Hawaiian Vacation....Day 4

Shawn and I were waking up around 6 am most mornings.  Mostly because of our early bedtimes.  But I think the mornings we spent together were my favorite part of this trip.  We'd wake up, put on some shorts, and head out the door.  We'd either walk along the shoreline, or just along the sidewalk, into town for breakfast.  It took about 30 minutes to walk to (cheap) food, and 30 minutes to walk back.  We'd take our time and just enjoy the warm early morning sun, the smells, the fresh air, and each other.  Sometimes these walks would last 2 hours or more.  Fabulous.  Tuesday morning we walked along the beach until we found food, then walked back through town.  We decided that this day would be a day of no plans.  Just laying around doing nothing.  After our breakfast walk we ran into Ed and Heidi and walked around our resort for a bit.  I stopped to see what kinds of tours our hotel offered, and there was a turtle snorkel tour that excited me.  I love ginormous turtles.  And I'd only been snorkeling once.  So.  We decided to book a tour for 1:30 that afternoon. 
We had a few hours to kill before our tour so I took that time to lay by the pool while the other three went to dive shops looking for wetsuits.  I didn't need one, so I was content to read my book in the glorious sunshine.  They brought back lunch and then we headed to the boat.  Shawn bought a full body wetsuit that took a small army to get on him, but he was completely safe from any kind of sunshine penetrating him.  Something he isn't a fan of. 

I loved the turtles!  I'm a complete novice when it comes to snorkeling.  I was amazed at how bouyant I was in the ocean.  I think I could really enjoy this as a hobby.  Too bad I live in a landlocked State......
After the tour we had a few more hours to kill before dinner.  Shawn went back to the room to read.  I laid by the pool a bit more, then went to the gym for a bit.  We met for dinner and went to the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Hawaiian Vacation....Day 3

Monday we decided would be a day that we hit the water.  Snorkeling.  I guess I should mention that Ed lived in Hawaii a number of years ago when he was in the Navy.  So he knew his way around.  It was nice to have someone with us that knew where they were going.
We decided to hike Waimea Falls first.  A short hike to a waterfall where you can swim.  It was like hiking in the Garden of Eden.  So lush and green.  And full of exotic flowers.

We reached the waterfall and discovered that the water was freezing.  The boys chickened out and stayed on shore.  I wasn't about to let this opportunity pass me by!  Heidi and I gritted our teeth and got in the water.  And we were so glad we did!

We took our time hiking back out.

And Shawn felt the need to run on the grass he would love to grow in our yard.

Crazy boy.  Then we got in the car to find a snorkeling beach.  The day had been overcast, and raining off and on.  When we passed the Vans Surfing Competition we decided to stop for a bit after eating lunch at a local burger dive.  Surfers are amazing.  It was fun to see professionals working the waves.  Unfortunately for us snorkelers, waves are not our friends.  We drove all around the island hitting beach after beach trying to find a place calm enough to snorkel.  It just wasn't happening.  By the time we decided maybe Hanauma Bay would have to be the best place, it was too late in the day to make it happen.  So.  What did we do?  Stop by Magnum P.I.'s stomping ground of course.  Ed is a huge fan of Magnum.  And so is Shawn.  Sadly it took going all the way to Hawaii to learn this little fact about my husband of 16 years.  We spent time taking pictures all around Magnum's little bay.  If I would've known this was on the agenda I would've brushed up on my knowledge!  I've since repented and watched a few episodes.  It's fun to see on TV a place where you've actually been in real life.  Boys and their heroes.

Hawaiian Vacation....Day 2

Sunday morning we decided to find a church and attend at least Sacrament Meeting.  But.  Not until we hit the brunch buffet at the Halekulani Hotel.  Because we had gone to sleep so early the night before, we were ready in ample time to take a few photos from our balcony before we needed to meet Ed and Heidi.

We met the Kemps and walked to the Halekulani together.  Amazing isn't a word that could even begin to describe this buffet.  It was as we sat down to our table filled with various forks, spoons, and other fancy utensils that we adopted the mantra "if you have to ask how much it costs, you shouldn't be doing it".  Wow.  It left me speechless.

Doesn't it look amazing?  It was worth every penny.  After breakfast we drove to a nearby church house.  We were running a few minutes late and when we got there we couldn't find the chapel.  It was all open to the outside and no doors were labeled.  We finally found where we needed to be and caught the last 30 minutes of the meeting.  We tried.  I think we deserve points for effort.
We decided that Sunday afternoon would be a great time for some hiking adventures.  We went back to the hotel long enough to change our clothes, then headed to the Pali lookout.  You can see by the pictures that this lookout came with strong winds. 

Beautiful view.  So fascinating to see such different types of foliage than I'm used to.  The trees intrigued me.

Next stop?  Manoa Falls.  A short hike up to some waterfalls.  It had been raining recently so it was really slippery and muddy.

After the last picture was taken we decided to hike a bit further to see some cool banyan trees.  Only.  That slippery mud got the best of me and I landed hard.  I was fine.  Just muddy.  And my sunglasses broke.  The boys still went ahead while Heidi and I just sat by the waterfall and waited.

So sad that my glasses broke.  Luckily we were in Hawaii where it happens to always be sunglasses buying season.  Phew.
After Manoa we headed over to Diamond Head for one last hike before heading back to our hotel.  It was also a short hike.  Paved path this time.  And lots of stairs.  With a spectacular view at the top.

After all these activities our brunch was finally wearing off and we decided we could once again eat.  We decided to eat at our hotel resort.  Just because we were too worn out after cleaning up to get back in the car.  And who could turn down dinner on the beach?

After dinner Shawn and I headed up to our room.  It was only 8:00.  And yes.  We did go to sleep.  Some people might find it pathetic that we were going to bed so early while on vacation.  But for us?  A good nights sleep is a vacation!

Hawaiian Vacation....Day 1

Hawaii.  Oh sweet and beautiful Hawaii.  I have wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was in the third grade when my parents went.  Without us kids.  Every time a vacation comes up in discussion with Shawn, this is the place I would start dreaming of.  Only.  It never happened.  It was always shot down for one reason or another.  Back in July Shawn was talking to his friend Ed.  They usually meet up once a year to attend a BYU football game somewhere.  Ed jokingly said, "What about the Hawaii game on December 3rd?"  Instead of laughing at the joke, Shawn took this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.  We decided to go with Ed and Heidi to the BYU game.  Only we'd go exactly one week previous so we could soak up the sun and enjoy all that Hawaii had to offer.  To say I was excited is a serious understatement!  Ed and I worked together and purchased all our tickets and hotel rooms in September.  Because we were there so many days, I'm going to break up my posts.  I don't think blogger even allows posts the length I would have to make this to cover all that we did!
I also need to mention Katelyn.  My little sister who was willing to fly all the way to the Midwest the day after Thanksgiving leaving both her job and her husband (on their anniversary!) to watch all 5 of my babies for a very long time.  We couldn't have done it without her!  Knowing they were in capable hands put my mind completely at ease as we boarded the plane early Saturday Morning.  November 26th. 
Our plane left Kansas City at 8:00 am.  We flew from there to Dallas.  And then from Dallas to Honolulu.  I've never been on such a large plane before.  And never such a long flight.  8 1 /2 hours from Dallas to Honolulu.  It was painful.  I watched two entire movies, a handful of TV shows, played lots of solitaire, and started a new novel.  After 4 hours my behind went numb.  All was well though.  Because.  I was going to Hawaii!
We arrived at our destination at 4:15 and headed to the rental car.  Ed came prepared with his garmin and navigated us perfectly to our hotel--the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.  After check-in and getting settled in our room....

We went on a walk around our hotel to see what was available for food.  We found an Italian restaurant on site that was pretty nice.  And the Pesto Pasta (made with macadamia nuts instead of pine--amazing!) was delicious.

After dinner we wandered down the beach for a bit just to see what there was to see.  By that time it was 7:30ish and Shawn and I were beat!  It was close to midnight by our internal clocks.  We headed back to our room for a good nights sleep.

Pretty Ballerina....

Presley started what she calls "dancing class". 

She was so excited her first day to wear her "tippety-taps".  Her class does 15 minutes of tap, then they change their shoes and do ballet the last 15.  At first she was not enjoying the ballet part.  She would only go back in the room in ballet shoes if she could carry her tap shoes with her so they could "watch" her do ballet.  Silly girl.  The class recently had a parents watch day where we were allowed to go into the room and watch them up close.  Adorable.

I'm so glad I put her in this class.  I was hesitant at first.  But.  Since my friend Emma-Lee was the teacher she convinced me to do it.  There are only 3 in the class---including Presley.  Perfect size for this age group.  Maybe there will be a dancer to follow my footsteps?  When not in class you might find her still continuing to dance......

Landon's Birthday Bash....

Landon turned 6 this year.  Hard to believe my little fuzzy boy is now a kindergartner. 

Landon had a few friends over to play and celebrate with him.  Most of them were girls.  He loves the ladies. 

Landon goes through various "super-hero" phases.  Iron Man lasted the longest.  The Green Lantern only lasted the week before his birthday, and only a few weeks after.  Until the phase ended, this mask was worn everywhere.  Except school.  Masks aren't allowed.

Hilarious little man.  We had cupcakes and ice cream with his friends before they went home.

I love this little guy.  I think everyone that encounters him loves him.  He is very sensitive and thoughtful.  He does a really good job of taking care of Presley.  He's also super smart.  He's reading.  A lot.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid is his favorite series at the time.  Most kids that read that series are in third grade.  He idolizes his brother Jackson and because of that his feelings are often hurt by "older brother not wanting to deal with younger brother" issues.  One day he was crying every 15 minutes.  The tenth time he came into my room he climbed up on the bed next to me and cried saying, "I just cry too much!"  So cute.  And  irresistible.  Jackson can also get Landon laughing harder than anyone.  His laugh is so contagious.  The other night we were all eating dinner in Wendy's and Landon started belly laughing.  His laughing cracked me up to the point I couldn't eat through all the laughing.  What a fun little boy.  I'm so glad he's mine.