10 days of Paradise!

10 days of paradise...or should I say 9...because the plane ride over was anything but. It's long...and the kids just didn't do well.  But on to the better part of this blog. Our vacation! Prepare yourselves for tons of pics!

The beach 100 ft from our house

The mountains to the right.

McKade

My boys (the great thing about Hawaii is those clouds moved so fast that we hardly ever lost our sun!)

My Molly Girl

Me and my girl

A note especially for the girls back home. Missed them like crazy!

Some more random beach photos

Around the cabin

So we stayed at Bellows Airforce Station. We got sponsered on there by some really great family friends. It was absolutely fabulous! Very inexpensive and the beach was only 100 ft away. It was like it's own little city in there expcept it was just cabins, yurts, and campgrounds. The cabin we stayed in had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchen. There was maid service daily too for fresh towels etc. A block to the right was a subway, and a shoppette/gas station. We loved going there. I loved going and getting a slurpy on a nice hot day. plus candy cuz you all know I'm a candy a holic. and I LOVE subway, so I got my fix a few times. A block to the left of us there was a little restaurant at the reservation building. It had this really great rice coated chicken. Yum. I kept laughing because everyone that asked us where were staying said "Oh you're camping at Bellows!" and we didn't find that it was like camping at all. It was quiet, very well maintained, and a house. but to the locals it was considered camping....on the weekend there wasn't a campground spot open. It got packed but still was very quiet. We loved it at Bellows. It has been our favorite location as a family so far!

The other funny thing is: and this is for you LOST fans! I felt like I was a member of the Darma Initiative or something. It was just the way everything was laid out and all. It was kind of funny. That was my first LOST moment.

Little boys in sunglasses are so cute!

(see molly's hair above? It got soooo curly in Hawaii...humid there. Those curls just kinked right up)

Daddy and Daughter

This picture of McKade is just for our sake. It's kind of a joke. We have taken a pic of him looking at the ocean every year so far. Each year he looks way bigger!

Matt helping Tanner boogie board

After a long tiring day! Tanner had the hardest time on the trip. We knew that was to be expected. He doesn't adjust well out of his routine, even at home. So vacations always throw him way off....we are still waiting for him to get back into his routine but it's been taking a few days.

One of the cool birds there.

Molly

yes. this is how clear the water is most places!

Ko'olina Lagoon #4. This is where Tanner and I almost got it by Jellyfish. These are lagoons at the Ko'Olina resort. They have a reef and are very protected from the ocean beyond them. However, they don't prevent everything from coming in. Last year, a baby shark made its way in this lagoon. There are turtles at times (saw one of those in '07) and this year...well, it was jellyfish. So we are swimming along heading toward the right side of the lagoon and I glance up and about 8 to 10 feet away to the left was a jellyfish. It was so nasty.  It was a big one too with lots of striny stingers. So I yanked Tanner and started furociously swimming back to shore cuz I had no idea if there were more. If any of you have ever been stung by a box jelly before you would know it doesn't leave a pleasent feeling for awhile. People can even be allergic....Anyway, some guy was heading out towards us and I told him to watch out for the jellyfish. So he looked under the water and came up and said there wasnt just one...there were at least 5 jellies. YUCK! They were swept back out to sea shortly after but still...sort of dampered my snorkling mood!

Down by our beach

I Love his personality!

The Boys beloved boogie board. They loved this thing! And loved every chance they had to use it!

Isnt she adorable! I love this picture.

The sand on our beach was like powdered sugar! Not all the beaches had sand this soft. It was so nice!

The loves of my life!

The Visitor

So one thing I LOVE about Hawaii is there aren't any snakes. If there is an occasion brown tree snake imported from Guam they kill it. So first look at this little guy and I thought it was a baby snake....until I looked closer and saw the foot.

That little sucker was fast! But Tan the Man caught him!

Down at Waikiki

Last year the boys and I got a picture at this same location and all year we have mentioned how we would love to find that same place and get a family picture. Well we did! Unfortunately I am not posting that picture because it is going on our Christmas card. BUT here are some others...

The Blowhole

Hanauma Bay

By far the best Hanauma Bay day I have been to yet...weather wise that is. Since it was just Matt and I and the kids we actually didn't do much snorkeling. It just isn't the same going alone. Matt went for a bit and then Tanner and I went. I get really clausterphobic around the reef though. In some areas there is only like a foot and half between the top of the water and the reef. I don't like that feeling of my body being so close to it. Especially since there are eels that live in the holes....yuck! This time I didn't see any turtles but Tanner and I saw the hugest fish!

This kid loves to snorkel and he's 4. He has got it down to a T. I love that he is my little water boy. I needed one at least! I can't wait to get him on swim team someday!

Have you ever eaten at a California Pizza Kitchen? All I can say is YUM! I loved it! The kids loved it! I think Matt loved it too! He got a greek pizza and I got a garlic chicken pizza. They were both delicious!

Down by Waikiki the second time

The boys thought it was so cool to swing by the vines!

The beach with Cousin David

While we were there David told us he had been out surfing and all the sudden he saw something swimming so fast toward him and it was a shark chasing another fish. Well the sharks fin thing hit his board and almost flipped him. FREAKY!

David helping McKade boogie board. McKade was scared to boogie board until David got him on there. Then we couldn't get McKade away. I love when he find things he loves!

Molly's Cheeser Grin

Waikiki Aquarium

A sea predator!

Tanner touching a spikey thing...can't remember what they are called....

Tanner holding a Hermet Crab

And miss Molly just looking on in amazement

Molly trying to climb the coconut tree

This is Uncle Roy. He and his family are the ones who sponsered us onto the Airforce station. They also invited us to their church party which had a Japanes theme. There was all kinds of Japanese appetizers to try. (Lets just say I left that night hungry! Raw fish....no thanks!) They also put on a entertainment show. HILARIOUS! Even my boys were gutt busting in laughter! It was so fun! We got the priveledge to hear Uncle Roy sing and also his son. The whole family is extremely musical and talented!

We don't swim on Sunday so we found some other activities to do. This is a tiki at the mini golf across the street from our cabin.

And McKade got to go on an almost Indiana Jones like adventure!

This brings me to my next LOST moment. So out in the middle of this trail we were walking on we find this slab. Not sure what it is for. But jokingly I tell Matt..."look it's a hatch". hehehe. I know. I am a dork.

and I don't have a picture of my third LOST moment. But we were driving up to the point. And we pass this YMCA camp with these yellow cabins. I say to Matt that they look just like the cabins on LOST but just not as nice looking. So I looked it up online and sure enough...they were the same ones. We also drove by a ranch that was a LOST film location. My friend Tiffany's parents have a house right on the beach and she said they filmed the plane wreckage about 5 minutes down the beach from them. Yah, so those were my LOST moments.

Playground

The airforce station also had this amazing playset just behind the cabins. The kids loved it! It was a nice distraction when the kids were tired of the beach but still full of energy.

 

Visiting with family

Every year we go to the family house of extended relatives. They have an amazing backyard. It's Japanese Garden style. Matt remembers playing there as a little boy and now our little boys are playing there also.

Our last night we met up with a friend from back home Tiffany, who went to BYU-H and then married and stayed in Hawaii. They have a little boy Tosh, and also a boy on the way. It was tons of fun seeing them and their little guy. He was a cutie! We went to a fun factory and also a frozen yogurt place. I had the best Mango Madness and Hawaii Fruit Yogurt. Yum!

Tosh was a little scared of standing up. But my camera wasn't working so that's the only pic I got.

And that is the end of our trip! The flight home was marvelous! I am totally impressed by Hawaiian airlines. And honestly the food they served was really good! If you are going to fly to Hawaii then I recommend Hawaiian!

I hope you enjoyed the post. It was very long I know...or it seems so to me anyway cuz the pics took forever to load and sort through. I love Hawaii. It's one of the best places on earth to me! Well, as long as it's sunny and warm that is! I am so excited and looking forward to going this fall with a few of my closest friends. It seems forever away but I know time will fly and I will be in paradise once again! Yay!