Dear Island Princess,

Whoever said traveling with a 2-year-old was difficult clearly never traveled with you. You were an absolute delight on this trip. Not an hour went by that you didn't make us laugh and give us snuggles. All by yourself, you came up with a clever way to travel through the airport, so not even that was a problem.
You loved the beach. Burying yourself in sand and playing with the sand toys were some of your favorite activities. Each time we took off your swimsuit, a cup of sand would fall out.


It took you a little while to figure out that "Hawaii" and "beach" were not synonymous. If we said we were in Hawaii and we were at the beach, you told us we weren't in Hawaii. I think you finally figured out that everywhere was Hawaii.
You were up for every adventure. You tried snorkeling, swung from trees, climbed trees, and crashed into waves every chance you got. You loved the dancers at the Polynesian Cultural Center and even though you were exhausted, you stayed awake watching them for over an hour. You were sad to miss out on the fire eaters.
You were a little sad that mommy forgot to pack you baby dolls for the trip. It didn't take you long to find other things to love, however. You mothered your giant blow-up whale, Baby Beluga, and also your new pet "duck" - giving her food, wrapping her in a blanket, singing her lullabies, and rocking her to sleep. What a good mother you are!
Sometimes you'd surprise us - like the first time you answered a question with "never, never, never" (a new favorite phrase) or when you'd strike a yoga pose at the beach and proclaim, "I'm just doing my downward dog."
You don't seem to suffer from the same humidity-induced hair disasters as your mother. While I looked like a frizzy mess, you were perfectly lovely at all times. What a lucky girl!
I love you, Island Princess. Thanks for being such fun and for letting us in on your joy in just hanging out. It broke my heart when you cried yesterday because you wanted to go to the beach. I'm sorry to say that it might be awhile. The snow outside our window is not a good sign for beach weather anytime soon.