Aloha Kauai!

Our family returned Saturday from a wonderful week long trip to Kauai, Hawaii!! My Dad has been commuting a lot over these last few years and racked up quite a few airline points. My parents decided to generously use up those points flying all 14 of us (my siblings and their families, and my parents) to Kauai round trip. Thanks Dad for all your hard work and for sharing your rewards with us! Philip and I were both a little worried about how the long days of travel and the time change would effect our boys, but were pleasantly surprised that it all went fairly well. Yes, there were a lot of early mornings and a few tears shed, but all in all it went alright :). Levi and Joel were excited to ride an airplane again, and enjoyed the endless supply of snacks and shows (whatever it takes to keep somewhat quiet!). Levi thought the airplane bathroom was super fun (who knows why!) so we made a trip to the back of the plane about every 30-45 minutes it seemed.

We arrived to Kauai late on Saturday evening and went straight to sleep in our comfy beds at the Marriott Resort. The boys woke up before the sun ready to go and we enjoyed a little balcony time before heading down to a yummy breakfast with all the family as soon as the restaurant opened. The rest of the morning we all enjoyed the enormous pool, and beautiful Kalapaki beach. After a yummy lunch over looking the shore we headed up for naps and to pack up for the remainder of our stay which was at a beach house in Anahola.

the kids LOVED this slide!

not too shabby of a view and pool, eh?!

Our home for the week was wonderful! The beach house had 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms and lots of living space so we had plenty of room even with 14 people under one roof. Levi and Joel LOVED sharing a bed and were so sweet cuddling together each night. Not only was the house good for our big bunch, but the Anahola beach was stunning! There was a long shore line of soft white sand, a pretty coral reef at one end with a beautiful view of the Kalaea mountains and the mouth of the Anahola river at the other end with more mountain views and calm tidal pools to swim in.

Day 1: We spent the morning at the Marriot as mentioned, then headed to the Anahola beach house got settled in and did some grocery shopping.

Day 2: Philip and I woke bright and early to head out on a deep sea fishing charter. We had a wonderful time! Thank you to Moe and Pop for watching to boys while we fished. According to Pop and Moe the kiddos had a blast playing on the beach, eating lunch and then were in bed napping when we arrived home. On our charter we were with 4 other adults the captain and his deck hand on a large boat. As a group we caught 10-12 skip jack tuna that were about 5-10 pounds each and 4 yellow fin tuna ranging from 10-35 pounds. I was lucky enough to catch the biggest fish of the day, the 35 pound yellow fin tuna, with a lot of help from Philip. It was so much fun to fight that strong fish, and my arms were sore for the next couple of days from all the pulling and reeling! We spent the rest of that day relaxing at the beach house and enjoying the beach (which was a "locals" beach, so rarely had other people there), relaxing, boogie boarding and playing.

the smallest girl caught the biggest fish :)

I like this picture because it is a snapshot of what a lot of our beach time looked like :)

the kids loved playing with the coconuts near the house

Day 3: All 14 of us loaded up in the rental cars and took the beautiful drive to the north coast of Kauai and the Ke'e Beach/Hanakapi'ai Trail near the amazing Napali coast. Philip, Ryan, Molly and my Dad spent the morning hiking while the rest of us hung out on the beach, played with the kids and took turns snorkeling. This is probably my favorite beach on Kauai because of the stunning views, great snorkeling (Dustin and I saw hundreds of fish and a huge sea turtle) and calm waters. After lunch on the beach we headed back to the beach house for naps, to relax at the house and one of many yummy meals for dinner (I must say, we have some really great cooks in our family! We ate well while on this vacation!).

I took Levi snorkeling...as soon as he saw one fish he freaked out saying, "there are big grouper fish out there that can get me" and refused to snorkel any more. We had fun getting all suited up though! Baby #3 is showing in this shot!

the scene every morning...up before the sun and enjoying a show :)

newly weds by the Hanakapi'ai falls

all 4 hikers made it to the top!

that's some amazing water!

I was a little bummed to miss these views!

Day 4: We headed out to rent surf boards in the morning, had a bit of a rough time finding a beach were the surfers could surf and we rest of us could cook and play with the kids, and eventually ended up back at the beach house to enjoy a delicious lunch and some time on "our" awesome beach. After naps we all showered, dressed up and headed to the south shore for a Luau. The luau was right on the Poipu beach! All of us really enjoyed our time together at the luau. The show was great and all 4 kids (as well as the adults) were enthralled. Levi told us after the show he was "very instrested" in the hula girls...not that we didn't notice. His mouth was open and eyes fixed almost entirely start to finish.

I'd say these kids like the beach ;)

I think they still had fun, even though they didn't catch many waves

they all had smiles despite the beating the received

Levi LOVED boogie boarding

ah to be childless :) two cute girls enjoying a beach side read!

All 14 of the family at the luau!

 

Day 5: We enjoyed a laid back morning, complete with some fun with a toad my mom found. Seth, Morgan, Dustin and my Dad headed out early to do some peacock bass fishing. Once again, the girl caught the only fish, way to go Morgan! After breakfast the rest of us drove over to see the stunning and famous Wailua falls, and then headed over the the Kuilau Ridge Trail for some kiking. The hike went along a wide path surrounded by lush vegetation and beautiful views of the valleys on either side of the ridge. It was a mile up to a picnic area (where we enjoyed water and snacks) and then a mile back to the trail head where we parked. The kids did great and we all enjoyed seeing a different view of the island. When the fishers returned home from their trip we loaded up and headed to Hanalei Bay for the afternoon. The waves were not really big enough for surfing like we had hoped, but we still had a nice time relaxing on the beach, enjoying the pretty views and watching the kids play in the tidal pools.

the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of all the green!

All the happy hikers at the top!

snack break :)

soon to be Mr & Mrs

newly wed long walk on the beach...

sibling love on Hanalei beach

the feeling is mutual :)

Day 6: This was our last day on the island and we were all feeling a little sad that we didn't have more time. I'm not sure you could take a vacation long enough to see all there is to see and do all there is to do on this remarkable island! So, we made the most of our morning. Philip woke up early and headed out to try his luck at spear fishing along the coral reef near the house. He was didn't see much since it was low tide, but he was glad to have had the chance to get out his spear. The women and the kids hit the beach early in search of "treasures" as Nora stated and enjoyed a walk on the beach followed by a good bit of time at the mouth of the river. Dustin, Ryan and Philip joined us later and also enjoyed the beautiful views and watching the kids frolic for one last moment.

sweet time enjoying the view and time together

Precious Nora was proud of her castle

heading down to the beach for one last boogie board session

searching for treasures

We have been home for a couple of days, and are slowly adjusting to Texas time and our normal routine. The boys have been sleeping extra late and having a hard time going to bed, but are doing well other wise. We miss the beach, our family and all the beauty of Kauai...maybe one day we will make it back!