August Photo Appendix

Its always difficult to adjust from a trip to paradise, so the remainder of summer break was spent at home, catching up on sleep and trying to unpack and get organized for another school year.

Our little homebody loved Hawaii, but was equally as happy to be home.   I have to say, he's consistently way more into dress up than Riley ever was.


My fifth year of running my in home daycare began.  It's a mix of emotions - excitement for another year and sadness to say goodbye to sweet sweet summertime.


Another school year means time for fresh cuts!

Returning to full work days is tough, we recover at delicious meals with friends.  This happened A LOT in August.


And then the big day finally arrived and our new first grader could hardly wait!

Hawaii Day 5: Ala Moana, Wailana, Ford Island, Air Museum of the Pacific, & NEX

Gammy loves to take EARLY morning walks when we are in Hawaii. The hikes from the first few days had appeased her, but on this day, even though it was raining, she recruited me to head down to Ala Moana with her. I'm not a morning person so it always takes me a bit to wake up, but I genuinely enjoy just walking and chatting with my mom and honestly you couldn't ask for better views while exercising.

We were done by 8:30 and called the still sleeping/resting fam in the hotel on our way back and told them to meet us at Wailana for pancakes.

From there we moved on to a history packed day! My Dad had not been to see the USS Oklahoma memorial on his previous trips so we ventured to Ford Island for the day. The memorial is a beautiful tribute to the 429 men who lost their lives on the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor.

The memorial is right out the USS Missouri Battleship so we walked in to check it out.  We opted not to take the kids on the actual ship because of how pricey it was and their age.  Gampy filled them in with his bountiful knowledge and also showed them the USS Arizona Memorial.  Cam was pretty excited about the air craft carrier in the harbor on that day.


We ended up waiting around there for a little bit to get the souvenir photo my parents ordered.  In that time three things happened:

1.  We waited in the air conditioned gift shop and took this silly picture before I saw the picture asking that patrons not take pictures with the products.  Whoops.


2.  We moved outside to feed popcorn to the fish and all of a sudden this bigger fish came swooping through.  It caused such a commotion that Gammy accidentally dropped her new pedometer into the water.


3.  TG got a shoe shine.

My parents kept the original shot of us on the ship which turned out great, but this one I got of my them with the kids was pretty cute too.

The Air Museum of the Pacific is on Ford Island as well so we decided to check that out.  Our little fly guy was pretty excited.


He was very into Disney Planes on our trip and could not wait to get a picture with "Skipper".

Riley enjoyed the Amelia Earhart exhibit they had there. Hawaii was a big part of her history of aviation - they had a mini video about her playing and Riley gleaned a lot of new facts. She even surprised us this Christmas by spouting off a few of the things that she remembered from this trip.

Next stop was the USS Utah site where we saw a "Riley of Paradise".

She was much less enthusiastic about posing with the actual Utah (#hangry!).

While we were at the Utah we saw the X Band Radar getting some work done.We had noticed it floating way offshore from the beach in Waikiki earlier in our visit so it was neat to get a closer look. For those of you that have no clue what I'm speaking of, it's basically a huge white ball, on a floating platform. They ended up sending it back out to sea later in the week to avoid damage from Hurricane Iselle.


By this point we had a low blood sugar emergency coming on so Gampy rushed us all over to the NEX for some lunch, browsing, and ZUMBA!  They had a Zumba demonstration going on near the main entrance and Riley jumped right in.  I would have joined too, honestly, but by this point after all the walking during the day my feet were killing me.


What's better for aching feet than the rest of the afternoon and evening by the pool?!?  So that's where Day 5 ended.

Hawaii Day 4: Our 10th Anniversary, Makapuu Hike, Boogie Boarding, Halona Blow Hole

Every year since our fifth anniversary, I have made my desire to return to Hawaii for our tenth anniversary known.

It always went something like this, "Happy sixth anniversary, only four years more until you take me back to celebrate ten years in the place it all began!" TG would playfully roll his eyes at me, but early in 2014 he put his money where my mouth had been and booked our tickets to Hawaii over our tenth anniversary date. Originally our plan had been to return, just the two of us for a week, but when we told Gammy and Gampy that we were going they wanted in and asked us to bring the kids. So it became a party of 6, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

We woke up to these sweet cards from Riley.

We had day plans for hiking and boogie boarding at Makapuu. Anniversary selfie on the way up!

We convinced the kids, who were a little grumpy that we ruled out the walk down to the tide pools FAR below us, to take a picture with their lovebird parents.

Our now complete family.


I think this might be my only solo pic with Gammy and Gampy from the whole trip and I love it.

After a bit of complaining and lots of water stops, we made it to the top! We didn't do the real Makapuu hike on our honeymoon, so it was neat to see it this time around.  The water, sigh, the water.

It took us about two hours roundtrip with sight seeing and breaks for the kids to finish the hike and again TG carried Cam for a good portion of it. We were desperate to get in the water and cool off so we hopped in the car and moved down to Makapuu beach below so TG could boogie board.

On our way there we hopped out at the smaller overlook that we stopped at on our honeymoon to take the same picture only ten years later.

Makapuu Point Lighthouse Trail, August 1, 2014.


TG gave Riley a couple of assisted rides first. The water was too rough for her to get out there on her own, so he battled the waves and strong current to appease her need for speed. Then I overruled them both and relegated her and Cam to a (safer) spot on the beach.



On our way back to Hawaii Kai we stopped at the Halona blow hole so the kids could see.  We hit this at a low tide time again so it wasn't as impressive as it can be, but they liked it.   I'm bummed my finger ruined this picture of my Dad giving my kids a geography lesson on the island of Oahu, but I loved the moment.


We got back to the hotel early enough so we could all rest before TG and I headed out to our anniversary dinner at the Bali steakhouse in the Hilton hotel.  We were so grateful to Gammy and Gampy who took the kids to swim, eat ice cream, and watch the fireworks while we enjoyed our evening.

We had a delicious dinner in an open air restaurant with a sunset view of Waikiki.  As soon as it was dark outside they put on their Friday fireworks show, the perfect way to celebrate a big event, in my opinion.

Bali Steak & Seafood Restaurant, August 1, 2014


It's always been inside my head
Suddenly its hardwood floors and feather beds
And children laughing, running up and down the stairs
It would be heaven without going anywhere

And when a dream starts coming true
It feels like destiny like I already knew
Like you were meant for me and me for you
And it feels like I'm right where
I've always belonged
And it feels just like a love song.

13 years of living a love song with him and I knew, the first time I saw him, I just knew.

Happy anniversary my love, God willing, we will have many more.

Hawaii Day 3: Dole Plantation, Laniakea Beach, Haleiwa Joes, Ilima Pool

Day 3:

We were up early again, closer to 5:30 this time, and after breakfast we made plans to beat feet up the North Shore to get a jump on the crowds.

The Dole Plantation is on the way and since the kids had never been we decided to make a quick pit stop. We were the first ones in the parking lot at 9:00 am and decided to hang around until they opened at 9:30. Riley and Camden played with the wild chickens that were roaming outside while we waited.




We took a quick cruise through the viewing garden and fed the koi, but decided to skip the train and the maze because we didn't want to wait much longer before getting to the North Shore.


Pretending to serve smoothies to their customers: a rotating cast of me, Gammy, Gampy and TG.


We weren't in too much of a hurry to miss our chance to eat pineapple soft serve for a mid morning snack. Riley still talks about how delicious it was.  This picture cracks me up because Gammy is just eating, Riley is making a cold ice cream face and Gampy is trying to convince Cam to take a taste.  For the record he would not eat it.


From there, with bellies full of spam musubi and pineapple ice cream, we zipped to Laniakea Beach (Turtle Beach).  It was really hot on land, but freezing in the water.  Visibility was good, much better than Waikiki had been the day before, and we snorkeled for a while taking turns showing the kids everything.  We had been there about an hour and hadn't seen any turtles, but there were plenty of colorful fish to observe.  I was just about to head back to the beach when I realized there was a commotion on shore and my Mom was waving her hands at me.  I turned to my right and saw the biggest honu I've ever seen an arm's reach away.  He lazily blinked an eye at me and kept moving.  He never made it up onto the beach because there were too many people crowding the sand, but later the volunteer told me he is one of their biggest turtles, tipping the scales at 300 lbs.

I love this pic of Cam playing, Riley diligently rinsing out her snorkel mask, and Ka'ena Point in the distance.


Laniakea Beach, July 31, 2014.


When we honeymooned in Hawaii, ten years ago, TG and I stayed on the North Shore and found a small restaurant that we loved.  Haleiwa Joe's has outdoor seating with a beautiful view of the marina and the food is incredible.  Their kahlua pork sandwich on a taro roll is perhaps my favorite meal in the world.  Gammy and Gampy were eager to try it and they agreed it was a new favorite.  While on vacation, dessert is a must and this time we tried a coffee ice cream chocolate pie concoction that I am still dreaming about.  My little family annihilated this baby after a ceremonial toasting of spoons.  Speaking of my little family, yes it's incredibly crazy, to be sitting in the same spot, at the same restaurant, where I honeymooned with my sweet husband ten years ago, now with our two children.  Crazy, beautiful, life.


We made the decision to go ahead and head back to the hotel after lunch because the traffic down the North Shore at that point was insane. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool in the sun while the kids worked on their swimming skills.

Hale Koa Ilima Pool, July 31st, 2014.

Hawaii Days 1-2: Travel, Hale Koa, Diamond Head, Spitting Cave, Kona Brew Co, Punchbowl

"Aloha, hello?"

 "No!, Aloha!, Goodbye!"


Day 1:

Well, hello and goodbye. Goodbye for now mainland.





Our flight was direct from home to Hawaii and thankfully our kids handled those ten hours like a boss because we were super prepared with games, snacks, pillows, and more.

Little man and monkey took a snooze with three hours to go.


This one never slept, but she was so good and played quietly or watched movies the whole time.


We all "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed" as we came in for the landing and Oahu came into sight.  Okay, maybe some of us were squealing and bouncing up and down in their seat for all the excitement.

We gratefully got off the plane, stretched our legs, freshened up a bit and then waited anxiously for Gammy and Gampy to arrive.


After we collected them at their gate Gampy quickly got us to the hotel and we wasted no time in throwing down our bags and running here - to put our toes into the Pacific for the first time in 2014.

Aloha!  HELLO, Hawaii!




We always try to stay up as long as we can to adjust to the time change, but TG and the babes barely made it to 6:00 before they were all sound asleep.  I ventured out with my parents to stretch my legs some more with a walk down Waikiki.  We saw our first Hawaiian sunset on the way out and fireworks as we made our way back to the hotel.  It was the perfect welcome to paradise.




Day 2:

We were all awake by 5 am so we decided not to waste the early start and beat the crowds to Diamond Head.


It's a fairly quick hike up Diamond head, but with four little jet lagged legs we took it a bit slower.  TG had to carry Cam more than half way up and cajole him through the darker tunnel, but the view, as always, was worth it.


My awesome parents, forever young those two.



Diamond Head, July 30th, 2014.


The trip down was much easier and due to our early wake up it was only about 9 am so we headed to one of my parent's favorite spots.

The spitting cave is a bit off the beaten path, and the tide was low so it wasn't particularly powerful, but the view.  Even now I can barely formulate words for how I felt when I saw this spot.

The water was every shade of blue from turquoise right on up to navy.  Rainbows in the mist were all around us and sea turtles bobbed on the waves intermittently as they took breaks from eating the seaweed below.


I didn't want to leave, but we had other stops planned for the day so I took one last long look and a couple pictures for our memories.




Spitting Cave, July 30th, 2014.


Spitting Cave is right near Hawaii Kai so we went to Kona Brewing Company for lunch.  We ate on their deck on the bay, enjoyed the breeze, ate the tastiest kahlua pork sliders, and tasted several of their beers.

I don't want to forget how hard we laughed when - Gampy asked the waitress to add the Kona Brewing Co. water bottle he saw in the gift shop as we entered to our tab - and as he went to pay he realized that the water bottle was over $50. That fancy hydroflask became a running joke of the trip.

Kona Brewing Co, July 30th, 2014.  The kids are wearing their new "I hiked Diamond Head" tees that Gampy bought them.


We always visit Grandpa and the rest of the family at Punchbowl as soon as we can on the trip.  Riley was such a good helper with Gammy and filled their vases and arranged the flowers we brought.


She said a prayer for her great grandpa.


Punchbowl is beautiful so we walked around the grounds a bit before we left.


We spent the rest of the afternoon at our hotel, napping and then swimming at the pool and playing at the beach.