We had the most amazing vacation. Two weeks in beautiful Hawaii. We stayed in Laie, which is on the North Shore. My parents rented a house for our entire family to stay in. We can't thank them enough for that.
We each had our own room, there were two living areas, a kitchen, and a large dining area. Did anyone take a picture of the house???
We bought most of our food and cooked it at home. We only ate out 3 nights if I remember correctly. Food is expensive in Hawaii - but buying it at a grocery store is much cheaper than buying it at a restaurant. Cooking wasn't all the bad either, I actually preferred it to eating out - we ate less and ate food that was better for us - which equals a much happier me! :)
There were 16 of us: my parents, my family, Steph's family (Steph, Doug, Jack (4), Jordan (2), and Kenzie (9 mo.)), and Shell's family (Shell, Richard, Kenna (4) and Natalie (almost 2)). You would think that would make it pretty crazy, but there were only a handful of times when it really seemed out of control :) (of course one of those times was when we had a friend and his wife (he is attending BYUH) over for dinner - the kids were on one that night :))
We all had our own cars, but pretty much stuck together most of the time. We had few days where we did different things, but for the most part we just wanted to experience it all together.
It was great all staying in one house. We could put the kids to bed and then all the adults could hang out together. We played games, talked, read books, watched movies and many many episodes of House Hunters :).
I really thought I'd be ready to come home after 2 weeks. Figured we'd all be tired and grumpy and ready to get back to normal life. Boy was I wrong. I literally could have stayed for so much longer. It was really that amazing!
I love my family so much and I have always LOVED spending time with them. This vacation just proved to me how lucky we are. We all got along - with only a few grumpy moments when we wanted to be alone - and honestly enjoyed each other. My nieces and nephews are amazing and I am so glad my girls got to spend so much time with them!
Life is good. Hawaii was awesome. Do I have to go back to normal life????
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Embassy Suites Waikiki
We stayed in a hotel the first night we arrived in Hawaii.
Getting ready for breakfast and then hitting the pool:
Checking out the view:
Swimming in the pool:
The pool was actually salt water - so the girls were getting their first taste of what the two weeks would be like - they weren't huge fans in the pool so I was a little worried about how the beach would go....in the end they did just fine at the ocean beaches!
Getting ready for breakfast and then hitting the pool:
Checking out the view:
Swimming in the pool:
The pool was actually salt water - so the girls were getting their first taste of what the two weeks would be like - they weren't huge fans in the pool so I was a little worried about how the beach would go....in the end they did just fine at the ocean beaches!Laie Temple and Temple Beach
We stayed about 2 blocks from the Hawaiian LDS Temple in Laie. The are doing some remodeling/rebuilding (the temple has been closed for 2 years) so we couldn't attend the temple, but were able to walk the grounds and see the beautiful gardens.
Smelling the flowers:
Hanging on the cool tree branches (maybe not the most reverent of activities for temple grounds - they were very quiet doing it though :))
We are sure we have a picture of the 3 of us in front of this temple from when we were young. When I find it, I'll scan it in and we can compare :)
BYU Hawaii Campus - checking out the "pineapple tree"
Watching the kids run around the big circle:
We walked down to Temple Beach to see the sunset. We ran down the beach and had a great time.
Oh, I also learned a new skill while in Hawaii. Michelle taught me how to french braid (notice Kimber's hair). I still need practice, but did pretty good for my first attempts. I am in training for Young Women's Camp :)
Smelling the flowers:
Hanging on the cool tree branches (maybe not the most reverent of activities for temple grounds - they were very quiet doing it though :))
We are sure we have a picture of the 3 of us in front of this temple from when we were young. When I find it, I'll scan it in and we can compare :)
BYU Hawaii Campus - checking out the "pineapple tree"
Watching the kids run around the big circle:
We walked down to Temple Beach to see the sunset. We ran down the beach and had a great time.
Oh, I also learned a new skill while in Hawaii. Michelle taught me how to french braid (notice Kimber's hair). I still need practice, but did pretty good for my first attempts. I am in training for Young Women's Camp :)We Love the Beach!!!!
This picture of Sam is my favorite. This picture represents Sam pretty much the entire trip - something cool just happened in the water and she is running up to tell me. With that cute smile on her face. Towards the end of the trip her little goggles were swapped out for ones that covered her nose as well. This girl is a FISH. She outlasted every single person every single day in the water. She got tossed many many times and always came up smiling, ready for another. 
Kimber riding the waves:
Allison got POUNDED by a wave - here is the result:
It took a fine-tooth comb to get all that out!Random Picture/story.....
One night we drove down to Waikiki to walk around the shops, check out the International Market (to watch them make candles), and eat dinner. We ended up eating at Jimmy Buffets - which ended up being pretty expensive. Let's just say I paid $14 for Macaroni and Cheese - of which $5 worth was eaten! Allison also slipped off the seat, nailed her chin on the table, and bit through her lip. Needless to say Jimmy Buffets wasn't our favorite night of our trip :) (all though my Thai chicken wings were amazing!)
We were so bummed when we went to the International Market as well - they weren't making candles. Shell, Steph, and I have vivid memories of watching them make candles on our previous trips (my mom worked for the airlines for awhile when I was a teenager - we were able to fly to Hawaii for pretty darn cheap, so we were lucky enough to go 3 times while growing up) We really wanted to show our kids the amazing technique they use there. I guess we'll have to go back :)
Haliewa and Sunset Beach
One night we headed into Haliewa to have dinner and grab some shaved ice. We happened to spot this awesome rainbow. Hawaii always has the best rainbows!
Waiting for our food: 
We stopped at Sunset Beach on the way home to watch the sun set. It was gorgeous. We took a few pictures and then the girls spent a good 30 minutes looking for shells on the beach while Konrad and I just chilled.
Waiting for our food: 
We stopped at Sunset Beach on the way home to watch the sun set. It was gorgeous. We took a few pictures and then the girls spent a good 30 minutes looking for shells on the beach while Konrad and I just chilled.
Hukilau? Random Pictures?
The "girls" - Mom, Steph, Shell, and I went to a Tahitian Dance Competition at the Polynesian Cultural Center. There were girls and boys ages 3-25 competing. We only watched the first round, but there were some amazing dancers - boy can they shake their hips!
The boys riding the waves:
Grandpa coming to the beach:
Jack, Kenna, and Alli watching the dad's in the waves:
Natalie and Jordan hanging out on the beach:
The boys riding the waves:
Kimber reading (of course):
Grandpa coming to the beach:
Jack, Kenna, and Alli watching the dad's in the waves:
Natalie and Jordan hanging out on the beach:
The Never Ending Hike :)
My sister Michelle attended BYU-Hawaii a few years ago. It was nice having her know the area so well - between her and my parents we were always taken care of.
She remembered taking a hike to a waterfall, just in Laie - just a few blocks from where we were staying. So we figured Sunday would be a nice day for a little hike.
Well, little hike it wasn't.
When we hit this point, I thought we were halfway - I figured no big deal we can do this.
Then it rained - and I mean RAINED! Which really was okay because we were really really hot.
We could squeeze out our hair, that's how hard it rained :)
She remembered taking a hike to a waterfall, just in Laie - just a few blocks from where we were staying. So we figured Sunday would be a nice day for a little hike.
Well, little hike it wasn't.
When we hit this point, I thought we were halfway - I figured no big deal we can do this.
Then it rained - and I mean RAINED! Which really was okay because we were really really hot. 
We could squeeze out our hair, that's how hard it rained :)We saw some beautiful sights - Laie is right behind us.
We walked through some amazing trees:
Yet we still weren't near the falls (my dad and Kimber had went ahead of us and they still hadn't reached the falls and they were a good 15-20 minutes ahead of us). Eventually my Dad and Kimber did find the falls. Only to find that they had to climb down to see it. Which wouldn't have been that big of deal except for the fact that it was pretty much straight down - so you were hanging on to branches and ropes, and sliding in the mud. So we convinced Kenna and Allison that they really didn't want to see the falls anyways and started the journey back to the car. At this point we had been hiking for 2 hours - those two four year olds had some very tired legs!
We walked through some amazing trees:
Yet we still weren't near the falls (my dad and Kimber had went ahead of us and they still hadn't reached the falls and they were a good 15-20 minutes ahead of us). Eventually my Dad and Kimber did find the falls. Only to find that they had to climb down to see it. Which wouldn't have been that big of deal except for the fact that it was pretty much straight down - so you were hanging on to branches and ropes, and sliding in the mud. So we convinced Kenna and Allison that they really didn't want to see the falls anyways and started the journey back to the car. At this point we had been hiking for 2 hours - those two four year olds had some very tired legs! Konrad continued on with Sam:
Total we hiked about 4 hours that day. Not your nice Sunday hike we were hoping for. It was gorgeous though!
Total we hiked about 4 hours that day. Not your nice Sunday hike we were hoping for. It was gorgeous though! (we decided we had missed a trail turn-off that Michelle had taken back her days there - b/c one the falls were much farther away and two when she walked up to the falls she was already at the base of them - not the top)
Waikiki
On our second Monday there we headed to Waikiki to check out a few fun things.
First off a stop at Kahala Resort and Hotels - an amazing place. One day if I'm a millionaire I'll stay there :)
They had dolphins:
Sea turtles:
And a giant sting ray:
Allison was determined to take a picture:
Then we headed over to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center for a free lei making class.
First off a stop at Kahala Resort and Hotels - an amazing place. One day if I'm a millionaire I'll stay there :)
They had dolphins:
Sea turtles:
And a giant sting ray:Allison was determined to take a picture:
Then we headed over to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center for a free lei making class.The girls checking out this cool bench:
We've got our supplies, now what!?!?
We twisted our ti leaves first right then left and added in leaves.
We then added in purple flowers - somehow we didn't take a finished-product-picture, so you'll just have to imagine beautiful lei bracelets. We were supposed to bring them home and put them in the freezer where they would last for a very long time, but after all our special handling (carrying them around in cooler bags, transferring them to fridges) we left them in the hotel fridge...shhhh don't remind the girls!)
We've got our supplies, now what!?!?
We twisted our ti leaves first right then left and added in leaves.
We then added in purple flowers - somehow we didn't take a finished-product-picture, so you'll just have to imagine beautiful lei bracelets. We were supposed to bring them home and put them in the freezer where they would last for a very long time, but after all our special handling (carrying them around in cooler bags, transferring them to fridges) we left them in the hotel fridge...shhhh don't remind the girls!)Alli got a little restless towards the end of the lessons so she did some tricks with dad to make time go faster.
We then headed to the beach. It is so much hotter in Waikiki then on the Northshore, it was amazing the difference.
We then headed to the beach. It is so much hotter in Waikiki then on the Northshore, it was amazing the difference. Alli eating some much needed shaved ice:
Konrad doing the same:
Shell and Richard
Steph and Kenzie
Jack and Kenna
Kimber and Allison
This is Natalie's foot print. Notice the "regular" print on the left of the photo. Now notice the straight line drawn in the sand. That is from Nat's other foot. 
Explanation: Natalie broke her leg about 6 or 7 weeks before going to Hawaii. Her cast came off the week before we left. It took her a full week to be willing to walk "normally" - with both feet flat on the floor - she limped prior to that. She had just started walking normal the first day of our trip. Unfortunately, she fell down the steps at the house we were staying at and must have hurt her leg again. She went back to limping everywhere she went. Her little footprints were all over the beach - just like this - one foot, and then drag marks, one foot, then drag marks. I just had to document it. By the time we left she was back to walking normal again. We were all really glad she hadn't re-injured her leg!
Konrad doing the same:
Shell and Richard
Steph and Kenzie
Jack and Kenna
Kimber and Allison
This is Natalie's foot print. Notice the "regular" print on the left of the photo. Now notice the straight line drawn in the sand. That is from Nat's other foot. Explanation: Natalie broke her leg about 6 or 7 weeks before going to Hawaii. Her cast came off the week before we left. It took her a full week to be willing to walk "normally" - with both feet flat on the floor - she limped prior to that. She had just started walking normal the first day of our trip. Unfortunately, she fell down the steps at the house we were staying at and must have hurt her leg again. She went back to limping everywhere she went. Her little footprints were all over the beach - just like this - one foot, and then drag marks, one foot, then drag marks. I just had to document it. By the time we left she was back to walking normal again. We were all really glad she hadn't re-injured her leg!Lot's of girls with goggles on:
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