sunset.
Ya-Ya'ed: My aunts recently decided that the women of my family needed to do something to show their solidarity and share their love and support for each other. So, prior to going to Hawaii, we each made elaborate hats and, in the spirit of The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, trekked down to the beach one night for some sparklers, some speeches, and some serious (ly wonderful) chic power time!
Enjoyed my Cousin's Beatiful Wedding: After the ceremony in the morning, we had fun taking gorgeous pictures at the Maui Prince Hotel. At the reception in the evening, we enjoyed fabulous food and entertainment including a conch shell blower at sunset, Hawaiian dancers, and a fire dancer! And of course, we got a little groove on ourselves.

So there's a few pictures and a brief overview of our lovely vacation. More blog posts to come soon...as soon as I have something interesting to say!