Waikiki Beach via the Hilton

Today we decided to hang out at Waikiki Beach. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has this great salt water pond/pool on their far west side. It's open to the public and it's perfect for little ones! We were even lucky enough to get a front row FREE parking spot!

The only pictures today: Andrew having fun.



It was a very nice, relaxing day at the beach!

Swap Meet (again) and Waimea Bay

Today we had to hit up the Swap Meet so Kellye could buy some more last minute gift items, which I'll be mailing to Kellye as there is NO ROOM in her suitcases. I didn't need anything but for some reason I can't go to the swap meet without buying something, so I got a beautiful hand-carved, hand-painted welcome sign made out of Koa wood. (LOVE IT) It's hanging on my front door.

After the adventure to the swap meet we headed north, stopping for pineapple ice cream at the Dole Plantation. We then made our way on around to Waimea Bay. When we got there it was nice and sunny. So sunny in fact, that Andrew asked to wear my hat.
Within 5 minutes of our arrival it got really cloudy. Before we got soaked we got to see a nice rainbow.
So it wasn't the best beach day, but we made the most of it. After a few on and off sprinkles we had a slight DOWNPOUR! Kellye looked like a nun trying to stay dry.

We thought it would clear up enough to watch a beautiful sunset, but it didn't. Everyone was wet and not thrilled with our not so perfect beach day, so we headed home.

Welcome Tyler James Turner!

Kim and Nick Turner welcomed baby #4 into the world today. Tyler James was born at 1:08 pm weighing in at 8lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long. Nick is in Afghanistan with Drew but he was able to watch the whole thing via Skype. Gotta love technology. Tyler is simply adorable and perfect in every way! Here's Mommy and Tyler moments after he came into the world. (photo courtesy of Julie S) I mean, who looks this good after labor??

Look at those cheeks!! (photo courtesy of Julie)
I had to go see this lil fella for myself this afternoon. Here's big brother Trevor holding Tyler with Grandma and McKenzie. Addison was in the bed with Mommy.
McKenzie took a picture of proud Auntie Alaina with the lil man. He's so cuddly!
He was getting tired so I said my good-byes!
Congratulations Kim! He is PERFECT! Can't wait to spoil him rotten. :)

Sunsets

Yesterday we took Chiquita to Ka'ena Point at sunset. It was beautiful! The waves were perfect for the boogie boarders and it was cloudy enough for some beautiful colors in the sunset. Once the sun had completely gone down it was like a Thomas Kinkade painting.
Today we got supper at Zippy's and had a picnic at Electric Beach. (so named because it's beside the power plant.) It was another gorgeous day!
Andrew was so inspired by all the beauty that he said "Mama, take my picture."
Then he said "Mama, take my picture with Miss Kellye!"
He was in such a good picture taking mood that I thought surely I'd get a good picture of the two of us since we have Kellye there to take the picture. But by the time it was my turn...
...he was ready to climb another tree. Oh well. Maybe next time. So Kellye took my picture anyway. I sent it to Drew. :)

Bucca di Beppo

I couldn't let Kellye come to Hawaii without me trying to play matchmaker. So, I introduced her to Drew's friend Ben, from the surfing post. They hit it off pretty well and had a few dates. They were nice enough on Saturday night to let me tag along as the third wheel. My neighbor, Steve, was kind enough to watch Andrew while I went to dinner. Andrew was asleep when he got here, so he had an easy job.

We at at Bucca di Beppo, a fabulous Italian restaurant in Honolulu. (I love this place!) We enjoyed good food and good company. After dinner we walked across the street to have dessert at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. It's one of those places where you pick from about 12 different flavors, select your own toppings, and then pay by weight. Normally, I always get some chocolate concoction (go figure), but tonight I was in a fruity mood and went for the Pomegranate Raspberry topped with fresh strawberry, kiwi, and banana. It was fabulous!

It was a fun night. So thanks Kellye and Ben for letting me tag along. And thanks Ben for paying for my dinner too!

Surf's Up (or not)

Ok, so I've lived in Hawaii for 4 1/2 years and I've NEVER tried to surf...until today! Drew's friend and former squadron mate took Kellye, Andrew, and I to Barber's Point to give it a whirl. It was an unusually cloudy day and the water was really choppy, but still the waves were small enough for beginners. Kellye went first. Let me just say that watching was HILARIOUS! Every time a wave came, she'd fall off the board. Here she is riding a wave to shore.

Ben stayed in the water with us swimming along side of the board, giving instructions. Here they are discussing Kel's attempt!
In the meantime, Andrew entertained himself by covering himself head to toe in SAND!
Then it was my turn. I was terrified! Not of the surf, but rather falling off and hitting the rocks below. My personal goal for the day: DO NOT FALL OFF THE BOARD! Here I am waiting for the perfect wave...lol
I waited and waited and made several attempts, but didn't quite get the hang of it. I never caught a wave, but I reached my goal. I did NOT fall off!! I was however, POOPED!
Surfing could be really fun if I could just get the hang of it. Though I had no success on my first try, I'm not giving up. I WILL figure it out! It was a lot of fun. I can only imagine how much fun it is when you actually surf! So until next time...

Atlantis Submarine and Waikiki Beach

Today we went to Waikiki to ride the Atlantis Submarine. This was my 4th trip, but Andrew's first. The last time I did the sub, he was in my tummy! I love the submarine ride. It's so much fun. If you've never done it I highly recommend it....but only if you get the military price from ITT. (If you're not military, I can get you tickets)

Andrew was really excited when he started seeing the fish. As we were waiting to go down, he looked at me and said, "I'm getting really really excited!"

Here's some fish swimming around a sunken WWII plane.

A turtle on deck of the ship.
"LOOK!"
We saw lots of fish, a couple of turtles, and a stingray. Unfortunately we didn't see any sharks today. The time I saw sharks, we took the 3 pm tour.

After our submarine adventure, we had a picnic on Waikiki beach and spent the afternoon playing there. Again I need Kellye's pictures because I have a picture of Andrew and his new friend Neveah. He always makes friends with the ladies...just like his Daddy! (He'll be so proud) Aside from a couple of run ins with a CRAZY lady, who I almost had to get violent with, we had a very good day!

Diamond Head

Today we tackled Diamond Head, a national monument. In case you didn't know: it's a crater. The volcano has been extinct for 150,000 years. Here's a picture from the 760 ft. summit.

The steep trail to the top is mostly paved and defined by two sets of stairs-one 99 steps and the other 76. It leads through a 225 ft. tunnel and ends with a spectacular view of Waikiki and the island's west side. It's always HOT and the stairs are pretty rough, but the view is totally worth it!

Dinner OUT!

Tonight Kellye and I joined a group of other folks for dinner at Haliewa Joe's. On weekends they have live music. It was really nice. Kellye was excited to get out of the house and have some real adult conversation for a change. I was just excited to enjoy a meal without Andrew in my lap! :) (A former student of mine kept the kids at Kim's house. )

We were also excited to actually wear makeup and fix our hair instead of looking ragged from the beach like we do every day.

Pearl Harbor/Swap Meet

On Wednesday, Kellye, Andrew, and I went to Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona Memorial. They're doing lots of construction getting ready to rebuild, but the visitor's center, museum, and memorial are all open.

Again, all the good pictures are on Kellye's camera, but I managed to snap just a couple. Here's a view of the memorial from the visitor's center.

Andrew riding the shuttle boat that takes you to the memorial. He liked the boat ride.
I didn't take any pictures on the memorial. Like I said, those are all on Kellye's camera. I'll have to revisit these posts when I get a copy of them.

After Pearl Harbor, we went to the swap meet. Apparently that put us in a shopping mood because after that we went to Old Navy, Target, and K-Mart! Andrew was running around the stores picking out different outfits saying "this is cute" or "ooh look at this one!" I'm glad he was a trooper!

Paradise Cove

Today we had a relaxing day at the Lagoons. We played in the water, built more sand castles, Andrew chased some birds, and we even saw a wedding. (I love it when that happens.) After a few hours on the beach we came home to get ready for the Paradise Cove Luau.

This is my favorite Luau on the island; so much so that this made my 9th trip! Every time company comes, we go along with them. So if you're looking for a great luau, Paradise Cove is the place!

Here's Kel before the festivities began.

There are many Hawaiian activities to participate in before the show begins. We didn't take any pictures of us making our ti leaf and plumeria bracelets. Guess we were too busy concentrating. Here's Kellye getting a little local "artwork" on her back.
Here's my finished product. (No, they're not real....just wax crayon)
After we got our tattoos Kellye and Andrew participated in a couple of "horseshoe" like activities.

They give you a shell lei for participating. Andrew was very proud of his!
Next it was on to the "shower of flowers" where a local villager climbs a coconut tree and showers the people below with flowers.
We were in a good spot because Andrew caught one!!
After a display of the "huki lau" pulling in of the nets, we went in to the imu amphitheatre for a short hula presentation of the royal court. Andrew wanted to be a big boy and sit all by himself.
Here, they pull the kalua pu'ua (PIG) out of the ground. Yum!
Now it's on to dinner time. It's a buffet style meal so we had all the food (salads, meats, and desserts) on the table. Andrew ate dessert first! Luckily, it didn't get in the way of him eating all the real food.
Andrew had to participate in the group hula dance. He didn't want to get on stage, but that didn't stop him from dancing in the aisles.

The Hawaiian Wedding Song hula.
This is Fu'e. He's the fire/knife dancer. Ask Drew, he is my favorite. When we first started coming to this luau he was just another hula dancer, but he's graduated up to resident fire/knife expert.

It's such a good show. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! Again, I wish I had Kellye's camera because at the end of the show all the dancers line up outside for photos. I took a picture of her and 5 hula dancers! Good times!