Aloha!

Day one of our voyage to Hawaii! Auntie Jen was able to
fly with us and got the easy job of sitting next to the good flier.
Abi is a breeze when it comes to flying, just give her some snacks
and a movie and its smooth sailing from there. We arrived in Hawaii
around 8:30 PM which is 11:30 PM our time. Abi was
a little confused that it was light while we were still
in the plane but dark and past bed time at home. Adam and the
new sis-in-law Kenzie met us at the hotel to check us in and say hi.
Then we all went to bed.
We met the next morning for breakfast with Mom and Dad.
Dad aka the "boy grams" had fun making waffles with Abi.
After breakfast we went on a walk around the hotel looking and
picking up the pretty flowers. Also made it down to the beach where
the water is crystal clear and so amazing to see!

After our morning walk we decided to drive around the island.
We made a quick stop at the pineapple plantation for some
pineapple ice cream and juice. Then it was off to see the
sea turtles. This is the same place about 9 months ago where
Andy and Leah were taken out by a sneaky wave. Well, this time
it was Gramps and Leah(again) that got it. She may never like the
ocean now. Although they did not get taken under this time Leah was
still not happy about it. A little ways down the beach there were
3 turtles basking in the sun. It was neat to see them so close.
We made it around to the macadamia farm where we bought some
souvenirs and saw lots of baby chickens running around, which provided
good entertainment for the girls. Then made it back to
the hotel in time to clean up a bit to go to the luau.

The luau was fun, but the best part for me was
watching my girls take front and center stage to learn
how to hula dance.

Day two we went to the water park. Everyone had a great
time playing on the slides and in the water. It took Leah a
while, almost the entire day, to finally get in the water
and have fun. The big kids even had fun. Look close at Mom's face
in the picture below, awesome! After the water park
we went to Adam and Kenzie's house for a BBQ and
met some of her family.

Day three the four of us went to Sea Life Park.
On the way we stopped on the side of the road to take some
pictures and see the beautiful ocean. Little did we know we
stopped at the perfect location. Looking down to our
left was a deep cove with a shipwreck looking scene and
film equipment. We had assumed this was were they were
filming for Pirates 4!!! Woo ho! Later we find out that it was!
We made it to the park and saw the animal shows and touched
a crab, sea cucumber and saw a yearling sea turtle. The colors
on this yearling were amazing. The variety and depth of color
were so neat to look at. Later that day we had dinner at
the Hula Grill with both families.

Day four of our adventure in Hawaii four of us went
snorkeling in Hanuama Bay. To add to the list of sea life we saw
are 2 eels, scary! Puffer fish, sea cucumbers, crackling shrimp
and sea urchins. In the afternoon the girls went to afternoon Tea
at the Moana Surf Rider Hotel which was the first hotel
to be built in Waikiki.

Day five began with a walk on the beach and some playtime
at the pool. Jen and the girls took some hula lessons and
then we went to do some shopping. Although it took longer than
originally thought we had a nice tour of the island while on the trolley
to the store. We later met up with Adam and Kenzie at the
Army museum and took some family pictures in front of
the Hilton hotel. Next we ate dinner together and
went to the beach to watch fireworks and reconnect with
a friend from Trinity. Maryanne and her three girls came
to watch with us and the girls had a blast together. It was way
to short of a visit though. The girls really connected to their
new Auntie Kenzie. Leah didn't want to give her up.
All in all it was a nice family vacation.