Hawaii - October 25

Thursday. Our last full day on Oahu. What do we decide to do? Climb uphill for 1 mile!

My mom, dad, the kids and I made our way to the southeastern side of the island to walk up the Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline Trail to see the historic Makapuu lighthouse.  It was intense!
State's description  -  A 1-mile hike (one-way) along the former roadway to the lighthouse. At various points there are sweeping views of the southeastern O'ahu coastline - whales may be visible. Uphill climb to 500-foot elevation under hot, dry, and windy conditions. No drinking water or restrooms available. 

Eme's description - WHAT WERE WE THINKING!

Instead of the umbrella stroller and backpack carrier, I thought it would be best to bring my sister's double stroller. Being that it was already HOT, wearing a backpack wasn't very enticing, plus the double stroller had canopies to help protect Brianna and Carl from the sun. Looking back, maybe distributing the weight would have been wiser, but hindsight is always 20/20! After making it to the first little plateau I was already glistening and rethinking this adventure, yet I was determined to get to the top. If the views here were this amazing, imagine what the top would be like!

We wanted to make sure we got a photo of my parents and the kids together while in Hawaii. I'm so happy both my mom and dad came on this outing, because I love this picture!

I wish I would have packed more water but we managed to the top. Internally I was thinking I didn't want to push that much more weight... silly me! My parents captured my efforts in pushing the stroller. Don't worry, I did look up every once in a while to take in the scenery. To give credit, both my mom and dad took turns pushing. I was grateful for the rest. And going down was just as difficult. I had white knuckles holding on so tight and my legs were burning.

We ALL made it to the top! Brianna had a short meltdown on the path. It was very unusual for her. I made sure I was giving them water and I had snacks for them to help keep them occupied on the climb. But all of a sudden she just lost it. My mom tried to take her hand because she didn't want to ride anymore, but all she wanted was me to carry her. I felt so bad because I didn't know what to do to help her, and just rushing down the hill would take too long, especially if I had to carry her. THANKFULLY, there was a little spot of shade just ahead. Plus a women had taken refuge under the shade with her two dogs, just the distraction from the hot sun we needed. I love dog people! She was so friendly and even picked up on the fact that B was hot and upset. She tried to engage her and said she could pet the pups. B liked that, I think she was missing Eko too!

Since the top was literally right there, after we all calmed down and cooled off a little we walked the 30 yards or so to the top overlook. My dad walked the few extra steps to capture a few pictures of the lighthouse. Just beautiful...

On the way down I noticed a strange movement in the water. Nothing surfaced while we stopped to watch, but we were pretty sure we saw a dorsal fin, probably a shark feeding. It may or may not have been, but I'd like to think we saw something. It would be neat to go back there during whale season, since they travel right along this shoreline.

It was getting close to lunch time, so we stopped at the mall to get some Arby's. A little rain was a welcome sight as we walked in. So refreshing!

On the way home, Brianna asked to take pictures with my mom's camera. They turned out to be mostly of just her but she did get some other shots. She thoroughly enjoyed using the camera. I don't know how many pictures in total she took, it was just a lot.

This adventure was a lot of work, but so worth it. It also had a wonderful view of KoKo Head. Maybe I'll get to climb that next time...

Hawaii - October 24

I found Lost! More like we found Lost - the Lost beach, anyway! Not sure if any of you new this or not, but Jon and I were Lost fans. We watched it from Season 1 through the very last episode. The series was strange yet captivating. (to be completely truthful, Eko's name was inspired by the character, second season) A majority of the filming was done on Oahu.  So, as our time was soon drawing to a close, I thought it would be fun to go out exploring the island and see if I could find the Lost beach.

This adventure was just my mom, myself, and the kids. I had been googling to find the best directions possible to the beach - if you weren't actively looking for it, you would most likely miss it and get frustrated. In fact, we started chatting with couple the next day, who were also Lost fans, and I tried to describe where the beach was but had to pull out my phone to show them a map. Basically, you find this one lone road, drive to the end and look for a small hidden path between the massive houses, then just walk up the beach until you get there... Sounds specific, right? Well, I'm not kidding, besides a street name (Papailoa Road), that's essentially the directions I found. Thankfully all the beaches on Hawaii are public, so I didn't feel bad traipsing about just a few yards shy of people's homes.

We walked a ways and soon came to an opening which was unmistakable. Filming has been done for a while now so there were no remnants but it was fun just the same. Plus, it was one thing that I never thought I was going to do and we did it. The day was gorgeous and the waves rolling in were simply perfect. We were all alone on the beach so we were able to get lost in it's beauty! Beauty that quickly changed into a desire to get back to the car for the kids. Brianna did an awesome job walking most of the way in the sand. I could have walked down the beach further, but I could sense she was tired and wouldn't make it. With Carl already in a backpack carrier, another one on the hip is less than desirable. So back to the car we headed.

This was our second trip to the North Shore, so we had hoped to find some sea turtles, but were not so lucky. We did however come across many crabs. They were fun to watch scurrying about. Brianna loved watching them too. It helped distract her from the fact that she was still walking! We made it back to the car and then stopped to cool off with some more shaved ice. Yum!

We got back to Laura's and the kids crashed. Carl took an epic nap! I kept going in to check on him and decided I better take a picture to document. Yes, he slept with just a diaper at nap times everyday. The room Carl and I stayed in was the hottest in the house. No matter how I situated fans in the hallway or the window, air hardly moved. Everyone can attest, I had a line of fans blowing from the living room down the hallway, into our room. It was comical and semi-effective!


While at Laura's excellent sewing shop, I asked her if she would be willing to help make Brianna and Carl's costumes for Halloween. It was getting down to the wire but tonight was the night she had the first run of Brianna's costume. She was SO excited to try it on. Laura and I even went to Savers to look for a pair of wings for her. I had a pair at home that I thought would work, but having them in MN didn't do well for taking pictures with cousins in Hawaii! AND, the new wings were WAY better than what I had, so we packed them in our suit cases and brought them back with us. I was grateful because the wings I thought I had would not have done the costume justice. Anyway, she was excited.

We wrapped up another eventful day with baths and story time. Ahh, the sound of silence!

Hawaii - October 23 (part 2)

I loved having a sunset picnic the first time so I wanted to be sure we made it back at least once more. It is so beautiful! Plus you have so much extra entertainment between the water, sand and food, that everyone is happy!! But before we get there...

Naps went well - a big 'Check' off our list for being rested enough to go out that night. And after school Danya and her friend from next door, Ryan, were over playing in the back yard. That gave us grown-ups plenty of time to situate towels, swim suits, sand toys, car seats, and food for that evening's activities. But we hit a small snag. Ryan ended up staying longer than anticipated and we couldn't locate his dad, who had just recently delivered an afternoon meal to the backyard over the fence. Since the kids were in back, they just kept playing and Danya innocently said he could stay, not knowing the plans. It made for an interesting transition when we needed to leave (cause we were meeting someone at the beach), but we worked through it and made it out the door. Everyone was able to go tonight, so it was a fun big family outing. It took both cars to get us there! 

Our friend we were meeting was Becky and her 2 kids. It was so good to see Becky and catch up. Plus, she was super cute and brought each of the kids a little candy treat for after they finished their dinner. Becky was in the same grade as my sister's, Margaret and Michelle, and went to the same church and youth group. It had been a long time since I'd seen Becky, but lucky for me (and maybe her too!) she is currently stationed on Hawaii so the commute wasn't very long. Her two kids were so sweet to Carl and Brianna. Tristin, her son, was a little enamored with Carl and was giving me some pointers... "If he likes bikes, then get him a BMX, they are awesome. And if he wants to skateboard, get him a long board, those are better"... he mentioned a a couple other things, but I couldn't keep track. These were the main ones. He hadn't said anything to me then he must have warmed up because he was passionate about his suggestions or rather pointers for when Carl gets older. It was really sweet!

We had another wonderful evening. And look at that towel/picnic blanket conglomeration. We needed every inch we could get!

Here's Tristin playing in the sand with Danya!

I hope everyone can sit and enjoy many sunsets on the beach. God created an incredible world, filled with wonder and beauty. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Hawaii - October 23 (part 1)

Who wants to take a ride on the Pineapple Express?

We did of course! It was Tuesday and with only three more days left after this one, we wanted to continue packing in the fun. We packed up and headed out to the Dole Plantation to get there when it opened. It's best to beat the crowds and the heat! First thing we did was to ride the fabulous Pineapple Express and learn more about the history of pineapples on the island and Mr. Dole. The first step in the process is to get your photo taken before boarding the train, you know, one of those pay for the picture after you ride type deals. Well I ended up paying because I couldn't resist seeing Brianna hold that HUGE pineapple. The hostes and photographer were definitely concerned with handing over the pineapple to Brianna. I'm sure they thought she would drop it, since we were the first ones in line.

A newly planted pineapple row and the Tanada Reservoir.

Then we got to feed the Koi! Brianna was really excited about seeing all the fish swarm around the food. You can tell they are used to being feed. It was a frenzy of fish!

There was peacock walking around. Brianna spotted it right away, but since we were headed to the train, we made sure to go back and look for it. There it was, just strutting among the people. If only he had shown us his feathers!

Then it was off to the "World's Largest Maze." From doleplantation.com - In 2008, Dole Plantation's giant Pineapple Garden Maze was declared the world's largest maze. The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and one-half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants.  We made it through half of the scavenger hunt, before needing to head out of the maze and out of the heat. Brianna said, "Mommy, I'd like to go home now." Well, ok! The stroller didn't work well on the gravel/dirt so carrying Carl was a tough job too. I was happy to obliged, besides it was getting to be lunch time and we were all really hot. A few short cuts were taken, but we had fun maneuvering the maze - it was harder than I thought!

My dad had waited in the car for us and so the car was all ready for us when we got back. Then it was home again, home again, jiggity jog - for lunch time then naps, and facetiming Jon. (it kinda rhymed) We wanted to make sure we got naps in today because we had another sunset dinner on the beach planned. Only this time, we were meeting up with an old friend who is currently stationed on the island.

In Potty Training News...

It's a little late notice to all those who follow our family on the blog, but... Success, B is potty trained!

My sister took our family photos just before Christmas. I love how they turned out. More will follow.
(www.facebook.com/finnollie)

I bring this up now, amidst our Hawaii tales, because that was one detail I had no idea of what to expect. I knew she was doing amazing at home and even telling me she had to go, but really, Hawaii and cousin Danya sealed the deal!

Like I mentioned in our first Hawaii post, she was a little uncertain of the plane toilets, but thankfully managed to go to the bathroom on the planes and stay dry. (A big WHEW, because I didn't put plastic covers on her and would have had a HUGE mess to deal with if she have an accident - and with the confined space we had, I was thankful not to have mess) Then on Hawaii, she had 2 accidents, both in the same day, one of the first days we were there. That was it for the entirety of our trip. I guess, she needed to figure out that between playing so hard and all the extra water we were drinking, we needed to make sure we took time to go to the potty more often! After the first two nights of sleeping with me and getting back on a regular sleeping schedule, we let her and Danya sleep together in Danya's room. For the most part, it worked wonderfully. When Danya would wake up in the morning for school, Brianna would wake up too (dry) then come in my room to get me to take her to the bathroom. One morning I even found Danya taking Brianna into the bathroom for me. She was so helpful with Brianna! Like I said, seeing a big girl use the potty all on her own, was a clincher for Brianna. She loved spending time with her girl cousins.

Then on the plane ride home, she had no problems again and we were home! Now, there will be an occasional accident, but having her be confident in herself is priceless.

She gets up on her own now and usually will go to the bathroom, then come in our room and get us. OR, she will go to the bathroom and then read books in the family room. If you ask her what time she woke up, which there are times I wonder... She'll tell you, "Um, well, 6. I woke up at 6." That's not the case, but I do still wonder...

Hawaii - October 22, Pearl Harbor Historic Site

Although we didn't take any of the tours, it is still a very humbling walk, and one I hope to share again as a family. The bravery and sacrifice of thousands of sailors and countless more is simply amazing and such a blessing. I know Brianna and Carl are not quite able to comprehend what happened at Pearl Harbor, but I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.

I love the scale of this picture. This propeller is huge.

It was nice to be able to just walk around. It had changed quite a bit since we were there in 2006, so it seemed like we were seeing all new things. Unfortunately though, no purses or strollers or anything were allowed, so that got a little complicated in terms of having a 15 month old along. Thankfully Carl was already a good walker and enjoyed the freedom to move about. We traveled light, and since we didn't take any tours, our plan was to walk around for while and be back home for lunch. So snacks/diapers/etc. were able to be left in the car. (Against their recommendation of paying for a locker for your valuables.)

Here we are checking out the working periscope. Definitely an interesting perspective!

I can't say enough how blessed I feel to have been able to make this trip to Hawaii. It was amazing to be able to spend two weeks with my sister (and John, Danya and Baby Kat), but to also have these memories with Brianna and Carl with their grandparents is so special.  Brianna really wants to go on another airplane ride...!

The day we were there, a Pearl Harbor survivor and author was signing books. My mom caught this picture on her camera. It seemed she had a smudge on her lens; could be from little hands, I don't rightly know. But I do know, my dad was grateful to him for his service and his book. And thank you to all of the service men and women who daily serve our country.

It was good timing for us and getting back in the car to head home. It was getting warm and it seemed Brianna's poor cheeks had enough bright sunshine for the day. Naps and more fun playing were in store that afternoon. Man! I feel I could end everyday with that statement! One thing I was also grateful for was that my kids actually kept to their nap schedule. Transitioning 5 hours was hard enough, so I was happy they wanted to sleep. It kept us from having cranky kids, and out of the hot midday sun everyday. I'm certainly biased - my kids are wonderful!


Side Note: It was spirit week at Danya's school. Monday was Crazy Hair day! Love the look. Brianna thought she wanted crazy hair, but it was only a thought...

Hawaii - Oct. 20 & 21 Weekend Baby Holding

Yes, even I got to hold baby Katriel! She was so small and cuddly. Both my babies were 8 pounds and never got under 7; Kat was only 6 lbs, 6 ounces, so tiny in comparison! It was fun to hold her, but not without interruptions. Brianna seemed to have a radar for when she was happy and always asked to hold her. I kept her this time and got some baby snuggling time in. 

As for my babies... they were always hot, as noted by my son not wearing his clothes. I've already mentioned the nightly baths, they were much needed. I was so thankful my sister had pulled out some of the clothes Danya had grown out of. It was near impossible to get the "just right" fitting shorts from home that I had for Brianna on and off. The next size up was much appreciated, it made it so much easier. Especially when we needed to head to the potty really fast. Her small shorts just stuck right to her. It seemed the moment they would take a step outside they would be glistening. I can't blame them though, there was so much fun stuff to play with, it was hard to stay inside by the new baby! But that's when I got my turn to be with her!