Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

[Dugette]

Ah, the joys of toddlers with opinions.

Yes, "joys." I've been on a winning streak the last two days, though. Nearly everything I say is followed by Izzy saying, "Oh, that's a good idea, Mommy!"

Looks like you had a successful trip to both stores.

It worked out pretty much according to plan, so that's a win!

Can't wait to hear about the character meets at Aulani!

Coming up next!

I loved reading the article about Walt in Palm Springs- how cool that Dug was also at a "Disney" resort!

Glad you enjoyed it. Seems like a bit of Disney trivia that most people don't know about.

What nice weather esp compared to what it was at home, I'm sure!!

I was so happy to see such a lovely forecast!

Sorry you were sick overnight though.

Thanks, that stomach bug just would not go away.

8:20 is definitely sleeping in once you have a kid. I'm happy if we reach 7:30, and I'm usually awake by 6 regardless. Anyway nice relaxing morning start to the day!

We are awfully lucky, since I know most toddler parents don't get to sleep in. We typically do get the chance on weekends, though, since Izzy has such a good imagination that when she wakes up, she happily plays with all her animals in her crib, enacting all sorts of dramas, until we come get her. It's pretty awesome!

Glad you got your groceries, and funny about Dug's hotel being affiliated with Disney as well!

It was pretty cool that he had Disney stuff along the walls to admire.

Can't wait to hear about the character meets! I love the seemingly random mix of Disney with Hawaii at Aulani, but it is so nice for families.

It's really interesting how there are characters (limited ones) there, but they are not ever-present like at the parks. You really need to know where to look, so it's definitely a more Hawaiian feel than a Disney feel.

And that lei in the fridge made me reminisce on my visits there. I loved those leis, one of my favorite smells!

They are great!

Catching up!

Beautiful views again! It sounds like a great night riding around. I'm sorry dinner didn't agree with you again. I know I've said it before, but being sick on vacation is just the worst!

I agree, I'd much rather be sick at home/work than on a vacation I've been anticipating like this.

I'm glad the trip to/from the airport went smoothly. Keeping the toddler asleep through all the transitions is quite a feat!

I was so glad that she was so incredibly tired!

It sounds like you and Izzy had quite a morning! Love the views from your "standard" room!

That view was fantastic and more than we ever expected.

I had no idea about the arrow indicating the location of the tank - very useful fact you worked in there!

Oooh, glad to help! I cannot believe how many rental cars I got out of and looked for the gas cap on before learning about this.

I love the purchase of the Pyrex bowls! That is totally something that would happen to me!

Hey, I even still use them on a regular basis, so a unique souvenir!

Excited to read about your meet with Goofy...mixing bowls in tow!

Coming right up!

I can totally see myself purchasing mixing bowls like that. I do that sort of thing all the time. When it's a deal, it's a deal no matter where you are!

That's a good way to put it. A deal anywhere is still a deal.

Oh, the shoes! First of all, why do toddlers always want to wear the shoes you don't want them to? Second of all, why can't they keep them on? Two seconds after we back out of the driveway the shoes come off! Charlotte is finally starting to stop that, but the shoes drive me nuts!

Yep, shoes are just another awesome toy to them. Izzy wore her boots far past winter just because we didn't want to fight that battle.

Izzy did look adorable, and obedient! And a celerance shipper as well? What a good mommy!

I was so proud of her clearance find!

I think shopping looks way more fun in Hawaii, I need to try it!

Yes, you should give it a go!

 

[Dugette]

Character Meet Spree

Goofy’s meeting place was by the pool, right next to an area that is zero-entry and great for getting into the lazy river tubes. Izzy spotted Goofy as we approached the area:



Yep, there he is up there (from our vantage point in line):



The line moved along decently and, soon enough, it was Izzy’s turn:



Our failed attempts to get her to look at the camera :





Bye-bye high-five:



I also have video that shows she apparently ran back into my arms, which is how I ended up in those pictures with them:

(click to watch)

I thought that was a good starter meet for the day. She usually needs her warm-up time with character meets.

Once we finished with Goofy, we headed up to the room to drop off the bowls and a bag of cold food I’d brought in from the car. We also grabbed Izzy’s new autograph book for the rest of the meets – I guess I bought it at some point in the gift shop – it's an Aulani-specific book.

Then we made another run down to the car. I’d parked on the lobby level of the parking garage to make the trip easier (no elevator needed). We grabbed the rest of the bags of groceries. Most fit under the stroller, but I ended up carrying one and hung one from the carabiner on the stroller handle.

As we were approaching the elevators to get to our room, I saw a bride and groom:



Our elevator was shared with a super friendly dad who had kids dressed as Mulan and a pirate. Back in the room, I quickly put the groceries away so that we could get back down to our next scheduled character meet.

Meanwhile, Dug was enjoying Smoke Tree Ranch:



Very nice!

Izzy and I made our way back out to the pool area with the stroller. I stopped and asked a lifeguard how to get to the meet area without taking the stairs. Turned out that the ramps were very convenient to where we came out of the building. Basically, go right to the main meeting area and left to Goofy’s meeting area.

The next meet was Donald Duck and he would also be Izzy’s first autograph (yes, as you’ll hear the CM say in the video, Donald’s #1! )

Izzy initially went up on her own, but then got scared and came running back to me. So, we then went up together to have Donald sign her book and that made her much more comfortable. Though the Goofy meet had a Photopass person, most of the character meets did not. However, the CMs working at them were willing to take pictures for us:



Apparently the CMs aren’t all that familiar with iPhones, as you’ll hear at the end of the video, but otherwise she did a nice job of taking over the video when I had to go up with Izzy:

(click to watch)

After we met Donald, we just stepped aside for about 10 minutes to wait for the meet to change to Mickey & Minnie (same location). Izzy and this other little girl played with a rock:



By the way, you can also see the autograph book on the stroller console, along with the refillable mug (I can't remember if I mentioned we got one).

When the line began forming, we jumped in and were just a few parties back. We were right behind a CM (on the right in the pic below) that was helping a family to meet Mickey for their kid’s birthday. Not sure what the circumstances were (it seemed maybe it was an extra bit of pixie dust for them ), but that was cool:



Izzy found herself a nice leaf to play with while we waited:



Izzy was really excited to meet Minnie and was yelling out that she was going to see Minnie. However, when I turned the selfie video to her, she got shy. The video isn’t great, but the end is cute, since she lights up when they walk by:

(click to watch)

Soon, it was our turn. I think the video speaks for itself, but I’ll summarize anyway. Izzy was SO excited to meet Minnie, but when she went up to hug Minnie, she just got turned around and posed for a picture. Minnie was NOT interactive at all. They might as well have put out a Minnie statue for photo ops and called it good. This one definitely ranks up there as one of our most awkward and disappointing character meets. And I was a bit worried, because I doubt Aulani has as many “friends” of Minnie as WDW does, so there’s a chance she’s often in a “mood.” Here’s the cringe-worthy video of that one:

(click to watch)

Thankfully, Mickey was more interactive and affectionate, which seemed to inspire Minnie slightly, so Izzy did get a small kiss from her:

(click to watch)

It wasn’t easy to get Izzy to look at cameras, so this is the best shot I got:



Then a CM took some of all of us. This one cracks me up, since Izzy is admiring Minnie’s shoes :



And another not-looking-at-the-camera shot:



After all that fun, it was time to get back to the room for our naps!

Up next: Napping, relaxing, pool time, and dinner. A very low-key evening at Aulani.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I love all the characters I their Hawiian outfits! That looks like lots of fun! Mickey looks really cute in his outfit, so laid back. I think the pic of Izzy is admiring Minnie's shoes is especially cute. Typical girl can't stop looking at the shoes!
I remember the days of not looking at the camera. We have lots of what I call "action" shots from those days. Side of face, from the back,looking down, looking up. All precious memories.

 

[alohamom]

Oh poor Izzy getting turned around by Minnie! Maybe Minnie didnt hear you? Kinda confusing for a little one though...

 

[lorimay]

Izzy is the cutest!!!!

 

[cindianne320]

Izzy looked so cute meeting the characters! I love their Hawaiian outfits. Too bad Minnie was so dry- though her outfit was adorable!

I hope you got a nap in and that the stomach bug is finally gone!

 

[MEK]

That picture with Izzy pointing at Minnie's shoes is just too funny and cute! I love her dress. Talk about character-a-polozza! How fun!

 

[hokieinpa]

Wow - lots of characters! I'm sorry the Minnie meet was a bust. Very sad for a Minnie lover like Izzy!

It sounds like a nice, relaxing evening ahead - perfect after some busy days and not feeling so hot.

 

[Denovagirl]

I agree on loving the Hawaiian outfits on the characters! So cute!!

Bummer on Minnie... Oh well, it doesn't happen to often that you get a dud....

All the water stuff looks so fun!! I wanna go play!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

seems like a pretty neat spot for a Character meet and like the outfits that they are all wearing. I love how when you cycle through all the pictures Izzy is looking in every single direction except at the camera

Bummer about Minnie not being too interactive - I hope that didn't continue throughout the week. At least Mickey was there to help - otherwise that might have been very awkward.

yup, I could definitely not pull that suit off

 

[LuvEeyore]

Izzy cracks me up. She is just like Morgan....she notices the shoes and Morgan is almost 21!! I hope Izzy doesn't have as many shoes as Morgan cause if she does, nothing else will fit in her closet. Wonder if Minnie has that problem?

 

[Imagineer5]

Such a nice way to spend some mommy daughter time in Hawaii! Love all the characters and the pics!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Our failed attempts to get her to look at the camera

Boy, I know how that goes.

Izzy was really excited to meet Minnie and was yelling out that she was going to see Minnie. However, when I turned the selfie video to her, she got shy.

I know how that goes, too! Isn't it always the way?

Minnie was NOT interactive at all. They might as well have put out a Minnie statue for photo ops and called it good.

Well, boo hiss. That's not good.

 

[schmass]

Those pictures with Mickey and Minnie are so cute! Even if Minnie was a little awkward...

 

[Leshaface]

Apparently the CMs aren’t all that familiar with iPhones, as you’ll hear at the end of the video

That is so weird to me. I guess I expect every one to know how a camera works??

How cute!

The video isn’t great, but the end is cute, since she lights up when they walk by:

Aw she totally smiles

but when she went up to hug Minnie, she just got turned around and posed for a picture.

OH my gosh that was super weird, like okay enough with the hug let's take a picture

Thankfully, Mickey was more interactive and affectionate, which seemed to inspire Minnie slightly, so Izzy did get a small kiss from her:

Good!

I do love Mickey's costume. Minnie should have a lei!

 

[Dugette]

I love all the characters I their Hawiian outfits! That looks like lots of fun! Mickey looks really cute in his outfit, so laid back. I think the pic of Izzy is admiring Minnie's shoes is especially cute. Typical girl can't stop looking at the shoes!

Thanks. Yeah, those outfits are great! Izzy has quite the shoe obsession, which is funny, as I don't at all.

I remember the days of not looking at the camera. We have lots of what I call "action" shots from those days. Side of face, from the back,looking down, looking up. All precious memories.

Yep, action shots. Or, when I do get her to look at the camera, it's some over-exagerrated smile. Still cute, though.

Oh poor Izzy getting turned around by Minnie! Maybe Minnie didnt hear you? Kinda confusing for a little one though...

Yeah, I don't know what was up with Minnie. She was just ready to pose for a picture, but not really into playing at all, I guess.

Izzy is the cutest!!!!

Thank you!

Izzy looked so cute meeting the characters! I love their Hawaiian outfits. Too bad Minnie was so dry- though her outfit was adorable!

Yeah, those outfits are really cute!

I hope you got a nap in and that the stomach bug is finally gone!

I think the bug was about gone by then. We'll have to see what my notes say. But I think the worst was over.

That picture with Izzy pointing at Minnie's shoes is just too funny and cute! I love her dress. Talk about character-a-polozza! How fun!

There are limited characters at Aulani, but we sure had fun meeting lots of them in a short time. I love that shot of her in awe of Minnie's shoes.

Wow - lots of characters! I'm sorry the Minnie meet was a bust. Very sad for a Minnie lover like Izzy!

Yeah, we had really been looking forward to the Minnie meet and it was a bit of a letdown. I was just hoping that we'd have better ones later in the week.

It sounds like a nice, relaxing evening ahead - perfect after some busy days and not feeling so hot.

Exactly!

I agree on loving the Hawaiian outfits on the characters! So cute!!

I know, aren't they adorable?

Bummer on Minnie... Oh well, it doesn't happen to often that you get a dud....

Exactly, most of them are pretty good, so I tried not to let it bother me (or Izzy).

All the water stuff looks so fun!! I wanna go play!

It's a pretty fun place!

seems like a pretty neat spot for a Character meet and like the outfits that they are all wearing. I love how when you cycle through all the pictures Izzy is looking in every single direction except at the camera

Haha, yeah, there's way more interesting things to look at than the camera.

Bummer about Minnie not being too interactive - I hope that didn't continue throughout the week. At least Mickey was there to help - otherwise that might have been very awkward.

Yeah, Mickey really saved the day on that meet - glad they were together.

yup, I could definitely not pull that suit off

I doubt that many can.

Izzy cracks me up. She is just like Morgan....she notices the shoes and Morgan is almost 21!! I hope Izzy doesn't have as many shoes as Morgan cause if she does, nothing else will fit in her closet. Wonder if Minnie has that problem?

Ha, I'm sure Minnie has that problem...her shoes are HUGE! Izzy definitely is fond of footwear. We'll see how that pans out as she gets older.

Such a nice way to spend some mommy daughter time in Hawaii! Love all the characters and the pics!

Thanks, it was really nice to spend the time together just enjoying the resort.

Boy, I know how that goes.

I'm sure you do.

I know how that goes, too! Isn't it always the way?

Of course, they know what they're doing.

Well, boo hiss. That's not good.

Nope, quite disappointing.

Those pictures with Mickey and Minnie are so cute! Even if Minnie was a little awkward...

Thanks, I'm glad the pictures came out good.

That is so weird to me. I guess I expect every one to know how a camera works??

I know, I didn't realize that she was confused until I watched it back afterwards. Guess she doesn't use a lot of iPhones?

How cute!

It was.

Aw she totally smiles

She lit up, yep.

OH my gosh that was super weird, like okay enough with the hug let's take a picture

It was like she was just there to be in photos, not to interact. Every so often, we run into a character like that.

Good!

I was glad that Mickey was able to make things more fun.

I do love Mickey's costume. Minnie should have a lei!

She should! I wonder why she doesn't.

 

[Dugette]

Naptime and Pool Time

Back in the room, I think I let Izzy just play around and wind down for a few minutes while I braved some snacks (since I hadn’t been eating and was hungry again). I had a piece of Izzy’s rejected malasada from that morning (good, but not as good as fresh) and a dark chocolate sea salt pretzel from our Costco run:



Yum! If I’m going to get sick from eating, I might as well at least enjoy what I do eat.

I eventually got Izzy into her pack ‘n’ play with the promise of pool time after she napped.

In order to keep from distracting her while she fell asleep, I went and took a very leisurely shower. It was a nice break and I even used the fancy Aulani robe they provide. It is really strange that there is no ventilation in the bathrooms, though. I had read that in advance and it certainly seems to be true – I couldn’t find anything fan-like. Weird.

I also see that my notes include a line of “shower tips”. So, if you are going to Aulani and are used to basic shower controls, here’s my cheat sheet for their complicated system that we had to figure out by trial and error:

Shower tips: top knob should be down to not have water spray on you immediately, then right is rainshower and left is handheld, I believe - the bottom is on/off/temp and it will still be cold when you switch sources

At any rate, after my shower, Izzy was asleep. I got in my swimsuit and sat out on the balcony with my laptop, making notes about the trip so far (this is why the shower control knobs were so fresh in my mind! )

In other random tips from my notes, there are no power outlets on the balcony. So, either make sure your electronics are charged in advance or bring an extension cord. I think I was able to just barely stretch my laptop cord to the nearest inside outlet later in the trip, but it’s not easy. At that time, though, I didn’t want to go in and make noise and wake Izzy, so I just hoped my low-power monitor and laptop held out:



I enjoyed just being out on the balcony, soaking up the day.

Our plans after nap were to go try out the lazy river, the zero-entry pool area, and maybe the kids’ areas if they were still open (they closed and 5pm and she was still napping after 4pm, according to my notes).

By the time she woke up and got changed into her swimsuit, it was just before 5pm. We headed down the elevator, then followed some other guests to a towel and wristband dispensing station. They ask how many towels you’d like and they put on your wristbands after they scan your key card – our wristbands indicated DVC membership (since we were staying on rented points). The wristbands are different colors each day and Izzy got a kick out of us wearing matching ones. Oh, one other tip I discovered at some point this trip: Izzy’s key card opened the room, but did not have charging privileges. Unless I was planning to buy something, I only brought hers down to the pool so that I wouldn’t worry so much about someone stealing it and running up a bill (nobody stole one, but just a precaution). It worked fine to use hers to check us in for the wristbands too.

I asked them the time at the towel booth and they said it was just after 5pm. I told Izzy that we’d have to wait until tomorrow to use the water playground. Then, because I have no sense of direction, we wandered around for a long time before I found the zero-entry pool. It’s pretty much in the middle of the area and probably easy for everyone else to find, by the way. Luckily, Izzy was too young to know how pathetically lost I was (though I’m sure she will tell me where to go next time, as she seems to have gotten Dug’s excellent sense of direction and already gets mad at me when I am driving and don’t take her preferred route).

Once we arrived at the zero entry area, we grabbed a chair to put our stuff on. It was late in the day and there were a lot of empty chairs nearby. I left the room key in the pocket of my swim cover-up pants (my attempt at making it hard to find) and I brought Izzy’s floating Mickey and Minnie toys that I’d found on clearance at Target before our trip (the Swimways Water Wobblies, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Swim-Ways-Swi..._sim_21_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CPKB659QFGEA2ESTWN0). I also had her Puddle Jumper Life Jacket, but she didn’t want to wear it, so I left that behind for now, since I’d be holding her anyway.

So, we headed down to the zero-entry and I quickly learned that, despite several successful sessions of swim lessons, Izzy was now TERRIFIED of the water. She refused to go in and was not happy about this at all, despite having been enthusiastic about the idea of going swimming. I finally compromised by getting her to sit on a rock bench right by the entry to throw Mickey and Minnie into the water, then retrieve them (she really liked the toys, so was intrigued by this). However, she was only willing to retrieve them if they were REALLY close to her. Finally, after doing this for awhile, she was more willing to retrieve the ones that went further out, so she was making progress at getting into the water without fear. Yay! And then my plan was quickly foiled.

We threw them out a bit further again and a little girl comes over and says, “I’ll take Minnie, please!” And then she kept repeating it, over and over. She was about to help herself, so I had to go grab them, which ruined Izzy’s attempt to wade out further, but I just couldn’t have the other girl run off with Izzy’s beloved Minnie toy. I tried to gently explain to the other little girl that these were Izzy’s toys from home and she really needed them right now to help her not be scared of the water. However, this little girl was probably not a whole lot older than Izzy, so she was still upset. I felt bad about not sharing, but I knew that it would cause an Izzy meltdown if the other girl took off with her toy that she was so attached to. The other little girl’s dad came over and told her that he would get her some, but she was just sobbing uncontrollably by that point.

I felt really bad about the whole incident, especially because the other little girl and her parents ended up leaving the pool because she was so upset. Her dad asked where we got the toys and I hated to tell him that we’d gotten them from the Target at home and I didn’t know if they were sold around here. I apologized for not being able to share because Izzy really needed them for encouragement in the water at that time – he completely understood and they weren’t upset (only their daughter was).

So, once they headed out, we basically had to start all over again with the really close retrievals and trying to work our way up to longer ones again to get her back to the point she left off at. The incident had scared her and set her back in her progress. After doing that for a bit, she expressed interest in me holding her and showing her around the pool, so we did that. We had Mickey and Minnie “swim” with us and wandered all around the pool. It’s a big pool, as this is the main family pool. Izzy’s favorite part was when we went through the cave and found where the waterslide let out. She loved watching people come out of it and splash into the water. We stood there for a long time, watching strangers take the plunge. By the time we were ready to get out, colorful lights had turned on at the bottom of the pool, as it was starting to get dark. Very pretty!

So, this whole time, I had my dad’s water camera with me. He was kind enough to lend it to me for our trip so that I didn’t have to buy one. This whole time, I had thought I was taking pictures, but I was dismayed to check now and find out that I was only focusing them when I pressed the button. I needed to hold it longer and I didn’t have ANY pictures. Oops.

Since Izzy seemed pretty comfortable being held by me in the water, I wanted to go check out the infinity pool at sunset. We ended up not having enough time for the lazy river this evening. It was getting chilly, so I wrapped Izzy in a towel and we grabbed our things and relocated to another chair. The pools were nearby, so it wasn’t a long walk at all.

By the way, I do have one picture that I think is the main pool?



I didn’t end up taking many pictures in the infinity pool either, as I was also holding Izzy and managing Mickey & Minnie (i.e. keeping them from taking a dive over the infinity edge). But here’s what it looked like in the infinity pool, looking towards the ocean:



Izzy wanted to go into the cave off to the right, so we did that. Here is the view peeking out at the ocean from inside the cave:



The cave was sparkly inside and there was also a hot tub in there. Very cool. Plus, it was much warmer in this pool than the other and it felt great. We just hung out for a bit and enjoyed the warm pool and the sunset:



We were so cold when we finally got out of there! Izzy was shivering, so I got her dried off quickly, then wrapped up in her Ariel cover-up. We returned our pool towels and headed back to the room for dinner:





We had a gourmet in-room dining experience that night. I discovered that I could not cook a hot dog in this microwave without making it explode, but at least they were warm and tasty. Izzy’s exploded hot dog was accompanied by cheese and raspberries (on a plate we brought from home):



I decided that my stomach was holding up okay after the earlier snack, so I’d eat dinner too. I used one of the provided disposable plates and skipped the raspberries:



I had a Fresca and Izzy had some milk in a cup we also brought from home. We both enjoyed our dinner:



Once dinner was over, I got her down to bed, as it was after her normal 7pm bedtime. I also laid down, intending to nap for a bit, to encourage her to drift off to sleep. Around 8:15pm, I suddenly realized that I’d forgotten all about the Starlit Hui show that night. It’s Aulani’s free luau-like show and they only do it certain nights of the week, generally Monday and Thursday. I made a mental note to see it Thursday, since we’d missed our chance. Then Dug called around 8:30pm, which re-energized Izzy, who had still not quite fallen asleep. However, after that, we both fell asleep.

I woke up around 11-something pm and just got up long enough to remove my contacts and do some minimal cleaning/prep for the next day. I was too tired to do anything else, so I got back in bed and we both were out until about 8am the next day.

Up next: Breakfast in paradise!

 

[Imagineer5]

Sounds like you had a relaxing nap time as well and nice to just have plans to spend the evening at the pool, so you didn't have to worry too much about waking her up. The pools look beautiful - I love caves and waterfalls and that whole look. My heart sank for you when you said you hadn't actually been taking photos though with the water camera so annoying and upsetting I'm sure! It is too bad how scared Izzy was at first but glad you got her in the pool eventually. The whole incident with the other little girl was sad though why weren't her parents right there? I don't let Aria play around a pool by herself so she wouldn't have gotten in that situation to begin with? Seems a bit strange, but anyway. I'm glad they were understanding though.

I don't think I needed to see a photo of your exploded hot dogs LOL! but glad it was an easy dinner

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like a fairly relaxing afternoon/evening and some nice pool time. The pictures you did post made it seem quite nice - though feel so bad about the issue with the waterproof camera. .... though, something else you can remedy on your next trip )

Sounds like a frustrating situation with the Minnie toy and the other child - at least there was a parent there to see how it went down and to explain it too ... I think most parents would totally understand. Would have been worse if he didn't see why she was crying.

 

[Leshaface]

I also see that my notes include a line of “shower tips”.

And it's these tips (including fridge tips) you won't find in the Aulani fact sheet

However, she was only willing to retrieve them if they were REALLY close to her. Finally, after doing this for awhile, she was more willing to retrieve the ones that went further out, so she was making progress at getting into the water without fear. Yay!

This is exactly what we were doing with DS over at a friends house. Their pool is split off into two sections, an actual swimming area and a wading area where you can sit in the water without getting your chest and up wet. We'd throw rings to get him to get further down into the water and it took a LONG time for him to actually bend down to pick them up, but we eventually picked up speed and got him to do more and more until he was finally ready to be picked up and held in the deep end.

We threw them out a bit further again and a little girl comes over and says, “I’ll take Minnie, please!” And then she kept repeating it, over and over. She was about to help herself, so I had to go grab them, which ruined Izzy’s attempt to wade out further, but I just couldn’t have the other girl run off with Izzy’s beloved Minnie toy. I tried to gently explain to the other little girl that these were Izzy’s toys from home and she really needed them right now to help her not be scared of the water. However, this little girl was probably not a whole lot older than Izzy, so she was still upset. I felt bad about not sharing, but I knew that it would cause an Izzy meltdown if the other girl took off with her toy that she was so attached to. The other little girl’s dad came over and told her that he would get her some, but she was just sobbing uncontrollably by that point.

Ugh that stinks. Cause we're always trying to teach them to share but in certain instances, like this, it's hard. I think you handled it as best and as nicely as possible.

I felt really bad about the whole incident, especially because the other little girl and her parents ended up leaving the pool because she was so upset. Her dad asked where we got the toys and I hated to tell him that we’d gotten them from the Target at home and I didn’t know if they were sold around here. I apologized for not being able to share because Izzy really needed them for encouragement in the water at that time – he completely understood and they weren’t upset (only their daughter was).

I'm glad the parents didn't feel like their girl was entitled to the toys and totally understood! Awesome.

Wow, so so pretty!

I love her little cover up!

I discovered that I could not cook a hot dog in this microwave without making it explode, but at least they were warm and tasty.

Try making 4 slits in the hot dog next time and it shouldn't explode