Mama's about to collapse

Stop the holiday train...I'm about to fall over.  This has been one of the busiest weeks ever, but I'm not complaining, because I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Not even for more sleep.  (Okay, maybe for more sleep...)  The day started with an early morning ride on a school bus with Ryan's preschool (if you've never done this, I recommend ear plugs and a Valium), a trip to the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel to see the Festival of Trees, Santa and some sharks, turtles and giant ulua, an unplanned stop at The Shops at Mauna Lani to let Ryan frolic around in the water fountain, a picnic lunch, and finally, a stop at the Hilton Waikoloa to ride Ryan's beloved trains.  After a stop at home so Ry could nap, Rich coached student-driver Ryan (Geico has already dropped him after 3 days of coverage), while I squeezed in a 10-mile run before all meeting at the park at dusk so Ryan could pump his little legs on his tricycle for half an hour (and give us both mild heart attacks wildly careening around near precipitous drop offs).

A few pics of the day that aged me...

Ryan's first time on a school bus!

Still half asleep from being woken up literally five minutes before this pic was taken...but ready to roll and as always....ready to follow the rules.  After being told by the driver to not move from his seat or to eat anything while riding, he shrunk back in horror and scolded me with a, "No, mommy...no!" when he saw the apple slices in my bag.  I assured him the bus driver said it was okay (hope Santa wasn't listening to that one) since they weren't messy.  Mother of the Year!

My favorite tree of the day...and the only truly Hawaiian-looking Christmas tree of the bunch!  Aloha au ia oe!  

My other favorite not-so-Hawaiian Christmas tree...bright pink and covered in candy and cupcakes!

Santa looked very hot.  He had a fan blowing on him.  That makes two of us who could use a fan on us all day, big man.

Checking out the koi at the hotel, greedily and hungrily surrounding Ryan and as he put it- "They want my candy cane, mommy!"

The best part of the day- encouraging a hesitant Ryan to get wet in his street clothes and then watching him go NUTS.

I'm pretty sure this part of the fountain isn't part of the designated 'splash area' (I got this impression from the "No swimming" sign posted off to the left, but perhaps I read this wrong).  So because that sign was obviously very vague and confusing...I let him be.  He was having too much fun.  (Mother of the Year award again!)

See what I mean?  Is this not hysterical?!

Getting ready to ride the rails at the Hilton Waikoloa with Grandma while mommy parks the car four hundred million yards away in the free parking lot (do not judge me...it's $15 otherwise).