Hawaii Day 10: Volcano National Park

CJ, Nina and Papa drove from Kona to meet us! The kids, Grant and I went to Volcano National Park first and did a hike with the kids. It was beautiful with lots of steam vents, but Colton was very scared and cried most of the way.
Then, we connected with CJ, Nina, and Papa at Cafe Ono and had fun eating in a greenhouse and exploring the grounds. The kids especially liked the giant bunny rabbit and I enjoyed picking up a few souvenirs.
We all bent back to Volcano National Park together to walk around the lava flows. Then, we took Nina and Papa back to the treehouse to show them around.  Right after we said good-bye to CJ, Nina and Papa, Skye called and asked if we wanted to tour his other two treehouses. One of the treehouses is the first one he built and the other is one that is currently under construction. It was so fun to see all the tree houses and Sky even gave each of the kids a Treehouse t-shirt! He was so nice and answered a million of our questions.
We wrapped up the evening with dinner at Lava Rock Cafe with carolers!

Hawaii Day 9: Travel to Hilo, Botanical Gardens, Akaka Falls, Tree House

We traveled non-rev on Hawaiian Airlines and woke up at 4:45am to make it to a 7am flight. It was my first time traveling zed, so we weren't 100% sure how it would work. We had to check-in at a gate which was a slow process, but other than that it was easy. We even got 5 seats across together. We were excited to save about $400 getting over to Hilo. Plus, we got to Hilo so early we were able to see sites.

We got our Jeep and then went straight to get pancakes! They had amazing coconut syrup and we were all totally stuffed. We then worked off our pancakes hiking at the Botanical Gardens. It was about a 1.5 mile loop with beautiful plants and flowers and ocean view in the middle of the walk. I loved it.

Then, on to Akaka Falls. It was misty, another nice loop hike and the falls were beautiful. Akaka Falls are 400 ft. tall and even taller than Niagra Falls. Grant was on a hunt for fresh fruit and there were some fruit trees in the parking lot of Akaka Falls. The kids and I laughed like crazy as Grant climbed up on the roof of the jeep and got us fruit! After the second hike, we were hungry again so we ate at Hilo Bay Cafe with a great view over the bay.

We did a brief stop for a Wal-Mart food run and JR also got his hair cut at Supercuts. It was getting shaggy and we decided it didn't make sense to wait until we got back to Dallas. After the errands, we went to the treehouse and it was getting to be dusk.  Kids were so impressed when we drove up to the Treehouse. Skye Peterson was nice and stayed and chatted for a bit. The kids loved it and ran all over before we settled in to watch Peter Pan. The treehouse had a DVD player and a handful of DVDs. We only made it through about 1/2 the movie before we all turned in for the night.

Another full and fun day!

Hawaii Day 8: Iolani Palace and Day in Oahu with the Chapman's

Cadie had wanted to go to the Palace and I enjoyed it more than I expected. It wasn't huge, but it was beautiful and our tour guide gave us lots of Hawaiian history. The history actually made me a bit sad because it was a rich way of life. After the palace, we drove around the island to where the Chapman's were staying. Of course, we stopped for Waiola shave ice on the way. The Chapman's got in town the evening before and were staying in a guest cottage in a quiet area right across the street from a beach.  It was windy, but the kids were still excited to visit the beach. Our time there was cut a bit short when both Josiah and Colton got stung by little jelly fish! The big kids seemed to be fine so B and I took the little boys back to the house to shower off and calm down and the Dads stayed at the beach with the big kids or almost an hour.

After the beach, we ate at Zippy's and we were not impressed. However, the Zippy's we went to had an open air patio with water views so the kids were content watching boats. Then, more Waiola Shave Ice. The Chapman's liked it, but not as much as us :). We then headed back to our hotel to let the kids swim in the pool while the adults enjoyed the pool party. The kids were sad when we finally made them get out of the pool at around 8:30ish. Josiah had already been asleep for almost an hour on a lounge chair. Sweet, tired baby boy!

Hawaii Day 7: Diamond Head and Magic of Polynesia Show

The kids and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and pool time this morning while Grant did two scuba dives. I was very thankful everyone was feeling well after the evening upset tummies! After pool time, we dried off and headed to Diamond Head. The hike was pretty steep, but a great view from the top and it felt good to get in some exercise. The kids got to the bottom much quicker than Grant and I. After Diamond Head, we stopped for the best shaved ice ever at Waiola Shave Ice. The line was 20 deep by the time we left - we had no idea that we were lucky to arrive at a time without a line.

We dropped our things off at the hotel and then walked to California Pizza Kitchen because we were all pretty hungry. I hadn't let the kids eat too much at breakfast since I wasn't sure how their tummy's would feel, and I only gave them snacks before Diamond Head. It was happy hour and we all left with full bellies. We shopped a bit at a local market and then went to the Magic of Polynesia show. I wasn't sure Colton and JR would stay awake for the whole thing, but they made it. They all crashed when we got back to the room and it was a full and fun day.

Hawaii Day 6: Pearl Harbor

The kids were troopers again today! Up and headed out around 8am for a big day of walking and learning. Was thankful today that we had the stroller because Colton is still not 100%. It is 7pm and he is already asleep. The big kids are at the pool party with instructions to come back at 8pm. The weather was perfect and Pearl Harbor was not very crowded which made for a great day. We all enjoyed the Missouri tour and the kids loved running all around the ship. Ranger was most interested in learning all about WWII and Pearl Harbor. However, I know Cadie was interested too because the last thing we did was the Bowfin submarine and the kids seemed tired so we were going to skip the museum, but Cadie piped up and wanted to do the Bowfin Museum and audio tour. I think she listened to every stop at the museum.

We started out the day with the movie and the Arizona boat tour. The Arizona Memorial is closed right now so we didn't get to go onto it, but we did see the Arizona from the boat. Then, we took the shuttle over to the Missouri where we got a small bite to eat before going on our self-guided boat tour. After the Missouri, we did the Aviation Museum where the kids and I started to drag. By the time we got to the Bowfin, Ranger reached his limit so I walked out of the sub with him and he rested on a bench. I think he was dehydrated. 

After Pearl Harbor, we stopped at Liliha Bakery for dinner. My BLT was delish and the kids were happy because they serve breakfast all day. Now, Colton is passed out, I think Grant might also be asleep, and the big kids are due back from the pool soon and I will have the do a big of journaling before bedtime. 

This is Day 6 of vacation and I LOVE long vacations. Grant and I realized yesterday that this is the longest vacation we have ever taken. Ever. It is so nice to truly unplug, enjoy being together, and not feeling like we have to cram every moment since we still have more time! However, we do tend to keep a full schedule. The kids and I will have some downtime tomorrow while Grant goes on an early morning scuba dive.

Edit: After I had written the above post, I signed off because the kids came back from the pool and I needed to get them into bed. Ranger had started to not feel well towards the end of the day and I skipped the Bowfin to sit with him and rest on a shaded bench. After I got the kids settled, I went to get a load of laundry from the hotel laundry room. When I got back to the room Ranger had thrown up all over himself - poor baby. Cadie threw up about 30 mins later. They were fine the rest of the night, but it was crazy for about an hour. I think it was the hot dogs for lunch at the Missouri.