Hawaii

(Just dusting off the old blog...not even going to try to catch up...)

We started our December with a very fun trip to Hawaii. I hadn't been since graduating high school and Tucker hadn't been since he was 3! So when Tucker's mom and dad asked if we would want to go with them it wasn't hard to say YES! The kids were so excited and we counted down for weeks. Aidan didn't really care about the destination, he was just excited to fly on the plane. I was quite certain that flying with Avery would result in our family getting kicked off the plane before it even left the ground, but surprisingly she wasn't too bad. She got quite restless and didn't want to leave her seat belt on, but we survived the 6 hour trip.

The 3 hour time difference was quite the adjustment. By the time we got to our condo it was almost 11PM our time and the kids were DONE! We threw them in bed and thought they'd sleep until at least 7 or 8...nope!! They were all 3 up and ready to start their day at 4AM! It was a long day, but it was a little easier to pull ourselves out of bed knowing there was a nice sandy beach a few hundred feet away.

Running to the beach...

They got to feed Koi fish every morning and afternoon...

It didn't seem quite right to see Christmas decor up and Christmas music playing when it was 85 degrees outside.

The pool was equally exciting and they spent just as much time there.

A highlight of the trip was celebrating my 32nd birthday in 85 degree weather. It was a sunday so we thought we'd visit the newly dedicated temple. We made lots of stops along the way and it made for a very fun day.

We started at the Dole Pineapple Plantation...

We took a train ride around and saw lots of pineapple and other things growing.

We stopped for a yummy mexican lunch at Cholo's on the North Shore.

We missed the temple dedication by about 10 days is all. We walked around and took pictures. My cute Grandparents were married in this temple and the last time I was there was with them.

On our way back we stopped for shaved ice...
Tucker and I took the kids for a quick swim at the pool and when we got back to the condo there was a cake and balloon waiting for me from Tucker's mom and dad! They also got me a fresh flower lei. We went to dinner and called it a night. Definitely a birthday to remember!!

The next day we spent at Hanauma Bay snorkling and playing on the beach. This was Halle's favorite thing. It always takes a while to get used to breathing and swimming in the water but she picked it up immediately and loved it.

Aidan really thinks he looks cool with his goggles on...even though he didn't put his face in the water even once.



We spent another day in Waikiki. It was fun to see but I was really glad we weren't staying there, it was so much more crowded.


My kids couldn't believe this was a real person and not a statue. Halle was the only one brave enough to get her picture with him.



Eating lunch at Bubba Gumps. YUM!

Mele Kalikimaka!

The rest of the trip was spent on the beach. We played in the sand and swam in the ocean. It was beautiful. Aidan got a little OCD about the sand, it was pretty funny.

I was so glad that our condo was stocked with all the sand toys and boogie boards.

Aidan was always on the lookout for seashells and was so excited when he finally found a really small one.






Our last night there we walked down to the beach to watch the sun set.

Grandma and Grandpa bought the kids matching monkey shirts...


It was such a fun vacation and so glad we got to spend time with Gary and Judy. It was rough coming home to 30 degree temps and now that the holidays are over I'm really wishing we could go back....maybe in another 15 years.