Day 1

We had a great start to our vacation. Plane on time and flight not full so the lady who was lucky enough to sit by me and Tyler could go somewhere else leaving us the two seats together. Eric entertained the girls easily, thanks to the fun backpacks that I packed for them. Tyler had a rough start, but once I got him to sleep took a pretty good nap and was a happy baby the rest of time. We landed, got our car, and headed to the condo, which turned out to be perfect for the family. We swam in the pool that afternoon, got dinner, and everyone was asleep by 7:30pm!

Day 2

Everyone awake by 5am. Ready to head out for breakfast at 7. We met our friends Steve and Laurel Lan at Rainbows Drive In for breakfast. It was so great to see them again. We had a Hawaiian style breakfast of eggs, rice and spam and it was good! We then headed out to go on a "little hike" with the Lans. We climbed up Diamond Head with all three kids! It's quite a steep trail when you are helping a 6 year old, (me/Laurel), giving a 3 year old a shoulder ride, (Eric), and carrying a 1 year old in a backpack(Steve). We got more of a work out than we expected! Ella made it to the top almost by herself and all the way down. She sang the way up, but not so much the way down.

Steve was lucky to hang out with us after leaving his kids at home!

Half way up

We made it to the top! The view is worth it.

One tired girl!

After that adventure we headed to Hanuama Bay. It is so beautiful there and great for snorkeling. Eric and Steve headed out and saw some amazing fish and even a sea turtle. I loved the beach. The water is so mellow due to the rocks and coral. The girls had just a little area to play in before the rocks started, so I never had to worry about them getting to deep or big waves. We left, had a great plate lunch, and it was only 3pm. We were so tired. We headed back to the hotel for a bit then swam in the pool and were in bed by 7pm. I think I made it until 8pm!

This is very typical of these two!

Day 3

Eric got a little sight seeing done without the kids and went with the Lans to Pearl Harbor. I decided to take the kids to the Honolulu Zoo which was just a few blocks from where we were staying. The kids and I had a great time and the grounds were so beautiful. The animals not too exciting, but they did have a playground to play on which I think was the girls favorite part.

Chloe was fascinated by the cow's udders.

In the afternoon we headed out to explore downtown Waikiki and go to the International Market, which is just a bunch of the same kind of shops gathered together. Not that great. The city had a Vegas feel to it. Lots of fancy shops and big hotels.

Day 4

Today was the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is a whole day of fun activities. The best part of the day was we were with both the Lans and the Hyltons. We toured through the villages and saw as much as we could there. The girls loved when the Samoan climbed up a coconut tree and drank the juice. The villages each put on shows through out the day which are very entertaining. We didn't do a lot of activities that were offered to to time. We had tickets for the luau at 5pm and the the night show at 7:3opm. The night show was a lot of fun and Ella even made it though the whole thing without falling asleep. The fire dancers were her favorite part of the day. It was a wonderful day and made for some great pictures!

Day 5

Today was strictly for the beach. We heard that Kailua Beach was voted one of the best beaches in the world and family friendly so we headed over there and fell in love immediately. Clear blue water, white sandy beaches, and just enough waves to make it fun for the kids. The Hytons joined us there too which made things even better!

Day 6

Today was our North Shore adventures. We stopped at the Dole Plantation for Pineapple ice cream and a few pictures, then headed to the LDS temple. It is completely under construction and most of the temple grounds were off limits, but the front area and visitors center was still open. Although it didn't even have windows right now, it is still so beautiful!

We then headed to a site dating back to 1600 where an ancient temple used to be and then used for sacrifices. Only the outline of the area is left, but still pretty cool.

We finally made it to the beach. We played at Waimea Bay which had some pretty strong waves which made for nervous parent, but the girls did well. Ella even did some surfing! Looks like she's almost ready for Pipeline!

After all the swimming we had to try the famous Hawaiian shaved ice. It is like a snowcone, but more finely grated and so much better. It's really good!

One long day equalled one tired boy. Catching a nap while he can!