The Muench Bunch

We took Luke to Sports Clip for his first hair cut. He did so well, no fussing. He was in awe of everything, just looking all around. They cut his baby locks off the back and around his ears and cut it short all over. When he was done, he looked more like a boy than baby. A very sad realization for mommy. My cute chubby baby has now entered the world of toddlerhood. This is true in the last few days as he has mastered walking and toddles all through the house. He still falls and crawls a lot too.

Jayden has been on a story writing kick. At school when she gets her work finished, she starts writing stories just for fun. They have all been short stories about little animal characters that talk, such as a snail that delivers mail. Her stories are cute and she has come up with tons of characters. The teacher has allowed the other kids in the class to read them and they all enjoy them and ask her everyday if she has a new story. She also is working with her good friends having them illustrate her stories and they put them together into a little book. Jayden is always amazing us!

Me and my bright ideas! I wanted to go on the water one time and see whales. Today was our last day in Hawaii and I didn't want to leave without a whale watch. We booked an early morning 7AM boot cruise whale watch. I took my motion sickness pills and we walked the beach to our boat. We had to beat the waves one at a time running up stairs in hopes of not getting wet. I got wet up the front of my pants, It looked just like I peed my pants. That was unpleasant for two hours in the morning cool air. It was a catamaran and all was well for the first hour. WE cruised out on the water and saw many whales very close. It was an awesome experience and I loved it. The second hour, not so good. The sea sickness set in. I did everything I was supposed to, sipped on sprite, looked out at the shore, stayed at the back of the ship. I came sooo close to losing it, I could feel it in my throat. I did manage to make it back to shore and off the boat. I love to be back on land. It only takes minutes

Mark wanted to get a few more souviners, so we went to the shops in Lahaina in the morning. They have a park area with Banyon trees that are neat to see. They look like they would be so fun to climb. For our last day on the island, we wanted to take it easy and beach it. We laid on towels in the sand and swam in the ocean. We had fun riding the waves and playing in them. It was quite an experience. I love the sound of the waves crashing in. In the evening, we found a little Italian restaurant we could walk to for dinner. It was very good and we had a dark walk back by the ocean.

Mark & I rented snorkel gear and drove south along the island to Makena park which was a shore line with black lava rock everywhere. There was no beach, just black rock. We had a nice snorkel area however without sand it was awkward getting into the water. The highlight of the triip for me was swimming over a giant sea turtle. It was just awesome. He looks like he is moving so slow and graceful, however I could not keep up. That was pretty awesome. He swam about 5 feet below me. We drove along the lava area which we were just in awe at how big the chunks are and how sharp and rugged. It looked like acres and acres of black dirt clumps. Back at the hotel, we ate at our hotels restaurant buffet.

Today we split up and did our own thing. I get motion sickness easily and Mark wanted to go on a sailboat. I wanted to go shopping in Lahina’s numerous shops, something no man enjoys. I was still very crisp from my sunburn and could feel it constantly on the tops of my legs. I spent the entire day going from shop to shop and my muscles ached, however the sunburn was probably worse. We met back at the hotel and relaxed by the pool. The sun was shinning, however we were chilly as it closed in on 5. We ate a late 9PM dinner at KOBE Japanese steakhouse. This was quite an experience. We sat at a table with 8 couples and one big cooking grill in front of us. The chef prepared your meal in front of you. I t was entertaining just seeing how they prepare your food. We enjoyed visiting with a couple near us and the food was interesting and good. We walked along the streets of Lahaina before heading back. The night was cool in my little dress.

Every morning during our stay at Maui we had the morning breakfast buffet as it was included in our stay. Each morning our breakfast bill was $63, which we were credited back. I could not imagine, just for breakfast. It was great, my favorite was all the different pastries. I also made sure to have fresh pineapple each morning. IN the morning we went north on the island for a scenic drive and walking along some paths. Somehow in Hawaii some chickens got loose and now there are roosters and chickens running wild. It is so bizarre and not to pleasant to take a walk and here them squawking. This side of the shore is known for the large waves. We saw several surfers and wind surfing. We decided to just beach for the day, enjoy the warm sunshine of Hawaii. It was rather windy. We rented lawn chairs, even then, the wind would blow sand at you once in awhile. It was warm, (76) but the wind would make you chill. I wanted to come back with a bit of a suntan, so decided to delay the sunblock for

Breakfast then on to the airport. Our day consisted of all traveling. What should only take a person 2 hours, takes the entire day. The Maui flight is only 30 minutes, however you are expect you to be at the airport 2 hours prior. Once in Maui, we got our rental jeep. Mark told me I got to pick out the color. I made fun out of it and picked the bright yellow one. At first he thought no way, but it was my choice and it was the most fun jeep, he agreed. We hopped on the main road only to discover there was a bad accident and the one and only highway was closed. We went to the nearest harbor and ate lunch and hung out for a couple hours. Back on the highway, it was slow going. The traffic was one lane, stop and go. We didn’t get to our hotel until 5PM. Our hotel was the Sheraton right on the beach near a rock snorkel spot. The hotel was awesome and very large. There were so many pretty flowers and the air feels so nice. After getting settled, we had dinner in downtown Lahaina where all th

This was Mark’s day he had been looking forward to. We took a bus tour to Pearl Harbor. When we arrived we watched a short film about the attack. We then took the boat out to see the USS Arizona underwater. There isn’t much that you can see, but there is a list of names of all those lives lost that day. Some 2,000 men died trapped in the USS Arizona. There was a silence as hundreds of people stood and observed. There are still tiny bits of oil that leak from the ship. Our tour took us on to the USS Missouri, which you could walk on and explore all the nooks and crannies. It was very neat to see. It sprinkled on and off throughout the day. It was a bit cool, when you got wet it was cold. We ate our dinner at the Outrigger hotel across from us. This was a very expensive classy restaurant with a long wait. This was the $45/person steak meal. Not something we would ever do again, but in Hawaii that was part of the experience. It was rainy to the point you needed an umbrella. I brought seve

We had a big breakfast at our hotel, the buffet even had sushi. There are tons of Japanese people, they eat the sushi first thing in the morning. We walked along the sunny warm beach all morning. It was an ideal warm day. There were a lot of people on Waikiki beach. We saw several jelly fish circled in the sand. The waves were so awesome to hear and see them crash. There are lot's of homeless, it is sad to see. We walked along the street and ate at a hamburger tree top joint. We spent the afternoon relaxing near our pool on lawn chairs. I did’nt put sunblock on my chest, got a little red. Lot’s of old retired people at our hotel and Japanese. In the evening we went on a dinner sunset boat cruise. We left at 5 for a two hour boat ride. At first, I seemed to be ok, but later on I had to keep my eyes out the window at all times watching the horizon. It is not a nice feeling to get seasick. I had taken my pills before leaving our hotel, I don't think they work for me. We had a tabl

Since our honeymoon, Mark and I have said we would love to go back to Hawaii in 10 years. Here we are making that dream a reality. We were headed to Hawaii in celebration of our 10 year anniversary. The kids get to spend the week with Grandma and Grandpa Wahlert. We flew out of Des Moines at 10Am into Dallas Fort Worth, grabbed a quick bite as the plane was boarding. 9 hour long flight to Oahu. Mark and I read a lot. Arrived around 6PM at our hotel the Sheraton Princess right across the street from the ocean. Very tired, yet excited to be in warm Hawaii! We ate at a hole in the wall little joint that had inexpensive steak and shrimp. After eating there we were hoping we didin't just give ourselves food poisoning. We paid $14.00 for the two of us. Across the street at the hotel, they served steak for $45 per person, Koe steak for $85 for one person. Food here is out of the roof priced. We took a walk along the beach in the dark. The weather was warm and beautiful!

The things I love, Luke isn’t 100% walking yet. He walks a little then crawls to get around. When he sees you in the distance, he flashes a big grin and crawls as fast as his arms and legs can go. When you are on the floor, he crawls to you and right into your lap and pushes his head into you like a little bull calf. It is so adorable. He is such a cuddle bug. When I am doing laundry, he gets right up in may lap and pushes his head into me then rolls over and lays on me. He also tries to give these funny kisses with his mouth wide open on your face. He is a cuddler and always wants to be held. Learning to walk has been fun. Luke holds his hands up and goes for a few steps, pauses, and goes a few more. He hasn't made it across the room yet, but he is getting close. The face he has is of such pride! He is such a smiler! He also still does the “wiggles” (shaking his head back and forth) which makes everyone laugh.

Today was Jayden and my second date for SKG (Secret Keeper Girl). This date was about true beauty. We were to look at covers of magazines and see how the models photos have been touched up to make them appear thinner and blemish free. Even Hannah Montana does not have perfect teeth, however in photos she does. We were to look at what makes Jayden special and different from anyone else. Your own imperfection is what makes you unique. Maybe our teeth are a little crooked or our hair is a little wavy where we want it to be straight. It is all about beauty and not hiding you. Our date was to go to a spa. Jayden and I had both a pedicure and manicure done. I have never had either before and had no idea how expensive it was. That was beside the point and I let Jayden do whatever she wanted. She had a French manicure on her fingernails and painted flowers on her toes. We indulged in the pampering of it all. We sat in massage chairs and had our feet in the warm water bubbles. It took a couple