Reagan Fuller

Spring Time Is Here

Each year I make the girls each pose in front of my Spring bulbs for some photos. The tulips and other spring flowers always much such a beautiful backdrop for pictures. And its a great way to show off my spring garden. I do have to say that my flowers have to be some of the prettiest around. And, the girls are cute too! Kayla was napping away in her crib so the two older girls got a photo shoot all to themselves.

Happy 5th Birthday

On the way back home from Boston yesterday, we reminded Reagan that her birthday was the following day. She was so excited. The big deal was that she would be one whole handful of fingers old! How exciting. I kept telling her that she would grow to be 5 while sleeping and when she woke up she would be bigger. Of course when she got up this morning, she was so excited about that growth spurt that I promised! I told her I would meet her for lunch wherever she wanted and I would eat what she eats. I knew what I was in for!

She got to choose her dinner as well so she decided on Red Robin. This was not a popular choice because Kim and Sydney hate it. I was cool with it. I think she wanted to go there because they are one of the few places that still sing to you. Kids enjoy the little things.

She wanted a birthday cookie this year. Kim made them for her whole class at school so it got 5 candles and we were off.

Later, it was time to open some presents. Reagan got the stuff that she had been asking for plus a few surprises.

She was able to take calls from folks wishing her Happy Birthday from inside the umbrella. Here is her Partaker cousins on the phone with her.

The bigger box present was chosen by me — Dad. Reagan likes this sort of thing so I got her a real one. We didn’t get a photo of it so you will have to watch the video and see it.

Boston

Given Dad is a super runner, Reagan had the opportunity to visit Boston for the 114th running of the Boston Marathon. However, the race wasn’t the only attraction here so we had lots to see. First stop was the top of the Prudential Building to get a bird’s eye view of everything.

I want stairs like these in our house!

This old boat was the USS Constitution nicknamed Old Ironsides for its use in the Revolutionary War. Reagan wanted to take it out on the high seas but they wouldn’t let her.

Lots of old churches as you walk around Boston. We found Reagan in here confessing something. Would have loved to know what it was!

We stopped by Bunker Hill to see what it had to offer. It was the first grassy area we had seen in Boston so the girls were running all over the place.

Here are the girls with our traveling companions. It was great having them along for the ride in Boston!

Shopping with Grandma

If Grandma Hakes is in town that means shopping! Since neither me nor my girls are big shoppers they decided to turn the event into nap time.

Spring Visitor

Grandma Hakes had not been here in a while because she couldn’t leave Grandpa Hakes for quite sometime. Now that the seasons have changed, she was free to come and visit us for a week. The girls had a great time seeing her and showing her everything that is new and different around here.

Never Too Big

This stroller cornered really well!

Oahu 2010

We are back home after 3 plane flights. The girls all did great on the trip! Here is a slideshow of all the photos — with some you haven’t seen.

Planning for Spring Break 2011 started already…wonder where to next!

Oahu - Day 7

Last day - do something special! Gave the kids their choice of activites and after some voting, they came down to whale watching. It was the tail end of the season but they were still roaming the waters. So we set off on a lunchtime cruise on a big boat out towards Diamond Head in search of sea creatures.

Nature sucks sometimes. I doesn’t run on a schedule. The whales were spotted but when we got there they dove for 30 minutes and the kids got bored waiting. Why the whales didn’t want to see them was beyond belief.

We moved on and suddenly there were sprays of water all over out in front. Thought it was a whale but as they multiplied you knew it couldn’t be. What is it?

Dolphins! Not 1 or 2 but more like 200. They were everywhere. Like someone dumped their dinner in the water right here. Jumping at the boat from all side. I wasn’t fast enough with the camera to get all the cool tricks they were doing. They were Spinner Dolphins so the jumped out of the water and spun — of course. Seemed like they were just showing off but everyone loved it. Much more entertaining than lazy old whales. Here is some video along with some beach time afterward.

That got everyone smiling again but no more whale sightings for today. Kind of a bummer but you get what you get.

The kids got onto the beach for a late afternoon romp in the surf. It was the last time they would have so they made the most of it. They bounced over to the pool to for a while. We didn’t spend a minute at the pool otherwise. The beach was just too nice.

Reagan’s was mad when she really found out this was it for vacation. She has just figured out she could climb up into this tree on the beach today and was not excited about leaving it behind. It was a cool tree to climb with mazes and paths all throughout and only a few feet above the ground over sand.

Reagan really enjoyed Hawaii. This was her first beach vacation that she really was old enough to enjoy on her own. I asked her what her favorite part was and she said it was riding on the surfboard with her Daddy. I liked that part too. I bet if her Mom asks, it will be something different. Oh well.

Oahu - Day 6

It was our last full beach day, so we headed back to our favorite spot. The kids played in the sand and surf for hours. I went down the street and brought them back Cold Stone ice cream for lunch. How can you beat that life?

When it was time for Kayla to take a swim, Reagan really wanted to ride with her on the floaty. I had to keep knocking her back because the floaty was going under. Reagan loves the water as long as her head is above it.

Later, it was time for surfing again. I asked Sydney but she declined. But Reagan was jumping up and down to go. That’s my girl! So we got the big board again and did the same routine. We had to promise Kim we weren’t going out so far but we didn’t comply. It just isn’t that deep and you get moving…and and. I took a video camera to capture some of the action this time.

Oahu - Day 5

We woke up to rain today. It happens here during this time of year. So we decided to make the best of it and head over to the North Shore to see what was going on over there. Maybe a chance of different weather but more likely a way to stay dry and see some sights. Made our way down the coast and stopped at various beaches that looked like they needed exploring.

It started to rain out at the beach so we tried to find alternate entertainment. I noticed a place called Waimea Valley so we went there to take a hike and hope the jungle foliage would cut down on the rain. We scored some $1 ponchos there and that was enough armor to get us moving again. The big attraction was a waterfall swimming pool at the back of the park. So we quickly hiked our way in and got the kids into the water. Reagan was way into it — as long as she could ride with Mom.

On the way back out of the park, the girls started getting silly. I asked them what this was and they both said bamboo. Good job! Then Reagan proceeded to start eating it and told us to take a picture of the baby panda (her). OK.

And there were kid-sized trees too!

Staying dry while looking at pretty flowers!

Oahu - Day 4

After a good review the other day, we headed back down to Kuhio Beach Park for more sun and surf. The girls quickly got back down to the water and planned out their day.

After watching Sydney go out on a surfboard with me, Reagan wanted no part of that. So I sent in the heavy hitter to make the sell — Mom! Within minutes, Kim had her down at the shore ready to go with me. Reagan was giving me the rules about not wanting to do this and that. But once I showed her how you lay down and then how you can beat the board like a drum, all the fears went away. “I love my Daddy”, she would say. This is her catch phrase when I do something she likes. Apparently, the rest of the time its just “I will tolerate you”. So we paddled out a bit and played various games. We stopped in between the two breaks and watched the further out surfers. I told her those were the big boys and we need to see how they do it. She insisted that we go out and get a closer look. I swear! We paddled way out and just rode the waves. We made no attempt to surf. Just hanging loose as they say here. When it was time to go in, we had to paddle towards shore and one wave picked us up. We weren’t even trying. We got moving better than when i was actually trying with Sydney. Weeeee! Reagan thought that was awesome. She started chanting about doing it again but she had to go tell Sydney and Mommy how fun that was. That was fun. That was fun. Over and over. It was cool to see her so excited. I am sure she will drag her feet when I ask to take her again in a few days. That’s just how this works with girls I guess.

That evening we had a big outing — a luau! We sat right in the front row so the girls could watch the show. There were a few chances for crowd learning and participation so they jumped right up on stage to get their hula on.

Oahu - Day 3

Time for snorkeling! Hanauma Bay is a classic destination on Oahu. So we headed over there for the day. When we were here years ago, the fish would swarm you. Now, they have instituted some needed conservation efforts which include not feeding the fish. Bummer for the kids. Oh well, we will still have a great time!

After we got Sydney to do some snorkeling, it was Reagan’s turn. She wanted nothing to do with this — of course. I ended up putting her on my shoulder and carrying her to the water. We rode around on the boogie board and looked down at the fish. Finally, I got her to put on the mask. She just wore it on the board to look like she meant business. Then she wanted the tube in her mouth. When that was in there, she became a different person. She was yelling and screaming in it — and having a blast. She had no interest in putting her head in the water. Yet, this gear made her some kind of monster. The antics continued when we got back to shore with this hang loose dance.

I had to get the video camera out to try and capture some of this.

Kim was able to get Reagan back in the water later for some quick head dunks to see some fish. Back on the beach, these wild chickens kept coming around. I told Reagan that those chickens might lay an egg for her breakfast. She loves eggs. She disagreed with me. She does not eat chicken eggs she tells me. She eats scrambled eggs. How stupid I must be! Later, I noticed this going on. I don’t claim these children.

Later that evening, we saw an ad for miniature golf so we had to go. It was our favorite indoor winter pastime at home on the weekends until our place closed. So when we saw one here, we had to hit it! This was 3-D golf so we were not sure what to expect. Turns out its a bunch of neon stuff, black lights, and 3-D glasses. Reagan got to the first hole and decided that this was very scary. The music was this scary tiki music and it was “creeping her out”. She barely let her ball roll. She was so busy looking for something to jump out at her. She kept peering out the top of the 3-D glasses as if that would help her see the oncoming terror quicker. The best part was hearing her comment on the 3-D elements — how the thing “just comes right out of the picture”. I would see her waving her arms through 3-D elements trying to touch them. At the end of the course, a volcano erupts when you ball goes in and I think she peed her pants when it happened.

Just another evening in paradise.

Oahu - Day 2

On my early morning excursion, I noticed a cool spot further down the beach. So I talked the kids into heading down there today instead. They would be perfectly fine (they say) hanging at the same beach every day but I like variety. So we walked about a half mile down to the public beach. On the way, we saw this famous statue of Duke who is like the patron saint of surfing. You gotta get your picture! There is a live webcam on him. Guess you missed them!

This beach has a nice water break out in front which forms a large pool-like area with calmer water. Also keeps out those pesky sharks! So the girls spent time running around, in and out of this little cove. We explored the sea walls too where we found lots of crabs. Oops. Reagan had been telling Mom that she was afraid of seeing crabs in Hawaii. I didn’t get the memo and had to spend an hour back-pedaling on how crabs are actually very nice.

There is a McDonald’s right across the street. So I got Happy Meals and everything was cool once again. Chicken McNuggets on the beach? How can you beat that!

Reagan did not like her sunglasses that Mom brought so I promptly got her a new stylish pair to keep the sun out of her eyes.

How about some live action?