Spring Break in Hawaii

Cory surprised the kids on Christmas telling them we are going to Hawaii (Oahu) for spring break.  He planned the whole thing and invited his parents to come along.  When they couldn't come, he invited my mom.  She had a room near ours, and Brooke got to have a sleepover with Grandma for five nights.  They were the perfect pair because they are the late risers.

We stayed at the Marriott on Waikiki Beach.  Brady couldn't wait to hit the beach our first morning.

Cory planned a trip to Hanauma Bay, where there is great snorkeling and a living coral reef.  All the kids got to see some fish.

 That afternoon we went to Costco and the grocery store so we wouldn't have to eat out every breakfast and lunch.

 On Friday we went to the Laie Temple.  Grandma took the kids to the Visitor's Center while Cory and I did a session,

 Then we ate snacks and played duck-duck-goose while we waited for Grandma.

 Next we headed over to BYU-Hawaii to check out the campus.  We had lunch in the cafeteria, which was a fun experience.

That afternoon we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

 We took a canoe ride/tour of all the Polynesian countries represented there.

 We got to see a Māori dance in the New Zealand area.  Then we headed to Samoa to watch fire dancing, tree climbing, and a coconut demonstration.  It was all very interesting and entertaining.

 We went to a luau there for dinner, and the pork was excellent!

 We started Saturday by visiting the Dole Plantation.  We took a ride on the Pineapple Express train, which is a tour of the entire plantation.  It was very informative and interesting to learn about all the crops they grow there.

 Even though it was still pretty early, we couldn't pass up the chance to try the famous Dole Whip.  The fresh pineapple on top made it even more heavenly.

 The rest of Saturday did not go as planned.  We found a beach at the north shore, but as soon as we set out our beach towels, it started raining.  We figured we would just head back to the hotel to swim.  Colin got a nap in the car, and by the time we'd gotten back the weather cleared up.

Cory had gotten a Groupon for dinner that we planned to use that night.  We drove around for 20 minutes searching for a parking spot, only to discover, at 6:25, that the wait was 2 1/2 hours!  So we decided to head to Cheeseburger in Paradise, which we'd heard good things about and it was just a block from the hotel.  Cory dropped me, Brady, and Grandma off to put our names on the list while he went to park.  Even without our party all there, they went ahead and sat us.  Poor Cory couldn't find a spot in the garage, and he finally gave up on joining us for dinner.  They went to Taco Bell instead.  There are always things that don't go as planned on vacation, but at least this time we weren't all throwing up like we were in Florida.  I'm surprised my mom is still willing to travel with us!

 Sunday morning we got to attend a wonderful Sacrament Meeting in the Honolulu Tabernacle.  We hadn't even realized that's the building we were going to until we got there, but it was really cool!  Although it looks very different from the buildings we attend on Sunday, we decided it probably attracts more tourists with the picture of Christ on the exterior. 

 Later we took a picnic lunch to the nearby beach.  The Waikiki Beach was cool because they've blocked off part of it from the waves to protect the beach from eroding.  This created kind of a kiddie pool which was only about a foot deep.  Plus there were fish swimming there, so Brady spent the majority of the time with one of those red buckets trying to catch a fish.  Once Cory decided he was getting sunburned, he took Colin to the room for a nap while Grandma and I took Brady and Brooke to the hotel pool.

 Those two had so much fun swimming together.  Just seeing our kids happy together reminded me why family vacations are so important.  When they're not in school or doing homework, they don't always play together.  Brady often wants to play with friends, so this was great forcing them to spend time together and hopefully realize/remember that they really do like each other.

We had to check out of our hotel Monday morning, but our flight wasn't until 8:30 that night.  We decided to kill some time at the Honolulu Zoo.  We had purchased some wraps at Costco, so we took those into the zoo for lunch.  We found this area with tables and chairs, but there were peacocks everywhere, at least 10 of them.  They obviously are used to being fed by the patrons and they were very bold.

I wish I'd gotten it on camera because it was so funny.  One peacock was coming up to Colin on his right.  He had dropped a piece of his wrap on the ground and was watching a peacock eat it.  Meanwhile, on his left, another one sneaked over and snatched the tomato right out of the wrap in his hand!  It really scared him and he cried for a couple minutes.  Then every time one would come near he would get worried.  Colin adores dogs of any size, but I wonder if he'll now have a life-long fear of peacocks.

 After spending 3 1/2 hours at the zoo (an all-time record for me!) we wondered how else to kill time.  A place with air conditioning that didn't cost an arm and a leg, preferably.  We settled on Costco for both of those reasons, and because we couldn't pass up another gelato cone.

 Cory sweetly stayed in the car with a napping Colin while we browsed the aisles, killing an hour.  Then we headed outside to the food court.  You have to understand something about this treat.  We got many tips before heading to Oahu, where to go, what to eat, etc.  But nobody ever mentioned that Costco sells 3 scoops of gelato, in a waffle cone no less, for just $1.50!  Our first time there we'd only gotten two and shared between the six of us.  This time, Brooke and Brady shared and I had one all to myself.  (The soggy wraps we'd eaten for lunch just weren't that satisfying.)  So if you go to Costco on Oahu, please don't overlook the food court.  You never know what kind of gems you'll find.

The flight home was an overnight flight and we survived.  It took Colin a while to fall asleep.  For some reason he required removal of not only his shoes, but also his socks.  Brooke and Brady watched part of a movie before they were out for the rest of the flight.  Cory dozed on and off and I got about 45 minutes total.  The family behind us had a 3-year-old who must have had a night terror because he would not stop screaming/crying for a long time.  They also had a baby that they were trying to keep asleep.  My seat was bumped at least 100 times, but I felt bad for them and grateful I wasn't holding my own baby.

I had my reservations when Cory booked this trip since we would have our kids with us and I would be six months pregnant.  It was helpful having my mom with us, and that Colin is so grown up.  

 

He's quite independent and well behaved without a nap now.  He walked around that zoo for 3 1/2 hours without whining at all.  (But he was asleep before we even started the car.)  It made me realize that a family vacation is really not so hard when your youngest, at least this youngest, is 2 1/2.  So I look forward to many more family vacations in about three years.  Until then, they won't be considered vacations but trips.