Amanda and the Hendersons

Sunday of our trip was free from any scheduled activities..... It wasn't hard for us to decide that we wanted to spend it on the beach! We found a nice spot on the Hawaiian coast, beneath the trees..... our towels spread atop of the warm sand..... It took nearly 5 seconds for the boys to run off toward the water..... We spent the entire day there, the boys sat along the waters edge and allowed the waves to wash them further ashore.... over and over again..... They made a friend. A little girl who lived on the island, her mother from Pakistan, her father from England....They had moved to the island for her father to become a helicopter pilot...... She was shy, she held tightly to her mother's hand as she approached the boys.... Before long, they were buddies and they all three laughed and played....running along the beach, Parklen never letting the little girl leave his sight..... Most of Parklen's interactions are with adults, and when he gets

Saturday was the day of all days for Parklen. He had dreamed of it, wished for it, talked about it, and was about to experience it. Our appointment wasn't until the afternoon, so he had some torturous hours of wait....... We tried to keep busy, eating, walking, playing and exploring. When the time came, he was ready. Paysen, Parklen and I were fitted with our life vests and directed to a waiting area..... Devan wrangled Phinlynn, as she was too small to partake. Parklen smiled from ear to ear.....Paysen did too. We eased in off of the beach, the water reaching just above my knees. It wasn't too cold, and there were fish swimming all around us. Our trainer called over our new friend and so began Parklen's wish come true. Parklen could not stop smiling, he giggled at every turn. We learned commands, we interacted. The dolphins were everything that Parklen imagined they would be.