Hawaii according to Ben

So you may have thought that I was done with my Hawaii posts, but I'm not - there's still more of those 500 pictures to show you!

I always wonder what goes through Ben's mind when we take him away from home. Does he wonder if he's ever going back to the place he's known as home for the past 17 months of his life? Does he notice the changes in his surroundings . . . or, is home to Ben simply having his family around him? When we first arrived in Hawaii, I imagined him thinking things like -

"Why do I feel so sweaty & thirsty around here? It feels really hot."
"I'm ready to get up - why is it still dark outside & why are mama & dada still sleeping?"

and then later on -

"Why are they putting me to bed in this dark bathroom?"
"I am so tired, can't we just go home so I can take a nap?"
"I really like having my dad around all the time - this is cool!"
"Why do I have to keep riding in this thing on my dad's back? It was fun for a little while, but enough is enough!"

"I've had enough of getting in & out of this car seat & I'm done with this stroller too!"

Hawaii was also a learning experience for Ben. In our hotel in Kauai, he learned that he can open doors. He was very proud of this accomplishment.

Ben also learned that sand is fun to play in, but not very fun to eat.

Ben learned to say some of his cousins names. He said Rose and Vivi, but the cutest & clearest of all was Ella (or Lella as Ben would say). Here is Ben, having what I am sure is a very interesting conversation with Ella.

While we were at the Poi' pu Beach on the South Shore of Kauai, a sea turtle came up to the shoreline where it could easily be seen. Ben saw the turtle and added a new word to his vocabulary by learning to say "turtle". I wish you could hear him say it, because it is totally cute! I try to get him to say it at least 10 times a day!




Here's a little treat especially for grandma - a movie of Ben in Hawaii, demonstrating his amazing tricks, his new found vocabulary, and his very cute face. The movie also demonstrates his mother's novice video-taking skills and inability to skillfully film an almost constantly moving target-