Just arrived

We have just arrived in Maui, and I must say, it's good to be here.  For now, it's just me and my kids.  It'll take a little longer for their mom to get here, and the dog is quarantined on Oahu until June 26.  So our first move is to get to the house and get settled a little.  We have 2 boxes each (each cardboard box just under the airline's limit for both size and weight), plus my bike.  I figure we'll pack what we can in our rent-a-car SUV, leave the boys with the rest, and the little one and I will make the first trip -- it's only 10 minutes from the airport to the house, so no big deal, I figure.  Well, the boys have a different idea.  They want everyone to be able to make it in one trip.  So we've got one boy up front with a box on his lap (the box is larger than he is); one boy in a little space between two boxes just behind the front seats; and the little one curled up in the back in a cubby created by three boxes and the bike box.  We yell back to her periodically to ask her if she's OK, and she hollers back that she's great.  

Because we're all having a lot of fun with our possibly illegal transport style, the drive to our new home is short despite the anticipation .  We make it to the house without incident and pull up the driveway.  I let the kids out and their little eyes tell me I've done good with the choice of our new house.  The exploration of the house is something that only kids can really do properly.  Adults tend to walk through the house, looking at each room with a critical eye, thinking, "what can I do with this room?" or, "needs a bit of paint," or, "that's carpet's got to go."  But children know how to really explore a new house.  They run, they crawl, they bounce, they thump, bump, tap, knock and touch.  They explore a house not for it's potential, but for it's playtential.  I love to watch them do that.  As they check out various locks, faucets, lights, switches and latches, they bounce up to me periodically to report on their findings, and it seems that they're finding the house acceptable.  That's a big load off my shoulders.  What would I have done if they didn't like the house?  Well, they do, and thank God for it.  Welcome to Maui, kids!