Shambaugh Ethiopian Adoption: July 2008

Well we are back from our two week trip to Hawaii!! It is definently good to be home but we did have a very good time while we where there!! I mean come on we were in Hawaii! I don't really know where to start and I have started writing and erased my writing now like 3 times... I guess I can start from the beginning, so here I go… On the 19 of June Jeff, the kids, and I left the house to go to the airport to go to Hawaii. It was a bit of a challenge considering I am not the lightest packer. This is what we had: we had a suite case for me, one for the kids, and one for Jeff... Jeff shared his with the beach towels and beach toys... then we had 2 car seats and a porta-crib.. Oh yeah and a bag for toiletries. Then I had a carry on bag full of treats and a purse, Kenzie had a backpack and so did Jeff. So if you add that up it adds up to a lot of bags and not a lot of hands considering we still have to carry Jaxson because you never know where he is going to go when you put him down. But with a lot of tired arms we made it on our plane. Next there was the plane ride itself. We brought on one car seat and buckled Jax in it. We knew he would be a little more crazy then Kenzie and he would do better if something was holding him down. So Jax was by the window, Jeff in the middle and me and Kenzie on the aisle seat. Our plane ride was about five and a half hours and then we had a lay over on one of the islands. I can’t really remember which one, and even if I did I don't think I could spell it. So anyways we had a layover for about an hour and then a short ride to Maui. The kids did very well thanks to a DVD player we bought before hand and the m & m's, and beef jerky!! I love beef jerky!! And just so you know the Costco in Hawaii had organic beef jerky and for those of you who know me know I love organic, so you could imagine how happy I was. OK so any ways we get to Maui and waited for Jeff's parents to get in which took about an hour and a half. When they got there we waited for Jeff and his dad to get the rental cars. We stayed our first night in a place where I didn't even sleep under the covers - not because I didn't want to wreck the bed, but because I didn't want to get a disease and die!! But it was a place to stay and it was only for 1 night. The rest of the next week we would get to stay at the Shambaugh’s time share!! It was much, much better except for the tiny little bugs crawling on the bed and all over Shanna and Ryan's things. Thanks to the maids and the bug people it was mostly taken care of!! We had lots of fun at the beach where we would relax and play boom ball and the kids would ask Grandpa or Dad to dig them a hole so they could sit in it!! They also would have us fill up there little sand castle buckets with water and they would put little toys that Grandma bought them in it!! Kenzie loved playing tag with the waves. She loved the water mostly. One day we went snorkeling and Kenzie got to go. We found these special boogie boards for kids where there is a hole at the top of the board and it has a place where you just look in the little hole and see the fishes below!! -or TURTLES!! - which we saw! Krista, who is Jeff's little sister, and I were basically touching one!! It was so cool, I love turtles... well I love sea turtles. We got to go to the shops which was pretty cool and I got a couple shirts!! I love to shop!! We ate at the Cheeseburger In Paradise - really good food - and we had delicious fish tacos and the best fish and chips at the Maui Grill!! I ate a lot of fish there and it was all delicious. One night we went to an Irish Pub and had drinks.. haha jk but we did go and have dinner. Only one part had a little bar and the rest was a restaurant that had the best brisket ever and awesome Irish music!! That's right they had a live Irish band and I loved every minute of it!! It made me think of two movies I love so much - August Rush, and P.S I Love You. If you haven't seen them you should!! But anyways I just loved everything about it and now want to go to Ireland - without the kids !! There were a couple of mishaps while we were there - none too bad. Jeff messed up his ankle pretty bad. We didn't go to the Doctor but it was pretty bad and is still wearing a brace... he did it trying to skim board and I got it all on tape and shall post it soon!! Krista (Jeff's sister if you forgot) got stung by a jelly fish witch stung really bad for 2 days and gave her a headache and fever. I got my bottom lip burned and it got two bad blisters on it and it sucked really badly. I also got a blister on my tail bone - I don't know how but I did!! hahaha Which reminds me… the first day I sprayed sunscreen on Jeff and it was with the new spay kind. So I sprayed him down and I didn't know you should probably rub it in and he got a really bad splotchy (I mean really splotchy) burn and had to wear a t- shirt the first week!! Ok well I don't know if you are still reading along but to sum it up the kids had fun for about a week and then every day Kenzie would say “I don't want to go to the Beach I want to go to the pool!!” and she would say it all day. So although the kids did have fun, next time we go on a big trip the kids will not be coming!! But thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for a good time and for watching the kids and to Krista for being so cool and popular!! and to Ryan and Shanna for the first week you were there!! and Shanna for dating Ryan and getting him to let us pick him!! and Skrilla - it wouldn't have been the same !! and to Jared and Tara who weren't there... it really was fun but not as fun as it would of been if you were there with us!! Only because you are everyone’s favorites!! So hurry up and come home!! We miss you and love you and are so proud of you for what you are doing.. but you have done enough!! jk it will go by fast. OK this is the longest post ever and I don't even know if I got everything. Well I know I didn't but OK. To end I will say... Aloha!!