Hawaii

Hawaii 2011

Monday, November 21^st, 2011

We picked up Myia and Kenny at school around one and headed for St. George. We got there in pretty good time, and stayed at a nice hotel. So far, so good.

Tuesday, November 22^nd, 2011

We drove to Los Angeles. We made good time, and made it there in time to take a swim. It was really nice to relax after the big push to get things ready for the trip, for the kids to miss three weeks of school, and to make it to L.A. in time. Dad was having some chest pain, so we were all worried about that.

Wednesday, November 23^rd, 2011

Dad was feeling better, and thought it was probably just heartburn. We drove to the port. It was a little crazy getting there because we were following the GPS directions, and it took us on a really choppy route, but we made it there without trouble. We parked, and as we pulled Keaton out of his seat to put him in his stroller, he was covered in diarrhea as well as his clothes and favorite blanket. We laid out his stuff in the back of the truck to dry, wiped out his seat and changed his clothes; giving him a wipe down with wet wipes right out in the parking lot. Then we started the hectic embarkment process. They forgot to give us a number, so we had to wait until last to get on, and Mason popped the lid off his sipper, spilling chocolate milk everywhere. I expected irritation from the hundreds of adults without children waiting around us, but they were actually nice, and helped round up napkins to clean it up. When we finally got on the ship, we were starving, and after dropping off our luggage in the rooms, went up and got pizza. While I was holding Keaton on my lap eating, I looked down to realize that we were sitting in a pool of diarrhea. It was on us, the floor, and the table. Gross! So I bundled him up in his blanket and went to the room to clean him up.

Thursday, November 24^th-Sunday, November 27^th, 2011

These days at sea went by in a daze of seasickness, and doctor visits for Keaton with the ship clinic. He was very sick. He had vomiting, diarrhea, and a pretty high fever. His ears were good and his throat was good, so they were a bit concerned. We spent most of our time in a tiny, rocking room with a sick baby. He was quarantined. They disinfected our room regularly. There was nowhere for him to sleep except with us, so we would wake up to a bed full of grossness when we finally did get a little sleep. The sea was so rough that the swimming pools had waves up to the second deck and they would drain them most of the time. On the good side, Kenny was having a blast with the unlimited pizza and watermelon. Mason was not sick, but Myia was fairly seasick and the medicine would make her sleep.

Monday, November 28^th, 2011

We ported at Hilo, Hawaii. I was so glad to get off of that ship! We picked up our rental car, which was very nice, and headed to see the volcano. Our first stop was to McDonalds to feed the kids (they sell banana pies at McD’s in Hawaii) Before we left we took the urine sample that the clinic requested from Keaton. THEN off to the volcano. The island was so pretty and green! I loved it instantly. There was such a laid back feel to everything. The volcano was neat, and Mason thought it was really cool. In the visitor’s center, a really old and really tall guy tripped over Mason. I was worried about him, but they quickly took him off to a tour bus to check him out, so I couldn’t find out if he was okay. Next we hiked to a volcano tube. It was a really pretty hike. The tube was like a huge cave. We also stopped at an orchid greenhouse. It was amazing. They had a prize winning orchid worth $20,000 and orchids that smelled exactly like chocolate. When we got back to the ship, the clinic tested Keaton’s urine and found bacteria, and put him on antibiotics. I was very worried about him. He couldn’t keep the antibiotics down, and instantly threw them up when we gave them to him. The clinic asked to see him the next morning at 8 even though we were scheduled to port in Oahu at 7.

Tuesday, November 28^th, 2011

We went to the clinic, and they said to try the antibiotics in juice next time. He must of got a little in his system, because he was doing a tiny bit better. We had a lot of trouble getting our rental car at Oahu. Between our late start and the car troubles we had to give up seeing Pearl Harbor. We headed to The Polynesian Cultural Center. It was so fun, and the kids loved it! There was so much to see and do there! It was a little rainy, but it was so warm, it felt good.

Wednesday, November 29^th, 2011

We ported in Kawai. Keaton was starting to feel better, and keep the antibiotics down. We shopped a little, and then decided to take a tour around the island. We went to a waterfall, Hindu temple grounds, various sites where movies were shot, and to see turtles and seals. It was raining a very misty rain. The island was so beautiful! We instantly fell in love with it! Given the choice, we might have stayed there, and never came home!

Thursday November 30^th, 2011

When we woke up, Mason had diarrhea and was throwing up. We were ported in Maui, and were unsure if we should take him, especially since we had to wait and take a tender (lifeboat) in to shore and back. We finally decided to just go for it. We did some shopping, and we took a cab to Whaler’s to the beach. We spent a few hours just playing on the gorgeous beach there. It was so nice to watch the kids play and relax. Mason didn’t have any problems, and we thought he wasn’t sick after all. We did more shopping. The mall there has a skeleton of a baby whale on display. Then we headed back to port. Mom and Dad left on the tender while we did a bit more shopping. At the last minute, Kenny found this little spot where a man was taking pictures with his parrots, and we got ours taken, and that was the last thing we did in Hawaii! When we got back to the ship, Mason got sick again. We were so blessed to get to have that fun day together, with no one feeling awful!

Friday December 1^st-Wednesday December 7^th, 2011

Mason was sick a couple of days, but he was not as bad as Keaton, and since he was older, we could lay him on the floor at night, so on the way back it wasn’t as bad. We were able to enjoy the ship more, and see some shows and movies and play more. On the way back, the ship ported in Ensenada, but we stayed aboard.

Thursday December 8^th, and Friday December 9^th, 2011

We stopped in Las Vegas on the way home and went to M&M World and the Pawn Shop that has the reality show. It was fun, and everyone was healthy and feeling well! We made it home without any trouble.

It was a long, fun trip, and we will never forget it