The Boys Come to Hawai'i Part Une

Weston just got back from his two year LDS mission in Kentucky and since Derek hadn't seen him since he left (well, actually he serendipitously bumped into him in an odd turn of events about a year ago in Kentucky while on his way to Philadelphia- who knew?!), we welcomed him back home with tickets to Hawai'i.

He was pretty happy about that.

Ewa Beach.

Weston's first time boogie boarding.

Sand throwing war.

There were actually shots fired on both sides, but apparently I didn't catch any of Weston at Derek, so it looks like he's just picking on his little bro.

Makapu'u Beach.

More boogie boarding. Weston is falling in love.

With island living.

See that pure joy on his face?

Or something.

Yeah, I don't know what I was making this face for.

For some reason I like it though.

Roman started climbing around on the rocks behind us on the beach and when we looked up, he gave us a baby dance.

He's got some killer moves.

Along with Weston, the bros decided it would be a great time to make it a bro trip- so Carson & Calli decided to come on out, too. It was a sad, sad day the day of their flight, though. Ranger had gotten sick... and he wasn't improving. So Calli made the call to stay home with him- but sent Carson on with Sean taking her place. While we were definitely sad that Calli and Ranger were left behind, Sean definitely brings his own brand of energy and fun to the table.

So when they got here Thursday night, it was, of course, magic time. I welcomed them with some ono ahi and steamed rice. Friday began the Hawai'i fun. I chilled at home with the kids (read: no photographer for the day's exploits) while the guys went up to Pounders to experience some hardcore boogie boarding and some body surfing. They actually got some good footage of that, but I don't have access to those videos-- yet.

After being sufficiently beaten and broken by the raging tide, they continued up to North Shore, stopping to eat at the Hukilau Cafe in La'ie, to check out waves at various beaches along the way (all were closed to the public because the waves were too big--- like 20-30 feet. Yeah.), and walked around the Dole Plantation eating fruit and getting bored of the obvious tourist trap that place is. Topped off the evening with malasadas and new magic cards and then headed home for some of my delicious southwestern wraps.

Saturday brought the Tripler Ridge hike- a daunting 5 1/2 hour long hike up and over the mountain behind Tripler, along the ridge, and down the Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs). You may remember that we did the Stairway when Sean came last October.

We did not at that time, however, run into a successful boar hunter on the way up- or down- the stairs.

What.

Oh and by the way Carson, we have your shirt here. And the blue and white one. They'll be held hostage until you and Calli come to claim them.

Is it just me, or does Derek's face look a little too trusting- and Sean's a little too... devious?

West-side side-hill jumping. He's back.

Guava!

Yeah. This picture is oriented correctly.

And yeah. That line down there is the H-3.

Note how tightly Weston's gripping the rail. Something about this shot really captures how dizzying it really is on the Stairway.

Dirt lines.

It was a muddy hike.

Rinse in the ocean, head to Maui Taco for lunch (mango BBQ pork- yum!), and meet back here for Part Deux at Kailua Beach.

The Boys Come to Hawai'i Part Deux

So picking back up where we left off after lunch, we headed over to Kailua. I was actually having serious doubts since it was windy and a bit chilly, and sure enough, I spent the time at the beach huddled in a towel watching the kids.

The girls, however, didn't waste any time in getting ready for the water.

Meanwhile, the boys played on their boogie boards in the waves- it took a bit of convincing for Sean and Carson to get Derek and Weston to join them in the water, but eventually they were all out there and insisting the water was warmer than the air. I thought about joining, but Roman was pretty busy. And then he gave me a "special" job to clean up. So yeah, that took up some time since I left the diapering stuff in the car which was parked clear down the beach.

Next day was stake conference and I was singing in the stake choir, so I went while the boys chilled at home with the kids and watched some football. By the time I got back, they were hungry and wanting to get out of the house, so I made some yummy Chicken fra diavolo with Lemon Spaghetti (thanks to Melody and Eugena for the killer recipes) which everyone loved.

Then Sean and Carson and I headed to Waikiki for some surf fun. Longboarding, as Sean puts it, is like yoga for people who like meat. I totally agree. Super fun and chill. It was nice to get out and enjoy some time childless and carefree and revel in God's creations. The ocean was gorgeous, the view was fantastic and the whole afternoon was fantastic. Afterwards we grabbed some pineapple burgers at Kua'aina Burger, dripping with Teriyaki goodness.... mmmm.

Next day I got Avril out of school and we headed to Hanauma Bay for Weston's first snorkeling experience. Hanauma is nice because you're almost guaranteed to see cool fish there any time you go.

On the other hand, you're also guaranteed to join a LOT of tourists flipping around getting sunburns in huge groups in the water-- scaring the fish into more shallow (read less accessible) coral areas. I don't blame them. I got scared, too. The other thing was maybe it was too early in the day, but the water was COLD. And for some reason, I had a hard time catching my breath in my mask. So it wasn't such an enjoyable trip for me, even though it was definitely fun going out with Avril- (she'd get really excited and frantically point things out to me)

"Ma! 'nurkle!"

We didn't get any further than this.

but Weston was pretty excited and happy about it, so mission accomplished.

Carson likes snorkeling.

After snorkeling, we headed up around to Sandy's and the surf was the calmest I've ever seen it there. Nothing I'd let my kids play in, of course, (they did play in it when it washed a little higher up the beach, but honestly it made me so nervous) so it wasn't quite as enjoyable for me, but the guys had a blast playing in the waves and I got some more great footage here... but left the camera in the car :(. Sorry guys! Hopefully I can get some of those videos to post.

After Sandy's we went on up to Kaneohe for some Genki's sushi. It was wonderful, of course, and Carson and Weston's first time. They loved it and are now sushi fans.

Tuesday morning... last one here. Weston leaves Tuesday night, Carson and Sean first thing Wednesday morning.

So first order of business: breakfast at Eggs 'n Things. Amazing. Carson got an ahi steak that was so tender and juicy and flavorful.... Derek got sour cream and dark cherry crepes that were heavenly.... Sean got a sausage omelet that looked positively scrumptious with a side of chocolate chip pancakes covered in coconut syrup... Weston got the mandarin orange French toast- he didn't care for the oranges, but the French toast was mouth-watering...

I got the spinach and bacon omelet with a side of chocolate chip pancakes covered in coconut syrup as well--- you can't go wrong with that--- and shared them with Xandri and Roman...

After breakfast, it was time for more surfing. We went straight out to the beach and wound up paddling all the way back to where we were the first day for some waves. We all got up several times and had a great time doing it. The waves weren't as consistent as on Sunday, and the water while we paddled out a little more choppy, so Weston was a little disappointed in it. But I think the rest of us had a great time.

Derek was awesome and offered to watch the kids while I took a board out and they enjoyed some time in the water, too.

She's practicing surfing already.

By the time we got back though, Avril had already been out of school waiting for me for twenty minutes-- and by the time we picked her up, the poor kid had waited an hour. She knew we'd be a while, though, so it wasn't too bad for her. I hope.

We headed home to regroup and everyone was so wiped out that we all just kinda crashed. After a while, the boys headed to the NEX to pick up some souvenirs and got some fantastic host gifts- a new bamboo lined mirror for the guest room (which I've been wanting- thanks Derek for tipping them off and thank you thank you THANK YOU Carson and Weston for getting it!) Sean claims to have gotten me a stylus for my iPad, but I have yet to see it. I haven't yet decided whether to give him credit for it ;).

Thanks guys, for a great visit! We're so glad you came out. We had such a great time and definitely hope to see more of your smiling faces!

Nic's Visit to the Sandwich Isles

So my lil' bro Nic came out to visit us- well, actually he was going to try and find a job and a place and move here for a few months before school started in January- but unfortunately had to go home after three weeks of unsuccessful searching.

In any case, we tried to make his time here enjoyable and even extracted some babysitting from him while he was here- thanks Nic.

First beach we hit up was Hickam AF Base beach-- simply because it's easy to get to and easy to take the kids to.

Roman and his manly buzz cut.

Watching airplanes take off. Another perk of the beach- we're RIGHT next to the runway and the kids LOVE that.

Next big thing- the KBay Air Show. Tons of people, tons of cool airplanes, both parked and flying around and plenty of vendors selling yummy food. We met my friend Heather there and we all walked around, checking stuff out. I'll do another post for that with a few more pics.

Nic caught this shot-- I can't take credit. Super cool, eh? Actually, while we're on the subject I think he took a lot of these pics, but they were all combined with mine.

(c)Roman!!

We spent a day up on the North Shore, and of course hit up Matsumoto's Grocery for some shave ice. You can't come to Hawai'i and not.

Roman was good at sharing.

Next stop, Laniakae Beach, home of the international honu (Hawaiian for turtle) preserve or something like that. About 26-28 sea turtles live in this little bay and periodically come up on the beach to warm up and dry out, staying anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days.

You can also snorkel in the water and while you can't touch the turtles on the beach, if they come up to you in the water, you don't have to retreat-- go ahead and make a new friend! Btw, I love how in this picture it becomes impossible to tell the difference between the ocean and the sky...

The girls were all up and down the beach checking things out, looking for hermit crabs and climbing on the rocks. They loved it.

Roman pretty much stuck to playing in the sand-- as usual.

Also checked out the temple in La'ie. Gorgeous, of course, and this is the view going down the steps.

And since Nic's visit overlapped a bit with Sean's, some cool pics and fun things were in that post.

It was a bummer to see him go. It would have been awesome if he'd been able to find a job here, I felt like I didn't show him enough of Hawai'i while he was here because I thought he'd have more time to explore it himself! Oh well. You'll be out here again if I know you like I think I do.

A Sean-Filled Weekend: The Rest of the Time

Ok, so I'm cheating a little and putting pics of my kiddos in this post. Because even though the weekend was Sean-filled, they didn't stop being cute.

Xandri- post beach. She was cold and kinda tired and so naturally....

Waimea Beach was naturally the next necessary beach to hit.

Roman got right to work in the sand.

There were waves to play in and a rock to jump off of. I confess I was really worried about the girls playing in the water this time. It was quite placid for Waimea and this time of year, but the shorebreak was still pretty decent, and they weren't used to the waves breaking so close and so powerfully. So, naturally they ran out to the water with gleeful, reckless abandon.

This pic makes me giggle ever time I see it...

I love these shots for three reasons:

1) I told you so. I knew those waves would be crazy. But just wait, we got an even better shot later.

2) They're just plain cool-looking. I believe Derek snagged both of them--- what great timing!

3) My children are still alive.

Ok, so now to the Sean part of the post. Because even though the waves were big for the munchkins, they weren't having quite the same effect on the slightly larger Sean. He and Derek naturally adapted to this, however, and created a very characteristic game of hurling themselves over the waves and into the ocean as hard as they could. At least I think that was the gist of it. I'm not entirely sure. But they were both shrieking (well, Derek was shrieking and Sean was laughing at the shrieking. You know.) and filling their heads with sand and salt water. Nic joined in on the fun for a bit as well.

Anyway, after we were all funned out, we decided to cap off the Waimea fun with some rock jumping. Sean and Derek led the way, as usual...

peer-pressured Nic into leaping as well,

and I of course couldn't resist and jumped twice myself as well.

Now this is where it gets "funner". I was swimming back in after jump #2 when the girls saw me and got excited to come greet me. They didn't realize that right here and right now the waves that were coming were even bigger and crazier. So Avril swims out to me and manages to get to me fairly unscathed. Then I notice all the sand in her hair so I drag her, somewhat unwillingly, back out to rinse her hair. Well, unfortunately for all of us, Xandri, being the little opportunistic monkey that she is, decided to follow us out.

She didn't quite make it past the shore break before the next wave was breaking and as I went to "save" her and Avril, we were all knocked down by the wave, the water churning all around us, turning up the sand and girls all over the place...

As the water began to recede, I desperately tried to get my footing and grab onto both girls before it pulled them back in as well.

FAIL.

No, I barely made it out with Xandri and in the Ocean vs. Mom: Tug O' War Over Avril, I lost. But I snagged her back once Xandri was in Derek's arms and helped her up the beach. And then guess what.

I took her back out to rinse her hair out again.

Yeah, I'm that mean. Even Avril couldn't believe I was that mean.

To make up for it, though, and also because Sean wanted to go (hmmm... when I say it like that it sounds like Sean was the only one who did. But believe you me, we ALL wanted to go) to Ted's Bakery for some dinner and pie. (And when I write "pie" like that... you don't grasp the deep longing and desire in my voice that you would should you hear me utter the word.) Chocolate haupia, peach bavarian cream, pumpkin haupia....... excuse me for a minute.....

-----------------------INTERMISSION-----------------------
(elevator music playing)

Ok, now where was I?

Oh, yes, after Ted's Bakery, Sean introduced us to a secret little cove that not many people know about.

To get to it, we had to walk through the faery grove...

And here it is! Thank you, Sean, for introducing us to this gem. We'll be making this a regular haunt I think.

Gorgeous, serene and empty. Absolutely perfect. If Sean hadn't needed to get back to the airport I think we would have lingered and maybe played in the water.

Back through the faery grove....

And off to the airport. It was great to have you, Sean. Come back out and see us again soon... there's far too much of Hawai'i to revisit and enjoy in just three measly days!