Hawaii!!

We've only been back since Saturday night but already it seems a lifetime ago so I'd better write this blog tonight before I forget everything I want to remember!

After a night at the Super 8 punctuated by a police and paramedic visit to the room across the hall for some idiot drinking Four Locos and taking who knows what at midnight, we took off for paradise at 430AM to catch our 600 flight. Having never flown with the kids before we wanted to get there early and through security. The kids were very excited about the whole thing: the shuttle to the airport, waiting in line to check luggage, taking off shoes and sweatshirts going through security ("Why do we have to take off our shoes, Mommy?" Ummmmm..... good question.). We took a small plane to Portland and Tanner especially loved watching the props turning, the loudness of the experience, the flight attendant serving him diet coke at 6AM.... it was all new to them and it was so much fun to watch them. Luckily our plane was right on time because we landed in Portland and literally walked right onto our flight to Honolulu- we got lucky because that connection was tight. The six hour flight went great- kids played video games and watched movies while Brian and I read our books for the most part. Once in Honolulu we basked briefly in the sunshine, then ate a quick lunch and caught the flight to Kauaii.

We were the first to arrive and after

arriving at the house we headed straight down to the beach to check it out. The kids were so excited!! They got in immediately and started playing "run away from the waves". Lots of screaming ensued. No fear from Tanner and Jake- you would have thought they had spent their weekends at the beach instead of this being their first experience. Faith was a little more nervous and kept farther away from the water the first afternoon, preferring instead to dig in the sand and watch her brothers.

All of the aunts and uncles and cousins arrived soon after and everyone played until it got dark. The house we stayed in was right on the beach- bordered by a grassy area perfect for games of baseball and football when it was too cold/early/rainy to walk the extra 50 yards to the water. Most mornings found us sitting outside on the patio with our coffee while the kids played together, followed by a morning boogie boarding at the beach, lunch at the house, then some type of afternoon outing.

One day we went into Hanalei- a cool little town about half hour north-to get lunch and Hawaiian Ice and watch the waves (the beach was closed due to the strong surf), another day we found a beach by a little river with a rope swing which the kids (old and young) loved. One day we went souvenier shopping and ice cream eating in nearby Kapa'a. On the fourth night there we headed into Poipu to catch the free Hula show at the Sheraton (we had seen it 7 years ago when we were there!) only to find out upon arrival (45 minute drive later) that there was no Hula show during the construction (website failed to mention the fact that most of the hotel was not accessible at all!). Should have called first I guess.... but it turned out OK in the long run as we found a great little restaurant nearby with good food and two big tables (one for kids one for adults) just as a gigantic thunder storm hit. We followed that up with some ice cream back at the Poipu shopping village and all was well with the world.

Tanner was a surfing pro. He loved

standing in the shallow ocean (sometimes just wet sand, really) and waiting for the waves to "hit" him. He looked like a surfer with his stance and his bleach blonde hair. He would ride out the little wave as long as he could then fall to the sand laughing. He could've done it for hours. Another day he spent hours digging a hole. It was so deep and once he got it started all the cousins began helping him, decorating it with sticks, making it deeper, etc... It was so much fun to watch them all. We kept track of the hole throughout the week, coming out to check on it first thing each morning to see if the surf had washed it away yet. Last we saw it was still there in all it's glory. At the end of the trip, he was a full on swimmer, bodysurfing the waves in over his head and loving it. This trip went a long way towards helping his confidence in the water.

Jake was great at boogie boarding and had no fear of the water at all. He would have gladly

gone out deeper if we had let him. The house had three boogie boards so the cousins all took turns using them while an adult stayed out in the water with them and "supervised" making sure none of them disappeared into the waves (one of my big fears). He kept at boogboarding and bodysurfing so much that he got a rash on his chest from the sand and surf. He also went off the "rope swing" at the river beach we went to. It was cold, fresh water and he had to swim across the river to get there, but he did it and had a lot of fun. He was so excited to play football on the beach and did so each day with Brian and John. He also organized baseball games out on our back lawn for all the cousins, coaching Aidan how to hit the ball properly.

Faith was content to stay in the very shallow area and play in the sand.

Whenever she could wrangle one or two of the surfboards from her cousins she would pretend they were here doggies or her horsies and would lead them around by the tethers, talking to them and bringing them to their "stable" (created in the sand with two funnoodles). She really wanted to go to a Hula Show and see the dancers so after our first failed attempt we tried again the next night at a different location. We went separate ways that night: Our family and Quincy went to the hula show; Kim's family and Jessa went to the tropical mini golf place nearby; Lisa and John had "date night".

The hula show was a great success. For the fourth song they invited all the kids up to learn how to dance and Faith was eager and willing to participate. She had on her grass skirt and hula top, her flower lei and bracelet and she followed along like a pro. After they taught the kids the dance they ended the show with one last song. The kids all went back to sit in the audience, but not Faith. She got up and stood behind them (off to the side) and copied all of their movements. At the end when the dancers all waved at the clapping audience, she waved, too. She was definitely the star of that number. What a ham!

Evenings were relatively quiet- kids in bed around 8 and adults in bed not much after 9. Except for the first night fiasco of Lisa's purse being stolen out of her bedroom (while we were in a different part of the house) and the general anxiety and typical bummer that kind of theft produces, the trip was wonderful. The kids slept on their own the first night, but after the theft was discovered, and the kids met the responding officers at the front door, they were on a mat in our room the rest of the trip. Falling asleep and waking up with the pounding surf in the background is always a great way to sleep. We are so grateful for the experience and the memories!