When things go wrong in paradise does it still count?

Things have gone SO WELL here. Our van we rented from craigslist has run for us, our little condo is working just fine for our little family, the pool here is great, the closest beaches are awesome, most of the days that claim rain are actually sunny or at least just overcast, we didn't forget anything major at home, our friends and family that planned to visit us made it safely, Wyatt and Ava LOVE the water, the food is delicious...

But we have had a couple hiccups. I didn't want to mention them on facebook at the time because I assumed we would get some eye rolls...If you're in paradise you don't get to complain! I can be totally honest on my blog though because only the people who really love us will read it :-) I also want to point out that there have been many things we have been grateful for that made the bad things turn out ok.

The problems of nursing:

At the end of March I got a raging case of mastitis. That's an infection in the milk ducts usually involving breastfeeding. Ava popped out her two bottom teeth which made her eating funny and then she started some solid foods which made her nursing even funnier. I just couldn't keep up with the weird schedule and one day I woke up realizing I had some plugged milk ducts. We went on our beautiful hike anyway but by the time it was over I had aches and chills. By the next morning I had an almost 103 degree fever. Thankfully I got ahold of an on-call doctor for our clinic at home who immediately put in an order of antibiotics for me over here. I spent the next three days in bed until the infection began to get better. Nate was a trooper with the kids and even took Wyatt to the Easter church service which I was sad to miss. 

Hands, feet and mouths:

It was just about a week and a half later that Wyatt went from running around with kids at a park to being completely listless, not wanting to talk, eat or drink and running a 103 fever. I thought maybe he'd gotten overheated though he hadn't done anything unusual for him. His arms also had tiny red dots all over them. Maybe it had just caught up to him. Assuming it was heat exhaustion we treated as such with a cool shower and forcing him to drink water. We couldn't keep the fever down though and it got up to 104 before bed. Not knowing what it would do overnight we decided to take him to the one urgent care that was still open...and happened to be just 4 minutes away! They gave him tylenol (which we hadn't because you aren't supposed to give it if it's overheating that is the problem) and of course his fever started to go down and he was willing to eat a little something. She checked him for the flu and strep throat. Both came back negative and we were sent on our way.  We have a super high deductible. Somehow, though, maybe because it was urgent care instead of the ER, the payment was quite low. The next day Wyatt felt fantastic, no longer had a fever and the dots were gone. The only thing he complained of was his mouth hurting every now and them. Sometimes he said tongue, sometimes mouth but he couldn't point to where and we couldn't see anything wrong.  This went on for a few days and then he was good. Meanwhile, Nate started to have "weird" sore throat. Then, POP! Nate had red spots on his hands...feet...and, you guessed it...his mouth! If you don't know...hand foot and mouth disease is a virus. Generally kids have it because adults have been exposed at a younger age. You generally start with a fever and then pop out irritating dots in and around your mouth and on your hands and feet. They blister and you're more or less done. Strangely Nate was the one who'd really gotten the dots without the fever and Wyatt had gotten the fever with only the typical spots on the inside of his mouth. Though the whole thing was one big nuisance we were grateful that they were mostly over it before our friends visited and Ava and I managed to not get it at all. 

Real life:

These were our biggest issues unless you include the fact that Kilauea is erupting with lava slowly tearing through a subdivision taking down houses as it goes. Thankfully we are on the opposite side of the island and earthquake are our biggest threat. 

Otherwise, just life with a three year old and a 6 month old is tricky whether you are in Bellingham or Hawaii. Teething baby gaining opinions, weird schedules, long car trips, strange food can have an impact on these little people. We've had a bit of an emotional threenager these days who doesn't want to go to bed. Wyatt has always been a fantastic sleeper but he has been resisting with all of his toddler power. Ava and Wyatt have been in the same room most of the time which has been surprisingly awesome generally...until one of them wakes the other...and then we are all awake!

Bed hair don't care

Magical life:

I will end on a positive note now that I've gotten to share the bumps. These kids have been so incredibly flexible. They don't know what we are going to do or where we are going most days. Ava has napped in the stroller or in the car lots. Wyatt has even fallen asleep in the car at night which is so unusual for him. They are growing into little friends and not just siblings. Sunsets and water and sand and slooow life and food and togetherness and people watching make up much of our time. We will cherish these memories forever. We have one full week left. We are thrilled to see that the PNW is drying out and warming up a bit. Whether it happens before we fly back or not I'll make one more post of some highlight I haven't mentioned yet. 

That face....

Caught in a rain storm. Ava is not impressed.

Always mouths full of sand.

 

Living the Island Life

It's hard to believe that we've been here a month even though we knew it would go fast. Though often it does feel like we are on vacation, we've fallen into a bit of routine. Nate generally works a few days a week. During that time the kids and I hang out at the condo or sometimes go to a park, story time at the library or the pool. Wyatt and I have taken advantage of Ava's morning naps many days and have spent LOTS of hours at the pool. He is getting more confident at trying to swim without floaties. There are many kids, including babies and preschoolers in this complex but most of them aren't around in the morning. Usually it's retirees who are sunning when we are there but they are happy to converse with our little chatterbox. 

This little girl is loving all food we give her.

Wyatt loves to read to Ava!

We've used this sunshade a bit more lately.

We've found a favorite place to watch the sunset near our condo so we try to walk across the street every day we can. Lots of people gather for this and those who're regulars know Wyatt (because shy is not something that describes him) and Ava (because she's just so smiley.) 

On the weekdays that Nate doesn't work and on the weekends we vary between adventuring around the island with lots of stops and walking around or just finding a beach to check out. We've snorkeled a bit and found some waves but with the kids we generally prefer calm water with soft sand so Wyatt can play around in it more easily. 

King Kam beach is our favorite for calm, clear and sandy.

Kahaluu beach has snorkeling so close that even Wyatt could check it out. 

Remember the snooze shade I talked about that goes on the stroller? Thankfully Ava has had some awesome naps in there when we are on the go. And some lousy ones :-) 

Wyatt has been practicing his photography skills so we've got lots of pictures of this combination lately.

A sea turtle was hanging out there behind Wyatt at Kukio  beach.

We've also found a great babysitter who has the kiddos once a week so Nate and I can have a date! This has been awesome! We've enjoyed having some meals the way it used to be on vacation.

 Our friends, Brandon and Lesley White are staying with us this week so we get to have some adventures with them! We haven't made it to Volcano yet so we plan to do that while they're here. It's so fun to have some familiar faces and we're happy we have a van if we want to all pile in.

A bit of family history in Hawaii

My family has history in Hawaii and we got to stay at a hotel that is significant to us for the first three days of our trip. The Royal Kona Resort is a hotel that is partially on land that my family has owned for many years. I'm sure my mom or my Aunts will be happy to correct me if I get any of this history wrong! My great-grandpa (we called him Bamp) was a business man. He bought a parcel of land on the Big Island in Kailua Kona somewhere in the '40s. My mom has memories of playing on this land as a child back when there were just some "apartments" on it and lots of open space to climb and explore on the rocks and tide pools. Bamp, being the businessman that he was, put together a package of four parcels of land so a hotel could be built in this prime location somewhere in the '60s. (Interesting fact added by my mom...he had to petition in Washington DC and they said "Who would want to go to a hotel in Kona?") The land gets passed down only to descendants so currently my mom, her two sisters and their cousins are the ones that own the original piece of land. The hotel has a 99 year lease agreement. This is the hotel we stayed at for the beginning of our adventure here in Kona. 

I have not been to the Big Island since I was three when my grandma passed away so I was very excited to just be at "the" hotel and be a part of the Williams family history. Just so you know, no one at the hotel would know or care one bit about who I am so there were no deals or discounts to be had! The rooms are nothing to be excited about. Most of them are in need of an update as they have not been renovated since the '80s or '90s.  The best part of the room was our view of the mountain beyond the parking lot.

However, the lobby/bar/grounds of the hotel is gorgeous. So far, I believe, even the fancy resorts we've walked around don't compare to the beauty this place has going on. It was a perfect place for our family to hang out for a while.

Every where you go, there is a view to be had.

There is an open air bar and restaurant and lounge area that is right on the water. It's a bonus that kids are welcome anywhere, the Mai Tais are delicious, and they are a great price during happy hour.

 All of the lobby and hallways are outdoors with lush vegetation and a koi pond.

                 

          There is a peaceful "lagoon" with lava rock steps right into the ocean.  

There is a black-bottomed pool where you can swim or watch the sunset while sipping a Mai Tai on one of the lounge chairs.

Or you can just choose to do stickers as the sun sets if you're Wyatt.

 

There are fun Hawaiian-looking details everywhere. The whole place has a serene, peaceful atmosphere.

We felt "our" hotel was a delightful place to stay and relax and I feel so fortunate to have gotten to spend some time there. We will absolutely be stopping by over the next few weeks to enjoy a couple more sunsets!