Hawaii 2011

Yep, that says Hawaii 2011. Which means this post is long overdue. I really can't keep up with it all but I refuse to give up because this blog is the only way I am keeping track of all the things our family is doing. I make it into a book each year and I really want to try and keep it updated, even if I'm a little late about it.

Last November my parents took the whole family to Hawaii! It was such a highly anticipated trip and it lived up to every expectation! Our hotel/resort was amazing! So beautiful. So many fun things for the kids. The time we spent together on this gorgeous island was precious and I am so glad we did it and that everything went so well.

Here are some pictures of the view from our balcony...

My parents signed us up for a luau, or Fia Fia as they called it, one night at the hotel. It was such a blast! The kids thought it was awesome and I have to say I did too. Towards the end of the show they invited all the kids up to the stage to do a dance. Crew raced up to the front but Reagan was too shy and wouldn't leave our table. (I know, we were shocked too). They went down the row of children asking their names and where they were from. Crew was at the end of the line. I turned to Steve and said poor Crew would probably introduce himself as Crew Bud, which I didn't think anyone would understand, and he probably didn't know where he was from. So Steve should be ready to go up and help him. To our surprise when they asked his name he simply said Crew but the best part was when they asked him where he was from he paused for a minute to think about it then responded "My mom and dad". Everyone laughed and he grinned from ear to ear. The guy asking him laughed and told him he was exactly right. That's where we all came from. It was awesome. I wish we had it on video.

We spent a lot of time on the beach. Of course the kids loved it and really so did everyone. I could have sat on the beach all day everyday. The day I took the pictures below we went to Waiamea and the waves were really strong. We were warned by the life guards that we couldn't go into the water very far and we weren't allowed to use boogie boards. So we splashed around near the beach. It was still great for the kids but I know the bigger kids (Steve and Sky) were disappointed because they wanted to get out there and catch some waves.

There was a surfing contest going on down the beach and we stopped to watch for a bit. It was pretty cool. The guys in particular thought it was cool.

I have so many pictures still of our breakfast with Minnie Mouse and Goofy at the Disney hotel down the beach and of the temple. They will have to be separate posts. But enjoy this first installment of our fantastic vacation!