We just returned from a fun vacation to Hawaii. I love being at the beach and the kids and Rob had a great time playing in the sand and getting in the water. It was beautiful weather and just so nice to forget about normal life for a while. We stayed at the great area of Ko'Olina. I love it here and the beach set up is so great for the kids.
Cam getting buried in he sand. Cameron was a bit scared of the waves coming in, and they were very small where we were so he wasn't seeing any of the crashing waves further out. He kept saying "bubbles" when they would come in. He spent a lot of his time sitting in the sand with Rob.
My three boys!
We have been to Pearl Harbor before but we have never been out to the Battleship the USS Missouri, or Big Mo as it is called. It was very cool and so big. This is where the Japanese signed the surrender papers to end the war in the Pacific. It was very interesting and we all had a good time there. Jack and I also went through the submarine the USS Bowfin which is cool. I could never spend much time in a submarine, it is so small and tight, it is crazy.
The boys outside the Missouri, and then Jack showing how small the beds are. Even in the big battleship they have such small sleeping quarters. They seriously are made for 5 year olds, it looks like the perfect size for Jack!
The boys playing around on a fun palm tree at one of the Lagoons. We had some beautiful sunsets that we watched. When we first arrived Jack saw the palm trees and asked me what are those? I told him they were palm trees and grown in Hawaii and other places that are warm year round. He started calling them "Hawaii trees" which I thought was cute.
We of course made a stop at the Dole Pineapple plantation, much to Rob's dismay, so that I could enjoy the delicious dole whip. It is a pineapple whipped up dessert and it is so yummy. We took the train ride out into the fields which was fun to see how the pineapples grown, an they also have a lot of other fruits, coffee beans, and plants growing. It was a fun afternoon activity.
Our great friend Erika decided to fly out from CA at the minute to spend a couple days on the beach. We loved having her and thanks to Rob I was able to have some great girl time just relaxing on the beach reading, drinking a Diet Coke, getting some sun, and cooling off in the water. I think I need to make a semi regular trip to relax with the girls there. Rob kept reminding me to enjoy it because we have the long cold winter ahead of us, and I did the best I could soaking it up!
Disney has recently finished their new hotel in Ko'Olina, and it is great! I love Disney stuff, but this is very non disney character themed. It is so beautiful inside the hotel and really you wouldn't know it was a Disney hotel by just looking at it or being in the lobby. That said yes they do have a character breakfast which we decided to take the boys to at the last minute. As you can tell from the picture above Cameron was TERRIFIED of the characters. I am not surprised because they do look a bit strange, so we did our best to keep him away. Jack loved it and it was fun to see Mickey, Minnie, & Goofy.
Cute boys on the beach.
We drove around to the other side of the island just to see some of the scenery and to see some of the real waves. It was of course gorgeous and so picturesque. Rob and Jack looking at crabs and little fish that are left in the tide pools.
This is at a place called the Spitting Cave and it was recommended by a friend who grew up in Honolulu. We would have never found it without her directions and it was a perfect little "hike" for our family. It really was just a short walk from the car down a path out to see the ocean from the rocks. We left Cam in the backpack, very good decision, and Jack was good to stay close. It was great views out to the ocean and back to Honolulu and there was an area where the waves come crashing in and then come spitting back out, hence the name Spitting Cave.
We also enjoyed some delicious shaved ice at Wailoa's in Honolulu. I highly recommend this place it was great and I wish we were able to go back for seconds and thirds.We had a great trip and it was wonderful to just relax a bit and get away from the normal routine of daily life.
ALOHA!
