Hawaiian Dreams

Our last morning in Hawaii we hiked to Diamond Head with Kaj and Nikki. This is a view of Diamond Head from our hotel room....it's the peak to the left.

This is the volcanic crater of Diamond Head

The entire hike had amazing views.

Lots of stairs to hike

We made it to the top!! The reviews on the website said it was a strenuous hike, but we made it up in about 20 minutes, we are that good.

My Boys

Soaking up those last rays before real life starts again.

This guy was so entertaining to watch.  He was wearing a speedo with a face mask and then he was putting his socks on in the sand.  There are some weirdos out there.

After we checked out of our rooms we went to the flea market at Aloha Stadium.  It was cool to see the stadium, but I could have lived without the flea market.  As Al says all flea markets are the same and all they have is junk.  I'm beginning to believe him.

Alex has a new obsession.  He likes to be in the cockpit driving and now he knows how to control the music....uh oh

We had to return our car at 5pm and our flight didn't leave until 10, so we got to hang out at the airport for 4 hours.  It was pretty painful, but at least Alex slept the whole way home on the plane.  Maybe red eyes are the way to travel with babies.

I don't think Al's parents read this blog, but if you are thank you for everything.  It was a great Christmas.  We love you!!

Hawaii Day 6

We spent our last full day in Hawaii on the beach.  We started off at Lanikai Beach which was beautiful.  The sand is somehow whiter and softer, the water is bluer, and the view was amazing.

There is supposed to be great snorkeling and sunsets at this beach, but it was very windy while we were there so we only stayed for about an hour.

Al 5 and 6

The three of us

Since it was windy and the sun was hiding behind clouds we decided to drive to our favorite, Sandy Beach.  On our way we stopped at Makapuu Lookout which is the eastern most point of Oahu.

 We  spotted a cove with good waves for the boys to play in and ended up going there instead.

I got Alex to take a nap which was great for both of us.

This is when Al lost his wedding ring in the ocean :(

This beach was warm and sunny, but we had to lay with our backs against the ocean so we could get direct sunlight.  At 2:30pm the sun went behind the mountains and then Al's mom saw the van being towed, so that was our cue to go.

On our way back to Waikiki we stopped by Dakine Bailbonds to see if Dog the Bounty Hunter was working.  

 We bought some famous malasadas from Leonards Bakery.  Malasadas are deep fried donuts with cream fillings.  Someone told us they are Portugese so I'm not sure why they are so famous in Hawaii, but there is a line wrapped around Leonard's every morning for them.

They don't have the rule No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service, oh Trevor.

We took Alex to play in the sand one last time at overcrowded Waikiki Beach.

This video is my favorite.

He was so happy that he got to play in the sand.

That night we took one last stroll by the shops in Waikiki.  There are so many street performers and usually I'm not swayed by the guys painted silver and gold, but Lani the friendly Guinea Pig caught my eye.  When was the last time you saw a Guinea Pig in a Hula Skirt, with a hat, standing on a surf board...lol

Al tried to tell me it wasn't worth the $1,but I think it was worth $10.  I got to feed him and put his hat and skirt on. It's not everyday you see a surfing guinea pig.  Afterwards I used hand sanitizer :)

Hawaii Day 5

Monday morning a few of us went to Pearl Harbor.  I was not impressed with the people that work there.  Right when we walked up I was told I couldn't take my purse in and that I needed to check it.  Well it's not that easy when you have a ton of baby stuff in your bag, but they don't care.  They charge $3 to check your bag and they give you a plastic grocery bag?  The guy checking bags said it's that or leave it in your car where it will most likely get stolen.  Who says that?

The second thing that's lame about Pearl Harbor is almost everything costs money and is very expensive except the USS Arizona Memorial which we had to wait 1.5 hours to see.  

While we waited for our tour Alex decided to have a meltdown so I carried him out to the car screaming.  That's what a week of short naps and late bed times will do, so I ended up feeding him and let him sleep for an hour before our group left.

It was really cool to stand on the Memorial and look into the water.  

After Pearl Harbor Al went swimming and running with his dad and met Alex and I at Waikiki Beach afterwards.

We let Alex play in the sand which he loved.

This time he didn't put his hands in his mouth or eyes. I love his chunky legs.

How great is this pose on the beach....ha I was dying.

Al took him in the water.  Alex would flap his hands and splash the water. He looked so confused when it would splash on his face...lol

That night we went to dinner at Uncle Bo's which came highly recommended by some friends.  

Guess what I had?  Ahi Tuna

My dinner was huge and delicious.  Loved Uncle Bo's