All vacations must come to an end

We took the red eye home so we had all day to spend on the island. We went to the farmer's market.

I think these snorkeling pictures are from the day before. 

Catherine helping the boys find fish.

When we left our door open the birds would come in our house.
The flight home was uneventful but dang we were tired. We had a 3 hour layover in Phoenix. Sean and I were in bed asleep by 7:30. Don said he stayed up until midnight to get back on schedule. I couldn't have stayed up any longer. I was so tired I felt sick. We all had to get up in the morning and go to school or work.

Luau

We went to a luau within walking distance of the condo. It was a smaller luau than some of the others in Kauai. The food was mediocre. The dancing and music was good. Sean was really patient. When we were walking back to the condo we stopped at a beach side bar/restaurant because Sean wanted ice cream. A few minutes later Catherine and her family showed up for some appetizers. It was a bit of a joke. We waited over an hour for a scoop of ice cream. We had initially ordered a really disgusting desert that none of the kids liked. Eventually Jackson ate it. At the same time she ordered appetizers Catherine ordered 2 scoops of ice cream for Tyson. After an hour wait Catherine flagged down the waitress and asked where our ice cream was. She said "Oh, the dessert chef is backed up." Dessert chef for a scoop of ice cream? Where I come from we call that a Jr High student. The waitress comes back a few minutes later and brings Sean a scoop of ice cream but no spoon. Catherine asked where Tyson's was and she repeated "the dessert chef is backed up". She had already put the ice cream on the bill. She took it off. Neither of us left a tip. So stupid.

Don, Sean and I went back in the morning for breakfast and it was a totally different experience. Excellent service.

Snorkeling and chilling at the pool

This little lizard was in the shower with me. A pretty good chameleon. He blended right in with the tile.

Sean and Jameson really liked snorkeling.

Not exactly Bay Watch. I only saw one life guard but lots of poles with float devices attached along with instructions to rescue and call 911.

I thought these were the coolest tree pods. I would have brought them home and tried to dry them but the rules are pretty strict. You aren't allowed to take any fruits (except pineapple) seeds or plants off the island. The produce police searched Sean and my luggage.

The kids would play in the ocean, snorkel and then hang out at the pool. It's less sandy to eat snacks poolside than ocean side.

Tyson

Surfing

We got up and walked to a bakery down the street for breakfast and then went looking for someone to give the kids surf lessons.

We were at the water spout or blow hole. The kids all got musical instruments. Sean said they were going to form a band called "Blind Side."

This is some Korean woman who wanted us to take a picture of her with our kids. OK, stranger here you are!

The kids didn't miss school, they went to surf school! They had lessons from a guy named Charlie Smith. He's taught surfing in Kauai since the 1980's.Really nice guy. I was amazed that all the kids got up and were surfing in a short time. Tyson popped right up. Jackson was a natural. He was doing tricks on the board. Sean got tearful at first because he hurt his feet on the rocks. The beach was really rocky. It didn't get better when you went deeper. Don went to the car and got his water shoes and a pair of goggles and then he did great. It took Harrison awhile to get up but he got it too. Today some of the beaches were closed because there was 20 foot surfs. Harrison said he could surf that! Funny boy.



Jameson

Sean getting up

And he's up!
After surfing we were starving and went to lunch Keiko's Paradise. It was yummy. We ate Hula Pie:)

I got this letter in my email today. We have gotten this letter every year. Usually it's because Sean has been sick and we've travelled. Sean's only missed 2 days of school from illness this year and a total of 5 for travel, 2 days in DC and 3 in Hawaii. When he gets over 10 days I get a letter from the district. I find the scare tactic of all the potential awful outcomes from missing school kind of funny. Parent's who don't care if their kids go to school are not going to be affected by the letter and parent's who teach their kids when they aren't at school aren't going to be affected by the letter. Sean's more likely to not read at grade level in 3rd grade. (He already reads above 3rd grade level and he's in 2nd). He's more likely to drop out of school. We don't get any credit for the fact the kid has an incredible grasp of geography because he's travelled to 5 continents, he's seen the Declaration of Independence and visited the US capital. This trip he saw a sea cucumber, went snorkeling, learned about the history of Kauai. We tubed through irrigation tunnels carved in lava in the 1800's. I guess for the school district learning only counts if you do it at a desk in a classroom.

Dear Parent/Guardian of LINDSAY, SEAN:

 

Our goal: Learning First! To reach this goal, students must attend school each day.

School attendance has a huge impact on a student's academic success… starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school.

 

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. We also know that

when students miss too much school - regardless of the reason - it can cause them to fall behind academically.

Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent - which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:

• Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.

• By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for

dropping out of school.

• A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!

Some considerations that will help ensure that your child attends school regularly on time are:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick.

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor appointments when school is in session.

• Talk to teachers, counselors, or administrators for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

 Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Let us know how we can continue to partner with you in behalf of your children so that they can attend school on

time every day. Together we can help your child to be successful in school! If you have any questions or need

more information please contact Stewart Elementary.
Sincerely,

Mrs. Huff

A fun day in Hawaii

The plane ride seemed long. It took 12 hours to get here. 90 minutes to Phoenix, a 2 and a half hour layover there and then almost 7 hours to Kauai. The flight was pretty choppy. It wasn't bad, just long and none of us really slept. It was an old plane so there was no seat entertainment for Sean. He played with my cell phone and the Nook. By the time we got to our condo we were tired. We went out for a walk on the beach and Sean and they boys played in the surf for awhile. Sean thought that was great fun.

In the morning we got up and went to Backcountry Adventures. We tubed for an hour through the old irrigation system for the sugar cane. It was made in the 1800's and included a couple of miles of tunnels blasted out of lava. It was cold. The guides said we weren't allowed to use the word cold or freezing. They preferred invigorating. Once you got over the initial shock it wasn't bad. It was fun. We had little helmets with lights that we would turn on inside the tunnel. They also kept you from bashing your head into the side of lava walls.

A happy kid.

We ate taco's at Catherine's condo for dinner.

As soon as we got back to the condo the kids started boogie boarding at the beach. They went all day long.

First skiing of the season

Don and Sean went skiing Saturday. Sean was so excited. He told me he did a lot of jumps and fell 3 times. Four times if you count the wipe out in lodge/barn when he slipped on the floor and wiped out with his tray of food. Don said they put new floors in the barn and there is a downward slope to the eating area. The floors are really slippery. That sounds like a great plan for an area where people are stomping around in snowy wet boots.
It's been snowy off and on this week. Not much accumulation just little snow showers. It's still really cold and the air quality it bad.

Hanging out with Olaf.

Claudia's doing better. She's still dizzy and weak but she is texting me about an error on payroll. Dana had switched a day with Ginger and Claudia didn't change it on the calendar so I need to adjust it next month. If she's well enough to be worrying about payroll she's doing better. She keeps telling me she feels guilty that I'm doing all the work. I told her the business would still be there when she gets back and that she would owe me big time! I keep telling her to quit worrying about things she can't do anything about and to just get better.

Cheeky girl!

I don't think they come any cheekier than this one. We went to the pet store and Khloe picked out some fish. I let her carry them. She shook them really, really hard. She kissed them and squeezed them. I kept expecting to hear a pop and crying in the backseat on the way home. She was pinching the bag but it didn't pop. It made me think of Nemo and the little girl in the dentist office. I think the fish were happy to make their way in to the fish tank. I was trying to give her a stuffed toy at the store but she didn't want anything to do with it. She just wanted those fish.

She was trying to slide down the stairs on her bum. I kept telling her not to do that. I think she does it on the carpeted stairs at her house and doesn't see any difference. I could just picture her flying down my stairs hitting her head all the way down. She is a busy little girl. She eats the middle and top of foods. She will just eat the topping of a pizza or the middle of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.