Aloha

So last week the Dodson family went to Hawaii for five nights. (pics) We used my (and I want everyone to know they are MINE because I may never rack up that many starwood points or be Platinum again) Starwood points to go to the Princeville on the north shore of Kauai. Kauai is as beautiful as I remembered, but it does rain a lot. The hotel was great given that it was free, although it was a bit 'tired'... We found out that they are turning it into a St. Regis next year and now we understand why. Random thoughts on the trip:

• I think we were a little naive. I brought a ton of sunblock for Andrew and myself... But when was I really going to just sit out in the sun? As a result I am still butt white...sucks. Next time I would try for a room closer to the pool so we could sit outside while the girls were napping.
• I feel like a terrible mother for giving my daughters Benadryl before the flight, but it did help. I figure if I only give it to them for flights of 5 hours or more or time changes over two hours then I am not a bad mother drugging her daughters, I am a good mother helping my children to deal with popping ears and hopefully to learn to love to travel (love of skiing, travel, football, golf, and Astros baseball are things that are important to at least one of the Dodson parents... I bet you can guess which one doesn't matter to me as much..And I only want them to love golf so that they don't become golf orphans :)) Yes, I know, I'm totally trying to justify doing.
• The girls HATE to sleep at night in places they don't know. This SUCKS for mom and dad.
• The girls LOVE to swim.
• Dylan ADORES her Daddy. Charlotte loves her Daddy too, but she also shows a lot of love for ANYONE who gives her the attention she feels that she deserves. (Charlotte couldn't figure out why everyone on the plane didn't smile at her the entire time). Dylan doesn't look at anyone else when Andrew is in the room. If he is pushing the stroller she flips her head back so that she can watch him. Even Andrew said "she is mildly obsessed with me, isn't she?"
• Charlotte does NOT like driving around windy roads in Kauai. This was not that sweet.
• Charlotte and Dylan like to go on hikes.
• Charlotte and Dylan find the TVs in airplanes fascinating. We would walk up and down the aisle with them and they would follow a tv all the way until it was right above them and their necks were craned back. Then they would give up, look ahead, and an "oh my god, there's another TV!" look would cross their faces, and they would repeat the cycle all the way down the aisle. It was really entertaining to watch.
• Oceanside massages feel REALLY good, and are nice gifts for your husband to give you even after you say repeatedly that you "don't need any spa treatments."
• Bringing grandparents along when you are traveling with two 8 month olds is a very good idea.

All in all a good trip, great to have Andrew around so much even if he did have to work, and charlotte and dylan get cuter EVERY day. Tonight I thought they both had hairballs or something caught in their throats because they were coughing as I fed them. Then I realized they were doing it on purpose...It was a new noise for them. I started imitating them and they laughed themselves silly. At least the coughing is a little less (but not by much) messy than Dylan's other trick--giving my raspberries while I try to feed her. It's like being misted with pureed fruits and veggies.