Dinner and a Movie for 6...Priceless!

Summer 2010...Our four children entered the summer all as teens! Tyler broke the teen barrier by turning 20 in July. Shea graduated from high school in June at age 18! Kelli at 16 just left this morning for her second cross country trip to the northeast to visit new friends she met during a summer camp she attended in Vermont right after school was let out! And Justin, who turned 14 in July, has well surpassed the 5'10" mark this summer which also means he is now taller than his mom!

Even with the individual directions that summer can take teens, Duffy and I arranged to take the family for a one week vacation to Hawaii. We were so grateful to have all four children "on board" for the trip. A vacation that Justin was begging for so we didn't tell him until the night before our early morning flight that took place on his actual birthday! I even got the pilot to make the surprise birthday announcement while in the air over the Pacific Ocean which led to the passengers singing Happy Birthday. Oh, to embarass a 14 year old!!!

To say it was an amazing vacation would be an understatement. Yes, we looked like your typical family going through the airport with backpacks, little pillows, magazine, and iPods in tow. On the flight, the Waldorf's have traveling partners. Duffy and Kelli always pair off, Tyler and Justin are good seat buddies, and Shea is my dream airline companion for as soon as he plops into his seat, he hits the snooze button (he's been this way since he was a baby!) The pair offs always takes place for a few reasons...but the primary one is the shoulders of a Waldorf! Duffy has traveled for years dealing with airline seats that are not as wide as his football shoulders. Tyler and Shea now have the same issue and Justin is only a few years behind. Therefore, one set of Waldorf shoulders for each pair of seats.

We arrived at our hotel destination, and everyone was instantly ready to hit the beach. Each day, we played in the sun...but I don't mean this figuratively, I mean it literally. The three boys surfed together, Kelli and Duffy floated together, we swam together, we all took turns throwing the football together, better yet playing keep away, (and a few of us even took time to do a little shopping together). The six of us climbed Diamond Head together and have a family photo to prove we all made it to the top! We paired off into our airplane partners to kayak race...please note that Shea and I are the undefeated champions! And...Justin and I even spent quality time together as we found the local doctor to address his ear infection.

Yet, as the beautiful sun set each evening, this may have been my favorite time as a family. A few nights we got all dressed up and went out for some lovely dinners. But a couple of the evenings, we actually "stayed home", brought dinner back to the room and had a family dinner and movie night. No phones, no text messages, no computers, and no outside distractions. The six of us ate dinner, laughed, enjoyed each others company, and then as a family...picked the movie that all six of us could agree upon. Sometimes it took watching several trailers to make our "group" decision...but we did it...together!

They are growing up way too fast. But this summer for seven straight days, this family took a vacation together...and the entire time, including dinner and a movie...was priceless!