We flew into Kauai on 2/12 and were greeted at the baggage claim by G-ma & G-pa. After several hours of travel and toddler entertaining, it was great to see some friendly faces.
They drove us back to our VRBO about 45 mins away. It was perfect. A whole house to ourselves, surrounded by lush trees, and plants. They had an avocado tree right outside with a swing in it. The avocados from that tree were perfectly ripe and buttery, and didn't brown up right away either. Mmmm!The three of us explored the house while the Kims went back to the airport to pick up Uncle Jesse & Emily. We all made it! Success! We celebrated with pizza and drinks, and hit the sack early to get ready for the next day.
The second day (Valentine's day) we scoped out another (windy!) beach. Getting to this beach was quite the adventure, complete with bumpy dirt roads. We felt like we were on a rollercoaster for a good 3-5 miles. But it sure was pretty once we arrived. Anora, G-ma and myself played on the beach, while everyone else explored the Makauwahi Cave! They said it was really amazing inside, complete with blind spiders. They had gone 20 years ago on their last visit to Hawaii, so it was cool they got to see it again with new eyes. There was also a turtle reserve that we all got to see. Apparently it's right by where the Pirate's of the Carribean was filmed. There were baby turtles and old, married turtles. Anora even rode one of the big ones :) On the way out of town, we stopped at Poipu beach for some grub! I got the shrimp, yum! We even splurged for some Hawaiian Shave Ice for dessert complete with a snow cap (condensed milk on top). Mmmm. Love that stuff! 
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast in town - great pancakes! Anora had a breakfast sandwich with SPAM. She liked it a lot! That afternoon, the kids (sans Anora) went zip-lining! SO fun! Ben and I have gone in Jamaica and Mexico, and now Hawaii! Great views and good guides. We ate dinner and chilled at the house for the evening.
Tuesday 2/16 was a travel day. We flew from Kauai to Oahu. The flight was a mere 30 mins, so very easy, breezy. The car rental ordeal probably took longer than the flight. Apparently since it was rented through Boeing, it wasn't going to work because the rental was held under my credit card, and I'm not the employee. They had to call a 1-800 number to cancel the reservation and then re-book, ultimately having to pay a bit more. Don't ask me why the credit card couldn't have been updated to be Ben's... Unreal. But once, that was all taken care of, we drove off to Ko'Olina beach resort where we stayed for the remainder of the trip. We explored the property and ate at Longboards down by the beach.
The next day was Pearl Harbor. We got down there and looked around. The tickets we got for the Arizona were ultimately cancelled due to the high winds meaning they couldn't drive the boat across to get to it. Bummer. We saw some things though, and were reminded of sad day on December 7, 1941. Anora snagged a couple rocks from the monuments. She also liked spinning in this area that you get to after the Remembrance walk. Apparently the next day a helicopter crashed in that very spot! Yikes. After Pearl Harbor, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the resort. We played on the beach and swam in the ocean. That night we ate at the Monkey Pod - a restaurant by our resort. When we arrived they said it was going to be an hour wait. Ben and I were preparing to have to leave before that time was up to put Anora to bed, when the pager went off! Somehow we were put at the top of the list. It was a Hawaii miracle. And I am so glad we were able to eat there! It was the best meal I had the whole trip. I got the Fresh Fish and Coconut Stew - YuMMM!!!
Thursday we explored the Waimea Valley. We walked through a beautiful botanical garden. They had peacocks and everything. It looked old Hawaii...like what you would have seen if you would have been one of the first to arrive back in the day. So charming and peaceful. At the end of the walk was a waterfall- the Waimea waterfall! We all got in (brrr, the water was cold!), but Anora wasn't too sure about nearing the waterfall. But she sure loved getting in the water. She's a little fishy. After, we stopped into town for a bite to eat. We ate at Uncle Bo's and I had the second best meal of the trip - Mediterranean eggs Benedict. On the way back home Ben, Anora, and I stopped by the Dole Pineapple Plantation. We got to ride the train around the plantation and see all kinds of different plants and tress. Unfortunately, there were no pineapple because they had already been harvested. But Anora enjoyed the ride and especially the Dole whip at the end! Very fun! After settling back in at the resort, the kids went down by the water for drinks and Frisbee. Nice having those warm evenings hearing the water lapping up on the shore.
Friday was a relaxing beach day at the resort. We played on the water slide and in the fake cave and waterfalls. Later we went to the beach and played in the sand. Anora could not get enough. She could live on the beach. We even got lucky and caught some time with Kerial - a mermaid - playing in the water. She taught us all about mermaids - where they live, and where they come from. Anora was intrigued. For dinner we got Mexican food and basically all ended up ordering the same thing - a chimichanga, LOL.
Saturday we cashed in our Valentine's day plans and got a couple's massage. Ben thinks it was the best one he's had yet. It was pretty amazing. I felt like jelly afterwords. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the resort, eating shave ice and swimming in the pool for at least 4 hours. G-pa grilled up some chicken for dinner while we played at the park. After a yummy dinner we went to the beach and finally caught the sunset. SO beautiful! Our last one in Hawaii.
Sunday we flew back home. For us, the travel was pretty short and sweet. About a 5 hour direct flight. Since Anora had gotten a nap before hand, she was the most content I've seen her on a plane yet. The pretzels and Frozen always help too. She is obsessed with both. I can't tell you how many times I heard "Let it Go" on this trip. We also got her listening to "Big Girls Don't Cry" and she likes to sing that one now too.
We had such a fun trip and it was so nice to have some family time. I love those sunny vacations! Can't wait for the next!!!
